At the end of each week, I post the sequence that I’ve been teaching that week during my classes in Seattle. For more sequences from other weeks, click here. And if you would like to see these sequences in action, come join me for a class!

Grounding and Warm Up

Flow 1 – 2x

Flow 2 – 2x

Standing Poses

Flow 3 – 1x

Seated Poses and Inversion

Janu Sirsasana is a forward bend that can be rewarding for practitioners of all levels. It provides a great way to access the hamstrings while also stretching the spine and shoulders.

Start in Dandasana with both feet extended out in front of you. Place your left foot to the inside of your right thigh. Janu Sirsasana has a subtle element of spinal twisting to it, so I like to start by twisting slightly off to the right to square the torso over the extended leg. When your bellybutton is in line with your knee, reach forward with your hands, tying to extend the upper body out over the leg. Ground the right leg into the mat as you come forward. Imagine that your right heel is extended forward while your right sit bone is extending back. Pull the inner thigh back towards your hips and make sure the extended leg doesn’t end up with an outward rotation.

If the left side of your rib cage is further away from your extended leg then the right side of your rib cage, back out of the pose slightly, square the upper body over the leg again and only go as far forward as allows you to maintain this relationship between upper body and extended leg.

If you find that you are struggling to stay in the forward bend, you can add height under your seat and also use a strap around your extended leg. If the left knee doesn’t reach the floor, you can also add a blanket or a bolster for support. Try not to use your arms as the primary force to move deeper into the pose and instead use your core to extend and lengthen your upper body.

Hold for as long as feels comfortable, then repeat on the second side.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

At the end of each week, I post the sequence that I’ve been teaching that week during my classes in Seattle. For more sequences from other weeks, click here. And if you would like to see these sequences in action, come join me for a class!

Grounding and Warm Up

Flow 1 – 2x

Flow 2 – 2x

Flow 3 – 1x

Standing Poses

Seated Poses and Inversion

At the end of each week, I post the sequence that I’ve been teaching that week during my classes in Seattle. For more sequences from other weeks, click here. And if you would like to see these sequences in action, come join me for a class!

Grounding and Warm Up

Flow 1 – 3x

Flow 2 – 3x

Standing Poses

Seated Poses and Inversion

Hanumanasana can be a really intimidating pose for many people. Almost every time I do this pose in class, somebody laughs, as if to say “yeah right”.

So let’s demystify this one a bit. You don’t need to get all the way down to the floor (or even close) to get the full benefits of the pose. All we are really looking for is an equal stretch between the hamstring on the front leg, and the quad on the back leg.

The main thing to be aware of is that you don’t let the back hip rotate open too much. If it starts to open up (i.e. you begin to roll to the inside of the trailing foot), you’ve gone to far. A good way to start in this pose is to use blocks or folded up blankets under either your pelvis or front leg to give a little extra support.

To begin, come into a low lunge and place your hands on either side of the front leg. Try and keep a bit of an outward rotation of the front thigh to begin. Once you are settled here, begin to slide the trailing leg back so the front leg begins to straighten. Once you feel a nice stretch here, you can begin to slide the front leg forward, rotating it inward until the knee points straight up to the ceiling. Adjust the hands so you are stable and the torso is centered, giving an even stretch between front hamstring and back thigh.

Once you get over the initial intimidation of this pose, it’s one of the most rewarding and beneficial poses in yoga. For a sequences built around preparing for Full Splits, click here.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

At the end of each week, I post the sequence that I’ve been teaching that week during my classes in Seattle. For more sequences from other weeks, click here. And if you would like to see these sequences in action, come join me for a class!

Grounding and Warm Up

Flow 1 – 2x

Flow 2 – 2x

Standing Poses

Seated Poses and Inversion

Urdhva Dhanurasana is usually the culmination of work in other poses (such as camel, cobra or upward dog, low lunge, dolphin, and down dog) to prepare the body. But while it’s a big pose, it’s also a very rewarding one.

Three main things go into this pose. Opening up the front of the legs, opening up the upper back, and opening up the shoulders.

Lay on your back with the knees bent, both feet and knees about hip width distance apart. Place your hands by your ears and as you press both the feet and the hands into the floor, lift the hips off the floor. Press your shoulder blades into the back of your ribs to open the chest as you come up.

It is important here to make sure that your lower back stays nice and open. Tuck the tailbone as you come up and concentrate on opening and relaxing the front side of the body (the thighs, the belly, the chest, and the shoulders). If at this point you feel any compression or pressure in the lower back, you may be better off working with the preparatory poses for a while longer. Hold for as long as you feel comfortable and can maintain the pose without struggling.

For a sequences built around preparing for Full Wheel, click here.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

At the end of each week, I post the sequence that I’ve been teaching that week during my classes in Seattle. For more sequences from other weeks, click here. And if you would like to see these sequences in action, come join me for a class!

Grounding and Warm Up

Flow 1 – 3x

Flow 2 – 2x

Standing Poses

Seated Poses and Inversion