Customized Spring Flow

My yoga style is normally very Hatha oriented meaning we do individual poses with long(ish) holds and breathwork, then move to another related pose, etc. I'll add in sun salutations (in some circles called vinyasa flows) if the group is feeling energetic (or I am) or it seems appropriate, and add in creative offshoots, but these don't make up the whole of class.

This week I've been working out the kinks of a little personalized flow to build some heat in the body, open the hips, strengthen the ankles, work on balance (vestibular orientation as well as we change directions), and in general have a little fun.

Time the inhales and exhales as they suit you, one pose, one 1/2 breath cycle OR take multiple breaths in each pose and use a single inhale or exhale to transition with focus to the next:

1. Start at the top of the mat.
2. Lift arms overhead for urdva hastasana (arms overhead mountain pose)
3. Forward Fold (uttanasana)
4. 1/2 lift (ardha uttanasana)
5. Step back right leg to Ajenayasana (Lunge pose), Back foot on the toe, front knee aligned with with front toe, no further forward than the ankle. Hips face forward.

1. Swing right arm overhead, keep left knee as is, drop the right heel behind the right pinky toe and peel the body open into Warrior 2.

1. Sweep the right arm down and to the front, left the right heel and turn the hips forward returning to Lunge pose.
2. Repeat the Lunge pose/Warrior 2 transition two more times, staying aware of the foot position, the gentle pressing open of the hips, the lowering of the shoulders while the lower arms lift to the upper arms.
3. Pause the sequence in Warrior 2.
4. Turns the left toes to face the same directoin as the right, having the body come to "star pose" or prep for Prasarita Padatonasan (wide legged fold, but no fold). 
5. Bend into the knees gently, and then step the left leg to the right then hover the left leg off the ground (or knee at 90 degrees) for Eka Pada Tadasana (one legged mountain pose).
6. Slowly turn the left knee out, press the left foot into the right leg for Vrksasana (Tree pose), raising the arms if you'd like. Level out the hips, lengthen the waist, lift the crown of the head up while pressing the standing foot down and hugging core up and in to the midline.
7. Disconnect the left foot from the right leg, turn the knee back to the front, and gingerly step forward into a lunge again (you will be partly off the mat).
8. Repeat the sequence: Lunge pose, warrior 2 transitions 3x.
9. Pause in warrior 2
   
   
10. Turn the left foot to the same direction as the right.
11. Step the left leg to the right and hover the leg.
12. Turn the left leg open for tree pose
13. Take the left leg off the right this time and step back with the left leg starting back in lunge pose with the right leg in front. 
14. Repeat this sequence twice with the right leg in front, eventually turning 90 degrees toward the side again then 90 degrees back to the front. When you step to hover one leg it will be right leg stepping to the left this time.
15. From here, you can repeat the 1/2 sun salute (arm lift, forward fold, 1/2 left) and this time step back LEFT FOOT, repeating this same sequence with the left leg in back 2x, then switching once you have turned 1/2 way around to step the right foot back to bring you back to the front of the mat. 

At this it's up to you if you want to do a few sun salutations that include Chaturangas and down Dogs, building more heat for deeper or stronger poses like backbends, or other arm balances, or just pause, smoothing out the ragged edges of the breath, and preparing to slow down your practice.

Enjoy

A different kind of flow

If every yoga class you walked into started with the same breathing chants, same movements, same flow, same timing, same pattern from start to finish, would you be bored, or would you embrace the routine? Would the routine become dogmatic movements or could you, would you, keep refining and exploring your breath, your postures, your movements so that they were seamless and graceful, fluid and strong? Would you be able to vary your effort and modify the poses based on how you felt that day, or would you keep trying to "perform" the same every single day?

Sometimes, you just have to change things up completely to break the ritual to prevent it from becoming habitual. No where that I have studied has it said that you MUST do Surya Namaskar A exactly as in a textbook. No teacher that has imparted their wisdom has faulted me for exploring different ways to express my movements. In order to make yoga mine (or, yours), it must fit what you need, integrate your essences and help you grow your understanding of yourself.

So, why not move a little differently? 

Create your own flow that focuses on subtle graceful movements, and focused muscular engagement rather than pure momentum and power to get you thru a sequence. Refine from the ground out, from the inside out, rather than just taking the form of the pose and then trying to force the body to a static hold.

Try circling the arms and lifting one knee up, balacing on one foot not just at the ankle, but inside the foot, up the calf, around the front and back of the thigh, deeply into the hip, reaching the spine up up up the arms up up up, shoulder strongly rooted on the back and the drshti soft in front of you. Hold the lifted leg with integrity, rather than like a dead weight. Breathe fully into the thoracic cavity, then as your sweep the arms with control back down, bring the lifted leg down. 

With minimal transition of weight to the other side, repeat with the other leg. Continue a few cycles, left up, right up, engaging the low belly, strong upright posture and healthy spinal curves, with minimal extra movements - don't let the energy "leak out" through inactive limbs (limp ankles or wrists) or be drained away by extra movement made with momentum (aka "flinging body parts"). Like strong cables wrapped around a healthy framework move seamlessly through the sequence, not really pausing but transitioning very slowly, guided by the breath. Placing the foot down is a silent and easy process - noiseless and gentle.

Add on to this movement, take the leg back, side, twisting the body, straightening the leg, even bowing forward. All this work in the core, all this control with the raised arms, all this lengthening of of the body and intentional placement of limbs creating a harmonious, integrated yet unconventional flow that just may take you deeper into a practice of mindfulness.

You can intensify by adding stepping forward (or back, or sideways) to lunges or straddles but doing so place the limbs quietly, shifting your center of gravity and really call the muscles into action. I like to conjure images of a dancer in my mind, each movement strong without being forceful, controlled without being rigid, energy stored and released in just the right way to make the entire being vibrate with light. 

Or you can intensify by taking deeper and long inhales and exhales, and slowing down your movements even more, practicing balancing along each increment of body positions, feeling the heart rate calm and noticing subtle shifts in energy as the heart beats and the internal seems to move more quickly than the external!

Just a few suggestions  - let me know what works for you!

To flow or not to flow? Tips for better alignment

Whenever I attend a vinyasa style class where there is (more or less) continuous dance-like movement, resonant music, lilting vocal instructions of a master teacher filtering through the spaces between the students like the tide on a pebbled beach, I almost always get caught up in the flow.

And therin lies the problem. When it's all about the flow, I find, that something gets lost. Of course, yoga is not a static practice, as each posture (asana, or 'way of being') can be constantly tweaked, adjusted, enhanced and explored. A prescribed way of warming up the body is via the movement of Suryanamaskara, which translates to the words Sun Salute. If we start to (absent-mindedly) flow from one (complex) move to another without taking into consideration alignment, and properly controlling our movements with the appropriately activated muscles we cause ourselves injuries both subtle and gross.

Ever watch a professional ballerina lifting a leg to vertical, slowly and deliberately, and think "wow, how can they do that?" Notice how they are not "flinging" a leg into the air. Even if the move is swift, it's not careless; it's a controlled, whole-body activity coordinating balance, strength, muscle memory, timing, patience, and some nature-given ability.

Yet how often in a yoga class will (you) move from forward fold to anjaneyasana (lunge) by throwing a leg back then use momentum to flair the arms up and end up curving the lumbar spine without engaging the abs and obliques and lifting out of the torso, then dropping the arms down, flinging the other leg back (or worse yet throwing it like pendulum up into the air for a forced one-legged plank), locking the elbows then falling down chaturanga dandasana (lowered plank), and finally with a grunt push yourself back into down-dog, overarching the low back, pulling the shoulders out of the sockets, and straining the neck?

I realize I went on at length above, but perhaps you recognize even one flow-error you commit at any time. I know I have.

When the alignment of at the very least the foundation (the feet, or when they are on the ground, the hands) is compromised for the sake of speed (or inexperience, or exhaustion, or ego), these moves can have any number of negative results, from simple "bad habit reinforcement" to joint problems. Knee injuries, back injuries, neck injuries, wrist injuries....I hear people complain about these all the time and try very hard to reinforce PROPER form for both asana and movement between them.

A teacher worth their weight will, esp. upon seeing a student commit one of these 'errors,' take the time to instruct how to prevent injury. If you find yourself hurting in a pose or especially AFTER class having joint issues, talk to the instructor ahead of time and get some modifications and try to be more mindful of how you are moving.

A few tips for a healthier downward dog:

• Make sure your feet are not too close (or too far) away from your hands. Try a couple different positions and see what works. When "flowing" you often don't think about this but perhaps your stance is too far...or too narrow. Take your time to adjust as you need; there is no perfect flow and feet and hands glued to one position for all asana is not realistic or healthyl.
• Keep the humerous bones (upper arm bones) in the shoulder socket by engagins the muscles around the shoulder. Don't try to separate the arms from the torso to get more length. The shoulder muscles have to open...work slowly to 'melt' the heart down through the shoulders with the shoulder blades staying on the back AND moving down towards the hips, not towards the ears.
• Roll the triceps (muscle on the underside of the upper arm) under and in towards you face. If you hyperextend your elbows (they bend past the 180 degree mark when you arms is straight) maintain a SLIGHT microbend in the elbow and be very aware of engaging all muscles in your arm.
• Press your fingertips in the ground as if you are pushing your hand down on a gas pedal - this keeps the arm muscles engaged. This also prevents some wear and tear on your wrists, which should not be bearing all the weight of your upper body.
• Push back with your arms - you should not look like you are in a hunched plank pose. You're trying to get towards an inverted V with hips high (or even a lower slope from wrists to tail, then tail to heels). Push the mat away from you a LOT.
• Don't tilt your sit bones up at the expense of your low back; your hamstrings have to open to get those moving back so bend your knees for a while first. Check in a mirror or have someone watch you; if your low back is scooping so that you have a big arch above your hips, engage your core front and back muscles to even this out and make a long line from your shoulders to your tail. Try to internally rotate your inner thighs as if you were pushing a block or tennis ball behind you (and up)
• If the upper back is arching, knit the muscles of the front ribs together to bring the ribcage in line.
• Release the neck. Allow the gaze to be down, and back towards your feet, perhaps even "up" toward your belly.
• If you hyperextend the knees (they bend obliquely backwards) do not lock them out even if your heels reach the ground. Again, microbend them and keep the quads (upper legs) engaged.
• Imagine the body is rolling over the large upper bones of the legs (femur)...the hip sockets sliding around and over the top of the ball of this joing. Again, the hamstrings have to open, so bend the knees. Try to lift the toes (toward your face).
• BREATHE!

I'll add more posts specficially about these types of adjustments and awareness as it comes up, esp. in classes.