A slow flow yoga class featuring a little bit of everything, this class works with twists, backbends, leg balancing, inversions and a mantra. Dance in your breath through a standing series that flows from warrior 1 to warrior 3 before moving onto your belly for several variations of Dhanurasana (bow pose) using a strap. You’ll create space in the chest, shoulders, side body, and hamstrings while building strength in the core and back body. This class features a quote from Douglas Brooks to anchor the practice and invites you to contemplate your expression and meaning of freedom.
“How we experience ourselves in [any] act determines our experiences of bondage or freedom…we need not change the world but rather understand, as clearly as possible, just how it works. When we know how the world works then we know what to do and, at least at some level, our choices in action become obvious imperatives. “All creatures, even a person of knowledge, behave according to their nature” (3.33, Bhagavad Gita), and this is not a problem unless we fail to understand what we can and cannot do ourselves. The more deeply we know ourselves, the more fluently we will act for the sake of what is greater than merely ourselves.” – Douglas Brooks, Poised For Grace
May we connect to the part of ourselves that does not change- may we act from this place of integrated understanding- recognizing that there is light within all of us, and it is this that unites us.
Style: Vinyasa
Duration: 60-minutes
Level: open
Props: 2 Blocks, 1 Strap.
Focus: standing leg balances, and arm binds moving towards Flamingo pose.
Location: Vancouver, BC
Music: Spotify playlist:
This class opens with three calls to Aum and the Pavamana Mantra.
The Pavamana Mantra
asato ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya
om shanti shanti shanti
ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय ।
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
मृत्योर्मा अमृतं गमय ।
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥
Lead me from the asat to the sat
Lead me from darkness to light
Lead me from death to immortality
For more on the mantra, visit this link.
Balasana (child’s pose)
10-15 breath to move as you like, options:
Come to Tadasana at the back of your mat.
Opening Flow
Tadasana (mountain pose) take your feet as wide as your mat
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Utthita Stiti Bhujangasana (finger stand cobra)
Salamba Bhujangasana (sphynx pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward facing dog)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation with the back knee on the ground
Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation with back knee lifted
Anahatasana (heart pose) variation with palms on your blocks
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Uttanasana (forward fold) at the back of your mat
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.
Standing Flow
Malasana (yogic squat)
Tadasana (mountain pose) with arms up to the sky
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Utthita Stiti Bhujangasana (finger stand cobra)
Salamba Bhujangasana (sphynx pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward facing dog)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Virabhadrasana I (warrior 1 pose) flowing variation
Parsvottanasana (pyramid pose) variation
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward facing dog)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Parivrtta Anjaneyasana (revolved lunge pose)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Phalakasana (plank pose) with lifted leg extended
Bharmanasana (tabletop pose)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward facing dog)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Dhanurasana (bow pose) variation
Parsva Vasisthasana (side plank pose) variation
Balasana (child’s pose)
Marjaryasana/Bitilasana (cat/cows)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Malasana (yogic squat)
Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.
Backbend Flow
Dhanurasana (bow pose) variation using the strap
Setu bandha sarvāṅgāsana (bridge pose)
Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose)
Cooling Flow
Ardha Matsyendrasana (seated spinal twist)
Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) OR
Sarvangasana (shoulder stand)
Ananda Balasana (happy baby pose)
Savasana or seated meditation to close.