A strong vinyasa practice that works with the bandhas and Drishti to bring focus, clarity, and energy to the body and mind. This class features inversions and arm balancing with a tripod headstand into a crow pose as the peak. Hip opening, leg balancing, core work, and back body strengthening connect you to your body to prepare for the peak flow sequence. Your class ends with Nadi Shodhana, aka alternate nostril breathing.
Style: Vinyasa
Duration: 60-minutes
Level: intermediate/advanced
Props: 2 Blocks
Focus: inversions and arm balancing.
Location: Vancouver, BC
Spotify Playlist: Stand on Your hands
Considerations:
** For those with neck injury/sensitivity, those who are not taking the arm balance/inversion, and those with knee sensitivity, you can take malasana instead of crow pose, and standing splits instead of the headstand variation.
Meditation
Come to sit on your mat and close your eyes.
As you connect to your breath, soften around the edges of your body.
Drishti translates from Sanskrit as ‘focused gaze.’
It is a means of developing focused attention. It is a way to hold yourself to one thing.
Drishti relates to the fifth and sixth limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.
The fifth limb, Pratyahara, uses Drishti for sense withdrawal.
The sixth limb, Dharana, uses Drishti for concentration.
Drishti is very important in the Hatha yoga practice as it points to where you are looking and where you hold your gaze during the postures. It’s highly encouraging to have a single-pointed focus and gaze at one point. This focuses the mind and allows us to feel and be in our body’s with more awareness and attention.
Questions to sit with:
Try not to create any judgement or story around where you land.
Remember: where our focus goes, our energy flows.
Mantra
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu
Translation of the mantra = may all beings be happy and free.
Pranayama
Bhastrika breath (aka, bellows breath)
Benefits of Bhastrika Pranayama:
It is good for brain oxygenation and benefits the nervous and motor system. It energizes the body and mind and is excellent for anxiety or depression.
Maha Bandha (aka, the great seal)
Benefits of Maha Bandha:
It strengthens the pelvic area and the nervous system. It supports immunity, betters digestion and the inner organs, promotes strength and energy in the body.
Maha Bandha is the combination of all three bandhas that includes mula bandha (the pelvic/root lock), uddiyana bandha (core/abdominal lock), jalandhara bandha (chin/throat lock).
A bandha is an energetic lock/seal we create in the body. Bandhas channel and move the Prana through the body with more integrity.
Opening Movement
10-15 breaths to move as you like, options:
Come to Tadasana at the top of your mat.
Wave 1
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Bharmanasana (tabletop) variation
Bharmanasana (tabletop) variation
Bharmanasana (tabletop) variation
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Phalakasana (plank)
Chatarunga
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation with cat/cows
(wide-legged forward fold) variation
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Repeat the same sequence starting on the opposite leg.
** Second set:
Malasana (yogic squat) with Kapalabhati pranayama.
Kapalabhati translates from Sanskrit as Kapal, meaning the forehead, and Bhati, meaning light or knowledge. Kapalabhati is an energizing pranayama, also known as Skull Shining Breath, clears the lungs. This pranayama brings lightness and clarity to the mind and frontal cortex of the brain.
This style of pranayama involves sharp, active exhales through the nose to stimulate the clearing of the lungs by clearing the stagnant air that collects around the sides of the lung cavity. The sharp exhale pulls the stale air in toward the center of the lungs and pushes it out. Energetically, we’re drawing the air upwards to revitalize the mind and body. The inhale is passive, and as kapalabhati breath is performed, the abdomen repeatedly contracts on the exhale and releases on the inhale. This pranayama is best done on an empty stomach during the earlier partition of the day as its excitatory and stimulates the digestive fire.
Benefits include:
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Tadasana (mountain pose) variation
Bakasana (crow pose)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Wave 2
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Eka Pada Utkatasana (one-legged chair pose)
Eka Pada Tadasana (one-legged mountain pose)
Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Chatarunga
Phalakasana (plank)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2) variation
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (standing splits)
Rollerskating pose
Come to lay on your back for core work
Bharmanasana (tabletop)
Sirsasana B (tripod headstand)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Repeat the same sequence on the other side.
** Second set:
Tadasana (mountain pose) variation
Bakasana (crow pose)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Peak Pose Flow
Tadasana (mountain pose) variation
Bakasana (crow pose)
Sirsasana B (tripod headstand)
Bakasana (crow pose)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Considerations:
** For those with neck injury/sensitivity, those who are not taking the arm balance/inversion, and those with knee sensitivity, you can take malasana instead of crow pose, and standing splits instead of the headstand variation.
Floor Sequence
Balasana (child’s pose)
Hip/thigh stretch of choice:
A backbend of choice for eight breaths:
Balasana (child’s pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Kapotasana (pigeon pose)
Pranayama – Nadi Shodhana, aka alternate nostril breathing
Nadi Shodhana set up:
Nadhi Shodhana how-to:
Nadhi Shodhana benefits:
This style of pranayama carries more oxygen to the blood than regular breathing; it also soothes the nervous system, helps create calm in the body and mind, and balances the subtle body. Nadi Shodhana lowers the heart rate and reduces stress and anxiety as it purifies the subtle energy channels so the Prana (breath, life-force) can flow with ease.
Sushumna is the body’s central channel and largest energy line. It is the home to the seven chakras. Two energy lines traverse Shusumna—the spine—called Ida and Pingala. Ida and Pingala represent the other two main energy lines that move from the base of the spine to the crown of the head. These two energy lines refer to the right and left sides of the brain; through these energy lines, or Nadis, we create balance in the body and connect the two hemispheres through the breath.
Pingala represents solar energy, masculine, extroverted, bright, left hemisphere.
Ida represents lunar energy, feminine, introverted, dark, right hemisphere.
We need both energies to be whole. We need both energies to feel balanced in body and mind. When we connect such dualistic expressions, we create our reality. Without the opposition of the other, there is no creation story.
Seated meditation or savasana to close.