A short and spicy Lila Flow yoga class that features inversions and arm balancing with a tripod headstand into a crow pose as the peak. This class works with hip opening, side body lengthening, back body and core strengthening, and leg balancing. Kapalabhati pranayama builds heat, and a grounding floor series with frog pose and child’s pose closes your practice.
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.
Style: Lila Flow Yoga
Duration: 34-minutes
Level: intermediate/advanced
Props: 2 Blocks
Focus: inversions and arm balancing.
Location: Vancouver, BC
Spotify Playlist: Stand on Your hands
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:
Balasana (child’s pose) to ground and close your practice.