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

• Put your back knee on the ground
• Bring your hands to your shoulders and take your elbows wide
• Make circles with your elbows going in one direction
• Repeat 5 cycles

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Bharmanasana (tabletop) variation

• Take the palms as wide as your mat and turn the fingertips outwards
• Sway your shoulders side to side to release the forearms
• Breathe deep and move slowly

Bharmanasana (tabletop) variation

• Place your palms under your shoulders
• Keep one palm facing forward and turn the fingers on the other palm to the back of your mat.
• Soften the elbows and press the fingertips down to release the wrist
• Option to take your hips toward your heels to intensive the stretch
• Switch sides and move to the opposite hand to repeat the wrist release

Bharmanasana (tabletop) variation

• Take the back of one hand to the ground
• Rock genty forward and backward to release the back of the hand
• Repeat on the other side

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

• Place your back knee on the ground
• Walk your front foot wide to the edge of your mat
• Come onto your fingertips with your palms under your shoulders
• Inhale and arc the spine, lifting your chest
• Exhale and round your back, taking your chin to your chest
• Repeat several cycles

(wide-legged forward fold) variation

• Step your feet to the top of your mat and bring your pinky toes to the edge
• Bring your palms to the ground
• Inhale and bend your knees, lifting your chest and gazing forward
• Exhale and bow, taking your hips toward the sky
• Repeat several cycles

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:

• Enhanced mental focus and clarity
• Clearing of the lungs and nasal passages
• Excitatory to stimulate blood flow and boost circulation
• Tones the abdomen and lower organs
• Sharpens senses and concentration
• Balances nervous system
• Stimulates the digestive fire and appetite
• Purifies the nadis (energy channels) of the body through prana (breath)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Tadasana (mountain pose) variation

• Reach your hands overhead
• Stand on your tiptoes
• Bring your hands to prayer at your heart
• Bing your hips to your heels

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

• Inhale and take your arms up toward the sky
• Exhale and sweep your arms forward, down, and back behind you
• Repeat several cycles

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

• Walk your hands off the top corner of your mat
• Tent out your fingertips
• Roll the front thigh out toward the opposite side of your mat to release the groin

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (standing splits)

Rollerskating pose

Come to lay on your back for core work

• Extend your legs toward the sky
• Take your hands behind your head
• Inhale and lift your toes a little higher
• Exhale and extend one leg toward the ground
• Stay here and flatten your back against the ground
• Inhale with your head on the ground
• Exhale and lift your head and shoulders from your mat
• Do five cycles on the one side

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

• Reach your hands overhead
• Stand on your tiptoes
• Bring your hands to prayer at your heart
• Bing your hips to your heels

Bakasana (crow pose)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Peak Pose Flow 

Tadasana (mountain pose) variation

• Reach your hands overhead
• Stand on your tiptoes
• Bring your hands to prayer at your heart
• Bing your hips to your heels

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:

1. For those with knee sensitivity, take Utthan Pristhasana (lizard pose)
2. For everyone else, take a variation of frog pose:
3. Bring your abdomen to the ground
4. Come up to your forearms for a soft sphinx
5. Bend one knee and kick it into your hand
6. Press your pubic bone and thigh into the ground
7. Hold and breathe before switching sides

Balasana (child’s pose) to ground and close your practice.