All of the emotions must have space to be experienced. 

A dynamic Lila Flow class to open the hips and side body, this class creates space to move through and express grief. The second chakra is located at the pelvis; in the watery realm of the sacral chakra is where our emotions reside. This class opens by shaking the arms, legs, and entire body to release stagnancy and physical tension. Move through Mandala flows to get the blood flowing and build heat before coming down to your seat for several hip openers and twists. This class asks that you connect to grief and create space through movement and breath to release what no longer serves.

Take this class without music.

Style: Lila Flow

Duration: 30-minutes

Level: open

Props: none

Focus: hip opening and twists.

Location: Vancouver, BC

Music: Pete Wonder

Quote to anchor the class:

“To do grief well depends solely on individual experience. It means listening to your own reality. It means acknowledging pain and love and loss. It means allowing the truth of these things the space to exist without any artificial tethers or stages or requirements.⁣

Grief is part of love, and love evolves. Your love, and your grief, are bigger than any stage could ever be. The only way to contain it is to let it be free.⁣” – Megan Devine.

Opening Meditation

Come to stand at the top of your mat. Take your feet wide, and place one hand on your heart and one hand on your lower belly. As you breathe in, focus on the word grief. What contracts when you think of grief? What releases?

Shake your hands and your arms beside you and over your head.

Shake your feet one at a time to release the ankle and leg.

Shake your full body, from head to toes, shake everything to release.

Stop shaking and place your palms on your heart and lower belly as you had before.

Our experience of grief shakes everything up; it completely transforms our perception of how things once were. As you come to stillness on your mat, explore how you feel after having shaken everything out.

The offering for today’s class is to create space for whatever you may be feeling. Come to stand at the top of your mat with feet together and hands at your heart. Create space in your body for whatever it is you’ve been holding onto, to move through you.

Opening Flow

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chatarunga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Mandala Flow

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Utkatasana (chair pose)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Skandasana (wide-legged square over one leg) variation

• Option to keep the hips lifted as you take one hand to the sky

Parivrtta prasarita padottanasana (revolved wide-legged standing forward fold) variation with one hand to the opposite heel.

Skandasana (wide-legged square over one leg) variation

• Option to go deeper by taking your hip to your heel

Parivrtta prasarita padottanasana (revolved wide-legged standing forward fold) variation with one hand to the opposite heel.

Utkata konasana (goddess pose) variation with hands overhead

• Kapalbhati pranayama in goddess pose

Prasarita padottanasana (wide-legged standing forward fold) variation with hands clasped at the nape of the neck.

Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation with fingertips on the ground facing the back of your mat.

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chatarunga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Parivrtta anjaneyasana (revolved lunge)

Parivrtta utkatasana (revolved chair pose)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Seated Flow

Eka pada rajakapotasana (pigeon pose) OR Anjaneyasana (lunge)

• Take your hands over your head and breathe into your side waist
• Option to add a twist, or stay in the pose and breathe

Deer pose (seated hip opener) variation

• Option to add a twist with fingertips on the ground
• Option to add a neck release by dropping one ear to a shoulder
• Option to add a bind with your hand to the opposite hip

Ardha matsyendrasana (seated spinal twist) variation with one leg extended

• Option to take one hand to your heart to breathe into your palm
• Option to take the opposite hand to the back of your head to open the pectorals
• Use your core to twist

Camatkarasana (wild thing) variation with the back knee on the ground so your pelvis stays low to the earth.

Dandasana (staff pose) with kumbhaka (breath retention)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chatarunga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Backbend Flow

Setu bandha sarvāṅgāsana (bridge pose) variation

• Option to take flowing bridge to strengthen the glutes, OR
• Place a block under your sacrum for a supported bridge pose

Come to recline on your back with your feet wide and knees together. Place your hands on your lower abdomen and breathe into all that you feel. Allow the sensation to flow and move through your body.

Stay on your back for savasana, or come to sit for meditation to close.