Through the practice of yoga, through breath and intention, we open our inner ears. 

A short Lila Flow Yoga class that creates space in the side body, shoulders, and chest, to prepare for deep twists and backbends. The theme of this class is duplicity. What’s living in your heart may be different from what you’re communicating. The other way to think of this is that our actions and words may not always reflect our inner truth. You’ll move through several sun salutations, revolved lunges, and leg balancing poses with warrior 3, before coming onto your back for backbends and hip openers.

Breathe into your heart space and observe what you feel. Connect to what is true for you at this moment. May this practice feed your truth; may it open you to connect to your heart’s wisdom.

Style: Lila Flow

Duration: 40-minutes

Level: open

Props: none

Focus: heart-opening, hip opening, and twists.

Location: Vancouver, BC

Music: Pete Wonder

Take this class without music.

Opening Flow

Come to stand at the top of your mat and take your legs wider than shoulder distance. Bring one palm to your belly and one palm to your heart. Breathe into your palms.

Release your hands and begin to sway side to side. Let your arms hang by your sides and turn your torso from either side of your mat to release the spine. Keep your knees bent as you move. Relax your shoulders and let your arms get heavy as they gently tap your sides.

This is a short technique using your breath and vigorous movement to stimulate flow in the body and open the shoulders.

To do this, you’ll take two sharp inhales through the nose and one long exhale out the mouth. To do with the movement:

• Inhale and bend the elbows tight to your side body
• Exhale and seep the arms wid to either side.

Take one arm over your head and the other arm down by your side. Inhale and reach one arm over the head and to the opposite side of your mat, exhale and lower the top hand. Repeat on either side, alternating inhaling to lengthen and create space in the side waist of the extended arm, exhaling to release the top arm toward the earth.

Now, take both arms above your head as you inhale. Breathe in through the nose and reach high with both hands to open the sides. Exhale through the mouth and slowly lower the arms out and down toward your sides. Repeat this several times.

Bring your hands together at your heart in Anjali mudra. Close your eyes and begin ujjayi pranayama, gently constricting the back of the throat, so it sounds like the ocean.

Come to stand at the top of our mat with your eyes closed if you’re not already there.

Opening Sun Salutations

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.

Wave 1

Utkatasana (chair pose) flowing variation

• Inhale and stay in chair pose
• Exhale and cactus your arms wide
• Inhale and bring your torso forward as you sweep your arms behind you
• Exhale and round your spine as you fold
• Inhale and slowly roll up to stand with chin to chest

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge) flowing variation

• Inhale and take your arms to the sky
• Exhale and bend your back knee and sweep the arms down and back
• Inhale and lower the back knee to the ground as you reach your arms overhead
• Exhale and twist, taking your arms wide to either side
• Inhale and reach your arms overhead as you straighten the back leg

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chaturanga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward dog)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

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

Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2 pose)

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (side angle pose) modified version

Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation

• Inhale and take the arms overhead
• Exhale and twist to the side, taking the arms wide
• Inhale bring the arms overhead
• Exhale and take your hands to the ground

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (standing splits pose)

Tadasana Pavanmuktasana (standing knee to chest pose)

Virabhadrasana III (warrior 3 pose)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Wave 2

Utkatasana (chair pose) flowing variation

• Inhale and stay in chair pose
• Exhale and cactus your arms wide
• Inhale and bring your torso forward as you sweep your arms behind you
• Exhale and round your spine as you fold
• Inhale and slowly roll up to stand with chin to chest

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge) flowing variation

• Inhale and take your arms to the sky
• Exhale and bend your back knee and sweep the arms down and back
• Inhale and lower the back knee to the ground as you reach your arms overhead
• Exhale and twist, taking your arms wide to either side
• Inhale and bring your hands to prayer at your heart

Parivrtta Anjaneyasana (revolved lunge pose)

• Option to keep hands in prayer
• Option to spread your wings and tuck opposite armpit to leg

Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog) variation with stacked hips

Eka Pada Phalakasana (3-legged plank pose) variation with nose to knee

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chaturanga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward dog)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

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

Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2 pose)

Parivrtta Parsvakonasana (side angle pose) variation

• Option to take your top arm to the sky
• Option to take the half bind with the top arm at the front thigh

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (standing splits pose)

Tadasana Pavanmuktasana (standing knee to chest pose)

Virabhadrasana III (warrior 3 pose)

Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation

• Inhale and take your hands to the sky
• Exhale and twist your torso as you spread your arms wide
• Inhale and bend the back knee, so it hovers off the ground
• Hold and breathe as you are
• Inhale and take the hands to the sky as you straighten the back leg
• Exhale and lower your hands to the ground

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

Utthan Pristhasana (lizard pose) variation

• Option to hold and breathe as you are
• Option to take the flowing variation
• Inhale and lift your chest tip your chin to the sky
• Exhale and round your spine as you straighten the back leg and lift the knee from the ground
• Repeat several cycles moving with your breath

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Cooling Flow

Malasana (yogic squat)

Setu bandha sarvāṅgāsana (bridge pose)

Sarvangasana (shoulder stand pose)

Ananda Balasana (happy baby pose)

Urdhva Mukha Pasasana (seated thread the needle pose)

Marichyasana (seated spinal twist pose)

Paschimottanasana (one-legged seated forward fold)

Come to recline on your mat for savasana or take a seat for meditation to close.