A slow flow class to open the hips and heart that’s perfect for anyone who sits at a desk all day; you’ll move through several standing and seated poses to open the hips, inner thighs, and front of the legs. A supported fish pose provides an option to open the heart and chest. Anchor in the energy of the Lynx—who symbolizes the energy of the unseen—to make space and embrace the intuitive and all-encompassing qualities of ether as you move through your practice.

Spotify Playlist: Into the Stars (Online)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gK83nX8iSkJBZ0lrOVISV?si=613cbb563fad4ea7

Style: Slow Flow

Duration: 30-minutes

Level: open-levels

Props: 2 blocks, 1 bolster

Focus: Hip opening, heart opening, and twists.

Location: Lila Familia Production Studio, Vancouver, BC

Opening Meditation 

Close your eyes as you are and take a few deep breaths. Allow yourself to ground in the present moment, in the here and the now. The theme for today’s class is ether or space. All of the other elements live inside of ether, the other elements being earth, air, fire, and water. Ether asks us to widen our lens to take in all that is; it requires that we go outside the comfortable boundaries of our own perspective.

We’ll work with Lynx energy for this class, the Lynx being symbolic of the unseen, secrets, and instincts.

The Messengers from the Greatbear Guidebook describes Lynx energy as “quiet, silent as a shadow as it stalks its way through the night, through the dark, through the unseen. Lynx looks for what is hidden—the words that were not said or the feelings that were not depressed. Lyn teaches us how to see the unseen. It’s as though lynx’s eyes are attuned to what is usually missed.”

A question to sit with is, do you have experience sensing other’s intentions, perhaps even before they’ve realized it themselves?

Slow Flow Sequence 1 

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Urdhva Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Urdhva Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (low lunge)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Balasana (child’s pose)

Bidalasana (cat pose)

Bitilasana (cow pose)

Adho mukha svanasana (down dog) variation

• Take your feet as wide as the mat and alternate bending and straightening each leg.

Uttanasana (forward fold) variation with wide legs

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift) variation with wide legs

Urdhva Hastasana (hands to the sky) variation with wide legs

Tadasana (mountain pose) variation with wide legs

Urdhva Hastasana (hands to the sky) variation with wide legs

Uttanasana (forward fold) variation with wide legs

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift) variation with wide legs

Malasana (yogic squat) variation with hands at the heart OR extend arms to the sky one at a time.

• Option to use a block under your seat if you need it
• Stay here, and take neck rolls to release the muscles at the front and sides of your neck.

Uttanasana (forward fold) variation with wide legs

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Slow Flow Sequence 2 

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Urdhva Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Utthan Pristhasana (lizard pose) variation with front foot turned out to the side.

• Option to stay on fingertips and lengthen the heart forward and up with the back knee on the ground, OR
• Lift the back knee from the ground, hug your inner thighs towards each other, and lift the chest.

Deer pose (aka 90/90 legs) variation with a seated spinal twist

• Walk the hands to the far edge of your mat and twist from the abdomen.

Virasana (hero pose) variation with one leg OR lizard pose for the second time if you have knee sensitivity or injury.

Ashta Chandrasana (high lunge)

Parivrtta Anjaneyasana (revolved lunge pose)

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

Ashta Chandrasana (high lunge) variation with fingertips on the ground.

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Urdhva Hastasana (hands to sky)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.

Cooling Sequence 

Bharmanasana (tabletop)

Supta Virasana (reclined hero pose) OR Matsyasana (fish pose) supported with blocks.

For supported fish pose:

• Place one block behind the head and the other block between the shoulders.

Bharmanasana (tabletop) extending each leg behind you to release.

Closing Meditation 

Take a seat for meditation or recline on your back for savasana.