A strong vinyasa class with arm balances and inversions builds to Mayūrāsana (peacock) as the peak pose. This posture requires a strong core and an open side body. Mayurasana is one of the oldest yoga poses and is said to destroy all sins in the Vimanarcanakalpa, an ancient text about Hatha Yoga from the 10 Century. This class includes several different pranayamas with Brahmari (bees breath), Kapalbhati (skull shining breath), and Kumbhaka (breath retention).
Style: Vinyasa Yoga
Duration: 50-minutes
Level: Intermediate
Props: 2 blocks
Focus: Inversions
Location: Vancouver, BC
Music: Anniversary Spotify Playlist
Meditation
Come to a seat on your mat. Close your eyes and breathe deep into your body.
Consider all the things that you digest on a physical and energetic level. What are you ingesting? What kind of information and experiences are you assimilating right now? How does it feel in your body?
Brahmari Breath
Brahmari Breath (bees breath) three cycles with various hand mudras. We’ll place the palms where we typically ingest information.
This style of pranayama has a calming effect on the mind and body. Brahmari is also known as bee’s breath, as it sounds like a bee humming when performed. This pranayama grounds the body to calm the nervous system and helps relieve stress, anxiety, or anger.
Benefits of Bhramari breathe include:
10-15 breath to move as you like, options:
Use this time to connect to your ujjayi breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Ujjayi breath translates from Sanskrit as ‘victorious breath and is used in vinyasa yoga to build heat, connect the body to the breath, and create a rhythmic quality to the flow of the class. When we build heat from the inside with our breath, we massage the internal organs as we begin to move. Ujjayi is sustained for the duration of the solar portion of the class and released as we enter the softer, lunar part of the class, where the exhales lengthen to help the body cool down.
This style of pranayam stimulates the nadis (energy channels) to enhance mental clarity and focus.
Benefits include:
Come to tadasana (mountain pose) at the top of your mat.
2x Sun Salutations – flow on your own or follow the cues
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)
Chaturanga
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.
Wave 1
Utkatasana (chair pose)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Come to sit on your heels at the back of your mat for Kapalabhati breath.
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 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:
Take Kapalabhati for 45-seconds. If this doesn’t serve, take ujjayi breath.
Balasana (child’s pose) variation
Create two fists with your hands and tuck them into your pelvis: below the belly button and above the hip bones. Press the fists into your lower abdomen and take your forehead to the ground in a child’s pose.
Sasangasana (rabbit pose) variation
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Chaturanga
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2) variation
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2) variation with Sukhasana Garuda Arms (eagle arms)
Prasarita Padottanasana (wide-legged standing forward fold)
Parivrtta Prasarita Padottanasana (revolved wide-legged standing forward fold)
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Tadasana (mountaing pose)
Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.
Wave 2
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Utkatasana (chair pose)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Come to sit on your heels at the back of your mat for Kapalabhati breath.
Sasangasana (rabbit pose)
Mayūrāsana (peakcock)
Sirsasana A (headstand)
Come to sit on your shins with palms up against your thighs.
Kumbhaka (breath retention)
Kumbhaka is a form of breath retention; do not do this pranayama if you have difficulty breathing or anxiety. Breathe normally with longer inhales and exhales. If you take kumbhaka pranayama, hold to a point where you don’t feel any discomfort.
Benefits of Kumbhaka include:
How to do it:
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Chaturanga
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2)
Utthita Parsvakonasana (side angle pose)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Chaturanga
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Virabhadrasana II (warrior 2)
Utthita Parsvakonasana (side angle pose)
Phalakasana (plank pose)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Mayūrāsana (peacock)
Sirsasana A (headstand) OR Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) OR Viparita Karana (legs up)
Floor Series
Bidalasana/Bitilasana (cat/cow pose)
Gomukhasana (cow face)
Matsyasana (supported fish pose)
Savasana or seated meditation