A fluid Lila Flow yoga class that features twists, leg balancing and backbends, with Dhanurasana (bow) as the peak pose. This class opens with moving meditation and a simple invocation to the Divine Teacher within with the mantra om namo guru dev namo. Dance in your body with one breath per movement through sun salutations, lunges, leg balancing postures such as tree and warrior 3, before coming down to the ground for backbends. Complete your class with shoulder and upper back stretches and seated meditation.
Style: Lila Flow
Duration: 30-minutes
Level: open
Props: 2 Blocks
Focus: backbends
Location: Vancouver, BC
Music: Grace You Move Me Spotify Playlist
Moving Meditation
Come to stand in the middle of your mat.
Take your legs wider than shoulder distance.
Inhale and sweep the arms out and up, exhale out your mouth and flip the palms away from each other and take your arms wide and down to your sides.
Keep moving the arms with your breath.
May you open yourself to the moment and the possibility contained in each breath. Inhale to open your body, exhale to clear away the space within and around you.
Mantra
om namo guru dev namo
“I bow to the Divine Wisdom of All That Is”
“I bow to the Teacher Within”
Sun Salutations
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Balasana (child’s pose)
Uttanasana (forward fold) at the back of your mat
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Anjaneyasana (lunge)
Parivrtta Ashtachandrasana (revolved lunge) variation
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.
Wave 1
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation
Parsvottanasana (pyramid pose) option to use your blocks under your palms
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Phalakasana
Chaturanga
Bhujangasana (cobra pose) OR Urdhva Mukha Shvanasana (upward facing dog)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Parivrtta Ashtachandrasana (revolved lunge)
Parivrtta Anjaneyasana Variation 1 (revolved thigh stretch)
Eka pada adho mukha svanasana (3-legged downward dog)
Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (standing splits) variation at the back of your mat
Vrksasana (tree pose) variation
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)
Adho mukha svanasana (down dog)
Uttanasana (forward fold)
Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Repeat the same sequence on the other leg.
Floor Sequence
Dhanurasana (bow pose)
Shoulder stretch
Uttanasana (forward fold) variation
Come to sit on your shins and tuck your toes to stretch the soles of your feet.
Savasana or seated meditation to close.