A playful vinyasa practice that strengthens the core before moving into handstand variations. Move through lunges, twists, side waist lengthening, and hamstring stretching—core exercises on your back help to prepare the body for handstand hops. Backbends and inner thigh release complete this class. Your practice opens with a mantra to Shiva, God of Transformation. Chant to Shiva 108x to call upon the strength to persevere and examine where you are right now.

Style: Vinyasa

Duration: 60-minutes

Level: open-levels

Props: 2 blocks

Focus: handstands, twists, backbends.

Location: Lila Familia Production Studio, Vancouver, BC

Music: Bag of Bones Spotify Playlist

Questions for contemplation:

• What am I working with right now?
• Where am I right now?

Opening Mantra

Om Namah Shivaya = salutations to the auspicious one

Om – the primordial sound that connects us

Namah – i bow to you, i salute you

Shivaya – Shiva’s name, the destroyer and lord of transformation

Opening Movement

Marjaryasana/Bitilasana (cat/cows)

Bharmanasana/Balasana (tabletop/child’s pose) variation

• Take the sound of Aum as you shift into child’s pose
• Stay in child’s pose for a breath or two
• Inhale back to tabletop
• Repeat several cycles

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (down dog)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Tadasana (mountain pose)

2x Sun Salutations 

Tadasana (mountain pose)

Urdvha Hastasana (hands to sky)

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chaturanga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (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) variation

• Inhale into chair pose
• Exhale and take your hands to Anjali Mudra (prayer) at the heart
• Inhale and stand up to your tiptoes as you reach your arms overhead
• Exhale and bring your hips to your heels
• Inhale and lower your heels onto the ground
• Exhale and bow into a forward fold
• Repeat several cycles

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (down dog)

Phalakasana (plank pose)

Chaturanga

Bhujangasana (cobra pose)

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (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 2

Utkatasana (chair pose) variation

• Inhale into chair pose
• Exhale and take your hands to Anjali Mudra (prayer) at the heart
• Inhale and stand up to your tiptoes as you reach your arms overhead
• Exhale and bring your hips to your heels
• Inhale and lower your heels onto the ground
• Exhale and bow into a forward fold
• Repeat several cycles

Uttanasana (forward fold)

Ardha Uttanasana (half lift)

Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation

• Inhale and take your arms overhead
• Exhale and bring one hand to your waist
• Inhale and come through the center, both hands to the sky
• Exhale and take the opposite hand to your waist
• Inhale and reach both hands to the sky

Anjaneyasana (lunge) variation

• Keep your fingertips on the ground
• Inhale and lift the chest

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

• Take the extended leg to your bottom foot
• Hook the space between the toes to the Achilles of the foot on the ground
• Breathe into the backline of the bottom leg

Phalakasana (plank pose) variation with the feet hooked

Phalakasana (plank pose) variation with top leg hugging in toward the chest

Patita Tarasana (fallen triangle pose)

Phalakasana (plank pose) variation with one heel to the side

Chaturanga variation with one heel to the side

Phalakasana (plank pose) variation with one heel to the side

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

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (down dog)

Virabhadrasana | (warrior 1) variation

• Take opposite elbows to your hands overhead
• Breathe up into your side waist and armpits

Parsvottanasana (pyramid pose)

Parivrtta Anjaneyasana (revolved lunge pose)

Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (standing splits) variation

• Bring your hands forward under your shoulders
• Come up to your fingertips
• Puff the back body
• Lift your extended leg a little higher
• Lift the heel that’s on the ground
• Stay here and breathe

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.

Core Flow

Come to recline on your back and extend your heels to the sky.

Flatten your back on the ground from waist to shoulders.

Extend your arms in line with your shoulders, and then bring your fingertips together.

• Inhale with your legs extended and your arms overhead
• Exhale and lower one leg to hover off of the ground
• Inhale and hug the ribs in
• Exhale and switch legs
• Inhale and switch legs
• Keep moving as you breathe, lifting and lowering each leg

*Option to do this with legs long or knees slightly bent 

Peak Flow

Adho Mukha Shvanasana (down dog)

Walk your hands halfway down your mat

• Bring your shoulders over your wrists
• Bring your feet together, so your big toes come to touch
• Come up high to your tiptoes
• Take three hops
• Press the ground away from you
• See if you can get some hang time with the heels in the air
• Repeat 3 hops on the other leg

Balasana (child’s pose)

Handstand hops 2x

• Option to do standing splits
• Option to take hops
• Option to hop and swap legs, scissoring the legs in the air

Balasana (child’s pose)

Cooling Flow

Quad opening of choice

Virasana (hero pose) – 16 breaths

Utthan Pristhasana (lizard pose) – 8 breaths on either side

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge pose) or Urdhva Dhanurasana (wheel pose) – 8 breaths

Supta Matsyendrasana (reclined spinal twist) variation taking the knees from side-to-side

Ananda Balasana (happy baby pose)

Ardha Ananda Balasana (half happy baby pose)

• Extend the bent knee with the foot on the ground
• Stay in half happy baby pose with an extended leg, or
• Take the heel that’s close to your face towards your nose
• Press your back body to the ground
• Stay as you are, or reach your arms inside the leg that’s by your face
• Try to hook your heel behind your head
• Shimmy your shoulder behind your knee
• Reach your heels toward opposite ends of your mat and breathe deep
• Repeat on the other leg

Closing Mantra + Meditation 

Om Namah Shivaya chanted 108x

Savasana or seated meditation to close.