Standing poses lie at the foundation of all the other asanas so it feels as though a standing pose class is a good way to start the new year. In this sequence, we’ll be going through the most basic standing poses both with and without wall support to strengthen our foundations and explore the different representations of the same pose.
We will start off with a brief warm-up. Firstly, we will do Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana with the support of a chair. This will help open up our hips. Then, to energize our bodies, warm up the shoulders, and stimulate blood flow, we will go through a couple of heating inversions: Adho Mukha Vrksasana and Pincha Mayurasana. Finally, to incorporate both hip- and shoulder-opening actions, we will do several cycles of Tadasana to Adho Mukha Svanasana to Uttanasana.
The standing pose session will be divided into two parts: free-standing and with wall support. Approaching the same pose from several angles can be very beneficial: it gives us more chances to get accustomed to the pose, adapt to it, and go deeper.
We will wrap up the standing pose session with Supta Virasana over blocks — a pose that is invaluable when we need to provide relief and restore energy in the leg muscles. It can also be performed on its own after a long day on your feet. Finally, before finishing in Savasana, we will go into Sirsasana to stimulate blood flow throughout the body and get rid of any excess tension.
Video stills from this sequence
