Set up in Supta Virasana over two blocks plus one folded blanket for back support. If this is outside your reach for now, sit in Virasana and interlock the fingers to lift the chest in Parvatasana.
Forward Virasana.
Adho Mukha Svanasana on the breath 6 times.
Stand, and open the shoulders and armpit chest with Baddanguliyasana, Paschima Namaskarasana behind the back, and Urdhva Namaskarasana overhead.
Stand in Tadasana with the feet apart, a block between the two ankles.
Urdhva Hastasana arms up, and Uttanasana. Go forward and down. Go up and down 6-8 times, observing how you can be in motion with stability from the feet and legs. Feel your attention span from feet to hands and back.
Face away from the wall and step into half Full Arm Balance. Feel that the more you press the feet into the wall, lift the thighs and take the arms up into the chest the more balanced and less effortful the pose is.
Repeat, or go into Full Arm Balance and then rest forwards in Uttanasana.
Move your mat a little away from the wall and stand back from the front edge of the mat.
Feet together, Tadasana.
Find your rhythm as you do the following Sun Salutation:
Tadasana. Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, and step the R and then the L foot back to Adho Mukha Svanasana. Then step forward to Uttanasana, arms up to Urdhva Hastasana, Namaskar and Tadasana.
Repeat 4 times.
On cycle number 5, from Adho Mukha Svanasana, step the R foot forward to Trikonasana. Back to Adho Mukha Svanasana and then L foot forward for Trikonasana on the L side.
Back to Adho Mukha Svanasana, step the R foot forward to Parsvottanasana, and then change to L foot forward.
Uttanasana and Tadasana.
Now feet apart, bend the knees with arms extending up for Utkatasana. Repeat 4 times. Synchronise the movement of the arms with your actions and with your breath.
Feet together arms up to Urdhva Hastasana, and bend the knees to Utkatasana, then Uttanasana and Urdhva Hastasana. Repeat 4-5 times.
Reverse the order: Urdhva Hastasana, Uttanasana, Utkatasana. Repeat 3-4 times.
Take a block and sit in Virasana. After the breath settles, interlock the fingers and go to Parvatasana.
Change the interlock.
Extend the legs out to Dandasana and go to Ubhaya Padangusthasana, holding the big toes or using a belt for the feet.
Dandasana and then to Baddha Konasana, hands behind the hips, fingers pointing back to get a good opening into the front of the torso.
Lie on your back and take your legs up to Urdhva Hastasana.
Press the lower sacrum and buttocks to the floor, arms overhead if possible, and take the legs up and down 10 times. Knees straight and back pelvis glued to the floor throughout. Don’t go so far that your back pelvis comes off the floor.
Feet to Baddha Konasana while lying back and let the inner legs release and the breath settle.
Supta Padangusthasana 1 and 2 bring release to the lower back and the abdomen.
To finish, set up for legs up the wall. Place the blocks as shown with a 3 folded blanket (folded from the short edge) resting on the blocks.
Sit on the blocks, take the legs up to about 70 degrees, shoulders and head on the floor.
Let the breath settle still further and the navel and abdominal region quieten.
After some minutes, bend the knees to simple cross legs and stay for a minute or two.
Then slide back resting the back pelvis, trunk, and back of the head on the floor. Place a blanket under your head if the head is tilting back.
Lie here in Savasana for 3-4 minutes, or whatever time allows. Wait until everything has come back to neutral, the face and breath soft. Find stability, steadiness and quietness in Savasana.
Video stills from this sequence
