Description of this class
This sequence uses the forward bend poses to bring life to the hips and all the joints, in a quiet and sustained way. You will use the chair to facilitate length and opening along the spine and the front torso. The session aims to bring quietness as well as to revitalise a tired and perhaps reluctant mind or body.
Step by step guide to this sequence
Start in Supta Baddha Konasana, using bricks under the thighs if needed. Release forward in Virasana.
Stand up to go forward in Uttanasana, feet hip-width apart, hands on the shins or to the floor according to your capacity. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Dog Pose) follows to now add the arm actions to the legs and to bring length to the spine.
Come back to Tadasana, and open up through the shoulders with Baddanguliyasana, Namaskar hands behind the back, and Urdhva Hastasana taking care to keep focussed on maintaining the Tadasana actions throughout.
Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Full Arm Balance) first walking up the wall and then practising going up into the full pose against the wall.
Three standing poses to come back into the legs again: Trikonasana with a block for the bottom hand, Parsvottanasana with two blocks modified according to your capacity, and then a full standing forward bend with legs wide apart, Prasarita Padottanasana.
Let’s have a look now at preparing for Sirsasana, Headstand. A few different ways to learn how to lift through the shoulders by also lifting the hips; the same action walking the feet up the wall, parallel to the floor. And finally Sirsasana in full, or using a block to the wall for the last preparation pose.
Now the forward, seated poses. Start in Baddha Konasana, sitting upright with support under the buttocks keeping good length in the front of the body. Upavistha Konasana upright and then extending forward to a chair, resting the forehead onto the chair seat. Janu Sirsasana, Triang Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana, and Paschimottanasana follow, all done with chair support. Release the back muscles and neck through a simple cross-leg twist, using a block for the back hand to keep the length as you turn.
Chair twists: the legs wide straddling the chair. This anchors the hips and opens across the pelvis as you turn. And sitting sideways on the chair for a deeper chair twist.
To finish the session, take a bolster and blanket for supported Setu Bandha. Try taking the legs wide, heels to the floor for better pelvic opening, and further lift into the sacrum. Slide back to rest the back on the floor and then go forward in Simple Cross-Legs (forehead to the bolster). Savasana.
Illustrated sequence of video
Download and print the free illustrated sequence of this video.
