Hip-opening, back bending sequence

I taught my third class with my private client, K, tonight. It went so well! I’m really enjoying getting to know her, and she didn’t even blink when I lead her into urdvha dhanurasana.

I particularly enjoyed this sequence because I felt it really opened my hips and loosened up my back. It has a nice balance of hip openers and backbends. I actually fit this all into an hour, it didn’t feel rushed, and we had 13 minutes for savasana. Lovely. Enjoy! (repeat everything on the opposite side)

Easy seated pose
Neck/shoulder rolls
Fire log pose (agnistambhasana)
Fold forward over fire log
Easy seated pose
Lateral flexion
Half lord of the fishes (ardha matsyendrasana)
Seated pigeon pose
Cat/cow flows (marjaryasana/bitilasana)
Spinal balance -> floating bow pose
Child’s (balasana)
Low lunge (anjaneyasana)
Straighten front leg to stretch hamstring, flow in and out of low lunge
Pigeon (eka pada rajakapotasana)
Down dog (adho mukha svanasana)
Plank
Flow between down dog and plank
Child’s
Dolphin
Plank
Flow between dolphin and plank
Childs
Locust (salambhasana)
Down dog -> Warrior I (virabhadrasana I)
Forward fold (uttanasana)
Tree (vrkasana)
Dancer (natarajasana)
Bridge (setu bandha sarvangasana)
Wheel (urdvha dhanurasana)
One legged wheel (eka pada urdvha dhanurasana)
Knees to chest
Spinal twist
Happy baby (ananda balasana)
Reclined butterfly (supta baddha konasana)
Savasana

Namaste,
Jamie

Yet another reason to love yoga

Amy O, my dear friend who gets married herself in less than three weeks, and yours truly

Reason number 199 that I love yoga:

When you

• have spent hours on your feet taking photos
• are incredibly tense in your neck and shoulders from having approximately 200 people looking at you
• feel very emotional because a friend you have known for 15 years is getting married, and you can remember all the way back to the days that pre-dated boys
• can’t cry to release the emotion because you’re wearing far more eye makeup than you’re accustomed to
• feel overwhelmed with joy because so many people you love are all in the same place

you still know how to move your body to leave it all behind. Here is a wedding day sequence to take care of all of the above:

Seated meditation
Padmasana (Lotus)
Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes)
Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-to-Knee)
Bitilasana (Cow)
Marjaryasana (Cat) (repeat cow/cat)
Balasana (child’s)
Sphinx Pose
Balasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward facing dog)
Virabhadrasana I (warrior I)
Parsvottanasana (pyramid)
Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle)
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Virabhadrasana I (warrior I)
Parsvottanasana (pyramid)
Parivrtta Trikonasana (revolved triangle)
Adho Mukha Svanasana
Balasana
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge)
Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel)
Savasana

Namaste,
Jamie