Pretty much immediately after I articulated my reservations about body size and yoga types, my co-teacher asked me to rotate in during one of her weeks as she’s going to be out of town. When I asked this week’s class what style they’d prefer for next week, they opted for a combination yin and vinyasa class. So I will get to do at least some vinyasa teaching.
I realize there’s a lot I could delve into about my psychological need for people to see me as not unfit, but for today, I think I’ll just post the actual asana sequence. I do not have the energy to mine those emotional depths tonight.
Length: takes me about 35 minutes to do it on my own, about 45 minutes to instruct it (to beginners)
Props: perhaps a folded blanket for wide legged forward fold, perhaps blocks for camel
The practice:
- Child’s pose, 5 breaths.
- Cat/cow, 5 rounds.
- Sunbird vinyasa — 5 rounds, leading to a 5 count hold,** on each side.
- Kneeling plank, 10 breaths, with a rest in child’s pose.
- Plank, knees up or down, 10 breaths, with another rest in child’s pose.
- Down dog, 5 breaths — then to half forward fold, forward fold, and mountain.
- One A-series sun salute with knees-chest-chin and cobra for everyone.
- Four more A-series sun salute, standard or modified to individual preference.
- One A-series sun salute with a 5 breath hold in plank.
- Goddess flow: in and out of goddess vinyasa, 5 breaths — to a 5 breath hold. Then to a wide legged forward fold for 5 breaths. Repeat entire sequence for a second round.
- Modified camel, 5 breaths.
- Camel flow, alternating right hand to right heel then left hand to left heel — 5 rounds.
- Camel with toes tucked under, 5 breaths once we’re set up in the pose. And then it’s the yin.
By Nicholas A. Tonelli from Pennsylvania, USA (Crossed) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons - Square pose, in any incarnation, 3 minutes per side.
- Wide legged seated forward fold, 3 minutes.
- Lying spinal twist, 3 minutes on each side.
- Savasana.
** With the first hold, I mention that not every person is going to be able to hold every long hold for the duration. It’s fine to modify or to come in and out of the pose as appropriate.
