Core Sequence: The Dreaded Sequel

Continued from here.

Modified Sun Salutes:

A lot of the modifications here involve skipping or modifying individual poses in the sun salute. So I’ll go through the poses in smaller segments, noting where I offer verbal alternatives to my students.

1. Chair pose, held for 5 breaths [options: shorter hold, or skip it entirely] to forward fold.
2. Go through a chaturanga/backbend (cobra or updog), or proceed directly to downward facing dog.
3. From down dog, inhale to slide forward into plank; then exhale to slide back into down dog. That’s one. Repeat for a total of 5 [options: fewer reps, just hold down dog, or take a child's pose] plank-to-down-dog-thingies.
4. Step or jump forward. Through uttanasana, come back into chair pose and hold for another 5 breaths [same chair options as before]. Then come to stand.

In class, I lead my students through 2 of these. Alone, I might do 3 to 5. Or not.

Boat:

A few options on boat pose twist [links to video].

1. Option one involves placing the hands behind — for support — and keeping the tiptoes on the ground, also for support.
2. Option two involves placing the hands behind for support but lifting the legs off the ground, as shown in the video.
3. The last option involves lifting both the hands and legs, as shown in the video.

In class, I like to go through 3 rounds of 3 repetitions each in order to give folks the ability to try each option. On my own, I’m more likely to do something like 2 rounds of 5 reps each.

Backbends:

1. A half camel flow, spending one breath on each side, and repeating — both sides — for 3 or so rounds.
2. One or maybe two rounds of full camel (where “full” = “both sides,” not necessarily “hands all the way back to heels”). I say I hold each for around 5 breaths, but I only start counting once I’m fully in the pose — and I take 2 or 3 breaths (or more) to get there.
3. If I’m practicing alone, I might take either kapotasana or wheel pose for the same amount of time. Or not, depending.

Cool Down:

1. Upavistha konasana usually, because it’s my favorite, but another seated (or reclined) forward fold would probably work just as well. The time I stay here totally approximately one trillion years. Or, like, a couple of minutes. You know.
2. A reclined spinal twist. I like to make it an easier — so, for me, less twisty-tangly — spinal twist, so that it’s one I can relax and sink into for awhile. Again, here for approximately one trillion years, half on each side.
3. Savasana.

So, yeah. It can be a lot of hard physical work, but for me, it’s hard physical work in a way that I find fun. I like the balance challenges of the traveling planks and the boat twists. And yes, I fall down reasonably often, but that’s part of what reminds me not to take my hard work so seriously.