The Practice: “SoulShine,” a 20 minute practice to get your yoga glow
Physical/Instructional Parameters: Despite being short, this practice is fairly active, with a good amount of standing poses and a pace that is definitely on the “flow” end of things. I didn’t have any trouble following the pacing or sequencing, but I wonder if someone brand new to yoga might, at least the first couple times trying this video. That said, the practice is short enough that I expect one would start to memorize it if used regularly.
Props: None mentioned at the beginning of the video. I honestly forget whether they’re offered later on. I do, however, remember some standing poses — namely, side angle and triangle — whether they’re commonly used and where folks might want them.
Run Time: 20 minutes
I’m going to start this with the confession that I don’t really know what a “yoga glow” is.
That said, I expect I will be coming back to this practice a lot on days when I’m harried and cannot think to sequence a practice for myself. While it is a more vigorous practice, it’s also one with very balanced pacing. It has a good warm up, plenty of active standing postures and vinyasas, and a controlled cool down sequence. I never felt rushed or that I wasn’t physically ready for the next stage in the practice.
After a brief seated centering, the practice moves through some cat/cows, then through a nice progression from child’s pose to down dog and back. (Confession #2: This “in and out” version is now my favorite way to ease myself into my first down dogs of the day.) Next, and connected via some vinyasas are:
- a low lunge to pyramid flow
- a standing sequence including warrior two, side angle, triangle, wide legged forward fold, and a variation on devotional warrior
- high lunge
- pigeon, with the option of a quad stretch/mermaid variation
During the vinyasas, the knees-chest-chin option for lowering is offered at least once but not every time — so if you want to use that modification, it’s up to you to remember it. For backbends, cobra and upward facing dog are most often offered together as options. Additionally, there are some points where the instructor says that the entire vinyasa is optional — and if you want to use this modification more often than she suggests, it would be pretty do-able.
Once through the last vinyasa, the sequence moves back onto the floor for bridge, with the option of moving into wheel pose. Finally, there’s a reclined hamstring stretch, a gentle twist, and a brief savasana.
Like I said before, I really like the overall balance and pacing of this class. While I do feel like I spend a sufficient amount of time in more active postures (which is a style of practice I usually prefer but may not be a good match for everyone), I also don’t feel like I’m rushed while warming up or while winding down. It will be very nice to have a known quantity quick practice to come back to on days when I’m having a hard time feeling that out for myself.
