Align & Flow Sequence: The Relation between Ardha Chandrasana & Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana

For the last couple of months I've been planning my classes Friday morning and then repeating a scaled-back version on Monday evening.  This week I followed the same general plan but needed to make some larger changes to the Monday class because several people attended both.  That's unusual because of the very different times, but with the holiday week, several students made it to both.

In both classes I wanted to take what we did last week with revolved postures and just tweak things enough to explore the non-revolved versions.  This meant building a class that looked at the relationship between Ardha Chandrasana & Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana.

Here's the general idea:

Opening

• Friday morning is a longer class, earlier in the day, so I started on the ground in an exploration of Supta Padangusthasana.  We made small circles, sweeping toward bigger ones, and then went through the usual open, cross-over, and figure 4.
• All-4's ... Cow/Cat ... Extended Cow/Cat Spinal Activation
• Down Dog ... Walk the Dog
• Walk to Front of Mat ... Bend Knees Deeply & Relax ... Roll to Stand

Neck, Shoulders, Trunk

• Head Up/Down with Active Arms & Chest/Back
• Gentle Neck Rolls with Hands Interlaced Around Back of Neck
• Infraspinatus & Supraspinatus Awareness - Watching for Clicks & TIghtness
• Lavator Scapulae & Deltoid Work
• Gentle Oblique Twists
• Feet & Hands

Flow

• Surya Namaskar including Open-to-Grace Anjanayasana & Sphinx
• Surya Namaskar including High Lunge & Cobra
• Prasarita Padottanasana
• Surya Namaskar to Virabhadrasana II --> Parsvakonasana --> Trikonasana
• Vrksasana

Pinnacle Poses

I put these poses together because they feel similar to me when I practice.  That's probably because they're both basically standing one-leg balances with one using a hand on the ground and the other connecting it to the extended foot. 

• Lunge with Blocks to work on Lunge Lifts - Back Leg - Front Leg - Etc
• Ardha Chandrasana
• Vinyasa
• Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana

Seated

• Vinyasa to Down Dog
• Eka Pada Rajakapotasana - Relaxed & Deep
• Marichyasana-Like PNF Stretch
• Eka Pada Bandha Paschimottanasana with Hand Behind Back or Strap

Ending

• Roll onto Back
• Pull Knees to Chest
• Easy Twist
• Savasana

While writing this blog I found a great idea on how to expand this class.  Christina Sell made this graphic which shows other things that relate to the postures I was really focused on:

Original Link: http://christinasell.blogspot.com/2012/06/making-obvious-obvious.html

Align & Flow Sequence: Revolved Half Moon to Standing Half Bound Lotus

I'm scheduled to teach two classes a week at Binghamton Yoga:

• 75 Minute Align & Flow Class Friday Morning at 9:30 am
• 60 Minute Flow Class Monday Evening at 5:45 pm

I've found that the best way for me to approach planning these two classes is to develop a plan for my 75 minute class, teach it, work out the kinks, and then shorten it for my 60 minute flow.

This week I wanted to work on twisting and given the fact that I love "flying" type postures, Revolved Half Moon (Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana) seemed like a great pinnacle pose.  Therefore I broke down its parts and considered what I'd need to do to get the body ready to perform this posture.  Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana is a standing one leg balance version of Revolved Triangle (Parivrtta Trikonasana), which is a closed, cross-body twist but probably not the biggest twist we can think of.  Both postures require foot stability, leg strength, balanced hips, mobile mid-section, and flexible shoulders. So, here's the sequence:

 Opening

• Start seated ... relax face & find breath
• Extend one leg ... support knee with block ... point, flex & rotate foot then articulate toes individually
• All-4's 
• Cow / Cat
• Extend distance between knees & hands for Cow / Cat Spinal Activation Roll
• Down  Dog ... Walk the Dog Calf Stretches
• Walk Hands to Feet ... Roll to Stand

 Neck & Shoulders

• Clasp hands around back of neck and roll head gently massaging muscles
• Tip chin to chest and move slightly to side then add hand to lengthen - articulate chin rotation toward shoulder - come back up between sides
• Tip head back and move slightly to side - articulating scalenes - come back between sides
• Turn head to side wait - then other side
• Elevate shoulders & drop REPS
• Straight Arms Out to Sides at 45 degrees then Pulse Reach to become aware of Supraspinatus REPS
• Draw Elbows to body and bend arms to 90 degrees at sides - rotate Hitchhiker REPS to become aware Infraspinatus
• Straight arms out to sides 45 degrees again - now slowly flapping arms like wings REPS
• Arms in T then bend at elbows to 90 degrees and rotate goal post arms REPS
• Last Time Straight arms out to sides 45 degrees - Subtle Pulse of Shoulder Blades to articulate Teres Minor & Rhomoids REPS
• Wash it all away with light Standing Oblique Twists

 Surya Namaskar - First Time

• Simple Sun Salutation
• Right Leg Back with Anjanayasana
• Plank between sides
• Right Leg Forward with Anjanayasana
• Uttanasana
• Gently Rotated Parivtta Uttanasana 

Surya Namaskar - Second Time

• Simple Sun Salutation
• Right Leg Back with Anjanayasana -- Lift Right Arm to Sky and Begin Gentle Twist
• Plank between sides
• Right Leg Forward with Anjanayasana -- Lift Left Arm to Sky and Begin Gentle Twist
• Uttanasana
• Utkatasana --> Parivrtta Utkatasana

Surya Namaskar - Third Time

• Simple Sun Salutation
• Right Leg Back with Anjanayasana -- Lift Right Arm to Sky and Slide into Parivrtta Parsvottanasana
• Plank between sides
• RIght Leg Forward with Anjanayasana -- Left Left Arm to Sky and Slide into Parivrtta Parsvottanasana
• Uttanasana
• Utkatasana --> Parivrtta Utkatasana

 Wide Angle Interlude

• Begin Fourth Surya Namaskar but turn Sideways for Prasarita Padottanasana
• Establish Feet --> Reach Arms Long in Front for Wide Leg Down Dog
• Walk Hands Back in and then Set up for First Twist here
• Right hand to outer left Ankle & left hand to hip then Rotate optional arm raise
• Turn to Left Side for Parsvottanasana -- Establish Balance
• Place Right Hand on Left Side of Left Foot for Parivrtta Trikonasana
• Go to Other Side
• Re-establish Parsvottanasana then Rock Forward & Back Feeling the Front Leg Pivot while Reaching the Back Leg Up -- Walk Hands Forward to 3-Point Balance -- Adjust hands and Revolved Half Moon -- Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana
• Control the Decent Out of the Posture
• Repeat on the Other Side

At this point I realized I've got both MORE TIME and MORE POSTURES that could go with this.  In fact, the next most natural posture to explore is Parivrtta Hasta Padangusthasana (Revolved Hand to Big Toe).

Getting to Parivrtta Hasta Padangusthasana

• Simple Surya Namaskar with Minimal Backbend & Child's Posture
• Tadasana
• Vrksasana Both Sides
• From Vrksasana Reach Opposite Hand Across Body to Outside of Lifted Foot then Extend into Parivrtta Hasta Padanghustasana

And now here again I realized I've got both MORE TIME and MORE POSTURES that could stem from this position.  I've built a strong standing one leg balance with hand coming across the body, so why not continue into Standing Half-Bound Lotus (Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana)?  To get there I'll end our twisting with a few gentle forward bends while simultaneously getting our hips ready to abduct and rotate that foot up & into the opposite hip crease.

Getting to Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana

• Simple Surya Namaskar with Transition Thru Egg into Seated
• Paschimottanasana
• Ardha Baddha Padma Paschimottanasana - Gently Encouraging Foot into Opposite Hip and use opposite arm behind back to bind with elbow of same-side hand
• Gentle Pigeon (Variation of Eka Pada Rajakapotasana)
• Stand
• Vrksasana
• From Vrksasana Reach Opposite Hand Across Body to Outside of Lifted Foot then Gently Encourage Foot to Come into Opposite Hip for Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana with opposite arm behind back to bind with elbow of same-side hand

 Ending Postures

• Shoulderstand - Salamba Sarvangasana
• Plow - Halasana
• Fish - Matsyasana
• Corpse - Savasana

This week's class proved to be more of an evolution than a straight line.  Getting ready to experience Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana led me into Parivrtta Hasta Padangusthasana which then led into Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana.

Students seemed to like the class.  I got several happy comments from both classes.

For the 60 minute class, I could see reducing the shoulder work and/or dropping the Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana sequence.

Physical Therapy of "Shoulder/Arm" Pain (PT Visit)

People often believe that if one does yoga then one should never have any aches, pains, or injuries.  If only that were true.  In fact, my own journey has taught me that aches, pains, and injuries are just part of life, regardless of the disciplines we study.  The difference is how we handle them and what we do about them.

More than 12 years into my own yogic pursuits, I now consider ailments (aches, pains, & injuries) to be a learning opportunity.  These seemingly unfortunate things actually have taught me a tremendous amount about my body and have generally led me to new, enhanced practices which leave me wondering how I could have missed all that new stuff before.

As a result, I now visit the PT monthly whether I need it or not.  At these meetings we go over issues that ail me minor ways and revisit situations from the past.  He shows me how he'd address it on my own body, discusses what he sees in other people, and then we talk about how I can tie it back to my yoga students.

Today we looked at a minor issue I've been having: pain on the anterior of my shoulder, just below the clavicle - kind of where shoulder meets bicep & chest.

Over the last few months he has explained to me that this pain is actually near the origin of the short head of my bicep tendon and that it's probably the result of the head of my arm bone moving forward and essentially rubbing the tendon origin against my clavicle - which irritates it and causes pain.

The case gets more interesting when you consider WHY the head of my arm bone is floating forward.  Isn't that something that we're always trying to avoid in yoga?!  Maybe I just stink at yoga?  Or maybe it's not as easy as simply willing it to be so?

Darrell, my PT, ran a series of simple range of motion and strength tests to determine that, like most people, my rotator cuff muscles are not strong enough to keep my arm bone where it should be during the activities I'm performing.  He's very specific about that.  Darrell says that if I lived a "normal" life and didn't engage in such challenging asana, then I probably never would have had this problem.  He contends that my range of motion & strength are actually pretty normal, but since I'm doing abnormal things, I'm getting normal pain.  Hence, this is indeed a caseof pushing myself too far. 

So why continue?  I often go over this myself wondering if I'm trying to impress someone or if I'm just a busy body.  And in some ways, those explanations have some truth, but so is the explanation that I want to really LIVE with this body and understand how it operates both in an effort to understand it for myself and for others.  It's like exploring inner-space for me and I'm willing to assume the risk.

So, a little more about the muscles...Here is an excellent graphic I found of the area in question:

Source: http://droualb.faculty.mjc.edu/Lecture%20Notes/Unit%203/muscles%20with%20figures.htm

Darrell believes that my Infraspinatus is stretched long and is too weak for what I'm asking it to do.  So, the head of my arm bone floats forward, which compromises the position of my inner (short head) bicep.  This bicep grinds on my clavicle and I get pain.  In the meantime, the head of my arm bone also floats up because my Supraspinatus isn't doing it's job either.  This leads to other muscles coming to their rescue: my Levator Scapulae rises as the arm bone rises and my rhomboids over-work.  Additionally, my lower back (opposite side) even comes into play when the other muscles need more help.

The lesson is clear: One little imbalance can lead to a huge chain reaction of other, unforeseen problems - which themselves may seem like a problem, but are actually just symptoms.  Getting to the root of all problems is my yoga.

Align & Flow Sequence: Head, Neck, Shoulders to Headstand

75 Minute Friday Morning Class at Binghamton Yoga

Following last Friday's successful Barre Integration class, I came to the mat knowing that I wanted to do something very different so that last week's class could stand apart from this week's.  I find the best way to do that is to approach the body from a different angle.  So, having attended Sheila's Gathering Between the Shoulders, I decided to explore the shoulders in my own way. 

Most of the yogis who come to this class practice 1-3 times weekly.  Many of them also engage in other workouts, such as cross-fit and running.  They're generally women between 25-65, which is a wide range with many different abilities and goals.  I know that most of them suffer from tight necks, shoulders & chests - and that they always enjoy working in those areas.

So I crafted a class that begins with the head, neck, & shoulders, introduces chest opening, moves down the body toward full-length spinal activation, and then begins a strong but short flow which transitions into inversions.

The props we use are 2 mats, 2 blocks, 1 chair, 1 strap, and whatever blankets one needs to sit.  The second mat is folded into quarters and placed on the chair for nearly the entire class.  This will make the chair easier & more comfortable to use.

Head & Neck Opening

• Seated in chair, facing forward with mat on floor and mat on chair
• Close eyes and relax...let the tongue soften away from the top & sides of your mouth. - begin to wiggle the jaw left & right, open & close, forward & back
• Head center...tip then CHIN-TO-CHEST on an exhale and then RAISE CHIN TO SKY on inhale - repeating
• Head center...turn head to one side several times on breath going deeper each time
• Head center...drop head forward - then create half circles with head
• Gentle SHOULDER ROLLS
• Head Center...head to one side several time on breath going deeper each time
• Interlace fingers around head back of neck and rotate head & neck while massaging

Chest & Shoulder Opening

• Stand & move chair away - pick up strap
• Hold strap wide and lift both arms straight over head and then behind - moving with breath up & down to open chest
• Narrow the strap a little and return to straight arms up over & slightly behind - then drop one arm while the other stays up and feel the two pull in their own directions
• Narrow the straps to shoulder-width - perform shoulder-press type activity with strap - it's a grueling shoulder exercise
• Narrow the strap for the last time and loop it around the wrists behind the back - place palms on waist and push out into the strap to pull the head of your arm bone into socket
• Release the strap to the ground
• Clasp the hands behind the back and press them into the Sacrum then slowly lift & straighten the arms
• Eagle Arms - Work the action of rounding into the Eagle Arms and Dome Forward
• Come to wall
• Stand with one arm up the wall sideways & open the underarm to the wall - swivel a little the outer foot forward and turn tiny-bit toward wall to really get into this area.  If students don't feel anything then ask them to push into the wall & pull with the hand down the wall to engage the body & find the feeling
• Same thing again, but this time we bend the elbow against the wall for tricep stretch (Cowface). This can be greatly enhanced by dragging the tricep down the wall a bit and pressing the meaty part of the elbow into the wall so that it nudges the shoulder-blade down the back. Only consider binding hands when people are fully involved.  Again, if someone doesn't feel it then they need to find their muscles by pressing into it to lift them up.

Spinal Activation

• All-Fours - Cow / Cat
• Elongated All-Fours - Gentle Cobra / Long Puppy Dog
• Lay flat on belly & extend arms for SPINAL TRACTION
• Pull Elbows back & under shoulders for SPHINX - hold - then consider looking back slowly over one shoulder & then the other
• Child's Posture

Flow

• Down Dog --> Eka Pada -->
• Lunge Knee Up Fists on Ground Work the Length & Strength -->
• Drop back Knee for Turbo Pigeon Lunge --> Plank --> Other Side

• Down Dog --> Eka Pada --> 
• Lunge Knee Up Fists on Ground -->
• Drop back Knee for Crescent Lunge Hands Clasped Behind
• Plank --> Other Side

• Setup for Anusara-Style  Cobra Back Bend - Doing Several Reps
• Relax on Belly then stretch arms into a T with palms down - roll over to one side maintaining arm and pause - when ready initiate neck stretch
• Relax on Belly
• Setup for Salambasana - Chest first - then arms into wings - lift feet - HOLD - then sweep arms back along - finally clasp hands behind & lift way up - HOLD

• Puppy Dog --> Down Dog
• Lunge...Lay Chest on Leg and Float Forward into Airplane Virabhadrasana III
• Repeat on Other Side

• Transition to Egg at end of second side and walk back to sit on butt
• Place Hands & Feet for Reverse Table Top - HOLD
• Coming down, put blocks under soles of feet then lay back for a modified Setu Bhandasana with the blocks making the legs higher to really find hamstrings

Inversions

• Come to floor
• Preparing shoulders with Dolphin on All-Fours using Block between Thumb-L's - Dome & Hollow
• Come to Wall with 2 mats
• Sirsasana - HOLD
• Come back to middle of the room and set up for Shoulder Stand with mat, 2-3 blankets, 1 block
• Salamba Sarvangasana
• Balasana
• Child's Fish - Kneeling with Hands under Chin to Stretch Neck

Savasana

• Place lower leg over chair and relax on back

Iyengar Class Observation: Gathering Between the Shoulders

Tonight I visited Sheila Bunnell's Iyengar Level 1 class at Binghamton Yoga.  I consider her style to be the closest thing to body engineering that we have at our studio.

Sheila's focus tonight was a what she described as the action of "gathering" the skin & muscles between the shoulder blades - not the bones - just the soft tissue.  That entire area is covered by the Trapezius and is shown in this graphic:

Controlling this area produces at least three great results:

1. Opens the chest, 
2. Allows the shoulders to rotate freely, and
3. Lifts & supports the spine in backbends.

To access this area, Sheila worked through the following sequence:

• Started on back (knees bent & feet flat) with three blocks of support: two next to one another sideways and the other behind that on it's side.  We then laid back so that our entire upper rib cage (and trapezius) covered them with the head held higher by the third.  We then stretched our arms to the sides in a T with the palms up and activated the fingernail side of the hand to draw the shoulder blades back into center.  The ribs pressed down into the shoulder blades and the shoulder blades pressed up into the ribs - this action was repeated in nearly all postures.

• Next pushed the blocks away and laid flat on our backs trying to recreate the same feeling without the blocks.  After a few tries, we moved the arms straight behind us, palms still facing up, and then lifted our hips until our hands connected with the earth.  At that connection we held it and tried to lower our butts back down.  That action is extremely difficult and created an amazing lengthening in my side body ribs & armpits.  This is one thing I need to do more often.

• Come to standing and put arms out in a T to recreate the gathering.  Then work through Urdhva Hastasana, Utthita Trikonasana and Virabadhrasana I.  Each demonstrating the value of the gathering in maintaining the posture.

• From standing, put loop around the wrists at shoulder-width distance.  Press gently out into the strap to activate & gather - then lift arms in Urdhva Hastasana.  Repeat both Utthita Trikonasana and Virabadhrasana I.    After repeating Virabadhrasana I several times Sheila had us work into Virabadhrasana III in two different ways: one with arms straight in front using the strap and the other out to the sides like airplane wings.

• Virabadhrasana III demonstrated that the same gathering action we're using in our shoulders needs to be adapted to the hips & pelvis.  So, we worked on Virabadhrasana III with blocks under our palms (arms straight) and just focused on the gathering (a.k.a. compacting) of the hip.

• Coming to the ground we sat with with legs parallel and bent at knees.  Sheila had us put a rolled blanket behind our knees to challenge the relaxation of our legs, but I didn't see how that had much to do with the gathering.  Anyway, from this position we came into Gomukhasana arms several times.  Then we did Dhandasana to counteract the knee bend.

• Next we formed Virasana - interlaced our fingers and lay the top of our hands on top of the crown of our heads.  Relaxed briefly and then attempted to lift the hands from the action of pulling the elbows together and gathering the energy of the back as we had down on all the other postures so far.  We did this twice on each side and then we used Dhandasana to counteract the knee bend.

• Nearing the end of class Sheila needed a twist to release any tension we may have created while gathering the muscles & skin of our upper backs.  So, we sat on the edge of a stack of blankets and pulled our legs to one side to set up for Bharadvajasana.  We did this twice using different hand positions for each.

• Finally, we pulled in a chair and put a blanket on it.  We then laid on our mats with the chair off the mat but under our legs - right up to the knee crease.  This created a nice firm base for our legs.  Then we let our arms fall laterally into a standard Savasana pose - onto which Sheila placed a sandbag on our palms.  The legs raised felt great - it relaxed any lower back tension and created the calm one gets from an inversion.  The sandbags added a sense of comfort.

The actions of this practice helped me lift the bottom of the back ribs up toward the gathering point and the top of the shoulders down toward the gathering point while simultaneously broadening the collars bones and rotating the tips of the shoulder blades toward the gathering point.

Align & Flow Sequence: Barre Integration

75 Minute Friday Morning Class

This class sequence integrates Barre techniques.  I explore the interaction between traditional yoga postures and conditioning.  In my experience, the average yoga student, who comes to our studio needs more conditioning before they're "ready" to really get the most out of traditional postures.

Most of the yogis who come to this class practice 1-3 times weekly.  Many of them also engage in other workouts, such as cross-fit and running.  They're generally women between 25-65, which is a wide range with many different abilities and goals.

The first half of the class is spinal activation and Barre conditioning techniques.  The second half builds a sequence that should be easier to do & FEEL as a result of the first half.  The peak posture is dancer, which relies on standing balance, open quads & long abs, and pliable shoulders.

The props we use are 2 mats, 2 blocks, 1 chair, 2 sandbags, 1 strap, and whatever blankets one needs to sit.  The second mat is folded into quarters and placed on the chair for the entire class.  This will make the chair easier & more comfortable to use.

Opening

• Seated in chair, facing forward with mat on floor and mat on chair
• Close eyes and loosen JAW --> Free form HEAD & NECK
• Free form SHOULDER (possibly standing for a moment)
• Seated Figure-4 manually initiated ANKLE ROTATIONS and individual TOES FLEX & CONTRACT

Conditioning

• Put chair at front of mat & stand on blocks
• CALF RAISES
• Move chair to side of mat & on mat
• PLIE SQUAT Heels Together --> PLIE SQUAT Heels Wide
• Chair to Front of Mat with Seat Facing Back...Hands on Chair Seat and Folded 90 degrees
• Lift One LEG straight BACK parallel POINT & FLEX toes to back of room strongly (both sides)
• Lift One LEG straight back KNEE BENT and push to sky lower knee next to knee (both sides)
• Turn Chair Sideways and put one hand on back. 
• Straight LEG TO SIDE (Both Sides)
• Move Chair Aside But Not Too Far
• Lay on Back with Knees Bent & Feet Flat
• Quad LEG EXTENSIONS to sky feeling thigh work
• Frog - Resist Inner Knee with Hand INNER THIGH

Abs & Spinal Activation

• Pull chair in with back toward knees then put calves flat on chair seat up to back of knees
• Tuck tailbone & flatten lower back then LIFT HIPS into PLANK
• Second time same technique then lift ONE LEG and balance with just one calf on chair
• Third time same technique but move chair further away
• Move chair completely away
• Put one sandbag behind mat & off mat
• Start with knees bent and feet flat then tuck tailbone & flatten lumbar to engage TRANSVERSE ABS - Progressively more intense AB ROLL-UPS
• Consider three distinct sets progressing from micro activation to roll-up - to press-up
• Neck Massage after this flattening
• Move sandbags to each side and spread arms into T - Lift Knees to beyond 90 degrees
• AB OBLIQUE TWISTS
• Laying flat on floor put one hand gently behind head
• DIAGONAL OBLIQUE CRUNCHES

Interlude

• Roll over onto belly
• Stretch chin long across floor for NECK counter-stretch 
• Then arms in Goal Post and turn HEAD to one side, wait, then the other
• Stretch arms straight out and relax into traction
• Pull arms back into relaxed SPHINX letting abs soften & counter-stretch
• BALASANA
• All-Fours - Turn back to Front of Room
• CROUCHING CAT
• Walk to front of mat & relax then ROLL-UP to STAND
• INFRASPINATUS Half Goal ROTATIONS 60-120 degrees
• SUPRASPINATUS Arm Wing Lifts 60-120 degrees
• STANDING COBRA with hands on Sacrum fingers pointed up back
• Still in Standing Cobra Release Arms and RAISE ARMS in sight and Interlace Fingers

Flow

• First Time: Swan Dive -- Extend Uttanasa -- ANJANAYASANA Low Lunge with Long Deep Exploration of Thigh & Abs -- Transition through Plank & Strong Crouching Cat (both sides)
• Second Time: Same but Low Lunge becomes exploration of other dimensions where we walk the foot wide and emphasize the INNER QUAD / INNER THIGH STRETCH then transition to LIZARD -- End from Crouching Cat - Bending Knees and Sitting Down into VIRASANA Hero
• Third Time: VIRABHADRASNA II -- PARSAVONASANA with Hand Bound Behind Back to Thigh to Open Chest -- End from Lunge & Turn Sideways for PRASARITTA PADOTTANASANA into Wide Leg Down Dog

Peak Posture

• Stand in Middle of Mat Facing Side - Put Chair Seat Facing
• Kneel with Both Knees on Chair then Turn Sideways for ELEVATED LUNGE- Hold - then THIGH STRETCH (both sides)
• DANCER First Time
• DANCER Second Time
• SUPTA EKA PADA VIRASANA with Sandbags - Slowly adding one to thigh if safe & the other out behind to reach for

Cool Down

• Laying on back Feet Flat and Knees Bent. Place Block under Sacrum and Pull Knees to Chest to Release Lower Back.
• Gentle Side Twists (both sides)
• SAVASANA