Warm Up Sequences

The powerful movement and sequence of a wave is used to create a rippling effect in the body by mimes, break dancers and even ballet dancers (think of the dying swan’s wings). It transfers energy from one point to another. A wave can also be used to clarify our neuromuscular patterning. (more…)

The lesson of this warm up is to sense our self without trying to emulate someone else’s ‘shape’. We go as far as we need to experience our sensation. At that point of sensation we integrate our awareness of what it feels like to be alive in our bodies and mind while consciously relaxing and breathing fully. (more…)

To begin our practice we must carve out time for ourselves in our schedule (more…)

When we anchor ourselves firmly into ground, we can allow our heart a feeling of buoyancy. This warm up begins with releasing the inner legs downward, all the way. If you could get your inner legs to touch the ground, (more…)

This article originally appeared on YogaCityNYC.

As central as the Sun Salute is to so many practices, it seems as if each yoga school, or tradition, teaches its own brand. With so many subtle differences between them you could become a collector… So we did! Some jump, others step. Some include Warrior Poses, others don’t. All of them include a wonderful balance of up and down, in and out, flexion and extension movements to wake up the body, like the sun of a new day. (more…)

Many yoga poses require us to keep our hips squarely facing front. This direction is something that we have all heard so many times and have done so many times (more…)

This warm up begins lying prone, on my belly. I lay down and relax in a prone Savasana. (more…)

In this warm up, the wall is your partner. The idea is to prevent energy from leaking through our own physical patterns and misalignments. We use Jalandhara Bandha (Chin Lock) to ‘lock’ (more…)

This warm up begins standing so that we are up and ready to go. It is also a change from how many yoga classes begin – with sitting or lying down. (more…)

In this Warm Up, I was working with two ideas. The first idea is about being fully committed, even if what we are doing isn’t exactly ‘right’ yet. When we are on our way to a pose, we can make a full commitment to it, even before we get there. That is what it is to be Following the Flow. (more…)