A the seasons change our bodies change, moving with the seasons in order to create balance within us. This week we are focusing on all the ways our yoga practice can serve as a grounding force for us in times of transition and change.
We’re highlighting six classes in a variety of styles, levels and durations that are designed to help your body transition with the seasons.
- Align with Elena Brower: We are always being guided, helped, aided in some way; our practice is a chance to align with that influence. We will start and end with a restful awareness of your foundation, using subtle alignment cues for your feet while flowing into ever-evolving alignment with the space in our bodies, in any moment. Sweet flow, inversion, hip openers, arm balances, hips and backbends, finishing twists as well as meditation. Strong and delicious.
- Nurturing Flow for Life Transitions with Jason Crandell: Nurture your body and mind as you transition from one season to another. This slow, deeply grounding sequence contains head-supported forward bends, restorative postures with minimal props required, and inversions. Although this is an active practice, it is calibrated to restore your energy, calm your nerves, and support your immune system. It’s just the thing you need when you want a complete practice but don’t have any energy to spare.
- Balance & Controlled Transitions with Jo Tastula: This is a lively class that focuses on standing balance postures as well as slow controlled transitions. Balance postures are physically strengthening and also develop both coordination and tempo. Sun salutations to warm up (surya namaskar a & dancing warrior) and balance poses swan (hamsasana), standing splits with hands interlaced (uttana padasana) eagle (garudasana) crow (bakasana) and inversion tripod headstand (sirsasana). The trickiest transition is probably triangle to extended hand-to-big-toe (trikonasana to supta utthita hasta padangustasana). Finishing poses are single pigeon (eka pada rajakapotasana) and forward bend (paschimottanasana).
- The Power of Change with Jo Tastula and Harshada Wagner: A transformational journey with Harshada and Jo. In this joint class, meditation teacher Harshada Wagner will join with vinyasa yoga teacher Jo Tastula to explore our practice’s power to support deep change in our minds, our bodies, and our lives. In this special 90 minute class, Harshada will lead guided contemplation and meditation exercises and Jo will lead a level 2 flow concentrating on inner listening and authentic movement.
- Changes, Shifts & Transformations with Steven Espinosa: One of the amazing benefits of our yoga practice is we can come to our mat feeling one way and finish feeling completely transformed. A challenging Level 1-2 class which begins with a 30 minute continuous Standing Pose Flow with Warriors 1 & 2, Extended Side Angle and Triangle. Continues with several Shoulder Openers and Hip/Thigh Stretches. Also includes both Standing, Seated and Supine Twists. Concludes Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Hamstring Stretch) and Savasana. No Back Bends.
- Arm Balance Transition Tutorial with Dice Iida-Klein: Connecting arm balances can be a challenging thing to do. Transitioning from one arm balance to the other requires arm and core strength…but more importantly the willingness to try things that may seem impossible! In this short tutorial we break down the transition from Eka pada koundinyasana 1 (twisted arm balance), to dwi pada koundinyasana (two-footed arm balance) and into Eka pada koundinyasana 2 (arm balance w/ leg to the side). Variations are given using a block underneath the chest. Work your chatturanga my fellow yogis. It is the gateway to the arm balances!
