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Instructions
Stand in Tadasana.
Place the palms together in prayer position for a more sacred feel.
(Tip! Feel a straight line from the heels to the top of the head. Also reflect on lines of energy from the ankles to the ears. Make the energy even on both sides.)
Inhale into a backbend.
(Tip! The backbend shown is quite deep. It is healthier to enter a gentle backbend.)
Exhale into a forward bend.
Try to get an even stretch on both legs. It is easy to overstretch one of the legs as one is usually stiffer than the other. That's why it is often nice to hold this pose for a little while before beginning fast moving Sun Salutations .
Inhale and step the right leg back.
Use your fingertips or the ball points of your hands for an easier time. You can also try dropping the knee so that everything has more space to move creating more freedom. This makes placing the palms down a little easier.
Exhale into Downward Dog.
Think of length in the inner arms. From the thumbs to the top of the arms. Try to create some space around the ears and side of the neck also. This area often blocks and restricts the flow of the elements such as water and air.
Inhale forward into Plank Pose
Gaze forward or down.
Place the knees down and then progress if you want to prevent wrist stain. If you do a lot of yoga the wrists get a little worn down especially with DOS (Downward Dog Overuse Syndrome) something that occurs in so many classes. There are lots of other poses too such as arm balances that contribute to these tiny joints compressing and becoming inflamed. Choose alternatives if you do a lot of yoga. When things are aggravated let them heal rather than working through the pain. Be sensible there are enough variations and modifications. If worst comes to worst remember there are thousands of other areas you could be focusing on. Lay off the aggravated joints before you turn them into a chronic injury.
Exhale into Eight Limb Pose.
Inhale into Cobra pose.
It is nice to hold this pose for at least 1 minute before flowing through the Sun Salutation fast. You can hold it before you begin or the first time Cobra pose is entered. Either way it will help your flow tremendously if you do a little preparation first. Opening the small muscles and ligaments before flowing continuously is a sensible approach.
Exhale back to Downward Dog.
It is often nice to lift the Sacrum first and let it pull you up. Careful the lower back does not compress. Tuck the navel in slightly to prevent this but be careful not to over tuck the lower abdominals too much. This happens quite often in Yoga but too much is better than none at all in this case.
Inhale step the left leg forward.
Notice there is no One Leg Downward Dog this time on the step forward. Feel free to do it if you like.
Exhale and straighten the left leg while opening the hips into Triangle pose.
Look up at the thumb or visualize energy traveling beyond he thumb and look up at its line.
Enter Warrior 2 with an inhalation.
Take the legs a little closer to reduce the pressure on the lower back or prevent aggravating a hyper mobile sacrum.
Quite often Warrior 1 and Warrior 2 can aggravate sacral stability especially when done with a wide stance. Strangely! performing them with less of a stance helps to cure the problem as one over stretches and the other strengthens around the sacral joint.
Exhale into extended Side Angle.
Place the left arm down and the right arm diagonally out. This pose can be hard on Sacral stability too so you may want to perform it on the fingertips or with the elbow on the knee.
Inhale into Upward Warrior 2. A good definition of this pose would be side Warrior 2. Parsva is side in Sanskrit.
This is a large motion with just an inhalation so it can also be done with a full breath which is what we have done here. There are many ways to do this part of the flow just as there are many ways to do the others. Here are a few.
Inhale during the transition and exhale when holding. Similar to the option given.
Inhale all the way up and exhale back down to Extended Side Angle before coming to a lunge. Makes the transition into the lunge easier and fills a void in the sequence.
Inhale into a lunge.
Exhale into a standing forward bend.
Inhale into Chair Pose.
Notice the Chair Pose is mild. It feels safer to enter a mild Chair Pose when flowing. Deeper poses are done when you hold so you can ease your way in safely.
Exhale into Tadasana the hands in
prayer position.
Perform the same sequence on the opposite leg.
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