Go With The Flow - Slow-Flow Vinyasa

A water-inspired slow-flow vinyasa to start or end your day. Begin with a short seated meditation, connecting to the element of water and its qualities of fluidity and flexibility, and move through a gentle sequence of lizard lunges and hamstrings openers. The yin portion of this class will take you through a prone and supine backbend before releasing into a generous Savasana. Expect plenty of quiet time between the poses in this practice.

Background music by Chris Collins, Indiemusicbox

Transcript

Namaste yogis and welcome to this water inspired practice grab any props that you may need for this short practice including also any props you may need for Shavasana,

Final relaxation and if you don't have any props don't worry about it.

Find a comfortable seat on your yoga mat either cross-legged or even with the legs stretched out in front of you close the eyes if that works for you or rest them on one spot if that doesn't and ensure that the head,

Neck and torso are in one line stacked over the hips and the pelvis.

Take the first few moments of this practice to land on your mat arriving here now you can stay as you are or place the soles of the feet together for Baddha Konasana,

Butterfly pose and if your hips are higher than your knees please sit on something or stay cross-legged bring the hands out in front of you turn the palms up and connect the tip of the thumb of each hand with the tip of the little finger of each hand rest the back of the hands wherever is comfortable close the eyes again if you wish or again rest them on one spot this is Jala Mudra.

Jala is the Sanskrit name of the water element.

Water element governs the physical areas of the hips and the pelvis that emotional level governs our emotional realm.

As the element of cohesion and binding agent the water element is responsible for all of our connections.

The connection with ourselves,

With others and with the divine when the water element is balanced we experience this element's own qualities in our own life the qualities of the water element are fluidity,

Flexibility,

Adaptability this hand gesture,

This mudra directs breath energy and awareness into the area governed by the water element,

The pelvis and the hips and it enhances water's essential qualities as you sit here holding Jala Mudra and feeling into the qualities that this mudra is awakening in you take a moment to consider where in your life do you need more fluidity and flexibility are there any rough edges that need smoothing can you flow with life with greater ease so we simply ask the question without necessarily expecting an answer planting the seed and allowing this seed to sprout in its own time release the mudra,

Stay as you are with the legs place your hands onto your knees and begin to draw circles with your torso around your hips and pelvis from right to left it may be helpful to visualize your torso as a ladle and the hips as a cauldron and you're stirring the content of this cauldron with your torso from right to left and you can keep these circles small or big feel it out continue for three more rounds from right to left when you finished your third round switch direction from left to right drawing circles you find any areas of tightness or constriction or rigidity feel free to hang out there see if you can find a doorway come back to center bring the hands out in front of you interlace the fingers turn the palms out reach the arms forward and up lengthening towards the sky palms facing the sky now lengthen through both sides of the waist belly in and up shoulders relaxed and the jaw is loose stay as you are inhale and lengthen towards the sky line up the arms with the ears and exhale twist to the right keeping the hands interlaced for now move the head from side to side looking to the left and to the right loosening through the muscles of the neck and the jaw stay looking to the right release the interlace and release the right hand behind you left hand to your outer right knee for a deeper twist draw the belly in and up on an inhale and on an exhalation twist a little bit deeper back to center on an inhale interlace the fingers turn the palms out to reach the arms overhead and lengthen exhale twist to the left begin to move the head from side to side to the right and to the left stay looking to the left take an inhalation and lengthen exhale release the interlace and release the right hand to your outer left knee left hand behind you use it as a backrest relax the shoulders down but draw the belly in and up come back to center with your torso on an inhale reach the arms out and up towards the sky join your prayer above your head and lengthen one more time with full body vessel mudra exhale draw your prayer hands to your heart and take a moment to feel all of that as you're ready come on to all fours tabletop position hands and knees line up the shoulders with the wrists and the hips with the knees on an inhalation arch your spine for cow pose tilting the bones up pressing the belly down and exhale chin to chest around for cat continue to move through cat cow stretches articulating the torso only avoid swaying forward and back with the hips and articulate only through the spine see if you can synchronize breath and movement arching as you inhale and rounding as you exhale finding a rhythm that works for you and attuning your body to the rhythm of your breath find stillness now walk the knees three inches behind the hips keep the toes tucked under and start to draw circles with your hips around your knees Sufi grinds drawing the hips towards your right heel doing a full circle coming back up the left heel drawing circles from right to left there's no right or wrong here so don't overthink it move in a way that feels organic and a way that allows you to loosen up through the spine complete two more rounds from right to left and switch direction from left to right and see if you can move an equal number of times on both sides come back to center as you're ready table top position walk the knees under the hips now walk the hands three inches further forward than the shoulders setting up for our first downward facing dog or tiger dog which I will talk you through so the arms are in a diagonal to the shoulders spread the fingers nice and wide press the index and thumb knuckle down and claw the mat with your finger pads but press the palm down this will protect your wrist joints toes tucked under if you haven't already take a deep breath in and on the exhalation press up and back into downward facing dog or tiger dog which is a shorter dog with knees bent heels lifted it's a great prep for asana practice bend the knees a little bit more if you are in this variation tilt the sit bones up heels can stay lifted and observe and notice the length in the whole of the spine here line up the arms with the ears and look straight down as opposed to looking at your feet so the back of the neck is long to take four more breaths here in stillness and silence begin to walk the hands back to the feet little by little keep the knees soft once you get there simply hang in uttanasana standing forward fold engage your inner thighs and draw the belly in and up allow the upper body to simply dangle here and let gravity do the rest feet hip distance will give your low back more space take three more breaths here interlace the fingers behind you take a deep breath in and on the exhalation fold forward into uttanasana reaching the arms overhead for chest expansion keep your core strong here release the arms place the hands onto your shins inhale for flat back knees can stay bent but straighten the arms exhale fold and inhale into ardha uttanasana exhale uttanasana one more time like that on an inhalation start to come into standing reaching the arms out and up join your prayer hands above your head and lengthen and on an exhalation bring your prayer to your heart samasthiti he equals standing pose take a moment here as we prepare to flow through our asana practice it may be a good time to pose the question that we asked at the beginning of the practice is there anywhere in my life where I can flow with greater ease and fluidity following the example of water and opting for the path of least resistance as you already release your prayer hands reach the arms out and up or fast asana upward salute arms alongside the ears bend the knees and forward fold uttanasana at the back of the mat inhale into ardha uttanasana flat back with fingertips onto the earth exhale walk it back out to downward facing dog take a moment here to lengthen reconnect to your breath on an inhalation lift your right leg straight up and back down dog kick exhale step your right foot to your outer right and keep your back knee lifted for now place both hands inside the right foot stay high onto the fingertips or onto blocks on an inhalation lunge a little bit deeper into lizard exhale lift your back knee straighten your right leg and come onto your right heel drawing right toes to shin for parasvottanasana variation with your right toes lifted and we move in and out of these two poses on an inhalation lunge into your right knee place your left knee down and lift up through your torso and your chest exhale lift your back knee straighten your right leg lift your right toes and press back for parasvottanasana variation both legs are straight and the back heel is lifted do this two more times moving through lizard lunge and parasvottanasana variation next time you are in lizard stay there option to walk the right foot more out to the right ensure that the right toes are at a 45 degree angle and the right knee follows the same direction stay here or if you have the space lower onto your forearms keep your chest lifted stay here option to deepen the pose by turning the palms up opening the shoulders a little bit more take three more breaths in this variation of lizard turn the palms back down come back up if you were onto your forearms walk that right foot more to center frame your right foot which means hands at other side of the right foot lift your back knee up and step back into downward facing dog inhale hinge forward into plank exhale knees chest and chin down ashtangasana eight point salute draw the shoulders back squeeze the elbows in butt is high release the body to the earth release your toes press all ten toes into the earth squeeze the elbows and reach your chest forward and up for cobra avoid using the neck but use the middle of the back exhale release go through bent knees back into downward facing dog take three breaths here taking all of that to the second side inhale lift your left leg up straight up and back three-legged dog exhale step your left foot to your outer left hand for lizard turn the toes at a 45 degree angle ensure that your left knee follows the same direction release your right knee down both hands inside the left foot stay high onto the fingertips and lift up through your sternum and your torso so you're lengthening through the whole of the spine option to use a block here under your hands or stay high onto the fingertips lift your back knee up on an inhale exhale straighten both legs come on to the left heel curl left toes to shin for parasvatanasana variation inhale lunge into lizard release your right knee down open your chest and your throat exhale press back parasvatanasana variation both legs are straight your right heel is lifted do this two more times in your own flow next time you are in lizard stay there right knees down stay high onto the fingertips option to lower onto the forearms deepening this pose so your forearms are drawing a number 11 keep your chest lifted avoid rounding forward stay here or deepen the pose by turning the palms up turn the palms back down if you are in this variation come up onto the fingertips if you were onto your forearms walk that left foot more to center and place the hands at either side of the left foot take a deep breath in lift your back knee up and press back into downward facing dog inhale hinge forward into plank exhale knees chest and chin down inhale into cobra take your time exhale press back downward facing dog pose feel observe the rhythm of your breath now notice if anything needs to be adjusted and adapted now change is very much part of life the more fluid we are with life's ups and downs the easier it will be to accept the inevitability of change as you're ready hinge forward into plank bring your knees down and bring your whole body down face down belly down extend the arms forward straight forward and turn the palms up rest your forehead your third eye onto the earth for full dandapana full prostration take some time to fully surrender here for a little while as you're ready release the arms down by the side of the body interlace the fingers behind you see if you can bring the palms of the hands together if you bend the elbows should be easier straighten the arms again shrugging the shoulder blades together press the pubic bone down and all 10 toenails down the wider apart your feet are the kinder this poses on the lower back so choose your best variation press all 10 toenails down the toes are untucked press the pubic bone down straighten the arms take an inhalation and reach your chest forward and up as you lift the arms off your back and press the feet down as you lengthen take another inhalation here and exhale lift your legs and reach the legs and the feet back as you lengthen and decompress the spine for locust pose with bound hands baddha hasta shalapasana breathe use the middle of the back the mid thoracic spine deepen the breath and loosen the jaw take four more breaths here in shalapasana with bound hands release the interlace come back down make a pillow sec one palm on top of the other rest your forehead there your body may need to shake rock the hips from side to side or I may not just observe and do what works once you've done that find stillness and simply be as you're ready roll onto your back bend the knees setting up for bridge release the arms by the side of the body with the palms down feet and legs hip distance the thighs are parallel like railway tracks the toes can be in a slight turnout take a deep breath and press everything that is touching the floor and lift your low back mid back and upper back for bridge pose setu bandhasana continue to reach the thighs towards the knees and the chest towards the chin but move the chin away from the chest creating space in your sternum and heart space engage your inner thighs as if you had a block in between your thighs and notice if you're clenching your jaw take four more breaths here in bridge pose when you finished your fourth breath don't rush it release back down open your feet as wide as the mat bring the knees to touch and place one hand on the belly the other hand on top of that bring your knees into the chest wrap your arms around your knees and give yourself a hug tighten into a little ball separate the knees draw each knee towards each armpit hold your outer ankles or feet but your hands are inside your legs and draw the soles of the feet towards the sky for happy baby keep the low back grounded that means touching the earth press the feet into the hands and the hands back into the feet grounding the thigh bone release the clasp of your feet bring the knees together give yourself a one final hug wrapping the arms around your knees and as you're ready releasing to shavasana your final resting pose take some time to get comfortable and allow yourself to fully surrender here feel yourself melting into the earth beneath you check in with yourself is there anywhere else you can soften a bit more begin to deepen your breath moving the toes and fingers slowly waking up the physical body being extra gentle with yourself you're ready bend the knees and roll onto one side feet to position and take some time there use your top arm to help yourself up into a seated position bring the hands in a prayer in front of the heart just take some time yet to notice how you feel bow the head to the heart thank yourself for practicing namaste

Reviews

Thank you! This was an excellent practice I also enjoyed the connection with water, enhancing the vinyasa flow