Our very own Jo Tastula said that “mindfulness is a spacious inclusive awareness of what ever is arising. As everything that is arising is continuously changing, the art of the practice is to stay aware of each passing part without getting stuck in it. A continuous flow is a great way to practice this meditation as movement.”
This week’s featured classes are all about strong, steady, non-stop flows that focus on sustainable, rhythmic breathing. No resting here!
You can use our Search Feature to search through all of our Continuous Flow classes on your own. To get you started without searching, we’re highlighting six continuous flow classes in a variety of styles, levels and durations that will be sure to awaken and strengthen the entire body!
Fun Continuous Flow with Tiffany Cruikshank: This is a fun continuous flow with some good core, leg and hip work throughout. Less talking, more doing so the instruction is minimal with options to make it more like a level 2 or more like a level 2/3. Have fun!
No-Nonsense Continuous Flow with Marc Holzman: You have only 30 minutes and you just need to move? This is a no-nonsense continuous flow that compacts warm-ups, standing poses, a few hip openers and backbends. You’re good to ‘GLO.
Continuous Hamstring Flow with Amy Ippoliti: Less talking, more bending, this practice is designed to get a sweat going with no poses too deep or strenuous. The flow is modified specifically for tight hamstrings using 2 blocks. Peaks at hanumanasana (with blocks of course). A blanket is helpful to place under your knees if needed.
Continuous Flow with Stephanie Snyder: This is a challenging vinyasa flow that covers sun salutes, core strengthening, a strong standing series with twists and balancing poses. Moving into backbends and finishing with forward folds, this is a well rounded and satisfying class for the intermediate/advanced practitioner. Enjoy!
Continuous Flow with Tara Judelle: A continuous flow that includes pincha mayurasana, eka pada rajakapotasana, urdhva dhanurasana, drop backs, parsva bakasana, hanumanasana, and headstand.
Mindful Awareness of Continuous Change with Jo Tastula: Mindfulness is a spacious inclusive awareness of what ever is arising. As everything that is arising is continuously changing, the art of the practice is to stay aware of each passing part without getting stuck in it. A continuous flow is a great way to practice this meditation as movement. There are a lot of deep forward bends which both lengthen the muscles in the back of the body, but also calm the nervous system and mind. Sun salutations (surya namaskara A) which have lots of standing forward bend (uttanasana) also wide legged forward bend (prasarita padottanasana) pyramid pose (parsvottanasana). Balance poses tree (vrksasana) eagle (garudasana) warrior 3 (virabhadrasana). Deep lunge (anjanyasana) dolphin and free time at the end of practice for your own inversions or backbends. Nice guided savasana. Blessings!
Do you ever have such a harried, stressful day that unwinding and getting truly restful sleep is a challenge? You’re not alone! The good news is that severalstudiesshow yoga has transformative powers on our bodies and minds.
This week, we are focusing on all the ways yoga can help us slow down, re-center, and prepare for a night of sleep that is restorative and transformative. Imagine a world in which we’re all sleeping better – that’s a world we’d like to create with you!
You can use our new Search feature to search through all of our Yoga for Insomnia classes on your own. To get you started without searching, we’re highlighting six classes in a variety of styles, levels and durations that are designed to help you make the transition from your busy day to a restful evening:
Self-Care Evening Flow with Elena Brower - Elevating ourselves to a new level of self-care and self-acceptance, this practice activates your heart as much as it challenges your body. We will work through standing poses into a juicy flying crow and some hip openers in order to soften your judgments and re-route your attention back to your heart. Great for evening, since you’ll focus on forward bends and hips rather than backbends to complete your practice, but you’ll love it any time of day.
Connect to the Endless Battery Pack of the Earth with Felicia Tomakso - Do you ever have those days when you feel exhausted, spacey, when your head and/or energy is spinning? This class is the antidote. We focus on calming the airy and spacey vata dosha, the energy of air and ether through a number of soft, supported poses using a bolster and block. Restorative twists are the pose of the day because they help us let go of what has accumulated in the body, allowing us to benefit from connecting to the endless battery pack of the Earth. Through twists with the bolster, child’s pose, and a soft supine hip opening sequence, we end the practice feeling nourished and nurtured. This class can also put you to sleep just watching it, it is that relaxing.
Evening Sleep-Prep Flow with Tiffany Cruikshank - Unwind with a flow that will get you moving right away and then ease off into stillness. We’ll meet the restlessness of the mind with movement and then slowly ease in so the mind settles and prepares for a deep restful sleep.
Goodnight Sweetheart with Christina Sell - This gentle heart and hip opening class will help you unwind from your day and prepare to greet the evening with calm and serenity. Culminating with shoulder stand and simple breathing exercises, this soothing class is a perfect way to end the day.
Here is to a wonderful week of delicious, restorative sleep!
Each week we scour the interwebs to bring you amazing yoga articles, insights and stories that we hope will illuminate the power of yoga, the ways in which it can heal and soothe and the ways in which it can make us laugh, smile and learn much more about ourselves than we ever expected. This week’s links we think you’ll love are all about how practicing yoga can make you successful in your career, in business and at the work place.
10 Things Yoga Teaches Us About Small Business Ownership: Whether it’s a handstand or that next creative idea for your business, sometimes trying too hard to make it happen is exactly what you don’t want to do. Take a step back from the situation. Stop thinking about it. You’ll find the answers you were looking for when you let go.
5 Unexpected Things Yoga Will Teach You: Through yoga we discover a deep inner strength paired with the knowledge that we can accomplish anything, and that power extends to all areas of our lives.
How Meditation Can Give a Huge Boost to your Career: It’s interesting because people are always telling young people that the best thing you can do for your career is go network with people, promote yourself, ask for raises. But the most valuable thing that I have done in my career to date is have a meditation practice.
5 Easy Ways to Start Your Meditation Practice: Making meditation a part of your daily life is super beneficial. As part of your morning ritual, it is very centering, grounding and can really set the tone for your day. Done in the evening, it’s great for clearing your head, quieting the mind, relaxation and reducing stress. Personally, I have noticed that my day runs more smoothly, with ease and flow when I spend even just a few minutes breathing with my eyes closed every morning.
The Secret to a Successful Yoga Practice? Practice!: The beautiful thing about a yoga practice is that its effects have the potential to permeate into all parts of your life. The deeper you practice, the greater your opportunity of becoming a successful human being.
In this week’s Overheard in Yoga Class, Amy Ippoliti explains the importance of restorative yoga. If you are the type of person who works really hard or is constantly giving and thinking and doing things for others, then it is important that you really make some time for yourself. We all need time to restore and rejuvenate, so let restorative yoga be your time to receive – a gift you give yourself for all you do.
If your schedule permits, try waking up 45 minutes earlier than you usually do and hit the mat. This will give you some free time in the morning, and can reduce rush and stress.
The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali is perhaps the seminal work on the meaning and purpose of Yoga. The study of this text is not simply an academic curiosity, but a vital means of deepening our self-understanding and transforming our consciousness. In this seminar, we will explore essential teaching from all four chapters through not only lecture and dialogue, but also through integrated practices using asana, pranayama, chanting and meditation.
Sundays
7:00 – 9:00 pm
September 6, 2009 – June 6, 2010
Class will meet the first Sunday of every month, for one year.
Who should attend? Open to all, especially practitioners and teachers of Yoga.
Christopher Key Chapple, Ph.D. is Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University. He is author and editor of several books, including the 2008 Gandhi Award Winner, Yoga and the Luminous: Patanjali’s Spiritual Path to Freedom.
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