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 lida-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!

It’s Day 11 of 30:30 yogis! How are you? Remember when we thought we’d be raring to go? Well, um, we’re less raring than expected. So we thought Jason Crandell’s most recent class that focuses on alignment and refinement of standing postures would be a nice segue into getting raring to go for tomorrow. Did we mention it’s only thirty minutes?

Class notes: Aligning and refining your standing postures This sequence will strengthen your thighs, stretch your inner-legs, and improve your understanding of warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana 2) and it’s colleagues, triangle pose (Utthitta Trikonasana) and side-angle pose (Utthitta Parsvakonasana). This thorough practice will not only leave you feeling better, it will refine your understanding of how to align your hips in these essential postures.

Check-in with us in the comments. How is it going? How are you feeling?

Day Two of 30:30 is here…are you? Today’s recommended class is Jason Crandell’s 60 minute Hatha class that focuses on living in the fire of constant change, of finding a way to stay centered while life’s daily events swirl around you.

Class notes: Afraid you’re going to fall over and take out a row of fellow students while in tree pose? Fear not. This thorough practice will refine all of your standing balances and help you stay centered. You will focus on developing strength, flexibility and poise while practicing tree pose (Vrksasana), half moon pose (Ardha Chandrasana), eagle pose (Garudasana), Warrior 3 (Virabhadrasana III) and many more.

How are you all doing on Day Two of 30:30? We woke up refreshed and excited to pick a new class to practice today. No matter what class you took or where you fit it in, let us know how you’re doing so we can keep each other accountable!

We’re pretty sure you’ve noticed by now, but as his second class debuts on the site this week, we wanted to share the good news: Jason Crandell is now a YogaGlo teacher!

What does this mean? It means that nearly every week, we’ll be adding a new Jason Crandell class to the site so you can begin to practice – and grow your practice – with him on a regular basis. If you are familiar with Jason and his teaching style, you know that he has an uncanny ability to strip away the “yoga talk” and serve it up with just the right amount of humor and insight and frankness that allows you to bend in a way you previously couldn’t bend and understand your body in a way that you didn’t before. We love this about him and hope you do too.

For those of you not familiar with Jason’s work, here’s a bit more about him: Jason Crandell was recently named one of the next generation of teachers shaping yoga’s future by Yoga Journal for his skillful, unique approach to vinyasa yoga. Jason’s steady pace, creative sequencing, and attention to detail encourage students to move slowly, deeply, and mindfully into their bodies. Take a class from Jason and you will leave feeling grounded, clear, and content—and more informed of the nuances and habits of your body and mind. Jason credits his primary teacher, Rodney Yee, teachers in the Iyengar Yoga tradition such as Ramanand Patel, and ongoing studies in Eastern and Western philosophy for inspiring to him bring greater alignment and mindfulness to vinyasa yoga.

In the past 10 years, Jason’s knack for explaining subtle body movements in a way that anyone can understand, has opened many doors. Most recently, Jason created two Yoga Journal DVDs, Yoga for Wellbeing and Your Complete Home Practice Companion: Yoga for Morning, Noon, and Night. He is a contributing editor for Yoga Journal and has written over 13 articles for the magazine and website—many of which have been translated internationally (including Japan, China, Italy and Brazil). Jason teaches extensively at conferences in the United States and abroad, is part of numerous teacher-training faculties, and directs the prestigious Mind/Body Center at the San Francisco Bay Club. He has recently partnered with Yoga Journal to continue creating high-quality, home-practice DVDs.

Jason’s integrative and accessible teachings support students of every background and lineage, helping them to find greater depth, awareness, and wellbeing in their practice— and in their lives.

His first two classes are up on the site now. Go take them, leave a comment and join us in celebrating this wonderful addition to the YogaGlo family of teachers!