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Background InformationHere is a video that may make you laugh about bringing yoga into our homes...
So, you want to practice at home but you don't know how to begin? Here are nine ways to start.
By Richard Rosen Every contemporary school of yoga, such as Iyengar, Viniyoga, Bikram, Ashtanga, and Vinyasa to name a few, has its own ideas about how to sequence an asana practice. Most sequences are linear, that is one posture follows another in a logical step-by-step direction, moving from less challenging to more challenging and back to less challenging. In general, a sequence like this opens with simple warm-ups that set a theme for the practice, intensifies to more challenging postures, slows to cooling postures and ends with relaxation (Corpse Pose). But this is just one way to sequence. Typically each posture in the sequence is performed just once but you could also perform each posture two to three times, focusing on a different aspect of the posture each time. Take, for example, Trikonasana (Triangle Pose): You can first perform the pose focusing on your feet or legs, then repeat it while focusing on the spine or arms. You can also build the entire sequence around just one posture, like Triangle, returning to it again and again, and use the other postures in the sequence to investigate aspects of the main posture. Here's an example of a general linear sequence (based on the Iyengar tradition of yoga):
Beginners
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Surya Namaskar—3 Rounds (Sun Salutations) Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) Dandasana (Staff Pose) Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angle Pose) Navasana (Boat Pose) Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Supported Bridge Pose) Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose) Reclining Twists Savasana (Corpse Pose) |
Free ResourcesVideo resources Here is a collection of 72 videos for free from Tara Stiles:
Yoga Journal has many video versions of their magazine sequences. Try this quick 20 minute practice when you're in a hurry. Yoga Journal has many more articles and information here Printable resources |
Advanced Beginners
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Pose) Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) Vrksasana (Tree Pose) Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose) Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle Pose) Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose) Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) Ardha Navasana (Half Boat Pose) Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) Salabhasana (Locust Pose) Makarasana (Crocodile Pose) Salamba Sarvangasana (Supported Shoulderstand) Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) Janu Sirsasana (Head-to-Knee Forward Bend) Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) Marichyasana III (Marichi's Pose, Variation III) Savasana (Corpse Pose) |