The pace of our lives constantly changes; in one season of your life you are moving quickly as you flow from day to day, and then suddenly you find yourself frozen in a position that you may or may not enjoy. The truth is that we cannot always control the pace of our lives; at times it will be too fast, at times too slow giving you a sensation of being stuck, and at other times it will be just right. No matter what, we must learn to adapt, we must learn to be able to go with the flow as well as be able to remain still with a sense of peace.

To reflect this, I have a yoga sequence that I teach in my advanced power vinyasa classes when I feel like myself and those around me might need to practice stillness contrasted by flow and vice versa. I call it my Build, Hold, and Flow Yoga Class.

In this challenging class, we build the main section – the Sun B – one posture at time: one posture for 5-8 breaths, then a chaturanga, then the first posture again for 1 breath, then we add another posture and hold for 5-8 breaths again really highlighting the new posture, and so on and so on. In this way, we must pause in each posture that we add and hold still for a challenging amount of time. I encourage the students to find their best expression of the posture and then focus on their breath and just be okay holding still with where they are at in their practice. Finally, we flow the entire Sun B to contrast the slow build of the sequence. The strength series later on in class is also slowly built, but constantly moving forward with little to no breaks. Overall, the class alternates from very slow to quick flow and mirrors the paces we experience and different times in our own lives.

This sequence has helped me when struggling to adapt to the changes in pace of my own life and my students seem to like it too, plus it is a killer work out! I hope you enjoy my Build, Hold, and Flow Yoga Class!

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Build, Hold, and Flow Yoga Class

*Start with Right Side first always

*Practice at your own risk

Integration:

• Child’s Pose – Balasana – (several breaths)
• Table Top – Inhale- (1 breath)
• Cat & Cow Flow – Inhale for Cow and Exhale for Cat -(3 rounds of breath)
• Down Dog – Adho Muka Svanasana -Exhale – (hold for several breaths, walk out your dog, etc.)
• Rag Doll – Exhale – (3-5 breaths)
• Roll up to standing – Inhale
• Equal on All Sides Pose – Samastitahi – (3-5 breaths, set intention here)

Sun A:

• Mountain Pose – Tadasana – Inhale – (several breaths)
• Quarter Moon Right then Left – Exhale – (1 breath each side)
• Mountain Pose – Tadasana – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Back Bend – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Mountain Pose – Tadasana – Inhale (1 breath)
• Forward Fold – Uttanasana –Exhale – (1 breath)
• Halfway Lift – Ardha Uttanasana – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Squat and Curl – Exhale (1 breath)
• Repeat Twice more flowing breath to movement

Sun B:

• Chair Pose – Utkatasna – Inhale – (3-5 breaths)
• Forward Fold – Uttanasana – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Halfway Lift – Ardha Uttanasana – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Chaturanga – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Upward Facing Dog – Urdhva Mukah Svanasana – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Downward Facing Dog – Adho Mukah Svanasana – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge Twist – Inhale – (Hold 5-8 breaths)
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above, repeat other side
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge Twist – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Warrior 2 – Virabhadrasana 2 – Inhale – (Hold 5-8 breaths)
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above, repeat other side
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge Twist – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Warrior 2 – Inhale – ( 1 breath)
• Extended Side Angle – Exhale – (Hold 5-8 breaths)
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above, repeat other side
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge Twist – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Low Lunge – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Warrior 2 – Inhale – ( 1 breath)
• Extended Side Angle – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Reverse Warrior – Inhale – ( Hold 3-5 breaths)
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog with breath cues above, repeat other side
• Now the sequence is built, flow through Twice more moving breath to movement!

Core:

• Boat Pose – Navasana – Lowers and Lifts – (30 seconds)
• Bicycle Sit Ups – (1 minute)
• High Plank – ( 1 minute)

Strength:

• Chair Pose – Utkatasna – Inhale – (3 breaths)
• Prayer Twist – Right Side 1^st – Exhale – (3-5 breaths)
• From Prayer Twist
  • Shift weight into right foot
  • Bring left heel to glute
  • Extend left foot to back of the room, parallel to mat
  • Step into Revolved Crescent Lunge
• Revolved Crescent Lunge – Inhale – (3-5 breaths)
• From Revolved Crescent Lunge
  • Open arms to fly – Inhale – (1 breath)
  • Rise up into Crescent Lunge Vertical Twist
• Crescent Lunge Vertical Twist – Exhale – (3 breaths)
• Exalted Warrior – Inhale – (3 breaths)
• Crescent Lunge – Anjaneyasana – Inhale – ( 3 breaths)
• Airplane Crescent Lunge – Exhale – (1-2 breaths)
• Warrior 2 – Inhale – (1 round of breath)
• Straighten Front Leg – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Triangle Pose – Trikonasana -Exhale – (3 breaths)
• Triangle Pose with Uttitha – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Standing Separate Leg Stretch – Proserita – Exhale – (3 breaths)
• Halfway Lift Proserita – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Forward Fold Proserita – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Rise up with arms at a T and flat back – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Warrior 2 – Exhale – (1 breath)
• Reverse Warrior – Inhale – (1 breath)
• Chaturanga – Up Dog – Down Dog
• Repeat on the other side

Hips/Cool Down:

*Right leg then left

• Half Pigeon – Eka Pada Rajakapotasana – Exhale- (1-3 breaths)
• Sleeping Pigeon – Exhale – (10 breaths or a little over a minute)
• Repeat on other side

Spine:

• Cobra Pose – Bhujangasana – Inhale – (3 breaths)
• Bound Locust Pose – Inhale – (3 breaths)
• Bridge Pose – Setu Bandhasana – Inhale  (3 breaths)
• Reclined Angle Pose – Supta Baddha Konasana – (rest, easy breath)

Folds/Rounds:

• Legs up the wall – Inhale (3-5 breaths)
• Plow Pose – Inhale- (3-5 breaths)
• Shoulder Stand – Inhale – (3-5 breaths)

Finals:

• Happy Baby Pose – Ananda Balasana – Inhale – (3-5 breaths)
• Supine Twists right side then left – Exhale – (3-5 breaths per side)
• Final Savasana – Exhale – (rest for 2-5 minutes)

NAMASTE FRIENDS!