You may have noticed over the past weeks that many of us Flow Yogi’s are leading you through similar sequences and postures depending on the class level and style. No, it’s not just a coincidence and there is certainly a method behind this new pattern.
Each month you’ll notice we will ‘release’ a new sequence that will have a similar flow, postures and transitions. There are two main few reasons why we’re doing this:
1. Mastery & Measurement
Let me begin by saying that yoga is not about touching your toes, getting your forehead to your shins in a forward fold, nor standing on your head for ten minutes. All those things can feel great and give you a sense of achievement but the most important thing is to experience yoga breath by breath accepting that how you felt in a posture or class yesterday can feel completely different to today or tomorrow. This said, it’s beneficial from a physical point of view to nail foundations and learn a new skill plus build on top it it. Each time over the course of the month you perform the same transition or posture, you have another chance at feeling it in a different way to the last time and potentially seeing progress. It also gives you ample opportunity consecutively to explore the peak posture and its many variations.
2. Moving Meditation
One of the most wonderful things about our physical yoga practice is, after you’ve practice the basics and start to feel more confident in the way you move on the mat, you begin to intuitively know what’s coming next – especially if you work with the same teacher regularly and get a feel for their sequencing. Doing a similar sequence over the month allows you to find ‘flow’; a rythmn and a kind of moving meditation – also known in athletic terms as being ‘in the zone’. Being in the zone is beneficial because it allows the mind to stop working and the body to take over giving you a sense of calm and focus. One month is just long enough so that we’re not
a) getting tired of the same moves
b) maintaining curiosity, and
c) not over practicing the same moves that can become repetitive and cause injuries as often found in other types of yoga.
This month you’ll see a bit of skandasana in transitions – awesome to lengthen inner thighs & open hips as well as build core strength and ‘knife’s edge lunge’ which is delicious for hips and butt!
Now having said this, each teacher will have their own unique spin on things as well as will intuitively throw in and take out certain postures depending on level, style and time of day. Know that you’re in good hands with our yoga leaders!
As always, we welcome your feedback and we look forward to seeing you on the mat soon.