I’ve been speaking a lot about designing your own sequences, and I thought it might be useful if I shared a sequence that I create for myself. I do find they organically change a little from practice to practice – I’ll be inspired to tweak or shift something while in the practice- but unless I’m just having a day of goofing around, I always get on my yoga mat with a planned sequence that I’m working with for an extended period of time. By performing it consistently in time, I learn was it does. Physically I’m always aiming for balance in the musculoskeletal structure, and openness and support of the spine, which in the HYP is called the “yogi’s staff”. To have a clear spine is essential to good health and good yoga. That “clarity” can occur even with long standing spinal issues if you approach your practice with balance in mind.
I don’t suggest that you do this sequence, as it’s designed for me, but it’s to give you some ideas about what you can do – get you out of the box, so to speak. These are all ordinary asana segments I’ve payed with for some time, but I’ve put them together just for me. Of course, check with your doctor before trying anything here.
I practiced Bikram and Jivamukti for a long time. In Bikram, you do every posture twice so it’s progressive. A friend recently did a presentation on Tesla, the great inventor, and she shared that he loved the numbers 369, and attributed mystical important to them. I thought, what if I did each posture three times instead of Bikram’s two? What evolved from that practice was that I began to do mini-segments 3 times. It sounds goofy, but it worked – it built heat in the body, my postures deepened in a sustainable way, my spine felt light and free. This has a dramatic opening because I have a hip issue I was born with, so I always work on my hips first. The tension that accumulates there from living was a barrier to the rest of my practice, when I do it first, nothing hurts in my practice. There is no sun salute because I’m recovering from a wrist injury and the chattaranga variations are a little remote at the moment. That means the transitions are too creative to articulate here. That is part of the fun, it’s driving me into novel transitions. Since I want to reclaim them, I work with plank and Up Dog. Any questions please feel free to ask.
Also, for teachers, I would never teach this in an open class. Hence the understanding that I’m sharing a personal sequence. I’ve practiced since 1993 and been a bodyworker…so I take freedoms with my own body that I would never take with other people’s bodies.
I drop sections depending on how much time I have.
Yes , it’s in Sanskrit, mostly – with misspellings (oh to have more hours in a day to proofread). Perhaps this is a good time to check out Light on Yoga by B.K.S Iyengar if you are unfamiliar with the names. Well, or Goggle, but Mr. Iyengar was a true master, lifetime teacher, who studied with the root guru – Krishnamacharya. So, please put the book on your reading list.
Remember this is for contemplation only! Check with your doctor before attempting any exercise.
Natalie Ullmann 