Guest Post from Svasti
Today's guest post is from one of the very first blogs I started reading when I realized there was a whole blog universe out there. Svasti, just by reading her blog, has taught me a lot about writing a blog and about writing in general. She is fierce and fiercely honest. One of the qualities I admire most in people is the ability to be what they are, no apologies and no excuses. So, from one of the best, here's a sequence for you today. Enjoy!
1.Standing meditation, palms over the lower belly. Relax the buttocks, thighs etc... let the weight of the body rest in the earth.
Guest Post from Svasti
Svasti writes, "[This sequence] was for a Tuesday evening after-work 1 hour class, hence I started with standing because most people have been sitting all day anyway!" [editor's note: brilliant]
2. Warm ups - ankle, wrist, shoulder, neck and waist rotations
3. Swaying palm tree side bends
4. Slight arch in the back, look to the sky
5. Sweep forward into uttanasana (forward bend)
6. Utkatasana - hands reaching for the sky, then after a few breaths, into anjali mudra
Repeat 5 & 6 a couple of times
7. Downward facing dog (Adho Muka Svanasana)
8. Lunge one leg forward
9. Stand up into Virabhadranasana I (Warrior I)
10. Virabhadranasana II (Warrior II)
11. Utthita Parsvakonasana
12. Both hands to the floor, either side of forward leg
Repeat 7-12 on the other leg, and then a few more times as an alternative to surya namaskar
13. Uttanasana
14. Paschimottanasana (wide leg forward bend) - with variations - spinal twist with upper body (one hand on the ground), then folding more deeply into the forward bend.
15. Turn the heels in, bend the knees to stand. Raise the arms up over your head and then into anjali mudra. Bring the feet together.
16. Vkrasana
17. Navasana
18. Knees to chest
19. Bridge
20. Knees to chest
21. Reclining spinal twist (repeat a few times each side)
22. Rock & roll up to sitting
23. Janu sirsasana
24. Cross the legs, come up to hands & knees
25. Downward facing dog (Adho Muka Svanasana)
26. Pigeon
27. Parighasana (fold both towards and away from the leg for fun!)
Repeat 25-27 for the other leg
28. Balasana
29. Cat-cow
30. Pranayama: nadi shodhana
31. Savasana
32. Om!!