Flow for a Food Network Star

This past week, one of my nearest and dearest announced that she is a contestant on Food Network Star. In addition to being a brilliant, talented chef, Emma (yes, we share a name; no, I'm not talking in the third person) is also a kick-ass yogini. She can rock Scorpian like she was born to do it.

We also have been practicing handstands together. She's better at going up one leg at a time, I'm more of a double-leg hopper. So, in honor of this amazing woman, here's a sequence for hand-stand prep. If you're interested in learning more about Emma, check out her website emmafrisch.com.

From Emma's Instagram account, @emmafrisch

1. Meditation, body scan, dirgha pranayama
2. Coming onto back, massaging lower back with leg rolls
3. 10-15 minutes of core work, focus on uddiyana bandha
4. Boat-half boat-boat with Kapalabhati pranayama
5. Roll to Table
6. Cat/cow 
7. Any exploratory movements in table
8. 2 Sun Salutation As
9. 2 Sun Salutation As with pause in Forward Fold. Take hands fully to earth and come onto tippy toes (keep legs straight if you can)-- about 1.5-2 feet between hands and feet. Pretend you can lift both of your feet off of the floor at once to feel uddiyana bandha.
10. 2 Sun Salutation As with Crow Pose thrown in instead of the forward fold with uddiyana
11. 2 Sun Salutations with "Donkey kicks"- starting to feel flight (double-leg kick-ups)
12. Hands under feet pose
13. Downward Dog
14. 3-5 knee to nose in plank
15. High lunge
16. Warrior III
17. Revolved balancing half moon
18. Standing splits
19. Double-leg hand-stand kick-ups
20. Jump back to vinyasa ("spirit dives")
21. Repeat steps 13-20 on other side
22. Play with both double-leg kick up into handstand and single leg. Which feels more stable? Which allows you to hold handstand longer? Take 5 minutes, with child's pose for rests in between.
23. Child's pose
24. Leg's up the wall pose
25. 10 minutes restorative, grounding stretches
26. Savasana