Yoga for Freedom

I was lucky enough to catch two sets of fireworks this year. The first was on Cayuga Lake on a beautiful sail boat that my friend's Sarah and Miguel had previously sailed all the way from Maryland to the Caribbean. Emma Frisch, Sarah, and I all jumped from the boat into the cold lake waters (myself included in that trio only with the peppiest of encouragement from the ladies). I left the day afterward for New York City, and sat on a roof with other friends, Erica and Ruth, and saw the fireworks over Brooklyn rooftops, watching as they lit the city from river to skyline.

Yes, I know I'm a bit late for the Independence Day. But it's never too late to declare our independence. To shout from the rooftops (Brooklyn or otherwise) what we are free from. In this moment, I declare myself independent from:

Fear that there will not be enough
The need to fill every second of every day with something, anything
Being anything less than completely, perfectly generous

If you'd like to shout from the rooftops of the comments section with what you declare yourself free from, by all means, have at it. In the meantime, here's a sequence. It starts with contemplation (what do you declare yourself free from?) and then moves into freedom and openness. At least, I hope so.

  1. Sukhasana (Easy Pose)
  2. Ajna Chakra (Third Eye) Meditation 
  3. Janu Sirsasana (Forehead to Knee Pose)
  4. Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Forehead to Knee Pose)
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 on the other side
  6. Sun Salutations, 3 or 4 times
  7. Utkatasana (Chair Pose)
  8. Garundasana (Eagle Pose)
  9. Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III)
  10. Virabhadrasana I (Warrior I)
  11. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
  12. Shanti Virabhadrasana (Peaceful Warrior)
  13. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
  14. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
  15. Parsvottanasana (Intense Side Stretch Pose)
  16. Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana (Standing Split Pose)
  17. Matsyendrasana (Seated Twist Pose)
  18. Jump to Vinyasa
  19. Repeat steps 7 through 18 on other side
  20. Prasarita Padottanasana (Standing Forward Fold)
  21. Come into different variations of Prasarita Padottanasana: Hands interlocked behind back, hands around shins or toe-locked, hands in between feet
  22. Baddha Trikonasana (Bound Triangle Pose)
  23. Svarga Djivasana (Bird of Paradise Pose)
  24. Come out through Baddha Trikonasana and Trikonasana
  25. Virabhadrasana II 
  26. Repeat steps 22 through 25 other side
  27. Vinyasa to floor
  28. Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)
  29. Either repeat bridge pose twice, or come into Urdhva Dhanurasana (Upward Bow Pose)
  30. Paschimottanasana (Seated Foward Fold)
  31. Supta Matsyendrasana (Reclined Twist Pose). Repeat other side
  32. Savasana


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