Gentle & Strong! Warrior Vinyasa + Bakasana with a block (Patreon)

What's happenin, Patrons!

It seems like everything has taken forever to do this week. Is it just me or do you feel kind of like molasses too? Well, I wanted to get into a practice that energized my body but respected the gentle vibes.

To make sure this video fit into my theme of things taking forever this week, I recorded it in 4k so editing was... SLOW. Gosh I sound like I'm complaining but trust me, I'm not! If I wanted to complain I'd go on more about how my Macbook is from 2011 :) ... when I upgrade things are going to get lit.

So, this class is appropriate for people in a restorative or nurturing phase as well as for those who are super pumped, just back from a run or a workout.

The Warrior Vinyasa focuses on extending the arms like a wingspan. There are scientific studies about how the wide stance with outstretched arms increases self-confidence and energetic presence. So you don't have to push yourself beyond your comfort zone if you feeling restful, but you can stretch your wings and feel freedom from the inside. 

Warming Up

It begins with warming up the upper body, from hands and knees, gently undulating forward and back to strengthen the trunk/arms (forward) and stretching the back/shoulders (backward).

Rather than lying flat on the belly for Cobra, we shift from the knees into High Cobra, to stretch the front of the body. I mean, sometimes you don't want to go belly-down, am I right? You can smoothly transition from High Cobra to Up Dog if you want to lift your chest even higher, by pressing from your toes. 

Warrior Vinyasa

Step One:

• Warrior Two (Virabhadrasana 2)
• Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)

Step Two:

• Warrior Two (Virabhadrasana 2)
• Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)
• Triangle Prep (Trikonasana)
• Extended Triangle (Utthita Trikonasana)
• Half Triangle (Ardha Trikonasana)
• Extended Triangle (Utthita Trikonasana)
• Warrior Two (Virabhadrasana 2)

Step Three:

Flow by linking your breath with each movement ~

• Exhale Vira 2
• Inhale Viparita Vira
• Exhale Trikonasana
• Inhale Utthita Trikonasana
• Exhale Ardha Trik
• Inhale Utthita Trik
• Exhale Vira 2

Bakasana

Use a block to perch your lower body up over your arms. 

This bypasses the need to fire-up the core and allows you to experience the sensation of arm balance without having to lift your feet off of the block.

If you do practice lifting your feet, notice that your perched position does not change form when the weight transfers into balance.

Relax

Cobbler Pose, rocking side to side

Reclined Cobbler, with cushions under your back and head

Supported Savasana, with cushions under your back and head

Comfortable Seat, connecting to the power of presence