Vinyasa Yoga Class, lesson plan Class 17: Bird of Paradise/ Svarga Dvijasana & Eka Koudiyasana 2

by | Feb 26, 2019 | Yoga, Yoga Nanaimo

“The body tells its story. The mind supports and questions and encourage. The mind has to agree to be the compassionate listener without judgement or expectation. We want to find a deeper meaning in the asanas, to take us to a higher level of consciousness, expect depth, reflection, clarity and support for the Light within.”

I’ve been teaching yoga since 2004. Over the year my teaching style has changed a lot. I used to plan and then just improvise, have an idea for a series or peak poses. Sometime I thought I had just taught an amazing class but did not write it down and then would not be able to repeat it. I’ve also spend lot of time, researching, reading, preparing and know how much can go into planing the “perfect” class. I’ve decided to share with you some of the classes program, class 3,  I prepared for the Yoga teacher training. There are 18 lessons plans that build on each other. The first few classes are more gentle classes, until we move toward more advanced poses and sequencing. Where ever you are on your journey its important to remind yourself that it’s more important to have awareness than to do an asana perfectly. I hope you enjoy me sharing theses with you and would appreciate your feedback to keep improving them. I’ve used 2 books to help me build theses classes, they are the Golden Present book by Sri Swami Satchidananda and the Hidden Language of Hatha Yoga by Swami Sivananda Radha.

“In Hatha Yoga we confront our fears as well as our potentials by balancing attention between the body and the mind. Because human beings are so complex, various branches of yoga must be practised in proper combination to help people become harmonious being. Asanas are a discipline of the body, but they are not without an effect on the mind, and in turn the mind affects the body. We create an intuitive space for deepening our understanding about ourselves, uncovering our obstacles and potential. We are the masters of our own destiny.”

You can also have access to the recording of the classes and sequence with the Vinyasa Flow Yoga online classes bundle.

Class 17: Bird of Paradise/ Svarga Dvijasana & Eka Koudiyasana 2

When we challenge ourselves, we open the mind to being transformed from the inside out. In yoga you don’t need to be someone else, instead you gain the strength to be who you truly are and find happiness in being your authentic self. When you are stronger, you begin to stand up for your dreams in the world.

  • Low squat/ Malasana
  • Add a twist, then a bind into the Malasana

Ladder Flow from Malasana:

  • Bring right leg back into Lizard Lunge, inhale, Cow, exhale, Cat.
  • Flip Dog/Wild thing/ Camatkarasana
  • Side Plank/Vasisthasana
  • Lunge forward slowly, cartwheel to Warrior 2/ Virabhadrasana 2
  • Reverse Warrior/ Viparita Virabhadrasana
  • Side Angle pose with a bind/ Utthita Parsvakonasana
  • Step forward while keeping the bind, rise up, Bird of Paradise, come down, step back into Side Angle pose, release the bind
  • Warrior 2/Virabhadrasana 2
  • Surfer Lunge/Skandasana toward back of the mat, add a bind
  • Half Moon pose/Ardha Chandrasana toward front of the mat
  • Warrior 2, cartwheel the arms down, bring leg back and up
  • 1 leg Downward Dog, bend back knee, open the hips
  • Bring knee forward outside of shoulder into Eka Koudiyasana 2
  • Vinyasa, jump forward into a low squat/Malasana

Koundinyasana (named after the ancient Hindu sage)

The challenges of this posture require a belief in oneself. Its also, simply a question of balance, the middle way between effort and grace.

Eka Baka Koundiyasana is usually just a transition:

  • Get into it from a lunge, bring shoulder under, lift front & back leg
  • From 1 leg Dog, knee to shoulder, shift forward into this arm balance

A perfect act & It’s impossible to make a wrong decision

No action is undesirable as long as it produces a beneficial result to all concerned, including you. You may call that a perfect act. The definition of a perfect act is one that neither hurts you, nor hurts anyone else. At the same time, it should bring some benefit to somebody. Direct the mind, educate it; that is Yoga. The very purpose of all your spiritual practice is to lean how to direct your thoughts and actions for a beneficial purpose. If you make a wrong decision, grow from your mistakes and you wont lose anything. Become a friend; loving and caring, sharing and helping. The secret is to look for opportunities to help others, look for ways to be nice to them, have patience and understanding. Allow others to learn in their own time. Have compassion and understanding. We are all at the same level. Don’t hesitate to give more chances to people.

Jai Ma Durga, Jaya Jaya Ma

jai/jaya: Victory to! Celebration of. An emphatic “Hooray God!”
mā/mātā: Mother.
durgā: Supreme Goddess, Devi, Divine Mother, Shakti… Durga’s name means “the invincible.”

“…The Shaktas worship the Supreme as the goddess Durga. The term shakta derives from shakti, the Sanskrit word for power or energy. Durga is thus identified as the supreme divine power. She strikes a powerful pose in her typical manifestation, mounted upon a lion, her numerous arms wielding a fearsome array of weapons. Appearing as a beautiful woman, she attracts the demons toward her only to annihilate them.”  ~ Krishna Dharma

Make sure you check the other lesson classes: