Vinyasa Yoga Class, lesson plan Class 2: Tree pose, 3-part breath

by | Nov 6, 2018 | 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 2: Tree pose, deep belly breath, I am present, Deep Belly Breath
Shift in the direction of your intention, you create it. Keeping your attention on your intention, feel it more. Expressing yourself from inside out. See what arises when you are in the moment without asking yourself to do anything. This is me now; inner ocean of energy of all there is. Ocean of possibilities inside of you. Stay with the ultimate resource of your breath and your intention, going in this inside journey. Keep your awareness alive through observing, feeling, seeing, looking within, looking without.

Classical Sun Salutations with lunge and variations; add a twist in the lunge, twist with prayer pose hands, lunge to half split.

Tree pose/ Vrksasana: “Being humbler than a blade of grass, more tolerant than a tree, giving all honour to others and not to want any honour for oneself, these are the qualities that are necessary for success in yoga.” Among many spiritual traditions, we see examples of self-realization taking place under a tree. A tree can only grow strong and healthy in an environment that suits its needs. What environment do I need in order to grow? Where are my roots spread? Where do they get their nourishment? (Yoga Anatomy P.46-47)

Standing Poses: Warrior 1/ Virabhadrasana 1 (Yoga Anatomy P.54)
Warrior 2/ Virabhadrasana 2 (Yoga Anatomy P.58)
Warrior chest expansion
Wide Leg forward fold/ Prasarita Padottanasana I (Yoga Anatomy P.74)

Yin poses
– Low Squat/ Malasana

Butterfly/ Baddha Konasana (Yoga Anatomy P.92)
– Bridge pose/ Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
– Reclining Figure 4 pose/ Supta eka pada galavasana (Glutes stretch lying down)
– Lying spinal twist/ Supta Matsyendrasana

Mantra: Om shanti om, Deva Premal from Radiance matrix

Where should it Begin?
The best way to clean your system is to use sound vibration. Mantras have great power. Modern science has proven it. With sound vibration, you can make or break. You can heal, or you can produce disease. You can make somebody laugh, you can make somebody cry with sound. You can get more milk from cows with a little music; even plants grow with nice music. It’s true, and it’s being proved. Mantra repetition is nothing different, mantras can cure all your problems, physical and mental. For example, repeating “OM Shanti, OM Shanti, OM Shanti.” Shanti means peace and has that peaceful vibration.