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The yoga of Patanjali offers us Yoga Sutras including the 8 limbs of yoga. Within these 8 limbs are the Yamas (social interaction with others) and Niyamas (interaction we have with ourselves). There are 5 Yamas and 5 Niyamas making them kinda like the 10 commandments of yoga. For this class I focused on 3 of the Niyamas – Tapas (effort), Svadhyaya (self-study) , and Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender to the divine). In life we mostly do, effort and forget to feel the connection to something bigger but when we take time to reflect or study we can see where we are with both. In yoga effort is important to get to the mat keep your arms strong in down dog but to leave space to soften even surrender to this greater energy. Through self-study on and off the mat using scriptures or any books that take you deeper one can see there tendency and make a choice to see balance of these actions.

Links: NYC – Vira Yoga , Elsie’s Yoga Kula, The Spiritual Tourist by Mick Brown

Sanskrit: Chin mudra or Om mudra

Sequence Level 2 :

Downward facing dog with split and twist

Straight leg lunge

Down Dog

Uttanasana

Urdvah Hastasana

Shoulder opener hands clasped behind back then fold fwd to Uttanasana

Plank to Vinyasa

Crescent Pose

Vinyasa

Utthita Parsvakonasana – Stage one elbow on knee , full pose hand to floor outside bent leg  or bounded variation-

Vinyasa going thru Chattarunga back through to Down Dog

Trikonasana

Prasarita Padottonasana – hands clasped

Uttanasana

Malasana – (garland) to Bakasana – crane also known as crow

then back to Malasana

Uttanasana

Samasthiti

Vinyasa

Plank to Vashistasana –

Down Dog

Parsvottonasana to Parvritta Parsvottonasana (w/blocks or not)

Down Dog

Vashistasana – second stage leg lifted or with tree pose legs-

Down Dog

Eka Pada Rajakapostasana – pigeon prep then to a Twisted variation

Down Dog

Anjanasana Thigh Stretch –

Setubhanda – bridge pose

Urdvah Dhanurasana 2X

Supine Twist with cactus arms –

Baddha Konasana

Trianga Mukha Paschimottonasana

Sukasana

Meditation

Savasana

Namaste!