Recent Articles in Vinyasa Flow

Duration: 18 minutes

Emphasis:  Practice Table Pose (Bharmanasana) and Chair Pose (Utkatasana) and some variations of these poses in this short flow. These poses will strengthen the whole body.

Props needed:  None required.

Mat direction: Short side of the mat facing the screen

Duration: 48 minutes

Emphasis:  We'll start slowly with a top-to-toe warm up, bringing mobility to the joints and warmth to the muscles. We'll then move through some slow Sun Salutations, adding some variations of postures such as Salabasana (Locust Pose) and Ustrasana (Camel Pose). We'll then take a slow cool down and relax from toe-back-up-to-top before Savasana.

Props needed:  Blanket for padding the knees and for Savasana if required. Blocks or bricks if you have them for one of the Ustrasana variations.

Mat direction: Long side of the mat facing the screen

Duration: 24 minutes

Emphasis:  Warm up with a Surya Namaskar A then try some variations on a Surya Namaskar B which include some press-up dips to strengthen the upper body and some seated twists to finish. Please note: I'm having some problems with the focusing of my camera at the moment - having played with all the various settings to no avail I think it might be time to retire it and get a new one. You might notice the video goes out of focus a couple of times for which I apologise. I hope it doesn't spoil your enjoyment of your class.  

Props needed:  Blocks or a thick book to sit on in Virasana (Hero Pose) if required.

Mat direction: Short side of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 18 minutes

Emphasis:  An all-round flow with lots of standing postures which will strengthen and stretch your legs and move your shoulders through their range of movement. There are some forward bends, gentle backbends and side stretches, all done in quick succession to give you a complete full-body class in under 20 minutes.

Props needed:  None needed except maybe a blanket for Savasana if required.

Mat direction: Long side of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 45 minutes

Emphasis:  A strong flow class with 6 rounds of Sun Salutations with a quad stretch and a backbend in each one.

Props needed: A blanket to put under your knee, possibly a block for under your hand and a strap to loop around your foot if you can't reach it.

Mat direction: Short edge of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 48 minutes

Emphasis:  This class focusses on working your arms and shoulders in slow and steady Sun Salutations. In each round there is an added Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana 2) pose with a different arm variation.

Props needed: Blocks or a thick book to put under your hand in Half-Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana), blanket for Savasana. 

Mat direction: Short edge facing the screen.

Duration: 26 minutes

Emphasis:  There's no weight-bearing on the hands and wrists in this class - no downward dogs, planks, lowering to the floor or cobra - just standing poses linked together followed by some seated postures. Expect a couple of balancing poses and some deep twists.

Props needed: Possibly a blanket or block to sit on and a strap to help you reach your foot if your hamstrings are tight.

Mat direction: Short edge facing the screen.

Duration: 47 minutes

Emphasis:  A slow and steady flow that works the whole body - with standing, seated and kneeling poses, twists and leg stretches plus Candle Pose (Prapidasana) for balance.

Props needed: A blanket and a belt.

Mat direction: Short edge facing the screen.

Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Emphasis:  Stretch the front of your body with this class featuring multiple vinyasas with lunges and leg stretches, Standing Splits and Half Moon Pose, Pigeon and Bow Pose. This is a strong class and might not be suitable for you if you have delicate knees. Please use props to adjust the poses if necessary - blanket under the knee or blocks under the hands - and don't push past your edge into strain or pain.

Props needed: Blocks and a blanket

Mat direction: Short edge facing the screen.

Duration: 46 minutes

Emphasis:  Build your strength with this sequence which blends the use of hand weights with familiar yoga poses. It's really important to continue to do strength and resistance work as we get older - it helps to prevent osteoporosis and muscle loss (sarcopenia) - and incorporating it into your regular yoga practice, which already offers a good amount of weight-bearing, is an easy way to make sure you're doing enough.

Props needed: 2 light handweights or 2 small plastic bottles full of water, a belt.

Mat direction: Short edge facing the screen.

Duration: 29 minutes

Emphasis:  A slow flow to open tight pectoral muscles at the top of the chest, bring mobility to the spine, and stretch the front of the shoulders, the inner arms, and the abdominal muscles too.

Props needed: A belt and a block to sit on if you need it for the seated postures and to put under your head for the final pose.

Mat direction: Short edge of the mat facing the screen.

Duration: 30 minutes

Emphasis:  A standing flow class with minimal weight-bearing on the hands and wrists. Lots of moving the arms and shoulders in all direction to promote ease of movement and some long holds in the poses to strengthen the legs.

Props needed: 2 or more blocks to put under your hands if you need them in Standing Forward Bend.

Mat direction: Long edge of the mat facing the screen.