Recent Articles in Hatha Yoga

Duration: 22 minutes

Emphasis: Help to improve the rotation of your spine (very important in our rather static and seated modern lifestyles) with this short class. Expect to twist your spine three times in various poses and then pause on the 4th rotation to get a good stretch and increase your range of movement.

Props needed: A blanket and two blocks.

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

Duration: 13 minutes

Emphasis: This is a short class that's perfect for a warm-up or just for a bit of movement when you haven't got much time . You'll do lots of mobility work - 'oiling' the joints, moving with repetitive movements and getting your heart rate up too. Expect some arm swings, marching, squats plus Warrior 2 Pose (Virabhadrasana II), Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana), Tree Pose (Vrksasana) and Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana). 

Props needed: None needed unless you need a wall or a chair for stability in Tree Pose.

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

Duration: 19 minutes

Emphasis: Strengthen your core - front, back and sides of your torso - with a sequence of poses on hands and knees followed by some done lying on your back. (

Props needed: A blanket for under your knees.

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

Duration: 28 minutes

Emphasis: Find yourself a sturdy chair and sit down for this class that has a focus on mobility. Expect gentle twists, side bends, hip circles, shoulder work and a nice stretch out. Useful for when you're feeling tired or have an injury, this class will help to loosen you up and move almost all of your body. 

Props needed: A sturdy chair and two bricks.

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

Duration: 39 minutes

Emphasis: A really gentle class for when your back is feeling sore and achey. It focusses on slow movements which mobilise and extend the spine, creating length and space and hopefully a little more ease of movement. Note: if you are experiencing pain please see a medical practitioner before practising this video to check the movements will be ok for your condition.

Props needed: A blanket.

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

Duration: 59 minutes

Emphasis: All the poses in this class use a chair so make sure you have a good sturdy one that won't move. Expect familiar poses, some done seated on the chair and some done standing with the chair for support, plus a nice restful Savasana too. 

Props needed: A chair and a blanket

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

Duration: 14 minutes

Emphasis: You don't always need to find a big chunk of time to do your yoga practice, or find your mat or put your leggings on. Sometimes it's enough to slide off the sofa onto the floor and do a few simple stretches to loosen you up. Expect some familiar poses done with the support of your sofa. 

Props needed: A sofa!

Mat direction: N/A.

Duration: 18 minutes

Emphasis: In this class all the poses use two blocks - expect seated variations of Candle Pose (Prapidasana) and Garland Pose (Malasana), some Standing Forward Bends (Prasarita Padottanasana), Side Lunge (Skandasana), Child's Pose (Balasana), Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bhanda) and Stomach Twist (Jathara Parivartanasana).

Props needed: Two blocks (or thick books).

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

Duration: 38 minutes

Emphasis: Use the wall to open your shoulders and stretch your arms and legs. The first part of the class is done standing and in the second part you'll be lying down with your legs up the wall (Viparita Karani). 

Props needed: A block and a blanket.

Mat direction: Have your mat up against a wall.

Duration: 33 minutes

Emphasis: A short Iyengar-style class that features classic poses such as Triangle Pose (Trikonasana), Pyramid Pose (Parsvottanasana), Seated Twist (Marichyasana III), Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana) and Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha). Expect lots of alignment cues and holding the poses for at least 3 breaths. 

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

Mat direction: Long edge facing the screen.

Duration: 35 minutes

Emphasis: Practice your backbends with the support of a bolster. After making a small-sized bolster with a blanket and a pillow you'll warm-up the spine with some seated poses and then some kneeling Cat/Cow Pose (Marjaryasana and Bitilasana). You'll then do prone backbends such as Cobra Pose (Bhuganasana) and Locust Pose (Salabhasana) before supine ones such as Supported Fish Pose (Salamba Matsyasana) and Supported Bridge Pose variation (Salamba Setu Bhanda).

Props needed: A blanket, a pillow and 2 blocks - if you want a deeper backbend you can use 2 pillows (or a standard sized yoga bolster if you have one).

Mat direction: Long edge facing the screen.

Duration: 1hr 15 minutes

Emphasis:  The focus of this class is side stretches - you'll do a kneeling pose flow that includes Gate Pose (Parighasana) and Half Side Arm Balance (Ardha Vasisthasana). The second sequence takes you through Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) to Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana) and the third into Warrior 1 Pose (Virabhadrasana I) and Humble Warrior (Baddha Virabhadrasana). The floor-based poses include Snake Pose (Sarpasana), Side Reclining Leg Lift Pose (Anantasana) and Revolved Head-to-knee Pose (Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana).

Props needed: A blanket and a yoga belt.

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