My yoga students are always asking why my classes are so effective and yet they are never in pain afterwards. The answer is in the sequencing. There is a very specific order of postures that is most beneficial to the body and yet the poses that are chosen within the sequencing are very specific to the individual. Hence...the art of adapting yoga to each person. This combination allows students and teachers to create sequences of different orientation, length and intensity to suit the intention of every practice. The order of practice is very much like a bell curve with increasing intensity. Think of your practice as a preparation for an inversion and then moving toward seated postures which are much more structurally demanding. As your poses get more challenging, the body gets hot and the breath gets longer and stronger allowing more depth in the poses. Order of Practice - The 7 Directions: 1. Standing Poses 2. Kneeling/All-4s 3. Lying on back (supine) 4. Inversions (Headstand then Shoulderstand) 5. Backbends (prone poses) 6. Twists 7. Seated Forward Bends Don't forget that each pose should be followed by a counter-pose (the union of opposites - stretch & strength) so include that within the sequencing as well. When we move the BODY, we create BANDHA. Bandha serves the BREATH. Therefore, Asana serves Breath. Once we have directly experienced the Body and Breath, then we can address the mind or BRAIN! This is what I call the 4 B's.
The Science of Sequencing & Art of Yoga
Updated: Dec 5