Flowing into the YogaSphere™
I am overwhelmed on a daily basis with the positive, enthusiastic comments I receive from teachers and students using the YogaSphere™ System. What's even more exciting is hearing about new and different ways people are employing the system to take their yoga practice deeper with great alignment and safety.
The YogaSphere™ System was originally created for use in flexibility classes but one of the amazing, unforeseen benefits to the system was the ability to teach fast paced vinyasa classes while using the YogaSphere™ without a significant pause. With that, I wanted to share a few of my favorite flowing sequences for you to try. Email me some of your ideas to be featured in a future post!
Standing Balance Flow
Using the YogaSphere™ during this balance flow helps to accomodate for different arm/leg proportions, keep the hand and arm in correct alignment, and alleviates the propensity to pull that closed-fist gripping of a strap causes. No buckle adjustments means that students don't have to stop the flow!
Select the YogaSphere™ that best suits your flexibility.
Come into Mountain Pose, begin to shift the weight into your left leg/foot, and bring you right knee up forming a 90 degree angle.
With the YogaSphere™ in the right hand, place the loop around the balls of the right foot.
Find your stability here.
Holding one end of the YogaSphere™, begin extend the right leg out in front of you keep the chest lifted and the back straight. Hold for 5 breaths.
Guide the right leg out to your right side. Keeping the chest lifted and back straight hold for 5 breaths.
Return the leg to the front, bend the knee, release let YogaSphere™ and let it glide onto the arm.
Keep the knee lifted, begin to bring the weight forward into Warrior 3. Hold for 5 breaths.
On an inhale, rise up, bring the right foot into tree or half lotus. If in half lotus, place the YogaSphere™ on the right foot, reach around the back with the right arm where your hand with find the bind with the YogaSphere™. Hold for 5 breaths.
Release and move to other side.
Side Angle-Triangle Flow
In this flow, students can keep a couple of different sizes of YogaSphere's™ on their mat and easily swap to larger or smaller sizes during the course of the flow. In the side angle bind, hands remain correctly aligned translating to well aligned forearms and shoulders. Using a YogaSphere™ to work with in Triangle pose reduces the amount of "side slumping". The gentle tension that is created is a reminder to find length and lift in the side body.
Select the YogaSphere™ that works with your flexibility and place near you on the mat.
Move through standard vinyasa and hold in down dog.
Inhale and life the right leg into 3-legged dog
Exhale and bring the right foot between the hands rising into Warrior 1
Exhale to Warrior 2
Inhale to Side Angle and settle into the pose with the forearm on the knee or hand on the floor.
If your hand is on the floor and you would like to go for a bind, pick your YogaSphere™ up with the left hand and bring the arm behind you (with the loop hanging). Reach under your legs with your right hand and take ahold of the loose end of the YogaSphere™. Continue to use this bind to roll the top shoulder and chest open and up.
Release the bind, keeping the YogaSphere™ in the right hand.
Engage the core and lift to Warrior 2
Straighten the front leg
Reach forward and tilt into Triangle pose.
Loop the balls of the right foot with the YogaSphere™ keeping the fingertips in the loose end of the loop. Using this slight resistance, engage the core, and find length and "lift" in the side body. Keep reaching the top arm up towards the ceiling, bringing your gaze to meet your left hand.
Release the YogaSphere™, engage the core, bend the front knee in to Warrior 2.
Windmill the arms down, take vinyasa, and repeat of the other side.
Try these flows in your practice and classes!
