slow flow

a slower paced practice that will leave practitioners feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. think low to the ground, seated shapes + sequences, and light on strength work. a great place to start a yoga journey with us if new to the practice or pregnant

essential elements

breath

breath work : in the fast paced world we live in, people simply don't pause long enough to breathe and calm their nervous system.

consider four qualities of breath :

placement - where is the breath entering the body?
time - how long is the breath
texture - is the breath deep or shallow, rugged or smooth?
intensity - how deep to we take the breath in

some suggestions :

box breath : in 4 - hold 4 - ex 4 - hold 4
parasympathetic breath : in 4 - ex 8 (or 3 - 6)
dirga pranayam : three part abdomen breath - belly, ribcage, chest + throat -> reverse the exhale
viloma : three part exhale
brahmari : humming bee. place fingers in ears (or not) and hum on exhale
nadi shodhana : alternate nostril
sama vritti : equal ratio breath

salutation ritual

while not our classic surya namaskar, each slow flow should still have a sun salutation element to create ritual and allow practitioners to move in pattern to assess their current physical body. this might even happen 30 - 40 minutes into practice; it does not need to be towards the beginning

slow flow salutation :

begin in childs pose

inhale - wave forward towards cat spine // table

exhale - bend elbows and melt to the floor (a very gentle lower, not chaturanga)

in - heart opener (dragon wave, baby cobra)

ex - childs pose

repeat slowly with long breaths or even double the amount of inhales and exhales per movement

overall feel of practice

what we are doing : this practice is all about staying grounded and connected to the earth, so think low shapes, slow transitions, longer holds. not a hard rule, but generally think at least 3 points of contact are on the ground, or a knees is on the ground.

can be helpful to plan one of each :

seated sequence

supine sequence

tabletop or down dog sequence (still low + slow)

**does not have to be in this order**

what we are not doing : strong, standing postures. no warriors, high lunges, one legged balancing shapes, etc. any larger shape should be built from the bottom up

savasana

give at least 5 minutes for your savasana + pulling people up into a seat - go even longer if you want! consider finishing with a meditation or breathing technique.