January 2025 Vinyasa Yoga Sequence
Peak: Shoulder Stand to Halasana
Chakra Focus: Throat, 3rd Eye
Possible Themes:
1) Intuition/Internal Wisdom
2) Self-Expression Coming from Authenticity vs Ego
3) Svadhyaya
Props: 2 Blocks
SUGGESTED PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY
WARM UP / INTEGRATION
Child’s pose (ground, breathe, intention setting, option to rock forehead back and forth to message 3rd eye - the place of intuition and internal wisdom)
Roll up - neck stretches, head circles (focusing on the throat chakra, the place of self-expression and truth)
Gate pose right side
Extended leg table top (place hands on the ground and keep right leg out to the side
Thread the needle right side with leg extended), option to bring right leg back to table top if the stretch is too intense for the inner thigh, offer block under the head if students seem far away from the ground
Extended leg cat/cow: with leg extended cat/cow 2-3x
**Repeat gate pose, thread needle, and cat/cow on left side
Down dog
Forward fold
Rise to tadasana/standing at attention
OPENING SURYA
Inhale: 1 leg mountain (lift right leg and bend knee 90 degrees, flex toes towards shin)
Exhale: figure 4
Inhale: twisted root (begin to stand as you slide the right leg down the left so that the right foot is placed on the outside of the left foot and legs are crossed), lift your chest and sweep your arms behind you like wings & expand the heart space
Exhale: bring right leg back to 1 leg mountain with hands in prayer and thumbs at 3rd eye, puff up your back like cat’s pose
Inhale: step right leg back to crescent lunge
Exhale: down dog
Inhale: plank
Exhale: chaturanga
Inhale: updog
Exhale: down dog
Inhale: 3 leg dog (lift right leg)
Exhale: low lunge
Inhale: low lunge twist / easy twist (lift right arm towards the sky and twist torso to the right)
Exhale: funky pyramid (release right hand to the ground to frame your foot, without moving your feet, extend the front leg like a really wide stance pyramid pose); option to flex the front foot to deepen the hamstring stretch, engage quads and hamstrings to keep from over-extension of the knee
Inhale
Exhale: forward fold (step to the top of the mat)
Inhale: mountain pose
Exhale: samasthiti
**Repeat of the left side
Traditional Sun A (mountain - forward fold - ½ lift - chaturanga - updog - down dog)
SUN B / OPEN POSTURES
Inhale: 3 leg dog (lift right leg)
Exhale: low lunge (step between your thumbs)
Inhale: crescent moon / anjaneyasana (drop back knee to the earth and lift arms towards the sky)
Exhale: extended side angle (place a block on the inside of your right foot, place right hand on block, lift back knee and pivot back heel down), option to lift left arm to the sky, or drape overhead
Inhale: reverse triangle (root down in right foot to press up)
Exhale: triangle
Inhale: reverse warrior variation (bend right knee, lift right arm towards the sky, bring your left arm towards the front of the room like you are serving up a platter)
Exhale: eagle-armed horse / goddress (wrap the left arm under the right, take a few breaths here to sway side to side, maybe allowing the students to sway in a forward fold with eagle arms, come back to intention or use metaphor here)
Inhale: star (unwind arms and reach up towards sky)
Exhale: warrior II
Inhale: mountain (swing your left arm down then forward, follow it through with your body to step to the top of the mat)
**Repeat on the left side
SUN B+
Everything in Sun B, but instead of ending in mountain pose - from warrior II, step to 1 leg mountain (lifting the left leg)
Exhale: figure 4 - option for figure 4 forward fold with blocks under hands, option for figure 4 toe stand, option for flying pigeon (give students a few breaths to play)
Everyone meets back in figure 4
Inhale: twisted root (just like in the opening surya at the beginning)
Exhale: forward fold (uncross legs first)
Inhale: ½ lift
Exhale: flow through vinyasa or go straight to down dog
**Repeat on left side
CORE
Supta baddha konasana crunch / reclined bound angle crunch, option to hug a block between heels
Reverse table top crunch (knees are up over hips and shins parallel to floor), option to hug block between thighs
Bicycle
Leg lifts with hip lifts (with legs together and pointed towards sky, lower to 45 degrees, lift back up, lift hips up by squeezing glutes, lower hips with controlled landing from core strength… cue: lower, lift, lift, lower; **this is a preview pose to shoulder stand)
If time, boat pose and count down from 8
STANDING / NEUTRAL POSTURES & TWISTS
Inhale: crescent moon / anjaneyasana (this time with a bind, interlace hands behind back, hug shoulder together and look up. If your theme is around authenticity you can speak to the power of being vulnerable and opening your heart)
Exhale: bring head back to center
Inhale
Exhale: humble warrior (lift back knees, pivot heel down, and bow to the inside of your right knee), option to lift fists towards the sky or rest fists on sacrum if shoulders
Release hands to frame the foot and take a few steps forward with the back foot to set up feet like pyramid pose
Inhale: lengthen the spine and halfway lift
Exhale: revolved triangle (place block underneath the left shoulder, place hand on the block and press into the block to find rotation to the right, lift right arm towards the sky)
Inhale
Exhale: pyramid with down dog arms (legs are in pyramid pose, walk block forward as much as possible so upper body is making a down dog shape, release head in between arms)
Inhale: shift weight onto front leg
Exhale: standing split (lift left leg high), option for handstand hops for students working on handstands
Inhale
Exhale: forward fold
Inhale: chair
Exhale: prayer twist to the right
Inhale
Exhale: forward fold
Inhale: ½ lift
Exhale: squat & curl (lift your heels and squat hips to heels, curl upper back like cat pose)
Inhale
Exhale: navasana / boat pose (sit your hips to the ground and lift legs and arms to boat pose)
Inhale
Exhale: release feet to ground and hands behind hips with finger facing front of mat
Inhale
Exhale: alter pose (press hips up and left head fall backwards)
Inhale
Exhale: lions breath (stick your tongue out)
Inhale
Exhale: lower hips to the earth, straighten legs along the mat
Inhale
Exhale: reverse plank pose (engage the glutes to send the hips up in line with the chest and shoulders, engage the core for stability **this is a preview pose to shoulder stand)
Inhale
Exhale: lower hips to the ground
Meet in down dog, optional vinyasa
**Repeat of the left side, however, instead of boat pose - after prayer twist to the left, forward fold, inhale to diver’s pose, exhale to either squat & curl or crow pose
SPINE / HEART OPENERS
Guide students to their backs to set up for bridge pose
Bridge - with block between thighs to engage pelvic floor and lower abdominals
Bridge - without block (tuck shoulders down the back, moving them towards each other, if you have the space - interlace your fingers together and press arms into the ground **this is a preview pose to halasana)
Bride - option for supported bridge with block under the sacrum or wheel
Shoulder stand (rock back and forth until you get enough momentum to lift your hips off the ground, zip the legs together, engage the glutes to send the hips up in line with the chest and shoulders, engage the core for stability, hug the shoulders towards each other), option for supported legs up the wall with blocks under sacrum and legs towards the sky
If students are in shoulder stand, guide them through halasana / plough pose (slowly send the feet towards the back of the room and lower towards the ground, your feet might touch the ground, but they might not and that’s okay. Continue to lift the sit bones towards the sky. Tuck shoulders down your back, moving them towards each other, if you have the space - interlace your fingers together and press your arms into the ground), option to talk about how halasana is folding inwards, a way to shut off the outside noise and take inventory of what’s going on inside us
Guide students out of halasana / plough pose (tuck your knees towards your forehead and slowly lower to the ground 1 vertebrae at a time)
Guide students out of supported legs up the wall (bend your knees into your chest and bring your feet to the ground one at a time, lift your hips and remove the block from under you)
Fish pose variation (stretch legs along the mat and zip them together, bend your arms 90 degrees with triceps on the ground and fingers facing the sky, press into elbows to arch your back and lift your chest as much as possible, tilt your chin to the sky and place the crown of your head onto the ground so you are looking at the wall behind you) hold for 3 breaths, slowly lower
Supta baddha konasana / reclined bound angle pose (hold for a few breaths, maybe drop a question for them to ponder)
SURRENDER / CLOSING POSTURES
Supine twist right/left
Happy baby
Savasana (land your theme and call to action)
