MAP
MY
SEQUENCE
81
1 ADHO MUKHAVIRASANA
Downward-Facing
Hero Pose,variation
Stayfor5 breaths.2 MARJARYASANATO
3 BITILASANA
Catpose(inhale)toCowPose
(exhale),variation
Repeat3-5times.7 DOWNWARD-FACINGHERO
POSE,VARIATION
Onaninhalation.8 DOWNWARD-FACING HERO
POSE, VARIATION
On an exhalation. Stay for 3-5 breaths.KULA SEQUENCE: ROUND 1
Creating a Kula Flow sequence
with a challenging peak pose is like
untangling a rat’s nest from my
daughter’s hair: You can’t just go at
it. You have to tease it out slowly,
through patient deconstruction
and repetition. In asana, that
translates to progressively opening
and strengthening the body and
channelling the power of the breath.
If you slowly practice the shapes and
actions that comprise a tricky pose,
you might find you have more ability
and less fear when you finally do get
there. For example, to safely practice
Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered
Peacock Pose, aka Forearm Balance)
with a stag-leg variation, you need to
open your chest and shoulders and
prepare them to support the weight
of your body. And you need to both
open and engage your hamstrings.
You need to wake up your core,
and you need to open your hip
flexors and quadriceps. Kula Flow is
creative, but the posture choices are
never arbitrary. There should be a
reason behind everything that you
put into a given sequence.
Keepyourforearms
shoulder-widthapart.
Yourelbowswilltry
tosneakwide.
Don’tletthem.Focusonmaintaining
lengthinyourneck,
whichis difficult
todoinPincha
Mayurasana.5 SPHINXPOSE
Onanexhalation,thentake 3
breaths.Openyourthoracicspine.4 FOREARMPLANK
On an inhalationstrengthenyour
core andshoulders.10 DOWNWARD-FACINGHERO
POSE,VARIATION
Stayaslongasyou’dlike.9 PLANK POSESTAYFOR
3-5 BREATHS.
Coregalore.6 SALABHASANA
Locust pose,variation
Take 3-5 breaths. Strengthensyourparaspinal
muscles and core andcontinuestocreate
space in your spine, evenwhilebackbending.Isometrically
dragyourforearms
& engageyour
coretopreventlower
backcompression—
commoninPincha
Mayurasana.Pressyour
forearms& palms
firmlyagainstthe
floor.Thinkofyour
outercollarbones
smiling.
Firmyourcore!Walkyour
elbow-tipsforward
witheveryinhale,
togradually
openyourtriceps.
Droptheknees
if needed,tofocus
oncorsetingyour
abdomenand
lengtheningyour
lowerback.Work your arms
like you would in
Down Dog. This is
not a resting pose!july 2019yogajournal.com.au