What yogic poses are best for you? For home-practice, I combine fast-paced Ashtanga and slow-paced Hatha yoga styles. What makes a sequence fast-paced is that you insert a basic vinyasa sequence between the 3-5 breaths long poses resulting in a continuous flow of asanas during the practice (vinyasa sequence: exhale in chaturanga/four-limbed staff pose, inhale in urdhva mukha svanasana/upward-facing dog, and exhale in ardho mukha svanasana/downward-facing dog pose).
Preparatory sequence (see chart) is a full body workout about 90 minutes long that stretches and strengthens the muscles you need for any advanced poses. You may replace and switch poses in the sequence to allow smooth flowing of postures.
Let's do asanas!
1.
Dedicate a quiet area in your home where you put your yoga mat.
Burn incense if you like and put on music (e.g. Chinmaya Dunsters - Buddha moon or Regas relax album).
Schedule regular yoga sessions (10-90 min) at the same time each day (authentic practice include twice a day practice, morning and evening sessions).
Set goals for your overall yoga practice (e.g. physical exercising, manage stress, spiritual fullfilment, peace, self-awareness).
You may start your practice with chanting a mantra (e.g. ashtanga yoga mantra, {by the way it is also set to music by Madonna, "Shanti"}) while pressing your palms together (anjali mudra).
2.
Warm up with 5-5 repetitions of Sun salutation A and B (surya namaskara). Follow your warm-up with standing sequence, then forward bends, twists, inversions, arm balances and backbends, then a closing sequence, and relax in savasana for 3-5 min at the end.
You may shorten the 90 min workout, and if you feel discomfort or pain in a particular body part, then leave out that particular set of asanas. For instance, if you feel pain in your hamstrings and hips, leave out forward bends and standing sequence and proceed to inversions and backbends after warm-up. If you have low back pain, leave out backbends; and if the pain is in the shoulder and wrist, then leave out inversions and arm balances.
3.
During asanas breathe slowly and deeply through your nose, and hold each asana for 3-5 breaths or as long as possible (you may perform Ujjayi breathing...see below).
You may keep your eyes closed, or there is a prescribed point of focus for every asana (called dristhi, e.g. nose, between the eyebrows, navel, thumb, hands, feet, up and left or right side).
Properly done asanas should feel relatively effortless; for proper alignment you can use props (yoga belt, foam block, bolster). If you feel that you are out of breath, pause for a while in a neutral pose and calm your breathing and heart rate.
For proper stretching read the post about How long to hold a stretch?
[How to perform Ujjayi breading? This breathing regulation is for slowing the passage of air, which results in a relaxed mind. Here is a quick tip to learn: Inhale deeply through your nose and open your mouth wild and exhale. The sound you make (“ha”) a.k.a. ocean like sound, and now you feel the position of the glottis. Now perform Ujjayi breading: Close your mouth and inhale and exhale with closed mouth through the nose and produce the ocean like sound by moving the glottis as air passes in and out.]
Asana series 1.0 Preparatory sequence
Warm up: Sun salutation A (surya namaskar) [knee does not touch the floor during the whole sequence]
Starting position Montain pose (samasthiti)
Inhale in Upward salute pose (urdhva hastasana)
Exhale in Standing forward bend (uttanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Inhale in Standing half forward bend (ardha uttanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Exhale in four-limbed staff (chaturanga dandasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
Inhale in upward-facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
5 breaths in downward-facing dog (ardho mukha svanasana) [straight legs and back; navel pressing toward the knees]
Inhale in Standing half forward bend (ardha uttanasana)
Exhale in Standing forward bend (uttanasana) [straight legs, hamstring stretch]
Inhale in Upward salute pose (urdhva hastasana)
Exhale in Montain pose (samasthiti)
Sun salutation B (surya namaskar)
Starting position Montain pose (samasthiti)
Inhale in Chair (utkatasana) [strength]
Exhale in Standing forward bend (uttanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Inhale in Standing half forward bend (ardha uttanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Exhale in four-limbed staff (chaturanga dandasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
Inhale in Upward-facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
Exhale in Downward-facing dog (ardho mukha svanasana) [straight legs and back; navel pressing toward the knees]
Inhale in Warrrior I (virabhadrasana), one side
Exhale in Four-limbed staff (chaturanga dandasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
Inhale in Upward-facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
Exhale in Downward-facing dog (ardho mukha svanasana) [straight legs and back; navel pressing toward the knees]
Inhale in Warrrior I (virabhadrasana), other side
Exhale in four-limbed staff (chaturanga dandasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
Inhale in upward-facing dog (urdhva mukha svanasana) [knee does not touch the floor]
5 breaths in downward-facing dog (ardho mukha svanasana) [straight legs and back; navel pressing toward the knees]
Inhale in Standing half forward bend (ardha uttanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Exhale in Standing forward bend (uttanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Inhale in Chair (utkatasana) [strength]
Exhale in Montain pose (samasthiti)
Standing sequence (hold each asana for 3-5 breaths or as long as possible; and may do vinyasa between poses)
Big toe (padangusthasana) [hamstring stretch]
Extended triangle (utthita trikonasana) [strength]
Revolved triangle (parivritta trikonasana) [strength]
Extended side angle (utthita parsvakonasana) [strength]
Revolved side angle (parivritta parsvakonasana) [strength]
Wide-legged forward bend I-IV (prasarita padottanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Intense side stretch (parsvottanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Tree (vrksasana)
Extended hand-to-big toe I-III (utthita hasta padangusthasana) [hamstring stretch, hip opener]
Chair (utkatasana) [strength]
Sitting poses, forward bands and twists
Side plank (vasisthasana) [core strength]
Lizard (utthan pristasana) [hip opener]
Fire log (agnistambasana) [hip opener]
Bound angle (baddha konasana) [hip opener]
Belly twist I-II (jathara parivrtti)
Revolved abdomen (eka pada jathara parivarthasana)
Double big toes (ubhaya padangusthasana) [hamstring stretch]
Seated forward bend (paschimottanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Head-to-knee forward bend (janu sirsasana) [hamstring stretch, hip opener]
Upward plank (purvottanasana) [shoulder stretch]
Half bound lotus (parivrtta ardha baddha padmasana) [hip opener]
Reclining hand-to-big toe I-II (supta padangusthasana) [hamstring stretch, hip opener]
Reclining angle (supta konasana)
Wild-angle seated forward bend (upavistha konasana) [hamstring stretch]
Sage Marichi I-III (marichyasana) [hip opener]
Cow faced (gomukhasana) [shoulder stretch]
Half lord of the fishes (ardha matsyendrasana) [hip opener]
Half split (ardha hanumanasana) [hamstring stretch]
Inversion and arms balances
Feathered peacock (pincha mayurasana) [strength]
Handstand (ardho mukha vrksasana) [strength]
Child (balasana)
Peacock (mayurasana) [core strength]
Extended puppy (uttana shishasana) [shoulder stretch]
Supported headstand (salamba sirsasana) [strength]
Crain/crow (bakasana) [core strength]
Side crain (parsva bakasana) [core strength]
Backbends
Locust (salabhasana) [strength]
Cobra (bhujangasana)
Cat (marjaryasana)
Camel (ustrasana)
Reclining hero (supta virasana) [quadriceps stretch]
Bow (dhanurasana) [shoulder stretch]
Half frog (bhekasana) [quadriceps stretch]
Pigeon (kapotasana) [hip opener, iliopsoas stretch]
Downward-facing pigeon (ardho mukha kapotasana) [hip opener]
Half frog pigeon (ardha bheka kapotasana) [hip opener, iliopsoas stretch]
Wheel/ upward bow (urdhva dhanurasana) [iliopsoas stretch, shoulder stretch, strength]
Eye of needle (sucirandhrasana) [hip opener]
Seated forward bend (paschimottanasana)
Closing sequence
Supported shoulderstand (salamba sarvangasana)
Unsupported shoulderstand (niralamba sarvangasana)
Plow (halasana)
Ear-to-knee (karnapidasana)
Leg-up-the wall (viparita karani)
Fish (matsyasana)
Corpse (savasana)
After several weeks of training, you may want to try a backbending sequence:
Yoga pose (asana) backbending prep sequence
In addition to daily yoga posture training, you may want to further strenghten your fitness with weight training and familiarize youself with Indian cooking:
20 min low resistance strength training for yogis: essential daily upper body training with dumbells
!!! Note: Do not forget the practice of meditation in order to become a yoga master. Here is the oldest effective meditation technique that can change your life for the better.
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