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Have you ever taken a yoga class with sequencing so creative that it doesn’t even feel like yoga anymore?
While I love to sneak in a few shapes that deviate from traditional yoga asana, it’s important to me as a teacher to make sure that my sequencing is still very much yoga at its core and not calisthenics or dance.
The trick to navigating creative sequencing is to focus on the transitions. It’s all about weaving together even the most foundational postures in surprising yet seamless ways, allowing for a flow that feels intuitive rather than clunky or forced.
As with most elements of yoga, the best way to improve sequencing and transitions is through practice.
A Creative Yoga Sequence for the Peak Your Practice
This sequence is meant to be practiced after a lengthy warm up. You’ll want to make sure you warm up the hamstrings as well as the hips and practice some twists. Super Soldier and/or Baby Grasshopper are both such big postures, they can be peak poses of the class.
Standing Split to Super Soldier
This Standing Split variation turns down the balance and turns up the hamstring and quad opening by playing with the placement of the hands and feet.
How To: Start in Standing Split with your hands on the mat and your left leg lifted. As you inhale, lift your left toes higher to engage the back of your leg. Draw the crown of your head toward your right foot, elongating the spine.
Exhale into Super Soldier by actively drawing your left heel toward your right glute. Place your right hand on top of your left foot to bring your heel closer. Walk your left hand or fingertips out to the side to create a wider center of gravity and help you balance. Continue to bring your chest toward your thigh.
Pause here as you take a breath in. Work your left knee further skyward and point your toes in Super Soldier. (It’s fine if your knee opens to the left side, opening the hip). Lengthen your neck as you press into your right big toe for balance.
Super Soldier to Baby Grasshopper
You can either challenge yourself to keep the connection between your hand and foot as you move between the postures or you can release your grip as needed and reconnect after the transition.
How To: Continue to press into your right foot and left hand, pressing your upper body against your thigh. Bend your right knee and kick your left foot straight out to the left side as you flex your foot and bend your right elbow as you would in Chaturanga. You will be hovering above the ground with your chest tilted slightly forward in Baby Grasshopper.
Breathe in here, making sure you’re pressing into your points of contact on the ground (your right foot and left hand).The lift of your pelvic floor should help you feel light as you hover in space.
Baby Grasshopper to Half Lord of the Fishes Twist
How To: Lower yourself to the mat and land as softly as possible onto your left bum cheek. Draw your left heel toward your right hip and place it on the mat, followed by your right hand. Keep your right leg straight or bend your knee and bring your right heel toward your left hip. Hook your left elbow outside your right knee and maintain a long spine as you look over your back shoulder in Half Lord of the Fishes.
Pause for a breath in and gently nudge your right hip pointer forward as you draw the right shoulder backward. Maintain an open chest and long spine as you twist.
Half Lord of the Fishes to Counter Twist
How To: Unwind your upper body so that you hang heavily over to your left side. The more you walk your hands away from the legs and to the left, the deeper the counter twist will be.
Inhale here, slightly puffing up the space between your shoulder blades as you press into your tented fingertips. Let your head and neck be as heavy as possible.
Counter Twist to Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend
How To: Continue to follow momentum toward the left side as you bring your weight into your hands and unwind your legs, pivoting on your feet and turning toward your left to come standing with your legs straight and wide apart in Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend. Grab the outer ankles to fold more deeply through the thighs, allowing the upper body to work energetically toward the legs.
Make sure your toes are slightly pointed in and your heels out, allowing for a micro bend in the knees as you fold with a long spine. — Kayla Nielsen
Continue to practice your sequencing skills in Nielsen’s three-part series, Teacher Boot Camp.
