A Yoga Sequence for Curling Inward
“I think it’s interesting that the opposite of being active in yoga is not being passive. It’s being receptive.”
-Cyndi Lee
Being vs. Doing
In the wellness and mindfulness worlds, there is often much talk about learn how to just be, instead of always doing. Yoga offers us ways to do both through movement and breath and after a certain amount of practice, you might find that being and doing aren’t just physical states - they are mental, too.
Really, movement is mental as well. Our muscles are controlled by our nervous system, which is both a physical and mental system. Think of this: you might be sitting on the couch, stressed about your to-do list or some upcoming event that overwhelms you every time you think of it. To a casual observer, you might appear to be in state of ‘being,’ but your (invisible) mental state is doing, doing, doing!
So, I invite you to find a simple focus as you practice this sequence. Maybe you pay attention to your breath, or you put on some music and listen mindfully to that as you practice. Mayne you know a mantra or affirmation that you find calming and you repeat this silently in your mind as your practice. If you’re more visual, maybe you repeatedly bring your attention to a point of focus with the eyes to ground you in your environment. Choose something that helps you stay present, as you give yourself these few minutes to move on your mat.
Hip flexion vs rounding the spine
As we embody our seasonal theme of ‘curling inward,’ notice the difference between rounding the spine and hingeing at the hip as you practice the forward bends in this sequence. I demonstrate some ways to do this in the video below, but here’s a nice article about how to hinge at the hip to keep the back safe as you forward bend.
Also, here’s an old post that I shared years ago about the hips as the foundation of the spine and how we can support our hips for better forward bending.
The sequence
Seated cat-cow
Down dog - cow - cat - cow - down dog (focus on spine in transitions)
3-legged Dog - bent knee forward (hovering in plank), repeat 3x
On the third time, lower bent knee into pigeon and rotate to the side to transition to Janu Sirsasana
Hinge forward at the hips into Janu Sirsasana
Whichever leg is bent, place the hand of that same side behind that hip, sweep the other arm forward and up, then lift the hips so that the hand, knee, and foot remain on the ground. Repeat 3x
Turn toward the bent leg to pass through Pigeon Pose, then transition to Downward Dog
*Repeat the whole sequence on the other side
This is all so much easier if you can watch the video, though I do realize that not everyone has an easy time finding 15 minutes to watch. Until then, feel free to try segments of the sequence. Maybe you just do Seated Cat-Cow and step 2, which brings you through Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog) and Cat-Cow. Or maybe you just do that mini flow at the end where you start in Janu Sirsasana (which I wrote a post about just a few weeks ago!) and work on lifting the hips. The aim is to make it feasible in your busy day, and suitable for your body. In light of that, you can also add or modify any part of this sequence, depending on your body’s needs and energy level at the moment.
One more consideration: rather than just plunking yourself down on your mat to practice, you might enjoy using a short, simple yoga sequence to get yourself down on the ground. This is one of my favorite playful ways to integrate yoga into my day and here and here are a couple of posts I’ve shared on the topic. You can use my ideas or make up your own ‘getting down’ sequence:)
Hope you enjoy this sequence! Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions:)
Stay tuned for next Friday’s post on a Kids Yoga Practice for yogis of all ages.
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