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Beginning A Home Practice, Part 2: How ToSequence A Practice.

byWitold Fitz-Simon

Sequencing a practice is a subtle art with manydifferent approaches. The most generaland well-rounded way is to approach it from an energetic perspective. Just as a workout at the gym has aprogression, so should an asana practice. The different categories of poses have different effects, which need tobe taken into account. We willthink of the poses in terms of whether they are activating, balancing orsettling.

Standing Poses

Standing poses are usually introduced first tothe new student. No matter howstiff you are, they give you a chance to open up the legs, hips and lower backwith more control than seated poses and forward bends. They also begin the process of openingup the shoulders and trunk in preparation for back bends.  They are energizing and invigorating,and are the easiest to move through safely when you want a more activepractice. Generally speaking,these can be considered activating poses, though they are also stabilizing forthe nervous system. Standingforward folds such as Uttanasana (Intense Stretch Pose) and PrasaritaPadottanasana (Wide Spread Feet Pose) can have a balancing and even settlingeffect if practiced with the head resting lightly on some kind of support suchas the seat of a chair or blocks.

Surya Namaskar

Surya Namaskar, or the Sun Salutation, is a wayof linking several poses together in a smoothly flowing sequence. (See the article "Surya Namaskar:The Sun Salutation" from April 2006.) Some variation of it is often thrown in at the beginning ofyoga classes in order to warm the body up. It can be modified to make it easier or more challenging, tomake it gentler or more vigorous. It can be immensely challenging for those with a limited range ofmotion. Sometimes people think you are not doing yoga if you do not have a SunSalutation in your practice. Thisis entirely untrue. It is not theexternal trappings, but the inner awareness of a practice that make ityoga. The Sun Salutation is merelya tool, as are all the asanas, with which to anchor your awareness in the body,in the present. Depending on whichposes you choose to include, Surya Namaskar can be more or less invigoratingand challenging. For the purposesof sequencing, it should be considered activating.

Seated Poses

These are perhaps the original yoga poses, the“asana” that Patañjali refers to in his Yoga Sutras. Just as Tadasana (Mountain Pose) is the foundation of allstanding poses, it is in the seated poses that we find the foundation of allthe forward extensions. Here welook for the calm, steady base necessary for meditative practices. They are balancing and settling and canbe used as a transition from Standing Poses into floor work.

Forward Extensions

I prefer to think of these as “extensions”rather than “bends.” Extension ofthe trunk is essential to the effective practice of these poses. Forward extensions can have a deeplycalming effect on the nervous system. This is only achieved by proper extension of the front of the body inorder to balance out the stretch of the back of the body. They are balancingand settling introspective poses.

Reclined Poses

At first consideration, it would seem that theseposes primarily target the hips. This they most certainly do, but at the same time they get deep into thepelvis, lengthening and balancing the core muscles. Energetically speaking, they are balancing poses.

Core Poses

This small group of asanas are often thought ofas "abdominal" poses. Itwould be fairer to say that they are full body poses. Certainly, at the outset, you may feel their effects in thelower abdominals, thighs and hip flexors, but the challenge is to engage thewhole body to distribute the effort evenly throughout the frame. These are activating poses.

Arm Balances

By "Arm Balance" I am referring tosuch poses as Bakasana (Crow Pose) or Tittibhasana (Firefly Pose). Up to this point, the poses havefocused mainly on the lower part of the body. Here weight is borne on the arms, strengthening the wholeupper body and core. Theseintermediate and advanced poses are extremely activating.

Twists

These revolved poses start to take you deeperinto the trunk. The twistingaction has a two-pronged effect of toning and massaging the internal organs,promoting improved functioning of the gastrointestinal system and bloodcirculation in the viscera, as well as accessing the deeper muscles of thetrunk which will be used in backward extensions and inversions. These can be activating after seated orreclined poses. After standingposes and backward extensions they would be considered balancing.

Backward Extensions

Powerful and exhilarating, these poses need tobe approached with care. Just aswith forward extensions, “back bend” is perhaps not the best way to describethem. In none of them are you, in fact,asking the back to bend. Moreappropriate would be to say that you were asking the back to arch so that eachsegment of back and spine contributes evenly to the pose. They are generally activating, as theystimulate the nervous system. Restorative backward extensions, where the extension is less and thebody is fully supported, can be considered balancing and settling.

Inversions

Inversions are thought to have the most powerfuleffect on the body of all the poses. The nectar of immortality is said to be housed in the skull where itdrips down steadily to be consumed in the fires of the belly. Being upside down prevents this fromhappening. The reversal of gravityon the internal organs is thought to be rejuvenating for them.  The greatest effect of these poses isthat on the nervous system. Theattention necessary to invert the body, coupled with the literal change oforientation can profoundly alter your mood and your frame of mind.  There are four basic inversions (withmany variations): Hand Stand,Forearm Stand, Head Stand and Shoulder Stand. Hand Stand and Forearms Stand can be thought of aspreparations for headstand and are extremely activating.  Head Stands are thought to beinvigorating and heating whereas Shoulder Stands are thought to be calming andcooling. These balancing andsettling poses are often best performed towards the end of a practice.

Restorative Poses

These balancing and settling poses can be throwninto a practice pretty much anywhere: at the beginning as a nice transitioninto a contemplative frame of mind after a hectic day or a night’s sleep; inthe middle as a transition from one set of poses to another, at the end as aperiod of integration after the work you’ve done. You don’t even have to get involved in a full practice toenjoy these poses. I will oftenset myself up in a simple restorative pose between classes to center myself andgather myself up for the rest of my day.

It is extremely important not to neglect therestorative poses, as they give the both the physical body and the subtle bodya chance to recover. Women inparticular need to avoid practicing inversions and focus on restorative posesduring their menstrual period. And, even though men do not have the monthly physiological changes ofthe female menstrual cycle, they also ought to allow themselves regular periodsof an exclusively restorative practice that does include inversions to helpregulate their hormonal balance.

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Thisis, unquestionably, the one pose that does make a yoga practice. (See the article "Shavasana:Corpse Pose" from April 2006.) It is in Shavasana that the gross and the subtle have a chance tomerge. The shifts and changes youhave put your body through have a chance to integrate in this pose, both on thegross and the subtle level. Therelease of body, mind and breath in the pose is the first step towards practiceof pranayama (breath control), and dhyana (meditation), the more subtle andinternal practices of Patañjali’s eight-limbed path.

The Flow of a Practice

Think of this as an extremely general guide thatshould be altered according to your mood and energy:

1) CENTER your mind and body with a few moments in a seated pose.

2) ACTIVATEthe body gently or BALANCE/SETTLE the body if anxious, stressed or over-workedwith simple poses.

3) ACTIVATE the body further with standing poses and/or backwardextensions.

4) SETTLE the body and mind with seated poses, inversions or twists.

5) BALANCE the body with forward extensions, twists or restorative poses.

6) SETTLE the body and mind further with deep relaxation.

©2006 Witold Fitz-Simon.

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