Welcome to the practice of YOU! 

If you are new(er) to yoga, you may be wondering what is next? Students new to yoga may want to understand the foundations supporting the practice and the many more ways to experience yoga on and off the mat. 

I recall the very first time I felt the magic of yoga in my first savasana back in 2003 and the magic hasn’t stopped though the experience keeps changing. It wasn’t long before I started taking workshops and training to learn more about yoga which eventually lead to my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at CorePower Yoga in 2008.

The practice yoga is individual and universal. The poses are always familiar and never the same. Just as you are always shifting form and shape, thoughts and emotions, you are never the same person when you begin in child’s pose or take your first deep breath in meditation, yet somehow you are always you. 

I’ve pulled together these tips (from my yoga teacher training curriculum) to help you on your journey to discover more about the magic happening on your mat, and how it starts to impact your life off the mat. After mastering nearly 10,000 hours of teaching time (since becoming certified in 2008), I have crafted the following approach in my teaching which I label as “elemental flow.” Many vinyasa yoga teachers approach a sequence with a peak posture in mind or a guided theme that often fits a template such as:

• Integration poses (such as Child’s Pose, Cat/Cow, Bird Dog)

• Sun A (Opening Flow to Salute the Sun like Mountain, Cobra, Downward Facing Dog)

• Sun B (Warrior Series postures to continue building the flow)

• Core 

• Crescent Series & Twists

• Balancing

• Hips & Spine

• Surrender series (preparing the body for rest in savasana) 

My approach to planning my class sequences has always been intention-based. In my first few years as a teacher I would often plan and theme with the chakras, Ayurvedic doshas and then eventually the 8-limbs, the elements, the koshas, and deities, my favorite being Ganesha. Over the years I evolved my teaching skills and built my confidence into trusting my intuition. I started drawing from inspiration of everyday life (stress, careers, relationships, life purpose, meaning) and building sequences intuitively in the moment pulling from the energy of the room and my students. Currently I build my classes around what I call “intuitive sequencing.”

Intuitive sequencing

• Clearing - set a boundary to be here prepared to be nowhere else

• Arrival - opening pranayama/breath work

• Presence - connection through breath and senses

• Discovery - internal awareness through the movement

• Evolution - building the flow and progression of the asana

• Achievement - surrendering to the stillness and receiving the benefits of the practice

Trust that your journey will happen as it is meant to happen. You’ll learn what you need to learn when you learn it as long as you trust that the answers you seek are within. There are endless resources available to study yoga - probably more now than time in this life will allow. There are key foundational stepping stones like understanding the history of yoga, the lineage, anatomy and physiology of poses, Sanskrit, to name a few and then there’s the other part to study, one of the 8-limbs actually, called svadhyaya. This is the part you do all on your own. It’s the curiosity and observation of the practice coming to life within you and around you.

Foundations of Yoga

Yoga means to “yoke” or create a union of mind, body, and Being. It is a journey into the self to discover your purest potential and explore life's deepest questions: Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose?

The 8-Limbs of Yoga (Raja Yoga) provide a step-by-step methodology for a yogic life, formalizing the philosophy into a path for purification:

1. Yamas: Ethical restraints (Ahimsa, Satya, Asteya, Brahmacharya, Aparigraha).

2. Niyamas: Self-observances (Saucha, Santosha, Tapas, Svadhyaya, Ishvara Pranidhana).

3. Asana: Physical postures to increase strength and focus.

4. Pranayama: Breath and life force control.

5. Pratyahara: Withdrawal of the senses; turning inward.

6. Dharana: Concentration and focused gaze.

7. Dhyana: Meditation.

8. Samadhi: Union of the Self; absolute freedom.

Asana, Vinyasa, and Bandhas

Asana is the physical expression of yoga, using alignment to increase awareness of the body and mind. Vinyasa means “to place in a special way,” specifically synchronizing breath with movement to create a purposeful flow. Bandhas are energy locks (Mula, Uddiyana, and Jalandhara) that enhance energy flow during movement. The physical posture is one part of the whole which increases strength, endurance, stamina and focus of the physical and subtle body, and the mind. Alignment is a tool of refinement to take the proper seat of the pose. Alignment is conscious awareness of the sensation of the pose, in relationship to the mind and body, with intelligent and safe use of the body: muscle, joints, ligaments, bones. 

Meditation and Ayurveda

Meditation is the pathway for connecting the mind back to the body, often felt as a “moving meditation” during flow. Ayurveda, the “science of life,” provides the framework for this journey through the three phases: Vata (Visionary), Pitta (Alchemist), and Kapha (Embodiment), helping you live with more meaning and joy off the mat.