Prepare your body and mind for meditation
with this slow, steady flow
The practice
Home
practice: Sitting pretty
A steady flow practice is an excellent way
to prepare the body and mind for seated meditation. Use the physical pose to
prepare your spine, use your breath and the alignment points of each pose to
calm and still your mind.
Mind-body benefits
This sequence awakens the whole body,
helping you feel both alert and at ease. The poses will move energy through you,
creating spaciousness in places that may typically feel stagnant. The space
that you create in the body has an effect on your state of mind. As Baron
Baptiste says, “By being in a practice of clearing out old energy in the body,
you create space for inspiration and inner freedom to arise.”
Key focal points
You’re invited to stay in the final pose,
Virasana (Hero Pose), as you transition into seated meditation. It’s a great
alternative if you feel discomfort while sitting cross-legged. Whether you
choose Virasana or sit cross-legged, be sure to use props to lift your hips
higher than your knees. Doing so makes it easier to sit tall.
Steady flow meditation prep
To begin, there’s no need for a warm-up
before you begin this sequence; it’s a full flow practice that will get you
ready to sit more comfortably in meditation. As you move through the poses that
follow, imagine they are opening up space in our body and your mind. As
Baptiste says, “Allow your light and spirit to shine through.” Hold each pose
for 3 to 5 breaths.
Cat-cow pose
Cat-cow
pose
Come into a tabletop position. Inhale, tilt
your sitting bones to the sky, draw your shoulder blades down your back, and
lift your gaze. Exhale and round your spine toward the ceiling, lifting your
navel toward your spine. Repeat Cat-Cow 3 to 5 times.
Thread-the-needle pose
Thread-the-needle
pose (do both sides)
From tabletop, thread your left arm under
your right until you are resting on your left shoulder and ear. Ease your left
shoulder down your back, creating space in your neck and ribs. Do both sides.
Balasana (child’s pose)
Balasana
(Child’s Pose)
Stretch your arms forward and draw your
hips to your heels, knees wide. Feel your forehead connect to the mat.
Surrender to the support of the earth.
Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose)
Bhujangasana
(Cobra Pose)
Lie on your belly, hands in line with your
shoulders. Gently lift your abdominal musbles in and up. Press your hands down
as you lift your head, chest, and shoulders off the mat. Soften in your neck
and shoulders.
Adho Mukha Svanasana ( Downward – Facing
Dog Pose)
Adho
Mukha Svanasana ( Downward – Facing Dog Pose)
Lift your hips up and back to Downward Dog.
Reach your sitting bones up, root your heels toward the earth, and press the
backs of your thighs to the wall behind you.
Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)
Anjaneyasana
(Low Lunge)
Step your right foot forward and drop your
back knee to the floor. Place both hands on the front knee and litt your chest
to come into a gentle backbend
Revolved high lunge
Revolved
high lunge
Place your left hand to the inside of your
right foot and extend your right hand to the sky. From there, come back to Down
Dog, then do Low Lunge and Revolved High Lunge on the left side
Lizard Lunge
Lizard
Lunge
Come into a Low Lunge on the right side
with your hands underneath your shoulders. Turn your right foot out and drop
your right knee out and down toward the mat. Stay supported on fingertips or
bring your forearms to the mat.
Lizard Lunge, Variation
Lizard
Lunge, Variation
Stay in Lizard Lunge and support yourself
with your left hand. Reach your right hand back to grasp your let foot. Hug
your foot toward your hips as you turn your heart open toward the ceiling.
Downward-Facing Dog
Downward-Facing
Dog
Return to Down Dog. Breathe in and out
deeply. Feel your upper back soften toward the floor. Repeat the Lizard Lunge
and variation on the second side.
Ardha Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose)
Ardha
Ustrasana (Half Camel Pose)
Step your right foot forward to kneel on
the mat. Place your left hand on your left heel. With square hips, reach your
right arm overhead and then to the wall behind you, opening into a back bend.
Downward- Facing Dog
Return to Down Dog. Feel your hands and
feet connecting to the earth. Let your mind rest in the present moment. Repeat
Half Camel pose on the second side.
Half Pigeon Pose
Half
Pigeon Pose
Step your right foot forward into Pigeon
Pose. Move your right shin forward until it’s parallel to the front edge of
your mat. With square hips, fold your torso over your right leg.
Downward-Facing Dog
Step back to Down Dog. Feel yourself
letting go with each exhalation; take in life and vitality with each
inhalation. Come into Half Pigeon with your left foot forward, and then return
to Down Dog.
Toes Pose
Toes
Pose
From Down Dog, bring your knees to the
floor in a tabletop position. Tuck your toes and bring your hips to rest on
your hells. Interlace your fingers and extend your palms to the sky.
Virasana (Hero Pose)
Virasana
(Hero Pose)
Rest on your shins and place a block
beneath your seat for support. Rest your hands in your lap with your fingertips
touching. Root down through your sitting bones, but allow your spine to flow
like water. Stay here for a few minutes of seated meditation.
