How to make your own short yoga class?

You would like to make your own short yoga class. You’ve got already some experience, know the basics, and would like to make your practice short and sweet.

Find here a few instructions how to build your own yoga class focusing on the poses (asanas). An example at the end allows you to start your first practise straight away.

Prepare your short yoga class

Choose the yoga poses you want to practice. Are you in mood for a dynamic session with standing and energizing poses? Or does your body need a cooling down and restorative session? Or maybe a combination of both.

In any case, combine the poses corresponding to their function for the spine, moving it in all directions:

1. bending to both sides
2. forward
3. backward, and
4. rotating/twisting

With one asana for each direction, you’ve got a good basis. Round the short yoga class up with a pose or two for strength.

Connect to your Body and Breath

In comfortable cloths, settle in a quiet place. Take a moment to connect to your body and your breath. Maybe close your eyes for a minute and observe your inhale and exhale. Don’t judge, just observe.

Warm up – also for a short yoga class

Even for a short yoga class, start with warming up the spine and the joints.

Also for warm up, you want to move the spine in all directions. You can go for short, dynamic moves, waking up the fascia, muscles, ligaments….

As for the joints, choose the ones you plan to use most during the session: shake hands, rotated wrists, shoulders, neck, hips and ankles, push fingertips together, walk on your toe tips…

A dynamic warm up can be the Sun Salutation, practised in a very slow and mindful way. Each movement is soft, follows your slow breath, knees are bend to reduce tension on the spine.

For a gentle start sit in a comfortable position on the floor,

• interlace your fingers in front of your chest, stretch out the arms in front of you (opens your shoulders and bends spine to front)
• lift arms to the ceiling (lengthens spine)
• rotate to both sides from the hips
• bend torso to the side, placing one hand on the floor, the other hand over your head
• take arms behind your back, interlace fingers and stretch arms back (back bend)

Practice

You now go into the poses you prepared. Be careful during transitions from one pose to the next, that’s the moment where joints are most strained and accidents can happen.

Try to hold each pose 1 to 2 minutes. The duration of holding a pose can be longer, depending on the style you practice. Ideally, after each pose pause for a few breaths, feeling its effects, before going into the next asana.

Relaxation

You end the short yoga class with releasing all muscles, relaxing. Best is laying on your back into Savasana, the arms along your body, palms facing up. If you prefer, you can stay in sitting position, closing your eyes.

 To keep your mind in the present moment, you can make a body scan, or take your attention to your breath, or observe one of your senses, or practice a visualization. You wind down body and mind, coming into a near meditational state.