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POSES POSE FINDER PRACTICE TEACH F

YO GA S E Q U E N C E S Y O G A S E Q U E N C E S B Y A N AT O M Y YO GA

Yoga Journal Practice

A 30-Minute Vinyasa Yoga

Practice for a Full-Body Flow
Experience familiar poses as if it was your first time
again through this playful practice from Yoga with
Kassandra.

Published Oct 27, 2023 KASSANDRA REINHARDT

PHOTO: K ASSANDR A REINHARDT

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This comprehensive vinyasa flow draws on

flexibility, strength, balance, and endurance. It will
open your shoulders, expand your chest, explore
deep hip opening, and engage your core through
strong standing poses. It will also push you a little
out of your comfort zone.

What makes the class unique is the creative spin it

puts on traditional poses. You might already be
familiar with Warrior 3 or Standing Split, but in this
sequence, we’ll practice them with our arms clasped
behind our backs.

The idea behind these variations is to encourage you

to revisit familiar poses from a different perspective,
as if you were experiencing them for the first time.
As a teacher, I know how easy it is to fall into the
routine of performing poses on autopilot, forgetting
how they felt when we were beginners. By adding
unique approaches to conventional poses, it can be
easier to tap into that beginner’s mindset and truly
feel each pose, even if you’ve practiced them a
thousand times.

30 min Full Body Yoga Flow - I…

A 30-Minute Full-Body Flow

No props are needed for this session, although if you
have them at home, keep them close by and reach for
them as needed.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Child’s Pose with Prayer Hands

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Start in Child’s Pose. You can bring your big toes to

touch or as close to one another as is comfortable,
keeping your arms extended in front of you. For a
deeper shoulder stretch, bring your palms on your
mat, bend your elbows, and bring your thumbs
toward the back of your neck. Relax your heart
toward the floor and connect with the rhythm of
your breath. Let go of any thoughts or concerns from
your day.

Consider setting an intention for your practice. It

could be as simple as a single word that captures
how you want to feel or something else that you want
to focus on.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Tabletop With Shoulder Activation

Inhale, straighten your arms, and transition to a
Tabletop position with your hands under your
shoulders and knees beneath your hips. Spread your
fingers for stability. Engage your core and draw your
navel in. Bring your right palm to the back of your
head. As you inhale, lift your right elbow toward the
ceiling, and as you exhale, bring it parallel to the
mat. Repeat this movement twice more.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

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SHOP OUTDOOR GIFTS

Thread the Needle

From Tabletop with your right elbow lifted toward
the sky, come into Thread the Needle by reaching
your right arm underneath your chest toward the left
side of the mat, palm facing up. Rest your right ear
on the mat. Find a comfortable position for your left
hand, whether you come onto your fingertips or slide
your hand forward toward the front of the mat. To
intensify the stretch, press your right arm and back
of your right hand into the mat and gently turn your
chest toward the ceiling.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Cat-Cow
Return to hands and knees on the mat in Tabletop.
Practice one or two rounds of Cat-Cow stretches.
Inhale as you lower your belly and exhale as you
round and engage your core. Take one more cycle.

Find Tabletop position and repeat the previous two

poses on your left side.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Downward-Facing Dog and Spinal

Warm-Up
From Tabletop, press into your palms and lift your
hips up and back. As you inhale, ripple forward into
Plank Pose, keeping your hips low, your head lifted,
and your shoulders drawing away from your ears.
Bend your knees and return to Downward-Facing
Dog. Repeat this flow one more time.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Downward-Facing Dog With Hip

Opener
From Downward-Facing Dog, lift your right leg
toward the ceiling, bend your right knee, and let
your right foot reach behind you to stretch your hip.
Focus on opening and stretching your shoulders
rather than squaring them toward the mat. Stay still
or trace a big circle with your right knee, moving it in
both directions.

Pyramid Pose Variation

From Downward Dog, step or inch your right foot
toward the front of the mat in a lunge. Transition
into a variation of Pyramid Pose by straightening
your right leg and folding forward over your thigh.
Your back heel may lift off the mat, which is
completely fine. Square your hips to the front of the
mat, keeping a bend in your front knee if you need.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Low Lunge with Cactus Arms

From the variation of Pyramid, lower your left knee
to the mat and come to a Low Lunge. Draw your
front ribs toward the spine and keep your tailbone
reaching down. Open your arms into a cactus
position, squeezing your shoulder blades toward
each other. Inhale as you broaden through your
chest. Exhale as you lower your fingertips to the
floor.

(Photos: Kassandra Reinhardt)

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Warrior 2 Pose
From Low Lunge, lift your left knee, spin the outer
edge of your left foot down, and lift into Warrior 2.
Your back foot will be almost parallel to the short
edge of the mat. Reach through your arms, with your
palms facing down, and squeeze your front knee a
little more toward the wall behind you. Maintain the
bend in your front knee.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Extended Triangle Pose With Shoulder

Stretch
From Warrior 2, straighten your front leg and angle
your back toes in slightly. Lengthen through both
sides of your body as you reach your left arm toward
the ceiling, bend your left elbow, and reach your left
hand behind your back. Take Cow-Face arms by
bending your right elbow behind your head and
reaching for your opposite fingers or simply hold
onto your shirt. Keep your hips reaching backward
and your chest reaching forward.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Extended Triangle Pose

Inhale as you release your arms and move into
Extended Triangle Pose, reaching your left arm
toward the ceiling and rolling your left shoulder back
as you place your right hand on your shin or a block.
Shift your hips more toward the back of the mat.
Then look down to the floor, place your left hand
down, and step back to Downward-Facing Dog.

If you like, take a vinyasa here. For the left side,

repeat the sequence by raising your left leg, bending
your left knee, and opening your hip. Continue with
the flow from there.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Puppy Pose
From Downward-Facing Dog, lower your knees to
the mat. Keep your hips aligned over your knees and
walk your hands farther forward as you release your
chest toward the mat or rest it on a folded blanket or
block. Some people prefer to place their forehead on
the mat, while others like to rest their chin on the
floor. The choice depends on your comfort and any
neck considerations. Breathe slowly and steadily, in
and out through your nose.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

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Forearm Plank
From Puppy, transition to Forearm Plank by
activating your core, placing your palms flat on the
floor, tucking your toes under, and lifting your knees
and hips off the mat. Push through your heels and
reach through the top of your head.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Wild Thing Variation

From Forearm Plank, roll onto your left elbow and
come onto your right fingertips. You might want to
angle your left forearm in slightly toward the center
of the mat. Step your right foot behind you and push
your feet into the floor as you reach your right arm
overhead. This is a variation of Side Forearm Plank
that’s similar to Wild Thing. Return to Forearm
Plank and repeat on the other side by shifting over to
your right forearm.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Sphinx Pose
From your Wild Thing variation on the second side,
transition onto your belly with your feet at least hip-
distance apart. Place your forearms on the mat,
parallel to each other, with your elbows underneath
or slightly in front of your shoulders. Gently lift your
chest and head, keeping your lower body grounded.
Ensure your elbows align with your shoulders and
your forearms support your upper body.

Reset in Tabletop with a few rounds of Cat-Cow.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Tabletop With Backbend

From Tabletop, extend your right leg straight behind
you. Bend your right knee and bring your toes
toward the ceiling. You can stay in this position or
reach back with your left hand, holding onto the
ankle and pushing your foot against your palm as if
you’re reaching toward the wall behind you. Make
sure your right knee faces down rather than out to
the side. Slowly release to Tabletop and then
transition to the other side. Lift your left heel, reach
back with your right hand, and hold the foot into
your palm for a stretch. Release.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Humble Warrior 1 Pose

Come into Downward-Facing Dog. Lift your right leg
and step your foot forward near the front of the mat.
Push into your feet and rise up with your arms
alongside your ears in Warrior 1. Interlace your
fingers behind your back, roll your shoulders down
and away from your ears, and bring your right
shoulder and chest alongside your right thigh. You
can lift your back heel if you need. Keep the bind
with your hands as you lift your chest.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

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Warrior 3 Variation
With a generous bend in your front knee, find a
variation of Warrior 3 that works for you. Try to
keep your hips low and keep your knuckles away
from your lower back. Sink down a little more by
bending your knee again and try to find Standing
Split by bringing your chest forward toward your
thigh. Keep the bind as you start to straighten your
right leg and lift your left leg higher. Reach through
your knuckles toward the ceiling. When you’re
ready, bring your fingertips down to the mat for
stability and fold your chest a little more toward
your thigh in Supported Standing Splits.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Chair Pose
Release your left foot to the mat alongside your right
and transition into Chair Pose with your big toes
together and heels apart, sinking your hips down.

(Photo: Kassandra Reinhardt)