I'm on my mat...now what?

As you may have noticed, Josh and I love off-the-grid yoga: outside, in nature, connected with the earth. But that often means being removed from "practice support," like a guided class or video to take you through a set sequence. This can be intimidating as a new yogi. I remember wanting to design sequences for my own body but running out of creative energies in 15 minutes. Yoga teacher training builds sequencing skills; however, you don't need a certification to take control of your practice. Breaking a sequence into sections like distinct chapters throughout a flow can help you build sequencing stamina.

In this blog series, we'll break down a 60-min class into digestible segments to help you conceptualize a sequence and hopefully build your capacity and confidence to get outside and #PracticeUnplugged.

Cultivating sequences is both restorative and empowering. Removing media can increase your ability to focus and squelches the temptation of comparison and competition. Instead of a mirror looking back at you, you are greeted by the great outdoors and the foundational connection between humankind and nature. The practice components outlined in this series are a guide, not a rule book. We'll outline sections we typically include in a 60-min flow to allow our bodies to settle in, warm up, build balance and strength, cool down, and meditate.

Part 1: Integration

When you first reach your mat, it takes time to settle in, let go of the day and calibrate your mindset for yoga. This initial phase of practice is called integration.

What are we integrating exactly? Our mind and our body. The word "yoga" means "union." Through consistent practice, mind-body awareness is conditioned just like our muscles. The integration portion of a 60-minute practice is often the first 3-5 minutes of focused movement after coming to your mat. The goals of integration are:

1. Find stillness and settle your body before reintroducing the focused movement of yoga.

2. Engage your breath

3. Let go of distracting thoughts to focus on your practice.

To find stillness, begin integration in a comfortable, grounding posture. Child's pose is the most common integration posture.

The pressure of your head on the mat and the removal of visual stimuli in this posture are very relaxing. Child's pose is grounding both physically and mentally. Easy seat and reclined cobbler's pose are also great options. Experiment to find the most integrating posture for your body.

Once you settle into your pose, engage your breath and bring awareness to the air flowing in and out of your lungs. Begin with a cleansing breath: inhale through the nose, open-mouth exhale. Let go of everything outside of your immediate present. Transition to closed mouth inhales and exhales, constricting the back of your throat on the exhale.

This is ujjayi breath, the breath of victory or fire. Ujjayi generates natural heat in the body, warming it for movement. In vinyasa practice, this breath provides a cadence for our flow. It is the guiding rhythm for movement.

Consciously lengthen inhales and exhales. Count slowly to build this metronome. Inhale for 4, 3, 2, 1; Exhale for 4, 3, 2, 1. Repeat this several times. With consistent practice, you will be able to count higher as you learn to engage your diaphragm to reach maximum capacity. In yoga, we often refer to this engagement as "full body breath."

With a settling posture assumed and deep breathing underway, the mind naturally begins to quiet. Bring awareness inward. Where are you tight or tense? Where does the posture feel good on your body? Feel your weight sink into the mat. Notice how the mat connects to your body in the posture and creates pressure, a grounding connection between you and the earth.

Welcome to Integration.

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Integration Sequence:

Once you establish this grounding, it is time to introduce simple, loosening movements into the body: a yogi warm-up. The sequence is less important than the intentionality of deep, full-body breath paired with movement. Below is a sample integration flow to get ready to absorb the benefits of your practice.

- Meet in Child's Pose.

- Toes touching, knees wide. Feel grounded here. Engage your ujjayi breath.

- Inhale. Tabletop.

- Find natural movement to loosen the body. Breathe.

- Barrel rolls.

- From Tabletop, inhale, drop your belly; exhale, draw circles as you rotate your torso around and up. Repeat. Balance with equal clockwise and counterclockwise rotations.

- Return to a neutral Tabletop.

- Inhale. Modified Side Plank, to the right.

- Extend your right leg straight back. Draw your right arm and gaze up towards the ceiling. Open your hips to the right so that your right hip bone points towards the ceiling. Your left knee and shin stay in contact with the mat and may rotate out towards your left side. Breathe. Press your hips forward to open your hip flexors. Option to take arm circles to loosen the shoulder girdle.

- Exhale. Tabletop.

- Inhale. Modified Side Plank, to the left.

- Exhale. Tabletop.

- Inhale. Tuck your toes.

- Exhale. Downward facing dog.

- Option to pedal your feet or find any other organic movements to open the backside of the body. Find stillness. Breathe.

- Inhale. Gaze forward.

- Exhale. Ragdoll pose.

- Step your feet to hands, hips' width distance. Hang heavy. Bend your knees to connect the torso to the thighs. Option to sway or grab opposite elbows.

- Inhale. Plant your hands, heel-toe your feet to touch

- Exhale. Forward Fold.

- Inhale, rise with your breath slowly to stand.

- Jennifer Mickahail