antonellasjourneys

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I didn’t come to yoga from ballet or gymnastics. I wasn’t born with hyper flexibility in my joints. On the contrary, I came to yoga from a place of tight hamstrings, internally rotating hips and an iliotibial band that is constantly begging for release. Years and years before I took my first yoga class, I had already shaped my body with sports like volleyball and later running. I ran my first marathon in 1999 and, since then, I have been running  at least one (sometimes two) per year.

At the age of 41, I practice and I teach yoga, mindful that my body needs a great amount of patience, breath, heat and movement to release, lengthen and realign. Yoga is a process for everybody and if you are not attached to the end result, change will happen. My teacher, Ana Forrest, replying to my husband who was trying the old and used excuse of ” I would do yoga but I am not flexible” said in response “yoga has fucking nothing to do with flexibility”. So true Ana. Yoga has, instead, everything to with your willingness to explore the realities and possibilities of your body. Since I started practicing Forrest yoga, my strength and range of motion have increased dramatically.

Colorado is my playground. I run more, bike more and hike on top of that. I need to dedicate more time to yoga to feel a sense of balance. Without my yoga practice, I would be a bundle of insurmountable tension.

This is a sequence I have practiced after (not immediately afterwards, at least 4 hours later) I biked for 60

km on a gorgeous day from Snowmass to Maroon Bells. Perhaps, you will find it of your liking.

Breathing/Pranayama: sit in straddle and do 4 rounds of uddiyana.

Warm up: Easy seated twist or if hips and knees allow, seated twist in half lotus; 5 breaths each side.

Abs/core work: elbow to knee 5 each side; abs with roll, 5; straddle lifting through 5.

Between the elbow to knee and abs with roll, do bridge for 8 to 10 breadths.

Inversions:

Dolphin, any variation

Agni Sara in a slight forward bend with soft knees.

Forearm balance straight up.

Standing poses: B series with variations:(hold each asana for 5 to 8 breadths)

Warrior I

Twisting warrior

Pyramid

repeat on the other side

Warrior II

Triangle

Half moon

Repeat on the other side

Apex pose: Handstand split. It just feels amazing to take pressure off your spine and feet.

Cool down: pigeon 8 to 10 breaths

Knee pile, sit up or forward fold

Shoelace

repeat on the other side

Savasana

Namaste

if you have questions regarding any of the above, leave a comment!