The Bliss of Continuous Flows

When my days get busy and my mind chatty the bliss a continuous flow can bring is unique. It is at these times you need your yoga most that it's easiest to let your practice slide... You just do not have enough time/energy to make it to your mat. Well this is what I do on those days: I find a playful continuous flow!

These flows can be simple or complex (I often start simple and build it up to something more complex). Now these flows can contain your complete practice because you can add all movements in it:

- Some forward bends/hip openers (like humble warrior or standing splits),

- Some backbends (like a crescent lunge or wild thing),

- Some inversions (like downdog or handstand),

- Some twists (like reverse extended angle pose or twisted warrior),

- Some side stretches (like rockstar or extended angle pose), and

- Some balancing poses (like warrior 3 or half moon pose).

- Finishing off with Savasana/Meditation at the end to 'check in' and consolidate.

I love to use 'tricky' poses to switch legs so that I don't have to stop between sides. These poses can be handstand leg switches (as I show in the flow above) or standing split/rockstar switches or a scissor kick from a crescent lunge, or a flowing crescent lunge to the back of your mat. This way I can have a continuous flow, moving just with my breath, in and out of poses. In these flows my focus is not to go deep in the poses but to flow through them with my breath. There is no holding the pose and I try to transition as smoothly as possible, which requires a lot of focus and strength.You can flow for 5 minutes, or 10 or 30, whatever feels good to you and whatever time you have available!

In the end my body will feel balanced, stretched out and refreshed. Due to the flow and the repetitiveness of it my mind will begin to settle after a while and my body will start to move just on it's own. I'm never concerned if I forget a pose, apparently I just didn't need it ;-), I just keep on flowing.

These flows don't only help me to get on my mat, they make me feel connected and focused. Try it out and make up your own flow!