I have prepared a free Yoga module to download. If you are a yoga teacher you can teach it and also practice it. We can only teach what we are practicing.

I have been asked what are the things you can and cannot teach to beginners or not flexible people. As a yoga teacher we should not treat beginners students as people carrying any disease, it is not that they are not flexible or newbee to yoga that they can’t move.

We all have started somewhere, at one point of our yogic journey we all have been wondering « how to catch our foot », and then suddenly it happens because of practice.

It is possible to bring a vinyasa class to beginner, Vinyasa is not only about jump back and jump front.

Unless your students have been diagnosed with real pathology, they are capable of marvellous things. The biggest symptom in our society is the lack of movement. People don’t really walk, they used their cars, they sit in public transportation, they sit at their desk and the range of movement of their body is getting limited day by day.

Therefore the majority of the population is suffering of back pain, knee pain, neck pain and so on, but all of these  (unless once again they have been diagnosed) come from the fact that there is absolutely no physical activity.

Asana practice is not only to sit and wait for the light to come, that is one of the main thing with full beginner, they do not go to Yoga because they believe it is not a dynamic practice.

Before even going to any meditative state, we must be able to sit in any confortable position without moving, staying still.

For being able to have the mind calm, the breathing should be flowing, body must be comfortable.

That is where the Asana practice is taking importance, Vinyasa or connecting movement to each breathing help to calm the mind my regulating the breathing which is called as Pranayama. While the body is moving through the breathing, the movement become more meditative which can be associated to Pratyhara, by being IN the present moment and starting focusing on the Drishtis (the gaze). Only then the practice of Dharana will happen.

It is a process, instead of sitting right away we start the breathing through the movement, that is the only goal of Vinyasa.

Once the concept is fully understand only then we can start approaching Dyana, in order to reach one day, or not, Samadhi.

BEGINNING OF THE COURSE

The class will start with 3 to 5 Surayana Namaskara A.

In this module I have replace « Chaturanga Dandasana » with a variation of Sashtanga Namaskara (from Hatha Yoga). We will ask the student to bring the knees, chest, chin on the floor, looking front.

The next pose after is Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, knees are not touching the floor, it is not a variation of Bhujangasana.

The Vinyasa has been done without Chaturanga Dandasana, they are directly connected to Adho Mukha Svanasana. The idea behind is to build the stamina.

Standing Asanas:

  1. Padahastasana – variation, hands are on the side of the feet and not below the feet
  2. Ardhakati Chakrasana
  3. Garudasana
  4. Anjaneyasana
  5. Parshvakonasana variation
  6. Urdhva Hastasana (feet together)
  7. Parivritta Trikonasana
  8. Parshvotanasana
  9. Utkatasana

There is a full vinyasa before starting the sitting postures. It is not mandatory, you can skip it.

  1. Dandasana
  2. Paschimotanasana B
  3. Purvotanasana
  4. Gomukasana
  5. Janu Shirshasana A
  6. Vakrasana
  7. Navasana
  8. Baddha Konasana, rounded back
  9. Upavistha Konasana
  10. Ubbaya Padanghustasana
  11. Bhujangasana A & B
  12. Shalabasana variation
  13. Eka Pada Setu Bandhasana with a brick
  14. Rotation right and left on the back
  15. Sarvangasana
  16. Halasana
  17. Rotation with legs crossing in Garuda
  18. Balasana

To connect to Shavasana, there is a full Vinaysa. It is not mandatory, however students enjoyed the last vinyasa as they know it is the last one.

  1. Shavasana for 10 minutes
  2. Siddhasana, to start practicing the Pranayama. If this posture is not comfortable guide them with another one.

Asanas on the module are in green, Vinyasa are in orange.

Breathing is 5 to 7 count.

This module is about 1.30 teaching. If you have only one hour class then cut the module for 40 minutes of asanas practice, 8 minutes for Shavasana and 10 minutes for Pranayama.

Namaste!