Guidelines For Designing Home & Personal Yoga Sets

• Who Should Design a Yoga Set: Don’t try to design a set if you are new to yoga. Instruction must come from a qualified teacher until you become more familiar with the process. Doing yoga without a solid understanding of the practice can be dangerous physically and emotionally. The last thing you want to do is create more injuries and imbalances for yourself.

• Yoga Sets Should be Balanced: This is a key aspect of any yoga set. By balance I mean that the poses which twist and stretch you one way, should at some point be balanced with poses that twist and stretch you the other way. Similarly, yoga kriyas (sets) should stretch all muscle sets equally if possible. In addition, rotations done in one direction should be followed by rotations done in the opposite direction. So if in your set you employ a backward bending yoga posture, then at some point it is necessary to have a forward bending pose as well. For example, if you employ Ustrasana (Camel Pose) early in your set, you can balance it with Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend) sometime later. This will ensure that you don’t create sets that are off-center and unbalanced.

• Chakras Should Be Activated Low to High: In general, the rule to follow is to start working on the lower chakras (Muladhara, Svadisthana, & Manipura) first and then move up towards the higher centers. So you would tend to do an exercise like Baddha Konasana (Butterfly Pose), which works on the Root Chakra, early in the set and do Paripurna Navasana (Boat Pose), which works all three lower chakras, sometime after that. Then move up to the Anahata chakra and so forth. This helps to sequentially move the vibration & energy higher.

• Yoga Breathing: The breath cannot be overstated! For most exercises and postures a corresponding breath is indicated. In most cases, there are a few options available that allow you to breathe at a level which is comfortable for you. So advanced practitioners might add certain pranayama to a pose, while a beginner might breathe long and deep with a particular pose. Also, for the extremely advanced, breath retention might be an option while in a pose. As a general rule, as the chest/abdomen is expanding you should inhale, as the chest/abdomen is contracting-exhale. This will allow you to get the maximum benefits from the movements. Do NOT use breath retention unless your teacher instructs you to do so! This is very advanced and most practitioners should breathe deeply throughout the session.

• Periods of Rest: It is a good idea to designate 1-2 specific rest periods within your session. The one important aspect though, is a period of relaxation in Shavasana (Corpse Pose) at the end of each practice. This is critical to allow the body to integrate all the energy that has been awakened by the yoga exercises. It is during this time that growth and healing take place in the mind & body.

• Warm-Ups: Be sure to always include a good warm-up set first. Then move from simple to more advanced postures. Warm-ups and not overdoing it are your best defenses against injury. Listen to your body!

Summary:

The science of Yoga is useful to help you in your own unique path to spiritual awakening. Designing your own yoga sets is a valuable skill to learn. I hope the suggestions above help you maximize the benefits from your personal yoga practice.

Blessings,

Kirk

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