Self-Practice Journal, Week 3

For one of my RYT classes this semester, I'm required to keep a weekly self-practice journal. This is for yoga practices I do on my own, not guided in a studio, gym, or via video. Each week I'll have a post that details at least three of my self-practices.

Week 3
Practice 1
Date: Friday, January 27, 7:42p-8:30p
Intention: Practice for volunteer class tomorrow, as well as practicum class next week.
Content: Seated warm ups- gathering up the breath, Sage twist (with variations)
Cat-Cow (also side-to-side lateral stretch) // Durga-go
Child's Pose to Kneeling Plank (alternate between the two for a few breaths) // Balasana to kneeling Chaturanga
Downward Facing Dog // Adho Mukha Svanasana
Standing Forward Fold (with twist variation) // Uttanasana
Mountain Pose // Tadasana
Sun Salutation B, adding Pyramid and Revolved Triangle after Warrior I // Surya Namaskar B, Parsvottanasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana
(Repeat the series 2-3 times, gradually going deeper)
Cow-Face Pose (with variations) // Gomukhasana
Half Lord of the Fishes // Ardha Matsyendrasana
Bridge (with or without block) // Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Supine Eagle Pose (or supine spinal twist) // Supta Garudasana or Supta Matsyendrasana
Corpse Pose // Savasana
Reflection: I may need to cut poses in order to fit this into a 50 minute class without losing time in Savasana. I also tend to go faster than is beneficial for beginners, so I'll use tomorrow's class as a way to gauge my outline (tomorrow will be 60 minutes, so I'll definitely adjust my timing regardless). I like this flow for working on the hips, and since I'd like the intention of the practicum class to be "Letting Go," I went with poses that could release tension/emotions from the hips. There are a number of poses that require surrendering, and I feel it goes with the overall theme.

Practice 2
Date: Sunday, January 29, 8:30-9:20p
Intention: Practice for teaching practicum on Tuesday
Content: Seated warm ups- gathering up the breath, Sage twist (with variations)
Cat-Cow (also side-to-side lateral stretch) // Durga-go
Child's Pose to Kneeling Plank (alternate between the two for a few breaths) // Balasana to kneeling Chaturanga
Downward Facing Dog // Adho Mukha Svanasana
Standing Forward Fold (with twist variation) // Uttanasana
Mountain Pose // Tadasana
Sun Salutation B, adding Pyramid and Revolved Triangle after Warrior I // Surya Namaskar B, Parsvottanasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana
(Repeat the series 2-3 times, gradually going deeper)
Chair Pose (with twists) between salutations // Uttkatasana
Half Lord of the Fishes // Ardha Matsyendrasana
Cow-Face Pose (with variations) // Gomukhasana
Bridge (with or without block) // Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Supine Eagle Pose (or supine spinal twist) // Supta Garudasana or Supta Matsyendrasana
Corpse Pose // Savasana
Reflection: I feel more confident about the flow, and have a better feel of how I can help students transition through poses and tackle variations. I still feel I may be giving too many options, so after the first time through with the class tomorrow night, I'll gauge whether or not people still need so many choices as we continue with the sequence. I don't want to spend the whole time talking about all the choices, but I want people to be informed that they can find a successful version of a pose.

Practice 3
Date: Tuesday, January 31, 4-4:50p
Intention: Practice for teaching in the practicum class later in the evening
Content: Set intention, seated warm ups- gathering up the breath, Sage twist (with variations)
Cat-Cow (also side-to-side lateral stretch) // Durga-go
Child's Pose to Kneeling Plank (alternate between the two for a few breaths) // Balasana to kneeling Chaturanga
Option to go from Plank to Downward Facing Dog (alternate between the two for a few breaths) // Chaturanga to Adho Mukha Svanasana
Downward Facing Dog // Adho Mukha Svanasana
Standing Forward Fold (with twist variation) // Uttanasana
Mountain Pose // Tadasana
Sun Salutation B, adding Pyramid and Revolved Triangle after Warrior I // Surya Namaskar B, Parsvottanasana, Parivrtta Trikonasana
(Repeat the series 2-3 times, gradually going deeper)
Cow-Face Pose (with variations) // Gomukhasana
Half Lord of the Fishes // Ardha Matsyendrasana
Bridge (with or without block) // Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Supine Eagle Pose (or supine spinal twist) // Supta Garudasana or Supta Matsyendrasana
Corpse Pose // Savasana
Reflection: Going through this right before teaching it to the group calmed me down a lot. I felt like I could go through the flow without having my notes in front of me, and that everything sequenced smoothly. I felt comfortable with the transitions and satisfied that I would have enough time to take everyone into final relaxation for 3-5 minutes.