This past week has seemed really long. The past few days have been especially trying. We’ve had painters here painting part of our apartment, which has meant that Thad and I have been a bit displaced. I am also packing and preparing for a six week trip that we leave for a week from today. So, I feel a bit overwhelmed and stressed and just out of sorts. I had originally planned the theme for this week’s Yoga and Prayer class to be strength, but instead today I felt like I needed some fun. So, I changed plans and made the theme Playful Balance, something I felt like I needed this week.

Sometimes we all just need to move our bodies in playful fun ways. We need to dance, and wiggle and laugh. But, I was also feeling like I needed some deep focus and balance with everything going on, so I wanted a sequence that would release a bit of stress and be fun, but would also challenge my sense of focus and balance.

So, here is roughly what we did today (in the spirit of playfulness things got changed a little along the way).

• Easy pose with focused breathing

Circle, [fill in name of each person], Lord God, surround her with joy.

• Mountain Pose
• Circle ankles and wrists
• Shake it out
• Hip Circles
• Short free form dance/stretching
• Mountain Pose
• Standing Forward Bend
• Downward facing dog
• Sphinx pose
• Three-legged Downward Facing Dog (lift right leg in down dog)
• Extended side angle pose (w/ right foot forward)
• Warrior II right foot forward
• Reversed Warrior II with right foot forward
• Mountain Pose
• Standing Forward Bend
• Downward facing dog
• Sphinx pose
• Three-legged Downward Facing Dog (lift left leg in down dog)
• Extended side angle pose (w/ left foot forward)
• Warrior II left foot forward
• Reversed Warrior II with left foot forward
• Mountain Pose
• Tree pose on both sides
• Mountain pose
• Warrior I right foot forward
• Warrior III left leg up
• Mountain Pose
• Warrior I left foot forward
• Warrior III right leg up
• Mountain pose
• Half Moon Pose with right leg up
• Mountain pose
• Extended Hand-to-big-toe pose with right leg lifted
• Lord of the Dance Pose with right leg lifted
• Mountain pose
• Half Moon Pose with left leg up
• Mountain pose
• Extended Hand-to-big-toe pose with left leg lifted
• Lord of the Dance Pose with left leg lifted
• Hero pose
• Head to knee pose right leg extended
• Gate pose right leg extended
• Child’s pose
• Head to knee pose left leg extended
• Gate pose left leg extended
• Child’s pose
• Bharadvaja’s Twist on both sides
• Savasana

Circle, [fill in name of each person], Lord God, surround her with joy.

Rejoicing in the journey - Bethany Stedman