Yoga Sol

☀️💯☀️ Celebrating a milestone with Caroline! Congratulations on 100 classes! Had to share this cool video of Caroline practicing the 26&2 sequence in the greenhouse Pure Shenandoah. It’s fun to see her in fast motion! In class she’s patient and deliberate, growing her practice with graceful strength. Caroline Biggar

The floor series during a Hot 26&2 class will include some sit-ups. While they help you transition from lying down to sitting up, they aren’t JUST a transition. Use your breath well and you’ll benefit from a nice energy boost. 😃 Once arms are overhead (try to keep them next to your head throughout), inhale to full, hold it, round your spine as you sit up then exhale completely as you reach for your toes and bring your forehead down toward your knees. Try to keep your heels down while you sit up. Adrian makes it look easy here, but it’s a challenge to keep your arms and head together AND keep your heels on the mat! Thanks, Adrian Zwanzig! 🤗

The Hot 26&2 practice starts with standing postures and then after a brief Savasana, the floor series begins with Wind Removing Pose. As with other poses, there are multiple benefits. Sure, you might benefit from moving air out, and you can also improve your spine, increase hip mobility, strengthen your hand grip, regulate your digestion, improve circulation, and release tension. Give it a GO! 💨

The standing series of the Hot 26&2 helps to build strength, stamina, flexibility, better range of motion AND discipline, deep focus, and GRIT with grace. Before diving into the floor series, Savasana allows your body time to lay still and soften. Continue to be present with your body and practice during Savasana. If you’re tempted to check your watch here (or anytime during practice), leave your watch in the changing room. Savasana is one of the 26 poses in the sequence and it has purpose just like the others. Treat Savasana with respect and let it do its thing! You’ll have short ones during the floor series between poses and a long final Savasana at the end. Remember to be aware after class: when your Savasana is complete, notice if others are still in theirs. Quietly gather your things and exit the room silently. Thanks, Jennifer Dean 🤗

The final pose of the standing series in the Hot 26&2 sequence! One last chance for balance work and one more focused effort before a rest. Enter mindfully from standing half lotus with foot as high as possible on the standing leg: bend forward from the hips until hands touch the floor, shift weight forward, bend your knee and lower hips toward heel, balance with fingers on the floor and bring shoulders back over hips, left hand up, right hand up to prayer position, lift up, look forward. Seem impossible? As always, do 1% until you can do 2%. Do what you can today and do that well until you can do more. Work one step at a time, one day at a time to heal your body and increase your mobility. Never forcing, always breathing. Thank you, Trevor! Trevor graham

You’ve had the opportunity to cultivate deep focus throughout the standing series. You’ve practiced building strength, stability, and stamina in the muscles of your standing leg and along your spine. Your body has had time to get nice and warm with good blood flow through your joints. Now, Tadasana! 🌳

The Half-Lotus position helps stretch the hip and stave off arthritis of the knee. Grow well, beautiful trees! Amanda Leech (she/her)

☀️💯☀️ 100 for Carolyn! And that means we’ve gotten to enjoy her bright light 100 times! Carolyn is a true regular in Cathleen’s Thursday evening Vinyasa class and you might also catch her at a 6am Hot 26&2 class. Give her a high five next time you see her at the studio and give yourself the treat of setting up your mat next to her!

One of our favorite quotes from Vivian Vivian Weiwei Chang is “round your spine like a shrimp” 🦐 This is the 3rd pose in the separate leg set and one of the last standing poses of the Hot 26&2. Typically we wouldn’t use the word shrimp to describe Josh, but he does make quite a nice one here in this pose, doesn’t he, Vivian?!? Josh Fox

🔺 Full body effort, whole body benefit! Trikonasana is powerful! See how many triangles you can make! 🔺 Elizabeth Swartzendruber Goertzen