A 60 min class plan for deep binds

// teaching a Peak Pose(s) class for a variety of bound postures

Dear Humans,

I am running around this week—from work to school to teaching a private yoga class at a nonprofit (I have to be there in an hour!), and I didn’t have time to film something new.

But that’s okay, because newness isn’t always the goal.

Sometimes the real learning comes when we revisit what we’ve learned before. So today I want to share a post from the archives which is about smart sequencing.

The difference is that this time I broke this sequence up into a full class plan!

Four mini-flows, with commentary on how you might choose to build class around it, including guidance on the opening and closing sequences, and other choices you might make.

I hope you enjoy it, dear humans.

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We haven’t talked sequencing in a while. So if you weren’t part of the community when I sent these out, or you want to revisit these topics, I have a lot of content around sequencing, like:

• 360 Degree Sequencing

• A Structure for Sequencing Your Class

• Sequencing for Strength, Not Strain

And today I want to revisit a topic which has been widely covered in the yoga world, and which I’ve also written about, but which is actually quite tricky to do well, which is teaching to a “Peak Pose.”

I want to start here by saying that I don’t always teach to a Peak Pose. I’ve started to mentally divide my classes: sometimes I am teaching to a peak posture and sometimes I am teaching for the sake of movement, without any “end goal.”

That right there was a big “a ha” for me — that I don’t always need to be teaching toward something. That sometimes a class which focuses across the body, and on interesting transitions, or flow, or rhythm, can be a beautiful and fulfilling yoga class. Sometimes that’s what the students need. Other times, I do want to target specific areas in the body, especially if I am introducing a difficult movement.

I think this is an interesting topic to explore further, so I’ll come back to it, but for today, I want to take an in-depth look at this Peak Pose(s) flow I’ve provided and explain why I made certain choices. In other words, I want to point out the areas of the body that I am trying to target in this class which focuses on getting into deep binds like: Bird of Paradise, Sage Twist Pose (Marichyasana), Bound Half Lord of the Fishes Pose, and Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana).

I have written this post like a full 60 minute class plan. Remember, you can always take what you need and leave the rest! Make it your own, suited to your own class and audience.

This edition of What I Taught in Yoga This Week is more tactical, but I hope that will be interesting and useful to you.

How are you, my friends? Leave me a comment and tell me how your teaching journey or life is going. I love to hear from you.

Sending love, dear humans,

Izzy

Izzy Martens

author, yoga teacher, sequence enthusiast

www.yogahumans.com

A 60 Minute Class Plan for Deep Binds

PS. If you need to look up any of these poses, go to yogahumans.substack.com and search the name and you’ll probably find a filmed example.

Opening & Centering | 7 Minutes

• Start in easy seat and take some centering breaths

• Inhale, arms over head

• Exhale, seated twist

• Inhale, arms over head

• Exhale, cactus backbend

• Inhale, arms over head

• Exhale, twist to the other side

• Inhale, arms over head

• Exhale, hands to heart center

  • Take another moment here to set intention or perhaps a few cleansing breaths

• Open eyes and come forward to tabletop position

Cat / Cows w/ Variations | 3 Minutes

I typically cue through the first few Cat / Cows and then I encourage my students to move freely. I encourage moving the spine from side to side, moving forward and back, stretching out the wrists, etc.

• After cow / cats come back to table top

• Thread the needle (hovering variation)

  • Inhale, one arm up

  • Exhale, thread the arm under and hover the shoulder off the earth

  • Repeat a few times, then finally descend into thread the needle

• Gate pose variation / modified side plank

  • Inhale, arm up to the sky

  • Exhale, open into modified side plank

  • Inhale, length in the side body,

  • Exhale, half cactus top arm

  • Inhale, lengthen out

  • Exhale, back to table top and find thread the needle on the other side

Sun A Variation X 2 | 4 Minutes

• Downward Dog

• Ragdoll – Any arm variation

• Extended Mountain

• Cactus Backbend

• Extended Mountain

• Open arm twist (right arm back)

• Extended Mountain

• Open arm twist (left arm back)

• Extended Mountain

• Forward Fold

• Half-Lift

• High Plank

• Cobra rolls

• Press back to downdog, and repeat once

Warm Up Flow | 6 Minutes

• three legged dog

• lizard lunge w/ optional bind