The mechanics of a mandala flow

& and the mandala flow I taught last night

Dear humans,

I had someone reach out asking for more detail about cuing through a mandala flow, so I figured today would be a great opportunity to breakdown the mechanics!

What is a mandala flow?

A mandala flow is a type of yoga sequence where you circle your mat. Moving from the front of the mat – to the left side of the mat – to the back – to the right side of the mat – to the front again.

What about a half-mandala flow?

A half-mandala is a half circle of your yoga mat. You move from the front of the mat – to the left side of the mat – to the back – the the left side of the mat – to the front of the mat.

*lefts and rights just to showcase the idea, it depends on which leg is leading.

How do you do the full circle?

The key to getting the full mandala flow or creating a full circle is actually quite simple – when you face the back of the mat you have to switch your feet!

Take a look at this video, where I breakdown the difference between a half-mandala flow and a full mandala flow, there’s a voice over with more detail:

I’m going to post a Part Two where I share some ideas on transition ideas for moving from front to side to back, and also ideas for how to switch feet! So keep your eyes peeled for that one.

One thing that trips people out about a mandala flow is the leg that starts leading at the front of the mat (your right leg, for example), needs to lead again when you get to the back of the mat. So when you are thinking about sequencing you have to keep this in mind. I know it seems a bit complicated, but once you get the hang of it it’s actually pretty simple and quite fun. I encourage you to play around on your mat to understand it better.

In the meantime, I taught a mandala flow in my class last night using the inspiration from this week’s letter. To be honest, I love a mandala flow and I teach them quite frequently. I personally think they help keep the student’s present when you are moving them around in new and interesting directions. And, it’s fun. :)

So check out the mandala flow from this week, followed by the poses and a few thoughts!

What I Taught in Yoga This Week | March 13, 2024

the poses:

• thunderbolt lunge

• upward pyramid

• x2 (or more!)

• thunderbolt lunge

• warrior II

• reverse triangle

• power extended side angle

• thunderbolt

• open arm twist in lunge

• revolved one leg mountain

• open arm twist in lunge

• star

• warrior II (face back of the mat)

• reverse warrior (option to lift heel)

• cartwheel to low lunge

• switch feet or switch kick

• low lunge, other side

• wide leg forward fold

• side lunges

• low lunge (front of the mat)

• step back downward facing dog

• option: downdog to crow workshop!

A fun, fiery and certainly powerful flow! Ways to modify this for less power would be dropping one arm to a knee in thunderbolt lunge and power extended side angle, and of course, skipping the downward dog to crow transition.

A note on downward dog to crow!

I did this transition successfully for the first time during a Rocket Yoga class at Sol19 with Gabi (it was a great class), and her cues really helped me access the movements.

Here they are:

• Shorten your stance

• Roll forward slightly

• Drag one knee forward at a time

• Think about dragging your feet forward, rather than hopping into it, the momentum from the hop will be too much and could cause you to topple!

Alright, dear humans, I think that’s plenty to digest for a Wednesday morning! This afternoon, my paid subscribers will have access to a second flow I’ll post which is what I taught after I taught the flow above. I’m trying to continue to offer bonuses for my paid community to show my appreciation. If you have the means and want to upgrade to paid, it really means a lot to me and helps me expand this work. There’s a button to do so below.

What do you think of the mandala flow? What else do you want to know? Let me know in the comment section. More transitions and ideas to come in part two!

Have a beautiful day, friends.

Warmly,

Izzy

Izzy Martens

author, yoga teacher, sequence enthusiast

www.yogahumans.com

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If you’re new here – hello!

• Let me introduce myself! My name is Izzy Martens and I’m just a human who teaches yoga, writes, hangs out with her two cats, hikes around Colorado, and enjoys creating yoga sequences.

• I teach three yoga classes a week and I started this publication to simply share what I was teaching, in the hopes that other yoga teachers would find it helpful. My real flows designed for real yoga teachers.

• My style and study background are mostly vinyasa, power, ashtanga, rocket, and hatha. Though I have a touch of training in yin, dharma, iyengar, and yoga nidra as well.

• My husband and I started yogahumans.com because we were new-ish teachers and we found we had so many questions about the actual act of teaching yoga after our 200hr training. We started Yoga Humans to provide some of the answers we were finding and create a sense of community around teaching yoga.

• Many years later and my husband, Kyle, is now tattooing and just opened his own tattoo studio in Fort Collins, Co (foundtattoo.com) – a space for intentional and beautiful tattoos. I’m primarily posting on this newsletter now and on social media (@yoga.humans on IG).

• Ethos. I believe that yoga is a beautiful practice and the more people who have the opportunity to practice it, the better. I believe in deeply honoring the traditions and history of yoga. I also acknowledge that much of the modern yoga we teach now has evolved away from the original teachings. I, like much of the modern yoga world, am working to find the best way to continue to practice, breathe, move, play and evolve, while also honoring the deep roots of the yogic practice. It’s not always a perfect attempt. I am by no means an expert. Just a human, trying to figure it out as I go. One of my main goals for this publication is to always come at it from a place of love and compassion. This is a place where we can discuss our ideas and ask questions without fear of retribution or judgement. I notice a lot of critique and anger online in the yoga world. Honestly, it freaks me out a little bit. You’re always welcome to send messages and leave comments, but please do so from a place of curiosity and sharing. First and foremost, let’s extend love and empathy towards one another. Let us remember that we’re all humans, walking this path together. A key principle of yoga in ahimsa - non-harm - let’s seek to find that online as well as in our real lives.

• Who are you, dear human? Leave a comment and get into the discussion! My door is always open. I’m so glad you’re here.