This week at my private lesson with Jason, we practiced a sequence of poses that would become my first month’s home practice. The sequence is mainly restorative with some inversions, which should counter-balance the stresses of my athletic training and enhance the recovery process.

After Jason ran through the sequence with me, it completely allayed any worries I had of not being able to stick with a regular home practice (well, at least the first month!). The sequence he designed for me is so simple, so gentle, and feels so "right." It’s also worth noting that my weekly lessons with Jason take place on Friday mornings, which is usually when I am most tired and sore from my Thursday evening bike workouts. After my session, I found myself significantly less sore and fatigued than usual. It truly felt like my batteries were recharged!

The sequence is as follows:
1. Virasana (Hero Pose) for two minutes
2. Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Pose) on a bolster for five minutes
3. Supported Adho Muhka Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog) with head on a bolster for two minutes
4. Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) against the wall for two minutes
5. Headless Sirsasana (Headstand) a hybrid between forearm balance and headstand against the wall for one minute
6. Supported Balasana (Child's Pose) with bolster for two to five minutes
7. Supported Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (Pigeon Pose) using a bolster and strap to enhance hip rotator stretch for two to three minutes
8. Chair twist (slowly twisting from lumbar, lower thoracic, upper thoracic, then neck) for one minute
9. Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose) on a chair for two to three minutes
10. Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand) using the chair and blankets for support for 5-10 minutes
11. Viparita Karani (Legs-up-the-Wall) legs supported with straps and lumbar supported by bolster for 5-10 minutes

Thus far, I’ve practiced this sequence twice at home. The first time was rather disjointed because I had to go all over the house gathering the appropriate props! The second time went more smoothly since I knew which furniture items and props were necessary. As I got used to doing the sequence, I noticed myself wanting just one more element—an adductor/groin stretch. Coincidentally, at Jason’s Saturday morning public class, we did some Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Forward Bends). My body told me loud and clear that this was exactly the missing component in my home-practice sequence.

When I chatted with Jason about this one missing piece, he encouraged me to pay attention to my body’s needs! He recommended that I insert a couple minutes of Wide-Legged Forward Bends in my home practice sequence. He explained that his goal is to help me become attentive to these signals from my body and to recognize the therapeutic sensations of each of the poses, so that after our six-month program, I could start to create my own home practice sequence. With my background in sports and holistic medicine, I am especially eager to learn all that he has to teach me.