In Anatomy of a Yoga Routine, Part 1 I covered the general architecture (gentle warmup, additional warmup, what I’ll call “flow,” counter-poses, and Savasana) and the warmup. In this second part of the series I’ll cover the flow, the collection of asanas that flow one into the other, with a reasonable, comfortable, natural progression.

The flow is the bulk of the routine. It’s here that I’ll build the asanas and vinyasas to accomplish my goals for the routine. Am I looking to work a certain set of muscles (the abdominal core, for example, or a particular myofascial line)? Do I want to work on shoulder or hip flexibility? Do I just want a general all around routine to start the day?

How long do I have for the practice? Sometimes, I only have thirty minutes, so I’ll need a short flow; other times, I want to spend over an hour on the mat.

Am I looking for something vigorous or relaxing?

I always like to include the classic Sun Salutations, Surya Namaskaras A and B. They help connect me to the tradition, a tradition that I surely do not even begin to understand, but I want that connection anyway. I almost always go through Surya Namaskara A before B, and I find it a nice transition between the warm-up and the flow. Even if I’ve done several forward bends and stretches, that first time through Surya Namaskara A finishes the limbering up work.

I tend to think of the flow as a series of segments or sections. A collection of Sun Salutations A, for example, is the bulk of one section; another might be a series of Sun Salutations B; a third might be a collection of connected asanas on the floor. I like to finish each section with a sequence of balance poses.

Balance Poses

Balance poses present lots of opportunity for variety, or for consistency for comparison day-by-day or week-by-week. Within a given routine, I like a variety, and I like to have more than one sequence.

Tree (Vrksasana) is among my favorites, and I particularly like being able to look at trees when I plant myself in this asana. After holding Tree for a few breaths, I like to extend my arms up above my head (channeling the redwoods and firs). If I want to work more on side stretching, I’ll bend to one side, then the other—like a palm in the breeze.

Depending on just what’s preceded the balance sequence, I like Figure Four (Eka Pada Utkatasana), also called One Legged Chair. For nice spinal twist while balancing, I can twist and (try to!) place my elbow on the sole of my foot.

In a class from Asheville Community Yoga over the summer I learned a nice balance sequence. Start with Eagle (Garudasana) and hold that for two breaths. Extend your arms and unrooted leg out into a one-legged star pose while continuing to balance on your rooted foot—Shooting Star. Hold this for a breath or two. Return to Eagle for a breath or two, then back to Shooting Star for a breath or two, back to Eagle for a breath or two, back to Shooting Star for a breath or two. Return to Mountain, and repeat on the other side.

Counter Poses

I’ve learned that it’s important to balance the body. When I construct a yoga routine, I want to balance side-to-side and front-to-back. I want the side-to-side balance to be identical—if I do two of a certain one-sided asana on the left, I want to do two on the right. Take Eagle, for example: I’ll be sure to come into Eagle on each side, and for the same amount of time on each side. (If I fall out of a one-sided asana—let’s say Lord of the Dance (Natarajasana)—then I fall out. I might re-attempt the asana, but I won’t skip the other side just because I fell out of the first side.)

The opposite side of a one-sided pose it its own counter pose. Twist to the right? Twist to the left. Balance on the left foot? Balance on the right foot.

As to front-to-back, this applies to back bends, and, to a lesser extent, to my wrists and my neck. Neck? After a Headstand (Sirsasana), I like to come into Rabbit (Sasangasana) for a breath or two to stretch out my neck. If I’ve stretched my wrists back hard, such as in Wheel (Urdhva Dhanurasana), I’ll probably flex them forward gently.

Speaking of Wheel, for that, for Bridge (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana), for a standing backbend (Utthita Bhujangasana, e.g.), a forward bend serves as the counter pose.

Inversions

I like to have an inversion or two or three near the end of my routine. Usually, it’s a Shoulder Stand (Salamba Sarvangasana) probably followed by Plough (Halasana), and then a Headstand of some variety.

Not all of my routines include inversions, but I sure enjoy them. Sometimes I challenge myself and close my eyes once I’m settle in a Headstand. Sometimes I’ll play with different leg positions and shapes (Eagle legs or Frog legs). Sometimes, I’ll just be.

(Up in the air, junior yogi indeed!)

Savasana

I’ve learned that I want to end with Corpse (Savasana). Even in a short routine I like the rest at the end. It’s a nice way to transition from the mat to the rest of the world. A 4-5 minute savasana after an hour’s practice sure feels good.