£80 / £72 (students / concessions / members)

Yoga Flow for Beginners 6-Week Course

Yoga flow (Vinyasa) classes are often taught at a fast pace. For this reason, they are generally offered at an open level and not catered for absolute beginners.

This 6-week beginners course aims to puncture that assumption by breaking down different elements of the Vinyasa method.

Each week, we begin with preparatory stretches and conditioning exercises that lead to the key asanas (poses) in sun salutations A and B. Taking Vinyasa as a comprehensive method of yoga not as a sport but as a holistic way of being, we will explore how the asanas are connected with the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the philosophical underpinnings of yoga as a spiritual practice according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra.

Since this is a practical hatha yoga course (hatha yoga is a branch of yoga that uses physical movement as a method to regulate body-mind), we will practice at least one full round of sun salutation from Week 1– from a slow step-by-step guided sequence to building up confidence and pace in Week 6. Vinyasa is a fiery method that uses discipline and persistence to activate the deep love and resilience we all have within us. A curious open mind and a willingness to learn and apply are essential.

Week 1: Hamstring Flexibility, Dhristi and Ujjayi Breathing

- Building the basic hamstring flexibility for the key asanas in sun salutations, such as uttanasana and adho mukha svanasana. Introduction to the use of gaze and deep resonant breaths.

Week 2: Chest Opening, Yama and Niyama

- Working towards an open chest and shoulders. Connecting heart-opening asanas with yogic discipline.

Week 3: Alignment and Breathwork

- An alignment-focused class on samasthiti, virabhadrasana I, II and III, trikonasana and pashchimottanasana.

Week 4: Hip-opening and Pratyahara

- Hips and the gate to tune in.

Week 5: Dharana and the Vinyasa Method

- Concentration and the Structure of Vinyasa as a Meditative Method

Week 6: Dhyana and Just Flow

- Absorption/the Dissolution of Boundaries and just flow.