1 Begin in mountain pose, hands in prayer before the heart. Lengthen your tailbone to your heels, draw your navel to the back of the spine and lift the roof of your mouth to the sky.

2 Inhale, bring your hands through the centerline above your head into a standing backbend, keep your legs firm as your heart opens to the sky.

3 Exhale, lower into a standing forward bend.  Gently lift the kneecaps and draw your nose towards your knees.

4 Inhale, lift the navel away from the thighs and step your right foot back into a deep lunge.  Draw your heart forward and extend your right heel back in the opposite direction.

5 Exhale, anchor your right knee on the mat.

6 Inhale, bring your hands into crescent, lift out of the lower back and draw your shoulder blades down the back and away from your ears.

7 Exhale, step your left back into downward facing dog.  Spread your fingers wide on the mat.  Lengthen your spine towards the back of the mat, taking pressure out of the wrists.  Look at your navel.

8 Inhale, raise your right leg to the sky into one legged downward facing dog, squeeze your inner thighs towards the midline to keep the pelvis square.

9 Exhale, step your right foot forward between the hands and anchor your left knee on the mat.

10 Inhale, bring your hands into crescent, lift out of the lower back and draw your shoulder blades down the back and away from your ears.

11 Exhale, step your left foot forward to meet your right, forward bend. Gently lift the kneecaps and draw your nose towards your knees.

12 Inhale, bring your hands into prayer above your head, lifting your heart in a standing backbend, keep your legs firm as your heart opens to the sky.

13 Exhale, return to mountain pose, hands in prayer before the heart.


Note: In all backbends, extend out of the lower back so as not to compress the lumbar spine.  Visualize creating space between each vertebrae.

Hwalan teaches vinyasa yoga incorporating Chan (Zen) action meditation, or energetic principles of Shaolin Kung Fu, into her yoga philosophy. Hwalan Yoga is located in New York City, NY.