By Amruta Kulkarni

Recently, I met a new instructor who taught good Vinyasa Yoga classes, but in her Yoga teacher training course (TTC), she didn’t learn how to close a class other than a quick “namaste.” If she taught an exercise class, this might be fine, but this is Vinyasa Yoga she was teaching.

My own teachers have always ended my Vinyasa classes with relaxations postures to slowly allow the body to rest. Following any Yoga flow the body enjoys the chance to “observe” the difference in the body from before the posture flow began and the end. This method is something I give to my own students. When nearing the end of a class I will use Wind relieving pose, to squeeze internal organs and allow the digestive process to improve, giving the student a great stretch in the hips and legs as well.

Many students love fish pose, actually with the legs extended outward and feet pointed, which opens the chest, and throat, which brings in the breath, I will mention the openness of the heart chakra and calming of the mind in fish pose. Child pose to rest the back, allowing the Paraspinal muscles to relax and I tell the students to completely let go of their inner tension and effort in this posture, feel the shoulder blades melt apart as they surrender to this Yoga asana.

Supine stick pose lying flat on their back and hands over head palms facing upward, similar to corpse however awareness is with the wave like breath, I often remind the students of the ocean like breath, feeling the breath come in and roll down the body.

Savasana, the asana of total relaxation, is the posture I end all classes with, for about 10 minutes allowing the feet to splay apart, palms along side the body, facing up, and remind the students to relax the neck by gently rocking the head from side to side to release any holding or tension. All of the above mentioned postures are to be used to prepare the body for relaxation, after their Vinyasa Yoga sequences are finished and before the stage-by-stage relaxation in Savasana.

© Copyright 2010 – Amruta Kulkarni / Aura Publications

Amruta Kulkarni is a certified Yoga teacher and an exclusive author for Aura Wellness Center.

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