Fall focused

Work on opening your hips to develop a comfortable seat from which you can blossom this autumn. Flow through a progressive hip-opening sequence to prepare you to play in lotus position. Warm up with sun salutations before moving into twists and many variations of hip releasers, concluding with a full lotus in shoulder stand.

This is the time of the year when you celebrate abundance and all the good things you have in life as well as the skill of letting go. Take a ride through a creative vinyasa flow sequence that is sprinkled with poses that target your hips and shoulders and get ready to embrace the fall season through forward bends. Take stock of summer and learn to surrender into the cooler, darker months through your practice. Props Suggested: A block and a blanket.

As the Fall season enters, embrace the change in nature, your life, and your body. Twists like revolved half moon and revolved triangle will be used thoughout the class to create heat. Be open to modification in each pose according to where your body is at right now. Props Suggested: A block.

Align with the natural world and initiate your own seasonal change, connecting to the energy of Fall. Be guided through a meditation to identify all extraneous factors that no longer serve you, lightening your load both mentally and physically. Warm up with a sequence of abdominal toning with sun salutations and a down tempo flow of standing poses, hip openers, back bends and forward bends. Conserve energy, consolidate and celebrate the fruits of your labor. Props Suggested: A strap.

In the fall, as the winds blow, it can make you feel restless and ungrounded. It feels good to hunker down and connect to the earth. With an emphasis on forward bends, low lunges and a couple of inversions, this steady practice is a perfect way to ground yourself. Finish with twists, deep hip openers and a brief savasana. You'll walk away feeling centered, focused and ready for the season ahead. Props Needed: Two blocks.

Looking specifically to your respiratory system and lungs, use this class as a seasonal practice or anytime when you need some immune support. Explore active and passive poses to open your chest and lungs. Build some heat, expand through a camel inspired sequence, standing asanas and some restorative poses at the end. Gain an awareness of the seasonal needs of your body while creating space in your lungs and upper back. Props Needed: A blanket, a block and a strap.

In the Fall season, you can easily feel dry or depleted. According to Ayurveda, this is characterized by an increase of the energy of wind, the vata dosha. Soothe the vata dosha by encouraging internal lubrication. Move your joints in long holds providing more energy to your fascia (connective tissue) while focusing on circular movements and nourishing breath. Props Needed: A blanket.

According to Ayurveda, Fall brings about the dry and windy elements of your body. Grounding poses, coupled with movements that can also support your lungs and ears, help ease the seasonal transition. Focus on slowly and steadily warming your body with standing poses and joint rotations, then ease onto the ground for stability and strengthening. Practice this gentle flow to help support both your mind and body throughout the season. Props Needed: A strap.

Fall is the season of the vata dosha, which is dry, light, dynamic, and cold. This class is all about creating balance by bringing in warmth, earth energy, and routine. Leap right in with a steady rhythm of deep, timed holds, building a little heat while still grounding all that windy movement. Slow things down toward the end by moving to the wall for two-minute holds in down dog and wide-legged forward fold with a block supporting your head, and a final two minutes in child's pose. Props Needed: A block and wall space.