Your Power Yoga Plan
Now it’s time to get started. You have all the information and the tools that you need to begin your 28-day power yoga plan. This plan is accessible for anyone at any level because in power yoga, you determine what your plan looks like based on your needs, goals, and the results you want to create. Each week builds on the physical and mental benefits from the previous week. I’ll provide you with a master sequence each week that you can do every day for the whole week.Trust that you’ll have a holistic practice every day that will awaken and activate your body and breath.
Realize deeply that the present moment is all you will ever have.
Eckhart Tolle
If you are looking to create specific results in your practice, or if you want to change things up daily, you can also use the sequences outlined in the earlier chapters to build a plan that works for you. This gives you the freedom to customize your practice depending on how you feel and what your needs are that day, and it allows you to work with the intuition and inner wisdom that you will unlock as you grow your yoga practice. I also provide examples for building a custom flow each week and integrating the building blocks of a power yoga practice.
Get the Most Out of Your Practice
When you show up on your mat and practice every day for the next 28 days, you will transform your body, mind, and spirit. Here are a few tips and tools that I recommend to help you maximize your results.
Set Your Intention
Take time to set your intention and establish your energetic aim before each practice. Each time you get lost or distracted, use your intention as a reminder to realign with why you came to you mat. Pause between poses with your hands at your heart center and return to your intention and your breath. Yoga is skillfulness in action, and the more you infuse purpose into your poses, the more powerful your practice will be for you.
Focus on What You Can Do
We all ask ourselves questions like, “Why isn’t my body doing this?” or “What is the teacher talking about?” or “How is that person doing that?” When this starts to happen, pause. Give thanks for what is happening in this moment and how your body is working for you in this pose. Honor your efforts and acknowledge yourself for what you can do. The more you practice, the easier it gets.
Stay in the Now
When your mind starts to take over and tries to take you out of the game, return to your breath. Use your breath to stay in the physical practice and in your body. When you are aware and connected to your breath, you are automatically in the now moment, which is the only place you have power. Yoga reminds us that right now is when life happens. When you are present and not worried about what’s next, you get to choose to be purposeful, joyful, and relaxed with what’s happening right now. Presence gives you power.
Celebrate Your Growth
What we celebrate, we expand. When you acknowledge and appreciate your growth, you invite more of the same, and your practice is fertile ground to practice gratitude. When new sensations arise, give thanks for the growth, the learning, and the process. One of the coolest things about this practice is that there is no end to yoga. Learning can look different every time you step on your mat.
Make Adaptations
Remember, everything is adaptable. Our bodies are different every day, and it’s essential to work with how you are feeling to build a practice that best serves you. If you are feeling low energy and need a little boost, add more sun salutations and power poses into your practice. If you have excess energy from your day and want to wind down, you can practice a longer closing sequence focused on hips and forward folds. On days when you’re feeling more introspective, you can use your practice to open and expand your energy and prepare you to go out and conquer your day. To challenge yourself or shift your energy, you can go upside down and practice inversions. If a shape feels good to you, linger there. If a pose doesn’t work for you within a sequence, leave it out. Everything is adaptable.
You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.
Marianne Williamson
Yoga is a journey, not a destination. It’s meant to be an ongoing practice that unfolds over time and is designed to be a lifelong practice. As you trust the inherent wisdom of this ancient practice and stay committed to your personal practice, the gifts of yoga are revealed to you.
TEACHING TIP
Your Class Outline
Every power yoga class will follow the same general blueprint of poses, intentions, and qualities. As a teacher, you can use this outline to set up and build your power yoga classes to create strong and empowering sequences. The progression from the opening through the cool-down will ensure that you deliver a holistic journey through the body and will free you to share authentically and inspire as you lead challenging, sweaty power yoga classes. As a practitioner, this outline will help you to create complete practices and discover what feels best for you.
Your Power Yoga Plan: Sequences
There are two ways that you can use the practices in this book to support you in all four weeks of your power yoga plan. I’ve outlined a master sequence for each week. Each practice emphasizes one of the principles of power and is designed to give you a holistic practice and deliver an embodied understanding of the foundational power yoga principles. You can use these sequences every day for four weeks as you build your practice.
The other option is to design your own practice using the sequences outlined in the previous chapters. If you want to create specific results, like upper-body strengthening, working up to handstand, or cultivating core strength, this approach helps you build a specific plan that works for you. This option gives you the freedom to change some or all of your practice, depending on your needs, goals, and how you feel. I’ve provided a blueprint and examples each week of “build your own” sequences that integrate all the elements of a well-rounded power yoga practice.
Whether you build your own sequences or use the master sequences outlined in this book, you will start with a 20-minute practice each day for the first week and gradually move up to 60-minutes of practice per day in your final week of the program. After 28 days of power yoga, you’ll have built the physical strength and the mental focus to see real results in your body and in your life. As you engage your whole body with these power yoga foundational flows, you will not only enhance your athleticism but also prepare yourself to advance your yoga practice and go deeper—body, mind, and spirit.
The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.
Socrates
For these 28 days, fully commit to your practice. Don’t skip a practice because you don’t have time. Simple shifts in your schedule will create big results in your body and energy. Even if it means breaking up your practice and weaving it in throughout your day, stick with your plan for these four weeks. It’s better to do a little bit each day than to skip a day or double up another day. Get onto your mat daily, and I promise you’ll feel the difference. Consistency is queen in creating results.
The key to building your power yoga practice is creating a solid foundation. You must stabilize before you mobilize. In every pose, work from the ground up and your center out to enhance your power yoga practice. As you create your strong foundation with your daily 20-minute practice in week one, you will start to build your strength and boost your overall power in your practice. As you feel stronger and more stable on the mat, you can start to tap into these strengths off the mat.
20-Minute Master Sequence
1 Child’s pose for 20 breaths
(page 63)
2 Cat and cow for 5 breaths
(page 66)
3 Extended tabletop on right side for 5 breaths
(page 65)
4 Tabletop crunches on right side for 5 breaths
(page 65)
5 Cat and cow for 5 breaths
(page 66)
6 Extended tabletop on left side for 5 breaths
(page 65)
7 Tabletop crunches on left side for 5 breaths
(page 65)
8 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
9 Standing forward fold for 5 breaths
(page 83)
10 Mountain pose for an extended breath, then bring hands to heart for 3 breaths with Om
(page 77)
11 Sun salutation A for 3 rounds
(page 100)
12 Sun salutation B for 1 round (hold warrior 1 for 5 breaths)
(page 103)
13 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
14 Warrior II for 5 breaths
(page 117)
15 Reverse warrior for 5 breaths
(page 118)
16 Vinyasa (page 98): repeat steps 13 to 16 on your left side.
17 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
18 Warrior II for 1 breath
(page 117)
19 Reverse warrior for 1 breath
(page 118)
20 Triangle for 5 breaths
(page 121)
21 Wide-leg forward fold for 5 breaths
(page 128)
22 Low lunge for 1 breath as a transition
(page 125)
23 Vinyasa (page 98). Repeat steps 17-23 on left side.
24 High plank for 5 breaths
(page 85)
25 Side plank on right side for 5 breaths
(page 190)
26 High plank for 5 breaths
(page 85)
27 Side plank on left side for 5 breaths
(page 190)
28 High plank for 5 breaths
(page 85)
29 Lower to your mat into locust for 2 rounds of 5 breaths each
(page 176)
30 Floor bow for 2 rounds of 5 breaths each
(page 177)
31 Child’s pose for 5 breaths
(page 63)
32 Bound angle for 10 breaths
(page 228)
33 Seated forward fold for 10 breaths
(page 235)
34 Final rest for 3 minutes or more
(page 241)
Week 2: Focus
Practice this 30-minute sequence of focus-enhancing poses every day this week and build proficiency in finding your drishti from the start to finish of your practice. Allow your physical gaze to be the starting point of your stability. In every pose, draw your energy up and in. Pay attention to how your whole body moves and works as one powerful unit. Harness your focus and expand your physical power, and then bring this new level of precision to all that you do, on and off the mat. Remember, it’s not about doing everything perfectly; it’s about gracefully recovering when you lose focus.
30-Minute Master Sequence
1 Easy pose for 10 breaths
(page 70)
2 Easy seated twist for 5 breaths each side; extend arms overhead on an inhale to center
(page 71)
3 Easy seated fold for 5 breaths
(page 71)
4 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
5 Down dog splits on right side for 1 breath
(page 81)
6 Low crescent lunge on right side for 5 breaths
(page 125)
7 Dragonfly twist on right side for 5 breaths
(page 156)
8 Repeat steps 4 to 7 on the left side.
9 High plank for 5 breaths
(page 85)
10 Lower to the mat into cobra 3 times with breath (inhale lift; exhale lower)
(page 89)
11 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
12 Mountain pose with upward salute for 1 breath; then bring hands to heart for 3 Oms
(page 77)
13 Sun salutation A: cactus arms variation (page 107) for 3 rounds.
14 Sun salutation B: chair twist variation (page 109) for 3 rounds.
15 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
16 Standing leg raise on right side for 5 breaths
(page 142)
17 Standing side leg raise on right side for 5 breaths
(page 143)
18 Standing leg raise twist on right side for 5 breaths
(page 143)
19 Low lunge on right side with both hands to the ground for 1 breath as a transition
(page 125)
20 Side plank on right side with left arm high for 5 breaths
(page 190)
21 Wild thing on right side for 5 breaths
(page 191)
22 Vinyasa (page 98). Repeat steps 15 to 21 on your left side.
23 Tree pose for 10 breaths each side
(page 144)
24 Bridge for two rounds of 5 breaths each
(page 180)
25 Wheel for two rounds of 5 breaths
(page 182)
26 Knees-to-chest
(page 73)
27 Happy baby
(page 231)
28 Frog for 20 breaths
(page 223)
29 Reverse tabletop for 5 breaths
(page 233)
30 Seated forward fold for 5 breaths
(page 235)
31 Final rest for 4 minutes or more
(page 241)
This foundational sequence will spark your inner power as you awaken your whole body. In this 45-minute core-centered sequence, we’ll focus on heat-building poses, such as standing poses and twists, which will stoke your inner fire and make you feel alive. Heat melts away layers of resistance and old holding patterns, physically and energetically. Work your entire body to clear out the old, gain new energy, and burn brighter.
45-Minute Master Sequence
1 Reclined bound angle for 20 breaths
(page 68)
2 Knees-to-chest for 5 breaths
(page 73)
3 Supine twist for 5 breaths each side
(page 69)
4 Knees-to-chest for 1 breath
(page 73)
5 Rock ’n’ rolls 5 times
(page 74)
6 Boat for 5 breaths
(page 248)
7 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
8 Mountain pose with upward salute for 1 breath; then bring hands to heart for 3 Oms
(page 77)
9 Sun salutation A: open-arm twist variation (page 106) for 3 rounds.
10 Sun salutation B: plank curls variation (page 112) for 3 rounds on each side.
11 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
12 High plank for 5 breaths
(page 85)
13 Three-point plank with right leg lifted for 5 breaths
(page 86)
14 Exhale: low plank
(page 87)
15 Inhale: high plank
(page 85)
16 Repeat steps 11 to 15 on your left side.
17 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
18 Crescent lunge on right side for 5 breaths
(page 124)
19 Crescent twist right side for 5 breaths
(page 155)
20 Crescent lunge on right side for 5 breaths
(page 124)
21 Eagle on right side for 5 breaths
(page 140)
22 Nested eagle on right side for 5 breaths
(page 141)
23 Warrior III on right side for 5 breaths
(page 150)
24 Lightning lunge on right side with arms reaching back for 5 breaths
(page 126)
25 Star pose for 5 breaths
(page 127)
26 Goddess with eagle arms (right arm under) for 5 breaths
(page 133)
27 Crescent lunge on right side for 5 breaths
(page 124)
28 Standing splits on right side for 5 breaths
(page 151)
29 Vinyasa (page 98). Repeat steps 27 to 39 on the left side; then repeat steps 27 to 39 one more time on each side at one breath per movement (except for downward-facing dog, which remains 5 breaths).
30 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
31 Dancer for two rounds of 5 breaths each side
(page 146)
32 Camel for 2 rounds of 5 breaths; kneel or do hero pose between rounds
(page 179)
33 Reclined hero pose for 10 breaths
(page 178)
34 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
35 Fire toes pose for 10 breaths
(page 136)
36 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
37 Half pigeon on right side for 20 breaths
(page 224)
38 Double pigeon with left leg on top for 20 breaths
(page 226)
39 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
40 Half pigeon on left side for 20 breaths
(page 224)
41 Double pigeon with right leg on top for 20 breaths
(page 226)
42 Seated forward fold for 20 breaths
(page 235)
43 Final rest for 4 minutes or more
(page 241)
Week 4: Flow
Keep your energetic river flowing in this dynamic 60-minute sequence that explores one breath with one movement. Bring fluidity into your powerful practice as you link your body and breath and allow this synchronization become a meditation in motion. When you surrender mental energy over to the physical practice, resistance fades and your energy surges. Fully commit to your breath and the present moment and flow like water from one pose to the next.
60-Minute Master Sequence
1 Child’s pose for 20 breaths
(page 63)
2 Cat and cow for 5 breaths
(page 66)
3 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
4 Down dog splits on right side for 1 breath
(page 81)
5 Low crescent lunge on right side for 5 breaths
(page 125)
6 Half splits on right side for 5 breaths
(page 229)
7 Dragonfly twist on right side for 5 breaths
(page 156)
8 Repeat steps 3 to 7 on the left side.
9 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
10 Standing forward fold for 10 breaths
(page 83)
11 Mountain pose with upward salute for 1 breath; then bring hands to heart for 3 Oms
(page 78)
12 Sun salutation A: side bend variation (page 108) for 5 rounds.
13 Sun salutation B: open-arm chair twist variation (page 154) for 4 rounds (hold twists and warrior 1 for 5 breaths the first time through, then 1 breath per movement for next three rounds).
14 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
15 Down dog splits on right side, with bent knee for 5 breaths
(page 81)
16 Flip dog to the right for 5 breaths
(page 184)
17 Down dog splits on right side for 1 breath
(page 81)
18 Step forward into crescent lunge on right side for 5 breaths
(page 124)
19 Open-arm crescent twist on right side for 5 breaths
(page 156)
20 Reverse open-arm crescent twist on right side for 5 breaths
(page 156)
21 Warrior II on right side for 5 breaths
(page 117)
22 Reverse warrior on right side for 5 breaths
(page 118)
23 Vinyasa (page 98). Repeat steps 14-22 on the left side, then repeat steps again on both sides in a flow of one breath per movement.
24 Balancing half moon on right side for 5 breaths
(page 148)
25 Revolved half moon on right side for 5 breaths
(page 149)
26 Standing splits on right side for 5 breaths
(page 151)
27 Vinyasa (page 98). Repeat on the left side, then repeat steps 14-26 two more times on each side in a flow at the pace of one breath per movement. On these last two rounds, balancing half moon is on an exhale and inhale, revolved half moon is on an exhale and inhale, and standing splits is on an exhale.
28 Child’s pose for 10 breaths
(page 63)
29 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
30 Handstand hops 5 times on each side (prep shown)
(page 203)
31 Handstand switch kicks for 10 times
(page 203)
32 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
33 High plank, then slowly lower to floor using 5 breaths
(page 85)
34 Locust for 5 breaths
(page 176)
35 Locust with a bind for 5 breaths
(page 176)
36 Floor bow for 2 rounds of 5 breaths each
(page 177)
37 Camel for 2 rounds of 5 breaths each (rest for 5 breaths in kneeling position between each round)
(page 179)
38 Child’s pose for 10 breaths
(page 63)
39 Downward-facing dog for 5 breaths
(page 80)
40 Half pigeon on right side for 20 breaths
(page 224)
41 Single-leg forward fold with left leg extended for 15 breaths
(page 236)
42 Half pigeon on left side for 20 breaths
(page 224)
43 Single-leg forward fold with right leg extended for 15 breaths
(page 236)
44 Seated forward fold for 20 breaths
(page 235)
45 Supine twist for 10 breaths each side
(page 69)
46 Final rest for 5 minutes or more
(page 241)
BUILD-YOUR-OWN POWER YOGA PLAN
You have the freedom to customize your practice using the blueprint for a power yoga class on page 316 and sequences outlined in the earlier chapters to create a plan that works for you. The sequences outlined in the previous chapters are like building blocks that you can plug in to the blueprint and use to create a holistic journey for your body and mind. This option gives you the permission and flexibility to adapt your practice depending on your needs, goals, and how you feel, and to use your intuition and inner wisdom to guide your practice. Follow the same progression, starting with 20 minutes of daily power yoga in the first week, 30 minutes in the second, 45 minutes in the third, and build to 60 minutes in the final week. The following are examples of how to build your own plan:
Build-Your-Own 20-Minute Sequence
Child’s pose
2 Sun As
2 Sun Bs
5-minute lower-body sequence
5-minute cooldown
Rest
Build-Your-Own 30-Minute Sequence
Child’s pose
3 Sun As
3 Sun Bs
5-minute lower-body sequence
10-minute upper-body sequence
5-minute cooldown
Rest
Build-Your-Own 45-Minute Sequence
Child’s pose
5 Sun As
3 Sun Bs
5-minute lower-body sequence
10-minute core sequence
10 minutes of peak poses (backbends)
10-minute cooldown
Rest
Build-Your-Own 60-Minute Sequence
Child’s pose
5 Sun As
5 Sun Bs
5-minute core sequence
15-minute lower-body sequence
10 minutes of peak poses (backbends)
10-minute cooldown
Rest
Congratulations! You’ve completed your 28-day power yoga plan. You’ve done the work and taken the first steps on your transformative journey of power yoga. The practice is now in your bones, and your new power is flowing through your body, breath, and being. You get to move forward with the embodied wisdom of how to live and move with more power and purpose. You’ve experienced the uplifting results from your power yoga practice, and now you can choose what you keep as you continue to practice and take the next steps of your yogic journey. This is just the beginning of your powerful way forward.
The techniques and practices of power yoga are not new. They are the essence of timeless transformational tools designed to empower your body, mind, and spirit. This book, these practices and sequences, and the ancient wisdom of yoga are always available for you to tap into. Power yoga is a daily opportunity to go beyond just a workout and access your greatest power and potential with one holistic practice.
One becomes firmly established in practice only after attending to it for a long time, without interruption and with an attitude of devotion.
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: Yoga Sutra 1.14
Your power yoga practice gives you a way to unlock and unleash your power. When you are tapped into your personal power on the mat, you can carry your inner strength off the mat and use your power yoga practice to fuel your life.
On your journey forward, keep your eye on your why. There is no one way to practice yoga, and as you know by now, there is no right way to do any pose. Practice in a way that works for you, leave out what doesn’t work, and find what feels good. You now have all the tools you need to continue to practice daily on your own, to add more challenge or advanced poses, or to find your tribe at a local yoga studio.
However you choose to expand your practice from here, may your yoga continue to empower you to be and feel your best. May your practice ignite your embodied wisdom and rich inner knowing. May you always know your power and be connected to your source and purpose. And may your power yoga practice be a tool for you to create and live a life of vibrancy, abundance, joy, and love. You deserve it all.