Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes

A perfect book for the yoga instructor. Great pbotos and information to help create the yoga moves flow you imagine. I love this book.

I highly recommend the two Mark Stephens books I've read -About me: I teach dance and theater but I'm not a professional yoga teacher; however, I've read a lot of yoga literature to supplement my personal yoga practice and I'll occasionally incorporate yoga principles into my theater classes....When I first saw this book on pre-sale on Amazon, I had to debate whether or not it was for me (since, again, I'm not a yoga professional). I finally decided that my love for Mark Stephens' last book was enough persuasion to buy this one.About the book: This book has already informed my personal practice and, I know the next time I teach my theater class I will incorporate some of Stephens' principles (specifically the differences between asanas for stimulation and those for relaxation). He not only touches on the traditional approaches to yoga sequencing and how a teacher can adjust a practice to a wide variety of students, but he also addresses specific practices to the gunas, chakra specific practices, age specific practices and principles on how to create your own structured classes (peaks or summit asanas, with preliminary and counterstretch asanas).I would usually let my personal practice evolve with how my body "informed" me - I would basically do what felt good. This is apparently not a bad way to practice, but I found that sometimes I'd start stretching late at night and I would wake myself up.With this book I feel as though I can create a plan... I've already started constructing sequences for my different needs throughout the day - a wake-up sequence, a pre-show sequence, a post-workout sequence, a nighttime sequence...I think the book requires at least a little bit of pre-existing knowledge about yoga (or the desire to learn more) - it is definitely geared towards yoga teachers and addresses issues unique to their industry - but as a simple yoga enthusiast who has read Light on Yoga, the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and others, this met and exceeded my expectations to fulfill my own personal sequencing needs.

Whether you teach yoga or simply practice it, this book is a goldmine of information. From the beginning principles of class construction in the opening chapters to the sample sequences of popular Hatha yoga practices that conclude the book, Mr. Stephens provides a detailed and comprehensive look into effective ordering of asanas. For example, if the goal of the class is to focus on deep back bends, the author recommends preparing students for the necessary flexibility with poses that emphasize stretching the hip flexors, chest, and abdominal muscles. He discourages intensive core work immediately prior to deep back bends because the tightened muscles inhibit elongation and extension of the spine. After the work with back bends, he proposes gentle twisting motions or core exercises to release any tension in the spine.This book is full of suggestions for sequences covering the range of students: children, seniors, pregnant women, beginners, intermediates, and advanced. There are sequences emphasizing the main asana families—back bends, hip openers, forward bends, inversions, arm balances, twisting, and standing balances—as well as those for relaxation and balancing the chakras and doshas. And if you prefer to put together your own practice, the author includes a wonderful section on the constituent elements of 115 asanas, outlining areas that need to be flexible, areas that need to be stable, which asanas provide good preparation for the pose, which are appropriate follow-ups, and what the effective counterposes are.As if all that isn’t enough, the author includes sections on the various forms of Sun Salutation, effective cueing and teacher interaction, and a glossary of anatomical and yoga terms.In all, this is a thorough and informative resource that will enhance the effectiveness of your classes and practice.

I am very impressed with this book. I am a massage therapist and very new to yoga. I enrolled in a teacher training course to gain more knowledge regarding the body from another perspective and I really kind of fell in love with yoga but, still felt a little lost since I am so new to it. This book helped me make sense of things and I now feel way more creative and confident creating sequences. Very happy with this book.

This book is very well written and very in-depth. Great for anyone who wants to understand why asanas are put together the way they are in practices or for someone who wants to design their own sequence. The book has some sequences as well, which you can use in your practice, but if you are mostly interested in premade sequences this may not be the book for you. Despite the example sequences, most of the book is devoted to things you need to know when you are ready to start doing your own thing. To me, the best part of the book is Appendix B, which takes each asana and tells you what needs to be open, what asanas help you open for that pose, what needs to be stabilized, what asanas can help you stabilize, what asanas can be used to work up to that asana (if it is a more advanced one), and what asanas serve as counterposes. This is extremely helpful when you start looking at what you need to put in your sequence.

More information than I’ll ever use. Very comprehensive. A little too many hindu words and detail for my liking, but it lays out many yoga routines, including those with different health conditions and stages of life. Young and old will benefit from this book. If you’re thinking of being a yoga instructor or maybe you’re an intermediate or advanced practitioner, this book is for you. Spiral bound book is well constructed. I’d definitely buy again.