I have just begun my practice of the Advanced Hatha series, only once a week as only one local studio offers it and its a 30min drive from home, but worth it! In this class we practice the traditional Gosh 26 posture series, with additional ‘master’ postures. This series moves faster than the usual 90 minute class, as the postures are connected by breath, in a bit of a flow. There are no holds for time as you would expect in the 26 posture series, so focus and attention is important, to be sure you maximize your opportunity to BE the posture. Although there are a few postures that are so advanced, the teacher often allows Yogis choice for a few minutes so we can all work on the variations of the postures we are currently practicing.
With no time to think of anything else, the time flies and you find yourself submerged in the moment. I love this series, the science behind the sequence, in the order it’s in, is so incredible! This Master Class will work every muscle, ligament, and tendon, while flushing your lymph system and boosting detox, immunity, and the flow of your vital life energy.
☝🏼One of the postures you’ll be guided through in the advanced hatha series is Paripurna Navasana Sanskrit, “paripurna” 💯means full, or complete, “nava” 🚤 means boat, and “asana” 🧘🏻♀️means pose; hence, the English name: Full Boat Pose. It tones muscles, improves balance and digestion, strengthens your spine and hip flexors, stimulates the kidneys, thyroid prostate glands, and intestines all while clearly improving flexibility 🤸🏻♀️and relaxation 💆🏻♀️. The lists of posture benefits always go on and on.
The beauty of yoga is how effective and efficient it is ✅. I love having a set series of hatha postures to practice because it gives me a fixed variable 👩🏻🔬 in which to help identify areas I’m improving over time and areas that need more attention🕵🏻♀️. I find these things harder to identify when classes are always flying by the seat of the teachers yoga pants. Although there are times where I need to feel my body in a different way, a way I’m not expecting 🙈. This is why I’m happy of the prevalence of Yoga these days, you can tailor your practice to your needs.
It’s important to be able to surrender to the teacher, to not always know what you’re getting yourself into 🤲🏻, rather than auto pilot you’re having to hang off their words, it can help you stay present. I admit I sometimes think of other things, (often the next meal I’ll have lol) while in a traditional hatha class 😝 my active monkey mind.
This advanced series is SO exciting for me though😃! To feel like a brand new student again, being exposed to postures that seem to defy all physics and human capability 🤯, that’s inspiring and motivating! After two hours of class yesterday😅, my shoulder doesn’t hurt at all! The series was so intelligently and intentionally developed, to work every muscle, organ and gland in a meticulous order, each posture a preparation for the following, making each more effective. 🥰 So thankful to still be discovering new depths of my practice, ten years later!
I have heard testimonials of people recovering from broken backs, by practicing this series a few times a week. I too have broken my back, multiple times as a matter of fact, and I ALWAYS leave my mat feeling better than when I laid it out. There’s no reason to be hesitant, we all start somewhere and this time next year, you’ll wish you’d started today!