Road to Wheel Pose Series

Your four-part journey toward wheel begins with this sequence that moves toward bridge pose, a foundational backbend that’s also known as “half wheel pose.” You’ll begin with a warm-up to open your hips and strengthen your core, then move into a chest-opening sequence that includes bird dog variations, backbending lunges, cobra flows, and pigeon twists. Dianne also offers tips and variations throughout the class so you can express the poses in a way that makes sense for your body. Props: blocks

In the second stop on the road to wheel pose, you’ll experiment with deeper backbends as you prepare for camel pose. You’ll begin with a centering breathing practice and a short warm-up before moving into a chest-opening sequence that includes locust variations, puppy pose, and a progressive camel pose practice where you’ll use bolsters and blocks to work toward this expansive pose. You’ll wind down with a restorative child’s pose and some feel-good hip-openers before wrapping up in savasana. Props: blocks, bolster

Welcome to the third stop on the road to wheel: bow pose. Class begins with a centering practice in mountain pose. You’ll then prepare to explore your backbending range with a short warm-up that includes shoulder openers, sun salutes, and low lunge variations. After that, you’ll work with bow pose in stages: first using straps around your ankles (if you have difficulty reaching your feet), then lifting one leg at a time (one-legged bows), and then both legs (bow). You’ll also have the option to practice a restorative version of the pose. Once you’re done, you’ll wind down with reclined twist variations...

You’ve arrived at the the fourth and final stop: urdhva danurasana (wheel pose)! You’ll begin with a standing warm-up before moving into a sequence that includes bow pose variations, a figure four to dancer to lunge flow, camel variations, bird dog twists, and half splits as you prep for wheel. After that, Dianne offers a block-supported version of this big backbend, a step-by-step approach toward an unsupported version of it, a bolster-supported variation, and finally, a supported version you can do with a friend. And as always, she encourages you to adjust the pose to fit your body, not the other...