Saturday ABS Classes

Class will be a mix of the full core muscles - front, side and back. HIIT, various Pranayama and Meditation are interspersed.

Class will be a mix of the full core muscles - front, side and back. HIIT, various Pranayama and Meditation are interspersed.

It rained hard and only Johannes could make it (his first time)

Class Sequence
1. stretching
2. Wim Hof (3 rounds with breath-hold modifications) - 1st round, hold on exhale and inhale / 2nd round, mandukasana on the exhale hold, tri-bandha on the inhale hold / 3rd round, mandukasana on the exhale hold, tri-bandha on the inhale hold, exhale, inhale with 9 bandhas and keep breathing for 1 min
3. Surya Namaskar A & B (1 round each)
4. high plank / shadow boxing / Bhastrika (1 min)
5. Russian Twist / high knee taps / Kapalabhati (1 min)
6. leg raises / butt kicks / nadi shodan (1 min)
7. crunches / jumping Jacks / ujjayi (1:15 min)
8. side plank (left and right) / fast foot shuffle / shitali-lions breath (1:15 min)
9. superman / mountain climbers / Wim Hof (1:15 min)
10. Meditation - Anapana (observing breath)
11. Savasana with body scanning

Since no one showed up, I was free to do my own sequence spontaneously. Instead of ABS asanas, I did dynamic tension (isometric holds) for arms and legs + HIIT + Pranayam + Meditation.

Class Sequence
1. stretching
2. Wim Hof (3 rounds with breath-hold modifications) - last inhale 30-sec hold with mula bandha, exhale 30-sec hold with Mandukasana, inhale 30-sec hold with mula bandha, exhale 30-sec hold with 9 bandhas, inhale 30-sec hold and release
3. Surya Namaskar A & B (1 round each)
4. High Plank / shadow boxing / Bhastrika
5. Russian Twist / knee taps / Kapalabhati
6. Walking elbow plank / butt kicks / Ujjayi
7. Bicycle / butt kicks / Anuloma viloma
8. Leg raises / jumping jack / Ujjayi anuloma
9. Boat (Navasana) / fast foot / Ujjayi viloma
10. Mat dragging / mountain climbers / Surya Bhedan
11. Leg flutters / surya burpees / Chandra Bhedan
12. Lolasana / knee taps / Sitkari-Lion's breath
13. Meditation - vipassana (body scanning)
14. Savasana

Asanas will be focused on the lumbar area (lower back) for a 360° fortification. The last asana will be a point-of-failure hold. 9 bandhas on kumbhakas (energy locks on breath-holds) will be done on bahya kumbhaka (empty lungs)

Asanas will revert back to the side ABS (obliques, intercoastals) but the last asana will be a Point of Failure Addhitthana hold.

In the ABS section of the class, I will introduce the Point of Failure Addhitthana holds. We hold an ABS pose for as long as we can...until we can't...we release on our own time. The objective is to break the repeating cycle of the mind and reset it where it can observe pain, discomfort and even suffering, while remaining calm and equanimous. When you master this, only a few things in life can hurt you. The Wim Hof breathing + HIIT + meditation will remain.

The ABS asanas will focus on the side muscles (obliques, intercostals - Russian twist, bicycle, static/dynamic side plank, lying down oblique crunch), interspersed with HIIT (high intensity interval training - shadow boxing, knee taps, butt kicks, jumping jacks, fast foot shuffle, switching mountain climbers), followed by Wim Hof breathing. Meditation comes at the end to close the practice.

The ABS asanas will focus on the front muscles (abdominus rectus, solar plexus, transversus abdominis - walking low plank, suspended knee lift, parallel tuck, leg raises, crunches, hip raises, boat pose, high plank, Russian twist, seated in&out), interspersed with HIIT (high intensity interval training - shadow boxing, knee taps, butt kicks, jumping jacks, fast foot shuffle, switching mountain climbers), followed by Wim Hof breathing. Meditation comes at the end to close the practice.

The ABS asanas will focus on the back muscles and the obliques (locust front lift, locust twist, weighted half forward bends, weighted side bends, reverse table top, Russian twist, trap/rhomboid activation), interspersed with HIIT (high intensity interval training - shadow boxing, knee taps, butt kicks, jumping jacks, fast foot shuffle, switching mountain climbers), followed by Wim Hof breathing. Meditation comes at the end to close the practice.

The ABS asanas will focus on the obliques and the intercostals this time (isometric/dynamic side planks, weighted side bends, Russian twist), interspersed with HIIT (high intensity interval training - shadow boxing, knee taps, butt kicks, jumping jacks, fast foot shuffle, switching mountain climbers), followed by Wim Hof breathing. Anapana Meditation comes at the end to close the practice.

The ABS asanas will focus on the front abs (abdominus rectus, solar plexus, transversus abdominis - leg raises, crunches, hip raises, boat pose, high plank, Russian twist, seated in&out) but this time, interspersed with HIIT movement, followed by Wim Hof breathing. Chakra Mantra Chanting comes at the end to close the practice.

Class dynamics will consist of sun salutations, pranamyama (Wim Hof, Bhastrika, Kapalabhati, Ujjayi), and standing energy meditation conducted by Shen Shuiying. After yoga class, she will also conduct a free acupuncture talk/demo/hands-on. She is also a qualified Chinese Medicine practitioner.