Level 1

In this class we try standing meditation. Standing up brings a very different quality to the meditation and to your level of attention. The focus moves to the feet rather than the breath.

Stand to attention.

The time in silence is growing now. Your concentration has grown a lot, even if you are not aware of it. Being able to notice your thoughts shows that your awareness and concentration are improving.

Keep going.

Meditation is a bit like being a baby and experiencing things as a baby does: simple sense experience from before we had words, before our mind had labels to stick on everything. Pure, raw experience.

Go back to basics.

We practise the last of the four meditation postures, walking meditation. We move slowly and feel the sensations around the feet as you lift the foot, move it through the air and put it down.

Walking, nothing more.

The periods of silence are growing, and you are getting used to following the breath at the navel. We are back to seated meditation, growing with it all the time.

Enjoy the silence.

Another form of meditation is contemplation practice. You call up a positive state of mind by imagining someone, or a pet, who makes you feel good. It can also be a place or a remembered experience. When the feeling is there, we rest in it.

Practise positive mental states.

We have tried many meditation techniques now. For the last two classes, we stay focused on the breath at the navel, learning to concentrate on something that seems boring at first but becomes interesting with time.

Nearly there.

Congratulations. Well done for completing the challenge. Enjoy your last meditation session.

There is a short talk at the end on how to keep going. Hopefully you have felt some of the benefits and formed a good habit, something you can keep growing for the rest of your life.

In this 15 minute meditation, Sofia introduces a seated Sun Salutation and a concentration exercise called focus 12. It suits a restless mind, or a beginner to meditation.

Use it in the morning or the evening. Sit on a bolster. Level 1.

Today is the beginning of the program. Get familiar with your yoga mat and blocks, and most of all with your Ujjayi breath and Downward-Facing Dog.

Start feeling your body and connect to your mat, the space you will come back to during these four weeks. Level 1, with two blocks.

We keep moving forward. Today's focus is Plank Pose, which connects you to your core and sets a good base for Chaturanga.

We start with the same sequence as yesterday and add a few things here and there, so you get familiar with the postures. Level 1, with two blocks.

After finding Plank Pose and that core connection, we move into Chaturanga Dandasana, one of the most demanding postures in a Vinyasa practice. Don't be too hard on yourself if you struggle in the beginning.

Move with your body and your breath, and learn how to modify so the practice fits your body. Level 1, with two blocks.

Today we bring Sun Salutation B into our practice. Move through a flow similar to the one you have been practising, with special attention on Tadasana.

We work on strengthening the legs and the hamstrings. Together we start with Sun Salutation A and move on to Sun Salutation B, where we stop in Chair Pose, finding our flow in the transitions. Level 1, with two blocks.

Learn how to position yourself in one of the most common postures of a Vinyasa practice, Warrior II. This posture may look easy, but doing it well takes attention.

From where to place your feet to where to find space for the rest of the body. Come along and find your inner warrior. Level 1, with two blocks.

Today we practise. We put together everything we have learned in weeks one and two and bring it to the mat.

Flow through a twenty minute class and put your new knowledge into action. We won't stop in any posture. Instead, we work on our flow. Feel the energy move through your body, and connect to your breath. Level 1, with two blocks.

This is week three, and it's time to repeat everything you now know. We go back to week one and review our Ujjayi breath, Downward-Facing Dog and the hip hinge we use as we fold forward.

Doing something with quality takes repetition and practice, which is why we do it over and over again. Level 1, with two blocks.

Even a tiny detail matters in Plank Pose. Take the time to pay special attention to it in your twenty minute practice today.

A solid and strong plank helps you a lot as you move into Chaturanga. They complement each other. We work with the entire body in our plank, especially the core. It might feel impossible in the beginning, but it gets easier, I promise. Level 1, with two blocks.

Let's go back to one of the most demanding postures, or transitions, in class: Chaturanga. It takes a lot of attention, and most of all, lots of repetition.

Move mindfully and with consistency, and you will see the impossible become possible. We break down the postures together, and I guide you all the way. Level 1, with two blocks.

Learn how to place your feet in standing postures. Your feet are your base, and a posture starts from the ground up. The more supported you feel through the feet, the stronger you stand.

Understanding how to place your legs and feet makes everything in your practice easier. At the end we work on flexibility and relax the body. Level 1, with two blocks.

Learn how to move into your backbends in a safe way, protecting your lower spine, the part that takes most of the pressure in these postures.

Move step by step and support your spine. We use the entire body, working on flexibility and strength at the same time. Level 1, with two blocks.

Congratulations. You made it through these four weeks, and now you are ready to keep going. This is only the beginning, even if you are not a beginner anymore.

Today we flow and bring in everything you have learned. We use two blocks in this practice. Books or anything else you have at home work fine if you don't have blocks. Get ready to flow and have fun.