Morning Awakening

This live class audio session by instructor Bhakti Foster provides a lovely, gentle way to begin your morning. The first 30 minutes of the practice are performed entirely on the floor (mostly seated), beginning with a seated opening meditation which concludes with three rounds of OHM. Postures in this sequence include cobblers forward bend, cat/cow flows, double pigeon, and a chest expander. Foster adds many unique elements throughout the session. For example, as she brings the class to standing and moves into a standing forward bend, she has the participants make soft fists with their hands and tap their entire bodies. Continuing with standing postures, Foster leads the class through a series of slow lunge salutations. As she repeats the salutations, she adds on to the sequence with crescent lunge, high lunge, and finally balance work. Following the standing flow, Foster moves the practice to the floor for sphinx pose. She then has the participants lie on their sides for several different side kick moves which reminded me very much of the Pilates side kicks series. This sequence ends with a unique posture, side-lying half-bow pose, before a brief rest and then repeating on the other side. Finishing postures include bridge, reclined twist, and a 5-minute savasana; the practice concludes with a final chant for peace.As the name suggests, this 78-minute class provides an excellent way to gradually wake up in the morning. Rather than simply offer a standard A.M. practice, Foster has weaved in some unique elements here to give participants something a bit different; her flows are familiar, but the practice is never predictable. Definitely recommended for those looking to go a bit beyond the traditional yoga class.