Meditation Preparation

About This Class

Steve Jones guides this approachable gentle class as a full preparation for seated meditation, framing every movement as an opportunity to arrive in the present moment. The class begins supine with knee-to-chest stretches and a progressive series of reclining spinal twists that systematically release tension from the lower, mid, and upper back. Hip opening unfolds through reclined cross-legged holds, low lunge explorations, wide-legged side-to-side movement, half splits, and a variation moving the front foot out to the side. A brief visit to Downward Facing Dog offers spinal decompression between sides. The practice then returns to the floor for reclined Sukhasana and stacked-shin hip openers targeting the front of the hip and deep hip rotators, followed by Baddha Konasana (Pada Konasana), Upavishtha Konasana, and a kneeling Virasana quad-and-hip-flexor stretch on each side. The class concludes seated on a block in Siddhasana for a guided breath-awareness meditation observing the four parts of the breath — inhale, pause, exhale, and pause — without attempting to regulate it. Throughout, Steve weaves mindfulness cues into every pose, making the physical practice itself an act of meditation.