Root to Rise

About This Class

Root to Rise is a full-length, approachable yoga flow that takes students on a complete journey from stillness to strength and back again. The class opens in child's pose with a breath-anchoring transition ritual and a brief introduction to "wise mind" from Western psychology, setting a mindful, introspective tone. The warm-up moves through cat-cow, threading the needle, and walking downward dog before building into five rounds of Sun Salutation A and three rounds of Sun Salutation B (with Warrior One integrated). The standing series then deepens considerably, layering in revolved chair (Utkatasana twist), high lunge twists, side plank (Vasisthasana), push-ups, Eagle Pose, standing leg raise, Warrior Three, tree pose, Warrior Two, extended side angle, triangle, and half moon (Ardha Chandrasana), along with horse-stance oblique crunches and wide-legged standing forward fold variations. The floor sequence features low-lunge hip openers, deep pigeon-style hip rotations, locust, full bow (Dhanurasana), cobra, bridge (with wheel offered as an option), reclined bound angle (Supta Baddha Konasana), happy baby, and supine twists. The practice closes with a seated loving-kindness (metta) meditation directing compassion to self, a gratitude figure, a neutral person, someone in conflict, and all beings universally, before settling into Savasana. Modifications (knee down, block, bolster/blanket for knees, cobra instead of upward dog) are offered consistently, and students are invited to rest in child's pose whenever needed.