I used to think sequencing was about building up—starting with the “easy” postures and working toward the “harder” ones. But over time, I (like many of you in the functional yoga realm) realized that what’s hard for one person is easy for another, and while I still enjoy teaching a “Journey to” kind of class sometimes, I always keep in mind that the end shape is not the goal.

Recently, I asked Paul Grilley about sequencing, especially through a functional lens. His answers, as always, were simple with great depth.

What do you think learning anatomy through a functional approach adds to someone’s ability to sequence Yoga poses with intention?
Paul: That depends on what you mean by intention. If you mean setting an intention like being calmer or letting go of fear, then a functional understanding helps you choose pose variations that don’t create painful distractions to your mental focus.

How have you simplified the art of sequencing over the years?Could you share some core principles you apply when creating sequences for different types of classes?
Paul:

• For the Infant Series, the priority is ease of movement—being able to transition from one pose to another without breaking the flow.
• For a hip-focused Yin Yoga class, ask: Are all five hip muscle groups included? If you’re focusing just on adductors and glutes, then how many sets are you doing for each? And are you alternating between them?
• For a spine-focused class, consider either:
  • Moving through all ranges of motion (flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation),
  • Focusing on symmetrical poses in flexion and extension (which can support the SI joint) and adding twists.

What used to feel important in sequencing but now seems meaningless?
Paul: I used to think sequencing should build up to the hardest variations by including all the “easier” ones first. But there’s no universal hardest-to-easiest order.

Old yoga books called poses beginner or advanced, but that doesn’t always apply. I could never do “basic” poses like Saddle, but could easily sit in Lotus.

Instead of sequencing based on hierarchy, I now focus on offering choices so each person can engage with the practice in a way that works for their body.
 

Does this change how you think about sequencing or is this something you already do? I’d love to hear what principles guide your own approach.

The post The Art of Sequencing: A Conversation with Paul Grilley appeared first on Kathy Páez Yoga.

Option 1: Pure Yin Yoga Class (Using 5 Yin Yoga Poses)

1.Shoelace Pose (Yin): Begin the class in a seated position, gently easing into Shoelace Pose to target the glutes and lower back. Hold for 3-5 minutes, allowing deep relaxation and release. After Rebound for up to 1 minute.

2.Saddle Pose (Yin): Transition into Saddle Pose to further target the quadriceps, hip flexors and front sheath of the torso. Hold for 3-5 minutes, focusing on the sensations and interior landscape. After Rebound for up to 1 minute.

3.Caterpillar Pose (Yin): Move into Caterpillar Pose to stretch the spine, hamstrings, and lower back. Hold for 3-5 minutes, maintaining a relaxed approach to the pose. After Rebound for up to 1 minute.

4.Dragonfly Pose (Yin): Transition to Dragonfly Pose to target the adductors and lower back. Hold for 3-5 minutes, allowing gravity to deepen the stretch with each breath. After Rebound for up to 1 minute.

5.Twisted roots (Yin): Finish in a supine twist to release tension in the spine. Hold each side for 3-5 minutes on each side, breathing naturally into the twist. Take a longer rebound into śavāsana.

Option 2: Yin Yang Yoga Class (Incorporating all 7 Poses) Incorporate the two Yang poses, Dogs and Dragons, to switch the Yin energy of the class at the end:

1.Shoelace Pose (Yin) Practice the following five as mentioned above but hold less time in poses and in the rebound in between each.

2.Saddle Pose (Yin)

3.Caterpillar Pose (Yin)

4.Dragonfly Pose (Yin)

5.Twists (Yin). Take a longer rebound into śavāsana.

6.Downward Facing Dog (Yang): Transition onto your belly and into Downward Facing Dog to introduce a Yang element into the practice, focusing on building strength and stability in the upper body and legs. Move the tail of the dog or cycle your legs rhythmically.

7.Dragon Pose (Yang): Conclude the class stepping one leg at a time forward into Dragon Pose, a dynamic and energizing pose that targets the hips, thighs, and chest. Move freely and rhythmically. Finish your class with your students standing up. By incorporating all 7 archetypal Yin Yang Yoga poses, you create a practice that addresses both the Yin and Yang tissues of the body.

Lastly, remember to offer variations when needed. The archetype simply represents a target area but is not a star pose. The 7 archetypal poses are a part of the functional approach to Yin Yoga as taught by Paul and Suzee Grilley.

For more inspiration on how to sequence your classes get on the waitlist for Intentional Sequencing for Yin Yoga. We start April 30, 2025 in an opening seminar with the founder of functional approach to Yin Yoga, Paul Grilley. Find our amazing line up of teachers and join the waitlist here for special bonuses and early registry discount.

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The practice of Yin yoga encourages introspection and mindfulness through interoception. Interoception is the collection of senses that provide the organism with information about the internal state of the body. This is important for maintaining homeostatic conditions in the body and, possibly, facilitating self-awareness. Self-awareness if directed properly can lead to self-compassion, and a nurturing attitude toward oneself. All very necessary in the process of self-love.

Here’s 5 ways that Yin yoga can increase self-love:
1. Mindfulness and Presence: Yin yoga if practiced with intention can encourage full presence in the moment. This mindfulness fosters a deeper connection with oneself while developing patience as well.
2. Acceptance and Non-Judgment: Holding poses for an extended time can be challenging, and it requires acceptance and non-judgment. When taking these attitudes beyond the yoga mat, it promotes self-love through acknowledgment of the self in its strengths and flaws. This is truly a beautiful process. You are not perfect, but you are beautiful in your raw humanity.
3. Emotional Release: Yin yoga can be an avenue for emotional release as certain postures may trigger emotions stored in the body. This is according to the Yogic view on the three bodies (physical, astral and causal) and how energy communicates through them by the movement of chi/prana. While there are some modern-day views on the relation to fascia and emotions, to my knowledge there are no scientific studies on this yet.
4. Physical Well-being: The physical benefits of Yin yoga range from increased ROM available to one’s unique skeletal structure, and with this greater ease in movement. Some studies from Helena Langevin MD show results of passive stretching as ways to increase collagen and reduce inflammation in the body too. Caring for the body through mindful movement can be seen as an act of self-love.
5. Relaxation and Stress Reduction: The long holds in Yin yoga promote relaxation and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which counters the effects of stress. By taking time for self-care and relaxation, individuals can cultivate a sense of self-love.

In summary, Yin yoga serves as a holistic practice that not only enhances physical well-being but also nurtures the emotional and mental aspects of an individual. The intentional and mindful nature of the practice can contribute to a positive relationship with oneself, fostering self-love and self-compassion.

Join the self-love train with Yin yoga in my upcoming online “Lesser-Known Yin Yoga variations for the upper body workshop”, precisely the part of your body related to the heart meridian. This workshop is for yoga teachers or connoisseurs. Find more information here.

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In western society it is very common to find disturbances of the mind and or Ethereal soul due to the pace and stress we intake as “normal”.⁠
⁠
While treating insomnia is something that goes way beyond the scope of any one yoga post, pose or cup of warm golden milk: I hope to provide here a short and easy yin yoga recipe to help you get some Z’s.⁠
⁠My reference point for the sequence is based on yogāsana in relation to TCM, āyurveda, myofascial pathways and energetic currents of the body. ⁠
⁠
TCM usually considers the heart & liver meridians amongst other energy channels as culprits of insomnia while āyurveda will normally aim at pacifying vata for rest and overall health.⁠
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YIN YOGA POSES
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1. OPEN WINGS to stimulate the front sheath of the upper body through where the heart meridian runs. Also, to help ease the diaphragm and calm the breath without going into a backbend that can aggravate vata from the Ayurvedic energy body realm perspective. ⁠
⁠2min per side.⁠
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2. BUTTERFLY WITH CLOSED WINGS will stimulate through the arm position both the fire element pair (heart/ yin and small intestine/ yang) while targeting in the lower body the adductor muscles where the liver meridians run through. ⁠
⁠2 min per side.⁠
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3. TWISTED ROOTS to help tone the stomach, spleen, kidneys, and gall bladder meridians. Sometimes also accountable for insomnia in TCM. ⁠
⁠2 min per side.⁠
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4. śAVĀSANA because one of the best remedies for insomnia, stress and dis-ease is apropriate movement followed by rest.⁠

Yin Yoga Lullabies sequences are a part of the self-care for yoga teachers module in the online Yoga Teacher Mentoring program.

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While this feeling can sometimes let us know we did something wrong, it does not have a place in our lives for more than a certain amount of time. We eventually need to ask for forgiveness and or forgive ourselves, to declare ourselves whole again. This feeling sometimes also stems from deep seated issues that might not have even truly pertained to us, uhum, any other black sheep of the family here?

I propose a Yin yoga series focused on the first, third and fourth chakra to stir the karmic pot of these feelings. The first chakra, Mūlādhāra Cakra, for grounding and self-acceptance. The third chakra, Maṇipūra Cakra for inner fire and self-esteem. The fourth, anāhata Cakra, for the universal feeling for healing, love. These suggested poses work on meridians related to the chakras according to Hiroshi Motoyama’s meridian and chakra theories.

Chakras, like meridians and myofascial sheaths cannot be isolated, but the end of the practice includes some theta journaling. This will take the inner neural pathways towards understanding this feeling or inner programing.

THE PRACTICE. Find a soft quiet spot. Suggested Yin yoga poses:

1. Squat. Hold 3 minutes.
This pose works with some of the meridians associated with the first energy center, Mūlādhāra chakra: kidney and bladder.

2. Heart pose. Hold 1 – 3 minutes.
This pose works with anāhata Cakra, creating tension on the meridians associated to this center: heart, small intestine, pericardium, and triple heater.

3. Swan pose. Hold 1 – 3 minutes each side.
This pose works with creating tension on some of the meridians associated with the third energy center: spleen, stomach, liver, and gall bladder.

4. Childs pose with fist placed in the solar plexus. This pose goes directly to the flower of this chakra at the solar plexus. If you feel it is very painful, sit up and massage this area gently.

JOURNAL. At the end of the practice sit and ask yourself. Where in my life do I feel guilty? Is the guilt a general feeling or is it a specific situation that has brought this on? Journal about it.

CONCLUDE. Then sit tall, place your hands on your chest and whisper to your heart, “May I find forgiveness and ease. May I release any guilt or shame around who I am.”

The first step in any healing journey is to understand. This post is not meant to substitute therapy with a qualified psychologist.

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One of the things that first surprised me about yin yoga when I first started practicing it, sensorial depth experience aside, were the names of the poses. They were so different from the names I already knew. I learned over time that the same thing happens in any Haṭha Yoga with different lineages from India, in Sanskrit. For example, Baba Hari Dass of Mount Madonna Center calls śavāsana (corpse pose) by the name of, paryaṅkāsana (lying on the lap of mother earth). In yin yoga my teachers, sometimes refer to śavāsana as pentacle. I refer to this posture as star or star looking at the sky. The names of the postures we use in yin yoga are original to this practice, not a Sanskrit translation (example below).

A little history of Yin Yoga

When the yin yoga practice began in the late 80s, most yogis in the USA were practicing aṣṭāṅga vinyāsa yoga and Iyengar yoga. Paul Grilley, the founder of yin yoga, started teaching the yin yoga poses under different names, with the aim of inspiring a quiet and internal practice. Their names were influenced by Taoism, another important part of the history of this practice. However, they are Haṭha Yoga poses, and you could use the Sanskrit names if you wanted.

When studying with Paul and Suzee Grilley you learn that the most important thing is the objective of your practice and each pose. The names of the positions are simply references to remember and communicate.

For the curious, an example of Sanskrit transliteration:

बद्धकोणासन

ब Ba, द्ध ddha, को ko, णा ṇā, स sa, न na

Baddha koṇāsana

Baddha + koṇa + āsana

Baddha = bound, koṇa = angle, āsana = seat/pose

Bound angle pose would be its translation or rather transliteration. Transliteration in this case comes from the Devanāgarī, scripture in Sanskrit. Each sound of the Sanskrit alphabet is translated into the IAST (International Alphabet Sanskrit Transliteration) allowing the romanization of Indian writing without loss of information. Thus we can pronounce it without having to know the alphabet in Sanskrit (Devanāgarī). In the Haṭhayogapradīpikā, 1. 54 (Svatarma, around the 15th century) refers to this posture as bhadrāsana(noble posture). In Makaranda Yoga (Sri T Krishnamacharya, 1934) it refers to the posture as Baddha koṇāsana (bound angle posture). In yin yoga we refer to it as the butterfly posture.

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be an expert in Sanskrit with this text. Sanskrit is a hobby that I have been able to study under Dr. Maria Elena Sierra at the University of Barcelon. I just wanted to share some insights to consider when thinking about the names of the postures, be it in Yin or any style of Yoga.

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