Yoga in Bali!

Yoga from Bali

This is one of Eoin Finn's free podcasts. Aprroximately 42 minutes. Beth's review is more thorough and you should definately check it out! I thought I'd chime in also. I love Eoin's audio practices!!

The music is absolutely fabulous. It flowed nicely within each segment of the workout. This practice is all balanced focused.

Starts in quiet, seated, cross legged position. Balancing the spine, breathing, and centering.

All fours to downdog. Holding and breathing

3 sun salutations:

Mountain

foward fold

half lift

plank

chaturanga to updog

downdog - holds for short time

step forward to half lift

foward fold

reach up to mountain

--

chair pose

foward fold

half lift

plank

chaturanga to updog

downdog

1 leg down dog (right leg up)

warrior 1

front facing triangle

revolved triangle

front facing triangle

triangle

front facing triangle

plank

chaturanga to updog

downdog

repeat with left leg

--

repeat one more cycle of with each leg

--

step forward to half lift

forward fold

chair

mountain

--

standing side stretches

mountain

standing backbend

forward fold holding big toe

forward fold with hands wrists under feet

mountain

triangle - hold

warrior 2

side angle pose

warrior 2

half moon - hold

standing splits

half lift

forward fold

mountain

repeat opposite leg

--

forward fold

half lift

plank

chaturanga to updog

downdog

1 leg down dog (right)

pigeon - right leg

1 leg downdog (left)

pigeon left leg

downdog

--

seated position

seated forward bend

lying back knees to chest

happy baby pose

wide leg stretch

supine pigeon

knees to chest

corpse

I’m reviewing this workout after doing it once.

Beth’s already described this yoga MP3 well; I’ll just add a little bit more.

Level: I’d recommend this to those at least at the beginner / intermediate point in yoga; you need to be comfortable with the doing the poses included and with working with audio only.

I’ve been practicing yoga for 7 years or so now, although I’ve never gotten past into intermediate postures like headstands, simple arm balances, and backbends like the wheel, but that’s not an issue here since there aren’t any. I have a few flexibility and strength limitations, but I’m able to work with or around them here. Overall I feel this is at an appropriate level for me: not too challenging or over my head while not too easy or aimed at someone brand new to yoga.

Music: a mix of recognizable popular songs (including “Everything in its Right Place” from Radiohead’s Kid A) with more exotic-sounding (or more typical “yoga music”-sounding) vocals and instrumentals, fading down to something quieter in the savasana.

Production: clear sound, with Eoin’s voice audible over the music. There’s a little rustling here and there, but Eoin did sit down to record this after a nice walk one morning in Bali.

Equipment: mat. Even though Eoin doesn’t usually instruct for props, if you have some flexibility limitations like I do you may want a blanket for the seated postures and/or blocks for some of the stading poses, like the triangle series.

Space Requirements: enough to do a full sun salutation and to lie down with limbs extended.

Comments: I agree with Beth’s description of this, and I also like it for those very reasons. I don’t do a lot of power yoga, partly because of my interests, partly because of a physical issue that keeps me from doing warp speed chaturangas, but this is a good compromise for me: a more active practice that doesn’t rush things. As Eoin says, it’s a nice little practice for days when you don’t have a lot of time but want to get in that yoga that’ll make you feel so good.

Even though Eoin begins by saying, “Good morning,” there’s nothing about this that means you have to do it at that time of the day. Since it doesn’t have any strong backbends, you could easily do it at night; in fact, it would make a great post-work practice to reenergize you and release tension in the hips from sitting at a desk all day.

Note that there are no chapters here. Eoin does talk for about a minute and a half or so before beginning the practice itself.

This is a free audio podcast available on iTunes; if you search for Eoin Finn and subscribe to "Blissology with Eoin Finn," you'll get several free audio options, some of which are available on Eoin's web site, some of which, like this one, are not.

Yoga in Bali is a very sweet little 40-minute flow routine. Unlike in some of his previous audio offerings, Eoin takes things at a nice, measured pace. He started the practice in a seated position on the floor for a brief meditation before moving into downward-facing dog pose. Next comes three rounds of sun salutation series A; again, these are performed in a flowing, unhurried manner.

For the sun salutation B series, Eoin takes you through the first flow, which includes warrior 1, triangle, and revolved triangle, quite slowly, allowing you to really feel the postures; you then do a second round at a bit quicker tempo. This is followed by standing forward fold and padhastasana. A final standing series consists of triangle, warrior 2, side angle, half-moon, a 1-legged forward fold.

At this point, Eoin comes to the floor for the some wonderful hip openers, lizard lunge and pigeon pose. He then performs full seated forward bend, happy babies pose, and lying pigeon before concluding the practice with savasana. As his "Blissology" brand implies, Eoin's focus is on promoting happiness, and he certainly does so with this light, breezy practice. :)