Crista guides you through a grounding flow class that emphasizes a connection to the earth and makes use of Ganesha mudra, a mudra dedicated to the Hindu god Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. This class can be done as a stand-alone or as part of Crista's 14-day challenge, The Elements.
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Crista has been a life-saver in covid. Her positive energy and infectious delight in small things that tickle her soul -- in other words, her joy-finding in life -- are always uplifting. She makes you remember how to appreciate life - hard to do with a taped non-live environment, but somehow she does it - so what she is giving is so much more profound than a mere online yoga class.
Thank you Crista! :)
Wonderful class! I'm so happy I have discovered this Elements series. Thank you, Crista- I feel so energized and light.
I just love Crista. Her presence, her teaching/yoga style and the way she takes you into and out of poses and progressions is so unique. I always finish her class feeling uplifted, rejuvenated and hopeful for what lies ahead. Thank you Crista xxx
I've never tried headstand this way and though I am still a good bit away from getting all the way up, this method helped me feel like I could get there one day! Great class. Finished dripping with sweat!
What a cool way to trick yourself into trying a headstand! Thank you. What a beautiful class.
I’m not sure how safe it is to teach headstands this quickly. I have a stable headstand practice and did manage to get myself into this pose by stopping the video and doing it at my own pace but my neck felt under pressure and I wasn’t sure I was doing it right. I did not feel safe.
You did the right thing. Always feel free to do things at your own pace, in your own way!
Super class!
This is my third time through this challenge, enjoy each class so much! The first time I found the poses with one arm in forearm plank awkward and found the half crow headstand awkward and scary, even though I do frequent inversions including Scorpion. Today, the third time, I lost my fear and loved the freedom of this new pose. Thanks for, as always, the unique challenges you offer.
Crista's joyful energy makes even the hard work fun.
Thank you Crista!
Started with this challenge yesterday and really liked the first two classes. Some poses were beyond my level, but that is fine. Love your positive energy!
Excellent class, wouldn't change a thing! Thank you!
Thank you Christa! I enjoyed this class but found the pace was a bit rushed considering that the focus was Earth element. Contrary to some other comments, I do feel that headstands and crow are appropriate for an intermediate level, thanks for adding that as I don't always feel like choosing an advanced class for my practice but love having the chance to play with some arm balances and inversions. Although I did feel unsafe hoping with my head on the ground during the headstand. Loved the goddess pose with heels lifted, challenging and fun! Look forward to the next classes of this series, namaste!
Playful energy, I could use that today. I feel a little more grounded. The headstand feels too risky in my tiny living room, but that's OK, I enjoyed the rest of the class.
Hi Crista,
I enjoy your personality and energy, but I don't think headstands are considered intermediate as your class is described, probably not the crow as well. Also, I think you should consider a short period of pranayama to establish the breath and some warm ups of the physical body before jumping into more vigorous postures. Certainly decreases risk for injury.
Thank you Crista, challenging but fun. I got my feet off the ground today, still have a ways to go but it made me feel good. Excellent class:)
If this is your first time trying this delightful class, I highly recommend watching for about a minute around the 19 minute mark just to get a glance at her positioning. It is well described in the class, but I've done a lot of DYWM through the years and this pose was a first for me and found myself needing to peek at the screen, like, "wait, what?!" Just a heads up. Thanks for another fun class Crista!
Only on day 2 but loving this series from Crista! Been trying to bring more fun and play into my life, and even though some poses are beyond my skill level, Crista's classes help me do just that. :)
This was a beautifully designed class and challenging in all the right ways!
Such a pretty class with some challenging poses. You will feel more grounded at the end.
Cristas is such a great yoga teacher.
Gorgeous 30 minute class. Thank you. (So grateful that we have 14 new classes from Crista - what a blessing!)
The inversions eluded me but I enjoyed the unique, playful movements leading up to them; this class was gently challenging for me but any tough spots were aided by Crista's giggle and smile. As a side note, Crista has a lovely singing (chanting) voice! Thank you.
Crista, your classes are my favourite. Please keeping making more videos and challenges!
This one feels full of surprises. It was a little too advanced for me today, but fun to practice anyway. I've injured my neck a couple times in poses where my head rests on the ground, so I did not try that today, but instead I just sort of hovered my head and kept one foot on the ground, and even that was challenging enough for me. :) The practice went by very quickly!
Another great class from Christa! Such a refreshing and rich sequence in only 30 minutes!
Challenging but lots of fun. As always with this lovely instructor. Thank you, Crista.
Thank you, Crista, for an incredibly invigorating class with amazing stretches! Is there a possibility that you could write down some alignment cues for the shoulders/wrists when you do the inversion towards the end that seems akin to the dragonfly pose on a different axis? I would like to try it again, but with a more stable feeling in my forearm and the other hand/wrist configuration. Thanks again for your wonder and joy!
Anna
Hi Anna, thanks for your question. This pose is half headstand A (traditional headstand) and half headstand B (tripod headstand), coming into it one-legged. Your forearm is on a diagonal- imagine that your elbow, hand, and other hand make an equidistant triangle. So your elbow and opposite hand are lined up on the earth, and your hand clasping your head is forward. Just like a headstand, you want to get your shoulders and hips forward to stack over your head as best you can. Push your hand and other outer wrist into the ground.
Hope that helps!
Crista
Many thanks for your answer and helpful directions!
Great new moves. Always creative and cheerful. Thank you, Christa
Thank you Christa. Love the movements in the class, a good combo of gentle, rapid and challenging moves. A great way to end the Year and move into the New Year!!