It’s Halloween and you know what that means–a night to get to know the dead and become one of them. This week I’m sharing a fun, Halloween-themed yoga sequence that you can use to fuel your own inner trickster. I want you to get in the spirit of things and embrace this season with a collection of poses that will help you channel your inner zombie. I hope you enjoy this quick, gentle flow and become one with the ghosts and zombies of Halloween over the next few days.
Halloween is almost here, so if you’re not already looking forward to the spookiest season of the year, you probably should be. But it’s not just the costumes, candy, and pumpkin pie you have to look forward to this year, it’s also a new yoga routine to get you ready for the season.
Halloween is just around the corner and we can’t wait to get in the spirit! If you’re looking for a fun, unique way to get into the spirit this Halloween, check out this Halloween-themed yoga sequence. Each pose comes with a name that is related to a different part of the Halloween experience. For example, the yoga sequence for the “Lights” pose is named after the “Lights Out” scene from the movie Beetlejuice. Each pose in the sequence is laid out for you step-by-step, and there is a recommended music track for each pose for a complete Halloween experience!. Read more about kids yoga poses and let us know what you think.
Do you want to include some Halloween feelings into your autumn yoga practice? Perhaps you feel compelled to cast off some demons before winter arrives? Or maybe you’re simply in the mood for something dark and twisty, and you want a dark and twisty flow to match?
To avoid feeling suffocated (or mummified!) this Halloween, try this short Halloween-themed yoga practice.
Pose of a Deep, Dark Cat
Begin with some mild Cat/Cow oscillations while breathing ujjayi (a loud hissing breath through the nose that drags against the back of your throat).
Gradually increase the difficulty of your Cat Pose by pushing your shoulder blades together and lifting the back of your heart to the sky. Continue to push deeper with each rep until you can raise your knees off the mat.
Before returning to your tabletop posture on hands and knees, see if you can extend your legs and hold this more dramatic Cat Pose form.
Plank of the Pirates
Lean forward with your heart over your wrists and stretch from your knees to your hips to your shoulders.
Stay here or raise your knees to discover a Plank variant where you rest on the tops of your feet while keeping a flat back and a strong core.
Before returning to Child’s Pose, hold for 3-5 breaths.
Cobra Slinky
Susan Fauman contributed to this image.
Wiggle your hips and shoulders while pedaling out your legs in Downward Facing Dog. Then, like a snake, unwind forward to reach a normal Plank Pose for a few breaths before dropping your hips to the mat for a deep Cobra Pose.
The Sting of a Scorpion
Julia Lee’s Crerdit
Return to Three-Legged Dog, bend your raised knee to stack your hips, and lean into Scorpion Dog.
Keep your foot firm since it is your scorpion’s stinger. You may either flip your Dog or just pause in this ferocious posture.
The ferocious dragon
For Dragon Pose, step your raised foot through to the top of your mat and lower your back knee. For safety, lean your hips forward while keeping your knee aligned over your ankle. Depending on how active you are, you may bow over the front knee or extend your arms up.
It’s a Wild Thing
Ling Beisecker contributed to this article.
Return to a Scorpion Dog, this time bringing your right knee to your right elbow and extending your leg out to the left, your foot on the floor for Fallen Triangle. Alternatively, if you want to use Wild Thing, just raise your left arm to the sky and make huge, hypnotic circles with your arm.
Release your seat to the mat (you should now be facing the back of your mat), bend your right knee into a sitting tree posture, and bow over the extended right leg in Janu Sirsasana (pictured).
The Ocean’s Lord
Kaisa Kapanen is the author of this piece.
In Half Lord of the Fishes, return to a tall spine and cross the bent leg over the extended leg, turning your torso to the left, away from your foot.
To repeat the position on the other side, switch legs. Then, to push the floor away from you and raise your hips high into a Reverse Table Top posture, place both feet squarely beneath your knees and your hands slightly behind you with your fingers pointed toward your toes.
Before sitting back down and rising up into Boat Pose for another 5 breaths, stay here for 5 deep breaths.
Vinyasa
Take one Rock-and-Roll Vinyasa, stepping (or jumping) back to Chaturanga with your hands at the top of your mat (or all the way down to the floor), Up Dog (or Cobra) comes next, followed by Downward Facing Dog.
Triad of the Fallen
Julia Lee’s Crerdit
Return to “The Scorpion’s Sting” and do it again on the left side. Then, on the left, from Janu Sirsasana…
A Lion’s Breath and an Eagled Cow
Bend both knees in front of your navel and stack them one on top of the other, letting your feet to rest freely at your sides.
Exhale everything out loudly through a wide open mouth, pushing your tongue out, and begin to use Lion’s Breath. Eagle your arms, reach your fingers up, and begin to use Lion’s Breath by eagleing your arms, reaching your fingertips up, and beginning to use Lion’s Breath. Draw your elbows toward your chest (remaining in the Eagle form) as you inhale, and then repeat the exercise three times more. Rep on the other side.
Walk The Plank Backwards
Julia Lee is responsible for this image.
Stretch your legs out and engage your toes as you go along the mat. Lift your hips for 5 deep breaths with your hands behind you. The simpler this position gets as you raise your hips higher. Squeeze your thighs inwards and try to touch your toes to the ground.
Breath of a Bellows
Return to Down Dog with another Rock-and-Roll Vinyasa and step or hop to a sitting posture. Straighten your arms to raise clinched fists straight over your head, then bend your elbows and bring your hands to your rib cage, producing a loud “HA” sound as you exhale forcefully through your lips.
After 8 repetitions, bend forward over your legs to seal your practice before moving into Corpse Pose.
Check out “7 Best Yoga Breathing Exercises Both On and Off Your Mat” for additional information on any of these breathing methods.
Now that you’re pumped up and have exorcised any remaining demons, you may go about your business knowing that Halloween is over! Greetings, yogis!
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- basic yoga poses
- yoga class
- kids yoga poses
- hatha yoga poses
- yoga classes for students
