Videos from Bird
Lots of the yoga videos and practitioners who I recommend are quite chatty - which is great for me, because I pick up verbal explanations from them, to use in our Zoom yoga classes. But sometimes we need quiet, and Yoga with Bird is where I head at those points. Francine, also known as Bird, is a yoga teacher who offers affordable private yoga classes. She was already creating online content and teaching via Skype prior to lockdown, so her sequencing style is well-suited to practising in your own home. Bird doesn’t talk much during her videos, and she generally has instrumental music playing in the background. Whilst a complete beginner might prefer a more detailed explanation, most of Bird’s sequences use poses and transitions that will be familiar to all of you who come to Yoga For Every Body classes.
Bird posts new YouTube videos regularly, and her library is clearly organized by style and focus. You can search by length (videos range from 1 minute to 1 hour), style (restorative, yin, vinyasa flow, power flow) and an entire section called ‘yoga for sleep’. If you ever have restless nights, definitely bookmark that one on your phone! You can find her channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxYVPua6HC46HzgT8IIn3vg . Bird isn’t particularly active on social media, but she does share her YouTube links via Twitter https://twitter.com/YogaWithBird and you can find her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/yogawithbird/ . Her website http://www.yogawithbird.com also offers some resources.
Bird doesn’t use many props, but do add them in as suits your body! Particularly in seated and lying sequences, her transitions are slow enough that you can move props around to make yourself comfortable in each pose. Remember that you don’t have to look like Bird in the pose, but should instead focus on moving safely within your own body.
Here are three videos from Yoga with Bird that I’ve enjoyed recently.
1) A gentle full-body stretch
This ten-minute video is described as a morning stretch for beginners, but it’s ideal for any of us who want to move carefully and focus on our breathing, at any point in the day. The sequence is lying down, then on all fours. Bird guides us through reclined pigeon, reclined twist, cat stretch and child’s pose, spending time in each pose to breathe and move naturally. As your body warms up in each pose, you might like to take a variation, or flow between left and right sides. I suggest you begin with a folded blanket under your hips, and also have a cushion handy to support yourself in some of the poses. Those of you who use handles may like to use them for the cat stretch section.
2) A five-minute standing flow
I shared this simple flow on Facebook early in lockdown, looking for sequences that don’t use down dog (and therefore weight-bearing through the wrists), and came back to it again recently. It’s a great whole-body stretch if you want to energize yourself briefly during the work day (move gently, with smaller folds and bends if you haven’t already warmed up). It includes mountain pose, forward fold, high lunge, plus warriors 2, 3 and exalted warrior. Focus on the direction of your feet! They should be running parallel in high lunge and warrior 3, torso facing forwards, but you should turn your back leg and torso to the side in warrior 2. I suggest using blocks or a chair in the forward fold. And there’s no need to lift your back foot from the floor in warrior three! Keep it low and balanced.
3) Bedtime relaxation
This 14-minute practice can be done on a mat or on the bed, and is intended to help you prepare for sleep. It is a restorative yoga sequence, which means that gentle poses are held often for upwards of five minutes. Bird begins seated, with side stretches and a seated hip stretch: try bring a cushion in front of you (or several!) to make this a more comfortable pose. We then move to a reclined butterfly and finally a reclined twist, which Bird cues using a straight ‘bottom leg’. As always use props and variations to make yourself feel great in each pose. This sequence is slow, simple, and very calming. Hopefully you’ll drift off afterwards!
If you try these videos, let me know how you get on! And if you like them, definitely follow Bird for more resources.