Big Round: a dynamic yoga warm-up with the breath

Intermediate 5 poses

The classic round: standing — arm support — belly-down — standing

The Big Round is the reference flow in the app: in a single pass your body goes from standing to arm support, onto your belly and back up to your feet. Five poses follow one another without stopping, and your breath sets the pace.

The level is intermediate: you'll need a steady Plank and some familiarity with the backbend in Bow Pose. With hypertension, glaucoma or dizziness, be careful with head-down positions. Pregnant students should not do this round, since one of its poses is done lying on the belly.

  1. Standing Forward Fold Standing Forward Fold 1
  2. Downward-Facing Dog Downward-Facing Dog 2
  3. Plank Pose Plank Pose 3
  4. Bow Pose Bow Pose 4
  5. Chair Pose Chair Pose 5

Why this order

You start from Mountain Pose: an exhale folds you into Standing Forward Fold, the next exhale takes you into Downward-Facing Dog, and an inhale carries you forward into Plank. The move into Bow Pose is the longest, taking two breath cycles: first you lie on your belly, then you catch your ankles.

From Bow you push up through your hands, step your feet to your palms and rise into Chair on your toes, then lower your heels and fold forward again. Each pose is held for one breath cycle, so the pace stays even, and in the app the round is repeated 4 or 8 times.

Cautions

  • High blood pressure (Standing Forward Fold)
  • Lumbar disc herniation — bend your knees (Standing Forward Fold)
  • Wrist and shoulder injuries (Downward-Facing Dog)
  • High blood pressure — don't stay in the pose long (Downward-Facing Dog)
  • Glaucoma (Downward-Facing Dog)
  • Wrist injuries — practice on your forearms (Plank Pose)
  • Diastasis recti (Plank Pose)
  • Spinal disc herniation (Bow Pose)
  • Pregnancy (Bow Pose)
  • Hypertension (Bow Pose)
  • Flare-ups of digestive disorders (Bow Pose)
  • Knee injuries (Chair Pose)
  • Flare-up of lower back problems (Chair Pose)

This site is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have pain, an injury, a chronic condition, or are pregnant, check with a qualified professional before practicing.