An Earth Day Sequence for Every Earth-Loving Yogi

April 22nd is Earth Day!

This annual celebration of our earth began in 1970 as a wake-up call to the damage caused by air and water pollution.

Before this first earth day, most people were truly unaware of the harm we were causing our planet.

Earth Day is a time to shine a light on the very serious climate issues that we’re facing as a global community.

Awareness is an important place to start, but real change happens when we come together as a community, vote for policies that better the planet, and hold companies and politicians accountable.

So, what does this have to do with yoga?

Yoga brings people and communities together while putting us more in tune with our bodies and our environment.

Practicing mindfulness on the mat leads to mindfulness off the mat.  

As we move mindfully on the mat and build proprioception, or awareness of where the body is in space, we hopefully start to become more aware of the effects of our choices on others and the planet.

As a yoga teacher, you can lead by example and inspire your students to become aware of their choices, too. 

Try putting together Earth Day events like:

• beach yoga followed by a beach cleanup
• a donation-based class in the park that benefits a local preservation organization

These are just a few places to start serving your community and your planet!

An Earth Day Yoga Sequence in Honor of Earth Day

This sequence is perfect for connecting with the earth on Earth Day!

If you can, practice this sequence outdoors and feel the sun and the breeze on your skin, the grass beneath your feet, and spend your Savasana under the open sky! 

Encourage your students to tap into earth energy by cueing them to feel and see the things around them in nature, and to ground down through their feet to feel stable and connected.

If you can’t practice or teach outdoors, try bringing elements into your space that remind you of earth. 

Things like crystals, plants, a candle, or grounding essential oils like vetiver, sandalwood, or rosemary are all great additions to your practice space!

This sequence includes grounding poses to help you and your students feel connected to our planet such as Tree Pose, Yogi Squat, and Bridge Pose. Utilize your breath to help your body ground and release.

Set an intention for your class to get your students in the mindset of connecting with earth energy.

Some Intentions to Try For Your Earth Day Yoga Sequence

• Sink into the earth.
• Nourish your body with earth energy.
• Invite the elements into your body through your practice.
• Give gratitude to the earth through your breath.
• Give and receive love to the earth.

Or, let your students choose an intention that helps them feel connected to mother earth.

The Earth Day Yoga Sequence Every Yogi Should Try 

Opening Integration: 

This section of class is where you’ll introduce intent & get your students breathing and feeling earth energy. 

• Baddha Konasana - Bound Angle Pose
  • Try having your students give themselves a little foot massage before folding forward into this pose.

Warm Up:

• Setu Bandhasana - Bridge Pose
  • Encourage your students to ground through the earth to lift higher into Bridge Pose.
• Cat-Cow
  • Move through three to five rounds of Cat-Cow to warm up the spine.

Surya Namaskar A or Sun Salutation A

• Move through a few rounds of Sun Salutation A to warm your students up for the rest of the practice. 

Vrksasana or Tree Pose

• Cue your students to ground their feet into the earth and reach their arms up like the strong branches of a tree.

Surya Namaskar B or Sun Salutation B 

• Move through two or three rounds of Sun Salutation B and focus on rooting down through the feet in self-guided

Malasana or Yogi Squat

• This pose is so grounding! While it may be challenging for many students, placing a blanket under the heels can help students feel more stable

Chandra Namaskar or Moon Salutations

Moon Salutations are great for balance and hip-opening. As you cue your students through the loop of poses, encourage them to move slowly with their breath and root down through their feet in each pose. Once you’ve cued a few rounds, let your students move through a few more self-guided (unless you’re teaching beginners).

• Tadasana or Mountain Pose
• Indudalasana or Standing Crescent Pose
• Utkata Konasana or Goddess Pose
  • Step the left foot back to come into Goddess Pose.
• Utthita Trikonasana or Extended Triangle Pose
  • Straighten the right leg and adjust the feet for Triangle Pose.
• Parsvakonasana or Pyramid Pose
  • Adjust the feet and turn the hip points forward for Pyramid Pose.