Vibrant At Home: Yoga Flow with Jane Krantz

This gentle yoga flow from our favorite yogi, Jane Krantz, will leave you refreshed and vibrant, no matter your experience level. Yoga is an excellent way to help find your center, especially after a stressful day. In particular, this flow can help ease tension in your neck, shoulders, and back‚something that most of us deal with daily (hello, bad posture). As we adjust to this new reality, a lot of us are still working from home, we could all use some centering. Meet Jane Krantz, a graduate of the Connecticut School of Yoga at the Connecticut Yoga Center. A dancer her whole life, she was naturally drawn to both the freedom and discipline that came with the flowing movement of yoga. Jane's training in Hatha Vinyasa yoga & meditation techniques, combined with her extensive dance background, creates a unique teaching style that leaves Jane's students feeling challenged, empowered, and clear-minded. Her classes focus on finding smooth transitions through movement, clearing channels, and creating space in the body. She highly believes that yoga is about inner feeling, not outer aesthetic. Jane is also a professional dancer & choreographer in the Hartford area. She is the Vice President of The Hartford Dance Collective.

1. Seated Cat & Cow

‚óã With hands resting on your knees, inhale as you tilt the pelvis forward, pull your shoulders back, and lift up through the chest. Allow your eyes to gaze upwards. As you exhale, begin to move your pelvis in the opposite direction, pulling back through the waist and allowing the chin to drop down towards the chest. This dynamic movement creates mobility in the spine and relieves tension anywhere from the hips to the neck.

2. Neck Stretch

‚óã Sitting up tall, drop chin to chest and roll your head over towards your right shoulder. Bring the right hand to your right ear and gently apply pressure to feel a stretch in the side of the neck. For a deeper sensation, lift your opposite arm and reach through the fingertips. Repeat on the opposite side. We hold so much anxiety and stress in the back of the neck that we can relieve with this simple stretch!

3. Seated Spinal Twists

‚óã Place your right hand on the opposite knee and the left hand behind the back, as if the arm is like a second spine. Inhale as you lengthen through the crown of your head and relax the shoulders; and as you exhale, twist to the left. Continue deepening the twist with each round of breath you take. After you are satisfied, come back to center and repeat on the other side! You should feel the stretch in the shoulders, neck, and hips. These gentle twists relieve back pain and aid the digestion process.

4. Navasana (Boat Pose)

‚óã Rocking back on your tailbone, lift both legs up with hands behind your thighs. With inner leg seams glued together, keep your shins parallel to the mat beneath you. For a more advanced variation, straighten your legs and reach your arms forward. Continue to root down through your tailbone, tuck pubic bone toward your navel, and lift up through the sternum; all while feeling length through the back of the neck. This pose strengthens the abdominals and hip flexors. It also creates mental focus & balance - perfect for energizing during a work break!

5. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)

‚óã Begin with both legs extended in front of you. Inhale to lengthen through your spine, and with your exhale, begin to flat back forward towards your legs. Relax head, neck, and shoulders; rounding softly over the legs. Flex your feet & straighten your legs to keep this an active stretch; or soften your knees & soles of your feet for a more passive variation. This pose is wonderful for stress relief; calming down the brain as you receive a stretch in the hamstrings, shoulders, and spine. Find an overview of the full flow below!