Yoga Sculpt Sequence and Playlist (January 2024)

Fellow yoga teachers, whether you are new to teaching or looking to spice up your next class, you’re in the right place. Here is (roughly) what my yoga sculpt sequence has looked like throughout the past month, although I typically make it up on the spot! Lately, I have been experimenting with more mandalas (having students go all the way around the room) and I have been loving it. It feels like there are so many opportunities to add in sprinkles of more exercises and increase the difficulty.

You might notice that there are a lot of exercises listed in each bucket. This is because my classes are very fast-paced and I prefer to start counting right after cueing my students into the exercise. I regularly switch between 4 and 8 counts. When imagining this sequence, I used my Spotify playlist “YS #29.” I typically start my music about 3-4 minutes into class as students rise up into their tabletop pose. My Spotify “Crossfade” settings are set to blend my songs into one another for 8 seconds, and I usually don’t skip songs with the exception of my “Surrender” song (I switch to the savasana song after we are done stretching). Here are the songs I have mentally assigned to each bucket from my playlist:

  • Sun A-Sun B: One Day They’ll Know (ODESZA Remix) – Vogue
  • Squats: Chromatic
  • Cardio: Get Louder
  • SS1-Glutes 2: BEATS FOR THE UNDERGROUND – Kyrenia
  • Hip lifts: Get Down Low (Dip)
  • Core: A Milli – SIDEPIECE Remix
  • Surrender: Albatross – 2018 Master
  • Savasana: Kusanagi – Instrumental
  • Song for Students Leaving: Dive In

And here is the sequence. Feel free to copy it or customize it!

Sun A:

  • Child’s pose
  • Tabletop
  • Cat/cow (3x – 2x breath to movement)
  • Hovering tabletop with alternating knee taps
  • Hovering tabletop with alternating shoulder taps
  • DD with alternating ankle tops
  • Ragdoll (Set intention in ragdoll)

3 rounds:

  • Mountain
  • Baby backbend
  • Mountain
  • FF/HL
  • Round 1: High plank with toe taps; Round 2: Side plank to the right with leg lifts, then side plank with elbow to knee taps; Round 3: Side plank to the left with leg lifts, then side plank with elbow to knee taps, then back to high plank for a chaturanga

Sun B (No Weights):

  • R leg high, knee to nose pulse, R leg high
  • Low lunge
  • Standing splits with rainbow taps (pointed foot tapping each side of your mat, creating a rainbow shape with your leg)
  • FF/HL/FF
  • Chair
  • Chairplane with palms down pulse
  • Half staff with L leg high, tiny pulses with knee
  • Low flying crescent
  • Rocket arms -> Heisman’s
  • Crescent lunge -> Palms to heart full range lunges
  • Pulse lunge at the bottom
  • Crescent lunge
  • W2 -> Fingertips behind your ears for oblique crunches in W2 -> W2
  • RW
  • High plank with plank jacks
  • DD
  • L leg high, knee to nose pulse, L leg high
  • Low lunge
  • Standing splits with rainbow taps (pointed foot tapping each side of your mat, creating a rainbow shape with your leg)
  • FF/HL/FF
  • Chair
  • Chairplane with palms facing in pulse
  • Half staff with R leg high, tiny pulses with knee
  • Low flying crescent
  • Rocket arms -> Heisman’s
  • Crescent lunge -> Palms to heart full range lunges
  • Pulse lunge at the bottom
  • Crescent lunge
  • W2 -> Fingertips behind your ears for oblique crunches in W2 -> W2
  • RW
  • Chaturanga
  • DD

Sun B (With Weights):

  • R leg high, knee to L elbow pulse, R leg high
  • Low lunge (grab weights)
  • Crescent lunge
  • Double lunge with bicep curls
  • Hold lunge and pulse weights halfway
  • Star pose
  • Horse pose with pulse for 8 count, lift R heel and keep pulsing for 4 counts
  • Star
  • W2 to the BACK of the room
  • RW
  • High plank (release weights)
  • Wide arm pushups
  • High plank -> Plank commandos (high plank to forearm plank)
  • Forearm plank -> Body rocks forwards and backwards
  • Hold forearm plank
  • High plank
  • DD
  • R leg high, R knee to the outside of your R elbow pulse, R leg high
  • Low lunge (grab weights)
  • Crescent lunge
  • Low flying crescent -> Tricep kickbacks
  • Star
  • Horse -> Oblique dips
  • Star
  • W2 to the FRONT of the room -> baby arm circles forward
  • RW
  • High to low plank
  • L leg high, knee to R elbow pulse, L leg high
  • Low lunge (grab weights)
  • Crescent lunge
  • Double lunge with hammer curls
  • Hold lunge and pulse weights halfway
  • Star pose
  • Horse pose with pulse for 8 count, lift L heel and keep pulsing for 4 counts
  • Star
  • W2 to the BACK of the room
  • RW
  • High plank (release weights)
  • Forearm plank with hip dips -> Pulse each side
  • High plank
  • DD
  • L leg high, L knee to the outside of your L elbow pulse, L leg high
  • Low lunge (grab weights)
  • Crescent lunge
  • Low flying crescent -> Tricep kickbacks
  • Star
  • Horse -> Oblique twists
  • Star
  • W2 to the FRONT of the room -> baby arm circles backwards
  • RW
  • High to low plank

Squats:

  • (From DD) FF/HL/FF
  • Chair pose (optional weights)
  • Basic squats
  • Pulse squat
  • Crab walks
  • Sumo squats with upright rows
  • Pulse squat
  • Static hold
  • Chair
  • FF (release weights)/HL/FF

Cardio:

  • High knees
  • (Turn right) Jumping jacks
  • Jump squats
  • (Turn right) Jumpropes
  • (Turn right) Jumping jacks
  • Jump squats
  • (Turn right) High knees or burpees to finish (student’s choice)

Water break for 4 long rounds of breath, meet in DD.

SS1:

  • FF/HL/FF
  • Chair (grab weights)
  • Inverse grip narrow arm rows (palms facing up)
  • Chair
  • FF (release weights)/HL
  • High plank -> Side plank to the R with thread the needle
  • High plank
  • DD
  • R leg high, knee to L -> windshield wipers, R leg high
  • Low lunge (grab weights)
  • Crescent lunge -> Wide arm rows
  • Crescent lunge
  • W2 -> Bow and arrows
  • Star
  • Horse squats with open rows
  • Star
  • W2
  • RW with overhead tricep extensions
  • RW -> Bring arm down to knee for single arm bicep curls
  • RW
  • Low lunge
  • Standing splits with shiva squats
  • FF/HL
  • Chaturanga

SS2:

  • FF/HL/FF
  • Chair (grab weights)
  • Reverse flies
  • Chair
  • FF (release weights)/HL
  • High plank -> Side plank to the L with thread the needle
  • High plank
  • DD
  • L leg high, knee to R -> windshield wipers, L leg high
  • Low lunge (grab weights)
  • Crescent lunge -> Narrow rows
  • Crescent lunge
  • W2 -> Bow and arrows
  • Star
  • Horse squats with shoulder press rows
  • Hold horse and pulse elbows halfway for 8, rotate weights up and down for 8, hold weights at elbow height and move weights forward and back for 8, hold weights straight out in front of you for 8
  • Star
  • W2
  • RW with overhead tricep extensions
  • RW -> Bring arm down to knee for single arm bicep curls
  • RW
  • Low lunge
  • Standing splits with shiva squats
  • FF/HL
  • Chaturanga

Glutes 1:

  • Tabletop -> Heavy weight behind R knee -> Donkey kicks
  • Donkey kicks pulse
  • Fire hydrants
  • Fire hydrants pulse

Arms:

  • High plank -> Wide arm pushups
  • Forearm plank with alternating knee taps
  • Forearm plank with both knees lowering and lifting
  • Standing on your knees (grab heavy weights)
  • Bicep curls on the R, only lowering halfway down
  • Bicep curls on the L, only lowering halfway
  • Bicep curls on both sides, full range
  • Pulse elbows halfway
  • Cafeteria trays

Glutes 2:

  • Tabletop -> Heavy weight behind L knee -> Donkey kicks
  • Donkey kicks pulse
  • Fire hydrants
  • Fire hydrants pulse

Hip lifts:

  • Lower onto your back, heavy weights to hips
  • Supine figure four hip lifts (R leg over L)
  • Pulse hips up
  • Both heels down -> Knees in and out
  • Supine figure four hip lifts (L leg over R)
  • Pulse hips up
  • Both heels down -> Chest press with hips either up or down
  • Everything lowers, everything lifts
  • Release weights, lower hips

Core:

  • Basic crunches
  • Yogi bicycles
  • Pulse R
  • Pulse L
  • Pulse center
  • Legs up the wall -> Climb your rope (tap opposite pinky toes)
  • Leg lifts w/ reverse crunches at the top
  • Legs up the wall (inhale) -> Lower halfway down (exhale, hold for inhale) -> Lower to a hover (exhale) -> Flutter kicks
  • Legs up the wall (inhale) -> Lower halfway down (exhale, hold for inhale) -> Lower to a hover (exhale) -> Scissor kicks
  • Legs up the wall (inhale) -> Lower halfway down (exhale, hold for inhale) -> Lower to a hover (exhale) -> Hover for a static hold

Surrender:

  • Full body stretch
  • Knees to chest -> Rock side to side, forwards and backwards
  • Supine figure four on each side
  • Happy baby
  • Supine twist on each side
  • Savasana
  • Fetal pose (optional)
  • Easy seat (optional)

There you have it, yogis—my January 2024 yoga sculpt sequence and playlist! Please let me know if you have any questions, and don’t forget to sign up for my email list to get notified about new yoga sequences and travel tips. Namaste!

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