Oh, You Again

by Jessica Girija Jewell

This week I'm offering three short asana sequences — a small gift for your home practice and, I hope, an invitation to something larger.

I put these together with the season in mind. We are in the mercurial passage between winter and spring, between the vata and kapha seasons — between the cold scattered energy of air and ether and the slower, earthier awakening of water and earth. Outside my window today, the wind is moving hard through the trees. Mother Nature, it seems, is doing her own backbend — shaking off the cold, opening to what's next.

Which brings me to the sequences themselves.

The Logic of the Sequences

Each of the three sequences follows the same arc: backbend, twist, forward fold. This is not arbitrary. It is sequencing wisdom rooted in the logic of asana practice itself — and in the deeper intelligence of the nervous system.

The backbend comes first. It lengthens the front of the spine, expands the thoracic cavity, makes room for the heart and lungs. It is stimulating, enlivening — useful energy for meeting the day or the season.

The twist follows as a necessary transition. It releases any tension created by the backbend and mobilizes the thoracic spine. It also works on our digestive processes — physical, yes, but also emotional and mental. The twist helps us metabolize experience rather than simply accumulate it.

The forward fold completes the arc. It calms the nervous system, turns attention inward, and creates the conditions for reflection. What just happened? What did I feel? What can I learn?

The Three Sequences

The first sequence is done in a prone orientation, three variations on eka pada raja kapotasana — one-footed royal pigeon — moving from backbend to twist to forward fold.

The second sequence is standing: Virabhadrasana I, followed by Parivrtta Trikonasana, completing with Parsvottanasana.

The third sequence returns to the mat: Ustrasana, Bharadvajrasana, Janu Sirsasana.

Any one of these can be done in about five minutes. I'd suggest a few rounds of Surya or Chandra Namaskar as preparation before you begin. Breathe slowly and deeply throughout, practicing sama vritti — counting the pulses of your inhale and exhale to equal length — to both lengthen the breath and focus the mind.

Beyond the Mat

Here is where I want to say something more.

When I took the photos for this newsletter, I had a very human moment. A wave of self-criticism arose — instantaneous, familiar, physical. I felt it in my whole body.

I offer this only because I suspect you know this feeling too.

What the practice has taught me — slowly, imperfectly — is that we don't have to act on every thought that arises. We can notice. We can pause. We don't have to believe everything we think. This is svadhyaya — honest self-inquiry, the practice of watching the mind without believing every story it tells — and it is one of the great gifts of a sustained practice.

In that moment I paused and chose a different thought. I love you, I love you, I love you. And then I returned to the practice — moving the pubic bone toward the tailbone in the backbend, feeling the chest broaden and lift, the open-heartedness of it. Twisting to metabolize whatever fragments of the old story remained. Folding forward to remember who I am and why I am here.

This is the real gift of practice. Not just keeping the body healthy and vibrant — though that matters — but meeting the conditioned patterns of our own minds with compassion, and maybe even a little humor. Oh, you again. I see you. Come on in.

And here's what I've noticed — the more I can meet myself that way, with that kind of gentle humor and openness, the more I find I can meet others the same way. The practice spills over. It can't help itself.

An Invitation

If you'd like some guidance with these sequences, come practice with me. I'd love to see you on the mat.

If you try one of these sequences, notice what happens. The practice changes us in ways we cannot predict or plan.

As Mary Oliver wrote, "Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable."