This week in the cabin we’re exploring something that often gets overlooked in yoga: the transitions.
When we think about yoga, we tend to think of the postures themselves: Warrior II, Tree, Downward Dog, Savasana and so on. We focus on where we’re going, rather than how we get there. But a lot of our yoga practice is in the transitions as it’s here where we often wobble and are critical of ourselves. When we focus on strengthening our transitions, it can really improve our overall practice on both a physical and mental level.
In many ways, our lives are made up of transitions. We’re constantly moving from one thing to the next – one meeting to another, one school run to the next, one season of life to another. We spend so much time “on the way” to somewhere else that it’s easy to forget those moments deserve our attention too.
On the yoga mat, every transition is an opportunity to move with intention and notice what we’re doing rather than simply trying to arrive.
Forward Fold: Rising with strength
One of the first transitions we explore is coming from a Forward Fold back to standing. It’s tempting to simply roll up through the spine because it feels like the most natural way to get there. Instead, we practise hinging from the hips, keeping the spine long, leading with the chest and pressing firmly into the feet to power ourselves back up to standing. Rather than pulling ourselves upright with the back, we allow the strength of the legs to support us. This can really transform your Forward Fold.
Tree Pose: Stability before movement
Tree Pose teaches us a valuable lesson about preparation. Often we’re so eager to lift the foot that we forget about the standing leg. But balance doesn’t begin when the foot leaves the floor — it begins long before that.
Prtactising rooting into the standing foot, engaging the leg and finding our centre before transitioning fully into the pose can make a huge difference to your stability in the posture. And then experimenting with small transitions within Tree itself, perhaps lifting the foot up the leg or lifting the arms, whilst keeping our attention on the standing leg that quietly supports everything else.
Tree > Warrior III
Moving from Tree into Warrior III is one of my favourite transitions because it asks us to trust our balance rather than rush through it.
Instead of throwing the leg backwards, imagine the body moving like a seesaw. As the chest gradually reaches forwards, the back leg naturally becomes lighter and lifts behind us. One movement creates the other. Rather than thinking about getting straight into Warrior III, it’s really valuable exploring how Tree slowly becomes Warrior III.
Warrior II > Peaceful Warrior > Extended Side Angle
This flowing sequence is a wonderful reminder that the foundations don’t change simply because the upper body does. As we move continuously between Warrior II, Peaceful Warrior and Extended Side Angle, the invitation is to keep the feet grounded and the legs strong. The lower body provides the steady foundation while the upper body flows with ease in time to the breath. This is nice to practice as one continuous transition, like moving through honey 😊
Runner’s Lunge > High Lunge
This transition often reveals how much we sometimes rely on momentum instead of strength. Instead of throwing ourselves upwards, we press firmly into both feet first, pushing the energy into the mat in opposite directions, engaging the core and allowing the body to rise with control.
Low Lunge > Half Split
This transition is all about moving with awareness and strength rather than speed. When we move forward and up into Low Lunge, we press into the top of the back foot to find strength from the ground, and you can also hug your thighs together without actually moving your legs, bringing even more stability into the posture. Then when we transition back to Half Split, we press into the front heel, engage the hamstrings and move back with control.
The transition to Pranayama
Not all transitions involve changing physical postures. At the end of class we move from physical movement into Pranayama — our breathing practice. This is one of the most important transitions of the whole class. Rather than stopping abruptly, the breath acts as a bridge, guiding the nervous system from doing into being, from movement into stillness. It’s a chance to notice that we’re changing not just what we’re doing, but how we’re feeling.
The transition to Savasana
Finally, we arrive at Savasana and this too is a transition. We’re moving from consciously controlling the breath to allowing it to find its own rhythm – from effort to ease. Often the deepest benefits of yoga don’t happen during the movement itself, but in the quiet moments afterwards, when body and mind have space to absorb everything we’ve experienced.
The importance of a good yoga mat
A good-quality yoga mat can really help transform your transitions. When you know your hands and feet are unlikely to slip, your brain no longer has to hold back “just in case.” That confidence allows you to press more firmly into the mat, creating stronger, more stable legs and a greater sense of connection with the ground beneath you. Whether you’re moving from Tree into Warrior III or rising from Half Split to Low Lunge, good grip helps you transfer weight more smoothly, engage the muscles more effectively and move with greater control. It’s not that the mat does the work for you, but it gives you the confidence to fully commit to the movement, allowing strength, balance and stability to develop more naturally.
See you soon in the cabin!
Michelle x
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