Yoga for New Years: How to Theme Your Yoga Sequence for New Years

yoga for new years 

The New Year is a time of transformation and possibility, where we can reflect on the previous year and make our plans for the year ahead. Yoga is a profoundly transformative practice that can help us in this process of deep reflection and setting intention, thereby providing a vehicle for the spiritual side of New Year’s. Practicing New Year’s Eve yoga and yoga for New Year’s is a beautiful opportunity to create an intentional experience as you transition into the year ahead.

There is certainly nothing wrong with celebrating New Year’s partying and celebrating the end of this period of life, but adding a more profound spiritual practice like yoga can provide a different intention and help you start the new year off on the right foot. In this article, we will explore yoga for New Year’s and New Year’s Eve with powerful yoga class themes for New Year’s and a transformative yoga sequence for New Year’s to help get you started.

What is Yoga for New Year’s?

New Year’s is the point of time when we transition from one year to the next. For some people, this day is just a moment when we change our calendars. But for many, New Year’s is a time of celebration as we remember the beauty of life and the gift of each day. New Year’s is also a time for reflection on the past and setting resolutions or intentions for the coming year.

Yoga for New Year’s is a unique practice that invites us to go deeper within and engage in this practice of self-reflection and setting intentions or sankalpas about the coming year. Yoga is an inherently spiritual, reflective, and intentional practice, and by inviting these qualities into your New Year’s Eve or New Year’s day, you can set a different tone for the coming year. What we choose to do on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s day can ripple out into the coming year, setting the tone for what might come next.

New Year’s Eve yoga and New Year’s day yoga can often look very similar to a typical yoga class. But the difference comes in the intention behind these classes and how they are focused. Additionally, yoga on New Year’s day may focus more on helping people to recover from the long night of celebrating on New Year’s Eve. For many people, their New Year’s resolution is to start a yoga practice, so it is also common for yoga for New Year’s to be targeted for beginner students. Whatever your intention of practicing yoga for New Year’s might be, there is truly something for everyone in this profoundly intentional and transformative practice!

Why Should You Practice Yoga for New Year’s Eve?

While many people may choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a night of dancing and partying, some choose to engage in New Year’s Eve yoga practice instead. Celebrating your New Year’s Eve with a nourishing yoga practice can provide a unique experience as we move through this portal of time into the year ahead. New Year’s Eve yoga can be a cosmic and profoundly spiritual experience. Try out a midnight practice to transition into the New Year with deep intention and awareness, lighting the way with candlelight around you and your inner flame to guide you on your path into the coming year.

New Year’s Eve is also a time for reflection and intention, and what better way to engage in that than through a nourishing yoga practice? While on your mat, you can explore how you feel in the present moment and create a deeper intention for what will come ahead. New Year’s Eve yoga practice is a beautiful opportunity to start the new year in a different way and open to new possibilities to come.

For many people, New Year’s Eve yoga practice is the moment when we can begin to make changes in our lives for the coming year ahead. Setting a resolution for healthy living or regular yoga practice is a wonderful way to start off your year, and what better way to do that than on New Year’s Eve? We don’t need to wait until after New Year’s to begin making changes in our daily life. In fact, starting on New Year’s Eve can be an even better way to deepen your resolution for change and begin afresh when the clock strikes midnight.

Yoga Class Themes for New Year’s

Yoga class themes for New Year’s can vary depending on your ultimate focus and yoga style. Some New Year’s yoga classes focus on weight loss, detoxification, and setting off on a New Year’s resolution. These yoga class themes for the New Year are ideal for vinyasa and power yoga styles that emphasize these goals and intentions.

However, some New Year’s yoga classes have a more restorative and reflective theme. These yoga classes can focus on reflecting on the previous year, setting an intention for the upcoming year, and turning inwards for deeper introspection. These yoga class themes for the new year are ideal for any yoga style but are best suited for slower yoga styles, such as restorative or hatha yoga.

Creating a yoga class theme for New Year’s is about cultivating a deeper and more personal experience. Take some time to reflect on what New Year’s means for you and think about how you can infuse that into every portion of your yoga class. Start your yoga class with a short dharma talk or a grounding meditation to set the stage and then weave the theme in throughout your sequence to deepen the experience.

Many yoga teachers like to add journaling or other creative, reflective exercises into yoga classes for New Year’s. Allow yourself to explore different options and make it your own, adding your own unique flair as a yoga teacher.

A Powerful Yoga Sequence for New Year’s

Yoga sequences for the New Year can vary greatly depending on the focus and intention. Some yoga classes on New Year’s are focused on beginners to yoga who are setting off on their New Year’s resolution to begin a yoga practice or detoxify from the long night of partying on New Year’s Eve. In contrast, some New Year’s yoga classes are more reflective and introspective, encouraging rest and relaxation. Below we will explore both of these options to give you opportunities to explore with your students on this New Year’s!

Detoxifying New Year’s Yoga Sequence:

·      Child’s Pose (Balasana)

·      Cat and Cow Pose (Bitilasana and Marjariasana)

·      Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

·      Plank Pose (Phalakasana)

·      Downward Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

·      Forward Fold Pose (Uttanasana)

·      Mountain Pose (Tadasana)

·      Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)

·      Sun Salutation B (Surya Namaskar B)

·      Warrior 2 Pose (Virabhadrasana II)

·      Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)

·      Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)

·      Warrior 2 Pose (Virabhadrasana II)

·      Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

·      Sun Salutation A (Surya Namaskar A)

o   Repeat the sequence after Sun Salutation B on the opposite side of the body

·      Garland Pose (Malasana)

·      Crow Pose (Bakasana)

·      Child’s Pose (Balasana)

·      Camel Pose (Ustrasana)

·      Locust Pose (Salabasana)

·      Sphinx Pose (Bhujangasana)

·      Child’s Pose (Balasana)

·      Forward Fold Pose (Paschimottanasana)

·      Head to Knee Pose (Janu Shirshasana)

·      Boat Pose (Navasana)

·      Happy Baby Pose (Ananda Balasana)

·      Reclined Spinal Twist Pose (Supta Matsyendrasana)

·      Wind Releasing Pose (Apanasana)

·      Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Intentional and Reflective Restorative New Year’s Yoga Sequence:

·      Child’s Pose (Balasana)

·      Pigeon Pose (Kapotasana)

·      Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

·      Forward Fold Pose (Paschimottanasana)

·      Reclined Spinal Twist Pose (Supta Matsyendrasana)

·      Supported Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhasana)

·      Corpse Pose (Savasana)

In both of these unique New Year’s yoga sequences, you can also add in reflective journaling and deeper explorations on various topics throughout the class. New Year’s yoga isn’t just about the poses; it is about a deeper opportunity to dive within and explore what this transitionary period means for you.

Learn How to Offer Yoga for New Year’s in Our 200hr Yoga Teacher Training

New Year’s is a special time of year in which we become more aware of the turning point between past and future with an invitation to settle into presence. Similarly, yoga is constantly reminding us to return to the present moment and be in the now. When we take this time to reflect on the past and plan for the future, we can ultimately find this balancing point in time and invite ourselves to be present with things exactly as they are, seeing each moment as the beautiful gift that it is.

As a yoga teacher, you can help guide people through this beautiful experience of an intentional New Year’s Eve or New Year’s day. Teaching yoga is a great way to help others and learn the skills to provide a truly transformational experience any time of year. So, if your New Year’s resolution is to make a change in your life, then maybe becoming a yoga teacher is the path that is calling to you! Reach out to us for more information about our online 200hr and 300hr yoga teacher training courses to learn more.

Learn how to choose a yoga class theme