Stretch & Roll: Chapter 1

Stretch & Roll is a cool/cooling practice and would not have a traditional warm-up/cool down. The class begins with centering and an introduction to breath-awareness so the student is mindful of this while in the shapes. A typical Stretch and Roll class will be either 30 or 45 minutes, consisting of anywhere from 6-14 poses depending on the length of the class and the length the poses are held; including savanna at the end. This is a great class to end the day with so if you are teaching this in the evening, it would be appropriate to have dim lights. Additionally, the combination of long holds with deep connective tissue release, tends to release stored emotions in the body, allowing students to connect to a deeper level of consciousness. This is a great opportunity to remind students to connect to their breath and allow any emotions or tension to come up to the surface. Once you get the students into a pose with the props and adjustment cues, allow yourself to be creative and weave in a topic that relates to yoga such as a quote from the yoga sutra’s or the Bhagavad Gita that resonates with you. Likewise, allowing for longer periods of silence during the poses allows the students to connect into more of a meditative state