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What if your practice flowed like the ocean? This is the approach behind Superflow, a movement hybrid that marries the soulfulness of yoga with the power of surfing and the fluidity of tai chi.
Although elements of this flow are traditional, the overall sequence is not. The following “Dogtown and Z-Boys” sequence features a fusion of surf and skateboard maneuvers and classic yoga poses. It’s named for Venice, California, (Dogtown) and the iconic skateboarders of the Zephyr Skateboard Shop (Z-Boys). The rise of the 1970s skateboard team and their impact on the surrounding culture is chronicled in the 2001 documentary, Dogtown and Z-Boys.
Although elements of this style flow are traditional, the overall sequencing is not. In Superflow, there’s a concept called hand calligraphy. Unlike in a typical yoga practice in which the emphasis is on the poses, you are not printing but writing in continuous cursive. You aren’t just looking for mechanical precision but self-expression and fluidity in your movements between poses.
The four flowing poses that follow are intended to create a graceful flow that increases your active range of motion, bridging the gap between flexibility and mobility. Rather than passively stretching in a pose, you increase our range of motion while you are in motion. Kinetic energy turns to potential energy, and we recoil and expand over and over.
Let the movements open you up to your fluid body. Lose your chattering mind in a state of gratitude mixed with the focus of samadhi, a state of utter absorption and contemplation.
The Dogtown and Z-Boys Sequence
Be gentle with yourself as you move through this sequence, pausing or slowing your movement should you experience any pain or discomfort.
1. Reverse Warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)
Intention: To stretch the obliques on the side body and the adductors on the inner thigh of the back leg. Think of this pose as a wind-up before you transition into the next pose.
How to: Start with your right foot forward, right knee bent, and left foot angled slightly inward. As you inhale, extend your arms straight out from your shoulders in Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana II) and flip your right palm upward. As you exhale, lift your right arm toward the ceiling in Reverse Warrior.
Bend your right knee a little more and press it outward as you shift your outer left pelvis backward. Press your right armpit forward and up to intensify the side stretch before you arch back and gently lower your left hand onto the back of your left thigh. Imagine you’re holding a ribbon in your right hand that flows back and overhead. If it’s comfortable, turn your head to look up at your right-hand. Open your chest toward the ceiling without collapsing into the lower back on the left side.
2. Skandasana Variation
Intention: To stretch the obliques in a spinal rotation and the adductors on the inner thigh of the straight leg. Think of this pose as a hybrid between Side Lunge (Skandasana) and a mute grab, which is when you grab the board between your legs while catching air on a surf, skate, wake, or snowboard. I call this pose Mute-Skadasana.
How to: From Reverse Warrior, bend your left knee and bring your right elbow toward the floor inside your left foot. The lower your hips sink, the more you will stretch your inner right leg. If you cannot bring your elbow to the floor, touch your right palm to the floor and keep your right arm straight.
Reach your left arm as high as is comfortable as you rotate your chest toward the left. As your left arm reaches overhead, imagine the same ribbon in this hand preparing to let it lead you into the next pose. The key is to also tune into elastic recoil energy so —you’ll be spring-loaded for the next pose.
3. Layback Lunge
Intention: To stretch the rectus femoris, iliopsoas, obliques, and latissimus dorsi muscles. Think of this pose as a hybrid between Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) and a layback, which is a turn on a surf or skateboard in which we generate the torque of a turn to create spray on a wave or a rail slide on a skateboard ramp. Anjaneyasana stretches the front body, while the layback lunge adds a side bend. Express your joy for being alive in a dynamic pose.
How to: Starting in Side Lunge Twist, on an inhalation, bend your front right knee and come into a Low Lunge facing the front of the mat as you stay on the ball of your back foot. Reach your left hand overhead and to your right, circling your imaginary ribbon like a reverse karate chop. Press your back left foot into the mat to provide a forward thrust that is essential to keep the lower back compression to a minimum. Bring your right hand to the floor, a block, or your right thigh. Before you arch your back, press forward so you feel the stretch across your front body.
After your left hand sweeps overhead, think of it holding an imaginary pole. The left hand becomes the anchor point from which the chest and hips press forward and to the left. Remember, this pose should stretch the left side of the body, not crush the lower back.
4. Triangle Pose (Trikonasana)
Intention: To stretch the adductor muscles on the front leg and the obliques. Unlike most yoga practices, in which we move into Triangle Pose from standing, we build the pose from the ground up, starting with the Layback Lunge.
How to: Initiate the movement from your left arm as you’re reaching overhead in the Layback Lunge. Exhale as you throw the imaginary ribbon in your left hand forward and down, following the movement of the left arm with your body as you rotate your chest toward the left and bring your head in line with your feet. Activate the foot arches, and as your left arm continues to circle up and overhead, straighten your legs. Gaze up at your top left hand and keep your spine elongated. Engage the muscles along your left hip and the hamstrings of your left leg as you shift your pelvis backward. As you inhale, extend both arms alongside your head and flip your right palm upward. As you exhale, lift your right arm toward the ceiling.
Continue these four poses in a fluid sequence. When the pattern of these movements becomes established, it feels like a perpetual loop that is both meditative and expressive. When you’re ready, switch sides and repeat the flow.
