INFO Today’s Mini Lab will be focused on Bird of Paradise as our peak posture. Consider it a mini workshop with stretches, drills, tips, and tricks for discovering this elusively elegant posture.

INFO In today's Mini Lab, we play around with various dancing backbends. It's a little mini-lab/workshop exploring new transitions utilizing camel, flip dog, and wheel pose.

INFO In this hermit Mini Lab, we take an 11-minute desk break. Great for if you are working at home and need a moment to regroup with yourself, or perhaps you would just rather take some seated stretches as opposed to a mat class. Whatever the reason, it's short, sweet, and simple to connect with yourself again. Join me!

INFO Welcome to your Starter Pack! Whether you are looking to begin your day, your week, or your yoga movement journey - you are in the right place. In today's Mini Lab, I walk you through a sweet and simple 26-minute basic yoga routine including guided breath-work, a seated spinal series, a standing flow, and finishing out with a closing sequence. I wanted to create something very simple and non-scary for brand new practitioners as well as a re-rooting back to basics for those already in a practice. We all start somewhere! Why not here? :)

INFO Congratulations - you got your shot!* Maybe your arm has gone sore or you find yourself feeling achey. This 25-min sequence is to promote range of motion in the neck, shoulder, arm relationship as well as to encourage rest and ease. I might recommend that this class be practiced later on the same day you get your shot, to perhaps skip it the second day, and revisit it on the third day once you're feeling better. I offer up this timeline because, from personal experience, I'll tell you that on the day after the shot I could hardly lift my arm and couldn't be bothered to move except from my bed, to my bath, and over to my couch. *You absolutely do not need to have gotten vaccinated to enjoy this slow flow that focuses on neck and shoulders :)

INFO Good morning - welcome to The Hermit Lab! Today we will be waking up easy together from our own bed. I offer up some gentle stretches along with a little bit of breathwork and a silly inversion to get us out of bed and onto our feet. Maybe someone will bring you coffee and kisses, too!

INFO Welcome to the "fountain of youth" - the 5 Tibetan Rites as taught to me by my teacher, mentor, and friend Suzanne Burns (owner of Humble Haven Yoga). In this Mini Lab I share the 5 simple but powerful movements known as the Tibetan Rites, an ancient practice that promises to create major shifts in your life if practiced daily. Whether you are in need of a morning routine, an afternoon reset, or are in your head about something - try on this sequence and stay attuned to the shifts created, be it physically, emotionally, or spiritually.

INFO In this Mini Lab, we take an abbreviated (but just as effective) Journey Into Power by choosing to abide in one posture per the eleven sections in the Baptiste sequence. Linked together seamless through vinyasa and thoughtful transitions, may the energetics of each module ring true and resonate as you embark on a rejuvenating 13-minute pit stop in your day for your self.

INFO The inspiration for today's mini lab hit me before falling asleep the other night - I wonder if I can create a perfectly symmetrical sequence? What would that feel like? Restrictive? Centering? Focused? At just under 30 minutes, "Soaked in Symmetry" goes into the mini lab storage because it truly felt like an experiment to me. While practicing, I was so focused on enforcing an absolutely sagittal experience, that my precision and intention behind the movement were palpable; it really felt like a meditation in motion. Join me and feel free to wiggle right and left as you deem necessary, or maybe see how this centered practice lands in your body, bones, and brain.

INFO Join me for a flow that takes us from Dawn to Dusk. No, it's not a 12-hour class - but rather moves through various sun salutations directly into a sequence to slow right back down. Think sun sals followed by pigeon time into savasana. Every now and then I crave a class like this, gets me moving and breathing and then just as things really start to get stirred up there's a 180 degree turnaround, and it's right back down the hill we go. At just over 30 minutes, may this equal parts energizing and grounding practice give you the balanced boost you're seeking.

INFO This 30-minute Mini Lab is a calming and soothing series of movements dedicated to our mysteriously and subtly powerful moon. We begin with Chandra Bhedana Pranayama and move into Moon Salutations followed by variations of other postures named for the moon. Closing with a pelvic-opening yin pose and a sweet savasana, may this sequence and its music pairing lull you toward an admiration for the moon's cycle, wherever she is when you embark on this practice.

INFO At home with a buddy? Grab 'em! "Buddy Up" brings you an assortment of buddy work, be it exercises, stretches, meditation, even a cute way to co-savasana. I partnered up with my friend Jane Ellington, owner of The Shed in Richmond, VA. What a sweet treat it was to buddy up with a friend and fellow yoga instructor and practitioner... who misses hands-on assists as much as I do?? I'm sharing with you some of my favorite partner work and each one is presented on its own - intended for you to pause as much as you need to along the way. Take one, a handful, or all of the exercises (they are presented in a cohesive order should you choose to practice the entire sequence). I've made a fun friendship playlist, or it could be nice for you and your buddy to collaborate on a playlist dump of your own favorite songs! I hope you enjoy your buddy practice!

INFO For this Mini Lab, we embark on a physical journey through the 5 Ayurvedic elements: fire, water, air, earth, and space. It's a 15-minute little ditty that I hope leaves you feeling inspired, energized, and reconnected to nature. If you like the concept, but want for something a bit more peaceful, be sure to check out "The Samsara from Tadasana to Savasana" offering in the HAF Time section of The Hermit Lab!

INFO Lions and tigers and bears - oh my! Welcome to the Yoga Zoo where you can expect to encounter ALL the animals represented by yoga postures I could think of - minus the birds (go peep my "Bird Watching" class if you're eager to get your pigeons and birds of paradise on). Otherwise, stick around for this playful sequence to discover your inner animal.

INFO I welcomed two friends, Emilia and Shelley to demo with me for today's Hermit Lab offering - Down to the River! We headed to Bryan Park for a lovely backdrop and comforting surroundings to enjoy a gentle seated sequence together. Feel free to enjoy the babbling brook that held us throughout the practice or feel free to check out the Spotify playlist if you prefer to have some music with you. Hope you enjoy!

INFO Bienvenidos a mi nueva aventura - juntar las dos cosas que amo más: el movimiento y los lenguajes. En este primero episodio, hacemos una secuencia muuuuy calmita. Primero, lo grabé a voz y después con los auriculares colocados (escuchando mi propia voz, muy raro...) Grabé por video la secuencia para que salgara todo bien unido. Asíque, si solo quieres escucharlo, lo encontrarás en versión audio en la sección de "HAF time" del laboratorio de la eremita. ​Si prefieres ver el movimiento en vivo junto con el español, ¡pues estás en el lugar justo! ¡Muchas gracias por jugar conmigo!

INFO Utilizing exaggerated gestures, my goal is to help you visualize multiple ways to connect with the fullness of your breath through movement. First, I introduce Dirga Pranayama (Dirga meaning "complete"), also known as the 3-part breath. We then explore a vertical breath as well as a horizontal breath. Inside each of those, we look at two opposing visualizations. Finally, we pick our favorite and take 10 full cycles of breath together. I hope that this Mini Lab leaves you feeling more grounded and a bit more connected to your breath than when you began!

INFO Create a collage of any (or all!) of the following inverted postures: legs-up-the-wall, shoulder stand, bound headstand, tripod headstand, forearm stand, and handstand. Tag me on instagram @margarucia as well as #invertedhermit to play along! Contest closed as of 5/11/2020, but participation still encouraged!!

INFO The color series is a separate collection of 7 mini classes inspired by colors and an embodiment of the chakra system, as well as a complete practice incorporating all colors & chakras from the base of the spine through the crown of the head. Come get drenched in color!