The Need For Hacker Conference Yoga

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I've take an maintained a daily yoga practice, almost exceptionlessly for the last six months, and without reiterating the standard roster of reasons why, I will just concur that it makes me feel good.

In daily, routine life its easier to keep this practice up, but at events like Conferences and Hackathons finding the time and space becomes more difficult. That's when I thought I could solve the problem of haivng squeezing in this not-on-the-schedule activity, by putting it on my schedule. And of course I could still ignore my own self directions, so inviting others to join me in doing Yoga holds me accountable and makes what could be a chore a bit more fun.

We couldn't conduct a full yoga class, because of people aren't going to a Hackathon to do yoga. So putting on a design hat, what are the constraints we're dealing with?

Constraints

I identified 5 main constaints on the typical western yoga lesson.

Suitable for total newbs
30 minute time limit
- So it can fit in a lunch-break, and you can still eat.
No yoga mat required.
Can be done in "work" clothes.
- So anyone can join on a spur.
Focuses on office-ache areas:
- Wrists, necks, backs, etc.

The Plan

What is actually planned is a 16 part lesson, outlined and joyfully explained below.

Intro
- Sitting down.
- Talk about what yoga is:
  - Postures, or shapes (Asana), breathing mediations, singing.
  - A good mindset:
    - Competition is unproductive - no comparisons.
    - We all agree now to not judge anyone's abilities.
    - Whenever a pose is difficult, make it a breathing exercise.
Warm-ups
- Neck circles
  - Playing an arcade machines without coins.
- Wrist circles
  - Flossing for the forearms.
- Cat/cow
  - Featured in Gangnam style.
- Child's pose
  - Taking pride in being lazy.
- Knee plank
  - Real pirates kneel the plank.
- Downwards Dog
  - Yoga in one cryptic pose that you'll never perfect.
- Forwards fold (Utanasana)
  - Touching your toes is easy, just bend your knees.
- Mountaing pose
  - What's the slowest you can get up?
  - Moving vertebra individually.
- Long Utanasna
  - Understanding the timescale of Yoga:
  - What happens if we do one pose for 5 minutes.
A first "flow"
- Low Lunge
  - At the starting gates of the 0 metre sprint.
- Lizard
  - The concept of surrender.
- Crescent moon
  - Your back also goes the other way believe it or not.
- Runners lunge
  - The first step to the splits.
Balancing
- Tree
  - Balancing as well as stretching.
  - Eagle arms, an optional bind.
- Shoulder stand
  - Easier than it looks.
Winding down and Meditation
- Laying down pigeon
  - Yoga can be done laying down.
- Supine spinal twist
  - "Great supine protoplasmic invertebrate jellies" says Boris Johnson.
- Corpse Pose
  - The "empty pose" for mathematicians.