Out of all the thousands of poses in the world, how do you know which of them to practice.
Or, if you’re a yoga teacher, how do you know what to teach?
Of course, it depends on many of variables, the most important one being, read your body. Another indicator is read the seasons.
At the moment we’ve been doing summer gardening – especially cutting back weeds and hauling full wheelbarrows of them for disposal. This has taken a toll on my back and hips, and I’ve unfortunately experienced tiny twinges of sciatic pain.
Early treatment with the right sequence of poses has sorted me out nicely. The sequence below is a good one to teach my students, too, as in this perfect weather, everyone has been out doing work in their gardens.
Here’s the sequence.
Do 1-6 poses with a block held firmly between the thighs to help internally rotate them, and also to help widen the sitting bones:
1. Tadasana – Mountain pose
2. Urdhva Hastasana – Tadasana with arms overhead 
3. Baddha Hastasana – As above, Tadasana, with hands interlocked and arms overhead
4. Paschima Baddha Hastasana – Tadasana with arms and hands folded behind back, as in reverse prayer position
5. Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward facing dog pose
6. Uttanasana – Forward fold pose
Other helpful poses are:
Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana – Standing leg stretches
Supta Padangusthasana – Floor leg stretches