Yoga Sess 05.03.24

The speaker begins by inviting the listener to start in a child's pose and focus on their breath and body sensations. They then transition into tabletop position and encourage gentle movements and stretches for the body. The speaker guides the listener through various poses, including a twist and a lunge, and encourages them to set intentions and dedicate their practice to someone or something. They also incorporate downward dog and dolphin poses, as well as leg stretches and a sun salutation sequence. The speaker emphasizes the importance of breath and awareness throughout the practice. get started. I invite you to start today in a child's pose if that feels good. So you can keep your knees as wide as the mat or close together. Send your arms out and rest your forehead on the mat. Deepening your inhales and extending your exhales. Noticing how your skin touches the mat. How does that feel today? Maybe you want to take some gentle rotations of the head. Massaging your forehead. Sensing the pressure from your palms and fingers on the mat. And as you exhale, letting go of your lower jaw. As if you're about to sleep or take a yawn. Maybe that allows for a deeper breath cycle to happen. And sense the expansion in your lower ribs, upper ribs, back as you breathe in and out. Beautiful. And when you're ready, you can bring your palms into prayer position behind your head. If you do yoga with Adrienne, she calls this a shark fin. And stretch your triceps even further. As you're here, I welcome you to set a dedication for your practice, for our practice today, into someone or something that might benefit from the energy we'll create together. Beautiful. When you're ready, we are going to make our way into tabletop or all fours. If it feels good, you can tuck those toes as you send your gaze up into cow. Exhale into cat. Moving at your own pace. Taking a moment to sense how your body feels. As you're stacking your wrists under your elbows, elbows under shoulders. If it feels good, you can take some circles. Just get creative with it today. One way, the other way, you're doing some circles. Nice. And on your next exhale, actually let's take an inhale together. Deep breath in. And as you exhale, send that belly button all the way to your spine. So really imagine that you can touch your spine with that exhale. Let me show you so you can see that tightness there. And so much so that you lift those knees a millimeter, an inch off that mat. Breathing in. Floating tabletop. Exhale. Strong arms. Breath in. Exhale. Let's start by doing, lifting our feet one and then the other. As if you were marching. And here, we are sending our crown to the front of our space, our tailbone, our sit bones to the back of our space so that we find a sense of length and stability. So yes, we're moving our legs, but how can you keep your torso stable? Nice. When you're ready, come down. Take a brief child's pose. Let go. Nice. Let's come back. All fours. Breathing in. Exhale. Let's put our left arm in the center line of our mat, lifting our right arm up. Towards the sky, taking a twist. And thread that needle through, so bring that right arm through your window. Really stretch the side body. If you wish, you can take that left arm around your back and bind it on the opposite top part of the leg. Where is your gaze? Are you looking up? Are you looking to the side? Wherever feels good. When you're ready, we are going to unravel just as we came. Right arm up. Come back to neutral. Let's take one round of a certain cat or a cow. In your next cat, tuck those toes and send your belly button so much so to the spine that you lift up, floating tabletop. This time we're going to tap opposite shoulders with our hips. And again, how long can your spine be? How strong can it be? Sending energy through the end of it and out through the top. Let's do a couple more here. Breath in. Nice and exhale. Come back. Send those hips back. Let's take a variation of child's pose. So cup those hands and stretch the front of those wrists. So just your fingertips are on the mat as you go into child's pose. Come back. Right arm at the center line of the mat. Lift the left arm up overhead. Twist. Exhale. Thread that needle. Left arm through that window. You wish you could take a bind, wrapping that right arm behind the left. Nice. Just noticing where your attention goes. You can return to the breath. Nice. Let's take some circles to the right. I'm hearing some cracking in my hips, my knees, and some circles to the left. Nice. And when you're ready, you can center yourself off in your mat. Spread those toes, spread those fingers, open those palms, and push back into our first downward dog. Whether you need stillness or you shift from one side to the other, let's take three cycles of breath here. Breathing in. Breath in. Exhale. One more long breath in. And exhale. This might be a challenge here remotely, but if you wish to go into dolphin posture, you're gently going to rest those elbows on the mat and you're staying in downward dog. And if you're here, you know my heels, you can see they're not reaching the mat, but my intention is to send them towards the earth. Let's stay here for a few breaths. Breathing in. And as you exhale, really press away from that mat. Breathe in. On this next one, we're going to take three rounds of pressing into those palms, straighten those arms, bend those elbows, gently rest on the mat. Two more. Touch them up. What if they were even? Even timing, really strengthening those arms. Last one. Elbows on the mat. And press back into downward dog. Bend that right knee. Switch, bend that left. Let's sit those legs together, interstitial feet together. Lift that right leg. Three-legged dog. Bend that knee. Take a deep stretch of those core muscles, the psoas muscle on the right leg. And come back. Three-legged dog. Send your knee to your nose. Just imagine. Knee to nose. Three-legged dog. Exhale. Knee to nose. Three-legged dog. Last one. Knee to nose. Three-legged dog. Stretch those toes. Breathe in. Your next exhale comes into a lunge with that back knee on your mat. Maybe your hands are at your hip joints. Maybe they're in prayer position. Whatever feels good. Sending your weight into that front foot. And again, belly button to spine. So I'm not sinking that weight. I'm activating my deep core and back muscles by engaging. Just imagine, belly button to spine as you send your weight forward. Arms up overhead. Maybe a smile. And if you feel confident and ready, tuck those toes. We're going to do a couple lifts of that back side. So lift. Knee down. Lift. Knee down. Lift. And release. Let's take a twist. So send that left palm onto the earth. Twist open to your right. If you wish, you can tuck those back toes. Whatever feels good. And then both palms onto the earth into lizard posture. Rocking back and forth. Spreading those toes. Almost imagining you have an anchor here at your left hip joint that allows you to sink deeper. And when you're ready, let's come back into plank. Bend those elbows. Chin low. Upward facing dog. And downward dog. Take three cycles of breath here. Finding awareness, strength, and power in our posture. Breathing in. Exhale. Long breath in. Gentle breath out. Collective breath in with a smile. Exhale. Let's bring the soles of the feet together. Lift the other leg up into three-legged dog. I think that's our last. Bend the knee. Stretching the psoas on the left side and the quadricep muscles. I feel that stretch all the way up to my lower ribs. And three-legged dog. As you exhale, imagine bringing knee to nose. Three-legged dog. Exhale, knee to nose. Up. Last one. Knee to nose. Three-legged dog. Breath in. And transition into lunge. With that thought, knee, right knee on the mat. Coming to the other side. Having your hands wherever feels most supportive, whether that's on your hips, in prayer, on your front leg. On your front leg. Just finding awareness of how your feet, the top of your foot, the sole of your foot, are resting on the earth. Imagine the exchange of energy that happens us living in the gravitational field. And when you're ready, send those arms up overhead. Again, I'm activating belly button to spine, so no sinking, but rather really belly button up and in as you send your weight forward. And tuck those back toes if you feel ready. Lift that knee and down. Right knee comes up off the mat. Up off the mat. Down. Last one. Right knee up. Down. Take a twist. Right palm on the earth. Open that left one. Point your left leg up to the sky. Maybe wiggle your fingertips. If you wish, you can stand on that back foot, tucking those toes. I'm sensing a deep stretch on my right side. Come back to lizard pose. Both palms on the earth, rocking back and forth. And when you're ready, step back into plank. And here I invite you to pause. We take three breath cycles together. Breathing in, strong plank. Exhale, lift those cheekbones. Your next inhale, imagine your lungs moving. Breathing in. Exhale. Last one. Send a little warmth to your circulation system. Breathing in. And release. Bend those elbows. Upward facing dog. And downward dog. If you need to take a child's pose, you're always welcome. I can't really see you, so you could be doing absolutely everything and anything. Shake that head no. And nod that head yes. Deep breath in. And exhale. Walk those feet up to your hands or hop and come into a forward fold. If you wish, you can grab the back of your leg, if that's available to you, or fingertips on the mat. Just take a second to ground yourself. If you wish, you can bend those knees. Really imagine a thread from your tailbone out through your crown. Just like if we were pulling from two ends. What does that feel like? Does it relieve any pressure? Similarly, we have a thread from big toe to opposite big toe, but through our inner legs and actually through our pelvic floor and our perineum, if you're familiar. Nice. When you're ready, we're going to roll up slowly, vertebrae by vertebrae. I'm feeling cold. This is sun salutation, so follow along. If you wish, you can slow at your own pace. Step into the front of the mat, breath in, arms up overhead. Swallow and dive down. Palms onto the earth so you can step or hop to your back. To the back of your mat, bend the elbows to each other. And downward dog. Let's take two more just like that. Breath in, step or hop to the front of the mat. Forward fold. This time, let's take a flat back, press away. Exhale, forward fold. Let's roll up again. Let your spine be loose and healthy. Breath in, arms up. Exhale, swallow and dive down. Palms on the earth, hop or step to the back of your mat. Chaturanga, bend those elbows. Upward facing dog. And downward dog. Breath in, exhale. Let's actually walk our hands to our feet. Forward fold, shake your head no, bow your head yes, and come up. Halfway, flat back, release down. Nice, and roll up. Vertebrae back, vertebrae. Breath in, arms up overhead. Swallow and dive down. Forward fold. This time, walk those hands out into your plank. Bend those elbows. Chaturanga. Upward facing dog. And downward dog. Beautiful job. Breathing in, out. Deep breath in. Okay, so when you're ready, we're just going to meet in a seated position. Let's start by tucking that right, I'm going to turn the camera down, but you can see my leg, so for me it's my right leg that's tucked in. And let's start by taking a mental picture of where we are in our bodies, in our space. Maybe you're facing a new direction you don't usually face, or a familiar one. And if it's available to you, you can place that left arm on top of that right leg. Take a side bend towards that left leg. And I'm inviting my opposite sit bone, both sit bones, to be on the mat. And back to neutral. Take a rotation, so twist your torso, shoulders, face that left leg. And maybe you touch your knee, maybe, I always feel like I show the extensive version of that stretch, but wherever you are, honor the journey you're on. There's no need to rush, no need to reach any certain picture. And relax that head down. Beautiful, when you're ready, roll back up to center. And for something a little bit exciting, maybe more challenging, place that right palm behind your hips, and we're going to lift those hips up overhead, and send them forward. So you're just stretching the front part of your body, kind of like a wild thing, but just stretch, stretch, stretch. Breathing in, and come back. And we're going to switch sides, so whatever side you didn't do, bring that leg in. Returning to that mental image, how does your body feel? Notice maybe something new in your space, and send that right palm on the top of that left leg. And take a side bend, reaching towards that right foot. Deep breath in, and out. Sensing that stretch travels all through your side, maybe into the side and back of your neck. And come back slowly to neutral. Rotate, so twist that spine, so your shoulders are facing that right leg. And however feels good, reach towards that right leg, and however feels good, reach towards that right leg. A different stretch in a different orientation, and we're still considering belly button to spine, as you release the weight of the head. Nice and slowly roll back up to center, and if you took that fun adventure on the right side, take it on the left. So place that left arm behind your hips, and you're going to press into it, making sure you're not slipping off your mat, and send your hips to the front of your space. Really stretching from your toes all the way to your fingers. Deep breath in, and out. Beautiful. We can come to, I don't know where you are on your mat, but come so that you are ready to lay on your mat for our final resting posture. But before we get there, you can keep the soles of the feet planted on the earth, bent knees. Send those fingertips forward. If you exhale, what can you let go of? What can you let go of? And slowly, we're going to roll back. So feel your weight center go from your sit bones, to your tailbone, to your sacrum. It's like you're giving yourself a massage, and then you feel it go through your lumbar, your lower spine. Maybe you start shaking like me. You take a little further, curving that spine. You feel it go to your thoracic, your mid-back, before your shoulder blades or your wings hit the mat, and gently roll. So we arrive into Shavasana. Closing our eyes. Breathing in the sweet oxygen, and letting go the carbon dioxide. You can rest your palms wherever that feels good. If they're open by the sides, one at the heart, one resting on top of your hips, whatever feels good. Noticing how the mind is, the body feels. Feeling the weight centers of the body rest on the earth. So you can stay there as long as it feels good. Connecting to your breath. If you do need to continue on with your day, you can slowly begin to waken the physical body and roll up to a seated position. Wonderful. So thank you all for joining. I'm going to turn off our team session, but feel free to stay there. Again, it's such an honor to serve you, to guide this practice.