Play Toward Balance

(gentle splashing) Hey, nice to be together again. So we'll start supine to become more intimate with our range of motion, and then we'll play with bringing that towards and standing and some balance postures. You'll want to have a strap, and I always find two blocks really handy 'cause they make the floor way taller. So, join me. Come towards the front edge of your mat, reach your arms out in front of you, and roll yourself on back down.

Have the heels in line with your sit bones, reach your arms up over the top of your head, soften the elbows a little bit, so you can tuck your shoulders in, and we'll start with windshield wipers, so inhale here, and as you exhale, roll onto the edges of your feet. Let the knees come to that side, and as you inhale, bring your knees back center. And as you exhale, knees come over to the other side, and as you inhale, come back center. Continue like this, so as you exhale, knees to a side. As you inhale, come back center, and as you exhale, knees to a side, and as you inhale, come back center.

Maybe about a handful more like this, just leisurely, let it feel good. Okay, soften the eyes, soften the upper palate, nice. Next time, the knees come over to the right. Lengthen a little bit more on your left side. Like just get a sense reaching your left arm.

As you reach your left thigh away from you. Yes, then inhale, knees back center, and then as the knees come over to the right, get a sense of really, or the left, excuse me, reach your right arm away from you, reach your right thigh away from you, nice. And then you inhale, knees back center. Nice, reach your arms up towards the sky, let them come back down along your side. Find your strap.

Bring your right knee in towards your chest. Place your strap around the ball of that right foot. With the strap around the ball of that right foot, let the right leg draw up towards the sky. Now, I like to hold my strap in both hands, and I like my arms to be extended enough, so that my arms are straightish, but with enough line let out, so that the shoulders can be relaxed back and down. Now, here, for a moment, hold the strap in just your left hand, find your right thumb, and just kind of place your right thumb into that hip crease where the leg and the torso meet, and see if it makes sense to give a little bit of length here, like, see if makes sense to press the thigh bone away from you.

And maintain that, you might keep this left knee bent, but it will be more advantageous to later if it feels good to draw the left leg straight, like let that left heel lengthen, beautiful. Okay now can you keep a sense of this space in this right hip as you bring your right hand to the strap, bring your left hand out from the shoulder, and start to let the right leg open out to the side. Now soften the jaw, soften the eyes. And as this right leg draws out to the side, stretch through the left heel, activate through the right heel, and lengthen out through the left arm, so allow the situation to be enthusiastic, kind to the eyes. Beautiful, let an inhale bring your leg all the way back up to center, hold the strap and get in both hands, and just for a few moments, just kind of wiggle the leg a little closer towards your face, beautiful.

Now keep the let extended, as you remove the strap, shake her out a little bit, couple ankle circles one direction, couple ankle circles the other, and then bend the knee, or sorry, just soften the knee, and let the leg lower all the way back down to the floor, and pause. Big deliberate inhale, and exhale everything. Sweet, bend the knees, soles of the feet on the floor, left knee into the chest. Wrap your strap around the ball of the foot and extend the left leg up towards the sky. Start by holding the strap with both hands.

Soft enough in the shoulders, so that they're relaxed, back, and down. And then just to get a sense of finding more space in that hip crease, hold the strap in just the right hand. Find your left thumb into your left hip crease, and lengthen. Okay, so there's a sense of as if you're sort of rolling the hip away from you, pressing that thigh away from you. You might keep the right foot on the floor, or you might extend the right leg forward.

Juju through that right leg. Beautiful, now maintain a quality of spaciousness in that hip as you switch your hands. Left hand's gonna find the strap. Right hand's gonna reach out from the shoulder, and you're gonna start to let this left leg open out to the side. Now, enthusiasm through the right heel.

Enthusiasm through the left heel. Lengthen, every so often, if you get a little hitch, bend your knee, kinda let it soften, and then re-extend, kind in the eyes, easy in the jaw, soften the face. Yes, beautiful. We are gonna find this shape again and again, so get to know our supine. Okay, slow let that leg come all the way back up, hold the strap with both hands again.

Wobble that leg a little closer. Lengthen through the thigh, lengthen through the foot, yes. Okay beautiful, now keep the leg extended as you remove the strap, okay, shake her out a little bit. Couple ankle circles in one direction, couple ankle circles in the other, and then soften the knee as you slowly let this leg lower all the way back down towards the floor. Pause, allow yourself to enjoy it, okay.

You can nicely put your strap to the side. We'll do one more thing supine just so you have a reference. So bend the knees again. Soles of the feet on the floor. Let the right knee come in towards your chest.

And just see how this is for you. So if the closest your hand comes to your foot is the right knee shin, then just bring your right hand around where the right knee and shin meet, pick a shin. Give it, if it's available, slide your hand towards your foot, maybe it's the ankle. For most of you, though, that big toe will be available. Second and third finger around the big toe, the peace fingers, once you get that second and third finger around the big toe, just see how it feels to let that, to let that sole of the foot come towards the sky as the knee is bent, and just so gently, let that knee come towards your underarm.

Slowly extend the left leg straight, heel straight. And now just see how this feels. Let the right leg start to open out to the side. Keep the right knee bent. For most of you, you have no choice.

For a few of you, maybe extend the right leg towards straight, but slowly. The grab around the toes is what we're maintaining, yes. Couple more moments, little juju through the left heel, little juju through the right heel. Beautiful, bend the knee, bring her back to center. Release the toe grab, nice.

Bend that knee, place the sole of the foot onto the floor. Bring the left knee into the chest. Okay, from here again, if where the knee and the shin meet is as far as your left hand comes toward your foot today, that's what you do. Otherwise, you might come around the ankle. Otherwise, for most of you, big toe, second and third finger.

Press into the right foot as you let the sole of your left foot come up towards the sky. Now let the left knee get a little heavier, okay. Slow, slow, slow, extend through this right leg, like reach through this right leg. Nice, now, from here, keep the knee bent as you start to let the left leg come out to the side, keep the knee bent as the left leg opens. Now, this might be deep enough, and for most of you, it is.

For a handful of you, it'll just be natural to start to extend through the right heel. Yes, beautiful. Okay, bend the knee. Bring that knee back into the chest, hug the knee, wobble. Bring the right knee in towards you and wobble.

Okay, super sweet, cross the ankles, inhale, roll back. Exhale, roll up to sitting, and we'll find our way into child's pose. Okay, chin to the chest. Let yourself roll on up. And then take a moment to set your props up for success, so I'm gonna put my strap off to the side, and I'm gonna, again, suggest these two bricks to help the floor be taller.

It is not required. Okay, and find your way onto all fours, and let's find a few rounds of cat-cow, so as you inhale, arch. And as you exhale, round. And as you inhale, arch. And as you exhale, round.

Beautiful, let it come back to neutral. Find your hands on the bricks. Okay, from here, step your left foot forward. With your left foot forward, tuck the back right toes under, and lift up through the back of the right leg. Now, we've been exploring triangle through the last several episodes.

We're gonna continue. Spin onto the back right outer edge of that right foot. And in the continuation, as you press into the ball of the big left toe, and you let this left leg draw towards straight, do you remember that when you had your hand in your hip crease? Can you have a sense of letting that thigh bone, that femur bone, move away from the pelvis a little bit? Mm-hmm, let the right hand find her way to the waist.

Let that right hip square or open as feels good. Blossom up through the heart, and spiral. Just a few moments here. Press into the feet and bloom. From here, circle the right arm up towards the sky.

Press into the hands, and lengthen. Yes, maybe bend that left knee a little bit. Feel your ability to roll the hip back, and then let her draw straight again. Yeah, inhale here, exhale, windmill back down to the shape of the lunge, left knee bends, spin up onto the ball of the right foot. Step the right foot forward, half arch.

Exhale, step the left foot back. Okay, let the right knee bend. Spin onto that outer left edge. Spread the toes wide. Press into the ball of the big right toe.

Let the right leg draw toward straight. As the right leg draws toward straight, like feel your ability to, to find that space in that thigh. Do you remember when you had your hand in the hip crease, and if you don't, bring your right hand into the hip crease, then kind of lengthen, push that thigh down a little bit. Okay, find the left hand up onto the waist. Adjusting that brick under the right hand is appropriate.

Square or broaden your front pelvic region as feels good. Feel the heart bloom. Okay, press into the feet, stay here, or circle this left arm in front of the face, and up. Press into the feet, feel your shoulders rolling back and down, nice. Beautiful, gorgeous.

Inhale here, exhale, windmill back down to the shape of the lunge, right knee bends. Spin up onto the ball of the of the left foot. This time drop the left knee down. Step the right knee back, child's pose. Wiggle on back, forehead towards the earth.

Beautiful, remember how I promised we were gonna repeat that shape? We're gonna move towards repeating that shape. Inhale, find your way up onto all fours. Step your right foot forward between your hands. Tuck your left back toes under, lift up through the back of the left leg.

Spin onto that outer left edge. Press into the feet and feel, like as you pull your right hip back, remember the thumb into the hip crease. And if you don't remember your thumb, put it there, like press into that thumb as you lengthen. Okay, then place your right hand back onto the brick. Now from here, okay, bring that left hand up onto the waist, pulling the heart forward, and begin to spiral towards what is right for you for triangle trikonasana, beautiful.

And if today, balance isn't your thing today, stay here in trikonasana. Otherwise, we're gonna start to play towards ardha chandrasana, let your gaze come down towards the right foot. Bend the right knee a little bit. Snuggle this left foot in a little closer, so make your stance closer. Adjust the brick, so she's at about a six inch diagonal from that pinkie toe.

I'm gonna put her on the tall setting, that's up to you. I'm gonna move this brick slightly out of the way in case it's useful to see my front foot. Root, root, root. Press into that foot, and as you're ready, lift up through that back leg. Now remember when you were reaching these legs apart when we were on the earth?

Press into that foot, reach back through that leg. Now most of you, keeping the hand on the hip is the way to go. Choose whether or not this hip wants to square a little bit or open a little bit. Choose what feels right. If it would feel better to have the knees a little bent, bend them, press, and lengthen.

Maybe keep the hand on the hip or maybe circle that arm up, reach. Enthusiasm through the fingers and the toes always helps. Beautiful, now to get out of here gracefully, inhale, as you exhale, bring that left hand back onto that waist, bend that front right knee, and gently find that left foot back behind you towards that shape of trikonasana, drag that front brick back. Inhale here, exhale, bend the front right knee. Come into the shape of the lunge.

Spin up onto the ball of that back left foot. Rock and roll and little bit, and then step forward, inhale, half arch, exhale, other side. So that left knee bends as that right foot comes back. Okay, shape of the lunge. From the shape of the lunge, trikonasana.

Spin onto that back right outer edge. Press into that left foot, draw that left leg towards straight. As you draw that left leg towards straight, press into the feet, draw the hip back, let that right hand find the waist. Shoulders soften back and down as the heart blooms. Again, if ardha chandrasana, half moon, is not really your bag today, stay here.

Okay, if it's appropriate, look down at the left foot, bend the left knee, snuggle this right foot in, so you shorten your stance. Allow this left brick to adjust, so she's at about a six inch diagonal from the little pinkie toe, root, root, and only as you're ready, root, and lift off, and decide, does the hip feel better if she's a little more square, does she feel better if she's a little more open. Pay attention to how it feels in that left hamstring. Maybe it's better to bend the knee a little bit. Root, press, lift, some of you are gonna keep your hand on the hip.

Some of you are gonna circle this right arm up. Enthusiasm through that back foot. Enthusiasm through those pinkie toes and fingertips. Beautiful, now stay here longer if you'd like, but when you're ready, gracefully descending by bending your left knee. Hand on the waist as you let your right foot tap back towards the earth, drag that front brick back.

Beautiful, shape of the lunge, left knee bends. Organize your bricks, and this time, instead of coming back to child's, we're gonna come forward, rock and roll, step the right foot forward, inhale, half arch, exhale, and forward fold, uttanasana. Now, for me, what always feels good after something like that, is a squat pose. So heel your feet a little bit wider, and come into that squat. Wobble a little bit.

If squat's not really your bag, it's not necessary, but sometimes it kinda, it can kinda stretch out where you've created tension. And from that squat, uttanasana, toe heel the feet in a little bit, bend the knees, and then from the uttanasana, chin into the chest, and slowly roll it on back up, feel the belly, and feel the heart, and feel the throat, and feel the face, and pause. Soften the shoulders, open in the upper palate. Beautiful, okay, let's find some balance, so I'm just gonna move the bricks to the side. So find a spot where you feel comfortable.

Find a spot where you can gaze at something that doesn't move. Okay, so spread the toes wide, big deliberate inhale. Exhale, a little bit of a (exhaling) happen. And we're not doing anything we haven't already done. We just changed where we were standing.

Okay, so, root down through that left foot, and let that right knee start to come towards you. And so for some of you, you're gonna hold this right knee right where the knee and the shin meet, and right here is the spot, okay. Soften that space and that hip crease. Remember that space, soften there. Some of you are gonna stay here.

Some of you, it's gonna make sense to find your second and third finger around your big toe. And if right about here, you're like, oh, I wish I had wall, go find a wall. Okay, root, blossom. Stay right here. But for some of you, it's gonna make sense to start to root down through that left foot, feel that natural blossoming of the heart, and it's gonna be fun, it's gonna be fun to start to play with extending this leg out.

It might be about here. Some of you, it might extend a little bit more. Keep the grip around that big toe. Root and bloom, and root and bloom, and root and bloom, and you're only letting that leg extend out as much as it's correct. Keep that space in that hip, soften the eyes, soften the jaw.

You'll notice I've extended this left arm out for balance. You might feel more proper keeping it on your hip, but I find it's really helpful, okay. Beautiful, okay, to get out of here, slow, let the knee soften, release that, place that right foot back down onto the floor, and stand. Big deliberate inhale, exhale everything, let a (exhales) happen, nicely done. Start to bring your way into the right foot, soft.

Find a spot to focus on, and remember, as you bring this left knee up, let it stay soft and spacious in that hip crease, remember your thumb. Okay, left hand around the knee. Maybe both hands around the knee. And for many of you, this is the place. This is where you're playing.

Okay, root and bloom. Okay, for a handful of you, though, it's gonna feel fun to start to play with finding the second and the third finger around that big toe. Once you find that, soften again. And then if it's right, root and bloom. Soften, root and bloom, and you might stay right here.

This might be fun enough. For a few of you, though, it's gonna be fun to start to let that leg open, all right. For a couple of you, it's gonna be, you're gonna be inclined to reach that leg up, you'll see, I'm using this right hand not only to talk with, but to balance with. Okay, some of you might feel more tidy, keeping it on your waist, that's up to you. If you're kind of a beauty queen, you can do something like that.

Out to the side, woo! Press, root, lengthen, soften the face. (slow exhale) I fell out of this the first take. (laughing) When you come out, you bend that knee. You release, you place that foot back down on the floor, stand. Big deliberate inhale.

Exhale, let a (exhales) happen. And like enjoy the results. There's often this very highly tuned sense of exactitude from the balance postures. Okay, then give your hips some relief. Toe heel your feet a little bit wider, and come down into a squat, letting your knees bend.

Your heels might come up off the floor, that's okay. Wobble in there. If your squat allows you to, simply bring your hands behind you, and come on down to the floor, you can transition like that. That's not always the best for everybody, in which case you would come forward, and then find your way to the earth. Turn around, knees bent, soles of feet on the floor.

Let yourself roll on back, hug the knees into the chest. Now those standing postures particularly are quite demanding on the hips, and they're very strengthening, and therefore, tension building, so we'll release with a simple hip opener and a supported bridge. So left foot on the floor, right ankle on top of the left thigh. Roll the right hip away from you. Without your hands, let the left thigh draw in, and wobble.

And this might feel deep enough. Most of you, it'll probably feel pretty good to thread your right arm through. Catch around the back of the left thigh. If it's appropriate to feel more, catch around the top of the left shin, and wobble. Let a bit of a (exhales) happen.

Nice, now eventually find a still spot, and as you find that still spot, can you remember that space, do you remember how to create that space over your, from your right femur bone to your pelvis? Like imagine your thumb there, and just let that lengthen and soften. Yes, nicely done. Okay, left foot down to the floor. Right leg up to the sky, sky her out a little bit.

Right foot comes back down to the floor. Left ankle up on top of right thigh. Roll the left hip away without your hands. Right thigh draws in and wobble. For some of you, this is deep enough.

For some of you, thread the left arm through, catch around the back of the right thigh. Okay, for a couple of you, maybe catch around the top of the shin, you're wobbling 'cause it feels good. That rocking motion communicates back into the nervous system that's gonna be all right. So it's soothing, and then eventually, you come into a stillish spot, and remember the quality of your thumb in your hip crease, and allow the femur bone to move away from you. Allow the spaciousness in your hip to occur, kind in the eyes, yes.

Pretty nice, release the right foot back down, shake the left leg out. Bend the left knee, sole of the foot on the floor. Widen the feet a little bit, let the knees fall together. Big deliberate inhale, exhale everything. My suggestion, since you have the bricks, if you have the bricks, is to make our way towards supported bridge pose.

If you don't happen to have bricks, you could take an active bridge pose, if you prefer. Okay so, heels in line with the sit bones, spread the toes wide. Inhale here, and as you exhale, you curl your sit bones under, you lift your butts enough off the floor to find the brick underneath the lower two-thirds of the sacrum. I have it on the easy setting to begin with. Shoulders soft, and my feet are on the floor, and for most of you, this mild inversion, okay, will be perfect.

If you'd like a little bit more intensity in the back bend, then you root through the feet a little bit more, lift the hips a little higher, and you turn the brick onto the medium setting. Again, you want to keep that brick right underneath the lower two-thirds of the sacrum. Generally, the house rule is that if it feels like it's jamming into your low back, it is. You want to scooch it down a little bit, okay. Because this is the Welcome To Yoga sequence, 95% of you will be satisfied here.

Sits high enough that it has a nice inversion quality, a nice stretch in the belly. It's soft in the throat. A few of you, though, if you really need it more dramatic, you could turn the brick to the taller setting. I have turned it to the narrow setting. You might keep it on the wide setting.

Rolling the shoulders under a little bit, palms open, so if you came up to this third setting, and kinda wish you hadn't, then what you do is you lift your hips up, and you go back to the medium setting. Okay, so just choose where you want to be. Soften the throat, kind in the eyes. Can you allow a sense of the, allow a sense of the tissues of the thighs to begin to relax? Beautiful, now if you're on the tall setting, the suggestion is to release down to the medium setting for a few moments.

And then if you're on the medium setting, release down to the lower setting for a few moments, so it's almost like in scuba diving. We're reducing the chance of getting the bends, we're just like, we're acclimatizing back down to earth. Okay, and eventually lift the hips, remove the brick. Place it to the side. Widen the feet a little bit, let the knees fall together, and pause.

Beautiful, okay, hug the knees into the chest, and wobble. Nice, I think a little easy spinal twist would feel really good. Release your arms out from the shoulders. Keep the knees together, bring everything over the left, organize. Circle the right arm back over to the right.

Let the elbow bend, so the shoulder's easy. Excellent. To release, right knee into the chest. Come back to center, both knees together, bring everything over to the left, organize. Let that left arm circle over the top of the head, let the elbow bend, soften.

Beautiful, lead with the top left leg. Left legs brings you back, hug the knees. Soles of the feet back down on the floor, and pause. Before you make your way into shavasana, pause, soles of the feet, knees are bent. And for some of you, keeping the knees bent for shavasana is the way to go.

For some of you, one leg extends, other leg extends. Eyes soften and close, resting. And if you already know you want to take a long, leisurely shavasana, go ahead and click us away now. Thanks for being here. Otherwise we'll rest here together for about two minutes or so.

Again, continue to lie here longer if it feels good. Otherwise start to let your head wobble. Let your arms stretch over the top of your head, lengthening, legs might come together as you lengthen. Bend the knees into the chest, roll to a side of your choice, and press your way back up. Come to a comfortable seated position.

Big deliberate inhale. Exhale, everything. (exhales) Hands find each other. Namaste.