Rinsing the Hamstrings

(waves gently crashing) Welcome, I'm Bex and for this practice you'll want a strap or a towel. We'll be going deep into the hamstrings. So find a comfortable seat and close your eyes. Bring your attention to your breath. And then as you bring your attention to your breath, wriggle out any holding.

Alright, so if you feel like it's the back of the eyes, root of the tongue, hinge of the jaw, I have the shoulder girdle. Ribs, pelvis, just a brief scan seated upward, scanning the body for the ability to release any gripping. And then if there's any residual tension in the brain or the skull or the scalp, see if you can even soften the organ of the brain away from the skull, so it feels like everything is sort of suspended inside the body. So there's nothing you need to do. Allow yourself to arrive right in this moment, this moment.

So you just allow your breath to move fluidly through the body. And to accept exactly where the body is right now in space. So you can notice that a thought will appear and then you can just give into the gateway, the opening of the thought will disappear. Because if you grasp that thought, if you hold onto it, it becomes a hindrance, it gets in the way of you allowing yourself to be filled up in the seated meditation. So for me this is always the heart of the practice.

This dwelling in the space inside. Inside the heart, inside the whole being that you are. So if you're out of practice, the mindset is to be wholehearted, to feel your entire past as one unit. You are not just an arm and a leg, you're everything. You're everything.

So see the practice as a moving prayer for you if that resonates and a space where you can come into that organic you and really revel in it, celebrate it. Hands heart center in prayer. So every practice is a new journey and you pick your purpose, your intention, your mantra. Sometimes the best place is to dedicate your practice to someone you know, to a space, an animal. And then your chin comes to your chest, sealing it in.

So you open your eyes, you'll grab your strap, I'm gonna let you in on a very intimate secret. For me it feels like a dirty little secret. My hamstrings are very resistant. Even though I try to eliminate this word, most people would call them tight. So, feel that as your fearless guide here, I know what it feels like to have resistance in the body.

And today I'm gonna meet it with compassion. So I have my strap, if your head doesn't feel comfortable, feel free to put something underneath your head. If you have a towel, that'll work just as fine. I'm gonna bend my left knee and put the left foot into the floor, you can do the same, and my strap is going at the mound of my big toe, not the big toe itself, but the mound, and the mound of my baby toe. And then the reins of the strap are coming into my arms and I am taking enough slack, enough slack that I can pull without shoving my shoulders up to my ears.

So first and foremost, you begin with that Ujjayi breath, your mouth will remain closed, pathway of the breath is the nose. And you can bend the right knee when you exhale, and when you inhale, extend it. Doesn't matter if it gets straight, it'll have sensations through the back of the leg. You'll bend as you exhale and then inhale, extend. Exhale, bend, right, so there's a rhythm and a ritual to it.

And then inhale, extend. Now this time when you extend, you'll wait, just a little bit. And as you allow the thighbone to slide into the pelvis, you will use your right hand to just gently nudge the outer part of the right upper thigh away from you. If this feels like a lot, keep the left foot on the mat and the left knee bent. If it feels like you have more, you can straighten the left leg.

Alright, so it's early and I prefer to bend my left knee right now, and then without agitating anything, I'm just gonna see if it's possible for my leg to be straighter and for it to come closer to me. Then I'm breathing in a way that meets my hamstrings where they are. And every once in awhile I like to use my thumb to just nudge that hike and hip away. So you just stay here and you wait and it can be extremely beneficial to have a positive attitude about this. Right, so I know there's a challenge here, and forcefully pulling isn't gonna make it any easier.

So I will continue to keep both straps of the strap in my left hand, or the towel, whatever you have in your left hand, and then just slowly migrate that right leg into the left lane, okay? And if you're paying attention, and that's what's amazing here, if you're paying attention, it doesn't need to move very far. The sensations get heightened around the outer part of the right leg. Right, that outer part of the right leg. And I'm not going so far that my face is unattractive, like I imagine there's a mirror on the ceiling and if I were to see myself, I would go, "Oh, I really like this pose, it feels fabulous." Right, so I just stay in that positive space and know that whatever I am in the pose, that's what I am.

That's true for me right now. And I'm not going deeper because that probably wouldn't be practicing Ahimsa right, non-harming with my thoughts, with my actions, with my words, and if I tug too far, all of that would be compromised. So bring the leg back to that neutral place and then just one more time, see if there's more available, and as you do, push that right leg actively away from you. So my right leg is not just being told what to do, it's participating. And then I release, mm-hmm, bend the knee.

I personally like to straighten both legs after that and windshield wipe the thighs. And it does feel like there's something happening in the back of my right leg right now. I think it's an expression of joy, at least that's what I'll tell myself. So that right heel slides in, and then the left knee bends and the same set up, ball of the left big toe, and it kind of pushes away from you, ball of the baby toe, and you're kind of giving that a little more tug. And you see about where the leg can go straight.

Now I know you could consider what's happening in the low back, and there are many ways to do this, so you could do it with a natural curve in the spine today, I'm offering that you can let the back kind of flatten here. And in that space, feel what's available for you. So bend, exhaling, inhale, straighten, really flex the foot. Bend, and then straighten. And last time bend, straighten, and then give it a nice juicy length.

So real firm, and same option, you can straighten the right leg. This is where just a little bit of additional information, if you had a sandbag it would probably feel really good if that right leg is straight. Or you can simply bend the knee. And I put both straps into my right hand, my left thumb gives me that slide, and right there I feel a little shimmy and then I offer a little more space. And this feels like a lot for me, it requires my attention.

I can't be multitasking here, not that I think I ever can, but, I can't in this moment, I'm very single pointed. So I will take the left leg into the right lane, mindful that my hip doesn't get to hike, okay? And as I do that, there it is again, that real deep awakening through the side, the outer side of my left leg. Right if you wanted to be anatomical about it, the rotators, the hip, the IT band, right, the outer part of my knee, and if you didn't want to be anatomical about it, just that outer side of your left leg. Come up through center.

And then again, just check in, is there more available? And whether there is or there isn't, can you be more assertive in the push away as you are in the pull, and feel the rinse through the back of the leg? Continuing that refreshing breath and grounding the shoulder curl on the floor. And then you release that version of Supta Padangusthasana and you can windshield wipe the knees. Right, Saucha is cleanliness in yoga, so I'm gonna roll up my strap while I'm doing this so that I can feel like it's not gonna get in my way in the practice.

And then the legs will go long and I'll windshield wipe there, so just breathing and getting a sense. And already there's some playful action happening in my legs. And even though there's resistance in my hamstrings, there's still enthusiasm to practice and free up space. So roll over and go ahead and flip onto your belly. And as you do that, roll the thighbones in, pin the elbows in, tops of the feet into the mat.

Inhale, lift your chest, little baby cobra. And exhale, release. And again inhale, lift. Exhale, release. Last time, inhale, exhale.

Push back into child's pose. So when you come into child's pose it's just a reminder. This is a baseline for you, you can take this shape at any time in the practice. Downward facing dog. In this down dog just breathe.

And then inhale, lift your right leg up. Point the toes around the back, bring the knee to the nose with an exhale. Inhale, rise the leg, flexed spot. Point the toes around the back through the nose. And then inhale, flex.

Last time, you bring the knee to the nose. And then flex, land the right foot next to the left and inhale to the plank. Steady yourself in the plank, and then exhale down dog. Breathing here, a little more vigor, you'll lift the left leg, when you lift it, it's a flexed foot. When the knee comes to a nose there's a carving and pointing.

Inhaling, elevate the leg. Exhale, around. So you can kind of accelerate on the inhale and then decelerate on the exhale as the knee comes to the nose. Lift and then release it down. Look to the hands.

Step the right foot forward. Left foot forward. Inhale, lift the chest. Exhale, fold into Uttanasana, and then inhale, come all the way up. Exhale ground into your feet.

Feel your body in that standing space and how the invitation in the back of the legs is already awakened. Inhale, arms up. Exhale, fold forward and down. Inhale at the chest, right leg back when you exhale. Left leg back.

Plank, inhaling, exhale, Chaturanga to the floor. Shrug the shoulders up to the ears and down the back, lift and roll the thighbones in and take an inhale for Cobra. Exhale, release. Downward facing dog. Inhale, lift the right leg.

And now when you exhale, take the right knee the left elbow. Inhaling, exhaling. In, last one, exhale. Inhale, release the right foot next to the left. Inhale, lift the left leg, exhale left knee, right elbow.

Inhale, exhale. In, exhale. Left leg lifts. Left foot down. Lift the right leg when you inhale.

Step the right foot forward, exhale. Left foot joins, hands on shins, Ardha Uttanasana. And then exhale, fold. Inhale, come all the way up. Exhale, hands to heart center in prayer.

Inhale, arms up. Exhale, fold. Inhale, lift the chest. Left leg back, exhale. Right leg back.

Plank pose. Slowly lower all the way down and then inhale lift for the low cobra. Exhale, release. Down dog. Right leg lifts on the inhalation.

Right knee, right elbow as you exhale. Inhale. Repeat that two more times, exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Smooth and steady, inhale. Right foot next to the left. Inhale, lift the left leg up. Exhale, left knee, left elbow. Inhale.

Again. Final one. Left foot down, breathe in, down dog. Lift the left leg. Step the left foot forward, right foot forward, inhale, lengthen, and then exhale fold.

Inhale, come all the way up. Exhale, hands to heart center in prayer. Now bend the knees, come into Utkatasana. You sit the seat back, inner lining of the legs sealed together and the arms come up. And then as you sit deeper, arms frame yours, if you need the elbows to be bent, or wide, honor that in your body.

And then hunker down in that fierce chair pose. Pull forward and down, exhale. Inhale, lift the chest. You can step or you can hop, quietly into Chaturanga with an exhale. Inhale, low cobra, up.

Exhale, back. Step the right foot forward, left heel in, very traditional B, inhale the arms up. Exhale the hands down. You cycle through or you go down dog, right? Each breath meets you where you are and you meet yourself there.

Left foot steps, right heel in, inhaling, arms up. It's one full exhale as you transition. Inhale. Exhale. And then settle into down dog, inhaling.

Exhaling. Exhale, bend the knees, look to the hands. Figure out how your feet will land there. Inhale, lift the chest, and then exhale fold. Super deep bend in the knees once again, the arms up, and then there's that gathering of the front body and needing the back body there, deepening the crease of the front hip, breathe.

Inhale, reach up, exhale fold forward and down. Inhale, lift the chest. You might step or you might Chaturanga. Up dog. Down dog, right foot steps left heel in, this time two full rounds of breath, so you'll inhale, exhale, stay.

Inhale. Exhale, go. Chaturanga, inhale. Exhale. Left foot steps right heel in, again, inhaling arms come up.

Exhaling. In. And then through. Patience in down dog, refinement right so, pay attention to the legs, the arms, the front and the back body. Where could there be more lift?

Exhale, the breath releases, feet to hands, inhale, lengthen, exhale, fold. Knees bend, inhaling. Breathe here. Fold forward immediately and down. Inhale lengthen, step or hop.

Right foot steps left heel in, this time three rounds, okay? So inhale arms up, exhale, stay. When that exhale comes, you ride the wave of it all the way down and then the current brings you into the low cobra or the up, and then the swell brings you back, and you step the left foot forward and you ride it all the way back up, inhaling, exhaling. Down with the arms. If you needed a child's pose, I would hope you're already there.

Bend the knee and exhale, look to the hands. Inhale, lengthen, exhale, fold. Knees bend, Utkatasana. Inhale reach up, Urdhva Hastasana. And exhale hands to the heart.

Great time to just close the eyes, right, to remember the practice as a prayer and then also as you recalibrate to integrate that purpose, that intention, so it's so much bigger than the release of the hamstrings. It is the whole encompassing space inside you. Open your eyes, inhale your arms up, and simply fold forward and down. Inhale, lift the chest. Step or hop, totally up to you, inhale, exhale.

Now you will lift the right leg, step the right foot forward, and come into Anjaneyasana, crescent. So the pelvis is orienting in the direction of the front of the mat and then just as much as it is lowering, the shoulder girdle is bringing you into a rising place. And then you simply rise the arms up as well and inhale, straighten the front leg, exhale, bend. Inhale, straighten, exhale, bend. Inhale, straight, bend, hands come down, you can go immediately into down dog.

Totally fine, or you can take the Vinyasa. Right, wherever the body feels it will be most, most supplied with energy. Left leg lifts, steps. And again, you feel the platform, like really supporting you, once that happens, the arms rise, and it's inhale for a straight leg, exhale, bend. In.

Out. In. Out. Hands down, cycle through. Right leg lifts, right foot steps.

Left fingertips are on the floor, or the palm is down. If your hand can't touch, rather than struggle, use a block, remember those contact points help connect you and it's an easy twist. So the right arm reaches up, you sit deeply into the right thigh, activate the back leg. You activate the back leg, it always helps to integrate something that makes you happy into the shape and see if you can be slightly more illuminated. Right hand reaches over, outer right hip kinda slides back, just as it did when you were lying on the floor and your thumb supported you to move that hiking.

And then right hand down. Down dog. Plank on an inhale, exhale, Chaturanga. Inhale up, exhale back. Left leg lifts with an inhalation, comes forward with an exhalation, and then you choose the variation of the hand, thumb comes in, arm reaches up, and as you do this you see about the left ribs kind of reaching away from the left thigh, taking your deepest expression.

And then reaching the left arm over. Hands down. Down dog. Inhale, plank. Exhale, Chaturanga.

Inhale, up. Exhale back. Inhale, lift the right leg. Exhale, step the right foot forward. Wait for a breath.

And then mostly straighten the right leg. You can shorten the stance. My suggestion is keeping the back heel off the mat so that you can roll the left thigh inward, right thigh inward, and really feel that feedback loop through the back of the front leg, the right leg. So sometimes I'll take a micro-bend in the knee and steer that outer part of the right hip back. And other times I'll just wait and see, I'll wait and see what is being invited.

Bend the right knee, right leg back, little longer hold there 'cause we know that that's our focus. Chaturanga, low cobra up. Down. Left leg lifts, steps, there's a pause. Shorten, mostly straighten left leg.

So the right leg is in its own lane for now. For right now, that's where it is. And then if you're paying attention you might notice maybe there's more tension than you would like in the hinge of the jaw or the shoulder girdle. There could be more energy through the mid-line. So looking for the places where you delight in the stretch rather than run from it.

And every once in awhile I get what I call that flossy sense where everything starts to shake a little. And the neurological pathways are removing some tartar, at least that's what I think. Inhale to the plank. Exhale, Chaturanga. Inhale, low cobra up.

Exhale, down dog. The right foot will step forward, left heel will turn in, Warrior II. So you come into Warrior II, find that spacious stance, 'cause this is gonna be a nice long, slow, Warrior II. So reach into it, ride it, see if you can come into that space where everything is working. Then if you need to shorten it a little, go ahead and do so, 'cause you'll sit deeper into the right and reverse.

And as you reverse here you will feel the right ribs side bend and the left ribs collect the energy and then you just see, is it possible to get lower? And if it is possible, is it worth it? Less grippy in your toes. Inhale, up. Straighten the front leg, I know for me, this is a wide stance and I'm gonna shorten it so that I can feel more energy rising up, 'cause my knees aren't like flashing lights, they stay on the whole time and as that right thighbone slides in, I go ahead and take my expression that feels right for me.

So you could reach the left arm straight up, over. Some people like to wrap it behind. Occasionally if you have a longer reverse warrior, reaching the arm over actually helps kind of release any holding pattern, any tension. The right knee will bend, hands come down, and I'm certain your right leg is feeling something. And then down dog.

If you wanted that Vinyasa, I hope you took it. So we're real stealth here, you step the left foot forward, right heel in, you feel the anchored sense through the feet, the siphoning of the energy up and then you just sit deeper, right, you're excavating some energy from the pelvis and so as you reach and you explore, no expectations of what's gonna come up, right? Just this inquiry. Where am I? I'm here, I'm here.

So in order for the contents of the legs for me to stay still, I have to shorten a little bit as the right arm reaches down, the left one reaches up. And then I take in the landscape of the body, the breath, and brighten up anywhere that's feeling a little stale. Got a little stuck, a little out of the essence of the pose. Inhaling up, straightening. Allowing the stance to feel more supportive, and then sliding in with intelligence, which means ownership of my body, the way that feels most appropriate in this moment.

Right, and that breath flutters through the body. So that it can take in that ability to know everything, everything, everything's okay. Left knee bends, hands come to the floor. Leg goes back. Plank pose.

Chaturanga. Low cobra up. Down. And bend the knees, exhale, look to the hands. Step or hop, feet to hands, inhale.

Exhale, fold. Inhale, ripple up, so front body enveloped into the back body, all the way up, rippling right back up, hands at the heart center, investigate what's going on. Where are ya? And then just come to the middle of your mat, so you'll come to the middle of the mat, hop the feet apart, pivot on the right foot, come into Warrior II, put the forearm on the thigh. So that forearm comes on the thigh, the right hand faces the ceiling, left arm over or behind.

If you have more available and you want to place the right hand on the inside, fine with me, right, be happy with that. Breathe here. So notice where the mind goes when there's less instruction, right, less instruction. Can you go deeper inside yourself or do you start to list make? Inhale up.

Straighten, right leg pivot. Revisit for a moment Warrior II, and then left forearm to thigh, right arm over. In this space, if you want to take the left hand down, go ahead and do so. So you reach and you breathe. Inhale, come up.

Straighten the left leg, now both feet parallel. So I often check in with my feet, big toes aligned, and then there are many ways to go into this pose. Today bump the right heel away and the left heel away, which is totally different than sliding your toes in. It gives you the same result, but it feels different in the pelvis. So inhale, lift the chest, exhale fold forward and down.

Hands on the mat for Prasarita Padottanasana. Inhale lift, and then exhale, fold. If you want the crown of the head to touch the mat, you take the feet wider. I often just pay attention to my shoulders rising and my kneecaps lifting, and my weight shifting into the toes. That's what interests me.

Then you will inhale, lift the chest, and now you'll turn the toes out, heels in, and you'll get in touch with your inner spider, ninja, whatever you want to call it, Skandasana. So you creep over to the right and then you will creep back to the left. And then you will hold on the left. And then creep back to the right. And as you creep back to the right, you will hold, breathe.

You could do it with the heel down or heel up. And then go back, creep. Mm-hmm, I know you feel really, really smooth here. So this is a great yoga pose for when you're looking for something underneath the bed and you want to incorporate your yoga. One more each side, creep, crawl, inside right?

This is the inner lining of the leg, and there aren't many places in life where we really get to settle into this place. And there's a lot of possibilities here so, final one on this side. Right, always a great one to just find that inner lining of the leg, that meridian. And then back through center. Align your feet.

Index, middle finger around the big toes. Inhale, lift the chest, exhale, fold. So we went from Prasarita A all the way to D, we skipped two. Fold, and your elbows bend away from each other. Upper outer arms tone and you pull.

So there's a lot of energy in your arms and then the legs. And hamstrings, hello, yeah, it's happening, it's on, breathe. Pull, breathe. Inhale, lift the chest. Exhale, hands to hips, inhale, come all the way up.

The feet will be ready for this, jump the feet together. Hands down, feel for a moment. Right, there's a definite flush and a rinse that happens. Come to the top of your mat now. Come to the top of the mat, hands at the heart center.

Inhaling and exhaling. Inhale to arms up. Exhale, fold forward and down. Inhale, lift the chest. You might step or you might hop, Chaturanga, low cobra up.

Down dog, right. And remember sometimes the form feels graceful and sometimes it feels a little bit flimsy. It's always your intention. Right, your intention is to move from the breath, from the grace in the body. And to do the best that you can.

So this time without lifting the right leg back, just simply step the right foot forward and into its own lane. And if you prefer, you can lower the left knee down and you can just wait right here. If it's available to you without struggle, you can come onto the forearms, this is where a block is great. And then maybe you can lift the back knee. I like to turn my right foot out just a little bit and still keep the knee above the ankle and then snuggle everything into the mid-line, so there's no spacing out, and my legs don't feel like they're wobbly, they're extremely active, they're not sleepy here.

Even though it's called the lounge lizard, you're quite alert here. So you just breathe because all of the leg energy is with you. It's here, you're breathing it, you're owning it, you feel it. Many ways to exit this pose, many ways. Today just hands down.

Right leg back plank, down dog. Left foot steps. The left foot steps into its own lane, right leg is in its own lane, again, you can put the knee down, the hands can be right there. There's a lot there for you to chew on. If you don't feel like it's enough, back knee off, elbows down and breathe.

No expectation, right, the right side might have done something that the left side needed more or less support. And then you feel the skin saran wrapping around flesh and muscle, bones, marrow, breathing it in. That's the fabric as you pour the breath through the body, cascades through. Hands down. Leg back, plank.

Down dog. Okay, right foot steps, it's a short step, and then the left foot steps and it's a short step. So when you look down, each leg is in its own lane and there's, I dunno, two, three feet in between them. And then you will inhale and come up. Now I learned this shape from my osteopath.

And so I think it has a valid support for releasing in the hamstrings. So hands come on the hips, both legs are in their own lane and I just simply twist, and it's like a little diagnostic, where is the point in the body where there's resistance? And then I come back through center. I move my left foot slightly forward and my right foot back, and now it's as if I'm standing on a very small balance beam. And I look forward, and right away I feel like my feet, in their space that they're on, their appropriate section, they have to wake up.

So this is a good thing for me. The left knee is going to meet the back of the right knee. That might be as far as I go or if I'm little daring on my exhalation, I go down. When there's no more exhale, inhale up. Okay, so two more just like that.

And just be kind to yourself, especially if you've never done this before, right so you sit, maybe your ears can go back, maybe your ribs can go back, and then you inhale. And then one more time, exhale, bend. And then inhale, come up. Put the right leg in the right lane and then step the left foot forward. We'll just do the other side from here.

So that right foot is back in its own lane, the left foot is in its own lane, and you twist, and you'll see, and I know that this side feels way more liberated than the other one, so I just notice that. It's not a better side, it has more space right now. And then stepping my right foot forward best that I can, left foot back, hold in that center space, inhale, get as upright as you can. Exhale, right knee behind left knee. When there's no more exhale, inhale straight up.

Exhale. Deep into it, right? A lot going on. Inhale. And one more.

Exhale, right, if you're like me I tend to poke my head forward like a little chicken, so I gotta bring it back, ribs integrate. And inhale, up. That left leg, left lane, fold forward, hands down, left leg back, right leg back, down dog. Plank pose. Chaturanga.

Low cobra up, down dog. Now, the right foot takes a big step forward and the left leg is in the same lane. So now the balance beam just got longer, yeah? So this is one of my most happy poses, sort of. Bend that right knee and then straighten.

Hmm, yup, I remember this. Bend. Straighten. And then one more time, bend, and straighten and then fold. And you'll notice there's a theme here of bend and straighten, there's also a theme of the balance beam and the right leg kinda crossing over.

So there's that side fascial stretch, or that side of my right leg, where that appreciation that's happening where I just, I don't get in here enough. Right, I want to run out of here, but I don't wait in here. In this place, you will bend the right knee above the right ankle. So the public service announcement here is be gentle. Don't force, wait.

You might only have five degrees of movement. What do I mean by that? I'm going to imagine that from my knee to my ankle on the right is a pendulum and it's just gonna tick tock over to the right and my outer right rotators, oh they feel this, and then it's gonna land. So it's very subtle and yet it's super, super at the epicenter, so the right outer hip rolls, and the knee stays tracked and in line with the ankle because I never punish my knee for what my hip is not capable of. So I'm going into the rotation 'cause my hip can rotate and then I press the foot down.

So one more just for fun, and then you could wait, and I often use my front arm to leverage so my knee doesn't get tricky. And then foot down, straighten. It just became a lot more potent for me. Bend the right knee and slowly lift the right leg up and then bend it, so it's just, it's not going anywhere, just lift it. And trust me, there's something that goes, "Thank you." I hear it, "Thank you." You're welcome.

Then the right foot goes down. Inhale to the plank, exhale, Chaturanga. Low cobra up. Downward facing dog. You're probably thinking, when is the floor coming?

It's soon. We'll do the other leg, left foot steps, okay, it steps and it's in the same lane as the right one, the middle lane, the middle path, bend the left knee, straighten. Bend. Straighten. Bend.

Straighten. Wait. Again there's that shimmy, that slide, that steering, it moves back. Might get a little shaky, I can feel it. And I just ride that wave, that current through the body.

It doesn't feel like it has an undertow, it's not pulling me anywhere, it's just keeping me. I'm steady. At least that's what I tell myself. Then the left knee, okay, and this is that moment, back leg is straight, knee is right above the ankle and then the outer rotators on the left, rotate the leg, and then it comes straight up. So I roll onto the outer blade of the left foot, and then I roll right back, nothing changes, it's as if this column is just slightly tick tocking over to the left, and then back.

And then on that last one I can use the arm to brace it so it kind of feels like there's a suction of the thighbone in, and there's that tracking. And then the left foot comes down, left leg straightens, and this is that one where I just wait a little while longer. (sighing) Hands down, left knee bends. Right leg moves back and then you lift it. It's as if you're gonna flip the dog, but you don't.

I certainly think you could if you wanted to, I'm not going to. Place the left foot down. You think to yourself, "What if this was my last Vinyasa?" Chaturanga, low cobra up. Down dog. Bend the knees when you exhale and you'll hop or walk to sit.

Slide the left heel outside the right hip and the right foot over. So we're going into Ardha Matsyendrasana, a nice little rinse and twist. Push into that right foot and seal that right hip down. Take the right hand behind you. Lift the left arm up.

And then take the left elbow outside the right knee. I like to look forward first and let the right side body do what it's gonna do, and then when I feel like there's no more for it to rotate into, then I bring my gaze back, right? And in that space, that's where I'm feeling something, everything, nothing. And then gently come forward. Keep the foot on the thigh, flex that right foot, slide the left heel in, variation of pigeon, variation of figure four, some people like it reclined, I feel like this gives me the most intense and also valuable space.

Lifting heart, breathing. And then gently slide foot, recline, I mean release the leg and then, we're almost to reclining. Take the right heel outside the left hip, left foot over, find that space, point. Ground left foot, ground left hip. Look forward, our right arm up, over, and then again, as the right ribs come toward the left thigh and the left ribs go away when there's no more left in the spiral twist.

Breathe. Slow, gentle release. And that left ankle outside the right thigh, right heel in and lift, so you lift, and you flex, and breathe. You release the left foot. Go ahead and lie down on your back.

If you feel like there's one pose you really, really, really want right now, you can go ahead and do that. Whatever that pose is for you, for me, my desire is Shavasana. Plenty of space for you to stay here. Or awaken with wiggling fingers, toes. Wriggling wrists, ankles.

Reaching. Hugging the knees in. Right into that space. And then rolling to the right. Both hands support you up to seated.

Hands heart center in prayer. Exhale. Inhale. Om. Looking in and down at your heart.

This reservoir filled with an abundance of love, of light, of kindness and compassion. When you're in that place, and I'm in that place, we are all the same. Namaste.