Replenishing Floor Practice

Welcome back. Thank you for being here. So I woke up this morning in my cabin and it was cold and I it was really cold and I got on my mat and I just lay down and the voice inside said it said even in the darkest hour the brightest light is within and I know it doesn't always feel like that. When we slow down enough and rest we can start to sometimes tap into that bright nourishing light within so we'll try to find that together in this practice. So we'll start in the Suptavada Konasana with a bolster and I have three blankets and a strap. So join me. You can bring your bolster or a couple of folded blankets right up against your sacrum and I'm set up with a blanket underneath my head for support and I rolled up two blankets. So when you're ready bring the soles of the feet together and letting the knees go wide in Baddha Konasana and then tucking a blanket under each leg right under the thigh for support so we're creating like a nest for the hips and then as you're ready using your abdominals to come on to your back and adjusting your blanket under your head for support and then just notice what you do here to get comfortable. You might wiggle the shoulder blades down the back and I press the soles of the feet together lift the hips enough to draw tuck the tailbone under and then here allowing the back of the body to receive the support beneath it and there's a process here with settling and then together allow for an inhale and as you exhale let the ribs soften into the body and let's do that again breathing in and as you exhale relaxing through the face and the jaw. You might feel nice to let the arms release out to the sides and then allow the palms to turn up let the hands a little bit more receptive and then as the back of the body receives the support bring some attention towards your breath and begin to observe the sensation of the breath in the body maybe up around the collarbones the rib cage the belly and then allow each exhalation to encourage the back body to soften and release towards the support allowing your legs to fall into the support of your blankets allowing the weight of the head to release and what would it feel like to allow the back of the eyes and the back of the heart out through the hands to feel a bit more receptive soft. And so we'll be in this shape for just a few more minutes what would it feel like to allow the shape you're in to have a bit more of you. Staying present with the quality of your breath. You might keep your arms right where they are you might begin to explore a bit of opening through the chest reaching the arm slightly overhead keeping a soft bend through the elbows back of the hands resting towards the floor. I hear you might feel or sense an opening an expansion through the chest through the front body through the shoulders keeping the ribs soft and quiet the low back easy. Gradually if your arms are wide open you can start to release your arms down along your sides and then bringing your hands perhaps around the outer part of your legs and guiding your knees towards each other and just taking a few moments here to heal your feet slightly wider apart and allow your knees to rest together if that's comfortable just creating a bit more space through the lower back and through the sacrum. Here your hands might rest on your lower belly or you might have one hand resting on your heart and one hand resting on the belly together allow for an inhale and as you exhale allow for a full sigh on the exhale releasing the breath. Again feeling the rise of the inhale and allow for a full exhale. When you're ready extend your legs take a few moments might feel nice to stretch your arms overhead just take a few moments here to lengthen from the toes up through the fingers lengthening through the spine you can feel good to make some circles with the ankles and the wrists in both directions starting to open the eyes if they've been closed. When you're ready to transition bend your knees roll to your side and take a few moments on your side to pause so allow it to be leisurely as you roll onto your side you might take your blanket with you that's been supporting your head. When you feel ready use your hands to press yourself up keep the head heavy and then pushing your props off to the side. We will transition onto our back from here just giving yourself some space so you push your props off to the side and then from here come on to your back and have your strap nearby. From here moving into windshield wipers bringing the arms up over the top of the head soles of the feet wider than your hips allow for an inhale the elbows can be soft and as you exhale let the knees fall to a side coming onto the edges of the feet and on your inhale let the knees come back up to center exhale over to the other side and continue to move with your breath inhale knees up exhale to a side inhale knees up exhale over to the other side. A few more rounds. I'm inviting a fluid quality into the body as you move with your breath softening the jaw fluid through the hips the spine up through the head and then let the knees come back up to center from here draw your right knee into your chest and bring your strap around the bottom of your right foot so we'll just find some movement through the hamstrings and the hips extending the right leg up towards the sky you might keep that left foot bent on the floor to support your back and a few times just allowing your right knee to bend and straighten nice and easy and then extending your right leg up towards the sky now you might keep your left foot on the floor extend your left leg and flex the foot soften what you can releasing the shoulders easy through the face you might flex the right foot a little bit taking a few breaths you might stay here you might bring the strap in your right hand left hand on your hip and letting it open out to the right for a few breaths stay grounded through the left hip and as we say breathe into where you feel the sensation a little softer in the back of the eyes as you're ready inhale at the leg come back up to center take a moment to pause here and then bring the leg across the body so bring the right thumb into the hip crease strap in the left hand inhale and as you exhale begin to bring the leg across your body you might pause when you feel it or find the shape of the twist as a leg moves across the body usually it feels nice to reach the right arm out from the heart allow for an inhale and as you exhale lengthen and extend from the belly out through the limbs find some ease up through the neck and let this be a dynamic bright stretch as you're ready inhale draw your leg back up to center you might stay here you might begin to curl up for a moment draw the chin to the chest forehead towards the shin and then slowly releasing extend through the right leg keep the belly the leg stable as you extend and lower take a moment here to pause let the palms open observe the sensation through the body feel the rise of the inhale allow for a full exhale as you're ready bend the knees bring the strap around the bottom of the left foot extend the left leg up and then let it bend and straighten a couple times just checking and tuning into the left leg the knee the hamstrings and then extending the left leg up flexing the foot softening the shoulders easy through the face you might keep the right foot grounded or extend and reach through the heel flexing the foot breathing into where you feel the stretch there's stickiness in the back of the leg or the hip you might stay here you might bring the strap in your left hand right hand grounds on the hip opening it out to the left few breaths here as you're ready inhale draw the leg back up to center bring the strap in the right hand you might bring your left thumb into your hip crease inhale to lengthen and then exhale bring the leg across the body and you might continue find the shape of the twist and then reaching the left arm out from the heart you'll rise of the inhale exhale soft in the belly find a place where the head and neck feel connected and comfortable as you're ready inhale draw your leg back up you might stay here you might begin to curl up draw the chin in climb your way up and then slowly releasing down remove the strap and then flexing the foot and slowly extend and lower all the way down reaching through your heel take a moment to relax the effort palms up observe you can feel the rise of the inhale and allow for a full exhale so you're ready hug the knees into the chest let yourself rock a little bit side to side from here roll to your side as you're ready use your arms to press yourself up we'll find our way onto all fours take a few moments spread your fingers wide apart allow for an inhale and as you exhale begin to curl your tailbone under get round let the head fully release feel the back of the neck lengthen and as you inhale rolling the pelvis forward arching the body lengthening and then continue exhale curl and get round few rounds moving with your breath you might tuck the toes or press the top of the feet down a bit do what feels good and interesting for you inhale arching the body lengthening wide through the base of the skull and then exhale curl and get round few more rounds you might begin to lean a bit from side to side exploring the shape you might continue this movement you might press back towards child's pose balasana drawing the hips towards the heels forehead towards the earth taking a few moments here softening the face the jaw releasing the belly towards the thighs maybe there's a little wobble in there from side to side as you're ready spread the fingers wide apart be active and then inhale come back onto all fours let's come into downward dog from here spreading the fingers tucking the toes and as you're ready come into your downward facing dog and let's be casual about this so you can bend the knees and walk it off a little bit stretching the calf and heel to the floor and pedaling the feet the legs breathing and then coming into neutral from here spreading the fingers spreading the toes bring the toes the feet next to each other and then from here we'll inhale the right leg high just keep the hips square that right hip squaring down flexing the right foot reaching through the heel inhale and then exhale release the right leg down let's do that on the left side inhale the left leg flex the foot squaring the hips and then reaching through the heel back the neck is soft good let it release this time we'll inhale the right leg high and then let the hip open which usually can feel pretty nice just let it feel a little wild as you open that right hip good and then square the right hip back down take a look forward and we're gonna step the right foot forward between the hands finding your own doing this in your own fashion coming into a lunge and then lower the left knee down coming into a low lunge and together inhale draw your hips back come on to your right heel and then exhale bend the front knee and sink and we'll do this a few times just softening the jaw again you might keep your back toes tucked or press the top of the foot down building up a little bit of heat here and then eventually bend the front knees sink low and you might stay here with the hands on either side of your foot you might play with coming up letting the heart rise you might balance on that right thigh as you lift the heart soft in the shoulders find some ease through the neck right this is another option you might play with reaching your left arm overhead and taking it up out and over towards the right so finding a nice long length stretch through the left side body down through the thigh find a place where the head and neck feel good and comfortable breathe here nice inhale exhale release the left arm down hands around both sides of your foot and then slow draw the hips back flex the right foot come on to the heel inhale lengthen your spine heart forward and then exhale you might round your spine let the forehead release towards your right shin as you're ready bend the right knee tuck the back toes lift the back leg step back into your downward facing dog I promise we won't do any vinyasa's in this practice good as you're ready inhale the left leg high and then let it open so let the hip open let it feel good find that nice long stretch let the left hip sing get him and square the hips take a look forward and find your way into a lunch in your own fashion your own timing wiggle back for the ball the right foot find that lunge it's quite heating and maybe even a bit irritating for me it is inhale draw your hips back come on to your left heel find that stretch through the hamstrings exhale bend the front knee and sink in a few times in and out inhale drawing the hip back exhale sink in more times and can you find as you as we move through this fluid shake can you find that ease that receptivity in the back of the eyes back of the heart and out through the hands eventually sink in again you might stay low here soften what you can or begin to let the heart rise the hands rest on the thigh feel the exhale rounding the legs you might stay here reach the arm the right arm up over the top of the head might feel nice to take it up out and over towards the left now sinking down and feeling that length through the right side body the left shoulder softening down the back and then breathing here in the shape again find a place where the head feels comfortable beautiful as you're ready inhale come back up release the hands around the front foot lift the back leg and then step back into your downward facing dog and walk it off a little bit breathing reaching the hips away from the hands find that nice long length through the spine neck is soft and then lower the knees child's pose for a few moments allow for an exhalation forehead softens belly softens good as you're ready come forward onto all fours and we'll come on to our belly for rolling cobra take a few moments reach back through the legs and the toes slide the palms underneath the shoulders and then draw the elbows into the body forehead on the earth let the inhale inspire the lift as you're ready inhale begin to lift up through the heart and then drawing the back body up into your spine find ease through the base of the skull exhale and release as you're ready inhale press down through the palms let the heart rise and lift and then exhale and release you more rounds like this keep the chin into the chest as you press down let the heart lift and then perhaps the gaze comes up tractioning the heart forward and then exhale and release inhale and lift head comes up last exhale and release let's find that three more times with your breath on the inhale rise up chin into the chest and then perhaps the head lifts tractioning the heart and then release again inhale press down lift wide through the collarbones exhale release and last time cobra press down chin into the chest might come up a little bit more wide through the collarbones heart to the Sun and then exhale and release from here attack the toes and then press up onto all fours get round through the spine be super slow about this as you traction the hips back towards the heels nice low wide stretch through the low back forehead resting hands might rest along your sides usually it feels good to wobble gently after that feel that liquid quality through the body nice slide the palms underneath the shoulders chin into the chest keep the chin in as you slowly roll up towards Vajrasana for a moment feeling the rise of the heart the shoulders and the head just taking a moment to pause here you might stay right here if you had enough of a enough of back bending some of you might play with if appropriate bringing the hands behind you keeping the chin into the chest and then feel that lift up through the heart feel that widening through the collarbones pressing down through the fingers your chin might stay into your chest if appropriate you might begin to let the head drop back and perhaps perhaps bending the elbows a bit wide through the collarbones through the throat tailbone draws under inhale as you're ready slowly come back up how'd that go let's come on to our back as you come onto your back draw your knees into your chest and it usually always feels good after anything or before anything to wobble a little bit from the side to side it's usually just just feels nice okay bring the feet underneath the hips heels in line with the sit bones will take one easy bridge just to reset the hips and the pelvis spreading the toes arms along your sides feel the rise of the inhale and as you exhale curl the tailbone under press down through the feet let the hips lift feel the front of the body begin to lengthen long through the neck spacious in the throat saw through the face you might stay here for a few breaths and reach the hands actively towards your heels if appropriate you might play with drawing the shoulders underneath the back hands perhaps might interlace right around your sacrum and grounding through the feet breathing in the shape beautiful as you're ready to release come high up onto the balls of your feet stretch the arms up to the sky get round through your upper back and then use your belly navel into the spine to slowly release you down feeling each vertebrae release nice knees might rest together souls live eat wide one hand on the heart one hand on the belly from here moving into a spinal twist and what can feel nice often is to fold a blanket in half and bring it between your knee and your ankle bones for extra padding and this feels really good the trick is to just you can have a friend do it for you or you can do it yourself but get it tidy like this and you can bring the knees towards each other like so and then let's roll on to his side I'm rolling onto my right side being kind of casual about this letting the arms just come out to the side and a few breaths here releasing the spine now energetically what would it feel like to have a bit more length from the back of the heart into the base of your skull can you allow it to feel a bit more spacious between the eyes soft for the belly if there's any grip through the hips through the legs what would it feel like to allow the muscles to kind of soften into the bones and then softening into the blanket really if you don't have a blanket between your legs I highly suggest you get one it's really nice just gives my pelvis a bit more room okay whenever you're ready to come up now this can be kind of tricky with the blanket you can lead with the top leg and use your hand to bring the blanket up or you can inhale use your abdominals bring the knees back up to center and then over to the other side and taking it over to the left finding a comfortable place for the arms feel an inhale exhale soften the belly and find a place where the head and neck feel comfortable softening any grip through the hips and you might be working like actively with your breath all right you might be breathing into where you feel sensation maybe it's in your shoulder your ribs or hip or somewhere in the lower back you might just be simply allowing the breath to move through you a few more moments here notice what you do to unwind okay you're welcome to stay here when you feel ready inhale to come back up in your own way you can bring your blanket actually underneath your head but first I'm gonna roll to my side and set up with a bolster under my legs for Shavasana so if you're using a bolster bring your bolster underneath your legs really set setting ourselves up for a successful Shavasana and then what can feel really nice is to roll a blanket perfectly like so to support your legs with your third blanket especially because it's maybe winter cover yourself up so I'm bringing the bolster underneath you and lately I've been taking Shavasana pretty seriously and it's really I have a newfound respect for Shavasana that it's a practice and conscious dying so relaxing any effort in the body or the mind seriously but not so seriously bring the blanket under the head and notice what you do to get really comfortable and tuck yourself in usually what feels nice is to allow for an inhale and allow for a full exhale you might do that a few times and softening towards the support beneath you and you feel that soft receptivity in the back of the eyes the back of the heart melting through the palms hands giving yourself permission to completely drop in and rest and if you find here as you drop in if your mind is pretty active or restless you can bring some attention towards your breath either observing your breath consciously or riding the ripple of the breath noticing the sensation through the body here your arms might be released out to the sides or it feel nice to bring one hand on the heart one hand on the belly any temptation to jump right up and take a few more moments to settle rest and absorb your practice you you you you here if your arms are out to the side you might bring one hand or rest on your heart and hand on the belly just begin to feel and sense the beating of your heart you're welcome to stay here as long as you like when you feel ready to transition allow your breath to gently lengthen and if and as you invite movement back into the body notice what you do feel nice to stretch your arms overhead and lengthen a few more moments allowing yourself to linger in this quality of rest like really eventually rolling to a side taking a few moments to pause and gonna curl up when you're ready to transition and when you're ready see if I can get up press your hands into the floor then join me in a sit for just a few moments feel the breath align you from within all that inspiration joining your hands together namaste thank you for your practice