Yin to Listen In

(rushing water) Hi there, it's sweet to see you again. So let's slip into another yin sequence. This time we'll offer a few new postures. We'll start to play with a little longer hold. But again, always remembering that you're the one in there not me.

So as you want to adjust the shape, adapt the shape, and even change the amount of time, please, that's the whole point. The whole point of the practices of yoga is to start to kind of like really know who you are. Okie dokie. So we're gonna start with what sometimes gets called boxed pose, sometimes double pigeon. Up in the colder climates they usually call it fire log.

I'm gonna start out on my way in there. I'm gonna bring my top foot so my right foot into the crux of my left elbow. And just create a little wrap. So I'm just gonna wobble around a little bit. So just let the leg rock back and forth a little it.

And then only as you feel ready. Like wait for the right time. You're gonna find that right ankle right on top of that left knee. Schnoogle it in and then let yourself take a big old handhold of that right thigh and sort of roll the right thigh open and away from you. So you're creating an external rotation.

So that that right knee might land down on that left ankle. Perhaps maybe grab it. It might feel more like this. Maybe that's fine. If you're a little bit high, if your box pose looks more like envelope you just keep on keep on wrapping.

Or maybe at this point you choose something like pigeon or cow face. Now, big deliberate inhale. Exhale, let a (exhale) happen. We're gonna be offering ourselves to this shape for about five minutes. Okay?

Now five minutes as we've talked about is a long time if you're forcing something. So again, big deliberate inhale. Exhale everything. Soft in the low belly. Soft in the jaw.

Kind in the eyes. Open in the ears. And you just wanna give this hip time to settle. So you might bring that top right hand down onto that right knee and just again, you're not (imitates cracking), jamming it or anything. You're just kinda letting it be like, hey, what's up.

I need to kinda wobble it a little bit. And the energetic enthusiasm that often arises up out of the hips if you're newer to this, that's kind of what can be overwhelming. It can kind of bubble up and it can feel like over exciting up through the heart and through the throat and up through the face. And so the need to kid of inhale and exhale let a (exhales) happen. So this might be the spot you stay.

Just getting used to this demand of this external rotation in the hip. Getting used to this situation you've got happening here. If and when it feels appropriate, some of you might choose to start to lean forward and then letting a little bit of weight. You know, use your elbows as just this little bit of weight. Wobble it a little side to side.

Soft in the mouth. Soft in the eyes. And you'll know you're rushing 'cause it will feel like you're rushing. You'll have a sense of tension in the mouth, and the eyes, and the tongue, and the jaw. And you'll be already wondering, are we there yet?

And so the key as you slip into this it's a known understanding among the yogi's that more important than what you're doing or what we're doing is how we're doing it. The quality of the actor has more impact than the quality than the actual actions. So let a (deep exhale) happen. Okay, so better to be here, up with the leg lifted and be in a relaxed easy kind space than to be lower and be irritated. Annoyed okay.

And forcing. That's generally accepted and agreed upon. Okay and again, I like to kinda wobble a little bit from side to side. That just really, it just helps me. It soothing to the nervous system.

Just like rocking a small bean. And so for some of you this might be the spot. And only you're gonna know, okay, you're on the honor system out there. Only you're gonna know if it's appropriate to start to let your hands come a little bit more forward. And you might reach out through the fingertips and just kinda let your chin drop in.

(exhales) Again, wobbling it a little bit from side to side. Some of you might be inclined to be down on the forearms. That can feel really nice, 'cause that sometimes that lets your back round a little bit more than reaching the arms out in front of you. Some of you might support your head and your thumbs. There's this sweet little spot right in the upper eye sockets where your thumbs sort of fit nicely.

If you happen to have a brick, or a bolster, or a blanket to put your head on, you could do that. Now of course some of you are in the spaghetti club and if you're in the spaghetti club then it might make sense. Okay perhaps rabbit, it might make sense to let yourself come all the way down. Letting your head find your way. Maybe it's towards the floor.

Maybe it's resting on your hands. (exhale) If you're forcing, all you're doing is getting better at force. (exhale) Deliberate inhale. Exhale everything, soft in the mouth. Kind in the eyes.

Easy in the jaw. Just about a half a more minute or so. Not even quite that. Let the sit bones widen. Let the buttocks relax as much as possible.

Softer in the lips. Nice, super nice. So pretty. As you're ready, chin to the chest and slow, let yourself roll all the way back up and pause. Lean back, free your legs.

And you decide what would feel best. Some of you it's gonna feel good to let them go widish. Some of you it's gonna feel good to let them just come out in front of you. But just let your legs open a little bit and just kinda pause. Palms turn up, close your eyes.

Soft down through the belly. Easy on the back of the heart. Wide up in the base of the skull. Open and dome up in the upper palate. And again, soak up the results.

Like the temptation here can be to kind of work that out, shake the leg out a little bit, do a lot of things. Not that that's bad but, can you just like find a place of stillness so you can really accurately assess the medicine. Mostly also so you can find out if that was actually good for you. Okie dokie, other side. So on this side my bottom leg is now my right leg and my top leg is my left leg.

Just make sure you're working your other side. Find that left foot in the crux of your right elbow. Wrap that left hand around and wobble it a little bit. I like to let my hips turn with this. So as my left hip goes back I like to kinda look over my left shoulder a little bit.

I'm sure I can easily find somebody to tell me that was wrong. (deep exhale) And do this, like really drag this out a little bit. This is part of it. Again we're gonna be offering ourselves to this for about five minutes. So as that left ankle now finds itself on top of the right knee.

Use your hands, get a big old hold of that left thigh and let her externally rotate like (exhales). So I'm rolling her out to the left. That will help me bring that left knee down. (exhales) I'm gonna gently let my left hand assist. Okay.

Be aware of the flex of that top left foot. The temptation sometimes is to let the ankle curl and let this slip in a little bit. Nothing horrible is gonna happen. But that's gonna take the action out of the hip and put more intensity in your ankle joint. And we're trying to allow this opportunity to be in the bigger joints.

So the knee and the ankle are the baby joints of the hip. Just like the wrist and the elbow are the baby joints of the shoulders. And they'll try to do the movement for those joints. You can see that my elbow was trying to do the work of my shoulder recently. (laughs) Big deliberate inhale, exhale at a (exhales) happen.

Soft in the jaw, kind in the mouth, easy on the eyes. And again, maybe you're just kinda using that top hand. And again, it's just a gentle offering of weight. If the hip senses that you're trying to get her to do something she doesn't wanna do, she'll resist just like we all do. Nobody likes to be fixed.

Nobody likes to be made to do something they don't wanna do. And she'll fight back. So it's more, this practice is an invitation to get to know ourselves. And this might be the spot. Again, that knee might even be a little bit higher as we talked about.

It's the quality of use. You hang where you're at. Only, only, only, if you really have this sense of green light and it's a quality of leaning in towards conversation with a dear friend. And if you lean into a conversation with a dear friend with a lot of advice, with a lot of need, and want, and agenda, it'll have a particular tone. But if you lean into a conversation with a dear friend with your ears open and your mouth soft, and your eyes curious, and your mind expansive, and your heart soft.

Then it's a different engagement. And that's what the zin yoga shapes are inviting. They're inviting us in to conversation. Yeah. So again, right now I'm using one elbow.

I'm using my left elbow on my left knee and my right elbow just kinda in the sole of the foot. And while you could, while you're here, you could make a decision to kind of offer yourself a little foot rub or an elbow rub. That's not a bad thing and yet, it can also be a little distracting in this scenario. (exhales) It's not unusual to feel a lot of jaw tension. (speaks gibberish) Again, some of you this is the perfect spot.

And the tonality will change. It's not like you just get more and more and more and more and more and more quote unquote flexible through a shape. Sometimes new layers reveal themselves and you're asked to back off. So you gotta listen to that. Maybe some of you have come down onto your elbows.

Like I'm finding that on this side as I come down to my elbows it's a little more than I need right now. So I'm just gonna come back up onto my fingertips and walk my hands a little forward. Kinder in the base of the skull. Softer in the jaw, easier in the eyes. And again, even though in this segment we're offering ourselves here for five minutes, we might have already gotten to your bus stop.

In which case you might have already gotten off. Wait for us, we'll be there soon. (exhales) Just about one more minute. Base of the skull wide. Soft in the eyes.

Wider in the ears. (exhales) Notice the grip in the outer IT bands. Can you let your outer hips relax. Soften the floor of the pelvis if that makes sense. Wide across the sit bones.

Beautiful. Okay, chin to the chest. Roll it on back up. Really nice. Now lean back and carefully and slowly free your legs again.

Maybe they come straight out in front of you. Maybe they come wide. Let a little bit of a (exhales) happen. Soften in the low belly. Kind in the heart.

Be in a spot, you might even let yourself slump a little bit if that feels better. In fact, I'm finding that today it feels actually pretty good to slump. Like just allow yourself to notice the results. Yes. Beautiful.

So nicely done. So let's meet at the back of our mat in child's pose. I like to let my knees widen a little bit. Wobble it a little bit from side to side. Forehead comes down onto the earth.

We're gonna make our way into a lunge. I'm gonna be sharing a variation that you may or may not be interested in. Okie dokie. Let yourself come up onto all fours. Step your left foot forward, the right knee is back.

Organize so it's comfortable. And then introduce yourself. So before we start our timing, just kinda introduce yourself. Inhale draw back, exhale sink in. Inhale draw back and exhale sink in.

And just do that a few times. Nice. Okay now next time you sink in, see if it's interesting to you to draw back just a little bit and externally rotate the left hip, turning the left foot out. And then sink in again. Okay so what this does, this is gonna add a little bit of external rotation in the lunge.

My friend Mattie Pesendian showed me this a million years ago. Mattie Pesendian's here. His show is called Yoga Chi or Yoga Chi. Okay so you might stay here. This might feel good and you might even just kinda roll it around here.

Just kinda check out what's going on in the inner line. Check out what's going on in the outer line. That might feel good. If it's interesting to enhance the opportunity, sink down through that right hip. I'm gonna choose to tuck my back right toes under a little bit and reach back through the leg.

That just helps add a little bit of traction for me knee. So draw the heart up, roll the shoulders back and down and then sink in. And if it's uncomfortable for you to have the hands untethered you can have bricks here. Nice. I'm reaching back a little bit through that right heel.

If you have the top of the foot on the floor press a little bit through the top of the foot. This left hip is externally rotating. Heart is blossoming. Shoulders back and down. Ha in my jaw.

Soft in the eyes. Yes. And beautiful, remember, if you ever come to a spot that's like more than is useful, back out a little bit. And change it. You make it work for you.

Human beings, we're amazingly adaptable. Which also means that we're really good at adapting to when it's crappy. The play is like (exhales), you don't need to adapt to the crappy. Adapt to make it good. Yeah.

(purrs) (exhales) Nice. Beautiful. You might be in the perfect spot. I'm gonna choose to bring my hands back down for the last part. Turn that foot back forward and just kinda sink in a little bit more standard.

Just 'cause it feels good for me today. Beautiful. Just about 15 more seconds. Gorgeous. Hmmm.

If you're still upright let your hands come back down to the earth. Slow, organize that foot so she's pointing straight forward and then eventually use your hands to help draw your hips back. Let that left knee come back widening the knees a little bit. Snuggle on down and in child's pose. Forehead towards the earth.

Beautiful. Okie dokie. Let an inhale bring you back up onto all fours, other side. So for me that's my right foot. As you bring your right foot forward and through back off a little bit.

Sink in a little bit. Back off a little bit. Sink in a little bit. Do that a few times. You wanna allow yourself to feel introduced to the shape.

And then eventually again, it just might be better even though we're working on a variation with an external rotation in the hip. This might be the better variation for you, stay here if it is. Okay, only if appropriate. Maybe back your hips up a little bit. Rotate that hip so you're turning your toes out and then sink in.

Adjust the back leg if this feels correct. And you might just get used to it here. You might kind of roll it onto the outer hip. Roll it onto the inner hip. This might be the spot.

Okay and again as we've talked about, no need to let the tyranny of what you did on one side command the other side. They're two very different sides. Only if it feels right. So walk your hands back. Let your heart lift, let the hips sink.

Maybe the shoulders roll back and down and maybe the hands like sink in. Okay like maybe. And if it feels weird to have the hands up off the earth. If your hands aren't quite touching the earth put some bricks underneath there. (exhales) Left sit bones sinking in, heart open, easy in the face and the jaw.

Again, this variation may not be for you but don't blame me blame my friend Mattie. (laughs) Kidding Mattie. (exhales) Notice, if you're trying to beat the posture. I'll let you in on a little secret. She's gonna win.

So you're in it together. Nice. Now for you it might feel quite good for you. You might choose to stay in that upright position. You might have changed your hands on the knee.

You're just finding what works for you. For me I'm finding that it's gonna feel better for me to come on back down. Draw my hip back a little bit. Turn my right foot forward and sink back into the more quote unquote conventional lunge for the last part. On this side I'm gonna let the top of my left foot come back and down and sink.

Beautiful. Just about 10 more seconds. Super nice. When you're ready, if your hands are lifted let them come back down to the floor and then eventually find your way back child's pose. Draw the hip back, let the right knee come back.

Wiggle on back and through and sink in. Beautiful. Beautiful, chin into the chest. Let yourself roll on back up. Feel the belly.

Feel the heart and the throat and the face. We're gonna make our way towards a back bend. I'm gonna introduce a shape known as saddle in the yin yoga practice. If saddle seems like it's a little bit much, then an alternative is the seal or the sphinx that we've already explored. So the big toes touch.

Okay I'll just show so you can see that. The big toes touch. And then you sit back on your heels. So it's different than Virasana, heroes pose. Where your heels are on the outside of your hips.

You're sitting on your heels. Now, if you're doing this and this is already painful, it's not gonna get any better. So you're gonna wanna switch out to seal our sphinx pose. Some of you might at this point choose to have a bolster or something behind you so there's something to catch you. Draw your sit bones under a little bit.

Start to walk your hands back. Now the thought here is that we're gonna be here for about five minutes. We'll see if that happens. (laughs) Snuggle in a little bit. And just check it out.

See how it feels in your knees. See how it's feeling in your ankles. Again if you rush, you will rush back. If it's appropriate, you come down onto your elbows. Check it out.

Make sure it feels okay. And right about here if you're wishing you had some support behind you and you don't, hit pause, get some support. Some of you it might make the most sense to hang out right about here. Nice. You've already been in this.

Almost a minute. So we only have about four more minutes to go. This is one of those times when it's really helpful to have somebody on a timer. (laughs) Maybe the upper back has come back down to the floor, maybe. Soft in the center of the heart.

Now this is weird because it goes against most of what you know in virasana. You're actually, instead of kind of the effortful lengthening out of your low back, which is somewhat instinctual and also trained okay. You're softening your buttocks and you're allowing your lower back to soften as well. So you're letting the front of the body feel heavier, mellower. Soft down through the fronts of the thighs.

Now the knees are such amazing, beautiful, sensitive joints. And rarely have I found that being in a position that causes great knee pain is beneficial. So please, please, please, please, if you're having more than the usual sense of wow, that's a strong stretch sensation, it's not working out. You're gonna feel the stretch of the thighs. It's like the stretch reaches her like fingertips or tentacles down around the knees.

That's normal. Soften the low back, letting the belly ease. Now your arms could be down along your side. But some of you it's gonna feel more natural to kinda let your hands clasp your elbows up over the top of your head. (train whistle blows) Soften the front of the heart.

Kinder in the eyes. Like notice where you can let the shape have more of you. Notice if there's secret tension building around the shoulders and the neck. Let that soften. Notice if you're staring at the ceiling.

Let your eyes feel kinder. You and me, we're in this together. Okay, but you're the one in you. And so even though maybe we technically haven't hit the five minute point yet. Like if you're done, if you're cooked, you get out.

Okay now there are two methods of dismount. One is to use your elbows, hold onto your legs a little bit, and use your belly and come on back up. Okay, that might make the most sense. Another one, and this one takes a little bit more finesse, but for someone who's gonna be better is to so tenderly gently roll to the side and free one leg. (exhales) And then so tenderly and gently roll it back into the center and free the other leg and rest and pause.

Buttocks down and the soles of the feet on the floor and might be like (exhales). Like you just wanna be so tender. That's a big long stretch for the knee joint. And so it's only as you're ready you might let those legs come in towards you. And only as you're ready you might stretch the legs over the head and flex your feet.

Those of you that came up with your elbows and your belly, you have now freed your legs and you move into a seated forward fold if that would feel good. You're flexing your feet. You're lengthening through the backs of the legs. Whether you're seated or supine. And then like use your hands to kind of just hold the knees a little bit and be like, awesome job! Okay, then hug the knees into the chest.

Now after a big back bend like that, what's the next thing to do is a forward bend. Okay, so we've already explored seated forward fold. Which may make more sense. So we're gonna explore the yin version of Karna Pidasana. Ear pinning pose.

Which is a variation of Plough Halasana. If you're working with cervical, neck mischief, or it's not a great idea to increase the pressure in the cranium region, then this isn't gonna work out so good. You're gonna wanna find yourself in the seated forward fold with the legs straight. Or maybe even on your back with the knees into your chest. Once we get there we'll be holding for about three minutes.

What I suggest is if you've never done this posture, watch first so that you're not trying to turn your head and see what I'm doing while you're doing it. 'Cause that's not considered really awesome for your neck. Step one, we're gonna roll on back. You're gonna hug the knees into the chest and wobble. And just make sure this is okay.

Okie dokie. Then we're gonna let the legs come back behind our head. And you're gonna let your back round. So in more conventional instructions of the Halasana Plough pose the sit bones are told to go up towards the sky. In this yin version, you're letting your back round.

The pressures coming onto your upper shoulders. And then only as it feels good you will then start to bend your knees and let them come towards your forehead. Or maybe letting them start to come around your ears. And just watch this, just in case you're new. Hands might hold on to the heels.

I like to bring one hand in and grab around a wrist and create a little bit of weight there. Letting the back round. Okay, if that makes sense you can either pause and rewind and follow along. Or just go ahead and get yourself into it. We're holding this shape for about three minutes.

Of which some time has already passed. Okay, so you're letting your back round, soft in the face. Your legs are weighted. Again, if you're feeling pressure in your neck, let your weight roll a little bit more forward. Meaning away from your head so it's more in the upper back.

(exhales) It's not unusual to feel pressure up through the throat. How comfortable that is or how appropriate that is for you is so unique. And at any point again, it's just like anything else. And then when you feel like you've had enough then you just go ahead and roll out and we'll be with you in a moment. Kinder in the eyes, softer in the mouth.

Okay, as you are ready you're gonna slowly roll on back out. Slow, slow, slow. One vertebrae at a time. I like to let my knees bend as I do that. And you'll have this, you might.

Shoulders roll back and down. Eventually the feet are gonna find the floor but usually there's this wonderful temperature sensation. Up through that upper back. Like pause, like don't miss that. Okay, now you might stay right here.

Some of you might let one leg straighten. And the other leg straighten. (exhales) And just like hang for a little bit. Like just soak the results of les nayo. And so at any moment, like moving on might disturb the sweetness that you found.

So if you're like, I am fully baked, thanks. You can just hang here, click off. But if you'd like to join us in the spinal twist, let your knees come into your chest and wobble. So we're gonna make our way to a spinal twist. Now we've explored a couple of spinal twist together in these last handful of episodes.

Knees together, knees wrapped one way, knees wrapped another. We're gonna explore another possible spinal twist that may or may not be useful. I'm just gonna turn myself around on the mat so that you may have a better view. You stay where you are. So to get into this twist, hold onto your left knee, let your right knee come down to the floor.

From here shift your hips a little bit left. Let your left knee come across the body. Bend your bottom right knee, hold onto that right foot with your left hand. And then give a little bit of like draw that heel up into the buttocks and lengthen through that bottom thigh so it lines up a little bit more with your torso. Now holding and gently pinning this left knee down towards the earth as it feels good.

Let the left shoulder roll back down towards the earth. Now we're gonna be here for about two minutes. So allow yourself to adjust so it actually feels good for you. If it's too much to be holding this foot, relax the grip let it go. If it would feel better to have this left knee on top of something like a brick, or a block, or a bolster, pull it in underneath.

Play a little bit with where that knee is. You might like lower the knee a little bit. You might raise it a little bit. For me it's most effective if it's in line with the hip. A little bit of a (exhales) happen.

Be aware of what feels good on your neck. The gentlest is towards the bent top leg. So for me that's the left. For you it might be towards the sky. Most demanding would be to let the gaze come back over that left shoulder.

If it's too much like munchiness in that left arm, you release the grip and you would let that left arm reach up over the top of your head. Nice. Softer in the pelvic floor if that makes sense. Letting some of that bunching ease. Notice any tension in the grip of the right hand.

Let her soften a little bit, last few beats. Okay, perfect. Release the grip of that right foot. Let that knee relax. Let that leg draw a little bit straighter out underneath you.

And then slow slow let the left knee come up in towards you and let yourself roll on back. To set our left foot on the earth. Scootch the hips back to the right a little bit. Bend the right knee, sole of the right foot on the earth and pause. Deliberate inhale.

Exhale everything. So important to notice the results of the medicine you've all earned. There's that old saying. The difference between a medicine and poison is simply dosage. Okay nice.

Now you're gonna let the right knee come into your chest. You're gonna shift the hips a little right. You're gonna tip over to the left. Letting the right knee come across the body. So I'm shifting my bottom left hip under my top right hip so that that pelvis is more in what might be considered one plane, one line.

Bend the left knee. Bring the right hand on top of that left foot. And draw that left heel in towards the buttocks as much as feels good. That right hand might rest on top of that left knee. And then let this right shoulder roll back and down.

And here you start to make your adjustments. So we're gonna be here for about two minutes. But like maybe it's too much to hold this foot so you might let that go. Maybe you wanna have some support underneath this right knee. Like a bolster, or a brick, or something like that.

Maybe as we explored in the other it's nicer for you to have this right arm over the top of the head. You're salting to taste. Okay, you're letting it feel good for you. Let the gaze be where it feels good. Usually the gentlest gaze is towards that top right knee.

Which is on the left side. That was slightly confusing, sorry. I'm choosing on this side to let the grip of that foot go and just let my right elbow bend and let that help my shoulder blade just be heavy. That's feeling better on this side. If you're following the good information that's coming through you, then your in a himsa.

A non-violation. A non-violation with the true alignment of you. Softer in the mouth, kinder in the eyes. Okay, as you're ready you're gonna let that bottom leg start to draw a little straighter. You're gonna slowly release the grip if you're holding.

And then let that right knee come up towards your face and come on back. Place that right foot on the floor, knees are bent, shift the hips back to the left a little bit. And then let the left foot come on and up and pause. And like let yourself soak. Soak and soak in you.

Now we're on way towards shavasana and we're gonna offer ourselves here for a little bit. I'm gonna choose to begin my shavasana with my knees bent, soles of the feet on the floor, my knees are bent. Tucking my shoulder blades under a little bit. My palms are up. You might to choose to let one leg straighten and then the other.

Of if you've also are preferring to have your knees bent, you might choose to widen the feet and let the knees fall together. And the play here is to allow yourself to be receptive to the juice of you that is now more available. It takes mad capacity to be open to the joyous delight of the cosmos. So let your mouth feel more receptive. Lips more kissable.

Hands more receptive. Eyes more tender. Ears more open. Forehead softer. Yeah.

And together we'll be here for handful more moments. If you have the wonderful luxury of being here longer please, by all means, be here as long as you can. This is where the real action is. Even more than the postures. This, savoring.

(exhales) Only as it's correct, start to let your head wobble a little bit. Maybe let your arms reach over the top of your head. Maybe catch a hold of your elbows to do that. If your knees were bent, let one leg straighten. Let the other leg straighten and stretch a little bit more through one side and then the other.

(imitates chugging) Really nicely done. Bend the knees. Roll over onto the side that seems most good. And then press your way back up. And we'll sit together for a smidge of a moment.

(Mumbles) big deliberate inhale. Exhale everything. Soft behind the heart. Open in the upper palate. Kind in the eyes.

And the play here is is as you've tapped into your connection. Can you allow your sense of this connection to be shared amongst all you come in contact with today. Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your practice. Namaste.