Grounded and Grateful

(waves rolling) Namaste, everyone. Thank you so much for being here today and taking the time out for your practice. Actually, it's not necessarily a time out. (laughs) This is our time to go in. This is our time to really be here. I don't know, if you're around my age you may remember a commercial back in the eighties when there's this woman, and she's in the midst of her life and the dogs are barking, and the kids are screaming, and the husband is, I don't know, being very animated, and her job, and everything is kind of calling at her, and she says, Calgon take me away.

And they zoom in to her, and then she's in this lovely bath and she's just been removed from all this stress in her life, (laughs) she's so happy. Now that wouldn't be bad, I know, to most of you, to me, too, on most days. But the great thing about the practice of yoga, the incredible gift our our practice is that we get to be right here in the midst of all that. (laughs) We get to tune in and we get to be in our lives as they are and find that freedom, and find that ease, in our breath, in our bodies, as we are and where we are. So, go ahead and find your seat. Sitting on something is actually really, really wonderful so that the sitting bones can really root down, and from that place of rooting you can begin to rise up and sit up tall in who you are and the value of who you are.

And take you right hand and touch it into the Earth, all of your fingertips, really root them into the ground. You can see great big roots, and then from there sit up tall. You can start with your left hand on your heart as the shoulders begin to drop back. Gently let your eyes gaze down at the Earth, so they're not closed, again, we're not tuning out, we're not taking time out, taking time in. So, your gaze is actually slightly open, looking at the Earth, and our commitment to stay awake and stay conscious and to stay present.

This was the Buddha's great gesture. Right before he became enlightened he took a seat and Mara, the great demon, and all of his minions came and, (laughs) you know, said, who are you to say that you are enlightened, how do we know? He just sat there. And actually it was the Earth that roared. She says, I am his witness.

I am his witness. So we're all witnesses to being awake, to feeling, to being, to experiencing profoundly, this world and our life. So a few breaths here together, and especially focus on this exhale out that draws you deep and in, stretch it out a little bit longer. Maybe even hold it out at the very bottom of your exhale into those roots. From there you'll feel a swell and a rise up.

Sitting up tall and proud as that witness. Conscious and awake. Your left hand can now begin to release down. And this gesture of gift giving, varada. Get to realize the great gift that you are.

And then to offer. Take one more deep breath in. And then join your two palms together at your heart, the bows, they come together. Great reverence for your life, for this Earth, this world. As it is.

Breathe in all together. Just one sound of Om. â?« Om And from here, just gonna spin around onto your mat. Remove your padding now if you like, but keep it close. Our practice is gonna be about that connection to the Earth, that we don't lose that connection to the Earth, so, a couple blocks handy are also gonna be really wonderful to have so that you can use them to feel that connection, to feel that rooting from where you can begin to open up.

So, your knees can open up a tiny bit as your crawl your fingers forward, again, printing the fingertips, and then begin to bow your head down into the Earth. You can roll your forehead onto the ground a little bit in this great bow. And you have to be present. You can rock your head, as the chin moves in towards your throat a little bit your breath can become a little bit more audible in that ujjayi breath, that wakeful breath. Ujjayi meaning praise.

In each moment when we're awake, when we're with our breath, let's become sacred, nowhere else to be. Take one more deep breath in, as you exhale root into your fingertips and the hips can begin to move back towards the heel, so, you're breathing a little bit deeper into the sacrum. And then take one more big breath in before you begin to crawl forward onto your hands and your knees, and then there is this guidance, this awareness in movement we get to practice here, in our asana, so that you can really press down through all 10 fingertips, but then roll the shoulders a little bit away from the ears, and again, suckle the Earth with the fingertips so that you're drawing everything in. Take one more big breath in and then you're gonna take your left hand center and peel the right arm up to the sky for a big inhale and then release your right shoulder to the ground. Allow your ear to come to the Earth.

Then you can lengthen that left arm forward as you swing the left hip back a little bit. Take a big breath in. Breathe out and release a little bit deeper into the right shoulder, and then slide your left hand back a little bit, press down, keep that left shin on the ground, and then seal the right heel into the Earth as you expand open through the right arm and through the chest, and then extend it nice and long over your ear as you hug the front of the ribs into the back body so that there's an awareness and wakefulness of the shadow side and what we can't see so that it's integrated and whole. And take one more big inhale, and then circle your right hand down, as you breathe out draw the right knee in towards the nose, so hug in, and then inhale the right leg all the way back and extend outward. Again, exhale and draw everything in, pausing, and then breathe the right leg all the way back.

This time on a big old exhale step your right foot right between your hands, you can help it along, and then tuck your left toes under, keep the left knee on the ground, and then begin to straighten out through the right leg so you're in a ardha hanuman half split, and bow forward, begin to definitely flex back through those toes so that you're breathing into the back of the leg, and this deep humble bow. And one more inhale. And then you're gonna launch off those back toes, plant your left hand down as you begin to lift the left knee up, and peel the right arm open one more time. Take a big breath in, twist a little bit deeper on your exhale, and then release your right hand down. And step into downward facing dog.

You can pedal out through your feet here, sink down into the hands and feet. Move your hips a little bit from side to side, and then roll out into a plank pose, big breath in, reach back through the heels, forward through the chest, a little lift up through the belly, and then drop your knees, send your hips to your heels. Deep breath in, and again, a deep bow out. Rise up onto your hands and knees. This time you'll plant the right hand center, breathe the left arm up and inhale, and then weave it down to the ground so that you take your ear in this great listening.

Extend the right arm long as you draw the right hip back. And breathe into the left shoulder, one more big inhale. And exhale to sit. Slide your right hand back, keep the right shin on the ground, begin to extend the left leg back, and then circle the left arm up and over your head. Again, there can be this great hyperextension, and then see if you can hug back in towards your center a little bit.

You can feel the whole back body and this integration. Circle down through the left hand and exhale the left knee in towards your nose. Inhale the left leg back, and then exhale to draw it in. Inhale, extend all the way back, and then exhale to hug right in towards your center. Inhale one more time back, and then begin to step your foot forward with a big old exhale, and a big stamp.

Then come on to your fingertips, tuck the right toes under and then begin to lengthen out into the left leg. Breathing into the hamstrings, and bowing down to the Earth. As you flex through the feet to your roots, where you come from to where you are, and then right from there begin to unravel and open up as you plug that left hip back, even as you sink down there's expansion and a freedom. Lengthen the left arm up and over your head, and then exhale your way into downward facing dog. Again, root down through all 10 fingertips, let the shoulders roll back just a tiny bit so that they're sinking in, your heels can open up a little bit to widen out through the sacrum, and then begin to drag the tailbone inward towards the pubis, so, again, you're gonna ripple out long into that plank pose.

And leave it holding for a moment, definitely keeps you awake and present and aware with your eyes still gently gazing at the Earth to see everything. And then right from here drop your knees to the ground followed by your chest and chin, you're in ashtanga namaskara, hug the elbows deep in there, and then drop onto your bellies, point your toes, and release the forehead to the ground and a full pranam, or prostration. Exhale completely, right into the Earth and into your life. And then slide your hands back on either side of your rib cage, press into the tops of the feet and down through the pubis, allow your chest to lift up, you're in cobra, and then tuck your toes under, send your hips towards your heels, but keep the feet really flexed. This one I like to call crouching tiger.

So it's deep down, and again, that great wakefulness and presence. And take one more big inhale and then right from there you're gonna pounce back out into a plank pose, and then staying lifted, you can at any time go back to knees, chest, and chin. But this time you can begin to lower yourselves down in one big piece out. Point your toes, another cobra, it can be a little higher. And then slide onto your knees, tuck your toes, and empty yourselves into downward facing dog.

Big inhale, and a big exhale. And now from here peek out towards your hands and begin to take a nice, slow walking meditation. So every step on this Earth, and Thich Nhat Hanh says, walk as if with every step your feet are kissing the Earth. (kisses) (laughs) One more big inhale. Like up your toes, spread them wide, you can lift them up, each toe, that wakeful with our actions, and then release down to a soft uttanasana, so the knees can be bent.

And take a big breath in, and exhale again, bow. And so take a deep breath and come onto your fingertips, begin to lift the chest, you can slide your hands up to your shins, but roll the shoulders back, again, there can be that slight bend in the knees, but the heart can reach up. And then exhale, to bow forward and down again, to the Earth, your feet, to your place here on Earth. And then press down through the feet, really root down, so from there you can begin to rise. Root down and rise up.

Let your palms reach up towards the sky, urdhva hastasana, then allow the prayer to slide down right back and into your heart in the sacred nest that we get to cultivate right where we are. Allow the arms to reach down by your side in mountain pose, tadasana, your heels, your right, your right to be here, to be awake, to be free. Exhale into your feet again, and then breathe your arms up, big inhale, and then as you come forward you're gonna step the right foot behind the left, you're gonna come onto the ball of those toes again, and then take a big old bow forward. Your arms can swing back and your head can release. So then you're gonna touch your hands into the ground again, and from there to an early standing split, so extend the right leg back.

Go ahead, sink down into a low lunge, and then breathe your arms up and into the sky for a high lunge. There can be a soft bend in the right knee so that you can drop your hips, lift up a little bit, but then extend through that back heel. One breath in to lengthen out through the left leg so you're drawing everything up from your beautiful life, and then exhale to sink it back. As you release your hands down, you're back in that crouching tiger. So sink back, and then right from here you can launch forward right into chaturanga dandasana, down to the ground for cobra, or press off the toes, you're in urdhva mukha svanasana, and then right up and over your toes, you're in downward dog.

Inhale right leg high to the sky, exhale it right between your hands. Inhale the left foot forward to join the right like a walking meditation, and then you bow down. Press into your feet so you can rise up to stand, and then hands into your beautiful hearts and by your sides. Inhale the palms up, step the left foot behind the right, big old bow down to your life, you've got that early standing split, and then exhale your foot down so that you can rise up on your breath in. Lengthen the right leg, draw it in and pause, and then offer it back up.

Crouching, breathe everything out, and then pounce right into your chaturanga, drop for cobra, or it's upward facing, downward facing as you breathe out. Inhale your left leg up and high, step forward as you breathe out. Inhale the right foot forward to join at fingertips, bow down as you breathe out. You're rooting down to rise up, arms nice and high, and then hands to your heart. And then release your arms by your side, and then big inhale as you hook your thumbs up and back, but as you dive forward interlace your hands behind your back.

You can take a moment here to a set over to the left, twist over to the right, and then deep bend in your knees so that you can swing up, utkatasana, drop into it, and again, the tailbone begins to root down, and then from there your chest can lift, your palms can come together, as you sink down to reach up, and then allow this prayer to move forwards, a kind of, one that's called bringing heaven to Earth. As your palms reach into the ground you can play with a soft lift onto your tippy toes, but press the ground away, and then you can put a bend into your knees, press into your hands and then hop back, you're in crouching. Pounce it forward, rise up, and then pour it back. I always like to put my left foot a little bit center so you can bring the right leg up and high and then step forward to root the back heel into the Earth. Plug that right hip bone to really ground into the heel and then as you sink into your feet, rise up for virabhadrasana one.

There's always that little micro adjustment, to swing the right hip back, the left hip forward. We started right here with this consciousness and wakefulness of our movement, and then straighten out the right leg, and again, you're gonna swing the arms back, and then put a a deep bend in your knees as you extend it forward, a flying pranam, a great prostration, and then as your hands come down to the ground you can tent those right fingertips into the Earth and then begin to lengthen out through the right leg, and you're peeling up right into triangle, building it from the ground up. Little, again, always adjustments, so that your heels begin to line up with your arches, and then you can begin to peel it nice and wide. And take a big breath in, and then lengthen your left arm up and over your head, here we go, you gotta draw everything in, a tiny bend into the right knee, so you're firing up through the legs and the feet, and then you gotta hold, root down, finally rise up. Ohh, and then it's virabhadrasana two, so sink down and then open up wide, drop into it a little bit deeper, like into the great lap, and then as you sink the pelvis down there is this great lift, take one more breath in and then straighten out the right leg, but a deep bend in the left knee.

Swing all the way back and then rise up peaceful warrior. Big inhale here, circle the hands down and you've got crouching. Anytime you can leave out the vinyasa or pounce it forward. Cobra asarevdas, downward facing dog. It's the left leg to the right foot a little bit center as you extend your left leg high.

Step forward, seal the back heel, a little adjustment, right, so do you see how I do. (laughs) Left hip back so that the pelvis is nice and steady as I come on up. Your shoulders can melt down, and press your palms together. Sink down to really receive the glory, the medicine in the movement. And then lengthen out through the front leg, pull everything in, and then offer it back out. Stay empty for one breath, and then drop it down to build your triangle from the ground up.

Again as you begin to lengthen the leg it's like a (slurps) slurping up. Like of the mud from where the lotus blooms. Take a big breath in, a big breath out. Lengthen right arm long, press into your feet, the left leg, be held, be held, rise up, and then sink down vira two. And it's like you've got eyeballs everywhere. (laughs) So that even though you're gazing out across the left hand there's this peripheral vision and wakefulness.

And one more breath in, and then begin to swing it all the way back before you rise up, it's peaceful on your inhale, crouching on your exhale. Lunge forward. Rise up. Empty back. We're gonna take it one more round, breathe the right leg high, step forward, rise up, and it's one breath in, lane finning back, and then empty it forward.

Triangle one breath in, keep circling over, press into your feet, warrior two as you exhale, swing it back and deep, peaceful as you inhale, you can find your back body with your hands, it's a little bit of a half bind as your arch back, and then land in your extended side angle. So again, allow the hips to really sink down, begin to carve the tailbone into that back heel, and then from there you can begin to open up, the suckling of the shoulder away from the ears, open up wide. And then you know it, find that half bind again, and then you gotta, (laughs) you gotta hold, (laughs) so that this wakefulness energy wakes up. (laughs) Ardha chandrasana, find a block underneath your hand, point your fingertips to the Earth, and then flex out through those back toes, you can even look up at the front side of the body to see what the toes are doing. So we don't wanna check out, we wanna check in (laughs) to everything that's going on right here, and there's a lot going on. A lot going on.

One big breath in, and then bow forward and down. Shift the weight into your hands, a big bend in your knees. Crouching. Pouncing. (laughs) Rising. And falling.

Inhale your left leg high, step forward. The more you sink down the higher you'll rise up, and then lengthen, draw it in, offer it out, one big swoop into your triangle. Press into your feet and pause, rise up, empty out. Swing deep into the right now, and then begin to rebend to open up, find your back body, land with your forearm to your thigh, allow the knee to track over the pinky toe. Every day we practice being awake, right here.

And then extend the right arm long. Circle the arm behind you and then press into your, (laughs) this is something else, right. Everything in me is saying, get out of there, take me away. But you stay and experience a little bit deeper. And then begin to sink down and open up.

So this is half moon, Buddha's way of the middle path. You need to be here, and to be free, you're right. Big breath in, and then you're gonna exhale it forward. Go ahead and walk your toes a little bit wider. And then allow the toes to open up a tiny bit as you begin to sink down with your hips.

Take your hands to your heart into a squat. You're welcome to lift your heels here if this is uncomfortable or take a blanket underneath your heels, but drop the tail, gonna lift the chest. And take one big breath in. And then from here you can absolutely pounce back or if you're ready for a crow, squeeze your fingertips into the ground, shift the weight forward, hug your upper arm bones with your knees, lift up and in, and then from there, crouching. I know, it's a little tease.

And then, (laughs) pounce it forward. Rinse it through. And downward dog. Inhale your right leg up to the sky, step forward to breathe out, you're in your warrior one again. We're gonna start the same way, this flying pranam, but this time as you release your hands, parallel your toes, and you're in a pra sarita.

So open your heels for sure, lift up through the inner arches, like those great roots strawing up the inner thigh bones into the pelvis, and lengthen your spine, and from here allow your head to bow down to the Earth. So it's bringing consciousness into your world. Take an inhale, breathe out a little bit deeper. And then come back up onto your hands, you can lift your heels, again, press in the ground, a little bend through the knees, and then hop your feet together. You're in utkatasana on your breath in.

Again, the great softness, and every opportunity that we can use to wake up. And the shift the weight into the left foot, and start by hugging the right knee into your chest and then vrikshasana, tree pose. That little bend is always helpful in the left knee, so that they're engaged, the muscles get to wake up, memory gets to wake up, and take a moment and take your hands by your heart. Just sink down for a moment feeling the beating of your heart. And then from there you can begin to expand outward from this deep sinking, this deep rootedness.

Now move your left hand to your left hip and draw the right knee up towards the armpit just a little bit more, so there's just this opening up, and then you can begin to reach for your big right toe. Roll the right knee open and the shoulder, and then for those of you wanting to (laughs) move on, stay nice and rooted. â?« But open and free And then from here you'll swing it down, offer it back up, and then with your left hand to your left hip you're gonna step out into that ardha chandrasana one more time. This great half moon. Open up, and then you can take a balance by checking out the hands now coming together, heaven and Earth within you and every holy moment.

(singing in foreign language) And then begin to circle the hands down, and step it back. One last vinyasa like this finally, and leave it out anytime. Remove with your breath, even a great clearing and cleansing before sides. Inhale your left leg up, step it forward and rise up, staying that same way, and then empty it forward. Touch the Earth and then walk your hands in towards center opening up through the heels, and then again taking the crown of the head, (laughs) twist the crown as you hug the elbows in.

Big breath in, and out. Come on take your hands forward, lift up onto your tippy toes, and then hop the feet together, utkatasana as you rise up. And then shift the weight into the right foot, hug the left knee in, and you've got vrikshasana tree pose. A moment to drag the tailbone down and find the suction and the lift, and then open it up wide, even begin to move a little bit. â?« Waaa Rooted (laughs) and free.

Lift it up just a tiny bit more, so you're beginning to open up a tiny bit through the hip, and then you're welcome to take a hold of the big toe, lengthen it wide, tip it back, and then drop it down. You can find your right hip with your right hand before you launch it off into ardha. You can use the ground and then you'll begin to, if you let go there's gonna be a little bit more focus and aliveness in your leg. Sink down, and take it all the way home. Deep breath in, and out.

So this time you're gonna step the right foot forward, seal the back shin down, but very different. Center the heel underneath you and then have a seat on your left heel. I'm sure (laughs) that'll be very welcome by now, and then begin to twist open so that the chest is moving up towards the sky, and again, there's a little bit of a lift right from the root. You can begin to open up your arms, touch the Earth. You can find your inner right pocket as you twist open, and then for those of you who wanna explore a deeper twist or bind, you can shift forward and then begin to open it up.

Now take one more inhale, there's this great story about a particular kind of Japanese bamboo, actually takes three years, that you don't see anything, right, they just tend to the roots, they water the ground, I would be a little bit impatient after (laughs) a couple days. You plant some seeds and you wanna see it right away, but nothing happens. Three years. But the whole trip is after whatever the gestation period is, it's like, pwoooh, you just see it before your very eyes, this big expansion. Cause that's the whole trip, we just keep being here, we keep coming back, we keep coming back, we may not see any results, then one day, one day.

Twist it open. (laughs) And then in that same way, as you let go (laughs) you're gonna sink it to the back shin, find your hand and your knee and then as you take a hold of your big toe, from pressing down, it's not to reach up to the sky to be free, I promise, it's from rooting down, down, down, down, down, down, down, there's no Calgon that's not gonna take you anywhere, I promise. Take me away. (laughs) But it's from the sinking down, down, down, that you're gonna open. Yes, you can let it go for one moment before you begin to plant your back foot down. And then one more ardha chandrasana from this great expansion, and then sink down, and if you're done with the balances anytime rest, but for one more rising up from the ground, you can begin to weave the right hand underneath the right shin, find your left wrist or fingertips, and here we go, armaha pose, this great bird of paradise, so the knee stays nice and bent like we were doing, the shoulders stay back, and then by pressing down through the left foot I can begin to lift up. Okay, here's the tricky part, if you've already fallen out of it, let yourself fall.

We all lose it. (laughs) And then, this can just be the last little moment here, I promise, deep focus of the mind, shift the weight into the right foot, you can play with extending the left leg back. Bound ardha. And then let it go. (laughs) Yes, even flip it up and back for a moment, and then take it down. Exhale back into a nice crouching, that great sinking back and inside, this great tuning in, and then from there launch off those right toes so that you can step the left foot down, you'll soften the right shin to the ground, and then again swivel and slide the left heel right underneath the left knee, you're sitting on top of that right head, heel, and then begin to find your twist, find your breath. And in the middle of it all, in the midst of it all, your life, wherever it is that you live, whatever corner of this beautiful planet.

You can begin to open up, and I'm touching the ground, expanding open, find the back body, find your hands, twist open, sink down into the heel just a little bit, you can always move the shin in a little bit closer. Make one more big breath in and then you'll place the right hand down, reach into this right shin so that your head lifts, twist open by pressing down through this right shin you can open up through the knee, this is a great place to hang out or you'll keep sinking down into the right shin to open up the left hip. A vashistasana variation. And then one more bend to stamp the foot down, find your ardha chandrasana, and then the chapasana variation before you release it down. Hang out there over your two long legs, or find the bind before coming up into your bird of paradise, pausing halfway, you can lengthen up through the leg by pressing into the right foot.

â?« Aah Lose it if you've lost it, or play one more big breath in. (laughs) And let it go. Downward facing dog. Take it forward, maybe by this time, onto your belly. Cobra.

And downward facing dog. Take a big inhale, exhale it out through the mouth. Move your hips a little bit from side to side. And then we're gonna change it up totally, but still stepping forward into that warrior one. Great warrior's path of being present.

And then straighten out through the right leg, you're gonna find your hands behind your heart in a prayer or it can be the elbows, but pop the back foot in a little bit so that you reengage with the pelvis, take your right hip back, the chest lift, and then move your hips back as you begin to come forward into parsvottanasana. Bowing down again and again. Your right to be here, this great witness. Clear seeing. And then this is a great time to actually reach for your block.

I love to use one for revolved ardha chandrasana. It's a very challenging (laughs) pose for me. And again, the whole thing is to wanna just check out and to get out of it, but more and more that you begin to sink down, I never thought I'd be able to find freedom within life or within all these sintuations. But you do wanna begin to sink down with your left hand, your right hand can find your hip and then from the pressing down, from the pressing down, you can open up instead of just getting out of it, take one more big breath in, and then you can release the block over to the side. A standing split moment before you hug the left knee behind the right ankle.

Ardha matsyendrasana, you can take a moment to think, to really readjust the hips you can lengthen the bottom legs forward, the press into the big toe mound of the foot to sit up tall, right fingertips behind you, the left arm to the sky, this mudra is in every moment, and then twist it on over. I like to keep my right hand open in a gesture of fear not. As you press down and open, big breath in, twist and breathe out. Then as you come through center, a big bow to the Earth before you take it up into an altar. So both feet down, both hands behind you, lift up through the hips, exhale lion's breath. (exhales deeply) And then release your hips, one big hug of the knees into the chest, but rock forward into the sitting bones for navasana, and then begin to lengthen the legs forward a little bit.

Your arms can come out and then offer it, offer it, offer it, offer it, hang in it for one big breath and one big breath out, one more inhale, and then hands down, rock the feet up and over your head, and then rock all the way up and you're in utkatasana. Sinking all the way back down before you find one more revolution over to the right, so left elbow to the outside of the right knee, drag that left hip back as you sink down, and then begin to perch the left heel towards the left sitting bone. Pause here for an inhale, and then extend it back. You can always release the back knee fanly, and then twist. Find the thump at the center of your heart, really engage through that back heel, twist open through the chest, variations are yours, and then everybody soften the left knee to the ground, take your right hand center and then send the right hand behind you so that you can begin to reach for the top of your left foot with the right hand, and the foot is really gonna be dragging the shoulder away from the ear as you open up.

Sink down a little bit deeper into the forearm, breathing into the top of the left quadricep as you twist open through your chest, there's a lot of sensation here. (laughs) Lots of it, and we get closer to it. And then from here begin to release down, take both of your forearms to the ground and then see if you can step right into a forearm plank. This is another one of these poses that really call on us to be here, fully engaged, but then there's a lift, and there's space. Take one big breath in, and then send your hips up and back and walk your feet forward, that bend in the knees again so that you're in a dolphin. And just let the head hang heavy and breathe into the back of the heart.

One more inhale, and then from pressing into the toes, you can lose this if you want, but for those of you wanting to give it a try, you're gonna launch off the toes (laughs) into chaturanga. Drop for cobra, we rise into upward facing, and then downward facing, you're gonna have to walk it back. Now take a big inhale and then sink down again. To breathe out, is this freedom that we seek is internal. And it's eternal.

One more big inhale before you step your left leg up and into the sky, plant it between your hands, seal the back heel, rise up for your one, and then begin to lengthen it, step forward, a little width, even, through the feet as you begin to move the prayer behind your heart, and then bow forward. So, everything is transformed. Pouring tea becomes a ceremony in these traditions. We're sacred. The simple, simple act of everyday life.

So take one more inhale, exhale completely. And then begin to reach for your block again. Place it to the outside of your left foot, it can go on the inside, too, I just like this leaning into it a tiny bit, like there was a wall, so that there's support for the left shin, and then your right hand can really sink down. You can navigate the left hip back, oh man, there you go, open by pressing down, down, down, down, one more big inhale, exhale and hold, and then release your palms down, lengthen the right leg up one more time before coming into your seated twist. Allow both of the hips to come down, padding is nice underneath both hips, and then take your right arm to the sky, your left hand behind you to sit up tall, and then rotate, ardha matsyendrasana.

Big inhale to sit up tall, and again, from this pressing down that you rise up, and then exhale and twist. Stay one more inhale, and exhale. Revolve to the other side, bunamasana, bow to the Earth, and then press down through your hands and your feet, offer it up, this great tabletop, (exhales deeply) and then release your hips down, navasana. Sink down, down, down, down, there's gonna be some quaking and shaking, (laughs) and a great aliveness before you take the hands down, rock your feet up and over, and then right back up into your utkatasana and sink down as you twist. Slide the right knee back to join the left, and then this prayer, this prayer is a reminder of the sacredness of the great devotion, gratitude, you get to express for everything.

Even this, as you begin to lift the heel. Stretch it back, soften the knee if you need to anytime. But really extend through that big toe mound of the foot so that you can find the revolution from the sinking back. Drop the knee or it will on its own, and then as you begin to sink back, again, the hips can move back a tiny bit to reach back for your foot, and then you can allow the pelvis to drop and you're breathing into the top of the quadricep. Forearm can sink down, so you drop even deeper into sensation and keep the chest free, your mind open, and then both forearms forearm plank, heels back, lift up, chest forward, dolphin.

Little bend in the knees so that you're pressing back, and then did you see how this happened on the other side, by bending through the knees I launch forward. Then you can rise up, and this time knees to the ground, send your hips to your heels. Child's pose, and then a little rock. So take one more big breath in, exhale, a little bit deeper. And then we can do a rise up onto your heels.

So, couple moments in headstand shirasasana, it's a full expression of bringing our minds and bringing our awareness and consciousness into our lives and into this Earth and into this life that needs us to witness, that needs us to see everything that's happening at the present, and then absolutely begin to take, take action. So, you're welcome to go over to the wall if you like to use the wall. If you're not inverting you're welcome to sit in virasana, meaning sitting between your heels, you can place a block between your heels, sit for a moment, or take the first step, so interlace your hands, come onto your forearms, and then begin to place the crown of your head into the Earth. Deep and into the ground, you can slide the shoulders away from the ears, the tucking of the toes under for sure, and sinking down, down, down, again, that great bamboo, as I'm pressing down there can be this great lift and lightness. And then from here, you can begin to pop one heel in towards your sitting bone, and then as you begin to come on to your tippy toes and shift the weight of the hips over the heels, this heel can come in, so if you're gonna fall you're actually gonna come down that way.

So just this exploration and play to move in to this tiny kind of egg shape before you begin to make your way up. Then take a few breaths, really rooting down, allowing the tops of the thighs to move back. And then as you came up you'll slowly come back in towards yourself, and tuck your toes under, and then as you come on up, and walk your hands back so that you can feel the head and your mind expand. And then sit back onto your heels for a moment, your hands can come back to your heart, padding underneath your knees if they're sensitive, for sure, I like to use them here. So we're not checking out, again.

The sensations, checking in. And then begin to come onto your toes, again, there's gonna be plenty of sensation here so that, as I root down again the tailbone begins to drag down, there's a lift up through the lower belly, and then from there you begin to rise up onto your shins. Now we're gonna begin to make our way back. First take your hands to your sacrum, draw the tailbone down so that your chest can begin to open in the other direction. And then take your right hand towards your right heel and extend the left arm up and into the sky, taking that same mudra, rooted and free.

And then from here, you can swing over a couple of times to each side, the left hand can drop down, the right arm opens. Swing it on over, and then one more time over to the left. This time both hands can find your ankles as you draw the pelvis forward of the chest, and then allow the head to be the last thing to come up as you have a seat. Exhale completely, and then here's your last big option, and again, this feeling of, the more you sink down the freer you become, option one, good old fashioned bridge, you'll lie down onto your back, by pressing down through the feet you'll float your hips up and into urdvadanurasana. But for those of you that wanna give this a try, again, you've woken up the energy in the feet and the legs so much, that again, by pressing down, down, down, through the feet, you're gonna reach your arms forward and then you can begin to let go, now I have to let go of my knees, and then walk your hands forward, I'm still lifting up, up, up, and then you can drop onto your knees, and come back down. (laughs) Okay, you wanna give that one more try?

Let's check it in. It's a big letting go, okay. So you're gonna exhale, and then you're gonna begin to rise. Lean it back, and then let go to rise up, and then drop down to come (laughs) back up onto your heels. Okay, fanly.

Release the toes, have a seat onto your heels. And then begin to move the padding out to the side. Now slide your knees into your chest, you can make a little bit of a seated forward bend. And then lengthen out through the left leg. Slide your right foot into the inner left thigh.

The padding anywhere you like, and then your left hand behind you, your right arm to the sky, you can put a slight bend in the knee so that there's a real release from the lower belly as you begin to come forward and reach for the outer edge of your foot. Deep twist over to the left before you take your left hand to the instep of your foot, and then dive in, janushirasana. Big breath in, and again, this deep breath out as you turn inward. Witnessing. And then from here you can begin to release your left hand or your left forearm to the inside of the left thigh.

Rise up for parivrtta janushirsasana, and extend your right hand towards those left toes, twist open. Press into the right shin, rise up. And release your hips down, clinu. Open it up. And sit up nice and tall, again, that little bend at first that you're really rooting into the sitting bones, extend up high through the left arm, reach forward, twist over to the right, take your right hand to the inside of the right foot, draw the chest and the shoulder forward, and then dive in.

Deep breaths. Every exhale sinking a little bit more inward. Spacing in. And then from here you'll find a little bit more space to release the right forearm or hand, open it up, reach for those right toes and twist. And then burst up from the ground, rising.

And then release through your hips. Make them both legs out, last one. Reach your arms high, soft through the knees, you can dive forward, you can wrap your arms underneath the legs so that you're lifting up the belly and the thighs, you have the two halves meet, come together. Reach for your feet for the last few moments, paschimottanasana. We're finding that refuge within.

Where to go. And just rise on up. Plant your hands to the floor behind you, point your toes, you can dig your heels into the ground, and then lift yourselves up, pressing down, down, down, rise up, and then release down. And it's right into savasana. So now begin to make your way onto your back for savasana, and it's been wonderfully rich, fantastic practice with you all, it's also been very, very intense, so feel free to take as long as you like in your savasana, or after a few moments you can come up and sit with me.

Begin to roll yourselves on down, blanket right underneath your knees so that it can support your lower back. Take a couple of moments to arise, and then squeeze everything tight and then, ahh, let go. The feeling of sinking down into your life. Even here, we're not meant to be completely spaced out or taken away. We want to be even more conscious.

In this bliss. Freedom, that's here in every moment. And if you're rising up to sit with me you can begin to make your breath a little bit more conscious, a little deeper. With conscious breathing comes conscious living. And need to move your fingers and your toes, sacred, your body.

And then you can pick up your knees into your chest, you can even twist a little bit from side to side. Now you can roll over onto your right side for a moment, just rock your way up to sit. I'm taking your seat for just a couple of moments. Find your fingertips into the Earth. And your left hand open is an offering.

We have so many precious gifts. This remembrance of your great value and your right not to be here, to be free. Join your hands for one more moment at your heart, and let's close with one sound of Om, big old beautiful breath in. â?« Om And bowing down to the light within one another, namaste.