Let Go and Flow

(waves crashing) Namaste, family, welcome back. It's Jasmine, again from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center. Dana Flynn and I opened up Laughing Lotus, gosh, 17 years ago, 18 years ago, in the middle of New York City. And sometimes people ask, of course, why the name, even though you smile every time you say Laughing Lotus, you can't help but to smile, and that's the point. Your spiritual practice is meant to be enjoyed and to bring you closer to happiness, and we wanted to build a place where you could enjoy spiritual life, you know, and the senses, and that it could be, we can be sensual beings, as well as being spiritual and in the world.

So it started in a balmy summer, you know, in the middle of Greenwich Village on a playground is where the Lotus started. And we didn't know where it was gonna lead, but up there, you know, all of the city's hustle and bustle was going on, but we were up there in the middle of it, and there was a jungle gym. And we were playing there. We couldn't help but to let ourselves be free and kind of stumble and fall in tree pose and laugh. That was it, we would come up the elevator into this playground in the sky.

You know, back then wearing the sensible pumps, people coming from all over the city in their work outfits. And then changing, and there's some freedom and joy. So we had to take it inside, and that's where Laughing Lotus was born from. So this place of joy, this place of great celebration is this elixir. It's what's called Rasa.

It's the great flavor to be able to taste and to be able to experience. So, it's of course within the pelvis. It's our watery element to tap into and to tune into and the great flow, and the being able to move, and experience the great joy of movement of your body, and love your practice, celebrate it. So start in the Padma Mudra, that's the Lotus Mudra. And as you know, the lotus grows out of the deepest, darkest mud in the swamps.

But it's free. So you can breathe (inhaling), enjoy your breath. Enjoy your life. Each breath can be a source of great pleasure. You can breathe and live in a way that brings us great, great, great joy, and great happiness, and great delight.

In this practice, we get to taste everything. Taste and smell and hear, using the senses and creativity to awaken. We'll take a couple more breaths. And then from here, take your thumbs and your pinky fingers together into the Beauty Mudra, so it, you see it looks like a little bit of a raindrop. It stimulates the water element within the body, which is so important.

In Ayurveda it's termed as Ojas, right, so that's like the moon nectar, this great elixir that we all have, vitality. And you can place them on your knees. We're just gonna start with a few rounds of Sheetali Pranayama, so some of you can make a straw with the tongue. And you're gonna slurp up life, like (slurping), you know, like a great thick shake. You know, you have to have this pull on it to really draw it in.

And you will feel like a little bit of saliva, right, like the great, great, great wateriness that you can take in and then you're gonna exhale through your nose. If you can't make the straw, you'll sip the breath in through your teeth and it'll have that same effect, this great wateriness to draw up right into your third eye. A few moments breathing in this way before we take it onto the mat, just move with joy, flow, the great rhythm. So you'll start by sticking out your tongue, curl it up and then draw it in. (slurping) Exhale through your nose.

Again. (slurping) And then just breath in regularly. In and out through your nose. Take one more big breath in. And exhale.

Okay, so from here you're gonna spin around. You can move your blankets out to the side if you've been sitting on some. Then with your hands on your knees you're gonna begin to take a few big wide circles there with the hips. So there's a gentle pressure so that you can sink down and then to begin to churn. All these Sufi circles.

From this great inner ocean. So beginning to let the chest come forward on the inhale and exhale back. I call these Sufi circles. That's the great ecstatic dance of the Sufi's. The Dervishes that spin themselves into ecstasy.

This great oneness and ecstasy, ecstatic state with life. You can take it around in the other direction, big wide circles. Allow your head to go even into the rhythm, into the motion, and just enjoy this simple movement. The body loves to move. The mind loves music, rhythm.

It's great pleasure in being alive. So you come on up through center. You can keep the right knee bent, but lengthen the left leg high. Breathe your arms up and into the sky. Let's take a simple twist over to the right side so that you can sink down, and twist a little bit deeper from the belly, so you look back, and then soften the left shoulder towards the left knee as you sway up and over.

Breathing length into the whole right-side body. Opening up through the chest, breathing into every cell of your skin. And then take the right hand behind you as you press into the shin, and then open up. Allow your hips to come down, and then switch out your legs. Stretch the right leg long, slide the left foot into the inner thigh.

Inhale your arms up. Exhale, a simple twist. Breathing in, and then breathing out, a little wringing out from the lower belly. Making space, and then you'll soften your right shoulder towards the right knee. Sway up and over and breathe into the ribs, the lungs, and then place your left hand down, just a big old expansive stretch, open, this doorway.

And then allow your hips to come down, cross your ankles, and you'll just crawl forward onto your hands and knees for a few cats and cows. So again rocking forward and back with the rhythm of your breath like the water, you'll breathe in to open up, and then exhale to dome in. And again splash the chest forward as you breathe in and then exhale, take it back. So I like to move the hips back towards the heels a lot, but you begin to move like yourself. And then after the next couple you're welcome to move your hips in circles, your head in circles.

Again, for today it's your enjoyment of your body, of your breath, of your practice. And the next time you come in through center, take a big breath in, press down through the hands, lift your hips, and then lengthen and pour yourself into Downward Facing Dog. So it's like the water splashing down the backs of the legs. Like pouring water into dry soil it becomes fertile. Fertile, fertile, fertile ground.

As you extend all the way back. Again moving through the tailbone like a great big wave. Take it forward and through. And then knees, chest, and chin to the ground. Before you drop onto your bellies, dive forward.

The complete release of the body. Like a great river flowing through. Slides your hands on either side of your ribs. Lift the chest up on your inhale, and then a couple undulations of the spine, let the head go. And inhale.

And rise up, and then exhale, release. One more time to inhale, and then send your hips back towards your heels. As you breathe all the way out, and then right from here, you're gonna rise up onto your shins with your breath in, open up your arms and this is called Breath of Joy. And then exhale, wrap your arms around yourselves, and dive in. Again inhale, it can be a big old splash, open, and then exhale, dive in.

And again begin to move like yourself, discovering who that is, as you expand, maybe in each direction. And then this time as you rise up, breathe the arms high to the sky and find that Padma Mudra back there at your heart, and then step the right foot out to the side. Then you gotta let the hips just kinda shake. Allow the left hip to sink down as the right hand, the right knee, begin to peel open, and then drag the tailbone forward so that the pelvis can really expand wide, and then begin to open up through the chest. For again, this doorway, gateway pose, Parighasana.

You're welcome to lengthen out through the right leg or keep it bent as you sway up and over, and then swim the left hand down as the right leg reaches back. And you're in a side incline plank. And then from here, draw the front of the ribs in so that you can float into the back-body and the kidneys, right in the lower back, waist area, very watery, nature, and you can lift up into a half-moony type shape. Before you circle your hands down. And then draw the right knee to the back of the right elbow before you place your right hand to the outside of the right foot.

You tuck your back toes under. Allow the hips to really sink down. And then one more twist as you peel open. A washing away. Release your right hand down, lengthen the right leg, and then you'll parallel the toes, and then I just want you to bend from one knee to the next.

And sway, again, breathing into the backs of the legs, the hips move. And then from here you're gonna begin to slightly come up onto your fingertips, and then slide your heels in towards each other and the knees out. And walk your hands on top of your knees. And then you're just gonna take a slight rotation here from side to side again. So this should feel good.

This should feel good. As the knees open up, you're just getting into all of those little areas. And bringing this great elixir of life there. You move, again this is for you to move, however it is that feels good, you explore it and discover it. And then from there, a big sink down as you begin to lengthen the legs, your arms can begin to open up wide.

Put a bend in your knees to breathe in, and then from there, you'll turn your right leg out, your left toes in, and it's an early Warrior II. To really sink down into the ground, and expand out in all directions, and you've got the nice stability of the legs, 'cause we do need a container, alright, and this great balance, with this watery element. So with the knees even tracking over pinky toes, the hip sinking down nice and strong. From there you can just begin to move a little bit from side to side, yeah. Flow a little bit so that it's steady, or Sthira, but then there's this Sukham, or joyfulness.

And then take a little tip backwards as you breathe in peaceful, before you dive forward and into your breath. So from here as you take your right leg up and back, you're gonna begin to put a deep bend in the knee. Yes, we're going for some big old hip openers today. And then thread the right foot all the way to the outside of your left hand. You'll seal the back heel down and then everything's gonna open up wide.

On your way back with your left hand down Figure Four in your Downward Dog. So you're gonna cross your right ankle on top of the left knee, press back a little bit to just breathe into the pelvis. And then step your right foot back to the outside of the right hand. This time the left foot to the outside of the left hand. Let your hips sink down.

It's a moment in a squat before you plant your hands down, and then step the left foot back and the right foot back into a Plank pose. Knees, chest, and chin. Full Pernum. Baby Cobra. Sinking down, drives up, and then send your hips back to your heels.

A few more breath of joys as you burst everything open, breathe in. And then exhale out. Again inhale. And then exhale. You're right in your own cosmic playground.

You gotta breathe in, open up. And the exhale it down. One more big blast out. And then dive in, rise up with both arms, Padma right there. Step the left foot out, let the right hip shake it out to the side.

And then take your hands to the inside of the left knee. Little twist and splash forward of the hips before your arms open. Lengthen your right arm over your head. Extend the left leg long, Parighasana. Before you circle it back and you're in your side incline plank.

But nice and supported and rooted so that the hips can move forward. Lift the left leg up. Circle your hand down and then climb high up to the back of the left elbow. Plant your hand, tuck the toes under. Peel open through the left arm on an inhale.

And then release it down, and sway side to side. (breathing and humming) And then lengthen up through center as you breathe in, heels in, toes out. Climb on top of your thighs, move from side to side. Any little unexplored areas, and the sensual dance of the body. Then again from there you'll rise up with a big breath in.

And then exhale into Warrior II. Sink down and deep, and then a little bit of a flow. Just a little bit. So now there's this great balance. Big tip back.

Circle the hands down and here we go again. Open up through the hip. Equal pressure there in the hands. And then from there, take the knee all the way to the outside, slide it out, burst it open, fall in. Sometimes we call this Drunken Dry Ankle.

And then press back. Figure Four in your Dog. Before you take one more step. Right foot. Hands to your heart, drop your hips.

And then plant the hands down and then lengthen the legs. From here toe-heel your feet in. A little bit of a space between the feet as your heels open a tiny bit, a bend in the knees, before you drop down you can wrap your arms around your legs. And breathe into the backs of the legs. Back-body and the crown of the head.

Before you begin to rise up. Find my Padma. Right where you stand. (breathing) And so I'll begin to see the beauty, and the great joy, right there. So take one big breath in, then you're gonna step the right foot behind you as you open up your arms.

So again we're thinking about this great big expanse and joyful expression. And then as your arms come up, the right knee is gonna move in towards your elbow or your armpit, you can give yourself a little tickle. And then the thumbs and pinkies can always come together. And then right from there is where you're gonna step it backwards into a low lunge. Left leg's gonna peel open.

Slide it forward. Figure Four. Outside of the left hand. Outside of the right hand. Hands to your heart.

And then palms down. So from here you can step back into your plank. But again, it's really whatever you want to begin to play with. You can come into your Crow pose and then step into a plank pose or jump into Chaturanga. Upward Facings or Cobras.

Downward Facing Dog is where we're gonna meet. Inhale, your right leg high. Step to the outside of the right hand. Left foot to the outside of the left hand. Hands to your heart in prayer.

And then a nice slow toe-heeling of your feet in towards one another. Rise on up. Padma for a big breath in. And a big breath out. And then right up, the left foot steps behind.

Open it up. Lengthen the knee high, and then step it back. Three Legged Dog, but peel open through the hip. Everyone still with me there? Burst it forward through the great doorway.

And then you're right in your Figure Four. Step to the outside of the right hand and the left hand. Hands down to the ground. Step into your Plank to lower. If you wanted to climb up again from pressing down, you can lift up and step back.

Rise up. Exhale. Inhale, your left foot. Exhale it outside of your left. Right foot outside of the right.

Big breath in. And lengthen and toe-heel. Take a big inhale, the I want in. And then a bend in your knees as you rise up, Utkatasana. So even here, right here and right in the midst of it all, you can choose.

You can take the Padma, allow it to reach up as you sink deeper and deeper and deeper in. And then let it wash forward and over you. Stepping back, jumping out, the rest is yours. And we'll meet in Downward Dog. Big inhale.

And then a big old exhale to sink deep. Inhale your right leg up. Step forward and seal the back heel down. And then we're gonna rise on up through a Warrior I. And for today, work in this Padma Mudra.

So hands can even come here to your heart. You can reach it all the way up, and then open up through the arms, interlace the hands behind you, and then dive on into Devotional Warrior. Allowing your head to drop. Right in towards your feet, as you dive within. Take one more big breath in here.

And then you're gonna parallel your toes and your back, and now Prasarita. As you rise up, heels in. Sink down, and it's this great magnificent Goddess. Now you're gonna take Warrior II to the back of your mat. And then add on this Rainbow.

So you're gonna straighten through the left leg, bend into the right. But then you're gonna flow a couple times side to side. So it's a great clearing, a great catharsis even. That this movement is, to wash and to clear everything out. So that by the time you straighten the right leg and bend the left knee, you're at the front of the mat, and can come on up peaceful.

A big inhale here. And then you're exhaling it back. This is our Vinyasa for the day family, choose to leave it out or to take it every time. Figure Four. Squatting.

I think I'm gonna step this one back. Downward Dog, you do yours. Left leg up and high. Step forward and you've got your Warrior I. Let the lotus grow right out of the mud.

Can come to your heart before you open it up wide, interlace your hands. Roll the pelvis forward, and then there you go. Take a couple of moments here. Big breath in. A big breath out.

And then you'll parallel the toes. Rise up with an inhale, heels in. Goddess. II to the back. Straighten the right leg and then drop deep into the left hip as you bend it and then swivel on the heels.

This is sometimes called Rainbow. All those great colors. Move it one more time from the back so that when you're on the front, there's a bend in the right knee. Before you bend and arch backwards, peaceful. And tumble the hands back.

Peel it open. Move it through. Open it wide. Squatting. Pausing.

Crowing. And we'll meet in Downward Facing Dog. Maybe I'll try one more Crow, with a little splash. Inhaling, and exhaling. So we've got another round we're gonna add on.

You've got your Warrior I, Padma to rise. Interlace your hands, take that big breath in, and then you're gonna spin it to the back of your mat. As you drop your head, so it's this ability to really flow with change and dance with life when we move this way. You're parallel, your toes. Rise up right here.

II to the front. One deep ol' Rainbow. And then right into Ardha Chandrasana. So begin to shift the weight forward, find your right hand to the ground. Left hand to your hip.

Begin to peel it open as the right arm comes on up. And a flexing through those toes. A great lunar nature. As you take one big breath in, you're welcome to pause, and find a balance for a moment, before you let yourselves melt it backwards. Straighten through the right leg.

You've got Triangle pose. A block underneath the hand, whatever it is to bring some ease into your practice. And then you'll just sweep right into Extended Angle. Carry that a couple more times so it's moving with the rhythm of the breath. Bend and extend.

And lengthen and open. One more deep bend. And then press into your feet to rise up. And we'll move it through. Last time like this, again, anytime leave it out.

Outside of the right hand you'll step, left foot. I'm walking it back on this one. You do your thing. Inhale your left leg high. Step forward and seal the back heel.

You're rising up with your Padma. Interlace your hands. Take it to the back of your mat. Devotional to the inside of the right foot. Parallel the toes, you're in Prasarita.

Rise up, heels in, burst it open. II to the front. One big sweep back and then right into Ardha Chandrasana. A little flex through those toes. There can be a balance or a touching of the heart.

Peaceful. Lengthen. Triangle. So set it up into the feet, and then a couple of moments to begin to breathe and swing the right arm up. And then open it back up.

Bend and extend. Lengthen and sweep it up. One more time, bend so that you're moving without conflict, without resistance. And then rising up. Last big time (laughing).

Peel it open. Burst it through. Figure Four. Left hand. Right foot to the outside of your right hand.

Take your palms there at your heart. One more big old inhale. And then breathe out. And then from here, you're gonna take one more time to plant your hands down. Step it backwards.

And breathe the right leg up and into the sky. So step forward. It's the same rising up. You're gonna devote yourself to the back of your mat. This time as you come forward and through is right into a Warrior II, and then into your Rainbow.

Did you get that? Dance like yourself. Rise up, and then if it's accessible, you'll find this Gomukhasana. So it can be your t-shirt, it can be your hair. If you have a belt handy, that can always be nice.

And then spin the chest forward, but just a little pull and you can just pillow your head back for a moment. Allow the chest to expand and then you can begin to dive on in for a Bound Extended Angle. It can be a Half Bind. And then finding that same Triangle. Press into the feet, twist open through the chest.

And then as you rebend, open it up. Peel the right hip back and then one big old flip. So here you have your great big Rockstar on a big inhale. And then allow your hips to sink down. You can just take one little bow forward, and then from there as you press into the heel, stay with me, lift it up, step right into Ardha Chandrasana.

I know it's a big sweep. You can reach for the back foot, so that you can breathe into the top of the left thigh. It's a Full Moon. That full creative expression, that great howling. That's in all of us.

And then allow yourselves to melt it back. So big breath in. And exhale, move it through. It can just be one great big flow. And back, inhale your left leg high.

Step forward. Your lotus is gonna rise right out of the mud. You've got your Devotions to the back. You've got your II's to the front. Right into your Rainbow, and then Peaceful, finding your Gomuk, that Cow Face.

Nothing like a beautiful cow's face. As you spin your chest and open up through your heart, big breath in. And then again you'll dive under, reaching for your fingers, reaching for your wrists, to twist open the chest. Lengthen into your left leg. And then begin to bend it.

So here you go. You're gonna swing the leg back, let it drop. Open and arch. And sink down. Press back into the left foot into Ardha Chandrasana.

Reach for the top of the right heel. In your Chapasana. And then release it on down. Downward Facing Dog. Take a couple of breaths here and you can move around.

Again with this feeling of sensuousness there inside of the body. The joy of movement, expression. And then from here look forward towards your hands, you can step, step or take one big old hop to the top of your mat. You're back in that squat. Let the hips sink down, expand wide.

And then you're gonna begin to take the right arm wide out to the side and the left arm up to the sky. You have a belt there next to you. You can use a sock, you can use really anything. If you'd like to begin to find a bind around the right shin. From here begin to parallel though the left toes.

We're gonna rise up to stand. Absolutely, with your left foot really sinking down, then come up onto the ball of the right foot. As you let the hips sink down, really squeeze the sits bones together. So you're using this great pelvic floor power, the Mula Bandha, to be able to rise on up. Allowing the hips to open and the chest to expand wide.

Take a big breath in. It can also be Tree. And then from here you're gonna cross the ankle on top of the right knee. I like to call this Temple Dancer. As you sink down with your hands in a prayer.

And all the temple's dancers used to come to enjoy, and to enjoy the Divine. And we get to too. And take one big breath in. And this is gonna be a big one. You're gonna check up rising up to stand into a Standing Pigeon.

And again it can be a little embrace. On your way towards, if Half Lotus or Lotus or a little bit Noon. So a little bend in the left foot. You can begin to reach back for the top of the right foot. Your belt may be accessible if you'd like to give it a try.

And then you'll take one more bow in towards your left leg. I always like to put a slight bend in the left knee to avoid dropping into the hamstring and the back of the knee too much. Bow forward and then you can release your right hand and allow the right foot to come to the outside of the left. It's gonna look really funny, and then you have to figure out which one's your right foot. I think it's this one.

You're gonna move into that direction to unfurl to the back of your mat into Downward Dog. Yes, inhale your right leg high. And you're back into that Lizard. Then from here the back knee can sink down. Some of you may choose to allow the forearms to come to the earth and hang out here.

But if you'd like to move on into one last big old arm balance, you can begin to take your right arm underneath your right knee, and your left hand coming back towards that Chaturanga. Extend through the back leg, and then check out extending the right leg forward. It's by pressing off this back foot that maybe you'll take a little bit of flight. And then a little bend of the knee. Place your left hand center of your mat as you flip it over one more time.

And then have one more seat, this time towards the Seated Marichi. Again, belts are there, or the arms can open and you can bow. Wrap your arms around the shin and take a big old exhale forward. Inhaling and exhaling. Before you rise up, and hug the left shin in towards your chest, and again circles can begin to happen.

I like to take my right hand behind me and really get into those little areas, into the right hip. I don't even know what's inside there, but massage it as you begin to come on through center. And then from here, you can begin to lift your right foot up a tiny bit more. Reach for the outer edge of your right foot with your left hand. Lift the knee a little further back, and then plant your right fingertips to the ground as you burst open this doorway one more time.

Compass, as you allow the chest to open. You could stay here and breathe in and breathe out. For those of you who have a little more Shakti in you, your hands can come down and then you can burst out. Visua or which one's this one, Astavakrasana. With bent elbows, swaying there, and then drop it down.

Let's all come into the Altar pose. Lift everything up. Exhale it out of the mouth, ahhh. Lion's Breath. Drop your sitting bones, reach your legs high for a moment.

Boat pose, right in this great watery nature, and then let the feet rock over, Plow. And then back through center. So into the squat. We'll take a couple moments before taking that whole scene over to the left side. Every side is different, mine sure is.

And so you wanna continue to adapt. As the right arm comes up, it can snake behind you. Walk the right foot in so that it's really parallel. And it could be that you've just come up into Tree pose on this side. You more begin to shift the weight into the right foot.

Rise on up. Marichi. Standing, we're Tree. Pause here, and then sink it down. Temple Dancer.

Drop into the hips, and again this is great reverence, devotion. And there rise on up. It's towards your Ardha Baddha, Padma. Sonam. Extend up through the right arm.

Bow forward, that little microbend into the right knee so that you can bow into your Lotus, and into those hips, before you slither the foot down, and unfurl it, derv it to the back. Inhale your left foot high. Step to the outside of your left hand. Drop the pelvis and look up. Whatever you did on the other side, or begin to move it in and on this leg.

I like to put the right knee down first 'cause I have a couple of little hippy situations there. And then you can begin to extend out through the left leg. Maybe a bend of the elbows towards underneath the ribs so the chest can stay lifted. And then begin to peel open through the hip. One last flip.

Open it up. Marichyasana. Ay so the toes can turn out a little bit, but definitely move the chest forward as you bow inward. Inhaling. And a big exhale.

As you rise up, hug the shin in towards your chest. Can be little circles around. Dig into it. Right back in there. And then rise on up through center.

And again find your compass on this side. With your knee coming high up to the back of the shoulder. And your right foot can already reach up and over your head as you plant the fingertips down and open up. Twist open through the chest, and then rebend and you can come right into your Tabletop here, or cross the right ankle over the left and swing it out. Into your Astavak.

Drop your hips. Go for it, inhale, exhale through the mouth, ahhh. Throw your legs up in the air. Wave 'em like you just don't care. And then rock it back, and take it forward.

From here, absolutely, there can be another Crow before you walk back for your Downward Facing Dog. And exhale. Inhale your right leg up. We're taking it down now, family. Slide your right shin forward, and then we're taking Pigeon so allow your right hip to come towards parallel.

I'm a big fan of a blanket underneath my hips so I'm gonna take it there to create nice stability. It's from this great emotional world as the hips begin to sink down, that you can begin to rise on up. The heart free and expand. And then moving towards the full Raja. Right, so Raja is royal.

And it's this great richness and that doesn't mean that we've got a lot of rubies. The richness is in how much we delight in life. Right, this enjoyment that you allow yourself. You can be in the middle of anything that you just reach for a fruit or we don't have to go far to enjoy the sky or children's laughter, your own laughter. So you can begin to lasso the back foot.

Then begin to allow your hands to walk back a little bit and then sink down to open up. Little by little the hands can walk back or stay right where they are. And then we'll all meet in one moment of this great forward bend. You can make a pillow, you can rest. Ahh.

And the light, you know how cats find that tiny little bit of sliver of a sunshine, they have no shame in finding it and just like mmm. (purring) We gotta find that, we gotta find that. Life is precious. Okay we've got another side. So walk yourselves back, do anything in the middle that you need to, shake it out.

And then let's inhale the left leg high. And plant the shin forward. I've got a little bit of a hip situation on this one so I'm gonna extra pad it up. And then again the sacrum wants to sink down so that the pubis can begin to lift. And then from here I'm gonna lasso (laughing) the right foot.

Both hands back. Your elbows begin to move in. And allow the chest to expand upward. Hang out in it for as long as you like. And then offer it up.

Ahh. (breathing) One more inhale. And exhale to release, a little bit deeper. And on this time as you rise up, you're just gonna swing the right leg out and in front of you. You're welcome to keep padding underneath your sitting bones or move it out to the side.

One more hug of the right shin in towards your chest before you stack the shins on top of each other, and sit up nice and tall. Sometimes Fire Log or Ankle to Knee. I'm going to reach into the fingertips. You can lift your hips up and then drag the inner groins back. The sit bones spread a little bit.

Then you're actually going to reach the right arm up and take it into a twist. With your elbow, you're welcome to knead out anything there in your feet. A little massage. It can feel so nice. And then pray the palms together for one deep twist here.

Open your arms wide. And then you'll weave the left arm under. So it's even like a little bit of a hug and more of a sway into the pose. And a little rocking motion. And so that as you rise up, you'll grab ahold of the big right toe, left toe, Kundalini Lotus.

As you reach forward, right at the Blossoming Lotus. And you know, you're with some Laughing Lotus gals so, maybe a smile or a giggle. You don't have to laugh out loud, or LOL. But why not? Take one big breath in.

And then you'll release your right shin down, hug the left shin in. Sit up tall. Cradle as much as you need before stacking the shins down. Drop the shins, lift the pelvis, and then with the right hand down, take your left arm up and Revolve, twist. Open.

And sway. Even breathe into the back of the ribs, into the armpits. And so we get to move everything out. And then open it up wide one more time. Blossoming, laughing, giggling.

And then this time release your heels down. Even a blanket is nice if you have a wood floor. I like to do this so that I can slide into it a little bit better. And then with your feet together you're welcome to hang here in Athara. So that would be with the soles of your feet together and your head moving a little closer.

You can have a block or two. If you wanna begin to move towards Kurmasana, it's all the senses withdrawing. So that's called Pratyahara. Right, so that all of the senses, like the five senses, like a tortoise, begin to draw inward, where we use our senses. And then just kind of slide into it.

That didn't work out as well as I hoped. You can take a couple of breaths there. And breathe out. Allowing the weight of the legs to come on. That we move towards our center, our senses.

And then from here begin to make your way out. We got one last big splash, pressing down through the feet as you open. Swing it over to the other side, press down. Open. Then release your hips down.

Soles of the feet together, and we'll end in a nice long Restorative. So Supta Baddha Konasana, alright. I like to keep my knees supported. If you had your belt, it's always nice to put things away, create the space around you. Create beauty around you.

And then a little bit of a bolster you can create with your blanket. To come underneath your spine. So that you can roll down. So support your knees with some blocks underneath them, and then roll on down. You may have to adjust just a tiny bit.

Maybe even fold the tip of the blanket a little bit underneath your head. Ahh. Then the arms can come wide. (breathing) You can actually stay here for as long as you like. If you have somewhere to go, set an alarm, 'cause you may pass out.

But otherwise, allow yourself to really enjoy this, family. So allowing the weight of body, I know on the beach always seems nice, to lie down. But you can enjoy the sound of your breath and the warmth of your heart and the feeling of the earth beneath you, your own light and radiance. Inviting the simple pleasure of living into your everyday experience. Again, whenever this becomes anything less than 100% blissful, then you can draw your knees up and release your blocks over to the side.

Slide your blanket maybe underneath your knees. And if there's one last twist from side to side or anything you'd like to do before Savasana, please do. And then for sure take a few moments. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like or after a few moments, you'll come up to rise with me. Allow the weight of your body to be held, the breath wash over you.

(breathing) And then gently begin to come back into the sound of your breath. And like the ocean in this ecstatic dance, great symphony. Move your fingers and toes. Even the sense of touch and all of your five senses alive so that we can taste life, smell its fragrance, and be touched. See and hear.

And then a big hug of your knees into your chest. An all-embracing hug. Rock a little bit onto our sacrum. And then begin to rise on up to sit. Back onto some padding to that comfortable seat.

Sukhasana. Sukhum. So you can put a little Sukhum on your Muka, it's your face. Your little Sukhum Muka. You can even meditate on your beautiful smile.

An expression of inner joy, external harmony, and sharing it. And find your Padma Mudra. Beauty. Breathing in together. (humming) And open up your arms wide.

(humming) Let the prayer pass by your lips. To taste sweetness, to give it back, and bow it on down, to the light within one another. Namaste.