Burn It Up

(waves crash gently) Welcome back, everyone. Really excited about this practice. This is all about building the heat and the fire, generating that energy of tapas to burn up what no longer serves. So, let's just dive in. Turning towards the front of the mat, we'll take the feet about hips' distance, take the hands to prayer at the heart center, let the eyes close, and dropping into a deep ujjayi breath.

And opening together with the sound of om, so exhale, empty all the breath out, take a really big inhale. (instructor chants slowly) Om. And then, in the stillness, considering your intention for your practice, and I invite you to consider anything at all you'd like to metaphorically throw into the fire. So any obstacles, resistances, fears, doubts, any contraction in the body, whatever it may be, visualize throwing it right into the flames, and use the practice to generate that heat to melt it all away. We're gonna start with just one round of Kapali Bhati breath.

If you're new to this, it's a vigorous exhale out through the nose. The inhale happens organically, contracting the diaphragm with each exhale. And just play with it if you're new to it. So keep the feet about hips' distance for that firm, grounding foundation. Drop through the tailbone, lift the belly, tall spine, keeping the eyes closed, gaze internally lifted to the third eye.

Exhale all the breath out. Little air in through the nose, and begin. (instructor exhales rapidly and forcefully) Exhale it all out, and then a big inhale. Exhale, release. And here we go.

Step the feet together. Gently let the eyes open. Surya Namaskara A. Inhale, reach the arms out and up. Exhaling, bow out and down.

With your inhale, lengthen halfway, and with your exhale, hop or step the feet to the back of the mat, and lower, knees first, or Chaturanga Dandasana. Inhale, Urdhvamukha, and exhale, Adho Mukha Svanasana, just three breaths. Long spine, easing into it. Three. And two.

And, bottom of your exhale, take a gentle bend in the knees, hop or step back to the front of the mat. With your inhale, lengthen halfway. With your exhale, bow and fold. Strong through the center. Flat back.

Inhale, rise all the way up, and exhale, hands to prayer at heart center. Two more. Inhale, out and up, and exhaling, bow out and down. Inhale, long spine, reach it out. Exhale, hop or step back, and again, lower as you choose.

Inhale, lift the heart, exhale, downward facing. Again, three breaths, just warming it up, slowly, mindfully, building the heat. Three, two, and bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees, look forward, hop or step back to the front of the mat. Inhale, lengthen it, exhale, bow and fold. Strong center.

Inhale, rise all the way up, and exhale, back to prayer at the heart. Once again, inhale, reach up, exhale, out and down. Inhale to lengthen, exhale, hop or step back, and lower. Inhale, life the heart, exhale, downward facing. Three breaths.

Easing the heels towards the earth as you lift through the sit bones, roll shoulders away from the ears, lengthening the spine. Bottom of your exhale, hop or step back to the front of the mat. Inhale, lengthen halfway, exhale, bow and fold. Strong through the center, flat back. Inhale, rise all the way up, and exhale, hands to prayer at heart center, just grounding here, one breath.

And Surya Namaskara B, bending the knees, inhale, Utkatasana, reach it up. Come right down into the fold as you exhale. Inhale, lengthen it halfway. Exhale, hop or step back, and lower. Inhale, lift the heart.

Exhale, downward facing. Root the left heel, step the right foot forward, one inhale, rise. Warrior one, Virabhadrasana A. One exhale if possible. Hands to the earth.

Step back, lower. Inhale, heart rising. Exhale, down dog. Grounding the right heel, step the left foot forward. Inhale, rise, Warrior one, second side, and exhale, release, step back.

Chaturanga Dandasana. Inhale, lift the heart, and exhale, go back. Downward facing, three breaths. Long spine. Relax the neck.

Bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees, hop or step to the front of the mat. Inhale, lengthen halfway. Exhale, bow and fold. Bending the knees, inhale. Utkatasana, scoop it up, and exhale, Samastitihi, and again, bend the knees, inhale reach up, Utkatasana, exhale, fold it forward.

Inhale halfway, exhale, take it back, and lower as you choose. Lift the heart. Inhale, downward facing. Exhale. Again, ground that left heel.

Step the right foot forward. Inhale, Warrior one. Exhale, hands to the earth, step back, and lower. Inhale, heart up, exhale, down dog. Right heel down, left foot forward.

Inhale, rise, and exhale, release. Step back, feel the heat building, lower down, lift the heart, inhale, and exhale. Down dog, three breaths, feel the body warming and breath deepening. And bottom of your exhale, soft bend in those knees, hop or step to the front of the mat. Inhale, long spine.

Send that heart out, exhale, back into the fold, Utkatasana, bend the knees, inhale, rise, and exhale, Samastitihi, last cycle. Bend your knees. Inhale, float it up. Exhale and bow. Inhale, lengthen, exhale, again, take it back, and lower as you choose.

Lift the heart, inhale, and exhale, down dog. Ground the left heel. Right foot forward. Inhale, lift it up. Warrior one.

Exhale, hands to the earth, step back, Chaturanga. Lift the heart, inhale, and down dog. Exhale, ground the right heel, left foot forward, inhale, rise again. And exhale, step it back, lower down, lift the heart, and exhale, down dog. Three breaths.

Bottom of your exhale, bend the knees, gently hop or step, front of the mat. Inhale, lengthen it halfway. Exhale, bow and fold. Stay here, open the feet about hips' distance for Padangusthasana. Grab your big toes with first two fingers and thumb.

Inhale, lengthen out through your heart, shoulder blades down the back, and exhale, release. Tip a little weight into the front of the feet. Breathe into the backs of the legs. Long spine. Three, two, and taking one more breath here, breathe into the whole back body, and then keep your grip.

Inhale, lengthen it, just halfway. Exhale to release. Heel-toe the feet together. Take a deep bend in the knees, and inhale, let's scoop it up, Utkatasana. We're gonna play with a little twisting here.

So as you're ready, draw the hands to prayer at the heart center. Inhale, lift up, and exhale, twist to the right, hook that elbow outside of the knee, and spiral open. Just a breath here, and then inhale, draw it back to center, but stay low, and exhale, go to the left, reaching up through that heart, one breath. And then inhale up to center. Side to side.

Exhale to the right, hands in prayer, arms open, inhale center, exhale to the left. Inhale center, exhale to the right, strong legs, building that heat. Inhale, back up, and exhale left. Open it. This time, inhale, come to center, and exhale.

Twist to the right, pausing here, really grounding down through the feet. Open a little through the heart. And then shift your gaze to the earth. Right leg is really strong, core is engaged. As you're ready, on an exhale, we'll step the left foot to the back of the mat for twisting side angle.

Lots of variations. You're welcome to lower the back knee down. You're welcome to keep it long through that back leg. You can even open the arms, bind, half bind, breathing here for three. Twist it open.

Two. And then keep the legs really strong, pressing down through the feet. Unwind on your inhale into a high lunge. Deep bend in that front knee. Sink down through the sit bones.

Lift from the belly, building the fire. Holding three. Two. And moving up into the balance, warrior three. So just ease the back foot forward, float up.

Take any arm variation you like. They can keep reaching out, back, even clasped behind the back, holding three. Two. And then release the hands to the earth. Sail that left leg up to the sky.

Feel free to open a little through the hip for standing splits. And release down into it, long and spacious through both legs. Three breaths. Play with it if you'd like. Two.

And have fun on your way all the way back. Left foot to the earth, and then step the right foot to meet it. Plant that right hand, spin to the outer edge of the right foot, Vasisthasana, side plank on the right. Left hand to the hip or up to the sky. We might come back here, so feel free to keep this one simple.

We'll play with it the next time around. Three. And two. With your exhale, release that left hand down to the earth, plank pose. Pull the belly in and up.

Take a big inhale. Vinyasa or straight back to downward dog. Exhale, lower, if you're going for it. Inhale, lift the heart, and exhale all the way back. Downward facing, take three breaths, gather the energy.

Coming back to your center, back to your intention, back to the fire and anything you wanna burn up in it. At the bottom of your next exhale, take a soft bend in the knees, hop or step back to the front of the mat. Inhale to lengthen. Come halfway up, exhale, release back into the fold. Utkatasana.

Sit right back down into it. Inhale up, and exhale, twisting to the right. Inhale, up, exhale, twist to the left. Again, each side. Inhale, rise, exhale, to the right, inhale, up, exhale, left.

We stay here this time. Take the hands to prayer. Ground and settle, and then turn the gaze to the earth. Root through the left foot. Use that core strength so that you can move with control.

Right foot to the back of the mat for twisting side angle. Again, any variation. Maybe the back knee lowers down, give yourself a little bit of support. Open up. Or keep that back leg strong.

Just a couple more breaths. And then strong foundation, press through the feet, unwinding the torso. Inhale, float it up into a high lunge. Once you're grounded, deep bend in that front knee. Ease it forward, lifting the belly, dropping the tailbone, holding steady.

Three. And two. And again, using the strength of the center as you transition up on the inhale into warrior three. Any variations with the arms. Send that right heel back, reach the heart and the crown out, breathing three, and two, standing split.

So release the hands to the earth. Keep that left long strong. Sail the right leg up. And again, just play with it. Let the head go, relax the neck, one more breath.

And then as you're ready, with the exhale, float that right foot all the way back. Step the left foot back to meet it, plank pose, and then Vasisthasana left side. Plant the left hand, spin to the outer edge of that left foot, float the right hand to the hip or up to the sky, and breathe. Three. Two.

Exhale, return to plank pose. Stay there for a big inhale. Pull the belly up to the spine, exhale to lower, inhale, lift the heart, and exhale to get all the way back, downward facing. Give yourself a couple breaths here, and then bottom of the exhale, soft bend in the knees. Hop or step to the front of the mat.

Inhale to lengthen it halfway. Exhale, bow and fold. Bend your knees. Inhale right back into it, Utkatasana. And let's hold for five.

Gaze where it feels best for the neck: earth, horizon, or sky. Four. Three. Two. And as you exhale, simply release.

Let the legs lengthen. Let the arms float down to the side. And roll shoulders back and down. Open through the heart. Steady gaze.

Take a breath here. Then we're gonna keep playing with it, moving through that same sequence, building the pace a little and playing with some variations. So have fun with it. Do what you can. Here we go.

Bending the knees, inhale. Utkatasana. Exhale, take the hands to the heart. Lift first. Inhale up through the center, and then exhale to the right, ground for a breath.

Turn the gaze down to the earth. Strong right leg. Step the left foot to the back of the mat again. Side angle twisted. Keep it right there if you'd like.

Bind or half bind if you'd like. Maybe, if you're in the mood, play with the arm balance. Tilt it over to the right. Make that shelf with the upper arms, and then lift it up, breathing three, and two, and then we'll meet back in that twisting side angle, unwinding with your inhale, high lunge, and sit down into it. One breath.

Warrior three. As you're ready, inhale, float it up, balancing on the right leg, take any arm variation, and then simply release the hands to the earth. Back to standing split. We're going to play with this. Stay here for your inhale, expanding out, and then exhale, bend both knees, and kinda curl down into a little ball.

Inhale, left leg back to the sky. Exhale, curling down. Inhale, reach it up, exhale, back down and in. This time, inhale, reach it all the way up, and as you exhale, float the left foot to the back of the mat. Right foot steps back to meet it.

As promised, we'll return to side plank. Root the right hand. Spin to outer edge of the foot. Take it up, keep it here, or play with variations. Left foot can come to tree pose, left leg to the sky, maybe grab that left big toe and take it up, and three, two, with control, exhale, release, returning to plank pose.

Pull the belly in. Big inhale, exhale to lower. Inhale, lift the heart, and exhale, downward facing dog. Give the body three breaths. And letting the body settle, take another breath or two here.

And at the bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees, hop or step to the front of the mat, inhale to lengthen, exhale back into your fold. Bend the knees. Inhale. Utkatasana, second side. Keep the bend in the knees, take the hands to prayer at the heart center, inhale, lift up through the belly and the heart, and exhale, twist to your left, hook the elbow outside of the knee.

One breath, wide open. Then turn your gaze down to the earth. Root through the left foot, strong through the center for the transition. Step the right foot to the back of the mat. Yes.

And then again, yours to play with. Keep what you've got, lower the back knee, or come on up to the arm balance, plant the hands, make that shelf, ease out through the heart and the gaze. That will help the balance. Reach through the legs and breathe. Three.

And two. And we'll meet back in that twisting side angle, grounding through the feet, and then with the inhale, lift it up, high lunge. Settle down into it. Take a breath. Tall through the spine.

And warrior three. Float out to balance on the left leg. Again, any arm variation, keep exploring it, one breath. Hands to the earth, standing split. Sail the right leg to the sky.

Big inhale. Exhale, curl down and in. Inhale, reach it up. Exhale, in. Again, inhale, up, exhale, down.

This time, inhale, take it all the way up, and exhale. Float it back. Left foot meets the right. Pause, engage that center, root through the left hand, and side plank, second side. Twist it over to the left.

Any variation. Keep what you've got, lower the knee, or find that big toe again and reach it up. Three. Two. Exhale to release, plank pose, strong center.

Inhale, exhale, lower. Inhale, lift up through the heart, and exhale, downward facing dog. Take another breath or two again, just to ground and settle. At the bottom of your exhale, we're coming all the way through to sit, so soft bend in the knees, hop or step through, and then roll all the way down onto the back. Hug your knees in towards the chest, and wrap the arms around the legs.

Just rock a little for a moment, side to side, and moving into the core in preparation for back bending. So, take the legs up to the sky, and then plant your hands under your hips. This is gonna protect the low back a little bit. If you have any issues with the low back, bend your knees a lot, or even take one foot to the earth and just lower and lift with alternating legs. Otherwise, pull the belly in and up, try to keep the neck and shoulders soft, stay here, and then slowly go ahead and lower down.

Keep pulling belly in and up, and let's hover. Three, two. As you exhale, take the legs all the way back to the sky, and then squeeze the belly in and lift the tailbone and the hips a little. Inhale, go back down. Hold again.

Find something you can sustain. If it's too intense, take the legs a little bit higher. Three. Two. And then with the exhale again, legs all the way up.

Squeeze the belly, lift the hips and tailbone, and then it's a slow lower and lift. Inhale down, exhale up and squeeze. Nine more. Inhale, and exhale, squeeze. Inhale.

Exhale, squeeze, and lower. Back up, lower, and back up, squeeze. Five more. Let it come from the core, so you're not moving with momentum, but with strength and control. Lift and lower.

Lift and lower. Three more. And squeeze, last two. Squeeze, last one. Lower down, lift it up, squeeze at the top, and then just release.

You're gonna hug it in. You can rock a little, take a breath or two. And then again, the hands slide under the hips. We're gonna squeeze the belly in as you draw the knees up towards the chest, bottom of the exhale, and then inhale, reach the legs straight out. The lower, the harder, so if you need to lift 'em a little higher, feel free.

Exhale, draw it in and squeeze. Inhale, reach it out. Exhale. Inhale, out. Exhale, in.

Inhale, out. Exhale, in. Inhale out, exhale in. About five more. Reach it out, squeeze it in, lift a little at the top.

Four. Reach it out. Three. Reach it out. Two.

And again. Hold this one. Five, four, belly in and up, three, two, squeeze it in, lift a little through the tailbone, and release. Just plant the feet, breathe into the belly for a moment. So, from here, just start to rock the body a little forward and back, massaging the spine, gaining a little momentum, and when you're ready, rock yourself all the way up into Malasana, yogi squat.

You can rock a little side to side, kinda finding that center point. Take a moment or two here, hands at the heart, open through the hips, tall spine. Feel free to stay where you are, or let's play with the arm balance. Plant the hands, lift up through the hips. Again, make that shelf with the upper arms, looking forward, lifting from the center, really buoyant through the middle, and then find the balance and hover.

Three, and two, and one. Place the feet on the earth. Return to Malasana. Take just a breath here, and then, hands on the earth, let the head release forward, and then keeping the neck soft, slowly start to lift up through the legs for Uttanasana, standing forward fold. And why don't we just enjoy a couple breaths here.

Let it unwind. Hands drop or hold the elbows. If you have the elbows, let the hands release. Keep the head heavy, the neck soft, and then slowly roll on the inhale, all the way back to stand. Exhale, melting the shoulders down the back, and then let's just walk it back to the front of the mat.

Samastitihi. Feet together, hands to prayer at the heart, take a grounding breath. And then inhale, sweep the arms out and up. Exhale, fold it forward. Inhale to lengthen, exhale hop or step back.

Optional vinyasa. If you're going for it, exhale to lower. Inhale, lift the heart, and exhale, downward facing. Take a breath here, and then we'll release down onto the knees in preparation for Ustrasana, camel pose. So, if it's a little uncomfortable on the knees, feel free to fold the mat over, give yourself a little bit more padding.

Before we dive into it, we're gonna do just a little bit more abdominal work. So take one hand on the belly and one hand on the low back. Drop down through the tailbone, and lift again through the center. Keep the line of energy from the legs all the way up through the spine intact, and slowly easing back. Feel the legs engage, feel the core engage, and then back up.

And exhale, ease it back, and up. Ease it back, and up. Just switch the hands, and go back. And up. And back, feel the strength of the center, and up.

Last one. Ease it back. And then rise. Okay, we'll take three cycles of camel, so let this first one just kind of be exploratory. Don't feel like you have to max out.

Draw the hands to the hips, drop down through the tailbone, and start to lift up through the heart, shoulders melting down. Think about hips moving forward and heart rising up. If it's all right with the neck, you can ease the head back. And breathe. Let the inhale draw you back up, and as you exhale, simply sit back on the heels, let the hands rest, let the gaze be steady, and take a few breaths, let that ground.

Mmhmm. And then we'll rise again. So if that felt like your edge, just stay there and keep working with it. There's no need to force it or go anywhere beyond where you're comfortable. The next cycle, if you do feel for it, we're gonna reach back into the heels.

If the toes are tucked, there's a little less distance to cover, so if that feels good, feel free to tuck the toes. Start again by lifting up and out of it, heart rising, hips easing forward, and then if you feel for it, reaching the hands back. And then again, hips forward, heart rising, head eases back if you feel for it. And five. Four.

Three. Two. Use the legs and the core to come up with the inhale, and exhale, again, just sit back, let the hands rest, steady the gaze, and let the body ground again. And once again, honoring your own edge, just keep the hands on the hips and play with lifting up if that's as far as feels appropriate, or if you'd like, reach all the way up. Inhale, and exhale.

Come on back. Lift the heart, ease forward, and again, five breaths. Heart wide open. Offer it up and out. Three.

Two. Legs strong, core strong, let the inhale draw you up, and exhale, sit back. This time, it's your choice. You can just sit back on the heels again, or if the knees are happy, we'll play with your asana. Knees together, feet open, maybe roll the calves out a little bit and then just sit down between the ankles.

If this hurts the knees, don't do it. Ease up a little bit. Maybe pad the sit bones or just come back to the heels. Rest the hands, steady the gaze, and let's breathe here, stretching out through the quad muscles that have worked so hard for you in this practice. Three.

Two. Mmhmm. And one. Let's go ahead and just slowly ease up onto the hands and the knees, and to come out of it mindfully, stretch the right leg back, tuck the right toes, and kinda press out through that right heel, get the blood flowing through the knee joint again. Release it, and take the left leg back.

Good. And then knees down, press through the hands, big inhale, tuck the toes, and exhale, downward facing. You're welcome to stay right where you are. If it feels good to clear that all out, let's roll together through the flow. Inhale to plank, exhale lower.

Inhale rise up, and exhale, downward facing dog. Enjoy a breath or two. Then we're coming all the way through to sit, so bottom of the exhale, soft bend in the knees and then hop or step through for Dandasana, seated staff. All right, so rooting down through the sit bones, nice and tall through the spine, and then press the hands just outside of the hips and lift up from the back of the heart through the heart center itself. Feel the entire length of the spine rising, that central channel, Sushumna Nadi, rising as you're building the energy, allowing it that tall channel to rise.

Soft gaze at the tip of the nose or even gently close the eyes, and let's give it a few more breaths. Paschimottanasana. Inhale, float the arms up, and the exhale, fold it forward. Take any grip you'd like, feet, ankles, shins, maybe even a strap, and then inhale, send your heart out, and exhale. Let yourself melt down.

It's all right if the back rounds. Shoulder blades easing down the back. And five more breaths. Releasing from the back bending, opening the whole back body. Two.

And one. With your inhale, come on up, and exhale, let's move into Janusirsasana. Keep the left leg where it is. Open the right knee. Sole of the foot to that inner left thigh, and then we're gonna make this a little bit wider, so slightly draw the right knee back, and then to begin, twist to your left, get really tall through the spine, inhale, and exhale.

Slowly fold forward, taking hold foot, ankle, shin, strap, and then inhale, lengthen it, and exhale, come on back down. Now, breathe into any resistance, and all that heat and fire you've generated in the opening of the body of the practice moves into these slower, deeper stretches to help facilitate really thorough opening. Inhale, rise, exhale, release. Keep the left leg where it is. We'll open the right knee a little bit wider, turning the hip out a bit.

Start with the left fingertips planting outside of the left leg. Inhale, take the right arm up. And exhale, just ease up and over. Yeah, so we wanna keep rolling the torso open, lifting out. If this is your edge, beautiful.

Enjoy it. If you'd like, slide the left arm inside the left leg and maybe find those toes. Breathe into the right side body. And three, two, let the inhale draw you all the way up, and exhale, release. Slide that right leg out, and then bending both knees, so we keep the fire burning, come on into a Navasana, boat pose.

Pick it up. Lift that low belly. Hands here to support low back or reach it out, lengthen the legs if you'd like, breathe five, four, strong center, three, two, and then cross the ankles, pick it up, lift the low belly, and release directly into Janusirsasana, second side. Open that hip, so the foot to inner right thigh, twisting to the right, tall spine, inhale, and exhale, go ahead and fold. Once you find your grip, any variation, send the heart out again.

Inhale, and exhale, release. Notice where the pull is. Maybe the back of the right leg. Maybe the low or the mid-back. And just keep feeding it with your breath.

Three, and two, inhale, lengthen it up. Exhale, release, and then open the hip, draw that left knee back a little bit. Plant the right fingertips outside of the right leg, and inhale, reach the left arm up. Exhale, slowly, just ease it up and over, finding your own edge. The shoulder blades stay down the back.

The torso keeps rolling open. If that's enough, good, enjoy. If you'd like, slide the right arm out, and reach up and over. Heavy through the left sit bone, gazing down or up and under the arm. Three.

And two. And one. Inhale, rise up, and exhale, let it go again into Navasana. Draw the legs forward, and then bending the knees, pick it up, really strong from that deep low belly, shoulders back and down. Support the low back if you need to.

Reach it out if you'd like. Five. Four. Three. Two.

And then just cross your ankles, plant your hands, and we'll step straight back into downward facing dog. If you want the vinyasa there, go ahead and roll forward, inhale to plank, exhale, lower. Inhale, rise, and exhale, back to downward dog. Just a couple breaths. Long spine.

And then when you're ready, exhale, release down onto the hands and the knees, and just sit back for a moment in preparation for headstand. If you have a different inversion that you're really feeling for, please feel free to take it. Just go mindfully. If you're moving into headstand, let's build it together. So, on the hands and knees, rooting down through forearms and elbows, let's take that little check.

Hands take hold, we don't want the elbows any wider than that, and then release, make that gentle fist. Make sure the crown of the head is on the earth so that the neck is in line with the spine. Releasing down, you can keep the base of the fist, the wrists, at the back of the head, or gently open the palms and hold the back of the head. When you're ready, inhale, tuck the toes, exhale, lift the hips and the knees, and then walk the feet in. If you're newer to the pose and this is as far as you feel comfortable, then just stay here for a few breaths and take child's pose.

If you're all right here and you'd like to try lifting one leg up for a few breaths up and then the other, feel free. If you feel comfortable coming all the way up into full headstand, then when you're ready, go ahead and rise. And let's see if we can sustain it for 10 breaths. Listen to your body. If you need to come down sooner, feel free.

Reaching out through the legs, strong and engaged through the whole body. About halfway there. Five. Four. Three.

Two. If you're comfortable coming down slowly, let's work with that. If you need to just release, go for it. Otherwise, begin to hinge at the hips and ease the legs together, slowly towards the earth, for a count of three, two, and one. Child's pose.

Knees down, hips to heels, knees can be together or wide. Arms can be reaching out or resting back alongside the body. And then drop into the earth. Take two more breaths in child's pose. And then inhale, come up onto the hands and the knees, tuck the toes, exhale, go back into your downward facing dog, two to three breaths here, just easing open again.

And then we're gonna move through three slow, deep, mindful vinyasas, and as you do, just picture the fire kind of easing down into slow burning embers and taking with it anything you threw in at the opening of the practice. Just offering it away, letting it go. So inhale, slowly roll forward, plank pose. Exhale, lower. Inhale, heart rising, shoulders way down the back.

Exhale, back to downward facing, take one breath here. Then again, anything you're releasing, offer it away. Inhale, plank pose, exhale to lower. Inhale, heart rising, exhale, downward dog, one breath. Last one, clear it all away.

Inhale, and exhale. Lift the heart. Inhale, and exhale. Beautiful. Just feel that whole internal realm.

Clear it out. Open in three. Stay here for your inhale, and then exhale, simply release down onto the knees. I'm gonna turn and roll and come down onto your back. Draw the knees in towards the chest, wrap your arms around your legs, and just begin to rock the body a little side to side.

And then Supta Baddha Konasana, so soles of the feet together, and knees drop out to the side. Your choice here. You can rest the right hand to the heart and the left hand to the belly, or you can take the arms up and over, kind of a diamond shape, elbows bent, the thumbs touch, the first fingers touch. That's gonna be a sweet passive release for the shoulders. So important, after building the fire, to mindfully start to bring it down, grounding all the energy you've generated, beginning to integrate it and let it settle.

A few breaths here. Soft gaze or eyes closed. And then, draw the hands to the outer thighs, draw the knees together, and then back in towards the chest. Rocking gently side to side, and then we'll take a simple twist, so knees as-is, or you might wrap the left leg over the right and then gently lower all the way to the right. That right hand can come to the top knee.

The left arm reaches out to the left, extending through the fingertips, and a soft gaze follows that left arm, so the neck completes the spiral of the spine. The twist is so therapeutic after building all of that heat and energy. Helps to wring it out internally, releasing and clearing anything that you've stirred up. A few more breaths. And then with your inhale, come on back to center.

If you've crossed your legs, you can just shift your hips to the right a little bit, and then right leg on top, drop the knees to the left. Reach the right arm out. Soft gaze out past the right fingertips, and breathe down the length of the spine. Again, just internally wringing it all out. So anything you've uprooted from the practice completely releases.

Breathing three. And two. And then gently, again, draw yourself back to center. Let the knees hug in towards the chest, wrap your arms around your legs, rock yourself side to side, and then let's take a nice sweet happy baby. Hold the ankles or the sides of the feet, and keep it neutral or start to rock yourself side to side.

It can be fun to play with lengthening one leg and then the other. Mmhmm. Anything that feels good here. Three. And two.

And then really big inhale. With your exhale, draw the knees back together, and then hug them in towards the chest again, wrapping the arms around the legs and curl into this tiny little ball. So the forehead towards the knees, the knees towards the forehead, lifting through the belly, squeeze it all in. And hold, take a huge inhale, and exhale, Shavasana. Extend the legs out.

Rest the arms. Close the eyes. Complete surrender here, like you're offering all of it into the fire. Nothing left to hold onto. Nothing left to take care of.

Just releasing the body, the mind, the heart, the subtle energetic body. Let it all go, and just rest. (instructor breathes steadily) Returning to a deep, full breath. With your inhale, reach the arms up and over. Exhale, bend the knees, feet to the earth, roll the right, and then guide yourself all the way back up to a comfortable seat.

Just rest the hands, close the eyes, for one moment. Tall spine. (instructor exhales forcefully) And then take the hands to prayer at the heart center. Fill the body with breath. Inhale.

(instructor chants slowly) Om. Gently inhaling, and a soft bow forward to seal your practice. Namaste. Thank you so much for sharing the practice, and just know at any time when something feels a little tight or stagnant in any way, you can throw it into the fire that burns always right inside. Thank you and namaste.