Supported Flow

(waves crashing) This is a grounding flow. You'll need a bolster and a block. And it's a really good practice for when you feel out of sorts, you feel like the world's kinda moving a little too fast for you. It helps you to digest what's going on in the world within. So with the block supported underneath the bolster you'll come onto your hips and bring the soles of the feet together and just cascade down over the bolster.

It's just oh feels so good, so good. And as you come to lie back, take your hands to your belly. Feel the expansion on the inhale and feel the breath rolling up the sides of your waist over the hips, the ribs, into your arm pits. And then as you exhale, relax your arm pits, and let the breath just flow down the side body. Breathing in, sides to the waist to the arm pits, exhale, relax the arm pits, and let the breath flow down into the hips, and drip down the tailbone.

And just moving into the gentle flow of your breath. Sensing the space between the breathes. The height of the inhale when you're overflowing with potential and the bottom of the exhale where you're empty, clear, still. So working with a gentle mudra here, just easy bring your thumb and your pointer finger to touch. And we're gonna count the breath and the finger tips in a sense then bringing the thumb and the middle finger to touch.

Thumb and ring finger to touch, and your thumb and pinky finger to touch. And as you move through fingertips, just sensing the light touch of the fingers here, breathing. We'll center ourselves with just the really mellow mantra, just a gentle reminder. I am at peace. I am at peace.

I am at peace. One more round. And then splaying the fingertips, mindful that peace is right there at your fingertips. And bring the hands to the heart. Gently roll to your right side.

Adjusting now to take the block out from underneath the bolster, and then settling yourself into child's pose, and you can draw the bolster in a bit so that it's between the knees, and just resting on either side of the face, and again, you can come back to this mudra, just tapping in and anchoring. I am at peace. And the more we say it, the more we'll believe it. (laughing) You have to say it a lot to yourself. Just at your fingertips, this easy, gentle way of being.

And stretch the arms forward and crawl forward setting the bolster so it's underneath the torso. So if you kinda measure this and come forward to plank you get a sense that it's underneath the chest and the hips. And then part your feet for down dog, as wide as you need. Do a few easy shoulder rolls and then coming into a restorative down dog, where the third eye is just brushing against the bolster so your mind is supported. You're not collapsing into it, but feeling like you can gather almost pick the bolster up between your elbows, so it's slightly active, but not stressed.

And then flow forward into plank. You can lower the knees as you need. And then since the whole body arriving on the bolster at the same time, uncurl the toes, and then just gently kinda shimmy on up into an easy cobra feel. And press back, child's pose, and the toes curled under. Inhale towards plank, pike back to down dog, restorative down dog, and wag it out.

Inhale, just getting the blood moving, coming forward, knees can lower, arriving all in one piece, and then shrugging it off side to side. And pressing back, child's pose, toes curled under, pressing forward to plank, piking back, restorative down dog, let your mind go. Inhale. Twist it so that all 10 toes are gonna turn to the right. And then lower your left hip.

Crawl up onto your fingertips to lengthen up and out of a twist and then walk the right leg back, so you get a nice little stretch through the right thigh. Inhale. Exhale, lower down and twisting over the bolster. So you wanna feel like there's these micro-movements, these little adjustments to kind of inhale and lengthen and then exhale and release. Resting on either cheek, whatever feels the best to you, just not smooshing your nose straight down 'cause you wanna breathe.

And then take a few slow rolling waves of breath. Listen for the Earth. Inhale, gather your energy, scoop it back up, and then crawl it back out nice and easy, lazy. Find your restorative down dog and then twist it to the left, all 10 toes and knees lower down to the left, right hip down, plug it in. So the bolster's snuggled up to your hip there.

Then inhale, lengthen from root to crown, walk the left leg back so you get this nice stretch through the thigh and into the belly as well. And as you come down, if you feel bunched up, inhale, find a little bit of space, and then rest on either cheek. So you could keep this nice and mellow through the neck and the shoulders or if you wanna get into the cervical spine, just a little bit more of a turn, yeah. And then just feel the pulse of the Earth in the palms of your hands. Breathe and surrender to the support.

And catch the next wave of breath, let it lengthen you, gather, and slowly transition, finding your way back to your restorative down dog. Peace of mind. Then empty into child's pose. Take a deep breath in, exhale side out through the mouth, so you deflate, de-stress, (exhaling deeply) And then gently coming up. Transitioning the bolster, so you'll turn it so that it's parallel to the front of your mat.

From here, coming forward to all fours, and you'll measure as you start to shift forward. So we're working again with a more supported vinyasa, which is nice for the low back. As you come forward letting the thighs and the pelvis find the bolster, but you're not sort of topsy-turvy over the end there, and then coming into an up dog energy or high cobra energy, just snaking it out a little bit. And then as you exhale, curl the toes under, lengthen through the legs, build some strength through the core and press it back, downward facing. Imagine your inner elbows are trying to pick the bolster up.

And we take a couple flows here. Inhale, pull forward to plank, exhale, you could lower through Chaturanga, take the pubic bone to the bolster, knees down, heart opens, high cobra energy, and then exhale, empty it back. Downward facing, and just tapping into those moments where you can really trust that you're supported and connected and rooted in the Earth. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Let it all go.

Stack your hands and rest your head, and then you can squirm it back so that the bolster's underneath your pelvis, your tail is pouring downhill, and breathe into the support beneath you. Feel the roots of your naval branching into the Earth, spreading out, connected. Inhale, lifting back up, sphinx pose, shifting the elbows directly underneath your shoulders, shrug the shoulders and try to lift your belly up and off of the bolster now, almost like you're scooping the bolter into the back body. And then gather at the core, as you shift off to the right, straighten your left arm and let your right ear get heavy. And then roll chin to chest, switch sides.

Straighten the right arm and let your left ear get heavy. And then just side to side one more time. Inhale, left arm, heavy right side, and then shift right arm straightens, left ear heavy. Back through center. Inhale, lift up, kinda crawl your way back in.

Bend through the right leg as though you're gonna take your toes toward your head and then drip back down. Lift belly, ribs, chest, left leg. And pour it back down. And right side, and release, and then left side, toes to head, and release. Let it all go.

Bend the knees, windshield wiper the legs, massaging the belly. Extending back through center. So you wanna feel as though your tailbone again is sorta downhill here, and that the bolster is filling in that space between your pelvis and your lower ribs. If it's too high, you're really top heavy. And if it's too low, then you'll feel a lot of stress in your low back, so find that sweet spot, right between the pubic bone and the low ribs.

Knees stay on the floor. Inhale, bend through the right leg. Reach up and back like a big yawn and hold onto the inside of your right foot. Kick into the leg and open up. Pull the belly in and up and off of the bolster.

Deepest breath of the day right here, right now. And then exhale, surrender it all. Opposite side, left leg. Reach up and back and around with the left arm holding onto the inside of the foot, and then press and square and straighten up, try to hollow the belly up and off of the bolster. Inhale, pulling through the right arm, and exhale, let it all go.

Rinse it off. Knees bent, just tapping it side to side. And coming back through sphinx, shimming it under so you're right in the sweet spot, and then inhale. Right arm's gonna reach back, perhaps you do the same one leg at a time, or you're flying, and you hold onto the inner arches of the feet and kick back, and the bolster is this really nice little support system here to lift you up and out of the upper back, shoulders, low back. Breathe.

Release. Whoa that's deep, and then come back through center, child's pose with your arms on the bolster and your head hanging down to the floor. Let it all go. Inhale, extend the arms forward. Lengthen out, right leg's gonna reach back, and then step it up and over the bolster, walking the right leg from that lunge towards your left hand for pigeon pose.

So now you have this nice high perch for pigeon. And depending on your life, right, 'cause you've got a whole life in these hips, a lot of energy living in the hips, you may need to stay up a little higher and honor the knee, honor the low back. If you can go lower in this perhaps elbows to the floor and you can rest your head on the bolster. Palms up. I am at peace, which is a tall order in pigeon, but I believe in you.

I believe. I am at peace. (exhaling deeply) And then gently walk yourself back up, high perch on your fingertips. For fun, 'cause why else are we doing this, for fun, put the block underneath your right hand. Sweep up and back towards your left leg.

This may be where you stay, or you bend through the left leg and come to kick back through the left side body. Maybe even reaching up, looking up, grounding left hip forward and feeling again that support of the bolster, but now could you kinda pick the bolster up through the pelvic floor into the low belly, and square off. Exhale. Leave it all on the floor. Woo.

And then wrangle the back leg, bring it all the way around, sit in Sukhasana. Notice the difference between the right and side waist. And that space as you inhale, let the breath roll up the body into the arm pits, and then as you exhale, I am at peace. Without judgment, gently come into the other side. So just unwind the right leg now behind you.

Use your right hand to square it off and settle yourself back in. Using the block to support whatever height you need to be at. The only thing you don't wanna do is bash your head on the block in pigeon because it's intense, so much drama in pigeon, so let it go and remember you are at peace here. Breathing into the challenge smoothing out that outer left hip. I am at peace.

Then gently coming up, taking the block to the first level under the hand. And then press to square off. Lengthen through the back leg. Feel like both headlights of the hips are shining forward as you sweep up and back with the right arm. Right leg bends perhaps or stay right here and just open, kicking through that right leg.

As you come to clasp, kick the shin away from you and feel this stretch across the chest. Sense that you're almost gonna stand up in this posture, so you're gathering through the pelvic floor and then sweep the energy up, shrug the right shoulder down the back and try to press the right ribcage forward as the left ribs flow back. Inhale and exhale. And then gently let it all go and pause. And wrangle the back leg and sit.

I am at peace. And gently scooch your hips back and allow the legs to just unfold over the bolster. Inhale, forward folding. The legs can be as wide as makes this breathable for you. And then either rest your head in your hands, maybe rest your head on the block, but definitely rest your mind and let the low back breathe.

I am at peace. And carry that energy up with you. Using the block and the bolster, I'm just gonna shift this around so that you have your bolster behind you and the block handy and close. Lie down first. When you come onto your back, you wanna feel as though your head is not quite on the floor yet.

When you lift the hips up, your skull will come to the floor and the bolster will be like a staircase for your cervical spine. Then you can shrug the shoulders underneath and kinda snuggle down, so it's a bridge lift, but with nice clearance for the natural curve of the cervical spine. For this restorative shoulder stand, you could rest the hip, oh my god it feels so good, it feels so good (laughing) you could rest the hips right here, and you're done. You might just draw one knee in and then the other knee in, and it feels so good just floating. Allow the arms to unfold and then extend the legs to the sky if that doesn't feel like too much effort, and then just breathe.

Just feeling the heart open and the legs dripping down. Any fatigue is falling away, suspended, supported, effortless effort. And you might interlace the hands behind the block. And then activate this just a little bit more pressing through the heels as though you were just gonna lift the sky a little bit higher. And then maybe taking the legs even knees out to the side, legs wide, just wide open supported.

Let the legs just float. Inhale, exhale, use your hands to gather. And one leg at a time, you'll lower back down, touching down, lifting the hips, and then glide on back, so this is a nice little crawl to get you there. But glide on back so that your shoulders are on the floor, your head's on the floor, and you're in this gentle heart opening, hips are heavy. And take Shavasana here, a full chest expansion.

If after a few breaths in this posture, you feel like you wanna come flat, then plant your feet and release, and you can just walk the bolster down underneath your legs. So either staying in the heart opening or coming into the flow with the legs supported. Feel the arms of the Earth open up and cradle your effort. Feel the Earth breathing through you, and trust that all good things are set into motion. And remind yourself, I am at peace.

Just gently begin to rinse your mind right and left, just let the brain fall, the skull rolls to the right and to the left, ironing out the back of your mind. Feeling your mind rooted in the Earth. And your pace slow and smooth. Exhale through the mouth. (exhaling deeply) and roll gently to your right side, planting the feet, shifting, and press up to seated.

And backs of hands on your knees, I am at peace. And blend the hands together at the heart in prayer, bow your chin to your chest, humble. Namaste.