Spacious Ease

Welcome, thank you for coming to practice with me. Let's start by taking three om's together. Settle into the base of your body. Use your breath to bring you up tall. Heels of your hands together and each pair of fingers touching.

Observe your breath. Another full breath in and out. And a deep breath in. Home, home, home, home. Release your hands down under your knees.

Come over onto tabletop. Find your breath here. Engage the mechanism of ujjay, whispering breath, slight restriction in the back of your throat and the four part breath we use, so inhale, pause and exhale, pause. Breath moves first and then the movement, so inhale to kai pose. Pause at the top and exhale, cat, round your spine, belly towards your spine and look in.

Pause at the bottom when the inhale starts. Press bones up, belly down and exhale, cat pose. Follow the rhythm of your own breath. This four part cycle of inhale, pause. Exhale, pause.

One more mind. Exhale to neutral. Exhale here. Another full breath in. Bend your elbows, sit back, follow your exhale.

Release the lumbar spine and inhale, tabletop. Inhale again to tabletop. Exhale downward dog. Exhale tabletop. Pause at the top, breath moves first then follow it, child's pose.

Stay down for a cycle. Follow an inhale, tabletop. Exhale downward dog. Table top, inhale, child's pose, exhale and again, inhale tabletop. Exhale downward dog.

Stay here for three cycles of breath. Exhale pause, exhale pause. Paddle out your dog a little bit. Exhale tabletop. Exhale child's pose, take a cycle of breath.

Inhale stand on your knees, take your arms wide, look up, pause at the top. Exhale sit back on your heels, hands to the floor, push your forehead on the mat. Wait for the breath and follow it. Pause at the top and exhale down. Take three more rounds like this, following the rhythm of your own breath.

You know it's time to move because the breath is already moving. Forehead on the floor, stay down for a cycle. Switch your arms out on the floor and inhale to tabletop. Exhale to dog. Inhale.

Exhale child's pose. Stand up on your knees, look up. Exhale down. Hands forward tabletop. And on your dog.

Tabletop. And child's pose. Exhales up. Pause at the top and exhale. Arms forward tabletop, inhale.

Dog pose. Tabletop and child's pose. Rise up. And exhale down. Relax in child's pose with your arms in front of you or behind, whatever feels more comfortable.

Stay here for five full cycles of breath. Exhale pose. Exhale pose. Exhale pose. Inhale, tabletop.

Exhale downward dog. Take a cycle of breath here. Step your right foot forward, take your left knee down. Hands on the floor and keep your neck soft. Relax your back foot.

Another full cycle. Tuck your back toe under and inhale deeply again. And exhale, straighten the back leg, lift your hips and go back to downward dog. Three breaths. And step your left foot forward.

Back leg down. Relax the foot. Soft neck. Here are three breaths. Full breath in again.

Tuck the back toe under, lift your hips, press back to dog pose. Two breaths. Step your right foot forward again. Stay with the left leg straight, the left arm straight to support your weight. And follow an inhale into an open twist.

Reach up with your right arm. Hold it there, exhale. Full breath in. And exhale. One more.

And exhale down. Take a breath. Exhale, lift your hips, press back. Two breaths. And with the second exhale, step your left foot forward.

Support yourself on your right leg, right arm, keep your right leg straight. Inhale, open up. Exhale here. And again. Exhale.

One more full breath. And exhale down. Inhale here. And lift your hips, press back to dog. Take two cycles of breath.

And walk your hands back towards your feet. Have your knees soft, torso long, and pause in uttanasana. Soften your neck, relax your jaw, and power through your legs as you start to curl up. Arms wide, look up. And hands down the midline, tenamaste.

Want to scan through your body, become aware of any and all sensations, internal and external. And the feeling of this four-part breath moving your body. Come forward to the front of your mat, feet hip distance apart and parallel, rest your arms at the side of your body. With each movement, the breath moves first, then the body follows. Begin your inhale.

Arms float up. Look up, pause, and exhale. Two more. Turn your hands back, lift your chest up, look up. Exhale and exhale, bend your knees, bend your pinky fingers together, relax your neck.

Inhale moves, go again into extension, backband, and exhale. Two more. Inhale to neutral. Exhale here, inhale arms up, take hold your left wrist, lift up and exhale to the right. Inhale brings you vertical, switch hands, exhale left.

Inhale up, exhale right, inhale, exhale left, inhale reach up. As much space between your heels and your fingertips as you can muster. Hold it as you exhale. Inhale upper chest, exhale belly to the spine, inhale reach, and exhale down. Inhale up.

Go as high as you can, and exhale right arm forward, left arm back, twist. Inhale center, exhale, and up. Twist towards the left, twist towards the right. Both arms up, reach as high as you can, right through your heels. Exhale here, full breath in again, and exhale hands down.

Take a breath. Inhale arms wide, and exhale fold uttanasana, soft knees, relax your neck, pause. Exhale power through your legs, come up, arms all the way up, look up, and exhale down, midline. Inhale arms wide, exhale fold uttanasana, inhale halfway up, lengthen to the top of your head, and exhale fold. Strong legs in the inhale come up, exhale hands down, and tanamaste, arms wide inhale, exhale fold.

Exhale left, inhale, exhale fold, inhale all the way up, and exhale hands to the midline. Relax your arms at the side of your body, take a couple of breaths, inhale, pause, exhale pause, sip your right foot back, not too far, enough that you feel stable, rest your arms by your side, front knee slightly bent, and when the inhale comes follow up with arms of your head, and all the way forward on the exhale soft neck, inhale pulls you up, pause at the top, exhale tells you it's time to fold again, exhale, hold, hold, hold, hold, hold. Next time you're done, stay down for three breaths. Rise up on the inhale, and hold up for three breaths. Little breath in, and step forward to Tadasana, get a sense of what's happening in your body, any differences between the left and right side, and step the left foot back, same distance by three and a half feet, soft bend in the front knee, find your breath, arms up, inhale, slow down with the exhale, soft neck, this time whenever you come down, stay down for three full breaths.

Inhale pause, exhale pause. Hold up on an inhale, and hold for three breaths. Step forward, and hands into Tadasana. Take a wide stance on the mat, toes pointed out, in line with your knees, and arms up and wide. Take a full breath here, as the exhale moves, then twist and turn, so right hand comes to left foot, left hand up, come back up on an inhale and wide, exhale, and keep going three more rounds of that, following the rhythm of your own breath.

Last time, one day either side. Come up on the inhale, and stand with your arms wide, feet wide, for two, three breaths. And step to the front of your mat, relax your hands by your sides, find your breath, scan through your body, and we'll go down into a squat here. So if you know your heels don't come to the floor, or if you haven't done this before, take a blanket, and stand on the edge of the blanket. Give your heels a little lift, take a full breath in, arms up.

And exhale, bend your knees, come all the way down. Bring your arms inside your knees, and hands in Namaste. You can press your knees into your arms, and press your arms back against your knees, use that to lengthen up your spine. And notice the quality of your breath now, release, turn around on your back, and pause. Relax here for a moment, feet flat on the floor, and knees pointed towards the ceiling.

Keep your left foot on the floor, slide your right leg down, it lies flat on the floor. Find your breath, let's inhale, pause, exhale, pause. Point your toe, and inhale your leg up towards the ceiling. Pause at the top, press through your heel, and exhale down. Pause at the bottom, point your toe, inhale up, and exhale down.

Take two more cycles like that. Inhale with your leg down, and exhale up. Press through your heel, inhale down, exhale up, inhale down, exhale up. Inhale down, and exhale there. Slide your foot in so your knee points towards the ceiling.

Notice any differences between the left and right leg, and slide your left leg down the mat. Find your breath, point your toe, and inhale up. Pause at the top, press through your heel, exhale down. Pause at the bottom, point your toe, inhale up. Press through your heel, exhale down, and two more cycles with that movement.

Take a full breath with the leg down, and exhale up. Press through your heel, inhale down. Point your toe, exhale up. Press through your heel, inhale down. Point the toe, exhale up.

Press through the heel, inhale to the floor. Exhale there, and slide your foot up so both feet are on the floor beside each other. And with your right arm, inhale up. Turn your palm as your arm is vertical, continue your inhale to your palm, back of your hand comes to the floor behind you. Once the exhale moves, bring your arm, turn it halfway so the back of your hand comes onto the floor, inhale, exhale.

Two more with your right arm. Take a resting breath, sense any difference between your right and left arm, and begin with the left. Inhale the arm all the way over your head, pause, wait for the exhale, and when the exhale comes bring the arm back, inhale up. Turn your palm when it's vertical, and again. Two more cycles with your own breath.

And resting breath. Take hold of your knees, and on an exhale, squeeze them in towards your chest. Both legs up, inhale, and exhale, squeeze. Both legs up, exhale. And again, both legs up, exhale, squeeze, and again, legs up, and squeeze.

Last time legs and arms. Whole body expands with breath. Whole body contracts with breath. Push your feet on the floor, eyes your arms right overhead, lift your hips up off the floor. Follow the exhale to take them down, pause at the bottom.

When the inhale moves, body moves next. Three more rhymes like that. This time when you go up overhead, hold the position, pull your belly towards your spine as you exhale, inhale upper chest, belly towards the spine, another full breath in, and bend your elbows, lower your hips down to the floor so you lay with cactus arms. Exhale, pull the top of your knees as you inhale, and exhale, pull your knees in towards your chest. Lay there in a restful inversion.

Place your legs down onto the floor, roll over onto your belly. Place one hand on top of the other, rest your forehead, or if you prefer, turn your head to one side. Keep your right hand where it is, reach back with your left hand and take hold of the top of your left foot. Send your breath down the front of that thigh. Rise up a little bit on your inhale.

Rise up on the inhale, press back with your foot into your hand, and exhale, fold down. Place the foot, change arms, reach back with the right. Find your breath, send the breath down the front of the right thigh, and add this expansion. Inhale, pause, and exhale down, and pause. Release the foot, bring the hands on top of one another again, and rock gently from side to side.

Bring your elbows in underneath your shoulders so your upper arms are pretty vertical. Keep looking down or straight forward. Feel your belly push into the mat as you inhale, and pull your belly in towards your spine as you exhale. Keep your hands forward a little bit, start a little lift on your inhale, and exhale. Keep on the inhale, and exhale down.

Bring your hands in underneath your shoulders, and lift from your upper back, inhale, exhale down. Inhale up. Hold on. Two more cycles of breath with this movement. Keep your knees on the floor, press with your hands to bring yourself to tabletop to take a full breath in, and exhale.

Stay in this neutral space of tabletop for two free breaths. Bend your breath into your lumbar spine, and all the soft tissue around your low back, your kidneys. One more full breath here, and child's pose, exhale. Stay down, take three, four cycles of breath. As underneath your shoulders, push yourself up.

Bring your feet around so you sit on the floor. Bring your left leg in. Keep your right leg extended out, and take your left fingertips behind you, or palm of the hand behind you if your arm is longer. Inhale, reach up with your right arm, lengthen through your spine, and begin to twist, take your hand outside your knee. Stay with your breath.

With every inhale, rise up a little, and a little more twist on the exhale, a twist coming in the upper spine. Back off a little, and lengthen on the inhale, and exhale, twist. Come right on an inhale, reach your left leg out, bring your right leg in. Right fingertips behind, or heel of the hand behind if your arm's long. Lengthen up on an inhale, and exhale, begin the twist.

Take your right hand outside your right knee. Inhale, lengthen, rise up, exhale, twist. Inhale, back out a little, and rise. Exhale, twist. Again, back out, and rise up.

Exhale, twist. Inhale to neutral, and take both legs out in front of you. Run a little scan through your body, through your spine, for any sensation. Grab hold of your blanket, turn it into a little roll, and place the roll underneath your knees. This can also be a bolster, but wherever you're comfortable, lift up, move your seat back a little, and start with your knees even more bent.

Bring your fingertips forward, lengthen up through the spine with the breath, and exhale, start to creep forward. Inhale, back up a little, and lengthen. Exhale, creep forward. When you feel like you reach your edge, back up a little bit, take two, three cycles of breath there, and you can be open to possibly some more movement, or possibly not. Both is fine.

Stay with your breath. If you find your breath restricts at all, that's you at your edge, back up. This pose is for the whole back of the body, and includes the hold of your spine and soft neck. Move your hands back towards the blanket. Think about rolling up from the inside of your front body, your head's going to come up last, stack the spine, and uncurl.

Scoot the blanket to one side again, and lie down on your back. Feet flat on the floor, knees point towards the ceiling. Stay here, take a breath, with one hand on your chest, one hand on your belly. Sender your feet, lift your hips and scoot them three inches to the right. Bring your knees in towards your chest, and take your knees down to the left.

Rest your right arm wherever it is comfortable, if that's down towards your right hip, up over your head. I like to keep my neck neutral here, and face the ceiling. And come back to neutral. Scoot your hips the other way, bring your knees in towards your chest again, full breath in, and exhale over to one side. And a comfortable place for your left arm.

And back to neutral. Hold up your knees, full breath in with straight arms. When the exhale moves, bend your elbows, inhale, expand, straighten your arms, and exhale. Keep going with this movement and the rhythm of your own breath. And have your feet come all the way to the floor now.

Rest your hands at the side of your body. Lower your legs down into the floor. Make any final little adjustments you need to make to be comfortable. And rest in Shavasana. Rest in Shavasana.

If you would like to lay on, please do. Otherwise, deepen your breath, make little movements in your fingers and toes. Press through your heels, point your toes away, take your arms over your head. One last full reach, and bring one leg in at a time. Roll over onto your right side.

Use your arms to push yourself up. Come to kneeling or sitting cross-legged if that's more comfortable for you. Bring one hand onto your chest, one hand onto your belly. Inhale upper chest. Exhale belly towards the spine.

Drop your chin down, inhale upper chest. Exhale belly towards the spine. Three more times. And bring your hands into your lap. That hand sits in your right and bring your thumbs together to touch.

Observe your breath until a point where maybe it disappears. Keep your eyes closed and your thumbs touching and bring your hands so the heels come together to touch and each pair of fingers finds their way to each other. A soft space between your palms. Now close with three arms, so take a full breath in and out. Full breath in.

Thank you for joining me in this practice and Namaste.