Flow to Sit

Welcome. I'm Bex, and this is a flowing practice. We're going to use a few sun salutations to clear out the cloudy mind and prepare us to get really clear. So come to the top of your mat. So you come to the top of your mat, ground your feet, right? Just have like a moment where you physically say to yourself, I'm standing on the top of my mat and I've paused everything else from my day, whether this is the beginning of the day, the middle of the day, or the end. It's all on pause. Hans Hart Center in prayer, this intention of returning to your rich, your full effervescent spirit. Inhale, arms up. Exhale, fold forward, little bend in the knees so there's a supple quality in the hamstrings. And then inhale, lengthen. Exhale the right leg back, and then the left leg back. Plank pose. And slowly flow all the way to the floor. Roll the thigh bones in. Know that at any time in this practice, you can take child's pose. For now, prepping spine for up dog. Inhaling low cobra. Exhaling, lengthening and coming down. Two more like that. Dynamic flow. Inhaling, elbows in, collarbones wide. Exhaling as you lengthen and come down. You just have one more here. Inhale. Exhale. Push back to child's pose. Right. And this is just so you know, full permission anytime I can go to child's pose. Yes, I can. Down dog. Hands spread, palms, skin touching mat, toes facing top of mat, heels disappear behind you and the rhythm of the legs, the bony rhythm, you feel it. Lengthening the breath. Inhale, lift the right leg. Pull the knee to your nose when you exhale. And then inhale, rise. Might not touch, mine didn't. Exhale, knee to the nose. Inhale. One more time. Wheel the pelvis forward. Pull the knee to the nose. Step quietly, right foot forward, then left. Hands on the shins really long through the spine. Inhale. Exhale, fold. Inhale, coming all the way up. Exhale, hands, heart, center and brow. Begin again. Fresh, new, rich breath. Inhale. Looking up. Exhale, folding forward. Inhale, lengthen. Left leg back. Exhale.

Right leg joins. Like the air below you is thick. Slowly lower down, lower, lower, lower, lower, all the way down. Thigh bones in, toes point. Shrug shoulders up to the ears, up to the ceiling, down the back, elbows pin in. Inhale, lift the chest. Exhale, release. Push back, child. Or plank in reverse if you're looking for more vigor. Downward facing dog. Feel the arms lengthen. As the arms lengthen, feel the sit bones lift. As the sit bones lift, feel the heels drawing toward the earth. The breath abundant. Inhale, lift the left leg. Exhale, knee to nose, scoop the navel in. Inhale, rise. Exhale, you can slide shoulders over elbows, rest. Inhale. Final one. Exhale. Step. Right foot. Lengthen. Bow. Unfold to come to standing. Hands heart center in prayer. Right? So we keep coming back. Just those two sometimes, a minimum daily requirement. If I could just do those two ton salutations, I'm resetting. We're going to keep going though. Bend the knees. Prep for utkatasana. I like to touch the floor and just see, can I take my seat back and then the arms up? Can I use the breath? Inhaling. Exhaling. One more time. Inhaling. Fold. Exhale. Inhale, lengthen. Now you could step back into the plank. Exhaling. Inhale, hold. Chaturanga, that's the yogi pushup, to low cobra or upward facing. And then exhale, downward facing. Lift the right leg as you inhale. Bring the right knee to the right elbow. Exhale. Curious, will it touch? Inhale. It did that time. Exhale. Inhale. One more. Exhale. Now, if I'm daring, can I step and quietly land? And the quiet landing is the challenge. And then slowly, back heel is off the mat, pelvis oriented in the direction of the front of the mat. Ooh, a little wobbly there. Right. The more I embrace the wobble, the easier I find the settling. Okay. So we bend the elbows, the chest is lifted. You will inhale, straighten arms and leg. And then exhale, bend arms and knee.

Inhale. Exhale, linking breath with movement. One more time. Inhale. Exhale. Hands to the ground, cycle through vinyasa or find your landing spot. All four points of contact. And then we rise up. Left leg. Exhale. Left knee, left elbow. Inhale. Exhale. Slow enough to feel it. Inhale. One more. Exhale. Challenge. Yes, I can. If you can't, you pick it up, right? If there's nothing there, you pick it up. Each leg their own lane. Inhale, cactus arms, tone belly. Exhale, stay.

Inhale, straighten arms and left leg. Exhale, bend knee and elbows. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Out. Hands down. Plank. Vinyasa. Moving, breathing, meditation. The end of your exhale. Bend the knees, look to the hands. That's where the feet are going. Hop. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, bow. Bend knees. Utkatasana. All right. Feel this. Any shimmy that needs to be shimmied. All right, shimmy it out. Every pose should have a little shimmy. Arms can go back or wide. Ribs funneling down. Even if mine aren't, you can do it. Inhale, up. Little back bend. Exhale, fold. Inhale, lengthen.

Step or chaturanga. Over the toes, stand in the hands. Back, down, dog. Lift the right leg. Where could the right leg go? Oh yeah, the left elbow. Take it there. Across and then up. That was so fun. I'm going to do it two more times. Exhale, feel free to join me. Inhale. One more exhale. Now, are you brave? Can you step the foot from there? It takes the brain and now I'm going to ask you to turn the palm of your left hand so the fingers face the back of the mat and you can rinse the front of that forearm. Your hand could be on a block. Reach the right arm up. If that's too much, obviously, tented fingertips or the natural space. I just really like what this does for my texting, typing, driving hand. Maybe you don't have that carrying more than my share. And breathing.

Hand down. Obviously, point the fingers forward. Cycle through or return to down dog. Now, inside I have a little enthusiasm because I know how I know where I'm going with that leg. Inhale, rise. Bring it across. And then up. And then across. Up. Cross. Yes, I can. Lands. Turning right hand. Shin. Vertical thigh. Working toward horizontal. Up I go. Right? I feel the back leg. I feel the skin, the fabric of my skin, and I breathe.

I hand down on the exhale. Leg back. Inhaling prep for the plank. Ah, chaturanga. Up dog. Down dog. Right? The body starts to feel more malleable. And this is where the brain can soften away from the skull and tend to what really matters. A present, a kind, a compassionate self. Bend the knees. Look to the hands. Feet return there. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, fold. Super deep bend in your knees. Uchkatasana. Come to stand. Grab for an opposite elbow, right? So grab for an opposite elbow to frame.

A couple of side bends. I just love a good side bend, right? A good sweet side bend. So up tall, ears back, lean to the right. And then in that moment, there's a twisting that actually really brings you back into balance. So the twisting comes from the left hip and the right ribs rolling forward. That's the diagonals in the body. They work together. Inhale, come up. Exhale, go over. So you delight in the shape. You feel lightness in the shape. Oh, I'm hiking my left shoulder. Okay, recline, which really means work side body. Left shoulder forward, right hip forward. Yes, arms back. Yes, side bend. Be receptive.

Breath. Inhale, come up. Reach. Bow. Bow. Lengthen. Chaturanga or step back. Inhale, up, back. Warrior one. Right foot steps, left heel in. So look at that back foot. Ground it down, right? If you're really vigilant about heel to heel, that's up to you. I like a little space. I know my pelvis has some congestion, so I just like sit into it. Maybe I allow a little bit of massaging left ribs forward and then inhaling arms up. All right, and then maybe I go a little further. Maybe further is too much. I grip, so then I back off.

All right, and the breath makes it formless. The breath makes it supreme. Inhale, up, arms down. One full exhale. Can you make it all the way through the chaturanga? Inhaling up. You could skip it. Exhaling back, right? You could skip it if it just doesn't feel right for you. Step the left foot forward. Cut that right heel. Foot 45. Sit deep. Just your distance. Come up. Pelvis descends. Right thigh rolls in a bit. Left thigh bone feeling the work. Arms up. Welcome the heat atop us.

All right, the fire that burns the clouds out, so you are clear, so you can return to the spirit and be light. Arms down. Vinyasa. Right foot steps. Left heel in. Warrior two. All right, so warrior two, wider stance if you like. Less of an angle of the back foot. Sit into it. Arms stack evenly. The back arm's not a rudder. It doesn't lead the direction. You find it. You sit. You navigate with a laser-like focus. All right, feel the precision and then sit deeper into the right thigh and reverse.

You can look down. You can look to the side. You could definitely look up and sit into it. So, the funny thing about this shape is, like all the poses, it begins when you want to get out, but this shape in particular, it's like sit. Sit on it. Wait. Oh, that's the conversation I haven't been wanting to have with that inner lining of my leg. Oh yeah, there it is. Okay, I'm up and I'm out of it. Vinyasa, down dog child. This time I'm just going to land in down dog. You can inhale plank. Exhale to low plank. Inhale to low cobra or up dog. Exhale down dog. Left foot steps. Right heel in. Sit into the left thigh. Come into warrior two. Deepen that connection and then expand, right? So, you expand and at the same time there's this sweet contraction in the core and that is where you can stand, right? And you want to stand for yourself always so you don't fall for anything. Slowly reverse. Again, looking down to the side. Oh, thank you great ocean. I just saw a dolphin. So beautiful. Or looking up, right? And how can I have that freedom to go deeper, to release the stuff that's not serving that's holding me back? And it does show up in my inner lining of my leg. Beautiful arms down. Plank pose. Hmm, it might be nice to come into a side plank. Let's do the left side first. So, if you need to be on your knee or your forearm, go ahead.

I'm going to flex my feet and stack the ankles. Then lift and go ahead and look up. So, there's a swivel of the right ribs back and the left ribs forward and the right hip forward. Huh, that sounds a lot like my side bend. Hmm. Hand down. Plank. I'm so excited I'm going to go right into the other side. Good lift. Now you might look down, side or up. I'm getting hot. I can feel it. Right. Right ribs forward, left ribs back. Those are the ones on top. Left hip slightly forward. Bottom shoulder. Down I come. Down dog. This time I'm going to walk to the top of the mat to get some hydration in the pelvis. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, fold. Inhale, come all the way up. Hmm. Hand support center. Now would be a great time for the hidden prayer. That's what I think. Inhale your arms up. Take them wide and behind you. You can grab for an opposite elbow.

All right, if that suits you. If the hands can thread honestly into prayer, honestly, you keep them. If somewhere along the fold they don't feel comfortable, no big deal. Left foot steps back. Heel to heel. Some people like heel to arch. Swivel right hip forward. I mean back, left hip forward. Bend the right knee a little. Inhale, lift the chest. And then come forward. Halfway is the place where I like to elevate my elbows and then go deeper and then bend my right knee and snuggle the right outer hip back. The wisdom of the body. Right here. Maybe right here right now. Inhale, come up to halfway. Release the prayer and reach the arms back, palms face the floor.

Can I lift? Airplane. Oh, I might need my hand. If not, warrior three. Now I like to bend my right knee because of my right hamstrings have a nice long story. You might want them straight. You might want to lower that hip. Have your precision and then get out of there and shake. Yep, I'm sweating. I hope you are too. Good. Inhale, arms up. Take the arms behind you. Grab for an opposite elbow or place the hands in prayer. Step the right foot back. Slide. This time I do mean the right hip forward and the left hip back. Elbows back. Inhale, lift the chest. Exhale, come forward. Fold. Little bend in that left knee and then snuggle that left outer hip back. Breathe. So this side tells a totally different story, right? My hamstrings tell a different story. And what I work to do is not say this is my better side, less challenging, just to go, hmm, that's interesting possibilities. Inhale, halfway. Now release. Oh yeah, lift. Okay. Maybe I'm wobbly. Oh, I felt it. It was coming. It was like that big wave. Okay. And then the arms come forward. That right hip, I can feel mine. It's lifted. So I lowered a little and that might throw me off and that's okay. Right? This is life. Breathe and then bring it back. Shake it out.

Come to the center of the mat. And I like to just land in the center of my mat for my tree so that I can ground and root. So left hip, knee and ankle are down, right heels on the inside, or you pick it up. If you're picking it up, just in your mind's eye say, I'm assisting my twist. I mean my tree. What am I talking about? So the hands come into the heart center and then the arms come up. Maybe up higher. Right? Breathe. I'm balanced. I'm balanced as my tree is swaying. Right? Inner balance. Yes, I can. Yes, I can. And then hands come down. Maybe more graceful than me. And then foot lands. I got room for the other side. So go ahead, pick it up. Hands heart center. Right? So we pick up the foot because it's much easier than just lifting it. And then the arms come up. And what I have to remember is that it's just as important for my right inner thigh to push left as it is for my left foot to push right. Right? Holding on and letting go. Second time I'm reminding you. Hands heart center. Yes, we're in the home stretch, if you're wondering. Slowly release. Shake it out. Top of the mat. Great time for garland pose, right? Great time to unpack and you sit down into it. I like to move my pelvis a little. Arms on the inside. Hands in prayer. And I'm just going to close my eyes right here. Feel what's happening in my pelvis. Oh, what a joy. Right? There's joy in my pelvis. Right? There's joy there. There's a lot of other things too. There's joy. And there must be stuff that my body is willing to release. So now without my hands, because I like to be a little daring. Land. Extend the left leg. Slide the right heel into the left inner thigh. This looks just like what I was doing standing.

Janu Sirsasan is this similar pose to tree. You anchor the head of the knee of the thigh bone and you sit up really tall and then you start to come forward and down. Now you might meet a first point of resistance. You wait. Again, it's not about being a greedy grabber. So I might just be right here today. I feel like, hmm, there's a lot of yoga that's happened so I can land here. As you're folding forward here, you can lift a little of the left side body and rotate the right side body. Dental twist. Fold. Breathe. Inhale, slowly come up. Stay on this side. Take the right hand outside the right knee to push the right foot down. The right hand will come behind you. Some people like to just hold on to the right shin bone with the left hand. I prefer to inhale the left arm up and then hook the elbow so that when I get there, my tricep and my outer right thigh push into each other to propel me into a twist and then I allow my left foot. I can't see it. I can feel it. I'm flexing it. I'm really happy in my body right now. I'm feeling that opening. I'm also noticing that I just saw three dolphins jump through the water and that lightens my spirit too.

And then come through center. Yeah, shake it out. Slide that left knee. Bends. Heel in. So there are many ways to do Januschur Sausen. Just to be clear, they're all right. I'm sure this one is hip, knee and ankle or straight on the right leg. Left knee is folded in. If you needed to pad the knee or elevate the pelvis, I trust you will do that. Inhale, lift and twist and then come forward. First point, yielding. Okay, this is where I am. This leg, this leg here I am. And then maybe offering more. Maybe not. I don't know. Right? The inquiry is where am I right now? And again, on this side, right ribs, lifting, left ribs, lowering. Inhaling up. Right hand on the left outside. And this is just to be tender with the body. Be tender with the body. Hug it in. Left hand behind you. Again, if you just want to hold on to the left shin bones with the right hand, totally fine. You can stay gazing forward. Otherwise, right arm comes up.

You twist. Okay. Yeah, you twist, you push. You feel that right tricep in the left outer thigh. And then you relax the shoulders, flex the right foot. So I love feeling my right foot flex because it reminds me, I can't see it. It's still there. Right. I still want the integrity there. And then I twist deeper. And I just noticed I was using my left hand for a kickstand, meaning I was in slumping Asana. And I want that left hand to propel me up. Right. I want to be embodying verticality, right? As a sense of my tallest best self. And I do this for me, for no one else. I show up for me. And that's why I want to be taller. Legs forward, shake it out. And then you're just going to come onto your back. Okay. So you're going to come onto your back, slide your heels in. Hmm. This is when the support of the floor is so evident that I'm grateful. And I'm grateful for the grounding and then lift up. So this time when you're lifting into bridge, right, this is in Sanskrit, the name of this bridge is a bridge with a walking path. Right.

So this walking path, I just lifted like a lever. I keep my nose oriented up toward the ceiling the whole time. I never turned my head. I never turned my head just so that I'm safe. And my breath is deep. My throat is open. My eyes are soft, a little more engagement in my inner thighs, your inner thighs, our inner thighs, and slowly come down. Let the knees touch. I asked the body, what do I need? Do I need another twist? Hmm. My body's saying, I don't need a twist right now. What I really need is a happy baby. You might need a twist. You could take that twist. You can take the hips to one side and the knees to the other. My body's saying, I don't know. It felt like there were a lot of twists going on in there. So just rocking it side to side, feeling it, rocking it up and back.

Right. I'm a happy baby right now. Great. Knees together, come in, rock it side to side, hug it in. And you can just gracefully rock up. I'm going to grab pranagama cushion. You could grab bolster, block, tons of blankets. And then join me, seated meditation. It's a short one. So dive right in. Close your eyes, sit up tall. Right. The mantra here can be, thank you, body. All right. Thank you, body. If that's too much, thank you, breath. All right.

So sweet and short. Right. Success. Right. You're capable of staying longer. Are you willing? That's up to you. If you want to lay down, take Shavasana for a while. If you feel like everything has come full circle for you and you're ready to close your practice, hands come, heart center and prayer. The light and the divine within me salutes and honors the light and the divine in you. Thank you so much for sharing the practice. Namaste.