Open Shoulders and Hips

Welcome. We're gonna move until we sit and it's gonna be a little bit of a longer sit so in preparation we'll do shoulder and hip work okay that's our focus shoulder and hip work so come on to all fours right as you come on to all fours I really just want you to lean left and right so the thigh bones feel like they're just a pendulum swinging side to side hands are the crease of the hands are below the elbows in the shoulders and this movement from side to side it's deceptive because it does get right into the rotators so just couple rounds where you fire up that ujjayi breath that in and out through your nose right audible sounding like this slack in the jaw right freedom through that hinge in the jaw and then I want you to circle it around so come forward to the left right and then back to the right hip left and do that two more times and all you're really doing is weight shifting so what I become keenly aware of is what arm likes to work harder and what arm likes to space out and so I'm just doing three circles in a clockwise direction if you were going counterclockwise that's fine when you complete the revolution be in the center and then go the other way and you're really tuning into this third dimension and what's happening whether you recognize it or not is this communication of your shoulders and your pelvis which is going on all day long because you're connected everywhere it's really becoming awake it's like I can't move my pelvis if my hands aren't down right now and then I just I'm gonna wag my tail and when I do that right side away right so my right shoulders away from my right hip and my left side is shrinking so my left shoulders closer to my left hip and my left hip is hiking and then you will inhale to center and you'll do that on the other side so now my right shoulder will shrink toward my right hip which is lifting and then I will come back through center and it's like my low pelvic muscles are making a smile so right side is lengthening into the side bend left side is contracting and then inhaling through the center exhaling this is the second round right the second round and and I'm very open to the fact that my side body appreciates that I don't spend much time doing this right so final one left shoulder slides toward left hip as left hip elevates yeah inhale through the center and then exhale as the right shoulder lowers the right hip lifts and then you come back and you just feel just for a moment like oh okay so in that play of the shimmy side to side we will do the diagonal and I and I love diagonals in the body and in life so slide the left foot flex it and slide it back stretching push the left foot the toes into the mat and the right shin bones and lift that left leg up flex it and whether your hips are stacked or not just do the best you can and extend the right arm and so right here my left hand and my right shin bones are really my points of contact my two points of contact so with the inhale I will extend and with the exhale I will bend and touch my right elbow to my left knee right so my shoulder girdle and my pelvis are wheeling towards each other and then inhale and I'm in this neutral space I got to recruit the side body on the left and then exhale right elbow left knee inhale this is super great for your brain because you're crossing your midline one more time exhale I like to point my left toes here elbow touches now both feet are pointed and then I flex the left foot as it extends and then slowly hand and shin bones down now very traditional here flexion as you exhale right cat on Halloween channeling that spookiness and then inhaling articulating the pelvis away shoulders away from the ears lengthening good stretch through the neck come back through the center so same cues for the other side right slide flex and slide the right toes and then as the right leg lifts it's straight extend the left arm and there might be an imbalance in your pelvis there might be a balance right you reach as you inhale and you exhale left elbow right knee inhale pull them away so flexed foot here pointed in the second round scooping the navel really complete the exhale and then inhale reach lift exhale round inhale flex hand down shins down side to side child's pose just for a moment in this moment in child's pose I want you to turn your palms up as opposed to down right may I receive all the benefits of my practice my moving practice to get me into the routine and to be received in my longer sit right shoulders and pelvis whole being here then slowly just bring yourself up to seated right for just a moment round your back and then arch it and just feel that and now come into downward-facing dog arms extended right fingers spread grounded plank pose I like to start from plank to down dog just so I know the relationship of my hands to my feet bend the knees lift the sit bones feel the length and then breathe in such a way that you just feel like the arms the right and the left are working equally and if you're spilling your ribs that's my habit pull them in your heels yearn for the mat whether they touch or not does not matter and then very slowly walk walk walk feet to hands if touching the floor is challenging for you put your hands on your shins inhale lift your chest ah exhale fold let's repeat that two more times inhale lean and lift exhale fold one more inhale exhale knees bent roll up so as you roll all the way up just let yourself come to standing right Tadasana Mountain or that Samasthiti up right and equal so feet apart or together hands together in prayer for just a moment inhale your arms up please bend only right bend only your right elbow to like pat yourself on the back and take your left hand and now your left elbow is bent and grab for the tip of your right elbow and then as you do this I know I know my body and I know that my ribs like to flare so see if you can funnel your ribs and you will go from half these are cow face arms half cow face arms to bent knees Utkatasana and if you want a wider platform I'm taking one right now your feet could be together and then you will inhale I'm focusing on my right triceps my right outer arm I'm pointing to my left one but I'm focusing on my right outer arm on the exhale sit on the inhale spring up just one more time like that on the exhale sit on the inhale spring up and now heel toe feet together if they were apart and go ahead and lean over to the left left shoulders forward so is the right hip okay that diagonal and I was talking about earlier it's going to show up and then the intensity of this stretch will build cohesively in that right shoulder girdle inhale come up and now you will lean over you will lean over over over to the right feel the breath ribs in leaning over inhale come up reach arms up and then exhale fold forward and down your left side will have to wait a couple breaths inhale lengthen right leg goes back lower the knee to the floor the top of the foot and in this low lunge we're moving it around a little right so forward and back you're kind of teasing the body it thinks oh am I going into art a hanuman I said no you're not you're just kind of playing like great movements happen with breath that's the whole point and then you just sit a little more forward look forward and now slowly flex the right foot step back into down dog okay feel down dog step the right foot forward and then the left foot forward inhale lengthen exhale fold straight back inhale all the way up right if you were paying attention we skipped plank and chaturanga we're being so rebel right now so take the feet wide if they were wide mine were so I'm returning them to that place if they were narrow you can keep them that way inhale both arms up bend first left elbow you accentuate that and then you allow that left elbow to be like a horn behind your head funnel the ribs and you bend your knees when you exhale you might tip forward I do or you work to be upright and then inhale straight strong legs exhale sit inhale rise exhale it's like a dynamic Utkatasana with cow half cow arm up inhale and bring the heel to toe if the feet weren't together lean over to the right now first right so that when you go to the right it's the left shoulder and the right hip that kind of fade back so that the bottom shoulder the right one and the left hip can come forward right and that's that moment in the body where there's a confusion there's a point of confusion because you're coming into center but you feel like you're really twisted inhale come up and then exhale go over to the left that's sort of like life sometimes when you're coming into center you have to get a little twisted right so you feel that in the practice and then inhale reach the arms up I just got a nice rinse and flush to the side body exhale fold forward and down inhale lengthen take the left leg back as you exhale lower knee top of foot and then again you're just moving and right now it's a bit of freeform it's like creative I am NOT asking you to do it a certain way I just want you to have that playful essence that allows you to unpack right to free up space and that's what the practice is about free up space for sensation for feeling what you feel and the palms come down downward facing dog and you get this sense that the shoulders and the pelvis they really do want to be in a rhythm together right they both really want release with strength all right in order to to lead like if the shoulders lead you the pelvis need to be great followers and then if the pelvis leads the shoulders need to be great followers so we just watch that in the body step the left foot forward and then the right inhale lengthen exhale fold a deep bend in the knees for Utkatasana right into Utkatasana look up and then fold forward and down Uttanasana inhale lift the chest step back into the plank now you have the option in this plank to stay for three breaths and then go to dog or to use the three breaths for an exhale to the low plank an inhale to up dog and then an exhale to downward facing dog now step the right foot forward and as you step the right foot forward each leg in their own lane slowly come up right so slowly come up and I would like you to circle the arms back and then up and as they circle back and up I would like you to bend your right elbow yes this happened moments ago and sit and if balance is a super issue for you lower your left knee down otherwise lean just a little left on the exhale inhale come up exhale over to the right so fun two more rounds inhale exhale in out in out so the out breath you're lowering to the left the in breath you're coming up and the out breath you're going over to the right my right hamstrings are like what are you doing inhale come up take the arms down and then mostly straighten the right leg what I'm doing is inviting my hamstrings and my arms to say oh yeah I have no excuse for why I can't sit in meditation I am breathing my way into opening the spaces in the body so the mind can follow and open bend right knee right leg back plank pose so now that front body stretch here you might just stay for three breaths inhaling or you might exhale for chaturanga you might inhale for up dog inner thighs lifted heart coming through gate of thumbs and then exhale for downward facing dog right in there sensation that's a little more alive in the right leg possibly or the left leg so let's do the other side step the left foot forward sit into the left thigh right and so you know you're working that left side the right side's gonna appreciate this through the hip flexor quad arms will come back to go up left elbow will bend sit into the pelvis and it's fine if you come up a little higher I'm sure I will exhale over to the right in the side bend first it's like your torso is a windshield wipers inhale exhale over to the left inhale up two more rounds feel the enthusiasm pulsing through the body exhale over to the right inhale arc to the left inhale come up over to the right inhale to the left inhale arms up arms come down exhale plank same option down dog if you want holding for the inhale and the plank moving for the exhale flowing through down right so the breath lubricates and hydrates the tissue the water right we're mostly water anyway step forward big step left or right foot inhale lengthen exhale fold deep knee bend right deep knee bend what's katasana Oh tonasana fold inhale lengthen you could step back maybe you want to hop I'm gonna go for the smooth chaturanga sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn't inhale exhale right foot steps left heels off the mat arms will come back as you inhale and then up and now your left elbow will go under your right yes go mukasan what if there's too much congestion in your chest hands will come into prayer right what if you want a little more elbows will come together any of those variations back knee could be down right make it feel accessible that's what we're doing shoulders pelvis accessibility so that the meditation works for you hmm might be interesting to twist a little to the right and then a little to the left and then to the center release arms down plank pose vinyasa could be chaturanga up dog down dog or you could just hold in my mind I'm doing the best chaturanga you're just not seeing it oh that up dog was luxurious and then downward-facing dog hmm left foot steps sitting into it feeling for the rivers and the tides okay where can I free up space and then arms are coming back this is giving my chest and my pecs a great opening and up and then right elbow underneath left sitting into it and just because you could do it on one side doesn't mean you can the other so right any of those options prayer elbows right no shame in yoga no shame in yoga no shame twist over to the left and then come to the center and then go to the right sit into it what's happening is my shoulders and my pelvis are going wow thanks and inside I'm saying you're welcome plank this time I'm not gonna just imagine my chaturanga I'm gonna embody it exhale you know exhale back hmm hmm sometimes lingering and down dog you can feel the benefit of the practice right whatever I was so serious about before this practice it's gone not so serious about my down dog it's only yoga bend the knees feet dance inhale lengthen exhale fold deep bend in the knees hands heart center and prayer right hands heart center and prayer you know what's coming I do right elbow outside left knee it just feels so right now's the time so the bottom hand the right hand could be a fist the left hand can stack track that right outer knee back and then just feel this nice twist why because the pelvis has to talk to the shoulders right now and that's what we keep just looking for engaging in that conversation and sometimes it's the conversation you just don't want to even have with yourself right but we're having it and it feels good so then the arms come forward sit into it reach and then the arms will go the other way left elbow outside right knee fist or hands in prayer you got to slide that left knee back right and mine might be popping forward I'm doing the best I can sliding it back twisting breathing and then very slowly coming right back into art of this time with the arms behind art all right halfway skiers channel it sit it back arms down inhale lengthen step or smoothly exhale inhale exhale right footsteps left heel in warrior one right and this warrior one the whole contents of the pelvis even if that left rib cage can't roll forward but the contents of the pelvis feels light because we've done a lot we've sat in this space so go ahead and just let it lower and at the same time feel the residual like sort of that bubbling up that effervescence that's coming from there and then inhale the arms up now exhale the last elbow under the right and sit into it arms open warrior two right here you are warrior two and that feels so wonderful for their inner lining of the right leg rinsing it out reaching the arms it's been so fun with that cow and eagle right it's like a hybrid animal now we're gonna do one more half cow so bend the right elbow you're in warrior two half cow and then you will inhale flirt with the triangle exhale bend I'm not gonna go there yeah inhale but it's so tempting exhale one more time inhale exhale and then reach right and there's a lightness in my arms there's a buoyancy and there's a strength swim arms forward and down take a vinyasa any way you like in your mind so you're holding the plank in your body exhaling inhaling exhaling hmm three more rounds and down dog left foot steps right heel in back foot is cut forward right thigh bone of the right leg rolling in a bit and sitting into it you're inhaling up through warrior one finding the levity the lightness and the shape and then right elbow under left remember you're taking your personal best variation doesn't have to be a vining of the arms and it's still success okay so sit into it sit into it and ask yourself can I listen to my breath and I be in my heart opening to warrior two I futz with my feet a little bit sitting into it reach the left arm up bend the left elbow right pat yourself on the back yes you're doing a great job sit into it and then inhale mostly straight in the left leg and then exhale bend inhale exhale inhale hmm exhale extend the arms right so there's a lightness happening it's happening see if you can feel the outer edges of both feet even there lifting arms come forward on to the mat plank pose either steady yourself here just stay or chaturanga up dog down dog child's pose I bet you didn't see that coming right come into child's palms of the hands up again for this variation forehead down slowly come out onto your knees right conscious of how there's been a shift in your mind you're here set yourself up so you're sitting in the middle of the length of your mat we're going into a parigasa in the gate pose I really love this pose and this is like a sweet movement for pelvis and shoulder girdle so go ahead and stand on your knees and you will extend your right leg out to the right flex the foot obviously if you're sensitive in the shin bones please blanket pat it otherwise first just begin by sliding the right arm down and you can keep the left arm on the side you can take the left hand to the shoulder or you can reach over there's been a lot of side bending and this is another time where that right shoulder in the left hip they want to kind of rotate toward the side of your mat and then inhale come up slide the right hand up the leg the left hand toward the mat and if you can't reach the mat obviously a block a water bottle something pelvis magnetizes forward that's what happens and then the arm reaches over and this is where you flex that right foot and really there is such a sweet yumminess it feels to me so delicious shoulders and pelvis and I'm active in my pelvis so it's not just like hanging out there it's really moving forward and then the transition that we're gonna do right now is to slowly bring right hand to right hip and then sit down and you will end up this is like a hybrid half bread poses Johnny you and oopavishta leg so the leg is out to the side and your left knee is bent and the foot is in and you will slide the right arm down and then you will slowly reach the left arm backing up so when I say backing up slow I want you to pour the breath through the body cascade it through and I am NOT I'm not aggro about whether I touch my foot because I know what it feels like fingers on toes what I'm really looking for is oh yeah that side bend that feels really supportive and tells me that I'm opening up to something bigger and then yeah slowly come up and just gently take the right hand across to the left thigh this is a really useful twist and sometimes it can just be the right amount of twist to balance you out how you come back you can slide it back or you can see if you can channel a little John Travolta right and come up through center and balance clearly I cannot okay so standing on the shin bones extend the left leg out to the left stack hip knee and then slide right hand can stay on right hip as left arm goes down or if you want more you reach over and then again what has to happen here is the bottom shoulder the left one in the right hip that diagonal has to come forward and that has been happening all practice long if you've been paying attention and if you've been spacing out this is new to you inhale come up slowly gently you will land to the right hand the left hand can stay on the left thigh or you reach it up how this forward eyes can be drifty up palm spread to the side or down hand can be all the way down that feels like it pinches a little something on my side body so I stay on tinted fingertips and then really right shin bones are pushing into the mat to lift and feel an opening in the pelvis and then slowly the transition is to sit the hips back at the same rate that that right foot slides on the inside of the left leg yeah and then anchor your sit bones sit up tall feel and then slide the left hand down the leg don't be a greedy grabber I just let your hand land where it can and then the right arm comes back and out to the side and now slowly first it comes up and it goes over over over right as it goes over maybe you can touch maybe you can't hey maybe the blessing is not to touch right because if I really want to do I can touch but does that make my stretch better I don't think so I like it up here I feel more and the whole point is to feel and then free up space and then inhale come up hmm take that moment left hand outside right little twist slowly gracefully see if you can come up and then sit down right in this sitting on the knees and palms up has been part of our theme so just feel that and now please come on to your back so you'll come on to your back you'll let the bones right now feel really heavy hug the right knee into your chest for the wind-removing pose we have the fingers pull on that right leg just a little bit so your hands are below your knee your proper knee and you're pulling on the shin bones eyes are gazing up and then you see if you can diminish the space under the left leg just for a moment you get a nice stretch you get pressure on the right side body and then very gently you will slide the left heel in and vine the right leg over okay so you'll find the right leg over eagle bottom legs and if you need support under your head you'll hold your head with your hands okay because we're gonna do eagle crunches if you don't you can take the right elbow underneath the right the left elbow yeah that's right you have two sides so slowly you will tap your feet and your tips of your fingers over your head and then you will exhale curl elbows to thigh inhale bring it down these are my favorites exhale curl inhale down if the hands are behind the head enjoy that exhale curl once I curl I get a little higher right and when I tap I feel the foot touching fingertips touching and then go we're gonna do six so two more inhale on the down exhale on the up inhale last one exhale and now very very slowly come down keep the feet as they are for a moment release the arms release the legs let them shake it out slide the left heel in switch the clasp of the hand pull the left thigh into you bury the back of the head into the mat and then flex the right foot so really push the right calf and the hamstrings toward the floor just at the same amount of energy that you pull and then slide the right heel in wrap the legs best you can if the left foot can come behind the right calf great if it can't no big deal so take the left elbow under the right elbow or the hands weave behind your head whatever serves you best tap foot down hands overhead inhale to prepare exhale curl everything up inhale tap down exhale curl inhale tap four more exhale curl inhale down exhale inhale last two exhale really feel the squeeze of the legs and the arms inhale exhale and then lay on to stay for a moment and release let everything be heavy shake final poses here slide right heel and wrap right knee in front of left and then hug on the shin bones towards you and curl if you like right so it's it's Gomukhasan in the air I think it's the most user-friendly if you want your head down you can at the same time that I'm pulling my opposite leg well my opposite shin bones toward me I'm pushing away and that's what makes it such a yummy yummy yummy stretch like it's the activity there's nothing passive going on here if I want my neck and head to be passive I can come down but my legs are really working here and then slowly release let the legs go straight I think there's something valuable there slide the left heel and cross left thigh in front of right and then grab hold and now you can curl if you want you can have the legs further or pull at the same rate that you're pushing so again I'm imagining my outer ankles squeezing towards each other and then I'm using my arm strength to pull pull pull pull and at that moment my face is features are soft and then slowly release let that go shake shake shake hug knees into chest circle it around right circle it around clockwise or clown or counterclockwise excuse me three times each way because three was our magic number today right and when you go back right you're feeling that massage on the sacrum the thigh bones are just circling and now is your time now is our time for a longer sit so go ahead and rock yourself up I love my little lift so I'm gonna grab it put it underneath me sit up a newfound way I'm gonna move myself a little more on my mat newfound way in my pelvis feels very friendly to me right now and so do my shoulders so take a mudra if you like sit up tall snuggle yourself in and then close your eyes you are here for eight minutes and you don't need to worry about the time because I will mind it and telling you the amount of time is not an out for you to feel like you're done so you can walk away it's an in this time is for care for you for patience for breath for self-love you you return to your breath right now your breath it's a gift it's an abundant resource be with it you the quiet welcomes you if you're looping a story it's from the past your mind is probably already tired of it if you're planning you're ahead of this moment future so dive right in feel the points of contact you are seated mantra I am here you're over halfway whatever it takes for you to stay in this breath this breath this breath be here you stay with it stay with this moment keep guiding yourself in to release as you complete this time seated with yourself take a couple breaths right to remind you yes you can yes carving out time for meditation is possible yes it will add value to your life and the quality of your conversations with yourself and your ability to listen better to you and to others Hans Hart Center in prayer deep deep gratitude I look in and down at my heart and see kindness compassion and love and I know as you look in and down at your heart you have the same kindness compassion and love namaste