Unwind and Connect

All right, so welcome. The theme of our practice today is to just to begin to unwind help us connect more fully. So this practice is going to target kind of all the tight and sticky spots in the body. We'll focus on some side body opening as well as some hip opening. To help us really begin to move towards a quality of stillness and align with the inner currents so that we can align with the truth. And we do this by slowing down enough and listening inwardly for guidance. So we'll dive right in. We'll start in a seated shape. So this is my go to just to get into the body seated. More of a in style. So as you come on to the floor, you might want to sit up on a blanket for a little bit of support underneath you, whatever feels good. And then just start by bringing your feet a little further away from your pelvis. So rather than a close body, a little further away, you might just start by taking your thumbs and just kind of easing and thumbing the inner leg lines might feel some areas that are a little tender. For me as I move into the calves and the ankles, I can feel some tenderness and you might move into the soles of your feet, thumbing, kneading the soles of your feet might feel really nice. We're easing towards the shape of the forward fold, just beginning to set a tone for our practice might even set an intention as you begin to release into the forward fold. Just notice what you choose to do with your arms. You might lean a little bit from side to side. Yeah, might allow the weight of your head to release and most likely I know for me there's a warm, achy feeling in the body, especially the back of the body around the spine, moving into the lower back, the sacrum and the hips. What would it feel like to let the belly soften a little bit, let the face relax, the softening through the jaw and the mouth, taking a few breaths into where you feel it and where you feel the sensation. Just allow for a generous exhale out of the mouth, releasing any tension any stickiness, any tightness in the physical or the subtle body. Last few moments here might feel nice to direct some breath into the mid back down into the lower back. You might even visualize or imagine the back of your lungs, the kidneys. Last few moments here maybe allow the weight of the head to surrender. Beautiful. When you feel ready, just slowly chin into the chest, begin to roll your way back up. Just take a moment to pause. Notice how you feel. And then go ahead and stretch your left leg out and bring the sole of that right foot towards the inner thigh. Love this opening here. Take a few moments to settle in and as you're ready, inhale, stretch your arms up towards the sky and just feel how you can find a little bit more laying through the side body. We'll inhale together full and then exhale, simple twist to the right. Left hand finds your right leg, right fingertips reach behind you or maybe on the block. And then as you inhale, just feel how you can draw your spine into your back. Feel the space and length or the front of your body. Flex the left ankle if that feels good. And then with your exhale, gently twist to the right. You might feel or sense that rotation happening from the base of your spine, the ribs, the lungs, even the head. Can you feel a sense of fullness in the back of your body here? Beautiful. And then stay on the twist and just slowly rotate your head forward, maybe stretching and bringing the gaze over your left shoulder as you breathe in and then exhale, unwind. Let's find the other side. So lean back, stretch your right leg out and then bring the sole of your left foot towards the right inner thigh. We're just easing in slowly to our practice. Sole that left foot into the right thigh, settling in and with your inhale, stretch your arms again up towards the sky. Feeling that length, maybe flexing your right ankle. You find that ease through your neck. Beautiful. Inhale to lengthen and exhale, twist to your left. Right hand might find that left thigh, left fingertips down and inhale, feel your ability to lengthen. And with your exhale, gentle twist to the left. You feel sense and even imagine the body spiraling towards the left from the base of your spine all the way up through the crown of the head. Notice if there's any hardening or rigidity in that mid back around the kidneys. Can you find a little bit more ease there? Stay in the twist and slowly let your head rotate forward and maybe continue rotating towards your right shoulder as you inhale. And with your exhale again, just let your body unwind and then just cross your legs. So a simple Sukhasana shin to shin, wobble into the sitting bones, find a little bit of release through our neck.

So bringing your left fingertips down towards the floor, we'll soften our chin down towards our chest and then just roll the right ear towards your right shoulder. And as always pause when you first begin to feel something usually doesn't take much to feel a lot, especially when we are willing to slow down and feel, you might stay right where you are. You might gently rotate your head down. Maybe rotate the head up towards the right. You more moments here maybe nodding the head up and down, or you might pause and kind of linger breathing into where you feel it. You might even explore and play with your left arm. Fingers might be reaching down towards the floor. You might even spin the palm and the pinky finger up towards the sky. Feeling that energy down through the left arm into the fingers. Beautiful. When you feel ready to release, relax the effort through your left arm, roll your chin down towards your chest and then left ear towards the left shoulder. And we'll just walk those right fingertips out a little bit. And pause when you first begin to feel a stretch and I know for me this side feels a lot different than the right side. Finding that appropriate edge of sensation. You might stay right where you are. It might be useful to nod your head down a little bit towards the left. Down towards your knee. Maybe nodding the head up towards the left. Getting into that right arm and neck. Even the side of the face. Maybe nodding the head slowly. Or you might find a spot where you want to pause and hang out. Breathing into where you feel it. Just a few more moments. Just allowing for this gentle investigation. It's not about getting rid of the areas that feel tight and sticky, but creating a bit more space and awareness for all of it. When you feel ready, just rolling the chin back towards the chest. Relax that right arm and just let the head slowly lift. Let's take a few shoulder rolls just to kind of move that all through. Yeah. Nice. As you're ready, let's make our way into table tops. Just find your way onto your hands and knees and you might bring a blanket under your knees for some extra padding. Easing into cat cow, spread the fingers, the toes. You might tuck them under. Inhale, arch the body. Drop the belly. Lift your sitting bones in your heart. Exhale, round your back. Press the floor away. Chin towards the chest. And then with your inhale, moving into your extension, drop the belly. Lift and lengthen. Exhale, navel to spine. Wow. Nice and full through your back ribs.

Continue exploring at your own pace. So about a handful of rounds here. Really with the intention of warming the spine, waking up the whole body. So you might take this from side to side, forward and back, maybe some circles. And we're looking to feel into and find those sticky spots. Maybe one or two more rounds of your cat cow. The hydrating the spine, the joints. And again, we're stimulating the nerves of the parasympathetic that emanate out of our face of our spine or sacrum and move all the way up to our brainstem. Eventually, find your way back towards the shape of a child's pose towards. And you might even support your head with your hands or the earth. Maybe there's a little wobble here. Feeling into your body, softening the jaw, feeling the support of the earth. Allowing yourself to feel grounded and held as a key skill right now. Okay, when you feel ready, we're going to make our way up. We're going to explore Parigasana Gate Pose. So you can turn and face me on the long end of your mat and then come up onto your knees. Again, you might have padding underneath you and stand about hips width apart with the knees and you might look down. We're going to stretch out through our our left leg to start with. So as you reach your left leg out, just take a look at your alignment. So look down. So that right hip and knee are in alignment. And then as you stretch your left leg out, your toes are facing forward and your hip and your ankle are in alignment. And then bring your hands onto your hips. We're going to balance the hips. So if you notice your left hip is hiking up, see if you can find a balance through your pelvis. And as you bounce through your pelvis, inhale to lengthen your spine, just like you would in your Tadasana Mountain Pose. Can you feel that internal alignment from the pelvic floor all the way up? Even that ease through the base of your skull. Feel how the abdominal muscles are definitely supporting you here. Kind of drawing them in tailbone lengthening down. A lot of words. As you're ready, let's bring that left hand onto the hip. We'll inhale, stretch our right arm up towards the sky. And feel, can you feel that energy through the right side of your body? So from that right knee and thigh all the way up to the fingertips. And easy. In the neck, you might stay right here. You might choose to begin to stretch up out and over towards your leg. You might keep your left hand where it is, or maybe reach your left hand down the leg. And think about, go for the length rather than over. So inhale to lengthen, maybe feel that gentle lift through your pelvic floor as you stretch. Always find a place where your neck feels good. We're opening up through the right side of the body, that right lung, the ribs. A few more moments here. Beautiful. Let the inhale on that top arm bring you up. Hands on the hips. And then draw that left leg in. Bit of a balancing act and look down and then stretch the right leg out. Nice. Take a few moments to look so that left hip and knee are more or less in alignment and stacking. Right toes facing forward, hip and ankle in alignment. Hands on the hips, balancing your pelvis. Feel that internal length and lift. We're balancing the effort and the ease in the body. With the hands on the hips, inhale, stretch your left arm up towards the sky. And just work to establish that length, your ability to lift internally and externally. Ease through the neck. Again, you might stay right here, kind of breathing into that left side body and the lung might feel nice to begin to stretch it up out and over towards that right leg and maybe, maybe you're sliding the hand down as you open. Again, most likely the side will feel different depending on this hip and shoulder, the side of your body. Just meeting yourself exactly where you are in this moment. Easy in the neck. A few more breaths here. Stabilizing lengthening and breathing. The art of multitasking. Beautiful. When you feel ready to come out, inhale, reach with that top arm. Hands on the hips, draw that right knee back in. Nice. Let's transition back into our tabletop. Nice work. And set up for our plank pose. Spread the fingers wide apart. And if you have any mischief in your wrists, you can also take this on your forearms and begin to extend back through your legs. Or you can keep your knees on the mat. Reach back through your heels. Lengthen forward through the crown of your head. Feel the tailbone reach towards the heels as you draw the deep low belly up into the spine. We're pressing the floor away. One more inhale in your plank. And then exhale. Let's meet a downward facing dog. Now in our first downward dog, just pedal the feet. Lock it off. Feel into the sensation that is arising through the back of the legs, the spine. You really want to release the head to let the neck lengthen. I always find there's a nice traction happening through the cervical spine in down dog. You might stay here at any point.

You can lower the knees, child. If you want to build some strength and heat, join me back in plank pose. Again, you can keep your knees on the earth here. And then let's lower down onto our belly for baby, baby cobra. Top of the feet on the floor. Roll the shoulders up the back and then use your fingertips to help contraction and draw the heart, the chest forward as you draw your elbows into your ribs. Check in with your neck. Make sure it's comfortable. Now lifts you up. Exhale lowers you down. Beautiful. Tuck your toes under. Press your way up. And let's meet in a child's pose again to a few breaths. You might wobble a little bit side to side. You might even release your arms alongside your body. Notice what feels good for you. Yoga is the art and the process of really listening inwardly for guidance. Beautiful. From here, let's explore little dolphin plank action to build some strength in the shoulder girdle. So we're going to lower onto our forearms like you would in a headstand. Measure off with your hands. So hands around the elbows, shoulder width apart. You might press the palms together like in a prayer position. And then press the hands together so you can feel your outer flat muscles turn on. Now you might stay right here as you feel the shoulder blades draw down the back. You might tuck your toes under and lift up, releasing the head. So your legs and your spine are in a downward facing dog shape. And you might bend your knees a lot here as you lift your sitting bones up towards the sky. Feeling your spine lengthen, feeling your head release here. If and as you want to feel more in hamstrings, you can walk your feet closer towards your face. Maybe you're playing with stacking your hips over your shoulders. I know it sounds crazy. But find a place where your neck can really dangle and release. So there's no pressure happening on the head or the spine.

It's kind of turning everything upside down right now. When you feel ready to release, walk your feet back enough to let your knees release and maybe sink back again into a child's pose. A few moments here. Nice full exhale. Again, you might release your arms down alongside your body. We'll transition as you're ready into a wide downward dog variation, standing the fingers out. Variation I've been enjoying lately. As you stand your fingers out, tuck your toes. You can drop your belly as if you're coming into your cow, lifting your heart. And then keep the the sitting bones lifting as you morph into your downward dog. Release the head then walk your feet as wide as your mat. Feeling that stretch and opening through the pelvic floor, the back of the legs here, you might bend your knees, wiggle your sitting bones up, release your head. That's it. And then maybe play with feeling the thigh bones draw back a little bit. You more breaths here, stay rooted in your fingers. When you feel ready, walk your hands back towards your feet, turn your heels and bend your knees. We're sinking down towards towards molest in a squat. Any variation of your squat heels might be lifted. You might be sitting more into a chair pose. We're just feeling, feeling in. Hands might be together at the heart. You might be sitting up on a couple of blocks. Customize it for your body. We'll meet in Uttanasana, standing forward full toe heel to feet a little closer underneath the hips and bend the knees.

Let's twist it out. So ground your left hand, bend your left knee and we'll stretch the right arm up towards the sky. You can feel how you can find a little bit more length and opening here, easy in the neck. Maybe looking down, maybe straight ahead in here and exhale, release that right hand. Bend the right knee, bring that left hand up towards the sky, lengthening, stretching it out. Maybe looking down, straight ahead or up. One more inhale here, exhale, slow release. Bend the knees. Let's bring the hands onto the hips today. We're going to come up with a flat back. So really ground through your heels, strong through your legs and inhale, press through the heels and feet. Come on, you have to stand. Ooh, take a moment to pause. You might feel a little lightheaded. I know sometimes I do if I come up too quickly. And let's make our way towards the top of the mat. We're going to take some time to really dial in our Uttanasana today. Help us feel grounded and connected. So as you arrive at the top of your mat, spreading your toes, you might even look down at your feet as you spread them and then feel how you can energetically and physically find a little bit more lift through your inner arches, the awakening, the inner leg lines, aligning with the currents from the pelvic floor up through your spine. Feeling that brightening up through the heart. Let's let the palms turn open. You might feel incensed, the shoulder blades gently hugging in towards your spine. And then find a place where the head feels really balanced and kind of gooey over the spine. We're looking for that easeful quality in the neck. With all this computer action, I find myself, my head kind of reaching forward. So see what it feels like to draw the skull back. Imagine the back of the skull gently floating up as the chin softens down. Allow for a nice full exhalation. Soften the jaw again, even soften the belly. Letting the bottoms of the feet really open, receiving the support. Drawing your awareness towards the quality of your breath. Feeling this life force within this prana.

And for a few moments, let's draw our awareness towards the sensation of the breath in the nostrils. As you draw your awareness towards the sensation of the breath in the nostrils, can you find a little bit more space between your eyes, eyebrows, and the occiput, the base of your skull. Allowing yourself to feel relaxed and focused simultaneously. Inhale through the nose and exhale out of the mouth. Let's bring the hands together at the heart, moving with the breath at your own pace.

As you're ready with the inhale, stretch your arms up towards the sky. And just feel this for sun salutation. Now you can press down and reach up. Draw the navel towards the spine. Doesn't this feel amazing? Exhale, turn the palms away, squandive or hinge at your hips. Maybe there's a soft bend in your knees as you release your head and your hands. Inhale, slide the hands up the shins, half arch length in your spine. With your exhale, bend your knees. Let's step the right foot back, left knee bend. So we're in the shape of the lunge here. And then press through the ball of your left foot a little bit. Straighten the left leg a little, feeling the hamstrings, and then bend the left knee and lift the heart. Let's do that two more times. Press through that left foot, straighten the left leg a little, and then bend the knee, lift the heart. One more time, waking up the hamstrings. As you bend that left knee, we're going to lower the right knee down to the earth. You might pat it with a blanket. Stay low or begin to rise up into our low crescent lunge.

Ooh, again, we soften through the mouth. Can you feel that internal quality through your spine? Tapping into the ease here. So you feel that big stretch in the right thigh. Stay where you are. It might feel nice to inhale and stretch your arms up towards the sky. Feeling that lift and support from the back of your heart. Spacious in the heart and the throat. Feel the energy out through your fingers if they're reaching up. One more inhale. Exhale, release the hands. Twisting lunge. Tuck your back right toes, lift your back knee, ground your right hand. You might toe heel your left foot wider as you stretch the left arm up. Reach back for that right heel forward through your heart. You feel the twist from the deep low belly up. Beautiful. Notice if you prefer looking down, straight ahead or up.

One more inhale. Exhale, release the left hand hammock pose. Walk the hands over to your right. Turn the feet parallel. Walk the hands out in front of you. Bend the knees a little and then wiggle your hips and sitting bones back away from the hands. Let the heart soften towards the earth. Breathe. And nice and long and relax through the neck. Breath through to here. Swap the hands back underneath your shoulders. We're going to meet in the shape of the lunge again. So walk the hands back towards the top of the mat. Left foot facing forward, right foot back, shape of the lunge. Step back into your downward facing dog. Take your time to get there. You might pedal your feet. You might lower the knees and chiles. You might join me in a plank pose with your inhale. Shifting shoulders over wrist. Strong knock it through your legs and your belly. Lowering the knees and we'll lower onto the belly. This time for locusts. Forehead on the floor. Stretch your arms, your fingers down alongside your body. Bring your legs a little closer together. Find that internal rotation through your thigh bones. Gentle engagement through the pelvic floor. And with your inhale, lift and rise through the heart and the chest.

Beautiful. Yes, the back body is turning on and then draw it in towards the spine as you lift. Feeling that energy through the fingers, the toes. Beautiful. The inhale brings you up. Exhale. Where is he to the earth? Hands underneath the shoulders. Hug the elbows in. Tuck your toes. Press up and let's meet in a downward dog. A few breaths here. Take your time from down dog. We'll meet at the top of our mat and standing forward.

Fold. Bend the knees and then walk or step your feet towards your hands. Once you arrive, inhale, slide the hands up the shins to lengthen and exhale. Bend your knees. Forward fold. Spread the toes. Reverse swan dive. Bend your knees and with your inhale, press through your feet. Stretch your arms up. Lengthen. Exhale. Hands together at the heart. Take a moment to pause and notice any changes in heartbeat, temperature, circulatory rhythms. You're feeling a little bit more energized. You know, I sure feel a bit more energized. Let's feel our way into the second side. Hands at the heart. With your inhale, stretch your arms up.

Take a moment to pause. Spread the toes. Reach up and exhale. Palms turn away. Navel the spine. Hinge at the hip swan dive. Releasing the hands and the head. Inhale. Slide the hands up your shins. Feel that length. Exhale. Bend your knees. Step your left foot back. Right knee bends. Wiggle back through the ball of your left foot. Feel into the hamstrings on the right side. Press into the ball of your right foot. Straighten the right leg a little. And then bend the knee and lift the heart. Two more times. Press through the ball of the right foot. Straighten the long pyramid pose. Action. Bend the knee. Lift the heart. One more. Press. Stretch. Bend the knee. Lift the heart. We're going to lower the back. Left knee down. Again, you might pat it with a blanket. Stay low or begin to rise up. Hands might find that front thigh.

And dial in that internal support and length. We're balancing it with that ease through the body. And not only the physical ease but that emotional ease. Beautiful. You might inhale. Stretch your arms up. Feeling that lift from the back of the heart as you reach. Beautiful energy through the fingers. Maintain the length. Notice where you can soften even more. One more inhale. Exhale. Release. Twisting lunge. Ground your left hand. Tuck your back left pose. Lift the knee. And sweep the right arm up to the sky. You might toe heel the right foot a little wider. Giving yourself a little bit more space through the hips. And then reach. And join the stretch. Allowing ourselves to unwind. Yeah. So we can connect. Release that right hand. We're going to walk it over to hammock pose again to the left. So turn the feet parallel. Walk the fingers out. Shift the hips back away from the hands. And let the heart soften towards the earth.

Find that ease in the neck. A few breaths here. Take your time walking your hands back underneath the shoulders. We'll travel back to the top of the mat. Shape up the lunge. Right toes forward. Left leg back. Step back downward dog. And you might stay in down dog. You might lower child. You might join me in a plank pose. Shoulders over the wrist. Strong for the legs. Lower the knees. One more locus here. Forehead finds the earth. Stretch your fingers back towards your toes. Dial in that internal rotation through the thighs. With your inhale, lift the heart. Maybe lift the thighs. Lift the arms. Reach the fingers towards the toes. Feeling that energy. Yeah. Notice how it feels in your neck. If you're feeling a little jammed up and sticky, you might look down to let the neck lengthen. The inhale brings you up. Exhale lowers you down. Beautiful work. Slide the hands underneath you. Elbows in. Tuck your toes under. Press your way up. Maybe it's a child's pose. Maybe it's a down dog. Find what feels right for you. Your body, your energy, your mood. A few breaths wherever you are.

When you feel ready, we'll meet at the top of the mat. So if you're a downward dog, bend your knees. Step or walk your feet forward. Once you arrive, half arch. Inhale, draw the hands up the shins to lengthen. Exhale, bend the knees forward, fold. Strong through the legs. Inhale, press through the feet. Reverse. Circle the arms up, up and up. Exhale, hands together at the heart. Take a moment to pause and notice how you feel. Exhale, tracking the inner sensations, the inner currents, vibrations, the residue. Oftentimes, we move so quickly, we're so productive that we don't really take the time to slow down and feel fully speaking for myself. Let's step our feet wide. When you step your feet wide, we'll find warrior two. So warrior two to your right. So externally rotate your right thigh and foot. Internally rotate your left thigh and foot. Meet me in your warrior two. Just kind of check in with your alignment and finding that length through the inner right thigh. Connecting with the outer hip on that right side. Meet tracking over the second, third toe. Let's lift the arms.

Again, just like our paragasana gate pose, feeling that internal length. Let's find warrior two dance. Three rounds, palms up. Inhale, press through the ball of your right foot, arms reach. Exhale, right knee bends. Warrior two. Inhale, press through the ball of the right foot, right leg straightens, arms reach. Exhale, your warrior two. One more round. Inhale, press, reach. Exhale, warrior two. Let's reverse. Peaceful warrior. Slide your left hand down the back leg and any amount. Inhale, right arm reaches. Keep that right knee bent as you feel into that opening and space through the right side body. Keep this as you press through the ball of your right foot. We're moving towards triangle. You might even toe heel your back foot in a little closer. Inhale to lengthen and exhale, we're reaching. You might even grab a block here on the outside of your right foot. Think about lengthening rather than collapsing. Hand might slide down towards the shin, the ankle, a block. So you reach the top arm up towards the sky.

Again, easy in your neck. Your top arm might reach as you spread the fingers. You might sweep it down to the floor. Maybe moving towards extended side angle, triangle. You're reaching and breathing. Oh, feels really nice. Good. When you're ready to come up, inhale, strong legs reach with that top arm. Let it carry you up. Nice work. Hands on the hips. We'll find the other side. Internally rotate right thigh and foot. Externally rotate left. Again, new side, new story. Feeling into your alignment. Knee tracking over the second, third toe. We're externally rotating rather than dropping in.

Look at the arms. Feel that lifting space. The ease in the neck. Warrior two dance. Three rounds, press through the ball of the left foot. Left leg straightens, arms reach. Exhale, left knee bends. Warrior two. Two more. Inhale, reach. Extend the leg. Exhale, bend the knee. Warrior two. One more. Inhale, reach up. Exhale, warrior two. From your warrior two, reverse. Slide the back hand down the back leg. Inhale, left arm reaches. Enjoy that space through the side body as you press through the ball of your left foot. Straightening the left leg. You might toe heel your back foot in as you extend and lengthen into your triangle pose. Reaching. Keep reaching. You might pull your block in. Slide the hand down.

Maybe reach the top arm up. Taking up space in your triangle pose. Feeling that support through the pelvic floor. Notice what feels good in the neck. Notice who you prefer to do with your top arm. Maybe you're floating it down and extending it over the ear. Rooting, lengthening and breathing. When you feel ready, inhale, reach with the top arm. Let it carry you. Hands on the hips, feet parallel. Toe heel the feet a little closer together. Inhale, reach the arms out. Exhale, internally rotate the shoulders. You might find the interlace or find a strap. Inhale, lift up. Enjoy that opening in your chest, your throat. You might stay here or exhale, hinge at your hips, forward fold. Maybe there's a soft bend in the knees as you stretch the arms up out and over. Allow for a exhale here. Take your time when you're ready. Releasing your hands down by the sacrum. Bring the hands back underneath the shoulders. Let's just toe heel our feet towards malasana. Heels and toes out squatting. Any variation of a squat that feels good for you. Maybe you're bringing the hands together at the heart. It's our last malasana. Nice full exhale through the jaw, the shoulders. Big opening through the hips. Releasing through the lower back. We're going to find a graceful transition to the earth, to the floor. So however you'd like to get there, take care of your knees. You might release the hands behind you gracefully. Come on down. And then we're going to come onto our back. So go ahead and stretch your legs out.

Roll your way down. We're going to do some core work before bridge. Take your time bending your knees. Now before we do our core work, we're going to start with some gentle cat cow on the back. So open the arms cactus style or go post arms. We're going to keep our feet on the floor, knees bent, pelvis on the floor. And as you inhale, arch your back. So tilt your pubic bone downward, forward, lumbar spine lifts up. Exhale, curl the tailbone under. Enable the spine without lifting up into bridge. Couple rounds like this. Arching the back on the inhale. Exhale, curl the tailbone under. Enable the spine, pelvis on the floor. A couple more rounds. Feeling the movement of the skull and the movement of the pelvis. I even feel like a nice release through the low back and the spine.

Beautiful. And then we'll add on. So interlacing the fingers behind the head. Here's where we move towards some abdominal work. Before you do a sit up, you're just going to let your elbows open wide. So feel like your elbows can press down into the floor a little bit. And then arch your back. So tilt the pubic bone downward and forward like you're coming into a backbend. Yeah. And then with your exhale, curl the tailbone under. Lift your head manually. Using your hands, elbows together, curl the tailbone under. Good. Slow, open wide. And then roll the pelvis forward. Arch. Exhale, lift up. Curl up. Gentle squeeze. Let's find three more. Lower down. Open the lungs. Arch the back. Exhale, lift up. Curl up.

Two more. Inhale, open wide. Arching. Exhale, lift up. Curl up. Last one. Inhale, arch. Exhale, lift up. Curl up. And lower down. Let's stretch the arms out wide so the hands are right out in line with the shoulders like a T, palms facing down. Lift the knees up. So the knees are right in line with your hips. And sometimes we do this with a block between the legs. So if you prefer having a block, you might grab one. Okay. We're going to inhale here and just draw the navel towards the spine. Lower back connects with your exhale. Knees hover to the right as you turn the belly and the gaze towards the left. Inhale, use that bottom knee. Pressing up. Exhale over to your left. Hover. Turn internally the belly and the gaze to the right. Use that top knee. Press it in or the bottom knee. Press into the top to come up. And then exhale over to the right. Turn to the left. Inhale up. Exhale, left. Turn the head to the right. Inhale up. Exhale, hover to the right. Turn the head to the left. Inhale up. Exhale to the left. Turn the head to the right. Let's do one more on each side. Inhale up. Exhale, twist to the right. Head to the left. Inhale up. Exhale, knees to the left. Head to the right. Inhale up.

Nice work. And then release the soles of the feet down. Now we're ready for bridge pose. Stretch the hip flexors in the back. Bring your heels in line with your sitting bones, toes facing forward. And then get organized. And then remember that feeling of arching your back. This time we're going to curl the tailbone under, press through the feet, lift the pelvis up, coming into your bridge. A few options with the arms. Palms might press down into the floor. You might karate chop the floor. You're pressing the pinky fingers in or might feel nice to top the shoulders underneath you as you find that interlace. Try not to look towards the camera to turn my neck. You always want to keep your head facing forward here. Now as you feel and establish this length and lifting, see if you can relax through the glute muscles a little bit. We're really using our legs here. You might visualize or imagine the leg muscles, the hugging into the bones, feeling this inner stability. Again, we're balancing the effort and the ease and the body and the asana. Really spreading the effort evenly. Beautiful. More inhale here. When you feel ready, exhale, release the hands and just roll the spine down gently, starting with your upper back, mid back, low back, and sacrum. Take a moment to pause. Nice. We'll find one more round of bridge if you'd like to join in. You can heels in line with the sitting bones. You might start with the arching and then exhale, curl, press, and lift.

Any arm variation, palms pressing, karate chopping or interlacing. Yeah, breathing here. Feeling that opening and expansion through the lungs and the heart. Spacious in your throat, soft in your face. If you imagine the block between the inner thighs again, if your knees are splaying out, feel that internal support. Beautiful. Last few moments here, notice where you can soften any clenching, gripping. When you feel ready to release, slowly free the arms and roll the spine down, upper back, middle back, low back.

Now for your body, it might feel nice after bridge to just stretch your legs out on the floor. Flex the feet. For some of you, it's going to feel nice to just stretch out the hamstrings as you reach the legs towards the sky. Maybe you're pointing and flexing the feet here. It's a little inversion, releasing the back of the knees. Nice. And then let's bend the knees, moving into our windshield wipers. Toe heel to feet nice and wide, stretch the arms overhead, spinal twist, with the knees right. And now back up through your center. Exhale, knees to the left. And now back up, finding your own pace and rhythm here. It's nice and fluid through the hips, through the spine, through the neck. Coordinating with the breath, maybe softening the eyes or the gaze inward. Now the next time your knees fall over the right, let the knees fall to the right, you might stay right here. It might feel good to bring that right ankle on top of that left thigh if you need to feel a little bit more. And then from here, feel how you can reach a little bit more through that left arm. And letting the back of your left lung release, back of that left shoulder release. You breath here. You might tune your awareness into the left lung.

Internally finding that pathway up through your left nostril. Just notice the relationship between your left lung and your left nostril. Gradually softening your attention there. Your right ankle is on top, release it, inhale the knees up. Let's let them drop over to the left. This might be enough. If you need to feel more, you might bring that left ankle across. A little traction there, finding a little bit more space for the hip flexor. And so as I'm moving up into the diaphragm, reaching up through that right arm, fingers, shawl softens again, then tethering your awareness into your right lung. Heading the back of that right lung and shoulder blade release. You're noticing how the breath, the life force, the prana follows the attention.

So simple, yet so profound. Maybe tuning from that right lung up through the right nostril. Just check in. What is the quality of the breath? It's not so much about finding that clarity, that clear pathway, about just noticing, being aware of what you're working with. Nice. You might stay with this a bit longer. When you're ready, releasing that left ankle, inhale the knees up. Beautiful. Let's hug the knees into the chest and rock a little bit side to side.

Now at this point, if a happy baby would feel awesome, you might bring the feet up and find the outer edges of the feet. Allow for some rocking. You might find a variation of happy baby, or maybe even, right? Supta Baddha Konasana, bringing the soles of the feet together, knees wide, familiar shape, and finding that full circle. If you're in your Supta Baddha Konasana hands, rest on the belly. Let's begin to allow the back of your body to melt and release towards the earth. Feeling the weight of your skull begin to release. And you might keep one hand on the belly. It might feel nice to even bring one hand on the heart or the chest.

You're tuning towards the quality of your exhalation. And you might stay here a bit longer. You might choose to stretch your legs out for Shavasana, even setting up with blanket or a bolster. Be sure you are super comfortable. If your body and energy would like to come into a seated meditation, just take your time, bending your knees, rolling to your side, finding your way up. You can also find this meditation on your back. If you're coming into a seated meditation, then comfort is number one. Make sure your knees and your hips feel good. You have the support. I like to start with a bit of rocking just to settle.

Reminding that internal alignment. Tuning towards the Shashumna Nadi, the more subtle energy not through the spine. You're from the base of the spine all the way up through the base of your skull. It's like the base of the skull is gently lifting back and up as the chin softens. Let the mouth soften the face.

Moving towards a quality of stillness without rigidity. Maintaining the quality of length in your spine while allowing yourself to be as relaxed as you can be physically, even more importantly, emotionally. Perhaps free of worries or anxiety for even a few moments. We allow for a exhale and a resting in the central channel. Sometimes it can be useful to just again draw the awareness back into the nostrils. We're just seeing the subtle currents, the prana. Really holding yourself so gently.

Over the last five days I spent time with my newborn niece and just the feeling of holding this being, this precious being, so tender, so gently. Can we hold ourselves with such love and tenderness, such care and love, softening the mouth, belly, spontaneously and it's the nature of the mind to be thinking and dispersed in time. Gently drawing it back. Thank you. Those of you enjoying Shavasana, always you are welcome to stay where you are as long as you'd like. When you feel ready to transition, slowly invite movement back in. Taking your time to join us in a seat.

And from your seat join your hands together at the heart. And share the sound of Aum together as you're ready. Exhale everything empty and breathe in. Hey there be peace in our hearts, peace in our homes, and peace in our world. Namaste, meaning much love and health to everyone. Thank you for joining me.