Wide-Legged Forward Bends

Welcome back. Thank you, Juna and Sarah and Matt. So we're gonna take a look at the Wide-Leg Forward Fold Standing Series, Prasavita Padottanasana. And as I say A through D, it's just maybe useful to understand that the A through D comes from the particular system that many of you know as the Ashtanga system as taught by our friend Shri K. Patami Joyce. So A through D is an association with a particular lineage, but we work with what we got. Okay my friends, as you're ready do you mind stepping back with your right foot, stepping out wide, let your toes turn in about 45-ish degrees, find some enthusiasm in your feet, and what I find helpful is usually lifting up the big toes helps activate the inner line. Okay, hands on the waist, let an inhale carry your heart upwards, and as you're ready on an exhale start to fold forward, perhaps slide your hands down your legs. Eventually let your hands find their way underneath the shoulders, fingers pointing forward, inhale lift up a little bit, and as you exhale let the head move towards the earth as you slide your hands back to find a 90-ish degree angle between the wrist, elbows, and shoulders. Okay so as our friends are in Pasarita Paratanasana A, just notice, notice where our friend Sarah's head is, notice where our friend Matt's head is, notice the difference in their back shapes as they come into the forward fold, and just appreciate. Okay if the goal of the human life was to all look the same there wouldn't be seven billion of us. Okay my friends as you're ready let your hands find your waist, okay, and as in an inhale let yourself come up flat back pause, and then exhale press into your feet come all the way back up to standing, so nice. B, keep your hands on your waist, let an inhale brighten your hearts, and as you exhale roll the way a little bit into the balls of the feet as you fold forward, keeping your hands on your waist. Now by keeping the hands on the waist it removes a little bit of the leverage, but it'll actually help us see, like really just notice the beautiful difference between Matt and Sarah and Juna, just start to pay attention, so great you guys. Okay keep your hands on your waist, let an inhale bring you up to a flat back position, pause, exhale press into your feet come all the way up to standing, and then we'll find C, so on an inhale let your arms reach out to the sides, pause there, and as you exhale rotate your shoulders forward, that'll make it a little bit easier to bring your hands behind your back as you interlace, gorgeous, all of you. When wiggle your shoulders back and down, heels of the palms might come to touch, they may not, then inhale brighten your heart, and as you're ready on an exhale roll your weight into the balls of the feet, letting your hands lift up towards the sky up over the top of your head, so pretty, and then again like the the gift of being able to see three variations, like notice where Juna's arms are, notice where Sarah's hands land, notice where Matt's hands land. Okay a couple more moments it'll feel good, most of you it'll feel good if you give a little more juju through the inner arches, yes. Okay pretty, keep your hands interlacing, this time let the inhale bring you all the way back up, press into the feet, come on all the way up, exhale gorgeous, now this last one inhale your arms out to the sides, exhale place your hands back on your waist, inhale let your heart blossom, and as you exhale forward fold, and as you come into the forward fold slide your hands down your legs, catch a hold of your big toes with your second and third finger, inhale half arch and then exhale as you fold forward you let the top of your head dust towards the floor, let the elbows open to the side, usually what feels good is to kind of donk the shoulders down around the ears like donk and then roll them back up and away, yeah so pretty and so notice, notice the difference and allow for the difference, it's just we're wired to perceive the difference as a problem and the play is can we like increase our capacity for beauty, beautiful and just for the fun of it we'll find hammock pose which is a variation we really like around here so we'll all of you release your hands from your toes, walk your hands forward almost as if you were in down dog, suction cup through the fingers and then pull your sit bones back, let your heart hang, last few moments excellent, so beautiful all of you as you are ready let your hands slide back to your legs and a little variation of dismount with your hands on your legs bend your knees, round your back and slow roll on back up with a rounded back beautiful, okay turn your left foot back towards the front of your mat, step forward again towards the front of the mat, so thank you my friends, thank you my friends, find out what it is you're doing, find out how it is you look, this is part of self-study, love