Root and Reconnect

Welcome, everyone. Let's meet at the top of the mat in samastitihi, feet together, tailbone dropping, deep belly rising, and let's draw hands to prayer at heart center. Let your eyes close and let your awareness drop down and in, landing in the body and connecting with the flow of your breath. Right here, right now. Just this. Opening with a gentle om, inhaling. Om. Settle into your intention. Anything at all.

And on your next inhale, sweep the arms out and up. We're coming right into it. Belly in, flat back. Exhale, bow out and down. With your inhale, lengthen halfway, hands to earth or shins. Root the hands, step back into plank pose. Exhale, lower the knees and come all the way down. Inhale to cobra as high as you feel for. Exhale, directly back, downward facing dog, adho mukha, svanasana, breathing five. For this first cycle, ease into it, play with it. Pedal feet, float hips, whatever you need. Four, three, two, bottom of your exhale, soft bend in your knees, hop or step, front of the mat. Inhaling, lengthen halfway, shine through the heart. Exhale, dive right back down into your fold. Lift from your center. Inhale, rise all the way up. Exhaling, hands home to the heart. Two more. Inhale, we reach out and up. Exhale, we bow out and then down. Halfway, inhale, lengthen. Root the hands, hop or step back. With your exhale, stay with knees first or shift to chaturanga, adhanasana. Inhale to cobra or upward facing dog. And exhale, we take it back, downward facing dog, breathing five. More shoulders away from ears. Four. Send heels to earth, lift through sit bones, three, two. The bottom of your exhale is soft bend in your knees, hop or step, front of the mat. Inhaling, we lengthen halfway. Exhale, returning to your fold. From your center, inhale to rise all the way up, reach, reach, reach. Exhale, draw hands home to the heart. Once again, inhale, out and up. Exhale to bow out and down. Inhale, lengthen halfway, hop or step back. Exhale, lower as you choose. Inhale, lift your heart. Exhale, downward facing dog, five breaths. The opening sun salutes, of course, warming and strengthening the body, easing you into the practice, but also they offer kind of a meditation for the mind, lulling and softening the distraction, drawing you deeper into the body and the breath and the moment.

One more breath here. Bottom of your exhale, soft bend in your knees, hop, step, float to the front of the mat. Inhale, lengthen halfway. Exhale, bow and fold. From your center, inhale, we rise all the way up. Exhale, hands to the heart, samastitihi, one breath together, inhaling, exhaling. Surya Namaskara B, deep bend in the knees. Inhale, scoop the arms out and up, utkatasana, first cycle slow. Pause here, feel into the alignment, feel into your strength and your vitality and your capacity. Stay for your inhale. Exhale to bow out and down, find the earth. Inhale, lengthening halfway, root the hands, hop or step back, lowering as you choose or letting it go. Inhale, heart up. Exhale, down dog. With your inhale, reach the right leg up and back. And with your exhale, float the right foot forward, spin that back heel down to the earth. And with your inhale, come directly up into warrior one, Virabhadrasana A. Settle in, full five breaths, easing right rib cage back, left forward, descending through tailbone, lifting through deep belly, three, two. With your exhale, hands to the earth, step into plank pose and lower as you choose. Inhale, lift through your heart. Exhale, downward facing dog. Inhale, left leg to the sky. Exhale, step left foot forward, spin right heel to the earth. On your inhale, rising, warrior one, Virabhadrasana A. Exhale, deepen in, settle in, make your own subtle adjustments.

You know the alignment. Be in it. A few more breaths. Three, three, two. With the exhale, release, hands to the earth, step into your plank pose, Chaturanga Dandasana. Inhale, Urdvamukha. Exhale, Adho Mukha, deep breath, long spine, five. Four, expanding through a back body. Three, and two.

Bottom of the exhale, soft bend in the knees, hopper step forward. Inhale, lengthening halfway. Exhale, return to your fold. Deep bend in the knees. Inhale, Urdhkatasana. Rise, rise, rise. Exhale, Samastitihi, two rapid cycles. Stay with your breath. Deep bend in the knees. Inhale, Urdhkatasana. Exhaling, bow out and down. Inhale, halfway. Hopper step it back. Exhale, lower. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, down dog. Right leg, inhale, reach. Exhale, float it forward, root back heel. One inhale, lift to high, Vira A.

One exhale, hands to the earth, step back and lower. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, down dog. Left leg, inhale, up. Exhale, step forward, root back heel. Inhaling, warrior one. Exhaling, hands to the earth, step it back and lower. Inhale, lift the heart, shoulders way back and down. Exhale, downward facing dog, breath five. Relax the neck. Relax the jaw. Relax the eyes and the brow and the mind. Three. Two. Bottom of your exhale, bend those knees, hopper step, front of the mat. Inhale, lengthening.

Exhale, dive, fold, bending the knees. Inhale, Urdhkatasana. Exhale, samastitihi, last cycle, bend the knees. Inhale, Urdhkatasana. Come back into it. Exhale, bow out and down. Inhale, halfway, feel the fire building. Hopper step it back. Exhale, lower. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, down dog. Right leg, inhale, up. Exhale, step forward, root back heel. Inhale, warrior one. Exhale, release, hands to the earth, step back, Chaturanga Dandasana. Inhale, Urdhvamukha. Exhale, Urdhvamukha. Left leg, inhale, up. Exhale, float forward, root back heel. Inhale, rise.

Exhale, release through the vinyasa or let it go, right? It's always optional. Find that down dog and breathe five. Beautiful work. Building the fires of the practice, the tapas, the heat. This is the energy of transformation that we intentionally cultivate to burn away obstacles, edges, impurities, delusions, all of it. Three, and two. We're going to keep the feet where they are and with the exhale walk the hands to the back of the mat. Take an easy fold for one breath to surrender. Parangusthasana. First two fingers and thumb, loop big toes. Inhale, heart shines out. Exhale, deepen into your fold. Tip weight into front of feet. Strong quad muscles support opening of hamstring muscles. Shoulder blades up the back, three. Give up the weight of the head, two. This is enough. It's enough if you want. Inhale, halfway. Exhale, hands under the feet. Parahastasana, toes, kissing, wrists. Inhale, extend. Exhale, deepen.

Five. Where can you soften? What can you throw in the fire? Three. Two. Doesn't matter what grip you have, keep it. Inhale, just lengthen halfway. Exhale, release the hands. Shake it out a little bit. Let it go. Inhale, we lengthen again. Halfway. Exhale, we walk it back into down dog. Pause when you get there. Re-engage your breath. Drop back into your intention. One inhale, one exhale.

Then inhaling reach, right leg to the sky. As you exhale, open the hip, bend the knee. Full breath here. Inhale, sail that leg to the sky. Exhale, let's draw the knee to the nose and lift the belly to the spine. All the breath out, wake up the core. Inhale, reach it back to the sky. Exhale, float right foot forward, spin back heel down to the earth. Left arm opens you, inhaling warrior two, Virabhadrasana B. Grounding in it, steady gaze and breath and body and mind. Three. Two. Inhale, lengthen the right leg. Exhale, reach out and down, triangle pose. Hand above or below the knee or down to earth or ankle or block. It's up to you. Reach left arm to the sky.

Roll the whole circle of the ribcage, the heart and the left shoulder open. Three. Two. Press the feet into the earth. Bring awareness into your center. Then inhale, rise, warrior two, ground. Okay, let's play with this a little bit. Inhale, lengthen the right leg, reach the arms up, spin the feet, face the back of the mat. Exhale into warrior two on the left. Drop the shoulders, lift the heart strong and steady. Fierce, peaceful warrior three. Two. Inhale, lengthen the left leg. Exhale to reach out and down, triangle second side. Opening, full circle of the ribcage and the heart and the right shoulder. Extending, breathing.

Three. Two. Pressing through the feet, use your center. Inhale, take it back into your warrior two, grounding, grounding, grounding. Good, stay here. Take a big inhale. With your exhale, we'll melt the hands to the earth, either side of the left foot and step back into plank pose. Pause, you are facing the back of the mat, you're right where you belong. Stay here, inhale. Exhale, lower knees or chaturanga. Inhale, lift the heart.

Exhale, go back into down dog. Take a moment. Big inhale, steady exhale. With the next inhale, left leg goes to the sky. Exhale, open the hip and the knee. Give it a full breath. Inhale, reach. Exhale, knee to the nose, belly to the spine, all the breath out. Inhale, go back up. Exhale, float left foot forward, spin back heel down to the earth.

Right arm opens you, inhale, returning to warrior two, descend, grounding it. Good. Take a big inhale. Exhale into side angle. You might rest forearm to thigh, you might take hand to earth or block, and then reach right arm up and over. Feel this incredible line through right arm down through right side body, all the way into the earth through right heel, gazing up and under the right arm. Three. If you love the bind, take the bind. Two. Inhaling, rise again, warrior two. Exhale, settle. Press through that left foot, inhale, lengthen the left leg, reach the arms up, spin the feet to parallel, and then exhale, spin them back to the front of the mat, landing in your warrior two on the right. Pause. Big inhale. Exhale, side angle, forearm to thigh or hand to earth or block.

Reach left arm up and over, anchor left heel, reach through left fingertips, roll torso open, create length and space and possibility. Three. Two. We rise on the inhale, warrior two, and we exhale, ground. Take a big inhale. With the exhale, hands to the earth, step into plank pose, you're facing the front of the mat again, pause, belly to spine, inhaling. Exhale, lower knees or chaturanga. Inhale, cobra or up dog. Exhale, take it home, downward facing dog, together through the nose, big spacious inhale.

Open the mouth. Exhale. Then as you're ready, soft bend in the knees, hopper step through to sit, and we're going to roll immediately all the way down onto the back. When you land, hug your knees in towards your chest, wrap your arms around your legs, rock your body side to side. The whole practice ideally cultivates core strength, but before we back bend, let's really isolate there. Plant the feet on the earth, hips distance, lift the hips a little, slide hands under the hips, palms down, and then sit on the top of the hands. Extend the legs straight up to the sky, pull the deep low belly in and up. If you have anything going on in your low back, bend the knees or maybe even take one foot to the earth. Stay here, inhale. Exhale, lower the legs about halfway, somewhere sustainable, pull belly in and up, holding three. Take it as low as you feel, four, two.

Stay for your inhale. Exhale, lift the legs back to the sky, bottom of the exhale, lift the hips, squeeze the belly, and then hips go down again. Stay here, inhale. Exhale, lower again, somewhere sustainable. So you're working, you're building the heat, but you're not suffering. Okay, find your sweet spot. Belly in and out, breathing three. Be kind to your nervous system, two. Stay for the inhale. Exhale, lift the legs straight back up to the sky, squeeze the belly, lift the hips just a little, and then back to the earth. Stay here, pause, inhaling. Exhale, last cycle, lower the legs, land where you choose, pull belly in and up. If you feel really strong, lift the head and the shoulders, extend the arms, hold three. Excellent, two. If upper back, shoulders, head are up, release them, plant hands into the earth. Exhale, lift the legs back to the sky, bottom of the exhale, lift hips, and then back down.

Stay here, inhale. Exhale, feet to the earth, arms alongside the body. Excellent, take a huge inhale directly into the belly, and open the mouth, let it go. Moving from here into a progression of backbends, always listening to your body and taking the edge that serves. Let's begin together with a simple bridge, root the feet, scoop the tailbone, lift the hips, arms at rest, or hands in a lace under the back to crawl, shoulders in and under. And if you know you need restorative energy in this moment, then slide a block under your sacrum and let that be your back bending. Breathe, front body, heart, solar plexus, deep belly, hip flexors, even the quad muscles, three, two. If you'd like to remain on the block, let yourself remain on the block, right? Otherwise, if the hands are clasped, release, melt from the top to the bottom of the spine, back to the earth, pause, take a breath here. Two more, stay with bridge, or plant the hands under the shoulders, progressing into full urdhva dhanurasana, ground through the feet, scoop the tailbone, lift the hips, root the hands into the earth, inhale, rise up, wide open heart, breathing, five. Maybe you take a taste of urdhva and you go right back down, that's how it develops. Yeah, and maybe you're comfortable here and you remain, three, and dance within it a little, two, two, big inhale, exhale slowly, release, back of the head, upper shoulders top to bottom of spine, all the way back to the earth, release, pause, breathe for a moment. Third and final backbend, the deeper practice, always one of listening inward, connecting to what you truly need and having the courage to take it. So it doesn't matter what the shape is, it's what you feel for. Bridge with or without the block or plant hands under shoulders, and as you're ready, inhale, rise. Those of you who are just so comfortable and happy and buttery and a backbend, if you'd like to join me in dvipada, you're going to release the crown of the head down to the earth, release the forms and the elbows down to the earth, clasp the hands, press forearms elbows into the earth, let the heart rise and shine, maybe the legs lengthen and then offer it right to anyone you know who needs that loving heart energy, that deep compassionate energy, maybe the whole wide world, three, two, yes. In this variation, release the crown of the head first, walk the feet in, if you've extended them out, root through the hands, then inhale, lift the head, exhale, chin to chest, back of the head, shoulders, and we meet all the way down, soles of the feet together, knees drop open, supta vadakanasana, right hand on your heart, left hand on your belly, soften your gaze, or maybe even close your eyes.

Feel the rise and fall of your breath here, feel the energy of the backbend here, and there's no right or wrong. Backbending can awaken different things for different people at different times in our lives, so whatever is arising, allow it, listen for it, be with it, and then we counter with the twist, draw the knees together, hug your legs in towards the chest, rocking a little side to side, we're going to go to the left first, legs as is, or any bind you love, legs hips go left, right arm goes right, you can extend it, you can take it into a cactus shape, ah, and then move your breath into your low back, bringing it all out, one more breath cycle, inhale, come to center, move the hips to the left a little, change the bind if you took one, and then let the legs roll to the right and reach left arm to left, breathe into your low back, breathe wherever you need it, three, two, two, and then inhaling, come on back to center, as the knees draw in towards the chest, rock yourself gently side to side, take hold of feet or ankles, come into happy baby, this can be neutral, you can rock, you can lengthen one leg and then the other, another breath, if there is anything else you need, take it, and when you're ready, release Shavasana, support under the knees if you like, cover body or eyes if you'd like, and then lay it all down, let the body relax, let the mind and the heart and the subtle body relax, if only for the next few moments, stay soft, big inhale, open the mouth, exhale, rest, resting and integrating all the benefits seen and unseen of your practice, allow yourself to remain here as long as you feel for, gently drawing awareness back as you're ready, deep in breath, and in any way that feels good, make your transition slowly up to a comfortable seat, let hands rest, soften gaze or close the eyes, feel your foundation, feel the opening of your spine and your heart, draw the hands to prayer at heart center, exhale empty, through the nose inhaling, gentle inhale and a soft bow forward to seal your practice with your exhale, thank you, namaste, thank you, beautiful work.