Twist to Unwind

Good morning, welcome to our practice. So in today's practice we're going to work a little bit harder, a little bit more of a flow and we're moving towards twisting triangle pose paritta tricronasana and it's a bit of a challenging pose so I'm taking a step-by-step approach to get there with a bunch of options. So anyhow let's get started sitting in Virasana in hero's pose and I'm sitting on a block and I recommend that you do that one or two blocks just make sure that your knees are okay and if your knees are not okay sit any way that you like. Okay so let's get started here. Okay go ahead and stretch your arms overhead just take a moment to elongate your spine and gently press your inner ankles against the block and see if you can spread out all ten toes. When you press the inner ankles against the block it firms the outer ankles in you might sense that. Okay now go ahead and interlace your thumbs and as you're pressing the tops of the feet and your sitting bones into whatever surface beneath those parts of your body see if you can more easily elongate your spine. Take one more deep full breath in lengthening as much as you can and then as you exhale start to very gently twist and revolve to your right. Notice how your head might be leading the way see if you can keep your chin above your sternum. Inhale again press down through your sitting bones and elongate exhale turning a little bit more. So you're using your breath to turn you're using your abdominal muscles to turn and then inhale back to center and then just simply change the crossing of your thumb so the other thumb is in front. Inhale again lift and lengthen and exhale start to revolve to your left. Keep your chin above your sternum your chest and inhale lift and lengthen press your inner ankles against the block exhale maybe turn a little bit more. Then inhale back to center and exhale lower your arms. Okay please come onto your hands and knees and half your block somewhere at the top of your mat because you would benefit from using those blocks. Starting in a quadruped position knees beneath your hips and wrists beneath your shoulders but as we're coming into down dog take your hands forward about 2-3 inches and then tuck your toes under and on an exhalation move into downward facing dog Adho Mukha Svanasana and the first one here just go ahead and pedal your feet get into your calf muscles and keep in mind that if you're doing this practice in the morning your body feels a little bit tighter so like I mentioned before you know see if you can meet yourself in this moment exactly as you are. Okay from downward facing dog inhale come into plank pose and check that your wrists are beneath your shoulders and strongly press through your inner palms firm the outer upper arms in firm your belly front ribs up and look about a photo so in front of your fingertips so three more breaths here and if this ever is too much you can always bring your knees down. On your next exhalation lift your hips and move into downward facing dog. Now inhale raise your left leg behind you leading with the inseam of your left leg and then as you exhale step your left foot up between your hands and again you might have to carry it part of the way okay check that your left shin bone is perpendicular to the floor and then take your block and place your block underneath your right hand and place your left hand to your left thigh. So as you inhale press your right thigh up towards the ceiling and lengthen your sternum away from your navel and then as you exhale start to revolve your belly and chest to your left. So the block is there for you to make it a little easier to elongate your spine okay so you can always elevate the height of the block if need be. Now take the left shoulder back and reach your left arm up and in the beginning it might be really helpful just to look down so that you can feel the rotation in your spine not only in your neck. You can also turn your gaze towards the top hand just take one more deep full breath in really rebound up and out through the top hand and then as you exhale bring your hand back down move the block out of the way and let's step back into downward-facing dog and then inhale raise your right leg behind you leading with the inseam of that leg exhale step the foot up between your hands. Take the block underneath your left hand bring your right hand to your right thigh so inhale press your left thigh up lengthen your sternum away from your navel think of a plumb line from your tailbone out through the crown of your head and then as you exhale revolve your belly and chest to your right and you might just initially look down towards the left hand option to reach your right arm up option to turn your gaze towards the top hand so inhale lengthen your spine exhale turn a little bit more rebound up and out through the top hand and then as you exhale bring your right hand down move the block out of the way and step into downward-facing dog and then just simply walk your feet up to your hands half your feet hips width inhale lengthen your spine open your chest you can always bend your knees exhale bow inhale spread the arms out to the side rise all the way up and exhale hands to your heart so I would like for you to use that block again place the block between your thighs feet about hips width then inhale stretch your arms overhead and interlace your thumbs take a deep full breath in again that idea of lengthening your spine lifting your abdomen up and out of your pelvis and then as you exhale move to your right so moving into a lateral stretch so especially press your left foot into the floor squeeze the left inner thigh more firmly against the block two more breaths here move your right ribs forward a little bit more and then inhale come up and then exhale change the crossing of your thumbs inhale elongate gently firm your belly lower ribs in and as you exhale lateral stretch to your left especially press the right foot firmly into the floor press the right inner thigh firmly against the block and move the left ribs forward one more breath inhale come up and exhale lower your arms move the block out of the way if you're no longer at the top of the mat please step to the top of your mat standing in Tadasana mountain pose inhale circle your arms overhead elongate exhale hinging from your hips fold you can always bend your knees inhale open your chest Ardha Uttanasana and as you exhale step your right foot back into a high lunge step into plank pose take a deep full breath in here and as you exhale come forward with your chest feel free to set your knees down slowly lower all the way down point your toes inhale either low cobra belly is on the floor still or a high cobra belly is off the floor and your elbows are bent some of you might be ready to come into upward facing dog but only that feels right this morning okay exhale downward facing dog just stay here for two full breaths if you have tight hamstrings just simply bend your knees a little bit to more easily lengthen your spine inhale stretch your right leg behind you exhale step the right foot up between your hands step your left foot forward you can continue working with the feet apart or step your feet together inhale open your chest exhale bow inhale spread the arms out of the side rise up and exhale hands to your heart let's do one more inhale circle your arms overhead and exhale fold inhale open your chest find space exhale step your left foot back right foot back into plank pose you can either lower all the way down or maybe chaturanga dandasana inhale cobra or up dog exhale down dog just a few breaths here please inhale raise your left leg behind you exhale step it through step your right foot forward inhale lengthen your spine exhale fold inhale rise up exhale hands to your heart we're going to add a few standing poses inhale circle your arms overhead and exhale fold inhale open your chest arda uttanasana exhale just simply step back into plank pose slowly lower down some of you might want to do chaturanga inhale cobra or up dog exhale down dog inhale raise your right leg behind you exhale step your right foot up between your hands place your block by the outer right ankle set the back foot flat firm the outer right hip in inhale warrior two so firming the right buttock underneath you tracking the knee in line with the second third toe and see if you can lift your right hip up off your right thigh gazing beyond the fingertips of the right hand two more breaths warrior to veer badrasana to slowly straighten your right leg keep that need to second toe alignment raise your right arm up inhale lengthen the right side of the torso and then exhale hinging at the top of the right thigh coming into triangle pose you can grab the ankle or use the block and then then see if you can find it's kind of like an energetic line an image of a straight kind of plumb line from your tailbone out through the crown of your head and from the bottom hand up and out beyond your fingertips maybe turn your gaze up two more breaths press your feet into the floor inhale come up and as you exhale bend your right knee again turn the palm of the right hand to face the ceiling inhale reverse the warrior turn your right chest up a bit more inhale back to warrior two and then turn the palm of the left hand to face the ceiling swing the arm overhead come back into the high lunge now you can simply step into down dog and stay there or you could step into plank pose slowly lower down inhale maybe cobra or you can choose up dog and then exhale let's meet back in down dog okay second side so inhale raise your left leg behind you exhale step the foot through place the block by the outer left ankle set the back foot flat pin that left hip in inhale windmill the right arm overhead coming into warrior to keep hugging firming the outer left hip in maintaining that knee to second toe alignment two more breaths here and gazing softly beyond the fingertips of the left hand inhale when you're ready straighten your left leg turn the palm of the left hand to face the ceiling inhale stretch the arm up and exhale hinging coming into triangle pose again so the idea of a line from your tailbone out through the crown of your head a line of energy from the bottom hand up and out beyond the fingertips of the top hand one more breath press your feet into the floor inhale come up and as you exhale bend your left knee turn the palm of the left hand to face the ceiling inhale reverse the warrior turn your left chest up a bit more inhale back to warrior to turn the palm of the right hand to face the ceiling swing the arm overhead come back into the high lunge and then step into downward-facing dog couple of breaths here align your ears with the inner upper arms shift a little bit more weight into your fingers now come up onto the ball of each foot bend your knees look between your hands either step or lightly hop your feet up between your hands inhale open your chest exhale bow inhale rise up exhale hands to your heart now grab that block again get plenty of use out of the blocks today place the block between your thighs and I'm going to turn to face you again inhale chair pose you will likely feel this in your quads and then you're not alone we all do right okay so we're going to come into twisting chair pose take your right hand to your right thigh sit a little deeper more weight in your heels draw your belly lower ribs in so inhale find that plumb line from your tailbone out through the crown of your head and then as you exhale start to revolve your belly and chest to your right now you can either simply place your left elbow on top of your right thigh or you can maybe slide it to the outside of the right knee bring your hands together the left knee tends to come in front so can you draw the outer left hip back in in gently squeeze the block inhale find that plumb line again tailbone out through the crown of your head exhale press the top hand against the bottom hand revolve to your right two more breaths I'm feeling my quads inhale chair pose and the good news exhale back to standing straight in Tadasana now let's do the second side lower your arms inhale chair pose now place your left hand to your left thigh inhale find that plumb line lean forward a little bit exhale gently firm your belly lower ribs in revolve to your left either right elbow on top of the left thigh or slightly to the outside of the knee bring your hands together make sure that you have more weight in your heels so inhale lengthen your spine exhale turn to the left gently squeeze the block two more breaths this pose is also called Parita Utkatasana so it's twisting chair inhale chair exhale back to center now step back to the top of the mat join me there if you're not already there standing in Tadasana inhale Utkatasana exhale forward fold inhale open your chest exhale just simply step into plank pose slowly lower down some of you can do Chaturanga inhale cobra up dog take your time exhale down dog inhale raise your right leg behind you exhale step the foot through pivot the back heel down inhale warrior one Virabhadrasana one as you exhale you're going to keep the back foot where it is bring your hands down and please grab your blocks highest level and just simply slide the right foot back about half of a foot straighten your right leg now notice if you're in a tight rope I know typically it's heel to heel give yourself a little bit more width now press strongly through the ball the right big toe as you draw the outer right hip back inhale lengthen your spine to find that plumb line again tailbone out through the crown of your head some of you can get away with lowering the blocks or maybe no blocks okay but here it's important to be able to lengthen your spine now I'm going to move the block in a little bit closer to the right foot and I'm going to hook my right thumb into my hip crease so go ahead and do that it's helpful so inhale lengthen your spine use the right thumb to keep pinning the right hip in and then as you exhale start to revolve your belly and rib cage to your right keep looking towards the left hand move the left shoulder away from your ear now you can stay right here roll the right shoulder back for some of you maybe extend the right arm up ground and root down through the back heel keep firming the outer hips in two more breaths here says you inhale lengthen your spine as you exhale turn revolve more to your right and then rebound up and up through the top hand then as you exhale bring your right hand down move the blocks out of the way step into down dog feel free to go through a vinyasa or staying down dog if you do the vinyasa inhale plank exhale lower maybe all the way down inhale cobra up dog exhale down dog inhale raise your left leg behind you exhale step the foot through set the back foot flat make sure the back foot is turned in generously inhale warrior one exhale bring your hands down keep the back foot where it is grab your blocks and slide the left foot back just half of a foot straighten your left leg strongly press through the ball of the left big toe as you draw the outer left hip back and in and now you're going to bring your block in a little bit closer the right hand block and now hook the left thumb into the left hip crease and that's going to help you firm the outer left hip in inhale lengthen your spine so this is a variation we have the hand to the inside it's much more user-friendly so inhale find that plumb line exhale start to revolve your belly and chest to your left okay move the right shoulder away from your ear maybe stay here roll the left shoulder back some of you can reach your left arm up keep firming the outer hips in inhale lengthen your spine exhale revolve and rebound up and up through the top hand maybe look up and then as you exhale bring your hands down move the blocks out of the way step into down dog again you're welcome to stay right here maybe even come into child's pose otherwise you inhale plank exhale lower inhale cobra up dog exhale down dog great now please come on to your knees and a very well-deserved rest in child's pose fold your hands underneath your forehead and rest here now go ahead and press your hands into the floor and sit up the next pose is a variation of dolphin going to use your block again coming forward onto your forms and half the block between your hands the long way and kind of karate chop the floor with the the outer wrists and your hands might be a little bit closer together than your shoulders if you have wide shoulders no worries okay but have your elbows shoulder-width apart and again karate chop the floor with the outer wrists and just very gently kind of squeeze the elbows towards one another to firm the outer upper arms in and then tuck your toes under so it's like you're coming into down dog when you're in your forms and straighten your legs any amount so if your hamstrings are tight think about bending your knees so that you can more easily lengthen your spine keep squeezing the elbows towards one another initially you can look between your elbows to guide your sternum forward and then eventually just let your head dangle but your head is off the floor press the thigh bones back and any amount straighten your legs so this is a great pose in preparation for for example pinch of my Rossana and also headstand right so it's a great pose to work on strength we'll be here for three more breaths and if you find that this is hard it is hard in the beginning and then it might likely grow on you and you'll start liking it one more breath and then please come on to your knees and come into child's pose just for a moment you can bring your arms down alongside your shins just take a breath here and then press your hands into the floor and slowly sit up okay so now find your way onto your back make sure that your blocks are nearby so that you can easily grab them and find them and you don't have to turn your head to look for them I'm going to come on to your back have your ankles underneath your knees have your feet hips-width parallel and then make robot arms so press your elbows into the floor fingertips pointing up and then see if you could just lift your chest a bit to shrug your shoulders under lengthen your tailbone forward and up and then press your feet into the floor and come up into bridge pose now come up onto the ball of each foot and especially press through the balls of your big toes spin the inner thighs down and lengthen your tailbone forward and up now feel free to stay with robot arms or interlace your fingers it's a nice counter stretch for your shoulders from having done dolphin pose so just a few more breaths here maybe you can wiggle the shoulders closer but make sure you're not dragging them towards your heels okay that would flatten your neck on the floor you want a little bit of space between your neck and the floor now your hips are probably at maximum height you're going to without turning your head take a block or two you can stack one on top of the other so if you need to come out of the pose to have a look please do better than you turning your head in this position you can also place the block side by side you can go the highest level of the blocks and I turn them out a little bit and it gives support for both of my buttocks and then bring your heels down so keep in mind the height is not terribly important okay so meet your body instead of trying to kind of cram yourself into some image you have of the pose it should be comfortable no pain make sure that the blocks underneath the back of the pelvis and not your lower back and then you can just simply relax your arms onto the mat palms of the hands facing the ceiling you can stay here and support a bridge pose or you can stretch your legs up and the pose becomes a little bit like shoulder stand we call this Viparita Karani if your hamstrings are tight you'll start to round your back and create that posterior pelvic tilt all you need to do is bend your knees to shift more weight into the back of the pelvis we'll be here a little bit longer relax your throat maybe close your eyes relax the space between your eyebrows continue pressing your shoulders and arm bones into the floor to keep some buoyancy lift in your chest couple more breaths here this pose is so soothing and calming to your nervous system now one foot at a time bring your feet down lift your heels lift your pelvis and just move the blocks out of the way but stay in this position as you reach your arms overhead stay up onto the ball of each foot and then very slowly one vertebra at a time lower down and whenever you're down just bring your feet forward a few inches and bring your feet a little bit wider turn your feet in let your knees knock together place your hands on your belly for a moment breathe down into your belly just take a moment to allow your body to kind of reap the benefits of the poses you just did walk your feet in closer together bring your knees into your chest cross your ankles and make circles up on the ceiling with your knees you place your hands on your knees and just massaging the area around your sacrum you can reverse the circles as well and now I invite you to rest in Shavasana or you can join me in a comfortable seats you can bend your knees roll over onto one side and sit up thank you so much for joining me in this morning's practice I hope you're feeling ready to take on the day I appreciate you watching namaste