Day 2: Fire

Friends, you're here. Welcome to day two of the 10 Day Yoga Challenge. I'm your friend and guide, Sadia. I'm so glad you're here. You've made it.

I know you're probably saying it's only day two, but listen, the only thing better than taking the first step is taking the second, and then the third, and the fourth, and the fifth. So today's theme is fire. I have on neon, so I'm playing no games. I'm going to go ahead and tighten my ponytail. You should do the same, and then come to join me in a stance on your mat, separate your feet wide apart, do it like a human, maybe sway a little bit from left to right, and then pause for a moment, feel and enjoy your vastness, extend your arms, and then dial your toes out.

So we're going to come to what's called a goddess stance, but also called a horse stance. So you'll bend your knees, maybe you have to adjust the distance between your feet so that you can descend the tailbone, but as you descend, see if you can draw that lower belly in and lengthen the tailbone, and you may feel the glutes, the outer hips engage a little bit more as you do that, and let's pulse just a little bit here. Let's extend the arms as we pulse, turn your palms to face up, soften the elbows, soften your shoulders, great. Little shifting from left to right, perhaps the embers are lit now already. So fire, why fire?

Yesterday we worked on, stay in goddess pose, bend your knees. Yesterday we worked on finding steadiness and clarity and sort of establishing clear footing for this journey that we're going to go on today. We're sort of going to go to the other end of the spectrum and just build a little bit of heat, right? And then over the course of the journey, sit a little lower, descend the tailbone, lift your frontal hip points up. Over the course of the journey of our time together, we're going to explore kind of a spectrum between those two points.

So go ahead and spread your collar bones, extend your arms up to the ceiling, sit a little lower, press your thigh bones back, and then take a few moments here. And as sensation arises, you can find little micro-movements here. See if you can access that quality of grounding that you so beautifully cultivated yesterday. Right, so now we're going to do a little pranayama, a little breathing practice called Kapalabhati, Breath of Fire. So if this is comfortable for you, you can join me in this practice.

Otherwise you're going to stay with your natural breathing as you continue to descend the hips and the pelvis, as you continue to find that clarity in your lower body and your foundation. But stay open, stay receptive. So how does this Kapalabhati Breath work? We're going to do a little, I don't want to call it force, but it's a bright exhale. You're going to draw your lower abdomen in to force some air out, and then a passive inhalation will follow just as a consequence of you feeling that forceful exhale.

So it looks like this, I'll demonstrate it, and then we'll do 10 rounds. So you'll take a breath in, so it's like that. So the mouth stays closed, you're inhaling and exhaling through your nose. So let's go ahead and start that, take a nice full breath in, and a nice long breath out, and here we go, 10 rounds. Great.

Exhale and release. Your toes forward, step your feet together, shift your weight a little bit, and let's come to the top of your mat. You'll stand in Tadasana, little human shake, human movement, find Tadasana, that sure-footedness, that clarity, and then pause, sense, whatever is there to be sensed, and then when your inhale comes, you'll sweep your arms around and up, breathe in, start to exhale, soften your knees, and hinge forward with a long spine. You'll inhale to prepare a pose. As you exhale, plant your palms, bend your knees, step back to plank pose, which you can modify if you like, and you take a big breath in here in plank pose, and then as you exhale, you'll use the full length of your exhale to lower all the way down to the floor, drawing the elbows back and towards the midline.

As you inhale, Bujangasana, baby cobra, as you exhale, lower down. Press up through tabletop, lift pelvis and ribs up at the same time, and then back to downward facing dog. Look up between your hands, soften your knees, you can step or hop forward. Once you're there, you'll inhale and find prepare pose, hands to your shins or blocks to the floor, exhale, forward fold, inhale, sweep your arms around and up, look forward, bring your palms to touch. As you exhale, draw the hands down the center line of your body, again like that, breathe in, sweep the arms up, exhale, hinge forward with a long spine, inhale to prepare pose, exhale, plant your palms, bend your knees, plank pose, and pause there.

Let's pause here for a couple of breaths, so really peel the toes back, lift your thigh bones up into your hamstrings, reach the crown of your head forward. So can you find, you know, this sort of intersection of clarity in the body, but also like a buoyancy? You take one more breath in there and as you exhale, you'll lower all the way down, inhale, Bujangasana, exhale, downward facing dog. Look up between your hands, step or hop yourself forward, inhale to prepare pose, lift the center of your chest, exhale, forward fold, inhale, sweep your arms around and up with a long spine, look up and touch your palms and as you exhale, draw the hands down the center line of your body, pause for a moment there with hands and Anjali Mudra. Right again, adding on, so inhale, sweep your arms around and up, look up, touch your palms, start to exhale and respond by forward folding.

Inhale to prepare pose, exhale, plant your palms, bend your knees, it's a plank pose. Again, you're buoyant, you exhale and you lower either all the way or halfway down, pause, begin to inhale either baby cobra or upward facing dog and as you exhale downward facing dog, this time inhale and come forward to plank friends and then exhale downward facing dog, lift the hips up and back, again inhale to plank pose, exhale downward facing dog, inhale to plank pose and pause and plank, this time as you exhale you can modify if you need or if you like, you can lower the knees but as you exhale this time, you'll lower yourself to Chaturanga, so lowering halfway, we're going to take three breaths here, oh my god, take a couple of breaths here, press the palms down, shoulders are on the level of the elbows, you take one more breath in there, as you inhale pull yourself up to plank and then exhale to downward facing dog, pause there, taking a few breaths in down dog, softening the knees so you can spill the pelvis forward so you have a beautiful extension of your spine, nice full breath in and long breath out, feeling that sense of heat that's rising in the body and meeting it with breath, surrounding it with breath, as you inhale come forward to plank pose and as you exhale lower yourself all the way down to the floor, once you're there come on to your belly, lower your forehead onto the floor, lift your right leg up and lengthen it, lift your left leg up and lengthen it, reach it back and place it back down and then let's interlace the hands behind the back, heels of the hands touch elbows together, use your knuckles to encourage that tailbone to lengthen so you're going to firm your pubic bone down into the floor, as you inhale you'll lift your chest up and then you'll draw your hands back coming to this expression of shalabhasana, so keeping the feet on the floor but pressing the tops of the feet down so much that the knees lift away from the floor as you continue to firm the pubic bone down, now take a few breaths here just like this, every breath in, expanding the chest, every breath out for arming the lower belly, take one more breath in here, as you exhale you can release that, bring your hands next to your lower ribs, press up through tabletop so lift pelvis and ribs up at the same time, great tuck your toes under and lift your hips up and back to downward facing dog, walk your hands back towards your feet, pause there for a moment and uttanasana, you can relax the arms or take any arm variation that you like, you'll be swaying a little bit from left to right and then this time my friends as you inhale uttanasana, sit low, sweep your arms around in them, exhale forward fold, do that again, inhale sit low, sweep the arms around in them, exhale hinge forward, inhale sitting low, exhale hinging forward, once more inhale to uttanasana, sweep the arms around and up, grab opposite elbows, draw the elbows away from the hips, try to knit the front ribs together, draw your lower belly in, as you next inhale reach the arms up and then grab the elbows in the opposite direction the awkward way, draw the elbows away as you breathe into the sides of your body, now take one more breath in here, as you exhale release, release your arms, great and take a little mindful walk to the top of your mat, once you're there rest your hands on your body, a hand on your heart, a hand on your solar plexus and take a couple of breaths there just like that, so oftentimes you know we stoke the fire but we forget to just gaze at the flames and feel them and experience them so feel whatever is there to be felt and receive you know the quality of sensation that's rising in you now as a result of this work, release your arms, inhale sweep your arms around and up as you sit into uttanasana and pause, as you exhale hinge forward so often the knees as you hinge forward, inhale to prepare pose lift the center of your chest, exhale plant your palms bend your knees plank pose, inhale and plank use the full length of your exhale to lower either all the way or halfway down, as you inhale either a baby cobra or upward facing dog, lengthen the back of the neck exhale use the power of your exhale to make your way back to down dog, palms press down and forward tailbone reaches back inhaling big expansive inhale through the nose and long exhale out maybe it's an audible exhale if that feels good and then when your next inhale rises you'll lift your right leg up use your exhale to step your right foot forward lower your back heel as you breathe in sweep your arms around and up look up and touch your palms exhale and hinge forward keep the legs and warrior one inhale sweep the arms up exhale hinge forward inhale again lifting up exhaling hinging forward inhale lifting up and arms can be in any configuration you like I mean you want to be doing something that's in service to your practice but arms can be wide palms can touch find something that allows you to express whatever needs to be expressed today in your body as it is in this moment so take a breath in here this time bring your palms together inhale reach the fingertips up as you exhale draw the hands down the center line of the body as you walk that right foot a little over to the left extend your arms inhale to sweep your right arm up floating the left hand down into a little reverse warrior as you exhale modified side angle pose inhale again to reverse warrior great as you exhale this time cartwheel the hands to the floor step back to plank pose lift your hips up and back to down dog and as you inhale lift your left leg up exhale to step your left foot forward lower your back heel so organizing from the ground up as you inhale you'll lift your torso lift your arms up exhale hinging forward so this is a really a breath exercise that we're doing inhale lifting the torso up lifting the arms up exhaling responding to that descending quality of breath again like that breathing legs stay strong as the upper body moves in response to breath inhale sweep the arms around and up and pausing there finding some expression in the arms that allow the shoulders to stay spacious bring your palms together inhale reach the fingertips up exhale draw the hands down the center line as you mindfully transition to warrior two as you inhale reverse warrior right hand floats down left arm floats alongside the ear exhale side angle pose modified inhale sweep back to reverse warrior exhale cartwheel the hands down to the floor step back to plank pose you can vinyasa if you'd like or you can press right back to downward facing dog and take three breaths here and down dog recovering your presence as one of my my teacher friend says which i think is such a gorgeous little phrase recover your presence find again that quality of grounding that you you cultivated in day one inhale to extend your right leg straight up and back this time keep the hip closed so toes pointing down to the floor as you exhale you'll draw your knee to your nose curve the spine inhale reach the leg back exhale knee to your opposite elbow inhale reach the leg back exhale knee right knee to your right tricep and pause here press the floor away from you you can stay here or you might play with shifting forward hinging at your elbows and maybe floating into a little ekapada kundanyasana and then as you're ready as an inhale comes you'll reach the leg straight up and back and then exhale float the foot to the floor recover your presence but let the fire keep burning and breathe inhale nice full long exhale on the next inhale comes you'll extend the left leg straight up and back hip height you'll exhale and draw the knee to your nose inhale reach the leg back exhale left knee to right elbow inhale reach the leg back exhale left knee to left tricep and pause there and maybe you stay there or maybe you hinge at the elbows again as you inhale press up if you've lowered down reach the leg straight up and back everybody and then exhale lower your foot to the floor and pause let's lower the knees to the floor and come to a child's pose for a moment relax your arms relax your head and your neck and notice friends if the breath you know is a bit short sometimes when sensation arises intensity arises we tend to sort of collapse the breath to avoid feeling sensation so allow you know your presence to return breath to return and let your being receptive to breath be what allows you to kind of return to a sense of balance then come forward to tabletop just so you can press back to downward facing dog look up between your hands soften your knees at the bottom of your exhale you'll float or step or walk yourself forward the inhale will come you'll respond with prepare pose you'll exhale and forward fold as you inhale sitting low sweeping your arms around it up and pausing knitting the front ribs in broadening across the back body reach through your fingertips stay low in utkatasana lift your left heel up and we're going to float back to a high lunge so you'll float the leg back and just alight the foot on the floor lift your torso up lift your arms up organize your pelvis as you inhale stay here as you exhale tap your back knee to the floor great inhale coming back to high lunge exhale tapping the knee light taps and we'll tap once more so breathe in exhale tap the knee excellent high lunge sweep the arms alongside your body as you tip your pelvis forward draw your right hip back reach the heart forward reach back through your heel and forward through the crown of your head reach the arms forward as you breathe in good exhale your hands to the floor inhale to low lunge twist reach your right arm up to the ceiling and then exhale sweep the arm alongside your ear so pinky side of the hand turning towards the floor breathe in exhale lower that hand to the floor inhale to plank pose great exhale lower either all the way or halfway down and pause all the way to the bottom of that exhale the inhale will come you'll respond with either bhujangasana or upward facing dog and the exhale will come downward facing dog this time we'll enter the high lunge on the left side by just stepping the left foot forward you inhale to lift your torso up lift your arms up pause draw your left hip back breathe in as you exhale tap your back knee to the floor inhale to lift up exhale tap the knee good inhale lifting up exhale tapping the knee inhale lifting up exhale tapping the knee inhale lifting up and pausing here sweep your arms alongside your body as you lower your torso halfway lengthen through your spine back through the back heel forward through the crown of the head inhale to sweep the arms forward and get longer still exhale float your hands to the floor reach your left arm up to the ceiling breathe in as you exhale sweep that left arm alongside your ear open your chest to the left side turn the pinky side of your hand to the floor we take one more breath in here exhale your hand to the floor inhale plank pose and pause downward facing dog alright my friends walk your hands and your feet towards each other the middle of your mat bring your hands to your hips elbows together with a beautifully extended spine look forward come all the way to standing great and face the long edge of your mat separate your feet so that there are legs distance apart turn your toes to your right preparing for a little what is this called side for your warrior two you'll bend your knee bend your knee extend your arms and pause here and then my friends you may like to have a block handy we're going to move into arda chandras and a half moon so if you like a block please pause grab your block and rejoin me here and in warrior two we'll pause here let's find a side angle pose modified so forearm to the thigh sweep the left arm alongside your ear lift up out of that bottom shoulder and then turn your gaze to the floor in front of you bring your hand to your hips as staying broad across the chest as you bring the hand to the hip shift your weight forward float your hand to your block or the floor about a foot in front of you slowly straighten your standing leg as you lift your top leg up keeping that weight grounded over the center of your heel you'll begin to revolve your pelvis over the head of that right thigh bone maybe you open your chest to that side maybe you turn your gaze forward you can reach your top arm up to the ceiling get broad across the chest as broad as you were in warrior two and then for an option to bend your top knee grab a hold of the top of your foot press your foot into your hand lengthen your tailbone as you do this open your chest little chapasana in arda chandrasana take a breath here long tailbone feel as that little isometric movement of the pelvis of the tailbone sort of stretches you feel that stretch in the belly of your your quad there and then go ahead and release that reach your arm up to the ceiling to exit this we're going to float back to warrior two see you slowly bend your standing leg you will alight your back foot onto the floor you'll lift your torso up lift your arms up and pause and warrior two and then hands see your hips straighten your front leg parallel your feet are you feeling fiery I hope so turn your toes in the opposite direction bend the knee warrior two on this side descend the tailbone lift the chest up broaden across the collarbones get really broad as you float your left forearm to your thigh sweep your right arm alongside your ear spaciousness in the shoulder spaciousness as you reach that arm up towards the ceiling bring it to your hip look at the floor so we're deconstructing this entry so we can keep that sense of groundedness as we build this heat in the body slowly shift your weight forward weight centered over the the standing heel and you're revolving your pelvis over the head of the thighbone I love saying that it just is so it's the human skeleton an amazing thing reach your arm up to the ceiling open your chest taking your time you're in no rush you're trying to maintain that presence you recovered a little while ago and then you bend your top knee grab a hold of the top of your foot press your foot into your hand as you open the chest as you continue to draw your right hip point up towards that bottom right rib so you're feeling a release and the quad would take one more breath in there and then go ahead and release the foot let's float back to warrior two by bending that standing leg taking your time and people might be surprised to know that actually going slowly helps build a lot of heat so go slowly use your muscular strength your internal fortitude to keep that fire going as you stay grounded press the thigh down let's for funsies inhale straighten the bottom leg lift up parallel your foot as you lower your arms bring your hands together to your hips bring your legs together shake yourself out like a human being and then come to stand at the top of your mat and pause for a moment hands can rest on your body it's very covering that sense of presence that's there even as sensation rises even as heat builds and doing our best right always to let those two things collide and coexist release your arms inhale sweep your arms around and up receive the breath and do this movement as though its purpose is to allow you to receive the breath same as you exhale and forward fold as you inhale prepare pose and then my friends you can float back if you like or you can step back and we'll meet in downward facing not giving you a little little bit of autonomy inside of this container of practice as you inhale friends come forward to plank pose and pause there and plank use your exhale to lower yourself down and on the way down feel how that fire and that sense of groundedness and steadiness do in fact coexist and then once you were there on the floor you'll bring your arms next to your body with the palms facing down broaden your collar bones press the tops of the feet down so you can feel the knees lift lengthen your tailbone flex your feet as you bend your knees and as the knees are bent I want you to keep lengthening your tailbone grab your outer ankles press the ankles into the hands feel as the shoulder heads lift up and spread apart and if they're not doing that encourage them to do that lengthen the crown of your head forward as you inhale you'll lift your chest up and you'll press your ankles into your hands lifting into Dhanurasana with every breath in feeling your chest expand every breath out little firming of your lower belly you take one more breath in and an exhale release stack your hands rest your head on your hands windshield wiper your feet from left to right great come to center extend your knees press yourself back to a child's pose for a beat let the hips be heavy feel that spaciousness that comes to your lumbar spine start to walk your hands back towards you nice and tenderly so you can maintain that sense of groundedness and just witnessing as you know that conflagration begins to get a little smaller slide yourself a little forward on your mat extend your legs forward with an upright pelvis it may help to either soften your knees or sit on top of a blanket so the idea is for the back of the pelvis to come forward so we can lengthen the spine keeping your knees as soft as you need or perhaps your legs are straight you'll inhale and sweep your arms around and up keep your spine extended as you hinge forward maybe holding the sides of your feet the backs of your calf so your thighs reach your heart towards your feet breathe in and as you exhale you'll start to hinge forward any amount relax your head and your neck and breathing here full complete expansive breaths deep down into the lower lungs so you feel your belly expand your ribs expand your chest expand and as you exhale you feel kind of descending quality of exhale that brings you deeper into this thing that we call pratyahara right going to the source of the senses the center of the self slowly begin to roll yourself up taking incredible care as much care as you took to enter the pose and then come to lie down on your back in shavasana the final resting pose but first draw your knees into your chest rock along your your sacrum a little bit from left to right and then as you're ready you'll extend one leg and then the other if there's anything else you like or need to do before shavasana please do whatever that is and once you are fully reclined there just establish conditions for complete and total comfort supporting the head or the knees and then just dropping into being and in this resting pose you know the the fire is extinguished but just temporarily because we'll light it again and again and again but for now just being and breathing you can friends continue to rest for as long as you like in fact i encourage you to do that if you want to come up and have a sit with me you can deepen your breath wiggle your fingers and toes extend your arms alongside your ears roll onto one side and very incredibly gently come up to a seated position any seat you like that works for you and you'll sit well rest your hands on your knees or your thighs long spine open heart soften your shoulders let's bring the hands together at the center of the chest and lower your head to your hand just honoring yourself honoring that fire that lives in you honoring it and vowing to stoke it as you need the light in me sees and honors my friend the the light and the fire that shines so brightly in you namaste thank you so much