Trust the Process

Welcome to this throat chakra focused class where we will open up the channels of communication and find some ease in the body, the mind and the heart space. So please join me seated. We'll start there. Finding a comfortable cross-leg seated position. And as you wiggle in and find your seat, just taking a quick moment here to gather, to arrive.

Maybe scanning through the body, just noticing how you're feeling today. What you're showing up to your practice with. Body, mind, spirit. Meeting yourself where you are in this moment. We'll start to focus in on the breath as we start to bring the breath in and out through the nose.

Finding ujjayi breath, that slight constriction in the back of the throat. So allowing a big full breath in through your nose. And then exhale out the nose, that sound of the ocean in the back of the throat. Beautiful, two more like that. Inhale through the nose.

Matching the length of the exhale through the nose. One more, inhale through the nose. That ocean-like sound in the back of your throat. Exhaling. Beautiful, and then blinking the eyes open, making a fist with your hands, and then draw the hands underneath your chin, gently pressing up onto the chin.

And we'll move into some seated cat-cows. So as you inhale, let the elbows open up wide. Let's lean back a little bit. You could take your gaze up. No strain on the neck, so find your edge.

And then as you exhale, round, tuck your chin. Let the elbows press together as you do that. Good, and we'll do that with the breath. So on your inhale through the nose, elbows wide, arching the spine a bit. As you exhale, rounding, tuck your chin.

One more, inhale, draw back. Exhale, gather in. Good, and then come on out of there. Let your fingertips fall behind you. Change the opposite shin in front, so changing the crossing of the legs.

Lean back a little bit, draw the shoulders back, lift the heart, lift the gaze, so you feel that nice opening in your throat. Beautiful, and then come on out of there. Let's come to tabletop. Meet me in all fours. We'll move into some easy cat-cow, shoulders over wrists, hips over knees.

On an inhale, arching through the spine, lift the heart and the gaze, open the throat. And then as you exhale, press the floor away, tuck your chin and round through the spine, opening the back of the body. Good, two more like that. Inhale brings us forward into cow pose. Exhale brings us back into cat pose.

One more, inhale through the nose. Exhale out the nose, ujjayi, this warming breath from the inside out. Good, and then neutralize through the spine, so find that place between cat and cow, walk your hands forward just a little bit, tuck your toes, coming into down dog, lift the hips all the way up and back. And as you find this first downward facing dog, just start to explore, notice how it feels, move around a little bit, maybe pedal it out. Just take your time as you make your way into the shape and allowing the spine and the back of the neck to be nice and long.

So find that open channel of air, of ease, of spaciousness. Beautiful, on your next breath in, come forward into plank pose. As we come to top of a pushup, let your knees find the earth and then we'll keep the hips lifted, bend the elbows, bring the chin and the chest down to the ground so the throat is open here and then glide your way through into bhujangasana cobra pose. So hips lower, elbows hug in. And as you lift up into cobra, again, can you find the back of the neck, some length there?

Good, and then press back through hands and knees, tuck your toes, downward facing dog. And we'll do that a few times as we start to find some warmth in our bodies. Inhale, plank, exhale, lower knees, chin and chest, glide through into cobra on your in-breath and then let your exhale bring you back, downward facing dog. Go one more, inhale, plank, exhale, lower knees, chin, chest, inhale, cobra, exhale, press back, hands and knees, downward facing dog. Beautiful, take a slow walk to the front of your mat.

As we come to the front of the mat, take a moment in forward fold, soften the knees any amount and then maybe take an interlace behind the back of the neck and gently draw down so that the crown of the head is heavy melting down toward the earth. Let a little weight shift toward the toes. Good, and then releasing arms, roll up slow, vertebra, bivartabra and just take a moment as you get to the top of your mat, maybe roll out your shoulders a few times in either direction, we'll gather hands together in front of the heart, taking a moment. There's an intention that you'd like to set for your practice, calling that in here. And maybe it's just that clarity of speech, of communication, speaking your truth.

And we'll move into some sun salutations. As you're ready, inhale, sweep the arms up, lengthen through your spine, maybe gaze up. Good, exhale, keep that length in the spine for forward fold, uttanasana. Good, on an inhale, lift halfway, lengthen through the spine. Beautiful, and then planting the palm step back top of a pushup, we'll shift the weight forward, lower the knees, chin and chest.

Inhale into cobra pose, hug elbows and draw shoulders away from the ears. Exhale back, downward facing dog. And we'll do a cleansing lion's breath here as you breathe in through the nose. Maybe stick out the tongue, find lion's breath. Good, and rise up onto toes, bend your knees, look forward, step or lightly float your feet to the front of the mat.

On an inhale, arda uttanasana, come halfway up. Exhale, fold, root down to rise. Inhale, arms sweep out and up, gaze up. Exhale, hands to heart. And let's take two more rounds with that.

We'll flow with our breaths. Inhale, arms lift. Exhale, forward fold. Inhale, lift halfway, lengthen. Exhale, plank pose.

Shift the weight forward, lower knees, chin, chest. Inhale, cobra. Exhale, downward facing dog. One big full breath in. Exhale to release.

Rise high up onto toes, bend knees, look forward. Step or lightly float to your hands, front of the mat. Inhale, lift halfway, lengthen. Exhale, fold. Good, root down to rise, arms sweep up.

Exhale, hands to heart. One more round with the breath. Inhale, arms lift. Exhale, fold. Inhale, lift halfway.

Exhale, step back, plank pose. Lower knees, chin, chest. Inhale, cobra. Exhale, downward facing dog. Big full breath in.

Inhale, exhale, lion's breath. Good, from here, lift your left leg up and back. Take a moment to bend the left knee, open up through the left hip. Press through both hands, let your shoulders stay level. Good, and then straightening through the left leg, gaze between your hands and take a big step through.

We'll stay on the ball of the back foot. Maybe step your feet a little bit wider, widening the stance and then once you find that stability, come up into crescent pose, arms sweep up. Beautiful, as you come to crescent, you can put a soft bend in the back knee to let the tailbone melt down a little bit and then find that interlace behind the back of the head so that your head is getting heavy in your hands and you might lean back a little bit. Let the elbows open up wide so you feel that opening in the chest, the heart space, the throat. Good, and then from here, open it up to come to warrior two, so spin your back heel down.

You might need to adjust the feet a little bit as you sink into warrior two. They're letting that front heel align with the center of the back arch or you might have heel to heel alignment. Find what works for you. Good, and then take a moment to sink in. Let's take the right hand behind the lower back for a half wrap.

Flip your left palm to face the sky and then tilt back for reverse triangle. So start to straighten through the left leg as you lean back. Good, keeping that nice length in your left side body. Reach forward, coming into triangle pose, letting the left hand fall anywhere below the knee. Little micro bend in the left knee, engage your left quadricep and then draw the right shoulder back as you continue to find length through the side body.

Maybe gaze up. Be at a place where the breath can flow freely. Beautiful, and then put another bend in that left knee as you come up into warrior two. We'll circle the hands down to the earth. Come to runner's lunge for a moment.

So find the ball of your back foot and then setting up for pyramid pose. Step your right foot in and to the right a little bit and then try to get that right heel down. You're welcome to put a bend in the knees at any point. You wanna draw that left hip back with the right hip. Roll forward for pyramid.

Maybe draw your hands to your hips. You might take hands behind the back holding opposite elbows or finding reverse prayer. As you inhale, find length in the spine. So you find that opening in the throat and then any amount fold over that front leg. And if you prefer to bring hands down to the earth or even a couple blocks, that might feel nice.

But see if you can find that opening in the throat as you draw the chin toward your shin. Couple breaths. Beautiful. And then releasing hands to the earth. We'll step back into down dog as you're ready.

Taking a couple breaths here, releasing through that side. Breathing in, breathing out. Good, left or right side as you're ready. Sweeping the right leg all the way up and back. Put a bend in the right knee.

Open up through that right hip. Breathe into this second side. We're starting with the left today. So noticing if that feels a little different for you. It does for me.

Pressing through both hands, let your shoulders stay level. And then straightening out through the right leg. Gaze between your hands. We'll take a big step through setting up for crescent pose down the ball of your back foot. Maybe widen the stance a little bit.

Find that rooted stability once you do. And sweep the arms up, find your balance. And it is a balancing pose, so finding that point to focus your drishti, your gaze. Let your tailbone melt down. Good, and then find that interlace behind the back of the head.

Lean back a little bit, elbows wide, like you're laying on a beach somewhere. And then find that opening through the heart space, your chest, beautiful. And then from there, open up warrior to face the side of your mat, adjusting the stance as needed. Taking a moment to settle in, find your alignment. Good, and then the left hand will come behind the back.

Find that half wrap, flip the right palm to face up, and then start to tilt back for a reverse triangle. Straighten through the front leg. Feel the length in the right side body. Good, and then keeping that length, you might shorten the stance just a little bit. Reaching forward, shifting left hip back, right hand falls.

Blow the knee, draw the left shoulder back. And if it feels okay in your neck and your throat to gaze up, gaze up, if there's any mischief there, find another point to focus your gaze. And then be at a place where the breath can flow freely, deeply. Good, and then as you're ready, we'll rebend through the right knee, warrior to circle hands to the earth, come onto the ball of your back foot, so find your runner's lunge. Setting up for pyramid, step the left foot in and to the left a little bit, maybe hands to hips.

If you took hands behind the back on that last round, maybe you're doing that here. As you fold over that front leg, draw the right hip back. Let the left hip roll forward. Try to keep some length in the back of the neck, throat open, couple breaths. Beautiful, and then letting your hands come down to the earth, step back, down dog, lower the knees to the earth.

And then we'll set up for camel pose. So tucking the toes, sit back on the heels for a moment. And then standing up tall on the knees, let your knees be about hips distance apart. You could have the toes tucked or untucked. We'll bring hands to low back.

Fingers facing up or down, just find that support in the sacrum. Good, and then starting to lift from the sternum. Maybe lift your gaze, stop anywhere along the way, hugging the elbows in, keeping hips over the knees. And then feel that opening in the throat. This might be enough just to take the gaze up.

If you want to go a little deeper without force, maybe reach back, find the heels. Keep finding that big, big opening in the heart space. Be at a place where you can breathe. Beautiful. And then we'll come out the same way we came in, support the low back, lift from the core.

Take a moment to sit back on your heels. You can rest your hands on your thighs, palms down for grounding energy, or flip the palms to face up. And just take a moment to notice, listen inward. There's this beautiful part about communication is most of it is listening. And as you listen, listen to understand rather than respond, listen to understand.

Blinking the eyes open, shift the weight off to one side, bring the legs out in front of you. We'll roll onto our back, hug your knees into your chest for a moment, rock side to side, and then we'll finish up with fish pose. So finding that big throat opener, let your legs stretch long on your mat, tuck your hands underneath you, so wiggle them underneath, palms facing down, start to bend the elbows, lift the heart, lift the head, and then you can gently arch the head back, letting the crown of the head find the earth, activate through the toes, feel the opening through the throat. Breathe, heart lifts. Good, and then in your own time, as you're ready, we'll wiggle the arms out, bring the chin toward the chest as you let the head relax and just opening it up for a brief shavasana.

And as you come into your final resting pose, just notice, scan through the body, release what you need to release, and just rest. And please stay in shavasana for as long as you'd like, you're ready to come out of there, gently rock your head side to side, massage the back of your neck, wiggle your toes, your fingers, and you reach your arms up over your ears, stretch through the whole body, big breath in, long, full breath out. And just take your time as you make your way to seated. Thank you so much for sharing this practice with me, I hope you're feeling good and clear. Namaste everyone.