Strong & Spacious Flow

Welcome, and thank you for joining me for this strong and spacious flow, where we will work with longer held postures to find stillness within the movement and to find movement within the stillness. So these will be a little bit of a longer hold as we explore the postures and go through and just really see what comes up for us in that held moment. So let's see where we end up. Okay, let's start seated. We'll take a moment to arrive to center, allowing a few full deep breaths.

Breathing in, breathing out, maybe letting out a sigh or sound to release. Allowing a big full breath in through the nose, exhale out the mouth, and again, big full breath in, long breath out, and then maybe starting to allow the breath to move in and out through the nose or ujjayi breath, that internal heat starts to build. If there's an intention that you'd like to set for your practice today, I'm just maybe taking a moment to call that in and using that as we start to build into this fluid practice. So let's start in downward facing dog. Come right into it, planting the palms, stepping the feet back and just start to feel into the back of the legs.

So maybe pedal it out side to side or sway the hips side to side, just feeling into your body, noticing how the back of the legs feel. Feel free to bend the knees or you can always step the feet a little bit wider, letting your hands come about shoulder width apart, pressing through the inner and the outer hand, letting the biceps roll forward, triceps start to roll back. Good. And then can you find some stillness within downward facing dog? So taking a moment to focus your gaze.

Feel that grounded quality, letting the spine be nice and long. Breathing in, breathing out, creating this container in these shapes for the fluidity to move through that watery quality to move through. Breathing in, stay for the exhale, beautiful. And then taking your time, let's glide forward into plank pose, top of a push-up, letting the shoulders come over the wrists, hips in line with shoulder blades, really active through the legs. Always welcome to lower knees here, otherwise let's find some stillness in plank pose.

A lot can come up, right, when we're in some of these more challenging postures, at least for me. Just noticing, notice what comes up for you and maybe where you want to kind of check out or check in, checking in with breath, just two more breaths here. Breathing in, breathing out, good, and then start to shift the weight forward a little bit. Again, welcome to lower knees. We'll hug the elbows in, slowly lowering all the way down to the belly.

Good, untuck the toes, setting up for bhujangasana, cobra pose, pressing into the top of the feet, hugging the elbows in, start to peel the chest up off the earth, good, active in the legs as you lift the heart, and exhale, release, good, two more like that, inhale, peel the chest up, shoulders draw away from the ears, find length in the back of the neck and that might mean tucking the chin a little bit, good, exhale, release, beautiful, one more cobra, inhale brings you up, maybe pressing up just a little bit higher, good, and then the length of the exhale brings us back to the earth, beautiful, pressing back up to plank pose or hands and knees, and then meeting back in downward facing dog, letting the hips lift up and back, beautiful, and then lowering the knees to the earth, let's take a child's pose, letting the hips sink back toward the heels, reaching the arms forward, you could let that third eye rest on the earth, seat of our intuition. And as you come into child's pose, noticing the parts of the body that are connected to the earth grounding through the palms of your hands, your shins, and this opposing quality of reaching forward and back at the same time as we allow the breath to start to fill the back body, feeling the opening through the lower back, one more big full breath in, stay for the exhale, maybe stay here for another hour, or if you're with me, we'll come back up to downward facing dog, your toes, lift the hips all the way up and back, good, and then slow walk to the front of the mat, walking the feet toward the hands, we'll land in a forward fold, maybe take the feet about hips distance, feel free to put a nice generous bend in the knees, maybe hold opposite elbows, sway a little side to side, shake the head yes, oh a few times, grounding through the toes and the soles of the feet, good, and then maybe take the opposite arm on top if you're holding on to the elbows, beautiful, and then slow roll up to stand one vertebra at a time, let the head be heavy, let the head be the last thing to arrive and just take a moment, mountain pose, maybe draw your hands to your heart, feel into the soles of your feet, maybe spread the toes, pick up the toes and then place them back down on the earth with intention, dedication to our practice, and we'll start to move slowly into Surya Namaskar A, sun salutations, as you're ready, inhale, sweep the arms out and up, feel length in the spine, reach, reach through the fingertips, you might even lean back a little bit, good, and then keeping that length in the spine, soften through the knees, forward fold, Uttanasana, good, come halfway up, maybe walking hands up onto the shins, lengthen through the spine, offer the heart forward, beautiful, and then as you fold back in, plant the palms, let's step the left foot back first and then the right foot back, plank pose, top of a pushup, beautiful, shift the weight forward, Chaturanga, halfway or all the way down, good, you could stay with cobra or maybe move up into upward facing dog, straightening the arms from the thighs up off the earth, beautiful, and then rolling over the toes, lift hips up and back, down dog, good, and again, can you find that quality of stillness, letting down dog be a resting pose or a reminder to come back to the breath, the present moment, feeling alive in your body with your breath, what a gift, breathing in, grounding a little more as you exhale, stay for one more breath, breathe in, breathe out, good, rise up onto toes, knees bend, look forward, step the left foot forward and then the right foot forward, forward fold, Uttanasana, inhale to lift halfway, lengthen, Ardha Uttanasana, exhale, fold back in, Uttanasana, root down through the soles of the feet, rise up, arms sweep out and up, gathering hands together in front of the heart, let's keep moving with Surya A, inhale, arms sweep up, exhale, forward fold, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, good, this time step the right foot back first, plant the palms, step the left foot back to meet the right, plank, shift forward halfway or all the way down, Chaturanga, somehow cobra or upward facing dog, exhale, roll over the toes, downward facing dog, beautiful, let's take three conscious slow deep breaths together, inhaling, exhale, inhale, exhale, one more, inhale, exhale, as you're ready rise up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step the right foot forward first this time, step, balance it out, step the left foot to meet the right, inhale to lift halfway, Ardha, exhale, fold, Uttanasana, the root down to rise, arms sweep out and up, exhale, hands to heart, good, let's take three more rounds, let's start to let the breath guide the movement, moving meditation, Surya A, inhale, arms sweep up, exhale, soften and fold, inhale, halfway, lengthen, Ardha, exhale, plant the palms, step or maybe lightly float back, Chaturanga, inhale, heart lifts, cobra or up dog, exhale, bowing into downward facing dog, just allowing these sun salutes to honor Surya, the sun that is not out today in the Ojai, we'll call it in, maybe it will come out, breathing in, breathing out, breathe in, breathe out, take one more full deep breath, allowing the breath, feeling the shape with your breath, good, rise up onto toes, knees bend, look forward, step or lightly float, front of the mat, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, exhale, forward fold, good, root down to rise, arms sweep out and up, exhale, hands to heart, two more rounds flowing with the breath, inhale, arms lift, gaze lifts, exhale, long spine, forward fold, inhale, lengthen, come halfway up, exhale, plant palms, step or lightly float back, Chaturanga, inhale cobra or up dog, exhale, down dog, three breaths, matching the length of the inhale to the length of the exhale, you might even put a count to the breath, breathing in for the count of three or four, and then matching that same count on the exhale, always welcome to lower the knees at any time, you could take child's pose or cat cow, good, and then as you're ready, rising up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step or lightly float, front of the mat, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, exhale, fold, root down to rise, arms sweep out and up, exhale, hands to heart, good, one more round, Surya A, inhale, arms lift, gaze lifts, exhale, fold, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, exhale, plant palms, step or lightly float back, Chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, and meeting back, and down dog, beautiful, now this time from down dog, sweep the right leg all the way up and back, take a moment to bend the right knee, open up through that hip, see if you can press through both hands, so letting the shoulders stay level to the front of the mat, maybe roll out your ankle a few times, low toes, good, and then straightening through the right leg, you can square off the hips, gaze forward, knee to nose, hover for a moment, and then big step through between your hands, setting up for Virabhadrasana one, warrior one, spin the back heel down, reach the arms forward and up, good, and just this first round, taking a moment to break down the pose just a bit, bending toward 90 degrees in that front leg, so you can draw the right hip back, let the left hip roll forward, and then reaching up through the fingertips, sink in, draw the ribcage in, find your drishti, your gazing point, beautiful, and then maybe gaze up, maybe press palms together above your ears, and then hands come down to the earth, step back, plank, feel free to skip any of these chaturangas, inhale, cobra or up dog, if you're moving through, exhale, downward facing dog, beautiful, big full breath in, long, full breath out, good, left side, inhale, sweep the left leg up and back, take a moment to bend the knee to open up through that left side, maybe matching what you did on the first side, you can roll out your foot, your ankle, your knee, beautiful, and then as you press through both hands, start to straighten through the left leg, draw the knee to the nose, hover for a moment, and then creating a little space, we'll step the left foot forward, warrior one, spin the back heel down, arms sweep forward and up, and just take a moment to sink in, you can always come onto the ball of the back foot if that feels a little more freeing, for me it often does, and then we'll draw that left hip back, roll the right hip forward, reaching through the fingertips, sink in a little deeper, maybe gaze up, maybe press palms together, good, and then moving through vinyasa, step the left foot to meet the right, shift forward, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or upward facing, exhale meeting back, crack, crack, crack, downward facing dog, hello, joints, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, what time are you practicing? A couple breaths here, so we're building into sun salutation B, surya namaskar B, rise up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step or lightly float in front of the mat, inhale, lengthen, lift halfway, exhale, fold, good, this time bend the knees deeply for utkatasana, chair pose, arms sweep up, drawing the shin bones back, weight into the heels, sink in a little deeper and then use the soles of the feet to press to stand, legs straighten, draw hands to heart and just take a moment here, pause and just notice the heart beating in your chest, quality of the breath, all that movement, that circulation of movement within, and we'll take this breath per movement for two rounds, surya namaskar B, as you're ready, inhale, utkatasana, chair pose, exhale, forward fold, uttanasana, good, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, inhale, vinyasa or skip it, you could step or lightly hop back, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, downward facing dog, sweep the right leg up and back, knee to nose hover, step all the way through, setting up for a crescent or warrior one, maybe pressing palms together, up over the ears, gazing up, good, and then let the exhale bring you to chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, down dog, good, left side, inhale, left leg sweeps up and back, exhale, knee to nose, step all the way through, setting up for crescent or warrior one, inhale, arms sweep up, maybe gaze up, big breath in, good, exhale, step back, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, downward facing dog, couple full deep breaths, breathing in, breathing out, inhale, stay for the exhale, notice what's coming up for you, good, and then rising up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step or float front of the mat, inhale, lengthen halfway, exhale, forward fold, good, bend knees deeply, utkatasana, chair pose, arms sweep up, pressing through the soles of the feet, feel the lift in the heart space, gaze up, hands to heart, take a breath, allow a breath, and we'll take one more round of Surya Namaskar B, as you're ready, coming back to chair, utkatasana, exhale, forward fold, inhale, lengthen halfway, exhale, plant palm, step or lightly, float back, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, downward facing dog, right leg lifts, inhale, exhale, step through, warrior one, inhale, arms sweep up, maybe gaze up, press palms together, exhale, step back, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, beautiful, down dog, left side, inhale, left leg lifts, exhale, step through, allowing the breath to guide you, inhale, warrior one, exhale, step back, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or upward facing dog, meeting in, down dog, beautiful, rounds of sun salutation, building that heat a little bit, allowing the breath to guide us, and then lower the knees for a moment, if it feels okay in the knees, sit back on your heels, maybe draw one hand to heart, one hand to belly, bowing in towards yourself, and just noticing these sacred pauses between the fluidity, between the movement, to notice, notice what you notice, allowing a few more breaths, you can stay here forever if you'd like, otherwise join me back in downward facing dog, we'll move into our standing sequence, so from down dog, let's reach the right leg, all the way up and back, knee to nose, step all the way through, setting up for warrior two, spin the back heel down, front heel to back arch alignment, let the left arm guide you up and open to face the side of your mat, and then just take a moment, you might bend and straighten that front leg till you find that sweet spot, just as much awareness on the left leg as the right, so centering the weight, reach forward and back with your fingertips, and then invitation to take the gaze over the right hand, maybe close your eyes, sink in, sinking into the mud outside, and you could have that image of your feet just kind of sinking into the mud, in a little deeper, the soil, the earth, good, and then start to straighten your right leg, you might heel toe that back foot in a little bit more, we'll set up for trikonasana, triangle pose, so reaching forward, keep the length in the right side of your body, letting the right hand fall below the knee, reach the left arm up, but you can stack the shoulders, you might take the left arm up and over your ear, I have a little micro bend in my right knee, I'm engaging through the right quadricep, just so I don't, I have a tendency to sink into my joints a little too much, so find that activation, find that support, maybe lean back a little bit, take up space, beautiful, and then rooting down to rise, let's come back to warrior two, re-bend through the right knee, this time we'll bring the right elbow to the top of the right thigh, left arm reaches straight up to start, and then maybe you take that left arm up and over the left ear, draw the left shoulder back, let that left pinky spin down, and you might take your gaze up, if that's not so good in your neck, just find one point in front of you to focus your gaze, and then fill the shape with your breath, container, a couple more breaths, you might slide that right hand down to the earth, you could wrap it up if you'd like, find the shape that works for you, meet yourself there, and then slowly come back, warrior two, and flip your front palm to tilt back, reverse warrior, and then circle hands down to the earth, step back, plank pose, vinyasa chaturanga exhale, inhale cobra, or upward facing dog, exhale, meeting back, in downward facing dog, take a moment to land, breathing in, maybe stick out the tongue and sigh it out, lion's breath, beautiful, and then taking it to the second side, inhale, left leg lifts, exhale knee to nose, take a big step through, setting up for virabhadrasana two, warrior two, spin the back heel down, let the right arm guide you up and open, and again, you might play with the shape a little bit, bending and straightening, but you find that place where you can start to sink in, center, maybe even closing your eyes, finding the soles of your feet, finding your breath, so much movement in the held postures, there's a lot going on in there, I can feel it, good, and then as you soften the shoulders a little bit more, press to straighten the left leg, and you might heel toe the back foot in a little bit, and then we'll come into triangle pose, so reaching left arm forward, feel the length through the left side body, let the left hand fall below the knee, and that right arm can lift straight up, you can gaze up at the fingertips, again you might take that top arm over your ear, engaging through the left quadricep, and take up space, trikonasana, allowing a few more full deep breaths, beautiful, and then let your next inhale bring you back to warrior two, take a moment, sink in, find your base, then left elbow will come to the top of the left thigh, right arm can lift straight up or maybe you take it up and over the right ear, maybe gazing up, and find that place where you can sink in and breathe a couple full deep breaths, breathe in, stay for the exhale, beautiful, and then root down to rise, come up to warrior two, flip the front palm, reverse warrior, feel the length through the left side body, nice, and then circle down, step back, plank, chaturanga, inhale cobra, or upward facing dog, exhale meeting back, in downward facing dog, good, take a moment to land, breathe, you might be in child's pose, notice the parts of the body that are connected and grounded to the earth, and let's move through that one more time, a little more fluid this time, reaching the right leg up and back, inhale, exhale step through, coming up to warrior two, good, from here straighten the front leg, feel the length in the right side body, right hand lowers, left arm lifts, beautiful, come back to warrior two, right elbow, right thigh or fingertips may come down to the earth, sweep the left arm up and over the ear, beautiful, up and back, reverse triangle, this time straightening through the front leg, feel the length through the right side body, rebending through the right knee, circle hands down, step back, vinyasa, chaturanga, inhale cobra, or up dog, exhale meeting in down dog, big full breath in, long, full breath out, good, second side, inhale left leg lifts, exhale step through, coming up warrior two, good, from here straighten through the left leg, reach forward, find that length in the left side body, triangle pose, beautiful, come back up to warrior two, re-bend through the left knee, left elbow to left thigh, top arm sweeps up and over, you might take that left hand to the inside of the left foot, maybe not, and then take your time as you come up and back, reverse triangle, this time straighten through the front leg, feel the length in the left side body and then circle down, hands to the earth, left foot steps back, chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, exhale meeting in down dog, few breaths here, maybe the knees lower for child's pose, notice where the movement lands, be with the breath, if you're in child's pose, perhaps you tent your fingertips and start to crawl your hands over to the right, feel a nice length through the left side body, breathing into the left rib cage, good, and then coming back through center, taking it up and over to the other side, reach the right arm, left arm to the left, breathing into the right side body and the rib cage, beautiful, and then coming back through center, let's meet back in downward facing dog, tuck the toes, lift the hips all the way up and back, beautiful, and then as you're ready, bring the feet together at the back of the mat, glide forward into plank pose, top of a pushup, you're welcome to lower the right knee down or vasisthasana, roll to the outer edge of your right foot and reach the left arm up, good, so you could stay right here, maybe you take left arm up and over your ear, you might even float that left leg up, maybe, play with that, welcome to kickstand that left foot forward, again, just notice what you need, honor where you're at, beautiful, come back to plank pose and then we'll move through chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, exhale downward facing dog, good, sweep the right leg all the way up and back and then take a big step through between your hands, this time stay on the ball of your back foot, I'm gonna step my left foot to the left a little to widen my stance, this gives me a more solid base and then coming up into crescent pose as you're ready, you can soften that left knee a little bit, let the tailbone melt down, good and here we go, a little balance, hands to heart, keep the length in the spine, reach with the heart and the crown of your head up into warrior three, left leg lifts, wobble, wobble, wobble, find that gazing point, hips are level, flex through the back foot, maybe the arms reach forward or back, good and then step into mountain pose, transfer the weight into the left foot and then we'll move into tree pose, so finding that right ankle, bringing the foot to the inner upper left thigh, hip points facing forward and then maybe the arms reach up and as we can see out the window, trees move, so maybe you're swaying a little bit with the wind, notice all the not so subtle movements in your left foot, your ankle, all right, let's get out of there, step into malasana, step the right foot down, left foot down, toes out, heels in and then bending the knees, you might slide a block under your sitting bones, otherwise yogi squat and then bringing your hands to your heart, again let the tailbone melt down, find that downward flow of energy, that earth energy, at the same time, can you reach up through the crown of your head, good and you might hang out here, if you want to play with bhakasana, crow pose, see how that goes, bring the hands to the earth, big toes and heels together, knees wide, come back to your squat, I'm kind of grasping with my fingertips a little bit onto the mat, bringing the knees as high up on the arms as you can, kind of find that energy that goes in and up and then gazing forward, maybe stay right here, maybe you play with lifting one foot, the other foot, maybe not, fine crow, beautiful and then stepping it back through vinyasa, maybe you're hopping it back, chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, clearing that side, big breath in, long, full breath out, let something go, good, side two, inhale, left leg lifts, oh excuse me, bring the feet together, we can't forget vasisthasana, bring the feet together at the back of the mat and then come forward into plank pose, good and you're welcome to lower the left knee down, otherwise rolling to the outer edge of the left foot, reaching the right arm up, maybe taking that right arm up and over your ear, missing this side, maybe floating, right leg up, challenging today and then come back into plank, maybe vinyasa chaturanga, inhale cobra or up dog, exhale, meeting back in downward facing dog, beautiful, sweeping left leg up and back, exhale knee to nose, step through and then again widening the stance a bit for crescent, step the right toes to the right, find that solid base, I like to bring hands to hips for a moment just to encourage the tailbone to melt down, maybe a soft bend in the back knee and you can reach the arms up for a moment, energizing up through your fingertips, beautiful and then moving into warrior three and start with hands to heart, start to glide forward, keep the length in the spine, lifting the right leg up, flex through the right foot, breathe, maybe the arms reach forward or back and then stepping the right foot down, transferring the weight into the right, whoop, for tree, moving tree, find vriksasana, left foot to inner upper right thigh, like a foot to leg sandwich, squeezing it in and then from the core, maybe the arms reach up, let the shoulders soften, gaze soften, notice all the movement within the held posture and then stepping left foot down, we'll come back into yogi squat malasana, you take the feet as wide as your mat, toes out, heels in, again you might be sitting on a block, if this isn't good in the knees, you could come up a little bit higher, otherwise sinking in, the tailbone melt down and draw the hands to the heart, you could stay right here or reach the right arm out to the right and then lift the left arm up, take a little twist, might even slide that arm behind your back for a wrap, good, as you inhale, come back through centre and we'll take it to the other side, left hand to the outside of the left leg, reaching the right arm up, feel that opening through the chest and the heart space, maybe slide that hand behind your back, you could find that left hip crease, good and then coming back through centre, one more crow maybe, we'll see what happens, bring hands to the ground, hop feet together, big toes and heels together, knees wide, maybe you're taking the forearms down and playing with baby crow, I think that's what it's called, that seems harder for me so I'm gonna come up onto my hands, knees, find the upper arms, maybe lift up one foot and then place it back down, you might play with lifting the other foot and placing it back down, good and then eventually stepping back, hopping back, plank, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or upward facing dog, exhale, down dog, one more time, feet together at the back of the mat, glide forward into plank pose, slow lower to the belly, maybe the knees lower down, good and just take a moment, stack your hands, let your elbows splay out to the side and then forehead rests on top of your hands and that feels like a million bucks, breathe, maybe sway your hips side to side, you could tap the feet on the ground, it's releasing, build into the support of the earth, good and welcome to stay here or reach the arms back, maybe find an interlace behind the back or you could just reach the arms back actively through the fingertips, good and then start to peel the chest up off the earth, maybe add the legs and then think about lifting and lengthening so you can tuck the chin, the back of the neck be long and then just find the breath, breathing in and out, breathe in, good, exhale, release one cheek to the earth, maybe sway your hips side to side, lift, notice the effects of that heart opener, good and then round two, coming back through center again, maybe find the interlace or just actively reach back, draw the shoulders away from the ears, lift and lengthen, energize through your toes and finding the breath, back of the neck long, chin slightly tucked and you find some spaciousness within this held posture, breathing in, exhale opposite cheek to the earth, breathe out, maybe sway your hips side to side, it's taking a moment here, again yielding to the support beneath you, what might you let go of here, just a little bit more, good and then round three, you're welcome to stay with Shalabhasana otherwise maybe you bend your knees, reach back and find your feet or your ankles and then same action, peel the chest up off the earth, shoulders away from ears, kicking feet into hands, Dhanurasana, bow pose, good, breathe, exhale to release, maybe draw your heels in toward you, little stretch for your quads and then reverse windshield wiper side to side, good and then taking your time, pressing into the hands, come up to all fours, tabletop, take a little child's pose, maybe tucking the toes, letting the hips sink back toward your heels just to find that opening through the lower back, good and then coming back to tabletop, let's go upside down for a moment, so we'll bring the forearms down to the earth, you might hold opposite elbows just to take a moment and then reach the forearms forward, pressing into the palms of hands, inner and outer hand, good and then tucking the toes for dolphin pose, lift the hips up and back, keep hugging those elbows under the shoulders, pressing into the forearms, maybe start to tip toe your feet toward your hands, good and then maybe the hips come up over the shoulders, pressing actively into the inner and the outer hand, dolphin, breathe, you might play with lifting up a leg and then placing that back down, lifting up the other leg, placing that back down, good and the knees, find the earth, wrap your hands behind you for child's pose, take a moment to just notice where going upside down lands in the body, breathing in, breathing out and grounding after being upside down always feels pretty good to me, alright, let's come into downward facing dog and set up for a hip opener, reaching the right leg up and back, start to draw the knee in toward your nose for pigeon pose, parallel the shin toward the front of the match and behind the wrists and then just take a moment, letting the transition be just as much a part of anywhere we're trying to get to. Life happens in the transitions, so noticing how this feels along the way, maybe taking a pause up at the top, you might even tuck the back toes and just encourage that left hip to roll forward, good and you could stay right here or maybe you start to crawl your hands in front of you, could bring forearms down, maybe the head comes down to a block or the earth, just hanging out in pigeon. As we take a bit of a longer hold, begin to notice what comes up for you, perhaps the desire to escape, get out of this pose, these postures teach us so much about ourselves, so can you meet yourself here without judgment and just notice, I love that saying, the way you do one thing is the way you do everything, you can do that with attention, with awareness, presence. Allowing a few more full deep breaths, in your own time, slowly start to transition out of there, walking the hands back in and then making your way back into downward facing dog, you might shake that right leg up to the sky, maybe pedal it out, maybe just ground, you want to clear it with a vinyasa, come forward to plank, exhale, chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, exhale meeting back in downward facing dog, good, left side sweeping left leg up and back, exhale knee to nose and start to parallel the shin toward the front of the mat and one side is not like the other, take a moment to acknowledge the difference between the right and left, honoring that, perhaps you're taking a prop under that left hip, spring the earth up to meet you, maybe tucking the back toes, encouraging the right hip forward and then like sink in, take a moment up at the top, when you feel ready that invitation to go a little deeper, maybe walking your hands forward resting on the mat, breathe and notice. A couple more breaths.

And then taking your time, making the transition out of that side, maybe you're coming back into downward facing dog, just balance it out, shaking left leg up to the sky or pedal it out, notice what you need, maybe clearing one last vinyasa, plank pose, inhale, exhale chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog and exhale down dog, come to seated at the front of the mat, welcome to lower knees or maybe hop the feet forward and take them out in front of you, good, let's set up for Janu Sirsasana, so bring the right leg straight forward, left foot to inner upper right thigh and then wiggle in, so find your sitting bones, flexing through the right foot, inhale, arms sweep up and then letting the torso drape over that right leg, maybe catch your foot or let your hands fall wherever they fall. And so finding that opening through that left hip, low back, right hip, hamstring, lot going on in this pose, couple more breaths, beautiful and then as you inhale, slowly come on up, we'll just take it to the other side, so right foot to inner upper left thigh, kind of angle over that left leg, flexing through the left foot and take a moment up at the top and reaching arms up, inhale, exhale, draping the torso over the left leg, breathing, sending breath to sensation, two more breaths, beautiful and then slowly inhale, come all the way up, stretch both legs out in front of you, flexing through the feet, sit up tall on your sitting bones, wiggle in and then reaching the arms up, big full breath in, leading with the heart, Paschimottanasana, fold over your legs, letting hands fall wherever they fall, maybe come up for an inhale to lengthen the spine and with that length fold back in, so you could stay right here or maybe take this into plow pose, bringing the legs up and over the ears, four fold just upside down, good and then slowly rolling onto the back, hugging knees into the chest, rock a little side to side, maybe take some circles with the knees, massaging through the low back, good and then setting up for a series of bridge or wheel, we're gonna bring the soles of the feet down to the earth about hips distance, we'll start with bridge, so pressing up through the soles of the feet, through the palms of the hands, slide the shoulders down, I'm just gonna keep my hands pressing into the earth, I'm just holding, breathing, feel that opening in the front line of the body, energizing, big breath in, slowly lower, rest on the ground, maybe step the feet a little wider, let the knees knock into touch, constructive rest, notice where that lands, good and then another round, stepping soles of the feet hips distance, maybe brushing the back of the heels with your fingertips and then pressing through the soles of the feet, through the palms of the hands, maybe take an interlace behind the back and breathe, feel that opening front line of the body, breathing into the shape, giving it life, good, slowly release, lower, rest on the ground, feel your spine on the earth, you step the feet a little wider and let the knees knock into touch, constructive rest, again just notice the residue of the posture, where does it land, for me after bridge or heart openers, there's a rush of energy like a natural cup of coffee, good and then you could stay with bridge, if you're feeling up for it, maybe we'll go into wheel, I've done this in a while, we bring the hands next to the ears, hug the elbows in, I'm going to take it in three steps, so you can stop anywhere along the way, as you hug the elbows in, step one, press through the soles of the feet, lift the hips, so draw the knees forward, step two, press into the hands, bring the crown of your head on the ground, good and then hugging elbows in, pressing through the hands, lift up, Urdhva Dhanurasana, feel that opening, big opening, good and then slowly release, pause for a moment, big sensation there, good and then reaching the arms up over your ears, windshield wiper knees, nice crack there, side to side, beautiful and the next time the knees drop to the right, maybe stay there, you could pick up that right foot, place it on top of the left thigh, maybe take a gaze over the left shoulder, good and then soles of the feet to the ground, we'll take it to the other side, dropping knees to the left, maybe picking up that left foot, placing it on top of the right thigh, you could reach that right arm open to the right, gazing over that right shoulder, nice and then coming back through center one more time, let's hug the knees in, notice if there's anything else that you need that your body is asking for, honoring that, otherwise we'll hug everything in, so wrapping the forearms around the shins, draw the nose up towards your knees, big full breath in, holding breath up at the top, sipping in a little bit more air, exhale, side out, letting the legs go long on the mat, coming toward the shape of shavasana, letting the legs go long, feet relaxed, maybe palms face up on either side of the body and let the whole back body feel held, noticing what's connecting with the earth, maybe close your eyes, go inward, just rest. Good. Big full breath in here.