Week 4: A Routine for Worry

Welcome, today's practice is to balance out the energetics of the spleen. The spleen likes consistency and it likes a routine. So this is a practice that you could do every day to give yourself that consistent routine in your daily life. We know the spleen is out of balance when we're obsessively thinking or worrying. These are two big signs of the spleen, the spirit of the spleen and the emotions of the spleen being out of balance.

So you'll need two blocks, optional, but they might be helpful. Go ahead and grab them and we'll get started. So bring the feet together at the front of your mat, roll the shoulders down your back, lift your chest, and then feel the shoulder blades pressing into the chest. The same time, pull the front ribs down into the body and start to breathe into the side ribs, the back ribs. Press down through the four corners of the feet.

And as you press down through the feet, lift up through the crown of the head. Just coming to presence within your body, focusing the mind on the sound of the breath and on the sensations in the body. The more we focus on what's happening in our bodies, in our breath, the less we're distracted by the thoughts going through the mind. And then linking the breath and the movement, we inhale and reach the arms up overhead. You can keep the arms shoulder distance apart or bring the palms of the hands together and look up to the thumbs.

With exhalation, we'll hinge at the hips and fold forward. You need to bend your knees for the first one, let the head and neck relax. Inhale, lengthen the spine, you can bring your hands to your shins, exhale, bend the knees, set the hands, step back to the top of a push-up. Lift yourself forward, bend the elbows and lower down, all the way to the floor. Roll your shoulders down your back, point your toes, come up into a cobra.

And exhale, lift the hips up, curl the toes under and come to downward facing dog. Next downward dog, just pedal the feet out, stay connected to your breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nose. And then settle with both heels reaching to the floor, spread the toes, press the thighs back, push the floor away from you. Another deep breath in, and as you exhale, look forward and walk your feet to your hands. Inhale to lengthen, exhale to fold, inhale, come all the way up to the top, reach through the fingertips, exhale, arms down alongside the body.

And again, inhale, arms reach, exhale and fold, inhale, lengthen, exhale, step or you can jump back and lower to chaturanga. Inhale cobra or upward dog if you're ready for it, exhale, downward facing dog. And breathing here, staying connected to your breath, the inhale and the exhale, paying attention to what sensations are coming up in the body. Maybe there's some tightness in the backs of the legs and the hips, just observing it all and guiding breath to those areas. End of your next exhale, look forward, step or jump, inhale as you land, lengthen, exhale and fold, inhale, come all the way up, and exhale, arms down alongside the body.

Inhale arms reach, exhale and fold, inhale, lengthen, exhale, step or jump back and lower. Inhale cobra or up dog, and exhale back, downward facing dog. Taking three to five breaths here, focusing the mind and the sound of the breath and having the intention to smooth out the breath. Keep it soft, relaxed, balanced, balancing the inhale and the length of the exhale. End of your next exhale, look forward, step or jump, inhale and lengthen, exhale and fold, inhale, come all the way up, and exhale, arms down alongside the body.

Bend the knees, sit your hips back, inhale to chair pose or utkatasana. Take the shins back so you look down and you see your toes, lengthen the tailbone towards the floor so you pull the belly in and then wrap the outer upper arms around to your face. You can keep the arms shoulder distance apart or bring the palms of the hands together. And then exhale, let's fold forward, straightening the legs as we fold. Inhale and lengthen, exhale, step or jump back and lower.

Now cobra or up dog, and exhale, downward facing dog. From down dog, you'll pivot your left heel down, step your right foot forward, pull your right hip back, keep the knee right over the ankle, left leg nice and straight, outer edge of the left foot stays planted, press down into your right heel as you inhale and come up into warrior one. We'll take a couple extra breaths here, wrap the outer upper arms around towards your face. Arms are straight, they can stay shoulder distance apart or bring the palms together, look to the thumbs. Take another deep breath, reach a little higher.

With your exhale, sink down a little lower into your right knee. And then exhale, release, set the hands down, pick up your back heel. Step back and lower. Inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, downward facing dog. Second side, step the left foot forward, right heel down, pull the left hip back, straighten your back leg, press the outer edge of the right foot down, and sink deep into the bend in the left knee, lengthen the tailbone down towards the floor as you come up, taking the arms up overhead.

Start with shoulder distance apart, wrap the outer upper arms around to the face, straighten the arms as you reach to the ceiling, restraighten your back leg, take another deep breath in, maybe bring the palms to touch, sink a little deeper into your left knee with the exhale, take another deep breath in, and then exhale, release. Bring the hands to the floor, pick up your back heel, step back and lower. Inhale, cobra or up dog, and exhale, downward facing dog. Three to five breaths here. And when we focus our mind on what the physical body is doing, like our alignment cues, it also helps to take us out of thought.

Focus on reaching through the heels, pressing the thighs back, pulling the belly in, wrapping the outer upper arms around to the face as you push the floor away from you. Repeat your exhalation, look forward, step or jump. Inhale lengthen, exhale fold, bend the knees, sit the hips back, inhale, chair pose, utkatasana, and exhale, standing up tall. Again, bend the knees, inhale, utkatasana, exhale, fold forward, straightening the legs. Inhale lengthening, exhale, step or jump, and lower.

Inhale cobra or up dog, exhale downward dog. Then inhale to step the right foot forward, pivot the left heel down and come up into warrior one. And one exhale to come all the way down to chaturanga. If you need an extra breath, take it. Inhale cobra or up dog, exhale down dog, left foot forward, right heel down, inhale to come up into warrior one, exhale all the way to chaturanga.

Inhale cobra or up dog, exhale down dog, five breaths. As we move into Surya Namaskar B's, there's a lot more movement and that can cause the breath to speed up. As we advance our practices, we learn to lengthen out the breath so we have more time and space to fill one inhale with one movement, one exhale with one movement. So it's actually a sign of an advanced practice to have long, slow, deep breaths. The most important aspect and reason to work on that is to calm the nervous system.

When the breath is calm, relaxed, the nervous system calms down too. Look forward, step or jump, inhale lengthen, exhale fold. Bend the knees, sit the hips back, inhale chair, and exhale stand up tall. Bend the knees and we're going to step or you can hop open to the right, turn the right toes out, the left toes slightly in, spin the right thigh bone out from deep in the hip socket, press through the root of the big toe, and spin the right thigh bone out. Reach through both arms and with exhalation we're going to drop the right hip as we fold out over the right leg into triangle pose.

Pull the shoulders down the back, reach the sternum, and maybe turn to gaze to your left thumb. If you have one of your blocks handy, you can use the block and place it underneath that right hand or you can just keep the hand on the shin. Lengthen the tailbone to your left heel and breathe. As you breathe, breathe into the side ribs, the lower back ribs, and the chest. And use your mind to direct the pose, so keep going through your alignment cues in your head.

Right thigh bone spinning out from deep in the hip socket, the big toe mound pressing the floor, tailbone reaching to your left heel, left leg strong and straight, and then guide the breath into the entire rib cage evenly. With your next inhalation, we'll come up, go a little wider in your stance, maybe like four to six inches, and this time we'll bend deep into the right knee for Parsva Konasana. Pull the shoulders down the back, reach through the fingertips, again start to drop the right hip as you bring the elbow to the knee and the left arm up overhead in line with the ear, or you have the option to bring the right hand down to the floor inside or outside of the foot, and we'll breathe. Here as well, from the outer right hip in, tailbone to your left heel, look down, make sure your knee is stacked over the ankle, wrap the outer left arm towards your face as you lengthen through the fingertips, and breathe. Press down into your heels with inhalation, you'll come up, pass through warrior two, then inhale, straighten the right leg and pivot, turn to face the left.

Left toes out, right toes in, drop your shoulders down your back, outer edge of the right foot is grounded, right leg is strong and straight, left thigh bone spinning out from deep in the hip socket, and as you exhale, you fold out over your left leg. Place the hand anywhere along the shin or on a block and start to rotate the chest open to face the side wall, and then go through all your alignment cues. Thigh bone reaches to the heel, lower belly pulls in, front ribs pull in, left thigh bone spinning out, mound to the big toe presses the floor, arms reach in opposite direction, and you breathe. With inhalation, come up, move your left foot a little more forward, take the arms out to the side, and with exhalation, bend deep into the left knee, knee is over the ankle and you're working towards the left thigh being parallel to the floor. Press the right leg straight, reach out over the left leg, and then either take the elbow to the knee and the right arm up overhead or the hand to the floor, inside or outside of the foot.

Then hold and breathe, and go through your alignment cues, tailbone to heel, belly pulled in, breath into the sides of the ribs, the back of the ribs, the top of the chest. Left knee tracks over the ankle, pointing to the second toe. Those things not only keep you safe, but they keep you focused on what your work is in this moment, in this practice. They keep you present, out of thoughts from the future or the past. Press your heels, inhale, come up, find warrior two, then straighten your left leg, parallel your feet, and we'll step to the front of our mat to reset and take a breath or two.

Bend your knees, step or open to the right, taking the hands to the hips or the waist. Feet are parallel here, shoulders down the back with inhalation, lift the chest, and with exhalation, we'll fold forward, bringing the hands to the floor for Prasarita Padottanasana A. Inhale, lengthen the spine, lean a little forward so the weight is coming just in front of the heels, and exhale, fold, bringing the elbows over the wrists, hands stay grounded, and you reach the crown of the head towards the floor. Legs staying straight and strong, and we'll hold and breathe. Keep the mound of the big toe pressing, outer edges of the foot firming to the floor, outer hips firming in, belly pulling in, shoulders draw down the back, away from the ears, and the crown of the head lengthens towards the ground. Inhale, lengthen, exhale, pause, bring your hands to your waist, and inhale, come all the way up, and exhale.

C position, take the arms out to the side, inhale, exhale, interlace your fingers behind your back, inhale to straighten the arms, lift the chest up, take a deep breath, tip the head back, look down the edge of the nose, and exhale, fold forward, reaching the arms up overhead, and breathing. You can run through all those same alignment cues for your feet, your legs, outer ankles firm in, big toe mounds press the floor, outer hips firm in, belly pulls in, crown of the head reaches to the ground, most importantly we breathe. One more deep breath in and exhale, with your next inhale come all the way up, and exhale, bring your hands to prayer, and we'll step back to the front of the mat. For this next posture, we're going to take warrior three and we'll take that into a twist. So you might want to have your blocks handy at their highest height because they may help with the balance.

We'll start from prayer, take the weight to your left foot, now as you transfer the weight to your left foot, you want to firm the outer hip in, pull the belly in, that's what's going to keep you steady and balanced. Take the right knee up to the chest and flex the right foot, and then as you start to lean forward, you press through the right foot and reach the right leg back. We have the option to keep the hands to prayer position at the heart, hands at the hips, hands to your blocks for balance, or arms straight out in front of you. I'm going to choose hands to the blocks today, fingertips on the blocks, and then you spin the inner right thigh up to the ceiling as you firm both hips into midline. Pull the belly in, reach the sternum forward, and breathe.

We are going to hold here. You can play around with hands flat or fingertips on the blocks. Keep lengthening through the crown of the head, shoulders down the back, and we'll take this into the twisting version. Bring the block in your right hand a tiny bit more to midline, but still lined up with the inner edge of your left foot, and then start to take the left hand to your hip and revolve the left shoulder up to the ceiling. Find a tiny bit of back bend in your upper back.

Maybe start to turn the head to look to the left and possibly reach the left arm up to the ceiling. Hold for a few more breaths. Keep pulling the belly in. Straighten your back leg a little more. Keep the toes pointing down.

One more deep breath. Go a little more than you think you can, and then exhale, release. Take the left hand back down and the right foot to meet the left, and then just separate the feet, hip distance, and let's fold. Give yourself a moment. Grab a hold of your elbows and just kind of sway from side to side.

Release your elbows, roll yourself up to standing, tailbone gets heavy, and then bring your feet back together. If you didn't already, reset your blocks so they're about shoulder distance apart. Bring the hands to prayer position, pull the belly in. Take the weight to your right foot, firm the outer right hip in, the lower belly in. So we don't want to sit into that right hip.

Keep that outer hip firmed in. Bend the left knee, lift the knee up to the chest, and then as you fold forward, press through the left foot and start to straighten the left leg back behind you. Option to keep your hands at prayer to the waist or out in front of you. Another option is to bring your fingertips or your hands to your blocks. If you're using the blocks, then push into the blocks, reach the chest forward.

Open from your outer left hip into midline, lift your inner left thigh up to the ceiling, press through your back heel, extend the sternum forward, and breathe. Your standing leg is strong and supportive. Breath is deep, smooth, and even, even as things get a little more challenging. Come back to the breath, focus on making the breath relaxed, long, deep. Bring the left block a little closer to midline, and we're going to take the right hand to the hip or the waist and start to lift the right shoulder up like you're going to try and stack it over the left, possibly start to turn the head to the right, and maybe reach the right arm up to the ceiling.

As you twist, try to find a little bit of a backbend in your upper back, keep your left leg strong and straight, press through the heel, lift the inner edge of that thigh. Two more deep breaths. One more breath in, and then exhale, bring the right hand to your block, your left foot to meet your right on the ground, and then separate your feet hip distance. You can move the blocks to the side of your mat and fold forward, grab a hold of your elbows, let the chest, the arms, everything dangle and sway, let it feel good, let your breathing come back to balance, and release your arms, tuck the tailbone under as you roll up to standing and bring your feet together, arms alongside the body. With inhale, we'll reach the arms up overhead, exhale, hinge at the hips and fold, inhale and lengthen, exhale, step or jump back, and lower, inhale, cobra or up dog, and exhale, downward facing dog.

Take a few breaths here, then you'll look forward and step or jump your feet through to seated, and we'll straighten the legs out in front of us, Janusirasana A, bend the right knee and we'll take the right foot to the inner left thigh. The knee will start to come down to the floor. If you have knee issues, you may want to place a block underneath that right knee. If your hips are quite open, you can start to point the toe and take the knee a little wider, so it's in line with the hip, then you pull the left thigh bone in towards your hip socket, reach forward for your left foot with inhalation, lift the chest, and exhalation, pull the right side of your ribcage into midline as you fold out over your left leg. Maybe wrap and reach for a wrist, can also keep your hands on the floor inside and outside of your left shin bone, and breathe.

Back of the neck is long, shoulders are still going down the back away from the ears. Inhale, straighten the arms, exhale, release the pose, straighten the right leg, fold the left leg back, same thing, either the foot is flat against the right thigh and the knee is supported, or you start to point the toe, take the knee wider so it's about in line with the hip, pull the right thigh bone back into the hip socket, hands can come inside and outside of the right shin, take a deep breath in, lengthen the front body, and exhale, fold down into the pose, bringing the left ribcage into midline, and possibly wrapping around reaching for the right foot or reaching for a wrist, and breathe. Back of the neck is long, jaw is relaxed, shoulders down away from the ears. Inhale, straighten the arms, look up, exhale, release, we'll take a little vinyasa just to keep everything warm, bend the knees, bring them into your chest, take your hands slightly in front of your hips, with inhalation you'll lift up, you can always bring the feet to the floor and reach them, walk them back, then step your feet back and lower. Inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, downward facing dog, look forward and step or jump through, if you're stepping you just walk your feet forward, let the hips drop, sit the hips down, straighten the legs out in front of you.

Bend the right knee, interlace your fingers in front of the shin, take the knee towards your shoulder and place the right heel just in front of your right sitting bone. Pull the left thigh bone into your hip socket, lift your low back, lift your chest. You can stay here for Marichyasana A, or take your left hand to the floor, reach the right hand forward for your left foot, deep breath in, and then exhale, fold out over the left leg. Some of you, if your shoulder goes past your shin bone, you can take your right arm back, turn the right arm in, reach back for your left wrist, taking a bind, inhale, lengthen, and exhale, fold, and breathe. The right hip will lift up off the floor, but you keep reaching it back down to the floor, even if it never gets there.

Inhale, look up, lengthen, exhale, release. We'll straighten the right leg and bend the left knee. Place your fingers in front of the shin, pull the heel in towards your sitting bone, set the foot flat. You can stay here, upright, or bring the right hand to the floor, reach the left arm forward, grab a hold of your right foot, inhale, lengthen, reaching the chest forward, exhale, fold, possibly take that into the block or the bind. Reach for your right wrist if needed, if possible, inhale, lengthen, and everyone exhale to fold into your deepest expression of the pose.

And breathe, inhale, lengthen, exhale, we'll release. Take another vinyasa transition, hands in front of the hips, inhale, we lift up, and exhale to chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale to downward facing dog. And from downward facing dog, you'll step or jump through to seated. And bend your knees, take your hands behind your knees, pull your shoulders back, start to lean back, lift the feet up off the floor for navasana. You can stay here or stretch the arms and possibly even straighten the legs.

And we'll hold and breathe. Look to the toes. And then bend the knees, cross the ankles, give yourself a moment, maybe touch the toes to the floor, take your hands to the floor. Inhale, lift the hips up, maybe lift the feet, exhale, release, and we'll do that again. Hands can stay behind the knees, chest lifted, toes pointed, or straighten the legs and the arms, one, keep breathing, two, three, four, five, cross the ankles the other direction, set the toes if needed, set the hands, lift up, release.

Last one, navasana, one, two, three, four, five, cross the ankles, bring the knees to the chest, set the hands, inhale, lift up, and exhale, chaturanga. Inhale cobra or up dog, and exhale downward dog. And we'll look forward, step or jump your feet through to seated, and then we'll lie down on our back for some finishing poses. Take the arms down alongside the body, press the back of your head to lift your shoulders up, and work the shoulder blades underneath you. Your feet are hip distance apart, toes pointing straight forward.

With an inhalation, tuck your tailbone under, reach your knees forward as you lift the hips up off the floor. Some of you will stay here, others interlace your fingers behind your back, and then maybe work the outer edges of the arms underneath you a little more so you can fill the chest with breath and start to take your chest towards your chin. As your chest reaches towards the chin, keep reaching the knees forward, pull the belly in, and lift the hips to the ceiling, bridge pose. And then breathe, expanding the chest with the breath, expanding the side ribs. One more deep breath in, then release the hands, lower the hips down, and take a moment, hands on the belly.

We'll do that again, arms alongside the body, press the feet, lift the hips up, lengthen the tailbone, and reach the knees forward. Either stay there with your hands or interlace the fingers, work the outer upper arms underneath you as you lift your chest to your chin, and the knees forward in the opposite direction, and breathe. As you press the heels, pull the sitting bones together, the very lower part of your glutes does engage, hamstrings are strong. The heels are drawing back as the knees pull forward. One more deep breath in.

Press the hips a little higher to the ceiling, and then exhale, release. Draw your knees into your chest, wrap your arms around your legs, and just rock around on your low back a bit, and release the legs, take the arms out to a T, cross the left leg over top of the right, move your right hip to midline, and drop your knees over to your right, and maybe look over your left shoulder, and breathe. And then take the knees back to center, uncross the legs, take the right leg over top of the left, move the left hip to midline, and then let the knees drop over to your left. Maybe look over your right shoulder. Bring the knees back to center, uncross the legs, take the knees into your chest, rock yourself up to seated for a forward fold, straighten the legs out in front of you, arms reach up overhead, take a deep breath in, and exhale.

Inhale, look up, exhale, release, and come to a comfortable cross-legged position. You can sit up on a block if you need a little bit more support for your hips and your knees. Just close the eyes, bring the hands to your knees, and we'll do a little bit of breathing. We're going to do breath in thirds, and the idea is that we breathe first the lower part of the lungs in one inhale, then we inhale a little deeper and we get the middle part, and then a little deeper, and we breathe all the way up to the chest. So we're really on that first bit of breath, we're already relaxing through the belly and letting the diaphragm drop and fill the lungs.

Then we go deeper and up, and then one full exhalation. Close the eyes, relax the shoulders, and just start with a normal ujjayi breath, inhaling and exhaling through the nose, slight toning in the back of the throat. Exhale completely, and then inhale for one third of the lungs. Inhale the second third, inhale more than you think you can, all the way to the top, and then slowly exhale. And when you get to the top of that breath, if it feels like difficult to go from there to breathing out, take a little bit more breath in, deepen the breath, go a little more, and then exhale.

So we'll try that again. Inhale one third, lower third, inhale second third, inhale all the way to the top, then we'll hold a moment or two. And then if you need to, before you breathe out, breathe a little deeper in, and then slowly exhale. Try not to just let the balloon burst. Let it come out very slowly, softly, and again, inhale one third, second third, inhale all the way to the top, hold, maybe even drop the chin to the chest a little, using one of your locks, release the chin, raise it up, breathe a little deeper, and then exhale very slowly, smoothly, evenly.

Do another round of that, inhale, inhale again, inhale all the way to the top, maybe drop your chin. Raise the chin, breathe a little deeper, and then exhale slowly and with control. And just settle with that, breathe normal breaths. You can either stay here or you can lie down for Shavasana for a couple moments, a couple minutes. Settling in, letting the effects of your practice take root in the body, letting the nervous system be calm, relaxed, the mind a little more still and more focused on the present moment, the sensations in the body, the breath.

That is within our power to control, to experience. Thank you. Thank you very much. You can slowly start to deepen the breath. If you're in Shavasana, bring small movements into the fingers and the toes.

You can stretch the arms up overhead. Then roll over to your right side. Press yourself up to seated. We'll bring our hands to prayer position at the heart. Gently bow the head.

Thank you for joining me today. Namaste. Be sure to check out the PDF where you'll get some other tips and hints on how you can bring some routine into your life and help balance out the spleen and stop worry or obsessive thoughts. Thank you.