Day 2: Touching the Divine

Welcome back. How are you feeling after our 1st day together? Please reach out in the comments and forum. I'd love to hear from you. As we make our transition into our 2nd day together, we'll start to look at the sense of touch So how we're feeling physically in our postures, touching into the subtle and the sensations in the body And let's get started right away. This will be a heart opening practice. So if you'd like to join me on your back, please do so.

Will roll back, bringing the soles of the feet together and the knees wide and supta baddha khanasana. And then invitation to bring the right hand across your heart and the left hand to your belly. If it feels safe, let your eyes soften and close, shifting the gaze inward. And then begin to feel the breath beneath your hand. So feeling the expansion and the rise of your inhale.

And then that fall of the exhale that letting go quality. Breathing in, feel the rise, beneath the palms of your hands and letting go. On the exhale and then begin by scanning through your body. So from the tips of your toes, all the way up through the crown of the head. Along the way, just noticing any sensations that may arise, perhaps where you might be holding any tension or discomfort. Also areas that might feel soft, relaxed, alive.

Allowing a few more breaths as you continue to scan. To notice. Starting to touch into that subtle quality of sensation. Perhaps setting an intention, a light touch in your practice today, honoring where you are. As you're ready, reach arms up over ears start to bring the soles of the feet to the earth, bend your knees, stepping the feet as wide as your yoga mat.

And then dropping both knees to the right side. So nice, easy twist. You might take your gaze over your left shoulder. Good. And then as you inhale knees through center, exhale, letting both knees drop to the left, maybe gazing over the right shoulder, And then if it would feel good to start to move the knees side to side, windshield wiper, your knees. Notice where you feel this in the body and also What parts of the body are making contact with the earth beneath you? So the hips as you roll side to side, the back of the hand, shoulders, soles of the feet.

Good. And then as you're ready, coming back, through center will hug the knees into the chest, maybe rock a little side to side, eventually rocking up and down, and you can build momentum to come to seated. We'll meet in a seated position for a moment. So crossing one shin in front of the other. Letting your sitting bones root down. And then as you're ready, find length in the spine on an inhale, open the arms wide.

Feel the fingertips. A light sensation in the palms of the hands as you turn the gaze and palms upward. And then as you exhale, bring the right arm on top left arm underneath, just give yourself a hug so you can hold onto your shoulders tuck the chin and maybe round back a little bit because you feel the opening through the back body. And then notice what it feels like to give yourself a little embrace here. Feeling the palms of the hands on the skin.

Good. As you inhale open the arms wide, palms up, gaze up, and then opposite arm on top, letting the left arm come on top right arm underneath. Again, softly holding the shoulders, tuck the chin. Maybe lean back a little bit as you round. Good. And then as you inhale one more time, just opening up, we'll bring the fingertips, light touch behind you. And then you can gently start to lift the hips up.

Draw shoulders back, heart lifts. Good. And then letting the hips lower down. Let's make our way into a tabletop position. And as you come to tabletop, just noticing the touch of shins on your mat, the palms of your hands on your mat. And then lowering the forearms down to the earth, you're welcome to interlace your hands or press the palms of your hands straight in front of you, letting the shoulders come over the elbows. And then moving into forearm plank. So stretching the legs back, tuck the toes.

Always welcome to lower your knees. Try to lower the hips toward the height of the shoulder blades. Good. And then where can you soften the touch a little bit more here? Noticing what's connected to the earth, gazing between the thumbs, allowing a big full breath in, And then gently letting the hips touch down to the earth, untuck your toes for sphinx pose, maybe walking your elbows just slightly in front of the shoulders. And then drawing the fingertips on the earth as the heart reaches forward, press into the top of the feet Gaze forward.

Big breath in. Good. And then as you exhale, slide the hands back, can let the forehead or the chin come down, hug the elbows in setting up for cobra, start to peel the chest up off the earth, draw the shoulders back. Heart lifts here. Good. And then as you exhale softly, place the forehead or chin back down to the earth release, 2 more like that, inhale peel the chest up, maybe coming up just a little bit higher. And then exhale softly lower.

And inhale draw shoulders back. Peel the chest up. COBRA, exhale, soften, and lower. Good. And then pressing up through hands and knees or plank pose will come back into downward facing dog, tucking the toes. Lifting the hips up and back, spreading the fingers wide, and just noticing how this pop your feels in your body.

So where do you feel this physically? What might be the sensations that arise in the body and in the internal space, perhaps moving around a little bit, pedaling it out through the feet, swaying side to side, shaking head. Yes and no. Breathing in, letting the heels start to melt. Beautiful. And then softly start to walk your feet up to your hands.

And can you take a nice slow walk as you feel the soles of the feet, grounding into the earth, feel the earth beneath your feet coming into forward fold at the front of the mat, taking a moment to just let everything melt down. Crown of the head melting, maybe shifting weight toward the balls of the feet a little bit. Feel free to soften knees. I'm bringing the back of the hands to the earth and just noticing how that touch feels. All these touch points as you become intentional about where you're placing this sense of touch. And then with soft knees roll up slowly, one bird of bread at a time.

We unravel as we come to stand. Good. Taking a moment here to pause, draw hands, together in front of the heart in Anjali Mudra. And can you notice the softness between your hands? Palms of the hands. Maybe there's a heat there or a sensation in the palms of the hands.

Good. And we'll start to move into a variation of Suriyanamaskar, BR, SunSalutations coming into chair pose, Utkatasana, Bend the knees deeply arms sweep up. Let the shin bones draw back as the hips lower down toward the height of the knees, allowing a big bans of breath in, and then exhale release back into forward fold. Good on an inhale. Walk your hands up onto your sins. Length and through the spine come halfway up, offer the heart forward.

Good. Exhale plant your palms will step back to plank pose top of a push up. Start to shift the weight forward. Welcome to lower knees here coming halfway or all the way down. In health, feel free to stay with cobra or straighten out the arms from the thighs up off the earth for upward facing dog. Good. And then rolling over the toes downward facing dog.

Good. Reaching the right leg all the way up and back. 3 leg dog. As you exhale start to draw the right knee in toward the nose and then softly step your right foot through between your hands, setting up for warrior 1, spin the back heel down, or reach the arms forward and up, very badras and no one, take a moment, to sink in, to land, to notice the parts of the body, making contact with the earth. What's holding you up here? What's supporting you? Beautiful. And then reaching the arms behind the back, finding an interlace with the fingertips, feel free to grab a strap or hold opposite elbows.

And then light touches you interlace the hands, softly lift the heart, lift the gaze, folding and bowing forward humble warrior, reaching the arms up crown of the head, melting down. Feel the stretch in your shoulders. Good. And then as you inhale, leading with the heart come all the way back up, warrior 1, reach the arms up, gaze up, exhale hands, find the earth, step back plank pose. Shift forward halfway or all the way down, Chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale.

Meeting back in down dog. Left side, inhale. Left leg sweeps up and back. 3 leg dog. Exhale draw the knee in toward the nose, light step forward gently kissing the earth with your foot and then parallel, or excuse me, spin the back heel down, start to reach the arms forward and upcoming back to Warrior 1 this time on the second side.

Soften the shoulders energize up through your fingertips. Beautiful sink in as you draw the left hip back. Let the right hip roll forward and then release your hands behind the back. Find the interlace, maybe the opposite thumb on top. Notice how that feels in the body, maybe a little awkward.

And then draw the shoulders back as you gaze up. You need to lean back a little bit. And then soften forward into humble warrior bowing forward the crown of the head meltdown. Let it be devotional in nature, touching into that divine quality within Good one. Inhale. We'll reach the arms all the way back up Warrior 1. As you exhale, hands find the Earth, step back, plank pose.

Exhale chaturanga, inhale cobra, or upward facing dog. Exhale meeting back in downward facing dog, allowing a few full deep breaths here, breathing in. Breathing out. The inhale rise up onto toes. Big bend in the knees look forward, step, or lightly float front of the mat on an inhale length and come halfway up.

Exhale fold, uttanasana. Good. Bend, the knees deeply coming back to uttanasana, chair pose, arms, sweep up. Pressing through the soles of the feet, feel the lift in the heart space, big breath in, and then exhale again, softly bringing palms together in front of the heart. Closing the eyes for a moment, if that feels safe for you, Feel the breath and the body. Feel the beating of your heart.

And just notice where that movement lands for a moment. As you're ready, inhale. Blink the eyes open. Sweep the arms all the way up. Feel the lift in the heart space. Lean back a little bit.

Exhale soften knees and fold. Good inhale come halfway up, offer the heart. Plant palm step or lightly float back chaturanga inhale cobra or upward facing dog and exhale landing. In down dog. This time, let's reach the right leg all the way up and back. As you exhale, we'll softly step right foot through the hand setting up for warrior 2.

Spin the left heel down. Let the left arm guide you up and open to face. The side of the mat and then just take a moment to sink in, to ground, to let the shoulders soften, energizing through the fingertips. From here, flip the front palm and tilt back as you tilt back toward reverse warrior. Start to straighten out through the right leg for reverse triangle pose.

Feel the length in the right side body and then keeping that length, reaching the right arm forward, come into triconasana, letting the right hand fall below the knee. Soft fingertips. And as you reach the left arm up, maybe play with taking the left hand behind your back and just kinda notice what it feels like to either bring the back of the hand to the low back maybe fingertips find that right hip crease. And then just feeling, again, that light touch with your left hand softening through the neck, your eyes. Breathing.

Beautiful. And then as you're ready rooting down through the soles of the feet, coming back up, reverse triangle, and then exhale, rebend through the right knee, circle the hands down to the earth, step the right foot back, shift forward halfway or all the way down Chaturanga. Inhale just moving through vinyasa, cobra, or updog, exhale meeting back. In down dog, left side as you're ready. Until left leg sweeps up, exhale, step it through, setting up for warrior to spin the right heel down. Let the right arm guides you up and open to face a side of the mat.

Take a moment to sink in. Good. Find your Drishti. So we worked with that site. I'm now working with touch.

So soft touch as you flip the left palm, tilt back as you come toward reverse warriors start to straighten through the left leg, feel the length in the left side body, and then reaching the left arm forward, keeping that length letting the left hand fall just anywhere below the knee, and the right arm might reach up. Or, again, you might slide the back of your right hand to the low back, fingertips might find the left hip crease is continuing to draw the right shoulder back. Softening a bit through that left knee. Engage your left quadrice up. Find your breasts. The breath touched the internal space.

That link between the internal and the external Good. And then give me gaze down. I'm gonna reach up and back. Reverse triangle. Exhale circle hands to the earth step back, plank pose, shift forward halfway or all the way down, Chaturanga. Inhale cobra or updog. Exhale downward facing dog.

Let your knees lower down to the earth for a moment. If it feels okay, untuck the toes and sit back on the heels, you're welcome to take a block between the ankles, if that would feel more comfortable for you. Otherwise, just finding any comfortable seat for a moment take a moment to notice where the movement lands. Maybe close your eyes. And then take your thumb to your index finger for a moment. Just gently touching the thumb and index finger together, brushing the fingertips, noticing that sensation, and then gently bring the thumb to the next finger, the middle finger.

Light touch. Notice any sensation here. Maybe a pulsing, a heat. What is it for you? And then thumb to ring finger.

To pinky finger. And then maybe just play with brushing your thumb across all of your fingers. Becoming aware of that sense of light touch of what comes up for you. Is you're already releasing that? And then just taking your time.

We'll meet back in downward facing dog. As you come to down dog, you can bring the soles of the feet or the feet together, I should say, at the back of the mat. And then take a moment to glide to plank pose. And you're welcome to lower the knees. We'll take a slow lower all the way down to the belly. If you had a block between the ankles, you might have to remove that. This doesn't land on the body, weirdly. And then take your time to untuck the toes, reach the arms back actively, maybe find an interlace with your hands, and then start to press the feet together, press through the top of the feet, peel the chest up off the earth for Shalabasana and can keep pressing the top of the feet into the earth or maybe add the legs.

So find length in the spine. Think about lifting and lengthening versus trying to lift up too high. And then what parts of the body are connected as you lift? Feel that support breathing in. Good. As you breathe out, let one cheek rest on the Earth.

Release everything. Feel the support of the Earth beneath you. Let yourself feel held. Perhaps sway your hips side to side. And we'll come up for another round as you come back through center, bring the ankles together.

Chin or crown of the head, or excuse me, the third eye down to the earth forehead down. You might find that interlace behind the back, maybe play with taking that opposite thumb on top, draw shoulders away from the ears, lift up through the heart space, me tuck the chin, find the length, maybe add the legs. Holding for 5. 4, 3, 2, exhale opposite cheek to the earth. Take a moment to rest down.

Let the body feel held. Releasing. Maybe sway hips side to side. Good. And then welcome to stay with Shalabasana. If you would like, you could bend through the knees, reach back find the feet, or the ankles.

And then same action as you start to peel the chest up off the earth, kick feet into the hands, lift up through the heart space, and be at a place where you can breathe deeply for 5, 4, 3, 2. And one this time as you release, maybe reverse windshield wiper, side to side releasing tension that may have built up. Does that feel that way for you? And then press back. Just as a gentle counterbalance into child's pose, let the hips come back towards your heels, reaching arms forward, maybe third arrests on the earth, maybe wobble, a little side to side, Beautiful. And then let's come on to our back.

So take your time as you roll onto the back. You might like to have a block handy. And then we'll come into supported bridge. If you don't have a block, no worries. You might just be coming up into bridge pose. Stepping the soles of the feet to the earth about hips distance, bending through the knees. I'm gonna take a block under my sacrum.

So just under the very low back, lift the hips, can slide the block any height that feels appropriate for you, and then Again, just let the body yield to the support beneath it, maybe bring the palms of the hands to face up softening the palms of the hands and what's connected. Souls of the feet. Back of the hands, arms, shoulders, back of the head. Let you're in supported bridge, you might choose to draw the knees in toward your chest, and then take the legs straight up for a supported shoulder stand. Letting the souls of the feet come up toward the sky perhaps closing the eyes, touching into the divine, to the subtle sensations that arise.

It's becoming curious, the witness, the observer, Gently letting that go as you're ready. Let the souls of the feet find the earth. You have a block under your sacrum. You might gently lift the hips, slide the block out to the side. The hips lower, step the feet as wide as your yoga mat, let the knees knock into touch, maybe resting hands on belly, And just like how we started scanning through the body, noticing if there are any changes to how you feel from when we started, Feel the breath, expand beneath the hands, and fall.

Sensations that arise. You to fold and then finally hugging knees into chest. You're rocking a little side to side. You could take your knees in circles into either direction. And then finally, you could draw your nose up towards your knees, hugging everything into a tight little ball, creating a little tension. Is again, you hug the body in, hug the shins, tuck the chin, big breath in.

Sipping a little bit more air. And as you exhale, let everything go, stretch the legs long. Palms in the hands kiss the sky. Maybe close your eyes. Feel held.

Just rest. Start to bring the awareness back to the sensations and the body. Feel yourself being breathed, brushing your thumb across your fingers and inviting the gentle movement back in. You're reaching arms up over ears, stretching through the feet, full body stretch, allowing a big breath in, and a long full breath out. Just take your time so we meet seated.

As you find your seat again, just softly gathering palms of your hands together in front of your heart. I really hope that you were able to touch into some sweetness today. Thank you so much for sharing this practice with me. Look forward to continuing this journey with you, Namaste.