Call In Desire

Hi. I'm Laura. Welcome to your practice today. And today's class will be really focusing on creating a playful and exciting practice. And we'll be focusing on calling in your desire, starting to create that vision of what you'd like to bring into your life. So we'll go ahead and get started today in Verasana, and I'm going to use a block.

So if you'd like, you can set a block underneath your hips, and you can also sit onto your heels if that's comfortable for you. And rest your hands to the tops of the thighs will start in this seated position, and ground down through your sitting bones, which are sitting down to the floor, to the block, find your tall spine, feel the openness across your chest, and you can take these first few moments with your eyes, relax, close. Taking a moment to breathe, to check-in. And we'll start here with the full round of breath together, take a big full breath in through the nose, expanding through the lungs, opening up through the body. Side it out through the mouth, let it go.

Let go the day that you've had so far. I'm just giving yourself this moment. I'm gonna start to blink your eyes open if you had them close. And from here on your next inhale, go ahead and sweep your arms all the way up alongside your ears. With your exhale, bend the elbows out to the sides of wide and across the heart space, widen across the chest, and inhale reach your arms all the way back up towards the sky. And then as you exhale, you're landing your hands out in front of you to a tabletop position.

With your inhale, lower your belly open through the heart space to your cow pose, exhale, round up to your spine, to your cat pose. And one more inhale to cow, lower the belly open up across the space of the heart, and then as you exhale, sit your hips back down towards the heels or to your block back to virasana. And we'll do that flow a couple more times with your inhale, warming up the shoulders, sweep your arms all the way up as you exhale, open through the elbows, widen across the chest. And how arms reach back up towards the sky. And then as you exhale, coming back to your tabletop, hands, and knees to the floor, in how lower the belly open up across the heart space to cal pose, exhale, round up through the spine to cat pose, coming back to cow, inhale lowering the belly, opening up across the speaks of the heart, and then exhale, hips back to the heels or to the block.

Press your hands to the tops of the thighs. And one more time, inhale seeping the arms all the way up, exhale, open through the elbows, open up through the chest. And inhale reaching the arms back up towards the sky, exhale coming back down to your tabletop, inhale to cow, lower the belly, open through the chest, exhale rounding up through the spine. Back to cow pose, lower the belly, widen across the chest. Take your hips back towards your heels to Verasana.

Take a beat. So from here, if you were sitting on a block, just take a moment to move it off to the side. Can move it off to the side or to the back of your mat. We're gonna make our way to downward facing dog, so go ahead and walk your hands forward. Tuck your toes, lift the hips all the way up and back to downward facing dog.

And from down dog, we'll flow through in help by lifting your heels up high, we're gonna roll forward through the spine, feel the rounding of the spine as you draw forward to plank, and keeping your core strong, keeping the leg strong. Let the hips drop towards the floor without letting them touch, this will look like upward dog with the toes tucked under, and it'll reverse that movement as you exhale rounding through the spine and pressing the hips all the way back to your downward facing dog. And flow with the breath inhale as you lift up to the heels, roll forward through the spine, let the hips drop with control, opening up through the front of the body, drawing the heart forward through the gate of the shoulders, and reverse that movement exhale draw the hip all the way back to down dog. Take one more on your own, flowing with the breath. From downward dog, step or hop your feet up to the top of your space, coming up to your forward fold at the front, Rise up halfway, lengthening the spine forward, exhale fold back in, and rooting through your feet, rise all the way up to stand, sweep your arms up touching palms overhead, exhale hands to the space of the heart.

And we'll do a few rounds of serie a with some variations So starting here at the top of your mat, inhale sweep your arms all the way up, lengthening through the body, fold with your exhale, hinging at the hips and folding forward, rise up halfway inhale, exhale and fold in this first round, step it back to plank, and pause, and plank. And feel the strong line of energy in your body from the heels to the crown of the head. Press into your feet as you inhale shift your shoulders forward beyond your wrists. As you exhale passing through Chaturanga, you can always use your knees while lower all the way down to the belly. And toes point back reach your arms back alongside the body, lifting up to Salabasana, lift the chest, the arms, legs all the way up.

Excel float everything back down, bring your hands by your low ribs, press up to plank. You can use your knees for assistance. Excel to your downward facing dog, press the hips all the way back and breathe in down dog. Stepper float your feet back up to the top of your space forward fold at the front. Rise up halfway inhale, deep fold with your exhale, and rooting through the feet rise all the way back up to stand, sweeping arms up, touching palms overhead, axile hands to the space of the heart, inhale sleeping the arms all the way up, fold with your exhale melting in.

And rise up halfway to lengthen the spine, exhale and fold step back to plank again, pausing in plank. Impress into your feet, inhale, shoulders shift forward, exhale slowly lower all the way down to the belly nice and controlled. And toes point back. We'll do Shalabasana again, reaching your arms back. Option this time, if you'd like, you can lift the arms of chest and maybe catch the lacing of the finger hind your back will hold the back bend for an extra beat.

Breathing here. Take one more inhale drawing everything back. And exhale releasing back down towards the floor. Place your hands, by your chest, tuck your toes, pressing back to plank. You can use your knees. Exhale downward facing dog, press the hips all the way back.

Step or float your feet back up to the top of your space, forward fold, rise up halfway with your inhale, fold back in with your exhale, and all the way to stand, sweeping arms up, touching palms overhead, exhale hands to the space of the heart. More traditional syria A and help sleep your arms all the way up, exhale folding forward. Rise up halfway with your inhale, exhale and folds, step or float back through your vinyasa, Chaturanga, COBRA, or upward facing dog with your inhale breaths, tuck your toes, exhale downward facing dog. Breathe in downward facing dog. So as we're here in down dog, I invite you to just check-in and see how you can invite more fun and play into this practice.

You go through this flow. Just allow yourself to explore to see what feels good in your body. Just have that energy of playfulness with all of it. From your down dog, take your right leg and float it up and back, reach back through your right heel. Hug your knee into the chest, knee to nose, round up through the spine, feel your core strength.

And he'll extend it all the way back, and then take your knee across towards the left arm. Maybe you can tap the left elbow. And how extend it all the way back, take your right knee to your upper right arm, and lightly step your right foot to the outside of your right hand. Lower your back, left knee down to the floor, and reach your right arm up to the sky, opening up into its twists, feel your chest, your heart space opening. So from this twist, you can stay with your right arm reaching up, or you might take a little half behind wrapping the arm behind your back and wherever you are, feel your right shoulder rolling open, lift up out of your left wrist, your left shoulder, so you're not sinking into those joints.

I'd say grounded through the left palm on your next inhale reach your right arm back up towards the sky. We'll take the right hand back down to the floor under the shoulder on the inside foot. Tuck your back toes if your back left knee up, and we'll step it back to plank. And from plank, press into your feet, shoulder shift forward lower slowly all the way down to the belly. And toes point back. And you'll take your fingertips off your mat in line with your shoulder come up high to the fingertips.

All those are stacked above the wrist, press down through tops of the feet, and help lift the heart space to a higher cobra. See strong through the legs. Excel and flow your chest back down. 2 more with the breath, inhale lifting through the heart, exhale release back down. And one more creating that space.

And exhale release all the way back down towards the floor. And bring your hands right back by your low ribs tuck your toes, press back up to plank. Always can use your knees to assist. Ex how downward facing dog, press the hips all the way back. Take your left leg, float it up and back, reaching back through the heel, and shift forward. I need a chesty to nose rounding up through the spine.

And he'll extend the left leg all the way up and back. And then cross your knee over to the right arm, maybe top the right elbow. And he'll extend it back. Take your left knee to your upper left arm, and lightly step your left foot to the outside of your left hand. Lower your back right knee down to the ground, coming to that twist so your right palm will stay grounded, reach your left arm open towards the sky.

Gentle pressing forward through the hips as you open up across the chest. You could stay with your arms open, or maybe here you take that half bind. Wrapping the back of the hand to the low back or around the front of the right hip, rolling the left shoulder back behind you. Opening up into the space of the heart, allow yourself this moment to call in. What is it that would make you experience more joy, more playfulness, more excitement in life.

Take your left arm back up towards the sky, bring it down on the inside of the foot, tuck your back toes, lift your back knee up, or stepping it back to plank. And your version of a Vinyasa or straight back through to downward facing dog. Oh, from down dog, we'll add on to that flow with a couple variation if you want to take them. So starting from here in how right leg lifts all the way up and back. Need a chest lean to nose rounding up through the spine, strengthening the core.

Inhale extend the right leg up and back, then crossing you over to the left arm. Inhale extend it back. And tap your right knee high to the upper right arm, lightly step your foot to the outside of the hand, and again, lower your back left knee down to the floor. We'll take that twists reaching your right arm up towards the sky, opening up across the chest. So the variations here, you can stay with your chest open, You can find that half by, and if you did it on the last time.

And here, another option would be to bend your back left knee, reach back for the top of the foot with the hand, get a little quad stretch as you continue to open up through the chest and shoulders. And wherever you are, again, feel yourself pressing down out of the left palm. So you're staying from sinking down into the joints of the wrists and the shoulder on the left side. Breathe creating space. If you have the foot in the hand, gently let it go.

Bring your right arm back up towards the sky and then take it down on the inside of foot. And tuck your back toes if your back left knee up, and we'll step it back through plank, and make our way through a vinyasa. Or straight back down to downward facing dog. And getting into the left side. Take your left leg, float it all the way up and back.

Need a chest, knee to nose as you round up through the spine. And he'll extend it back. And take your knee, cross it over to the right arm, maybe tapping the elbow, and he'll extend it back. And take left knee to upper left arm, lightly step your left foot to the outside of the left hand, back right knee will lower to the floor as you open up to the twists Take your left arm, reach it open up to the sky. Again, you can stay here.

You can take your half bind variation, maybe you bend your right knee and reach back for the top of the foot with the hand. And breathe as you find this steep stretch, opening up through the body, perhaps the quad stretch, widening across the chest, left shoulder rolling back. And again, finding that lift out of your right palm, right wrist, out of your right shoulder so you create spaciousness across the chest. If you have the foot in the hand here, again, gently let it go. And how we'll bring your left arm back up towards the sky, exhale taking it back down to the floor.

Tuck your back right toes, if you're back right knee up, you're gonna step it back to our plank position, your choice of a vinyasa, are coming back down to your downward facing dog. From downward facing dog, take your right leg, float it up and back, hugging you into the chest, step it through between your palms and in your back left heel to the floor as we open up to warrior 2, circle your left arm up and all the way back behind you. And as you ground into your warrior 2, press your right leg straight and sweep your arms up alongside your ears. As you exhale, come back down through warrior 2 and take your hands, lace up your fingers behind your back widening across the collar bones to send your knuckles down towards the earth, opening through the chest. We'll breathe here.

So as we're pausing here, as we're opening through the heart space, what is it that's bringing you joy and excitement into your life? Who are the people that make you feel more alive? How can you call more of that fun and joy in? With the hands lace up behind your back, we'll reach it back like a reverse warrior, leaning your chest back, and tilting your knuckles to point towards your front right foot. I'm kind of like a side angle, now I'll tilt the chest forward tilt your knuckles to point towards your back foot.

And from here, you can feel your left shoulder rolling back a bit, opening through the chest, releasing the fingers, left hand comes to the back of the left leg as you sweep your right arm up and all the way back behind you to reverse warrior. Circle your hands down around your right foot, plant your palms down. Step it back to a plank position, and we'll pause in plank. And make our way to Vashi Stassen a side plank. Keeping your left palm grounded, you can sweep your heels to the left or lower your left knee down. As your right arm makes its way up towards the sky, stacking the shoulders, stacking the hips.

On a different variations here, you can stagger the feet, you can stack the feet, I'll give you one more variation to play with. If you want to go for it, you'll start to lift your right leg up, bend your right knee, step it off the mat behind you, lift the hips, lift the heart, coming into wild thing, taking your top right arm, reaching it up alongside your ear, opening up through the front of the body. And wherever you are, we'll slowly make our way back down to plank position, hands under the shoulders, feet, drawing back, And we'll just take it straight back to downward dog from here, press the hips all the way up and back. Take a few breaths to reset. On to the left side, take your left leg, float it up and back, reach back through the left heel.

Hugging into the chest, step it through between your palms, spin your back right heel to the floor, open up to your warrior 2, circle your right arm up and all the way back behind you. Press your left leg straight as your arm sweep up alongside your ears. Eftel coming back down through warrior 2. Take your hands again. Lace up your fingers behind the back.

And try the opposite interlace other pinky on top as you open through the chest, draw the knuckles down towards the earth, pause, and breathe here. And allow yourself to be open to calling new things in, what in your life would make you more in line with who you really are, What is that? Think about it. It's a big question. Allow yourself to linger on that thought as we continue to flow.

So from here, lean it back like a reverse warrior knuckles pointing towards the front left foot. And like a side angle, take your chest forward, knuckles pointing towards the back foot, rolling your right shoulder back. Release the lacing of the fingers, right hand will slide to the back, right leg, sweep your left arm up, and all the way back behind you. Circle your hands all the way down to the floor to frame your front left foot, step it back to plank and pause in plank. We'll make our way to Vashi sauce on a side plank other side, keeping your right hand grounded, you can roll the heels to the right, stack or stagger your feet, or use your right knee, shoulders stack, hip stack, breathing, finding your balance.

And if you did it on the other side, maybe that variation here left leg floats. Vending your left knee, separating off the mat behind you, lift the hips, lift the heart, and to your wild thing. And slowly making your way back down to a plank position, nice and controlled, hands under the shoulders, feet stepping back to plank your choice of a vinyasa, or straight back through to downward facing dog. So we'll add on a little bit more to that flow from here on your downward dog and he'll reach your right leg all the way up and back. And you chest up it through between your palms, spin your back left heel down, open up to your warrior 2.

And press your right leg straight, and he'll seat the arms all the way up. As you exhale, re bend into the knee, pass through, or your two lace up your fingers behind your back. With your inhale leaning back to that version of reverse warrior, knuckles tilt towards the front right foot, to your extended side chest forward knuckles tilt towards the back foot. Release lacing the fingers, reverse warrior, left hand to the back of the left leg, sweep your right arm all the way back. And this round coming into half moon, artichondrasana, bring your chest up right, Look in front of your right foot.

Guide your fingertips to the ground, or maybe to your block, about a foot or so in front of your right foot, stack your shoulders, stack your hips. Flex your left foot towards the side. And as you catch your balance, maybe you can get a little lighter on your right fingertips. Can you have fun here? Can you play? Option for a chaplasana, maybe you bend your left knee, reach back for the top of the foot with your left hand, opening up through the chest and the shoulder a bit more. And find your steadiness, even if you come out of it, just coming right back into it, having fun, If you have the foot in the hand, slowly let it go, opening up, extending through the entire body will take a big, slow, soft step back to warrior 2.

Take a moment to reset in warrior 2, feel that grounded support, and reach it back to reverse warrior, sweep your arms, your chest all the way back circle your hands down around your right foot, step it back, and through a vinyasa or straight back through to a downward facing dog. Flowing through to the other side. Take your left leg, float it up and back reach back through the heel. Need a chest, step it through between your palms, back right heel spins down, or your 2. And press your left leg straight, and heels keeping the arms all the way up.

As you exhale, read them and you take your hands, lace up your fingers behind your back, try other interlace, and lead it back to reverse warrior, knuckles point towards your front foot. To your extended side, knuckles pointing towards your back foot and release lacing of the fingers, sweep your left arm all the way up and back to reverse warrior. And making your way to half moon art of turn dress in a chest upright, take your gaze in front of your left foot to the ground or to a block as you reach your right arm, your right leg up. Catching your balance, finding these playful moments, maybe you challenge yourself getting lighter on your left fingertips, Maybe you bend your right knee, reaching back for the top of the foot with the right hand for Chapasana, and steady breaths wherever you are. If you have the foot in the hand, slowly, gently let it go as you open all the way back up. And softly, slowly step it back to your Warrior 2, nice and controlled.

Again, grounding, rooting down here back into your Warrior 2. Reach it back to reverse warrior. And then as you exhale, circle your hands down around your left foot, your palms. We'll step it back last Vinyasa, or straight back through to a downward facing dog. As you pause, breathing in your downward dog.

Take a full round of deep breath together here. Take a big full breath in through the nose, expanding through the lungs, opening up through the body, Side out through the mouth, let it all go. Let that go. Let me lower your knees down to your mat. You can walk your hands back towards your knees, coming back to virasana, is sitting to the heels, bring your hands to the tops of the thighs.

Take a moment to sit up tall. And from here, we're gonna move into Anahatasana into our heart opening pose So come back down to your hands and knees, walk your hands forward, and set up for your tabletop position. In a moment when we start to walk our hands forward, Keep your hips steady. Keep them right over your knees. Tenancy will be to shift the hips back towards something like a child's pose, but keep them really steady.

You can come up to your fingertips and then start to walk your hands forward, forward, forward, you can let your forehead rest down to the floor, or maybe on top of a block. You can walk the fingertips forward. If it feels better, you can plant your palms. If you're really open in the heart space. And dip your heart and your chin to the ground and take your gaze forward.

Breathing here, really opening up the shoulders, opening up into the back. You can plant your palms, walk it back Coming back to a tabletop position, resetting to all fours to your tabletop can take a couple rounds of cat and cow just to move that out a deep stretch due to harp opening. We're gonna make our way back to a down dog, plant into your palms, tuck your toes, lift the hips all the way up and back to your downward facing dog. I'm gonna step or hop it up to the front of your mat coming back up to your forward fold at the front, rise up halfway with your inhale, and fold back down with your exhale. And coming to a chair post, bend your knees, sweep your arms up and sit down low.

From here, from your chair, we're gonna sit all the way down, sit lower, sit lower, bit lower. You can use your hands at any time that you need if you can. Keep reaching your arms forward as we make our way to boat pose now, Lasana. So sitting back, you can have your feet onto the ground, open through the chest. You can lift your feet up You can extend your legs out, take your version, breathe, open up through the chest, keep your core strong. Body strong. Keep breathing.

Stay with it. It's a couple more breaths. You can do anything for 2 more breaths. And then go ahead and plant your feet back down to the mat, sit up tall, reach your arms up, I'm gonna slowly roll down the spine. So again, reach your arms forward, belly button hugs in towards the spine, rolling down vertebrae by vertebrae.

Nice and steady, nice and slow. Low back, mid back, upper back, shoulders, neck, head, arms all the way down. Walk your heels in a little bit closer towards your bottom. Think about heels right underneath your knees. Feed and knees are about hip distance apart, bring your arms down alongside your body, turn your palms to face down. So from here, pressing down into the arms, pressing down into the feet, inhale to lift the hips up to a bridge pose, opening up through the chest.

You can take your version of bridge. You can take your hands, lace up your fingers behind you. You can stay here with your arms flat. So opening up through the front of the body, you're always welcome to use a block. Take one more as you open up, and roll down the spine gently, lower your hips all the way back down. One more round of back bend.

You can do bridge again. If full wheels in your practice, you'll say set your hands by your head, fingers pointing back towards your shoulders. It'll take a moment to pop up to the crown of your head as you lift the hips up, hug your shoulders or elbows in, and then you can press into your palms up to that full back then opening through the front of the body. You can be in your bridge, you can be in your supported bridge, back then of your choice, And as you're ready to come down with control, tucking chin in towards the chest, lowering down slowly, all the way back down to your back. And from here, opening your arms out to the sides, out to a tee, and take a twist knees to the left so you can bump your hips to the right take your knees across to the left side. You can stay with your gaze up, or you can gently look over your right shoulder.

Coming back through center. Head and knees come back up through center. Bump your hips a little over towards the left edge of your mat. Set them down. Let your knees fall over towards the right, and you can look over your left shoulder. Bring your head, your knees back up through center, bring your hips back through center if you shifted them, and start to make your wave into your final rash shavasana. You can let your arms relax alongside your body, extend your legs out long.

And do any last little adjustments that you need to bring comfort and ease to your body in this final shape. Before our deepest rest here, taking again one more full round of in through the nose, expanding through the lungs, opening up, filling up, sie it out through the mouth, let it all go. And allow everything to relax as you let go of effort drop into the openness of ease. Allow yourself to take in all the benefits of your strong playful practice. If you'd like to linger here in Shavasana for even more extended rest, I really invite you to do so.

If you're just about ready to close-up your practice, start by deepening your breath, taking fuller breath in and out, allowing the breath to gently reawaken the body, And the next time that you inhale, stretch your arms all the way back behind you, opening up through the body from end to end. Invent your knees up, plant your feet down, roll over to either side into a fetal position, just for a moment grounding down, during the support of Earth beneath you. And see if you can still keep your eyes closed as you use your hands, your arms press yourself up to your meditation seat, taking your time to find your most comfortable seat, whatever that looks like for you today. Resting your hands gently to the tops of the legs, tall spine, feeling the openness of your heart. And as you as we close our practice in this meditative state.

Allow yourself to be really open. So what you can call in, what you can invite in, how can you have more fun, more play in your life? And what is it that you really desire? Don't play small with your dreams. Allow them to be big.

Allow them to be open and expansive. And you can linger on that thought even throughout the day. What is it? You can bring your palms to touch in front of the heart, Angelie Mudra. And thank yourself for showing up for this practice.

And perhaps set one more intention for how you'd like to feel for the rest of the day. And we'll close with one more full breath in through the nose, through the mouth, say it out, let it go. I thank you so much for sharing your practice with me today.