Joy of Breath

Thank you for joining me today for the joy of breath. We're gonna get started. I'm gonna sit on Two Blocks in a supported Heroes Post So I'm gonna open up my knees and my feet a little wider than hip bone distance apart and place two blocks in the low setting on top of each other. And then squeeze the blocks with my heels and my ankles and then bring the knees and the thighs together. And if possible, take your hands back and see if you cup your heels with your hands.

If that's not happening, just rest your hands on your thighs. Tip your pelvis forward, lift up through the chest. Close your eyes just for a moment and draw your awareness to your breath in its most natural state. So just noticing the inhales and the exhales as they are happening. Let all the muscles of the face relax, let the shoulders relax, feel the lower belly relax, soften through the toes.

And then let your breath begin to deepen. Breathing in, feel the belly expanding, feel the ribs expanding, feel the chest filling, And as you exhale, feel the breath leaving from the chest, from the ribs, from the belly. We'll do that a couple more times. So breathing in belly, ribs, hearts, exhaling hearts, ribs, and belly. One last time, breathing and belly, ribs, chest, exhale chest and ribs and belly.

And then go ahead and keep your eyes open. Keep your hands wherever they are. So we're gonna imagine these blocks that we're sitting on. Or one big three-dimensional clock. So when you start to tip your pelvis forward and back, and what's gonna feel like a cat and a cow that's really as isolated as we can within the hip joint.

Right? So try to keep the feet down, try to keep the knees, try to keep the shins down, use the contact of the hands to the heels. So we have that nice foundation and just go forward and back. So as we're tipping the pelvis forward, we're going towards noon. As we're tipping it back, we're going towards 6. And we're gonna let it get a little bit faster.

And as it gets faster, we're gonna start to put some breath to it. So it becomes an inhale exhale inhale exhale. And now we're gonna start to circle around that clock clockwise. And if you keep the breath moving and if you can go quite quickly, go quickly, if you need to go slower, goes slower, but we're hitting every point of the clock, and we're letting the breath just start to build some steam. Right, from the tail all the way up to the crown of the head, and let's go counter clockwise.

So continue to breathe counter clockwise, and then we'll go forward and back, forward and back clockwise couple of times, and counter clockwise. And just keep moving any direction. Going back and forth. Keep breathing. One more time.

Forward and back. Forward and back. Keep the pelvis tipped forward. Pause. Take a big breath in, hold the breath at the top, exhale release, Keep the hands where they are. Just come back to your breath and notice.

Alright. Notice any shifts. Notice that rise of energy. That manipulation starting to whip ourselves up, giving ourselves energy. And then we're gonna reach the arms up high to the sky. I'm gonna grab opposite elbows.

So you're gonna throw your elbows into your hands. Inhale, exhale forms come down. Inhale, exhale down. Keep moving. So it's like we're opening and we're closing windows, opening up the lungs, getting rid of some stagnant stale energy that might be sitting in the lungs. Keep moving for 5 for 4 for 3. For 2 and for 1. Palms face up on your lap.

Take another moment. Let everything still and slow down. And just notice that brass. Last one. Now reach your arms out wide to a big v.

Make little cups with your palms. And let's take a big breath in through the nose. Big breath out through the mouth. In how we're gonna fill halfway up and then excel, Excel, Excel, Excel, Excel, Excel, Excel. So keep going, pumping the breasts.

If you love this, go slower. So you make time gonna seem like it's moving slowly. If you hate it, go a little bit faster for 10 for 9, 8 for 7, for 6 for 5 for 4 for 3 for 2, big breath in hook your thumbs. Hold the breath at the top. See if there's room for one more sip of air and through the mouth, one more maybe through the nose, hold the breath, lift the chest, lift the chest, And then exhale, release, hands come down by your sides.

Take a moment to roll the shoulders. And just feel that nice buzz and that nice stir. And we'll use that as we move. So coming off of the blocks, set your blocks off to the side. And we're gonna come up onto our hands and our knees in a nice tabletop position so that the hands come under the shoulders, the knees come under the hip spread the toes so all ten toenails are pressing into the mat, inhale arch the back, draw the belly, send the heart forward.

Ax heel tuck the tail curl and round. Let this be nice and slow at first. So really enjoying the articulation through the spine, shoulders back, rounding, And then we're gonna let it speed up, and we're gonna find that breath. So I would encourage you as you're doing this. I know it seems really silly and not what we normally do. But go with a sense of abandon here. Right?

If it feels okay in the head, just let it bob up and down. Let yourself go a little bit faster than you'd really like to. Of your comfort zone. Stay with it for 10 for 9, 87, 6, 5, 4, 3. For 2, and for 1. Find stillness and pause and all fours. Take a couple of breaths. And then let's tuck our toes, lift our knees, center hips up and back, downward facing dog, and just paddle out through your feet.

Shake the head. Yes. Shaked the head. No. Then the knees. Lift the butt up to the sky. And I'm a roll forward just gently into a high plank. Fold it up and back into a down dog.

In how forward into a plank. And this time, let's lower all the way down to the belly. Pres gently into the feet, lift up through the chest. Baby cobra. Inhale. Exhale forehead comes down.

Again, press the feet lift the chest. X. I'll come down. Press back up into your downward facing dock. Inhale, let's raise the right leg high to the sky. Take the knee towards the nose and step or walk the right foot forward between your hands and help reach the arms up high crescent lunge So dropping the shoulders, really reaching up through the fingertips, move the right back, move the left hip forward.

So find your stability, finding the balls of both of your feet, find the breath, and then we're gonna twist to our right. So your right arm's gonna reach back. Your left arm is gonna reach 4. As best we can, let's keep our right knee moving forward. Right hip crease moving back.

Right hand's gonna slide down the back of the left side. Left arm reaches up and back for our exalted warrior. Take a big breath in. Exhale. Bring your left hand down inside of the right foot. Right arm's gonna reach up for a twisted lunge. Take a moment here to circle and swim your right arm. Reconnecting with the breath.

And then we're gonna reach the right arm up and over the right ear. Right hand is gonna come down inside of the right foot. We're gonna spin to the back of our mat for Skandasana. So my right leg is extended. Right foot's flexed.

Shake your head. Yes. Shake your head. No. We're gonna come back to the top of the mat, open up into a warrior 2. Shoulders relax. Peaceful warrior.

Flip your right palm up. Reach it up and back. A moment of pause and side angle. So take your right forearm onto your right side. Left arm up and over the left ear.

Reestablish contact with your breath. So if the heart is beating a little bit faster, Can you focus on your exhales inhaling perhaps through the nose and exhaling through the nose? Let me see if you can spiral your right ribs up to the sky. 2 more breaths. And then bring it on up warrior 2. Clark reel your hands down downward facing dock.

Let's come forward into plank, lower all the way down to the belly, press the feet, lift the chest, baby cobra, forehead comes down. Again, press the feet, lift through the chest. 4 head comes down, tuck the toes, press back to plank, and downward chasing dog. Inhale the left leg high. Step or walk the left foot forward between your hands.

High crescent lunge. Arms reach up to the sky. So again, we're moving our left hip back, our right hip forward. Shoulders relax. From here, find the balls of your feet.

So we find that stability in our legs. We're gonna twist to the left. Left arm reaches back, right arm reaches forward. Left knee continues to move forward as the left hip moves back. Slide the right hand down the back of the left thigh, reach the right arm up, and reach it back for exalted warrior.

Take a big breath in. XL right hand comes down inside of the left foot. Left arm reaches up for twisted lunge. Circle and swim that left arm. So finding the breath.

Moving at your pace. Let the left arm reach up. And over the left ear, get really, really long Left hand comes down inside of the left foot, spins to the back of the mat, Skandasana, right knee bends, left foot flexes, Heart's moving forward, the butts moving back. Give your head a good shake. Yes. Good shake. No.

We'll come back to the top of the mat. Warrior 2. Soft shoulders, peaceful warrior. Left palm flips up reach up and back. And a moment of pause in our side angle.

Left forearm, left thigh, right arm up and over the right ear. So find the stability through the back foot so that back leg is super strong, reestablish contact with the breath, So notice is the heart's beating is the mind may be moving quite quickly. Can I rely on the breath? To slow everything down just as we relied on the breath to speed everything up. 2 more breaths. Come on up warrior 2.

Cartwheel your hands down downward facing dot. Let's come forward into plank all the way down. Baby, cobra, lift the chest. Forehead comes down one more time. Press the feet. Lift the chest.

Forehead comes down. Send your hips back to your heels for child's pose. So as you're ready, we're gonna come up, bring your knees in towards one another, preparing for camo. We're gonna stand up on our shins. I'd like to have the knees slightly a little bit wider than hip bone distance apart.

Bring your hands to your low back to begin. Draw the navel in, and let's feel the tailbone tucking down first before we do anything. So feel the tailbone drawing down the pubic bone was for it. And it wants to feel like we're lifting up, up, up, up, up, up, up through the navel, through the sternum, and you could stay there. That up is everything.

So we're gonna think about moving up. Some of us, this is where we're gonna be, and we're getting all the benefits of the backbend. Some of you're gonna reach the right arm up, swing it back, and think about getting that right heel, left arm up, go back, maybe get the left heel. If we get the heels, press the thighs for it, open through the chest. I like to keep the chin tucked softly into the chest.

If you prefer to drop your head back and it feels okay in the neck, that's great. But we'll take 3 more breaths here. Send the thighs for it. And then right hand to low back Left hand to low back. Sit back on your heels.

Hands to your thighs. Keep a soft gaze out in front of you. Tuck your chin into your chest and swallow a couple of times. And then find that calming breath. We are gonna do one more.

Let's see if we can again manipulate the body, the mind, and the heart with the breath. Focus on the exhalations, and then get nice and long. 2 more. And then let's come back up for round 2. So again, on the shins, hands to the low back, slide the tailbone down, send the pubic bone forward, lift up through the navel, up, up, up, up, up through the sternum, up, maybe right arm reaches up.

Maybe right hand gets that right heel. Maybe left arm reaches up. We reach back. We get the left heel. The size move forward. Right? You can keep the chin into the chest or drop the head back, but keep moving the size forward.

Keep finding that breath. Stay with it. 2 more rounds of breath. And then right hand to low backs, squeeze the butt. Draw the belly in left hand to low back. Sit on the heels.

Hands on your thighs. One more time. Reestablish that contact with the breath. Let the heart rate slow down. Let the mind slow down.

Focus on the ex house. And then we're gonna bring our knees and our thighs together. Reach your left arm up. Left hand is gonna go on the right knee if possible or onto the right side. If the hand comes onto the knee, I want you to push the knee into the hand as you bring your right hand behind you, and you find a gentle seated twist.

So the left side of the belly over to the right. And as we're twisting, think about throwing that right knee forward. So our sacrum is nice and happy. Just a couple more breaths here. And then let's come back to center.

Rhine arm is gonna reach up. Right hand, if possible, cups the left knee or the left side. Left hand behind us. Think that you're throwing your left knee into that right hand, and that's giving you that lift of the chest. On the right side of the belly is turning very gently over to the left for a few breaths.

And then let's come back through center. Keep your palms planted on your lap. Close your eyes. Bring your awareness back to the breath, inhaling through the nose, Exhaling through either the nose or the mouth. On our next inhale, breathe all the way up to the chest.

Hold the breath up at the top. Exhale a long, slow release out through either the nose of the mouth. Hold the breath out at the bottom. Inhale fill up again all the way to the top. Hold the breath once we get there.

Slow release. Hold the breath out at the bottom. Push all your air out. In how fill all the way up last time. Hold a little bit longer this time.

Release. Hold at the bottom. Little longer this time. Full inhale. Full exhale.

Bring both of your hands to your heart. And just take a moment to bow the head in towards the heart. And to honor your efforts and your practice today with gratitude. Thank you so much for breathing with me and sharing this time with me.