Day 9: Spark

Hi, and welcome to day 9. Create a Spark. So we'll start out standing today. Root down through all four corners of your feet. You can have your feet together or if it feels more stable in your body, separate them the distance of your front hip points.

Press into the earth in how stretch way up to the sky and then exhale. Bring your hands together at your heart. Briefly close your eyes or if you prefer, find a point to softly focus on, and set your intention for today. Maybe it's something you carry with you beyond your mat. Once you have that gathered, if you'd like, you can join me in an opening home.

Nice full breath in. Lift your chest. Bow your chin. Lower your arms by your sides and blink your eyes open, taking in the space. Hi.

Step your feet a little bit wider than your outer hips, and then imagine you're on a horse. I don't know why, but this is what happens for me when I'm on a horse. Just a little bounce, soft bounce to the knees, let the arms follow naturally. And then still the bounce in how sweep your arms up and clasp your hands. As you exh, how bend the knees, throw the hands.

And sweep it back up. So a little bounce in the knees. And as we continue throwing the hands, we add in a little vocalization. So each time you swing the arms, twice more. Once more.

And then in, I'll take your arms up, feel that energy radiate up to the length of your body, and exhale. Lower your arms by your sides. Step your feet a bit wider still close to your wingspan or as close to that as you can maintain without strain. Relax your arms down and from your hip sockets rotate your legs so your toes angle slightly out. Binch your knees in line with your second toe. Lift your navel into your body and stretch your heart to the sky.

And just rock it side to side a little bit here easing into it. Settle back to stillness, and then dip your left shoulder in, maybe gaze over your right. In how bring it center, exh, how dip, left shoulder in. And by left, I mean, right? In how back center.

This is how I make sure you're paying attention. Truly, left shoulder in. And in how back center, one more time, right shoulder in, lengths in your inner right thigh away, and come back through center. Like, you were hugging a beach ball squeeze center as you straighten your legs and then parallel your feet. Step or hop your feet back together and then make your way to the top of your mat, Tadasana, mountain pose. Press into the earth in how reach up to the sky, Urvahasanasana, Acts, how fold into self, feel free to bend the knees if you're feeling strained through your hamstrings or low back.

Inhale. Reach your heart forward. X. How bend your knees enough to get your hands down. Step back with your left foot. Set your back knee down. Uncurl your toes, press into the earth, and I'll sweep up to the sky.

Maybe lift your gaze, touch your palms, Exhile. Take your hips forward. Place your hands down. Tuck your back toes under. Lift your knee.

Slide your right foot back just shy of halfway, and then pivot to the pinky edge of your back foot. Pivot on the ball of your front foot until all of your toes are pointing to the long edge of your mat. And if your knee feels a little awkward here, heel towing your foot down closer to the knee so that you can set upright. Right? Take left forearm to the mat.

Flex through your left foot. And then with an exhale, lift your left leg. You know, get an exciting little surprise through your inner thighs and then set the leg back down and do that again. X. I'll pick it up. And inhale. Set it down. Do this again and hold it.

I always think in this shape like a What are those little things, little sticks you rub together to create a spark? A fire? I've been watching survivalist TV shows. So I'm very into this. So any of this distracting you from what's happening still in your thigh.

Until I talked about it, set the leg back down, and then press yourself back up to a straight arm. Point your left fingertips toward the top short end of your mat and reach your right fingertips toward the back short end of your mat. Root down inhale, come to the ball of your front foot as you lift your bottom hip and reach, and then set your hip back down. Gaze beyond your fingertips. Do that again. Route down in how reach it up, maybe look down.

And, exhale, set it back down. Let your gaze follow your hand. One more time, root down, inhale. Pick it up. Hold here. Look down. Pivot on the ball of both feet so your toes point forward and step yourself to plank.

Glide forward, lower halfway, hold. Sure, you can. And set it down. Brush your toes back. Smooth your bum to your heels, lift your heart. X. I'll return to the earth, turn and gaze to the right.

And inhale heart forward and up, exhale lower turning gaze to the left. One more time inhale heart forward and up. This time, keep the heart lifted, tuck your toes under. Draw your navel in and press to hands and knees. Go slow.

And then exhale. Take your hips up and back. Downward facing dog. Push the earth away with your fingertips reach the top of your thighs back using your legs to create more length through your spine. Inhale, lift your left leg, lift it from your inner thigh so your toes point down.

Exhale, hug left knee to your nose, float shoulders over your wrists, step your left foot forward between your hands. Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender, uncurl your toes. Press down in how rise up, reach up, maybe look up, exhale. Take your hips forward. Place your hands down. Bring your front knee to meet your back knee and then step your right foot straight out to the right.

Point your toes straight forward. Shift your bum slightly back and briefly walk your hands forward. Melt through the back of your heart. Let your head and your neck go. And then bring yourself back up. Right? Hands right under shoulders. Inhale.

Open your left arm to the left. And as you exhale thread your left arm behind your right, if accessible without strain, you can hold your right big toe with your left fingertips. If your body says not today, honor that. Let the hand land where it does. Press into the back of your arm. Press into your right fingertips and breathe right underneath your left shoulder blade.

Exhale online. Reach it back up. Return your left hand to the mat. Step your right foot forward. Tuck your back toes under.

Lift your knee. Hop your back foot up to meet your front foot. In how grow your heart forward and acts how full back into self. Press into the earth in how sweet reach up, maybe look up and exhale hands to your heart. You can stay right where you are. I'm just gonna Come to the other side so you can see me better.

Route down in how once again lift haul and exhale fold. Inhale, elongate. Bend your knees. Plant your hands. Step back with your right foot this time.

Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender. Uncurl your toes, press down, inhale, rise up, reach up. Exhale hips forward, hands to the mat. Tuck your back toes under, lift your knee. Slide your left foot.

Just shy of halfway back, and then pivot. To the pinky side of your back foot, pivot on the ball of your front foot so that all of your toes point toward the long edge of your mat. And, again, adjust the placement of your foot to where you can get your knee over your ankle. Take right forearm to the earth elbow right underneath your shoulder. Flex your right foot. X, I'll bring the leg up. Again, waking through your inner thigh and set it back down.

Do that again. Exhull and lift. In Holland lower. Do it once more. Lift. Hold.

Used up all my good stories on the first side. So I guess instead, we'll have to talk a little bit about patience. We've made it through the obstacles. And for this next few classes, we'll be talking about the recipe, the ingredients needed, to create a firmly grounded practice. Set the leg back down.

Press yourself back up. Plant your right hand so that your fingertips are pointing toward the top short end of your mat. Reach your left fingertips straight back. And then root down in house. Come to the ball of your front foot. Reach.

And set your outer hip down. Look toward your left fingertips. Root down once again, and I'll pick it up and reach, and set it back down. We'll do this one more time and hold root down in. I'll reach pause here.

If you haven't already, look down. Pivot on your feet. So your toes face forward. Step it back to plank, rock forward, lower halfway, pause. Set it all the way down.

Brush your toes back. Inhale. Reach your heart forward and up. Pause here in your low cobra. Draw your navel in, tuck your toes under. Slowly press to your hands and your knees, and then take your hips up and back, downward facing dog.

Inhale. Lift your right leg. X. I'll knee to your nose. Hold shoulders over your wrists. Step your right foot forward between your hands.

Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender, uncurl your toes. Press down, inhale, rise up, reach up, half crescent, exhale hips forward, hands back to the mat. Bring your front knee to meet your back knee, and then step your left foot out to the left, point your toes straight forward. Briefly shift your hips slightly back. Walk your hands forward and melt through the back of your heart.

And then walk your hands back underneath your shoulders. And how open right arm to the right And as you exhale thread, right arm behind your left. Again, if accessible without strain, hold your foot. If it's not there, don't force it there. Right? Press down through the back of your right arm. Press down through your left fingertips. And breathe right underneath your right shoulder blade.

Ex. How unwind. Reach it up. And return your hand to the mat. Bring your left knee in, and then step your left foot forward. Tuck your back toes under, lift your knee, hop your back foot up to meet your front foot, inhale, elongate, Exhale and fold.

Press down in house, circle your arms up and overhead, and exhale hands to your heart. Relax your arms by your side, come back to the center of your mat, feet together, fingertips together, give a little bend, step, or lightly shoot your feet out Once again, to about your wing span. Relax your arms down. From your hip sockets, rotate your legs so toes angle slightly out. Lengthen from growing to inner knee.

Okay. Smooth your bum down. Spend your inner thighs up. Lift your heart. Exhow hinge from your hips come forward, placing hands to the earth or to props.

Squeeze center like you're hugging a beach ball between your legs as you straighten them. In how reach your heart forward, elongate through your spine. Sit heavy into your heels. Bend your knees, once again, taking your bum back and down. Firm navel. Walk left hand to your left thigh.

Offer your heart and your right hand straightforward. Look beyond your fingertips. Maybe you take both hands forward. Send your tailbone down hinge from your hips. Rise up.

Squeeze come all the way up and exhale hands to your hips. One more of those. Rebend your knees in line with your second toe. Hug your navel back, lift your heart, smooth the top of your bum down. Keep rolling inner thighs up as you hinge from your hips come forward.

Place hands to the earth or to props. Hug center with your legs as you straighten them. In how draw your chest forward, elongate through your spine. Keep the length in your spine, sit heavy to your heels. Again, re bend knees in line with second toe, send your bum back and down.

This time, right hand to your thigh. Try your navel in and then stretch your heart and your left hand straightforward. Look beyond your fingertips. If you can do so without straining the back, both hands forward hinge from your hips and your tailbone down, your heart skyward, squeeze. Come all the way up.

Pear all your feet. Take your hands to your hips. Inhale. Up the front of your body, open your heart. And as you exhale, wait a little forward in your feet, fold in half. Place your hands to the earth Or again, if the earth feels a little too far away, put your hands on props in how stretch your heart forward elongate through your spine. Exhale hinge from your hips.

Hollow your abdomen and fold back in. If you can keep the length in your spine and do so, walk your hands back they're more in line with your feet. Wrap your outer arms toward each other, like chaturanga arms. And as you lengthen crown of your head toward, the earth lift your shoulders away from your ears. Prosarita Padotanasana a wide leg forward fold.

Inhale. Walk your hands forward. Reach your heart forward. Take your hands to your hips, broaden your chest. Root down with a length in spine, stand up.

He'll toe your feet in if you'd like, step or hop that last little bit. Combine the top of your mat. Draw your navel in, hug right knee toward your chest, and now draw a big circle with your right leg. Take that circle all the way back behind you off the side of your mat left side. Bend your knees.

Sitting into the heel of the front foot, root down. Big circle brings you back forward. Dance about it. Set your right toes down on the outside of your left foot. Spend your inner thighs back. Bring your abdomen in.

Take your arms out and then exhale, right arm underneath left, wrap, garudasana arms. You may stay here. You might hug if that feels kinder in your body. Pick up your toes. Sit heavy to the heel of your standing leg foot.

Taking your bum back and down like you were gonna sit into a chair. One full breath here. Ex how drive down come up. Unwind your arms. Reach up.

Xhale hands back to your hips. Hug left knee toward your chest. Draw big circle out to the left. Bring it behind you. Try to step your left foot just off the right side of your mat. Heavy in the heel of your front foot as you bend both knees.

Stand it up. Draw that big circle to return. And cross. Spin your inner thighs back. Scoop your abdomen in. Open your arms out.

This time, right arm underneath your left wrap. I think I did that last time. Left arm underneath your right. Rep. Breathe into the expanse of your back.

You can stay here or pick up your toes. Sit heavy to the heel of your standing leg foot, taking your bum back and down like you would for chair. Root down, stand it up, uncross, unwind, reach up, exhale fold it in, In house, stretch it forward. Bend your knees, plant your hands, step to plank, and then press it straight back to down dog. Come on down to your hands and your knees.

Shift your feet off to one side and out in front of you. Come lie down. Take your feet just a little wider than your side hips. And give a tancy little rock side to side. Just massaging your lower back a bit.

Saddle it back center and walk your legs out long. If you're low back with, like, a little bit more support instead of having your legs stretch long, You can bend your knees, maybe finishing in constructive respose, let your knees knock toward each other. Patients. So practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time without break and an all earnestness. This first peace, practice becomes firmly grounded when well attended to for a long time.

It doesn't all happen in one instant. And even when we get the spark on the first attempt, It still can sometimes take a little while to build and grow the fire from there. So this work that we do on and beyond the madness called a practice for a reason, There is no perfect. There is no rush. Give yourself permission to take the time you need.

That being said, you can stay here in the Shavasana as long as you like. If you're ready to leave the shape, bend your knees and roll carefully onto your right side. Keeping a little of that spark alive as you press the floor away, bringing yourself up to seated. Bring your hands to your heart. Lift your chest.

We bow our chins and gratitude. Namaste. Thank you for sharing your practice.