Day 5: Collect

Hi. Welcome to day 5 collecting kindling. We're gonna start our practice today in child's post. So Take your knees a little bit wider than your side hips, bring your big toes to touch, and then shift your bum back towards your heels and fold sweetly into south. If your head doesn't comfortably meet the earth, you can always put a prop underneath it to give yourself a bit of added support. And if your knees say, no, thank you to your bum shifting back in this way, and start rock forward, stack your hips over your knees, put your forearms down, and let your head and neck go.

Take a full breath into the expanse of your back and with the ex house often sweetly into self. Set an intention for our time together today. Why this now? Once you have that gathered, take a full breath once again into your back, and exhale into solve. Walk your hands forward until your arms are fully straight, and separate your hands a shoulder distance apart.

Spread your fingers wide and pour weight a little heavier to your fingertips. Leave your hands right where they are, and come about halfway forward. Bring your knees back in so they're the distance of your front hip points. And spin your inner thighs back until your toes point straight back. Inhale. Keep rocking forward.

Stacked shoulders over your wrists. Lift your heart. Open your chest. Exhale round through your back, shift your bum towards your heels. Fold in.

Do that again in how glide it forward. Bring your heart through the gates of your arms. Axal, lift the pit of your abdomen round back, shift back. One more time in how glide it forward. Open your heart.

And exhale tuck your toes. Lift your knees. Take your hips up and back. A downward facing dog. If you need a little pedal of your heels up and down or a shift of the hip side to side, Take a moment to move in a way that allows you to find stillness with ease.

If you're feeling strained through your hamstrings or low back, bend your knees as generously as you need to prioritize the length in your spine. Step your feet a little closer to each other, and then inhale lift your right leg. X, how right knee to right arm as high as you can, and then inhale send your leg back in through. Exel me to your nose, step shoulders over your wrists, inhale step it to plank. Glide forward, stack elbows over wrists, and take your slowest descent possible all the way to meet the mat.

Brush your toes back. Peel your heart forward and up. Low cobra. Ex, I'll right back to the mat. Tuck your toes under, walk them in, inhale to plank or hands and knees, and x, I'll take your hips up and back.

Downward facing dog. Inhale lift your left leg this time, lift from inner thigh, so toes point down. Exhale left knee to left arm. Inhale, take it back and through. Exhale left knee to your nose, snap shoulders over your wrists, Keep your shoulders over your wrists reach heart forward, foot back.

Rock forward, lower halfway, inhale to cobra or up dog. And exhale. Take your hips up and back downward facing dog. Walk your hands all the way back to meet your feet. Once you're there, briefly clasped hold of opposite elbow, Give a little nod of your head. Yes. And no.

Settle center. Bend your knees. Tuck your chin and roll yourself all the way up to standing. When your head reaches the top, invite your hands to follow sweep up, reach up. An exhale hands to your heart. Take a walk to the top of your mat, Ta Dasana, mountain pose.

Gather hands at heart center, sit heavy to your heels, bend your knees, utkatasana, chair pose. Ex, how fold your ribs to your thighs, then straighten your legs, inhale, grow your heart forward, lengthen your spine. Bend your knees enough to get your hands down, step back with your left foot. Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender. Root down, inhale, rise up reach up, exhale hands to heart center, inhale your arms out wide.

Exhile left arm under right, wrap garudasana, eagle arms, lift the pit of your abdomen, and take a full breath into the expanse of your upper back. Excellent. Unwind in house, sweep it up. Exhale hips forward, hands down. Tuck your back toes under.

Lift your knee. Slide your front foot just shy of halfway back. Push the Earth away, hug me to no squeeze heel to bum, inhale plank, and through your vinyasa. At any point, if you need, that might be moving straight to down dog or even taking a beat to pause child's pose. Inhale, lift your left leg.

Open your hip, put a bend in your knee. Take your left knee to your outer left arm, sac shoulders over wrists, Breathe out, come center. Step your left foot forward between your hands. Snap knee on top of ankle, pivot your back heel down, heel to arch. Scoop your left cheek in and under you so front knee tracks with second toe.

And then press down, windmill yourself up and open, 0 of Adrasana 2, warrior 2. Pick up your right toes, center in the heel of your foot a touch more. And sit a little bit deeper. Hug your feet energetically center to wake your inner thighs. Smooth your bum down as you lift your heart.

Is that enough to think about? Invite your gaze. Sweetly over your right fingertips. Left fingertips. Rotate your left arm so your palm faces skyward.

Reverse your warrior. And how brings you upright? Reach out over your front leg, either forearm to the thigh as you reach arm in line with your ear, or if you can keep the even length through the sides of your waist and do so. Fingertips to the earth or prop inside your leg. Direct your tailbone toward your back heel revolve all been through your chest.

And top hand to the sky, look to the earth. Exhale both hands to the ground inside your front foot. Pivot to the ball of your back foot and heel toe your left foot over to the left, so that each hand can be underneath its own shoulder. Hop your back foot to the outside of your right hand. Rotate your legs so your toes angle slightly out.

Bend your knees and sink your hips any amount you can manage without strain. Lift your heart, open your chest. Briefly, Malasana. Acts how hands to the earth or props lift your hips parallel your feet. In how grow your heart forward and exhale fold it back in.

Press into the earth in how sweet up reach up. As you bring hands to your heart. Step feet together. 2nd side. Root down. Take a seat.

Chair pose, exhale fold in half, inhale elongate. Bend your knees, plant your hands, step back with your right foot, put your back knee down. I'm curl your toes in how up the front of your body. Exhile hands to your heart. Inhale take your arms out wide.

And as you exhale, right arm under left this time, wrap. If this doesn't feel nice in your body, if it's painful, hold the outer border of your shoulders instead. We all need a little hug sometimes. K? Take a big breath into your upper back. Exhale unwind your arms.

Inhale sweep it up. X how hips forward, hands down. Tuck your back toes under. Lift your knee. Slide your left foot.

Just shy of halfway back. Push the Earth away, squeeze knee to nose, heel to bum, inhale plank, and through your vinyasa. What do you need versus what ego may be telling you you should do in this moment? In how lift your right leg. Open your hip. Put a bend in your knee.

Keep the hip open, exhale. Need to outer right arm. Come center, step your foot forward between your hands, stack knee on top of ankle, pivot your back heel down, heel charge. Scoop your cheek in and underneath you, root down, windmill up and open, 0 of Adrasana 2, warrior 2. Sit your front thigh is close to parallel to the floor as you can manage without strain, and then hug your feet energetically center waking your inner thighs.

Rotate front arms. So palm faces the sky, reverse your warrior. Vipreeda veer of Adrasana. In how back upright, reach over your front leg, either forearm to the thigh as you reach in line with your ear. Or if you can hold the even link through the sides of your waist and do so, fingertips to the earth or prop inside your leg. Utita parsvakanasana extended side angle.

In how hand to the sky looked to the earth, Exhale both hands to the mat inside your front foot. Find the ball of your back foot and heel toe your right foot wide to the right. Wide enough that you can put each hand underneath its own shoulder. Hop your back foot to the outside of your left hand. Rotate your leg so your toes angle slightly out and then bend the knees. Again, any amount you can manage without strain.

Get heavy in your heels, lift your heart, and exhale hands right back to the earth or props, lift your hips, parallel your feet. Inhale stretch from tailbone to crown. I've had. X. I'll fold it right back in. Press into the earth in house sweep up to the sky, and step feet together as you bring hands to your heart.

Alright. I know you were missing it. There's another chair coming. Take a seat. Oodkhtasana chair pose.

Rock on to the balls of your feet, lift your heels, and try to sit your bum to the heels. Reach your hands straightforward. Hollow the pit of your abdomen sit back, catch your legs. Press your hands against your legs, firm your shoulders against your back, lengthening your spine. If your tailbone is not a fan, put your feet down, sit tall.

If you can keep the length in your spine and do so, take your hands straight forward, maybe straighten the legs. Come halfway down, exhale. Pick it up. Do it again. Like, come halfway down and x, I'll pick it up. Cross at your shins. Give yourself a hug.

Breathe in to the round of your back and then lengthen through your spine. Uncross your legs. Grab a block. Take it either narrow or medium width between your upper inner thighs. Whatever keeps your feet closest to about the distance of your front hit points.

Give a little hug to the block. Stretch your hands forward. Roll down. Only as far as you can go, keeping your heels grounded and your shoulders off the mat. Hug the block, exhale with as much control, come back up. Now if you got stuck, put hands at the back of your legs, roll down just to the length of your arms, and then use the hands to support you as you come back up. So we get stronger through the core without straining the back.

If this is very easy for you, don't tell people it makes them upset. But you can go slower to make it a little more challenging for yourself. Roll all the way down. Make sure you have your second block. In reaching distance, and then draw your knees in toward your chest.

Take the block that's between your inner thighs and turn it wide. Place, sit a little closer to your inner knees, bring your big toes to touch. Grab your second lock. Take it wide between your hands. Hug a touch more to the pinky side of your hand to firm and engage your triceps.

Okay? Breathe out. Look your head, lift your shoulders, try to put your block on the ceiling. Breathe out a bit more, coil your abdomen in, and bring your knees toward your armpits. Squeeze heels toward bum, and then put your head, your shoulders, your hips back down. Take the block that's between your hands, set it off to the side.

Right? And now take the block that's between your inner thighs and place it against the back of your thighs near your bum. Try to hold the other side of the block with your heels. So for most of us, medium height with the block is a good place. Right. Separate your knees once again, keeping your big toes touching.

Reach your hands up to the sky. Rotate outer arms in. Breathe out, lift your head, lift your shoulders, try to touch the ceiling, coil your abdomen in, working that squeeze of the heels towards the bum, the bum towards the heels. Turn your palms forward, extend your wrists, and try to push the ceiling away. Bend your elbows to a right angle.

Keep wrapping your outer arms in. Inhale, press the ceiling away. Put your head, your shoulders, your hips down. Remove your block. Set it to the side.

Cross at your ankles and rock yourself up to seated. Alright. Come to your knees for a moment, grab a block, and set it tall in front of you like so. Set your hands down so that your fingertips are a good 4 to 6 inches away from the bottom border of your block. And then tuck your toes under coming into a little squat.

Get your big toes as close to each other as you can, and try to get your knees into your armpits, Oregon, as close to that as you can. Keep the connection of knees and arms, Keep your hands planted right where they are. Shift forward. Right? Little launch. Tippy toe your feet in.

Coil your abdomen in, and you can actually shift right forward, taking your hairline to rest on the block, squeeze heels towards the bum. Grip the mat with your fingertips, maybe lift your gaze, looking at the block, and put your feet back down. That was exciting. Set your bum all the way down and set block off to the side. Give a little roll out of your wrist.

And back the other way, and let that go. Come on to your front body, and prop yourself up on your forearms. Elbows right underneath your shoulders. Lift through the pit of your abdomen and try to direct your tailbone down as you pull back with your palms. And shine your heart forward, reopening the front of your body. Take your left forearm parallel to the top short end of your map right hand to your inner right thigh.

Spend the inner thigh up to keep your joints tracking as you bend your back knee. If accessible without strain, grab your foot. Lift your navel, maybe you hug heel in toward your outer sit bone as you continue to lift through your chest. Maybe you say my knees don't care for this, and you keep your right foot down the whole time. And let it go.

This time, take right forearm parallel to the top of your mat. Take your left hand to your inner left thigh. Spend your inner thigh up. Bend your knee. If accessible without strain, grab your foot. Lift the pit of your abdomen, direct tailbone down.

And maybe you draw heel in a little closer to the outer border of your sit bones. Lift your heart. Open your chest. So our balances are often postures that make us confront our ego, Ashmita. We call this in Sanskrit.

And ego has a way of either pushing us beyond where we're ready because we're trying to keep up with some idea of who we think we should be We're trying to keep up with others or with some previous version of self. Let your back foot go. Come on down. Make a little pillow with your hands. You can either rest your forehead on the hands, or if you prefer, turn your head to one side.

Resting a cheek on the hands. Bend your knees so your feet face the sky and just give a little sway of your shins side to side. So if ego isn't pushing us beyond where we're ready or where is purposeful, It's doing the opposite. It's preventing us from trying at all for fear of looking foolish. Set your feet back down.

If you're lying on a cheek, turn. So you're on the opposite cheek, bringing a bit of balance to your neck. Breathe into your lower back. And exhale down and out through your legs. At times in life, it actually takes more strength to surrender to back off than to just push through. You may have found your crow pose with the greatest of ease.

Or it may have been a totally grounded crow, just, you know, hanging out in the tree, sitting on a rock, And that's okay. What matters is that you showed up, that you made the choice to be here to try and to meet yourself where you're at in this moment. If you're at ease here on your front body, you are more than welcome to stay in a downward facing Shavasana. If the hands don't feel like the sweet soft pillow you would like them to, you can put a blanket underneath your head instead. If this does not feel like an useful place for you, maybe you roll to your side.

And then all the way onto your back. And if that rolled you right off of your mat, scoot your hips back into the midline. And take any position in your legs that feels best in your body. Walk your shoulders underneath your chest, adding to the lift of your heart. And invite your arms to fall wherever you feel the greatest ease.

Shavasana. So we gathered a bit of tender yesterday. Today is about collecting kindling. Some of the larger pieces that once we set fire to will leap to the wood. We'll create a larger, fuller, more purposeful fire.

And we can think about our ego like kindling if we offer some of these little bits of self that are no longer serving us to the embers, to burn up. And they stop being such a bad thing and actually can become the fuel that helps us burn a bit brighter. Bring a little movement to your fingers, to your toes. Maybe sweep your arms overhead, stretch to the length of your body. And as you exhale, bend your knees, roll carefully onto your side, and press the earth away, bringing yourself up to seated.

Join your hands together at heart center. Lift your chest. We bow our chins and gratitude. Namaste. Thank you for sharing your practice.