Day 14: Bask

Hi. Welcome to class number 14. You've made it this long stretch. And now we just get to bask in the glow. So come meet me lying down.

And whatever position feels best in your legs, you can keep knees bent, feet on the ground, maybe letting them fall in toward each other, or beginning as we generally finish in Shavasana. Walk your shoulders under your chest. Find a little lift to your heart as you invite your arms to fall at your sides. Either close your eyes or find a point to softly focus on and tune into the quality of your breath. Set an intention for the practice ahead.

And once you have that gathered, consider placing a hand at your heart, a hand at your belly center finding these 2 separate centers of self, breathe into them. Blink your eyes back open. Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground about the distance of your front hip points. Draw your right knee in toward your chest and take your right foot across it past your left thigh. Flex with the right foot protect your knee as you open your hip.

And then heel toe left foot over to the left until it meets the outer edge of your mat. Take your time as you lower your legs to the right, allowing the weight of the right foot to draw a little more length to the top of your thigh. If you find that the arch in your low back increased, lift your hip points toward your bottom ribs and smooth your bum away from your waist. Protecting your low back. Reach your left arm long in line with your ear, adding the stretch in the opposing direction.

And if this is creating any aggravation through your inner left knee unhook your foot, pausing here instead, Open right arm to the right and briefly turn your head in the same direction as your niece. Unhook your right foot if you haven't already. And inhale, bring your knees back center. Reach both arms in line with your ears. Heal toe feet into about the distance of your front hip points and then exhale left knee to your chest.

Take your left foot, cross it past your thigh. Flex through the foot to protect your knee. Heel tow right foot over to the right till it meets outer edge of your mat. And then take your time, lower your legs to the left. Again, if you're feeling any stress through the inner right knee, feel free to unhook your foot.

If the arch increased in your low back, balance that by bringing your abdomen in and smoothing your bum away from your waist. Reach your right arm long in line with your ear and open your left arm to the left. Just briefly turn and gaze in the same direction as your knees. Look to the left. And then unhook your foot in how bring your knees back center. Reach both arms in line with your ears. Walk your feet out long.

And then step your right foot off to the right. Take your left ankle and cross it over your right ankle. Lower your right arm down by your side and then crawl your right fingertips down the side of your leg as you reach your left fingertips over to the right. Breathe all the way up the left side of your body to the tips of your fingers. And drag the exhale back down your left side body.

Uncross your left ankle, reach both arms up and bring your right leg back in. Walk your left foot off to the left and then cross your right ankle over your left this time. Lower left hand down by your side. Crawl left fingertips down your side body as you reach your right fingertips to the left. And again, breathe length all the way up the right side body to the tip of your fingers and exhale back down right side body.

Unhook the foot. Reach both arms in line with your ear Bend your knees, placing feet on the ground, roll on to your right side, and then press the floor away, coming up to seated. Find your block and set your block medium height. We're gonna come take a supported squat seated on the block. Alright.

Step your feet out wide. Rotate your legs so your toes angle slightly off to the sides. And then bring your arms inside your legs. Take your palms to touch. Lift through your heart. Open your chest.

Take your Left hand, to the front of your shin, lift your heart. And as you exhale, find that nice open twist to the right. And come back center. Grab your right shin in how lift your heart, exhale. Nice open twist to the left. And come back center.

We'll do that once more each side in how up the length of your body. Open twist. And come back center. Last one. Inhale. Lift your heart.

Exhale. Nice. Open twist. And come back. Center. Take the prop that you're seated on and turn it flat. Stretch You're right leg out long.

And if you're like myself and you have a tendency to lock or hyper extend through your knees, grab a blanket, make a roll with it, and place that roll right underneath your knee. I like so. Take your right hand this time and grab the front of your left ankle. Lift through your heart. Turn open through your chest.

This time rotate left arm, so palm faces the sky, and then reach long in line with your ear. Sending your left fingertips toward your right toes. Revolve open through the chest. Like you could turn your heart up to the sky. And then press down in how draws you back up, rebend your right knee, and we'll switch sides.

Straight and right leg to the side. If it helped on the first side, move your blanket over. Take your left hand to the front of your right ankle, lift your heart, exhale. Nice open twist to the right. Rotate right arm so palm faces the sky and then reach long in line with your ear.

Roll the bottom side of your rib cage forward and up the top side back and down. And then root it down in how draws you right back up. Bend your right knee. Set your blanket to the side and come off of your block. Alright.

Come find baddakanasanabound angle and take it fairly wide, like you're drawing your right angle with both of your legs. Bring your left knee up Take your left foot straight back and bring the base of your right foot a little closer to the top of your thigh. Inhale up the front of your body. As you exh, how revolve to the right, place your hands down to the outside of your right thigh. Give a little pullback with your fingertips, lift your heart, imagining updog in your upper body, and then exhale.

Walk it forward. If accessible without strain, place your right elbow and forearm down, crawl your left fingertips forward and to the right a touch, breathing into the left side of your back. And in how reach your heart forward, Walk your hands back. Take your hand to the front of your left ankle. Draw your foot forward.

Find that wide baddha kanasana. And then draw right knee up this time. Take your right foot straight back. Bring the base of your left foot near the top of your thigh. Inhale. Sweep your arms up. Xhale.

Twist to the left. Place your hands to the outside of your left thigh. Pull back with your fingertips, lift through your heart. And then with the exhale, walk it forward. Place left elbow, left hand down, and crawl your right fingertips forward and slightly to the left.

Breathe generously into the right side body and back. And then inhale. Reach your heart forward. Walk your hands back up. Take your hand to the front of your right ankle, draw your foot forward. Stretch your legs out wide, your wide leg seat.

Now if you're here and you feel like you're rounding back, sit up on the folded edge of a blanket, give yourself more space to work with. Rude down in how reach your arms up. Keep your arms up as you twist to the right. That's your right. And I'll get a little bit taller.

And as you exhale, take your left hand to your outer knee your right hand behind you like a kickstand in how all the way up the length of your body and as you exhale slide your left hand down the pinky edge of your foot or down the pinky edge of your leg toward your foot. If it's there for the reaching, hold on. If it's not, don't stress it. Inhale. Reach your heart forward. Xhale. Soften. Inhale.

Look toward your right foot. Slide your hand back. Unwind inhale. Reach up Keep your arms up as you exhale twist to the left. Take your right hand to your outer knee, your left hand behind you. Press down, grow taller.

And as you exhale, slide your right hand down the pinky edge of your leg toward your foot. Let it land wherever it does naturally, and then draw your chest forward. Ex how softening breathing to the right side of your back. In how look toward your left toes, slide your hand back, inhale reach up. 1 more each side, exhale to the right inhale, get taller. And as you exhale, left hand to outer knee, right hand behind you.

In how create length, exhale, slide your hand down your leg. Inhale again, elongate your spine, and you exhale, soften to your truthful edge. Breathe into your back. Stay for the exhale. Inhale.

Look toward your foot. Slide your hand back. Unwind. Inhale. Reach up. Ex. I'll twist to the left.

Take your right hand to outer knee. Left hand behind you. Lift and lengthen. X, how slide your hand down the pinky edge of your leg. Inhale, elongate through all four sides of your torso.

And as you exhale soften in, finding the length through right side of your back. In how heart toward your toes Slide your hand back, unwind in how reach up, sweep up, and exhale hands down by your sides. Bend your knees, draw them toward each other, and make your way to your hands and your knees. Place your hands right under your shoulders, your knees underneath your hips, pad the knees if they're tender. Inhale. Lift your heart.

Open your chest. Xhale. Push the earth away and round through your back. Do this a few times flowing at your own breath pace. No rush. So the final bit of Kriya yoga, the yoga of action, is Ishwara Praneeth Hanam surrender to the divine.

After your next round, return yourself to a neutral spine. Walk your hands about 3 inches ahead of your shoulders and parallel creases of the wrist to the top of your mat. Shift your hips toward your right heel over to the left and circle forward. And you can make these circles as small or as exaggerated as feels right in your body. What do you need in this moment?

Circle back the opposite way. So what does it mean to you to surrender, to let go? To maybe offer the efforts of what you're doing to something larger than self. Pause center. Round back, shift bum towards your heels, fold in.

And then inhale glide it forward. Bring your chest through your arms. Tuck your toes. Lift your knees. Take your hips up and back. Downward facing dog.

It's our 1st and only down dog of this practice. So do whatever it is you need to find a bit of stillness with ease, whether that's a paddle of the heels, a shift of the hips, over your next breath or 2, come back to your stillness. In how glide it forward to your plank pose, top of push up. And as you exhale, shift forward, take your time, lower all the way to the map. Alright. Open your left arm straight out to the left.

Leave your right hand right alongside your chest. And I'd like to come on to my right fingertips just creating a little more space. Slowly, roll onto your left side, stack your legs. Smooth the top of your bum away from your waist. If bringing your head to the ground is straining your neck, take a moment to find your blanket, put it underneath the side of your head.

Now, if this is a little too much, you can bend the top knee, put it on the ground in front of you to support you. If the body says, okay, draw your navel in as you stretch your right leg back. And we only wanna go as far back with that top leg as you can go maintaining the length in your lower back. So this is about strengthening glute max that ball this part of your bum as we open through the chest. And then roll slowly back onto your front body, and we'll switch sides.

Open your right arm out to the right. Turn so that your right cheek is down, and then roll all the way on to your outer right hip, outer right thigh. You can bring the left hand closer for more stability, draw your navel in, and take the left leg back only a far as you can go without crunching in your lower back. Focus on strengthening through your glutes. As you open through your chest.

And restock your legs. Come back onto your front body. Make a little pillow with your hands for a moment, sway your shin side to side. Saddle it back center. Set your feet down.

Prop yourself up on your forearms. And thread your left arm underneath your right. Once again, roll to your outer left tip. Bend your knees toward your chest and turn open through your heart, taking your right arm behind you. You may stay right here.

You might bend your bottom knee, like you're gonna kick yourself in the bum, lift your head, lift your shoulders, see if you can find your bottom foot, and draw it toward your heel, lengthening through the top. Of your left thigh. Maybe. You grab the pinky edge, of your right foot. Stretch the right foot straight out to the side, making a little soul with your body as you turn your heart open to the sky.

Release the bottom foot if you have it, rebend your top knee, roll onto your front body, straightening both legs, Last one, prop yourself on your forums, lift your chest, thread right arm behind your left, roll all the way onto your right side. This time, play with leaving your bottom like long as you start. Bend your top knee turn open through your chest. You can stay here. Maybe you bend the bottom knee like you're gonna kick yourself in the bum. Briefly lift your head, lift your shoulders, try to find your foot.

Draw the heel toward the bum as you put your head and shoulders back down. If you'd like to add in the hamstring stretch for the top leg, find the pinky edge of the foot, and stretch that foot out to the side. Broaden your chest heart open to the sky. And then mindfully release your bottom foot, rebend your top knee, roll back onto your front body, and ever so briefly lift your heart, exhale, set it down. Press to your hands and your knees.

And shift your feet out in front of you making your way to lying down. If you're craving a last hug of the knees to the chest or a happy baby pose, take a moment to indulge. And in your own time surrender, Shavasana. So I find it so interesting that to surrender to let go sounds like such a passive act when an actuality It takes great strength to truly trust, to truly let go in this way. And so what if you gave yourself permission to let go a little each day?

To get out of your own way and maybe to be of service to others. To trust that there is a larger plan for you And if we continue moving forward with positive intention, with right action, No matter where we arrive in life, we're always gonna show up exactly where we're meant to be. Please feel free to stay here as long as you'd like. Whenever you're ready to leave this shape, welcome a little movement to your fingers, to your toes. Sweep your arms over head stretch through the full length of your body.

And as you exhale, bend your knees, roll on to your right side and pause just for a beat. Press the earth away. Bringing yourself up to seated. Right back to where we began. Join your hands at your heart center.

Show a little extra gratitude towards self today for showing up for completing the journey. And knowing that the end of this one means the beginning of the next. Thank you.