Fluid Hips

Welcome to fluid hips. I'm so happy to practice with you today. For a practice today, let's have one yoga strap. We're gonna start in sukhasana EZC with our right shin crossed in front of the left shin. Take a moment.

To reach back and just pull the flesh out from beneath you so that we really feel grounded enough that we're able to tip the pelvis for and we're able to lift the navel and the sternum up. Palms can be face up on your lap. You can close your eyes if it feels comfortable. But let's take a nice big breath in through the nose. Take a big sigh out through the mouth.

One more time. Inhale and exhale. Take a moment to move your awareness down into the tailbone, down into your hip joint, into your low back, And just notice how we're feeling today. Notice where we feel stuck. Where we feel tight, where we feel tense.

And perhaps where we would like to open up to the possibility and potential of finding fluidity and freedom. Move your awareness throughout the rest of the body, inviting space, inviting ease, softening through the jaw, relaxing all the muscles of the face and finding this very slight tucking of the chin into the chest so that as we root down through the sits bones, the crown of the head can reach up towards the sky. And then bring your hands onto your thighs. You can keep your eyes closed, but we're gonna open up our imagination and imagine that we are sitting on a three-dimensional clock. So we use this as a frame of reference so that as we start to circle and take Sufi roles, We begin to hit every number on the clock as best we can.

So we go from noon down to 6, back to noon over and over again and move nice and slowly at first so that we can really feel Our hip joint, we can feel our pelvis just beginning to find freedom and fluidity. Finding a sense of curiosity, especially if we do feel quite tight or perhaps stuck, feeling a sense curiosity noticing which numbers our hips wanna skip on the clock and giving yourself that little extra bit of time to really explore creating that space. So just keep circling. And as that fluidity comes, as we continue to stir. Perhaps we can go a little bit faster.

And perhaps we can start to offer the invitation heart really reaching forward at noon. More of a tucking of the tail and a rounding as we get to 6 o'clock. So that cat and that cow are present in these circles as well. You can use your hands and the knees or the thighs to really find that movement. And then let's go counterclockwise. Let's mix it up.

And so just notice how this feels and perhaps we slow it down. Right? It can be quite different to go in the opposite direction. Observing the numbers that the hips wanna skip. And then inviting that tipping forward of the pelvis as we come back to noon. That tucking of the tails would go back to 6.

And we keep spinning and perhaps it's a little bit faster. Few more. And then we're gonna go clockwise one time. And we'll start to slow it down. Let your circles get a little bit smaller.

Keep the right shin crossed as you come back towards noon, very gentle fold forward. So depending on how long you've been sitting in your day, this might be right where you are. It's just right on your fingertips or on your hands. Right? Some of you may come all the way forward. Perhaps your forehead will connect to the earth.

And if that's you, your challenge here is to really ground down through the sits bones. Otherwise, perhaps some of us are coming down into our elbows and our forearms. And take a moment just to shake the head gently. Yes. Shake the head gently. No. To feel the stability of the hip joint really plugging you down into the earth and then the heart yearning forward.

So we're creating that space from the hip joint all through the crown of the head and take 3 more breaths here. And then we'll slowly begin to slide our hands back, rolling up. We're gonna switch the crossing of the shins so that now our left shin is in front of the right, and for many of us, it's gonna feel quite strange. So bring your hands back onto your knees or your thighs, and we'll start to circle counterclockwise going on this side. And, again, give yourself the grace and the space to move as slowly as you need to. Circling around hitting every number on that clock as best we can.

Inviting the heart to move forward, that slight arching of the back, and then the tucking of the tails, we hit 6 o'clock. Back and forth. And then we'll go the opposite way. So now we go clockwise. I'm just feeling that stirring.

Take a few more circles. Start to wind the circles down so they get nice and small. And then we're gonna come forward with this left shin in front. So really grounding down through right sits bone, left sits bone, come forward any amount. This time, I went into really invite the heart to move forward, even think half lift, draw the heart forward, and then intentionally push the buttock bones down and back.

So we feel that reaching forward, and we feel that yummy space at the low back. And then come down any amount into the fold for a few breaths, right, relaxing through the head, relaxing through the neck, and giving over to a nice rounding for a moment through the upper back. Big inhale. And exhale. Slowly crawl the hands back.

Roll yourself up. Bring your hands by your sides. Unwrap your legs. Bring your feet to the mat and just windshield wiper the knees. Very simply side to side.

And then from here, we'll make our way onto our hands and our knees facing the top of our mat. So finding a nice tabletop so that the hands are under the shoulders, and then these are right under the hips. Spread all ten toes and think that you could plug all ten toenails down it to the mat, inhaling gently arch the back, drop the belly, send the heart forward, and exhale. Tuck the tail, curl, and round, navel into the spine. Let's do a few more just like that. Inhaling arching.

Opening up shoulders back. Exhaling rounding. Last one. Inhale. Open. Open. Open. Open. Exhale, curl, and round.

We'll find a nice neutral spine So send your right leg back with your right toes tucked and just find a nice little pulse here forward and back. Forward and back. So you start to wake up the connected tissue of right foot. And then lift the right leg, bend the right knee, We're gonna start to draw the right knee towards the right elbow. You're gonna notice right away and kind of all your weight's gonna wanna shift into the left side. See if we can lift up and out of the left side to find center.

And then open your right knee out to the side and draw a really big circle in so that the right knee meets the left knee. And we're gonna just keep drawing these really big circle. Caressing the right elbow with the right knee, opening up, finding that external rotation as best we can. Let's just do a few more of these. So opening up the hip, I like to flex my foot.

You don't have to. If it feels better for you to point the toes, feel free to point the toes. And the next time we are out past that right elbow, just pause. We're gonna switch the direction, but I want you to turn your right knee down towards yours. So we find a little more internal rotation. So to draw the right knee in towards the left and reverse the circles. So chances are for most of us this internal rotation feels a little odd. So just breathe, move nice and slowly.

And then extend your right leg back, shake out the leg, Now we're gonna swing our right leg around the front of the left leg, finding the leg so that the left knee is fitting as well as it can behind the right. Open your feet up nice and wide. Take a few hip circles clockwise. And take a few hip circles counterclockwise. And then tuck your toes.

Lift your knees. Keep your legs crossed and find a cross they get downward facing dog. So see if your feet can really find 3 a 9 o'clock. Throw the left knee into the back of the right knee so you can really spin and spiral that right hip back. And then draw the chest down and back towards the knees and towards the thighs.

Shake your head. Yes. Shake your head. No. And then let's lower the knees uncross the legs, circle out your hips. And now let's extend let's send our left leg back toes tucked and just pulse forward and back. So waking up that connective tissue in the left foot.

And then we'll lift the left leg. We'll draw the left knee to the left elbow So now, noticing, right? The tendency is the weight to really shift into the right side of the body. Lift up and off of the right side of the body. We're gonna open that left knee out as wide as we can drawing a very clean circle in towards the right knee. And then just move nice and slowly.

Slowly is better here. I'm just observing the difference between the right and the left side. And now, next time we're out, we'll pause. Turn the knee down. Try to lift the foot.

So we find a little more internal rotation, and we're gonna switch the direction of the circles. And again, this is gonna feel quite strange probably for most of us. This is internal rotation. So just be kind to yourself. Take your time.

Couple more. Good. And then send your left leg back, shake it out. And then swing the left leg around the front of the right leg. Open your feet up nice and wide. Circle your hips few times counterclockwise.

Few times clockwise. And then keep the legs crossed, tuck the toes, lift the knees, coming up into our cross legged down dog. Looking back at your feet, finding 3, a 9 o'clock with the feet as best we can, and then really moving the right knee into the back of the left knee. Hug the left hip back the right hip forward. And then draw the chest back towards the knees and towards the thighs.

Very gentle shake of the head. Yes. Very gentle shake of the head. No. Take a nice big inhale. And then lower your knees uncross the legs and let's circle out through the hips. Almost tuck our toes, lift our knees, and find a regular downward facing dog.

So just take a moment here, pedal out your feet, Shake your head again. Yes and no. Go from hand to hand to foot to foot. Keep that nice bend to the knees so we can really energize the lift through the backs of the thighs, sending the sits bone straight up to the sky. And then slowly walk your feet forward to meet the hands at the top of the mat. From here, half lift, part 4.

Exhale fold. Inhale it slowly rise it up. Roll the shoulders once you get up to the top. In healthy arms high. And exhale. Let's come back down into the forward fold.

We're gonna step our left leg back. Lower the left knee down, untuck the toes reach the arms high for crescent lunge. So moving right hip back left hip forward lift up the navel, lift up the sternum, take a big breath in as we exhale, bring your hands down. Tuck your back toes, lift your back knee. We're gonna find a cross legged down dog.

Right leg swings over the front of the left leg. So keep that left knee moving into the right knee. Now a little different, we're gonna keep our legs crossed and come forward into a cross legged plank, come back cross legged dog, inhale cross legged plank, back to a cross legged dog. Now this time, come forward into your cross legged plank Think that you're going into up dog. It's gonna be a cross legged tuck toed upward facing dog.

Back to a down dog. Take it big inhale. From here, we're gonna step our left foot forward between our hands, lower the back knee down, reach the arms up, crescent lunge. So same thing left hip back, right hip forward, lift the navel, lift the sternum up, big breath in, Exhale. Bring your hands down. Tuck your back toes.

Lift your back knee. We're gonna step our right leg behind the left leg. As best we can keeping that bend to the knees and slowly rise up cross legged mountain pose. Bring your palms to your heart. Inhale. Reach up.

Exhale. Slowly fold down. Step your right leg back. Lower the right knee, untuck the toes, reach the arms up, one breath, exhale hands down, Left leg is gonna cross on top of the right leg for our Gomu Kasana down dog. Come four cross legged plank into a cross legged tuck toed upward facing dog.

Back to your down dog. Step your right foot forward, lower the left knee. Inhale, reach the arms up. Exale hands down. Left leg crosses behind the right leg, cross legged forward fold.

Rise it up cross legged mountain pose, and then exhale forward fold top of the mat. Left leg steps back, lower the left knee, untuck the toes, inhale reach up, axel hands come down regular downward facing dog now. Come forward into plank. Keep your toes tucked. Tuck toad upward facing dog, downward facing dog.

Big breath in. Side it out. One more time. Anyhow? And exhale. Slowly walk your feet forward to the top of the mat.

Half lift lengthen. Exhale fold. Inhale rise. Reach up. Exhale palms to the hearts.

Bring your hands to your hips. We'll shift back into a little mini chair pose, preparing for Garwood Dawson, the eagle. I'm gonna start with the left leg. So we're gonna lift that left leg across it over the right. Maybe those left toes wrap around the ankle.

Or the shin or the calf or maybe you just let the left toes relax. Hug your left hip back, your right hip forward. Left arm under the right. Palms connect, thumbs connect, or hug yourself. All are great variations.

Now start to sink down and back, knees forward, sides back, elbows forward. To really feel that protraction of the shoulder blades, feel the compression through the thighs, 2 more breaths. Keep the eagle arms if you can. We're gonna release the left leg and fly it back eagle bound warrior 3. Move the elbows forward, press back through the left heel, navel into the spine, Big breath in.

On your exhale, left foot lands near the back of the mat, 45 degrees, release the arms high, warrior 1. Right hip back, left hip forward, energize a nice lift through the legs, draw the lower ribs in, and then bring the arms behind the back. Interlace your fingers. Lift through the chest. Dive it down.

Devotional warrior. Let the right shoulder start to come towards the right knee or towards the right thigh. Relax through the crown of the head. And then from here, heart's gonna reach forward to bring us back up. Warrior 1, open it up warrior 2.

So rearranging the feet however you need to so that right heel lines up with either the arch or the heel of the back foot. Peaceful warrior. Flip your right palm up. Reach up and reach back. Send the right shinbone forward. Now extend through your right leg, press into the ball of the right foot, think that you could lift the right heel so that we activate the tissue right up above the kneecap.

And then keep the leg extended as you reach straight out in front of you as far as you can. Triconasana triangle, right hand shin, Left arm sky. So keep thinking that you could lift that right heel. Keep that stability in the leg. And then turn the right ribs up to the sky as you lean softly back.

Pull the right shoulder back. And find 3 more breaths here. Inhale. Excel. Last one. Big breath in.

Big breath out. Reverse your triangle. Right arm reaches up and back. Warrior 2, float your hands down to frame your front foot, step the right leg back down dog. Come forward into your plank.

Keep the toes tucked, shoulders back, hard forward, tuck toed upward facing dog. Back to our downward facing dog. Take a little walk forward, or if you're feeling like hopping, you could hop to the top of the mat. Half lift inhale, exhale fold. Rise up. Reach up.

Arms high. Exale hands to the heart. Hands to your hips, garuda us in the eagle other side. So slight bend to the knees. Take your right leg, swing it over and around your left leg, bending your left knee. And, again, the toes maybe will wrap around the ankle or perhaps around the calf. Otherwise, just let them be.

Right arm under the left once, twice, palms connect, thumbs connect, or hug yourself, but start to sit down and back. Plugging into that left big toe as much as you can. Lock in your drishti. Lock in your gaze. And then free the right leg up.

Keep the eagle arms. Warrior 3. Throw the elbows forward. Press back through the right heel. Naval into the spine.

Right foot lands near the back of them at 45 degrees. Arms reach up. Warrior 1. Draw all the lower ribs in. Draw the lower belly in.

Relax the shoulders even as the arms reach up. And then bring the arms behind the back, interlace the fingers, lift the chest, exhale down any amount, devotional warrior, left shoulder, perhaps kissing, top of the left thigh or the left knee, relaxing through the crown of the head. And then let the heart reach forward to bring you back up warrior 1, open up and adjust your feet, warrior 2. So left heel lines up with archer heel of right foot. Nice generous bend to that left knee.

Peaceful left palm flips up, reach up, reach back, press into the ball, the left foot. Straighten out the left leg, but think that you could lift the left heel. So we activate the tissue above that left kneecap. And then reach lengthen reach lengthen. Left hand shin, right arm up to the sky.

Stay connected to the ball of that left foot. Maybe the gaze goes up. Left shoulder hugs back and left ribs pyrule up to the sky. 3 more breaths. Last one in him.

Exhale. Come on up, reverse triangle. Left arm up and back. Warrior 2, float your hands down, downward facing dog. Come forward and take one more tuck toad upward facing dog and downward facing dog.

So from our downward facing dog, inhale the right leg high. And then let's take the right knee forward behind and outside the right wrist coming into pigeon. Go ahead and slide down onto the top of the back leg, top of the back foot. Stay lift it. Tensor your fingertips nice and wide. Lyft through your chest.

Feel yourself lifting up and out of the pelvis. Right? Tenancies that we sink in, see if we can really lift up and out of. So we create volume in the hip joint, lift through the chest, inhale, and then exhale. Just think that you're tucking your tail. You're rounding through the upper back.

Inhaling opening. I like to call this the cat cow pigeon, exhale rounding one more time. Inhale. And exhale. Now bring your hands down if you're on your fingertip tuck your back toes, lift the knee. Slide it forward slightly. Swing your right leg around the front of the left leg as you bring the left knee in. So we've been here before.

We're gonna circle our hips clockwise. Then we're gonna sit down and bat between the feet. So we can slide our left heel forward. So As in our down dog, radar feeder at 9 o'clock, 3 o'clock ideally, interlace your hands around your front shin or knee, use that contact to pull the heart forward and up so that we really start to find the right sits bone plugging down as best it can. And then from here, shift the pelvis forward and back.

Forward and back. Forward and back. So we're finding fluidity through movement in the hip joint. And then I want you to come back to the image of the clock, and we're gonna circle around the clock. And these shapes are where it gets a little bit tricky to hit every single number. So just think about what we would need to do slow down enough to hit the 4, the 5, and the 6.

Let's take a few more. And they go counterclockwise, and then lift the chest So press and anchor down through the sits bones, lift the navel, lift the sternum, big breath in. Great big exhale. Slide your left shin for it. Right ankle on the left thigh for double pigeon.

Don't stress out if this top shin bone. So wiggle around so we can really find center. And then for me, I like to grab the big toes. From there, start to circle. Around the clock and just notice where do I feel stuck Right? Don't need to judge it. Don't need to be upset about it, but through the fluidity and through practice and through time, right, we start to create that volume in that space.

Now go counterclockwise. And then lift the chest. Take a big breath in. Exhale. Release the hands, release the legs out in front of you. Take a moment just to shake out your legs.

And then we'll swing the legs around us coming into downward facing dog one last time. Send your left leg high. Find your pigeon on the left side. So left knee outside of the left wrist. Slide down into the top of the back leg and foot.

Try to stay lifted. I love to do fingertips here. Inhale. Arch and open. Lift up and out of the pelvis. And then exhale round.

2 more times just like that. Opening arching. Ax hell rounding. Last time. Open an arch. X. How round?

Hands come down and form the fingertips, tuck those back toes, lift the knees, slide it forward swing the left leg around the front of the right leg, counterclockwise circles, Sit down and back. Try to get those feet. 3 o'clock, 9 o'clock. Press the left butt bone down. Interlace your hands around that top knee or top shin to lift the chest.

Tip the pelvis forward and back forward and back. And then let's go around the clock counterclockwise. Inside is always a little bit harder. And then go clockwise. Tip the pelvis forward.

Lift the chest big inhale. Exhale. One more time, inhale. Exhale. Hands by your side.

Slide your right shin for it. Double pigeon. Left ankle on the right thigh. Try to organize yourself so that we are really on the sits bones. I love again to grab the big toes and then tip the pelvis forward and back and start to draw your circles as you feel ready going around the clock.

And then go the other way. Come back to center, lift the chest. Big breath in. Exhale. Release the legs.

Oh my goodness. Shake them out. Shake them out. Shake them out. Grab your strap.

We're gonna have the legs long in front of us. I would invite you to find a gentle bend to the knees. Try not to lock out the legs. We're gonna take our strap just lightly around the balls of our feet. And we need to notice what your feet naturally do.

So my feet naturally spiral open. Right? And here, chances are most of us to practice yoga our feet are gonna naturally spiral open. External rotation is quite easy for us. So with our strap around the balls of our feet, Give yourself the space to start to guide the outer edges of your feet in. So you could think that your big toes sort of drawing in.

So we find a little more internal rotation. Now keep the soft bend to the knees. Pull back on the strap. Keep the internal rotation. Lift your chest.

Slide your left heel forward, your right butt back. Slide your right heel forward, your left butt back. And then maybe we start to walk our hands forward just a little bit more keep the chest lifted. 3 more breaths here. 2 more big inhale.

Exhale. Last time inhale. We're not going all the way down. Exhale release. Beautiful. Now release your strap.

Release the legs. Relax the legs. Circ your feet a few times one way, a few times the other way. Cross your favorite shin in front for sukhasana. One hand to heart, one hand to belly, close your eyes, bring your awareness back down into the pelvis down into the hip joint. Feel the space that you've opened up.

Feel that movement, that fluidity. And as you bow your head in towards your heart, just acknowledge your practice, acknowledge your effort with gratitude. Thank you for