Root to Extend

Welcome to route to extend. I'm so happy to share this practice with you today. Today, we're gonna be working at the wall. Grab a couple of yoga blocks and have them near the top of your mat. We'll start at the wall, so start standing at the wall, bringing your back to the wall, making sure that your buttock bones are pressing into the wall. Let your arms rest by your sides.

Close your eyes, and let's take a nice big breath in through the nose. Take a big sigh out through the mouth. Again, inhale. And exhale. Keeping your eyes closed, just allowing your awareness to move through the body.

So drawing your awareness first down into your feet. It's making the contact and the connect of the big toes, pinky toes, inner heels and outer heels. Notice the knees. If we're locking out the knees, see if you can invite a very gentle bend to the knees. Find a soft tucking of the tail. So perhaps we start to feel the sacrum or the low back connecting to the wall.

Let the shoulders relax down the back. Relax through the fingertips. And draw all the chin slightly in towards the chest and lift through the sides of the neck. And opening up the imagination for a moment. I would invite you to imagine a golden thread running all the way from the universe through the baby soft spot of the head, through the throat, through the chest, down the belly, out the tail and into the earth.

This golden thread connecting us to both the universal and to the personal. Feel yourself rooting down. And as we root down, we're able to extend the upper body up. Feel the back of the head just lifting up slightly up against the wall. And as you soften through the belly, just breathe into that space.

Imagine breathing up the bottoms of the feet and letting the breath rise all the way up the legs to the crown of the head. And as we exhale pushing out whatever we need to push out from the top, out the foundation, out the roots of the feet, back into the earth. And let's take a few more breaths just like that. Inhaling from the bottoms of the feet to the top, exhaling from the top out the bottom. One last time biggest fullest breath you've taken so far today, fill all the way up.

Excel release. Let your breath return to a more natural, more steady rhythm. Feel free to blink the eyes open. We'll bring our feet slightly wider than hip bone distance. Or if we have some stuff going on in our low back, I would encourage you to bring your feet actually quite wide.

I'm gonna start to walk the feet forward just enough that we can push the butt bones into the wall. So we need to really find that contact of the buttock bones pressing, pressing, pressing into the wall. And once we find that, start to fold forward. So go ahead and grab opposite elbows. Let this just be nice and easy at first.

Swing and dangling side to side. Taking a moment to really allow the low back to start to find space, to start to find that sweet release. And then release the hands. Maybe you're on your fingertips Maybe the arms are dangling. Look down at your feet, and I want you to turn your big toes just slightly in towards one another.

Your heels will slightly turn out. The inner thighs will start to roll in. And what we should find is that the buttock bones press into the wall even more. Keep at least a gentle bend to your knees and see if we can start to bend the knees quite deeply and slide the butt bones down the wall. And then inhale, lift the buttock bones up acts help bring the buttock bones down.

And keep pushing into the wall with the buttock bones. As you go up and as you go down. And let's take about 5 or 6 more of those. Try to let the head relay Try to keep those big toes turned in towards one another, keeping the inner thighs squeezing in towards one another. Last one.

Lift, lift, lift, pause in the lift. So make sure those big toes are pointing in. What I want you to do is press your heels down into the mat. Push the buttock bones back even more. And then as you press the heels down into the mat, imagine that with the heels You could pull the mat apart.

So we find a little more of that inner rolling in of the thighs. And we're creating space by spreading through the buttock bones. So just feel that it's quite active. Push the right buttock bone into the wall. Push the left buttock bone into the wall.

And keep that activation. Look out in front of you as you inhale. Axill fold. 2 more times just like that. Keep the activation.

Lengthen the heart forward. Push buttock bones back and imagine spreading them. Exhale fold. One last time, pull them out of part with the heels. Push, push push the buttock bones into the wall. Hartford. Reach out.

And exhale fold. Relax that effort, find a bend to the knees, and just simply bounce to release through the calves. And then let yourself enjoy this very, very slow roll up the spine. One piece at a time. Roll your shoulders.

Once you get up to the top, just scooch back so that you can rest at the wall and just pause. So notice how the low back, notice how the sacrum feels. Feel that connection with your foundation. The space to the low back and the extension through the upper body. Now we're gonna flip and turn around towards the wall to face the wall.

We're gonna bring your hands on the wall. So the hands are gonna line up with the shoulders. We're gonna walk our feet back. Keep your knees bent. Keep your ankles and your heels right under your hips.

You may need to slide the hands down so they can match the shoulders. Find the bend to the knees. See if we can invite that in internal rotation of the inner thighs again. So the big toes could peak in towards one another. And then press the heels into the mat Think that with the heels in the mat, we could pull the mat apart.

We find the spread of the buttock bones, push into the wall Move the butt back and then extend forward as much as you can. Reach the heart forward towards the wall. Reach, reach, reach keeps spreading through the sits bones, plugging the heels down, pulling them out apart. And then start to hollow out through the low belly. And as you hollow out through the low belly, think that you have a nice flat back, push the butt back even more.

Move the heart forward and perhaps for a moment drop the head down in between the arms, but keep reaching the heart forward keep pushing the butt back for 5. 1st, 4. For 3, for 2 and for 1, very slowly, crawl yourself up the wall, walk your feet forward, take your palms into the wall and rest your forehead on your palms and just take a few breaths. Let that settle in. And then we'll move away from the wall.

You can move your mat slightly away from the wall. So we have the space. We're gonna start at the top of the mat standing. Roll the shoulders down the back. Feeder about hip bone distance apart.

Keep that soft bend to the knees. Come back to that rooting down through the feet. And for a moment here standing, press the heels down into the mat and imagine you could pull the mat apart with the heels. And from that space, lift up, extend up through the navel, and extend up through the sternum. In how the arms high, take up space, spread through the fingertips, and really feel that extension reaching up Feel the rooting down through the feet, the spreading across the sits bones as we keep pulling them out of part with our heels.

Big breath in. Big breath out. One more time. Inhale. Exhale. Bring your palms together.

Slowly guide the palms down the center line of the body as we bend the knees. And we find a forward fold. Take a moment here without the support of the wall to just take any movement that you need. I love to rock and sway side to sigh, always keeping at least a gentle, gentle bend to the knees. Pause and stillness, hands to your shins, heart reaches for, buttock bones reach back. Pods. Now, without the wall, we invite all of that work that we just did into the body.

So press the heels down. Think that you could pull the mat apart. And from that space, extend extend forward, and then exhale fold. Again, hands to shins, push the hands into the shins, use the heels to pull the mat apart, extend the heart forward, the shoulders back. Acts helpful.

Plant your hands. Let's step back into downward facing dog. Take a moment, pedal out through your feet. Give your head a gentle shake. Yes. A gentle shake. No.

Keep that bend to the knees. Maybe blow through your lips. Anyhow the left leg high to the sky, bend the knee, open up the hips, circle that left foot a few times one way, few times the other way. Stir that left thigh bone. Just very gentle circles.

Turn the left hip down. Lift the left leg high. Look forward between your palms. Step your left foot forward between your hands. Keep your back knee lifted.

We're gonna grab our blocks. Take them towards the top of the mat at the high setting. Walk your left foot forward. So we do find that nice ninety degree bend to the knee. Inhale lengthen the heart forward, let that left knee move forward.

Over the ankle. Let that right frontal hit point drop down as you inhale. Exhale. Extend your left leg. Fold down. Inhale lengthen quite a deep lunge, exhale surrender and fold. One more time.

Inhale lengthen and exhale extend the left leg fold into yourself Reben the left knee. Let's step the right foot forward forward fold. Half lift lengthen. Inhale. Activate through the heels. And exhale fold.

Inhale circle the arms out and up as you rise up, reach up. Exhale palms to the hearts. Inhale rise, exhale, come back down into your forward fold, step it back into a high plank top of the push up, From your high plank lower all the way down to the belly, press into the tops of the feet, hand stay by the chest, lift the chest, tuck the tail. Boujangasana baby cobra, hard and lungs for it. Inhale. Exhale forehead down.

Again, press the feet. Lift the chest. Forehead comes down. Send your hips back to your heels child's pose, knees nice and wide. 5 breaths here.

And then downward facing dog. Once we're in down dog, one more time pedal through the feet. And then send your right leg high to the sky. Bend the right knee. Open up the right hip.

Circle the right foot a few times one way. Few times the other way and then stir the thigh bone all around. Turn the right hip back down. Extend the right leg high. Look forward between your hands.

Right foot steps for it. Keep the back knee lifted, grab your blocks, high setting, walk the right foot forward so we have this nice ninety degree bend, this right knee. Inhale lengthen the heart forward, send the right shin forward, quite a deep plunge, and exhale extend the right leg fold over that right leg through the torso. Inhale lengthen. Acts, helpful.

One more time. Langthin. And exhale extend. Rebend the right knee, step forward, and fold. Half lift lengthen heart forward, exhale fold, inhale rise up, reach up arms high. And exhale palms to the heart.

Inhale reach up, extend, exhale, come back down into your fold, step it back high plank, top of the push up. All the way down to the belly. Hands stay by the chest. Press the feet. Energize the lift.

Baby cobra inhale. Exel forehead comes down. Again, press the feet. Lift the chest. 4 head comes down hips back to your heels one more time. Wide knee child's pose.

Big toes touch. Arms extend forward, 5 long breaths here. Come back to downward facing dog. In how the left leg high? Take the knee towards the nose.

Look forward. Step the left foot forward between your hands. Come on up high crescent lunge, Astrachundrasena. Left hips spinning back, right hips spinning forward. Press into the ball of that left foot so we can extend up from the root, from the foundation, and then fly the arms back.

Feel the heart reaching extending forward. The fingertips extending back. 2 more breaths. Big inhale. Exhale. Last one inhale.

On your exhale, tip forward warrior 3. Keep your arms reaching back. So from reaching back, we can reach the heart forward. Press into that left big toe. Stay with it and breathe here for 5.

For 4. Extend the heart forward for 3. For 2, we're going into a wide legged forward fold to the right side of our mat for 1. Go ahead and bend your knees. Sway it outside to side.

Anything here that feels good? Now, for most of us, we're gonna want to narrow our stance a little bit. So bring your feet just a bit closer towards one another. Let your right hand find your left shin, and then let your left arm cross over the right arm for the right shin. So the arms are crossed.

Bend your knees. Cress your heels down into the earth. And imagine once again with the heels that we could pull the mat apart so we feel that volume finding its way into the sacrum. And then pull the shins in towards one another. And as you pull the shins in towards one another, move the heart forward, push the butt back, breathing here 5 breaths.

I know it's quite active. Keep pulling the mat apart with the heels. Keep moving the heart forward. Keep pulling the shins in for 3. For 2, And for one, release the hands, spin towards the back of your mat, low runners lunge, step the right foot back, high plank, top of the push up.

All the way down, press the feet, lift the chest, baby cobra, gin towards the chest, acts. How forehead down? Again, press the feet, energize the lift and extension. Exhale forehead comes down, tuck your toes, press up into plank, downward facing dog. 5 breaths here. Big full inhales, and big full exhales.

One more inhale? Exhale. Send your right leg high to the sky. Draw all the need of the nose. Look for it. Step the right foot forward between your hands.

High crescent lunge. Reach the arms up to the sky. So right hip anchoring back, left hip anchoring forward, right knee on top of the ankle, Find the right big toe, plug into it to extend up from the lower ribs to the crown of the head. And then reach the arms back. And as you reach the arms back, feel and find the heart reaching forward.

Press back through that left heal. Inhale. Exhale. Last time inhale. Exhale tip forward warrior 3 shifting into the right leg. Let the left leg lift.

Press back through that left heel. Reach back through those fingertips and lengthen the heart forward. Move the shoulders back. Stay with it and breathe for 4. Extend a little more for 3.

For 2, wide legged forward fold for 1. Bend your knees. Sway it out. Side to side. Shake your head. Yes.

Shake your head. No. Narrow the feet one more time. Bend the knees again. Right hand. Left shin.

Left arm crosses over the right and gets the right shin. Spread the buttock bones by pressing the heels into the mat and pulling the mat apart with your heels. Look forward. Bend the knees. Find a balance. Find to bounce, breathing here, but keep pulling the heart forward, moving the butt back for 3.

For 2 and for 1, release the hands, spin back towards the top of the mat, left foot steps back, high plank, all the way down. Baby cobra, press the feet, lift the chest. 4 head comes down. Last time, bhujangasana, press the feet, lift the chest, extend the heart forward. Forehead comes down.

Send your hips back to your heels, child's pose. So just feel the breath here in this child's pose where we'll linger for a little bit. Feel the breath moving into the low back. Are the ribs expanding with every inhale? And feel yourself releasing just a little bit more with every exhale.

And allow yourself to be consciously aware of the heaviness here of the hips, not necessarily that we are pushing to get the hips back towards the heels, but there is a natural heaviness as the hips move back. And from that heaviness, the front of the body is extending forward. So really take a moment activate here, reach a little bit more through the fingertips. Keep that extension stay in your child's pose and just walk your hands and your arms and your torso over to the right. Find the right hand pressing into the mat just a little bit more so that as the right hand makes contact We can send the left butt bone down towards the left heel. We're not pushing it down, but we're letting that heaviness move down towards that left heel.

Breathe into the left rib cage. Left armpit, left lung. 3 more breaths. And then walk your hands back to center. Connect to that extension again.

So from the weight of the foundation moving back, extend forward. Walk your hands over to the left. Keep that extension. Press a little bit more into that left hand so that the right buttock bone moves down towards the right heel. Fill the right room cage with breath.

Right armpit, right lung. Few more. And then come back to center. One more time just to reach, reach, reach forward. Feel the heaviness and the weight of the hips as they ground back.

And then start to crawl your hands back. Bring yourself up. Take a moment just to circle out through your hips. Take those circles in the opposite direction. And then bring your knees and your thighs together and sit back on our heels and just take a very simple twist.

So let your left hand find the right knee and think that that right knee is moving forward into the left hand. And from the knee moving forward into the hand, we can extend up we could bring our right fingertips behind us and find the twist. Keep moving the right knee into the left hand. Think chin micro tuck into the chest so that the sides of the neck are still nice and long. I'm just breathe here. Left side of the belly over to the right side.

Inhale. Last time inhale and exhale. Come back to center. Let's switch sides. So your right hand will find your left knee.

And then think that you're pushing the left knee into the right hand, and that is giving you that extension from the foundation up. Left fingertips behind you. Keep moving the left knee into the right hand, keep lifting through the chest, and then let the turn and let the twist come from the left knee moving into the right hand, and the right side of the belly moving over to the left side. Soft tuck of chin into chest, so sides of the neck are nice and long. Breathe.

Inhale. Exhale. Last time, big full inhale. Big full ex, how come back to center. Take a couple of rounds of cat and cow here.

So inhaling, opening, moving the shoulders back, tipping the pubis forward, lifting up the navel to sternum. And exhale tucking the tail curling and rounding. 2 more times. Inhale. Open. Exhale round.

Last time. Open, open, open, lengthen route down through the sits bones and exhale around. Beautiful. Come back up. We're gonna grab one of our blocks. So we're gonna take a seated variation of a pose called King of the Mountain. So I'm gonna take your block.

I'm gonna interlace our fingers around the block so that your pinky fingers and your thumbs are really gripping the sides of the block. We find that grip, bring the block to the chest, and then flip the palms up holding the block in those interlace palms full extension of the arms. Lift the navel. Lift the sternum. So the pubic bone is tipping forward. Try to bring the biceps back behind the ears ever so slightly.

Give over to the weight of the sits bones on the heels. And feel yourself lifting up, up, up, extending up and off of the heels. Reaching up. We've rooted down. Now we can find that full extension, and we can certainly take up space. Take a moment to close the eyes here, to go inside, to see if there's a little bit more room to press up through the right palm through the left palm, to roll the armpits slightly in towards the ears, to pick the lower ribs up and off of the pelvis creating even more space coming back to that golden thread, imagining the golden thread running all the way from the universe through the baby soft spot of our head through our throat, through our chest, through the belly, out the tail straight into the earth, plugging us down so that we can extend and rise up.

Big inhale. Exhale. One more time. Inhale. Ribs fill the lungs. Reach up. Press up through the palms even more.

Exhow release. And last time, press up even more as we inhale. And exhale relief. Gently bend the elbows. Oh, release the block.

Set it off to the side. Stay in your seats with your eyes closed, one hand to your heart, and one hand to your belly. Lifting the heart up into the hands, allowing and feeling the crown of the head, just extending up towards the sky. Bow the head in towards the heart and seal in your efforts, seal in your practice, and all the space that you've created, the extension that you have found, all of that with gratitude. Namaste.