Creating Space to Breathe

Hi, and welcome to creating space to breathe. So the focus of our practice today in large parts is gonna be on opening the sides of the body, the intercostal muscles so that you actually have the freedom of space to breathe until your full capacity of your lungs. We'll start out today lying down. If you've been hanging out with me for a bit, you're probably sensing this is my favorite place to be. So come lie back.

And then your choice. You can either keep your knees bent feet on the ground. This is particularly nice if you're a little tender through your hamstrings or through your lower back. Otherwise, shut your legs out long. Taking Shavasana corpse pose. Press into the back of your arms, walk your shoulders underneath your chest, adding to the lift of your heart.

And then invite your arms to rest wherever you feel the greatest ease. And as you lie back here, if you find that your chin is tilting up or you're looking more towards the wall behind you, as opposed to up to the sky, you could take a folded blanket and place it underneath your head. Soft and through the front of your throat. And welcome a little length to the back of your neck. Take a full breath in through your nose.

And sigh the breath out through your mouth and do that twice more. Breathe in through your nose. And sigh it out one more time. And now close your mouth and focus the breath in and out through your nose. Invite your breath to grow to a whisper as it grazes the back of your throat on its way in and out through your nose.

I'd like to think of the sound as trying to capture the sound of the ocean at the base of your throat. And it doesn't have to be loud. If you were in a crowded yoga room right now, it might be enough that your neighbor can hear you. But not so loud that it's filling the space. When we call this breathing, UJI Pranayama, victorious breath.

And as you settle into that rhythm, into that pace, set an intention for our practice together today. What brought you to your mat? And once you have that gather. Rest your hands on your front body if they're not already there. Take a full breath into your hands.

If you closed your eyes, blink them back open, And your knees, place your feet on the ground about the distance of your front hip points, and parallel your feet. Point your knees straight up. Reach your hands to the sky, stretch them overhead. So you draw your front ribs down and in. Reach through your arms, imagining that they began all the way at the sides of your waist, and then how hug your left knee into your chest.

Take your left foot, cross it past your right thigh so that left outer ankle rests on your thigh. Flex through your left foot like you could draw your toes back to meet your knee, and then take your left hand to your inner left thigh close to your groin. Smooth from your groin all the way to your inner knee. Open your hip. And notice if that opening through the hip caused you to rounding your low back.

Scoop your abdomen in creating some support here. You may opt to stay right in this space. If you can do so without strain to your left knee, pick up your right foot, and interlace your hands behind your right thigh. Now in all of our bodies, the reach might not be fully there, or you may find that your shoulders or head or pulling away from the mat. If that's happening in your body, you can take a towel and bring it around your leg, or simply put the foot back down.

Find what works best for your body. Focus your breath into your outer left hip like you were breathing into a balloon. Try to hold the space you created as you act letting the breath go. Return your right foot to the ground. Keep your left foot where it is.

And now heel toe your right foot over to the right until it meets the outer edge of your mat or as close to that as you can find without strain. Open your arms straight out to the sides, hands about the height of your shoulders. And as you exhale, slowly sends your knees to the left. And it's okay if the left side doesn't fully meet the ground. In fact, I like to put my blankets, or you can even put a block Underneath the outer leg for support here.

If you're feeling any pulling or strain through your inner right knee, please feel free to unhook the foot and place it on the ground instead. You may notice as you got the resistance to the top of the thigh that the low back again went into an arch. Scoop your abdomen in, smooth your bum away from your waist, and then reach your right arm in line with your ear. Draw breath all the way up the right side of your body to the tips of your fingers as you try to hug your front ribs down and in. And then if you haven't already unhook your left foot, And how bring your knees back up and lower your arm by your side.

Move your blankets out of the way or over to the second side. If you'd like to use them. Yep. He'll toe feet toward each other till they're about the distance of your front hip point in house sweep your arms up and overhead. And as you exh, I'll hug your right knee in. Take your right foot this time.

Cross it past your left thigh. Flex through your right foot. Like, you're trying to draw your toes back to touch your knee, and then take your right hand to inner thigh. Smooth, open from your growing to your inner knee as you scoop the hollow of your abdomen into your body. You may stay right here. Again, if you can do so without strain to the knee joint, pick up your left foot, Either interlace your hands behind your thigh or take a towel or a strap there. Give yourself a little more space to work with.

Many of us will experience the stretch quite a bit through the outer hip, the glutes, the pure formous muscle. If it helped on the first side, visualize a balloon there as you breathe in, fill the balloon, expand the space, Try to hold on to the space you've created as you exhale, letting the breath go. Return your left foot to the ground. Open your arms out to the sides. Hands about the height of your shoulder.

And then heel toe left foot over to the left until it meets the outer edge of your mat. Go slowly as you send your legs to the right. And, again, if you meet your edge and this leg is hanging in space in a way that is painful, put a prop underneath the leg. Give yourself that added bit of support. Feel if you're being drawn into a backbend in your low back, scoop your abdomen in.

And as we get the connection to the core, you may find a more focused stretch through the front of your thigh. Reach your left hand up to the sky stretch. The arm long in line with your ear. And breathe length to the whole left side of your body. And unhook your foot inhale.

Bring your knees back up. He'll toe feet in. So they're about the distance of your front hip points once again. Reach your right arm overhead as well. We'll carefully onto your right side, and then press the floor away and bring yourself up to seated.

Feel free as you come to your seat to add props underneath. We check-in If you see your knees are sitting higher than your hips, if you're rounding through your back or collapsing through your chest, grab a blanket. Or 2, I'm gonna add a little extra height so that I get more freedom through my back, through my hip flexors, Right? Stack, blanket on top of blanket, and then come sit on the front edge of your blankets. And we're looking to get enough of a lift here so that knees end up level width or a little lower than your hips. Right? Cross as close to the center of your shins as you can, flat through your feet, root into your sit bones, and as you inhale, reach up to the sky.

And as you exhale, lower your right hand down by your side. Press into your sit bones. Try to touch the ceiling. Get as tall as you can. And as you exhale, crawl your right fingertips away from you.

Bend the right elbow and stretch long through the right side of your body. Route down in how bring yourself back slide the right hand in. Sweep your right arm up, and now exhale. Take your left hand down. Press into the earth.

Get a little bit taller. And as you exhale, crawl your left fingertips away from you, binge your left elbow and stretch through your right side body. Press down in how bring yourself back up sweep both arms up, and then lower your arms by your sides. To assure we have balance in the hips, switch the cross of your legs, bring opposite chin in front and flex your feet. Press down in how once again, lift your arms up and overhead, or to the and a upward hands.

X. How lower your right hand down once again. Inhale. Get as long as you can. And then x. How reach to the side. Hold here this time. Try to roll the bottom side of your rib cage forward and up the top side of your rib cage back and down. And if you can do so without strain to your neck, look up to the sky.

Press down in how brings you back up, sweep both arms up. And as you exh, how low your left hand down by your side in. I'll try to touch the ceiling and exhale. Reach. To your left. Roll your torso as though you are trying to turn your heart up to the sky.

Spend your outer arm toward your face as though you could hide your armpit as you invite your gaze skyward. Press down in. I'll come back up. Reach both hands up and exhale. Lower your arms by your side. Uncross your legs.

Set your blankets off to the side. If your knees feel a little tender, feel free to open one of your blankets underneath them. Give yourself that added bit of padding. Walk your hands a good 3 inches ahead of your shoulders and parallel creases of the wrists to the top of your mat. Glyde forward. Bring shoulders over your wrists.

Look to the earth out in front of you. And as you exhale tuck your toes, lift your knees, push the earth away with your fingertips. Now do this so much that once again, it feels like your arms begin at the sides of your waist. As always, if the low back is tender, bend your knees so that you can focus on all that delightful link, through the upper half of your body. Walk your hands back to meet your feet.

Once you're there, slide your hands up your shins. Firm your abdomen. Take your hands to your hips, broaden your chest. Root down and with a length and spine come up. We're gonna hang at the back of the mat for a moment here, but turn to your facing one of the long edges.

Bring the pinky edge of your right foot right against the mat. And now turn your toes slightly in. So you get the tiniest little triangle there between your foot and the edge of your mat. I just want you to remember that tiny little sliver of space. Imprinted. He'll meet me at the center of your mat.

Step your feet out. To your wingspan distance or as close to that as you can maintain without strain. And for many of us, you know, we don't stand a lot like this in our day to day life. So you hear me say go wide, but you could probably go a little bit wider. Once you have your distance set, relax your arms down.

And now with your right foot, remembering that tiny little turn in that we did, did the same again. From your left hip socket, rotate your entire left leg open, so that your front hip, your knee, your toes all point toward the top short end of your mat. And then align your front heel with the center of your back arch. Once you have all of that in place, take your left hand to your inner left thigh, close to your groin, just like we did lying down. Lengthing from your groin to your inner knee as you bend your knee right on top of your ankle.

And now trace from your outer knee to your outer hip. And when you bent this first round, if you found that your knee went ahead of your ankle, interim your foot forward a little bit more. Let's do that again. Length and from growing to inner knee, Look to see that the knee is aligning with your second toe. Trace from your outer knee to your outer hip, hug in.

One more time. Lengthen your inner thigh open. This time, keep the knee bent as you trace from your outer knee to your outer hip. Put your left hand on your cheek. Scoop your left cheek under you.

And I'm gonna turn. You stay where you are just so you have a better viewpoint of what I'm up to here. Alright? So as you draw your left tip and then under, We're doing this to help open the inner thigh and align the knee with your middle toes as opposed to drifting. This is what we call a bad idea. As you bring your left cheek under, you may notice the right thigh popped forward. So scoop and now press the front of your right fly straight back to the hamstring. If you notice that your pelvis tipped forward, scoop. Your abdomen in. I'm coming back to meet you.

Okay. Put your left hand on your inner left knee once again. We're gonna leave the hand here as a reminder to keep the knee pointing forward. As you turn open through your chest. Reach your right fingertips straight back.

Try to stick them on the wall behind you. Send your left fingertips forward. Stick them on the wall in front of you. Reach out evenly through both hands, trying to align your chest, right over your hips. And then if it feels alright in your neck, turn and gaze over your left fingertips.

This is virabhadrasana, too, warrior 2. Press into both of your feet straight in your front leg. Reach your arms up. Take your hands to your hips and parallel your feet. 2nd side, angle your left foot ever so slightly in. And from your right hip socket, this time, rotate your entire right leg open so that toes point towards the short end of your mat.

Create a line from your front heel to the center of your back arch, and then bend your right knee in line with your second toe. Trace from your groin all the way to your inner knee. Trace from outer knee to outer hip. Take a moment before we go into the second round. And if you found your knee was moving ahead of your ankle, try moving your foot forward a little more. The front one.

Do that again. Length and open from your groin to your inner knee. Look to see the knee in line with your second toe. Trace from your outer knee to your outer hip as you straighten your leg. One more round, and we'll hold this time. Again, open through your inner thigh.

Keep the knee bent, trace from outer knee to outer hip, and put your hand on your right cheek. Draw your right cheek in and under you, press your left thigh straight back. Lift through the pit of your abdomen. Place your right hand now to inner knee as a loving reminder to continue tracking your front knee with second toe. Turn open through your chest reach your left fingertip spot, stretch to the wall behind you as much as you reach to the wall in front of you.

Take a breath up the front of your body. And with your exhale ease to the top of your shoulders. Press down straight in your front leg. Reach up. Relax your arms and parallel your feet. Alright.

He'll toe them in, 1 or 2 heel toes, and then step them back together. Grab your two blocks. Here they are. And take one block I like so, off to the left. Hold on to the second block for now.

And once again, step your feet out to your wingspan distance. I'm gonna shimmy a little this way. Or as close to that as you can maintain without strain. Once you have your distance set, angle your right toes slightly in. And once again, from your left hip socket, rotate your whole left leg open.

Align your front heel with the center of your back arch And this time, just a small bend in the front knee, tiny bend. Take your block and set it at an angle between the mat and your calf so that as you straighten your leg, the block is wedged in place. And we're doing this as a little reminder to put the weight a bit more in the ball of the foot. And for my hypermobile friends out there, this keeps us from hyper extending or locking through the knee. Put your hands that your hip creases.

That place where your leg meets your pelvis. And now shift your hips back. Deep in the indent in the front hip crease. When you can't shift anymore, reach your left arm forward. Take space in your side body, and now set your left hand to the prop at the pinky side of your leg.

Adjust its placement as needed so that your hand is under your shoulder. If taking the hand to your prop is causing you to crunch through the bottom waist, rest your hand a little higher on your leg. So we're setting the height underneath the hand based on what creates even length through the sides of your waist. Take your right hand and grab the bottom side of your rib cage in how length. And as you exhale, roll the bottom side of your rib cage forward, Keep going and invite your top hand to follow skyward. Melt your shoulders away from your ears.

Press them against your back. And if it feels alright in your neck, turn and gaze toward your top hand. If this doesn't feel kind in your neck, look forward, or down instead. This is, extended Triangle pose. Press into the earth in how stands you back up, relax your arms, little bin to the front knee, grab your block, parallel your feet.

We'll move second block as well over so that it's behind your right calf this time. Angle your left toes slightly in. And from your right hip socket, rotate your whole right leg open. Align your front heel with the center of your back arch, and now I'll give a little bend to your knee. Wedge your block between your calf and the floor, straighten the legs.

You're just testing the water. So you can actually get the leg straight with the calf being pressed forward by your block. Put your hands at your hip creases. Favor the ball of your front foot as you shift your hips back and hinge. When you can't shift anymore, reach your bottom arm long.

Keep the length through your side waist as you place your right hand to the earth or a prop. Smooth your bum away from the waist, and now grab the bottom side of your rib cage with your left hand. Roll the rib cage forward. Turn open through your heart. Take your top hand up to the sky.

Melt your shoulders away from your ears and firm them against your back. Choose the gaze that works best for your neck. Either skyward, forward or down, Utica Trikonasana extended triangle pose. Press into the earth in house, stand yourself back up, relax your arms, grab the block from behind your calf. And parallel your feet.

He'll toe them in a touch and then step that last bit. Set your blocks off to the side, And then come meet me. Still facing the long edge of your mat, but coming down to your hands and your knees, pad your knees if they're tender. Step your left foot out to the left. Point your toes forward.

Uncurl your back toes. Bring your hands hip socket, rotate your left leg open so your toes point up, and then draw the heel toward you an inch or 2. Press through the ball of your foot, take it to the ground, and then set your toes down. Fill the imprint of the block against your calf, If this is too much resistance through your calf muscle, through your hamstrings, bend your knees a little or a lot. And by knees, I mean, this one, your left knee. Right? Put your hands at your hip creases deep in the indent in the left hip crease pin your right hip in. Press down in house, rise up, reach up.

Exhale lower your left hand to your thigh. Press into the earth, try to touch the ceiling. And as you exhale, send both hands toward your foot. You may notice the butt wants to wander back. Bring your hips forward.

Smooth your bum away from the waist. And now imagine you could turn your heart open to the sky. The gaze may follow skyward, forward, or down. Again, what feels best in your neck? This is Parigasana gate pose. Press down slide your left hand back up your leg.

Take both arms up. Put your hands on your hips. Come to the heel of your foot, shift your bum back a touch, place your hands down. Bring your left knee next to your right, and then step your right foot out to the side. Bring the heel a little ahead of the line of your left knee.

Firm abdomen take hands to your hips with a length and spine rise up. From your right hip socket, rotate right leg, so toes point up. Draw the heel toward you an inch or 2, and then send the ball of your foot to the ground. So we get the press of the calf up and take the pressure off of the back of the knee. Feel free to bend it as much as you need to be here without strain.

Deep in the indent in your right hip crease, as you pin your left side hip in. Root down inhale. Take both of your arms up to the sky. X. How low or right hand to your thigh. Root down, try to touch the ceiling.

And as you exhale, send your right hand down the leg, reach with your left arm. Again, if the bum wandered back, take your hips forward, smooth your butt away from your waist, and turn open through your chest, as though you could revolve your heart to the sky. Parigasana, gate pose. Press down slowly draw yourself back up root down in how both arms up. Take your hands to your hips. Bend journey. Bring it in. Come take a seat back this time.

Grab your two blankets. And if they're not already folded like so, do so. Fold so you make yourself a nice rectangle. Set that toward the back end of your map And then we'll do the same with the second. Taking your two blankets now and stagger them slightly so you create a little bit of a stair step edge at the front end.

I'm gonna take a block and set it in reaching distance near my blankets. I'll show you why in a moment. Right? Come sit on your mat right in front of that stair step edge, bend your knees, and place your feet on the ground. Lift through your heart and walk yourself back so that the blankets are supporting you.

I'm fairly short tour sewed, so my head is still on my blankets. If you are blessed with a longer torso, then I and your head is falling backwards, here's where you can add a block underneath the head to give yourself a little bit more support or an alternate option. You scoot your bum a little bit further away. So that the blanket, that top step is meeting more at the bottom border of your rib cage. So some options for you there.

Walk your shoulders underneath your chest, adding to the lift, that the blankets are already creating through your heart. And then explore any position in the legs that feels best on your lower back. You can stay right here, knees bent, feet on the ground. Maybe it feels better to stretch the legs out like we would in Shavasana. Rotate upper arms so palms face the sky and either close your eyes or find a point to softly focus on.

And as you settle into the stillness, Tracing in how all the way up the front of your body. And exhale all the way down your back body. Do that a couple times, clearing the slate. So prangayama is the 4th of the 8 limbs of yoga. Prana means life force, yamas to regulate Ayama to stretch, to extend.

1 of the major avenues that our life force travels on is the breath. So at this step of the limbs, We're focusing on breathing techniques, breathing exercises to help extend or spend our life force, our vibrancy. We'll take this flow of the breath and interrupt it slightly for a couple rounds. So breath out all the air empty the container. And then inhale this next time, just to the midsection of your ribs and paws, And then breathe in a little bit more, coloring in space below your collar bones, finding a lift and expanse through your chest, and pause.

And then exhale patiently slowly down and out your body. Trace a few rounds all the way up. And all the way back down. And if that pausing halfway was a challenge that's not welcome today, you can stick with this path all the way up and all the way back down. If you met that pause halfway with some level of ease, We'll take this in three parts this time.

So breathe out all the air empty the container. And then inhale, just to your naval center and pause, Sip in another third, filling the mid section of your rib cage, and pause. And now in how fill your torso, top full, and hold. Slowly patiently breathe out all the air. And draw a path all the way up and all the way back down.

A few times clearing the slate. And decide for yourself as we take one more round of this What feels best of service? What allows you to keep a peaceful body, a peaceful mind? Do you wanna trace all the way up and down? You can go back to two sections.

Or continue in the 3 part. Breathe out all the air. And begin as you're ready. Not you've completed your 3rd round on your own. Allow yourself to just be here for a few moments.

So this is just a little taste. Of a version of Viloma Pranayama. Veloma times is translated as against the grain. It's called wave breath or the interrupted breath. As we learn to regulate the breath, it's incredible how We can suddenly use it to energize us, to calm us down.

I invite you in your journey beyond the mat just to observe how your breath shows up at different states. How do you breathe when you're relaxed versus how you might breathe when you're anxious, or maybe you stop breathing? At times when you're overwhelmed. Being present with the flow of the breath is just another pathway to quiet the mind. If you're at ease here, please stay here as long as you'd like.

Otherwise, bend your knees, place feet on the ground, roll carefully onto your right side off of your prop. And pause for a breath or 2. And then press the earth away with your left hand. Let your head be the last thing to follow you up. Come find your cross leg seat.

Place your hands on your heart center Take a breath all the way up into your hands. Exhale down and out your body and draw your chin sweetly into your chest. Namaste. Thank you for sharing your practice.