In the Flow

Hi, and welcome to In the flow. If you've been with me through the last seven episodes of this season, A lot of these posters are gonna look very familiar, but now we're taking them and moving them a bit more on the breath. With this in mind, know that My breath pace may be different than yours. So feel free to take a little longer in things if you're still breathing in or breathing out. Or to move at a little quicker pace if you find my breath is too slow for you, right, remembering this is your practice.

Grab a blanket and have two blocks, and then come meet me at the top of your map. And just so that we're set and ready with them, put a block to either side of the front of your mat so that they're in reaching distance. In a little bit. Okay. So come stand, finding your tedasana, feet either together. If that feels a little unstable, separate your feet the distance of your front hit points instead.

Roll your inner thighs back until your feet parallel to each other. Give a lift through the pit of your abdomen and smooth your bum down. Lift through your heart. And then rotate your upper arms until your palms face forward. Either close your eyes for a moment here, or if you furrer, you can find a dristy, a point to focus on, draw breath all the way up the length of your body.

Exhile down your back body, taking your shoulders away from your ears. And onto your back. Trace that path a few times through. And as you do so, consider layering in an intention for our time together. Once you have that gathered, join your hands at heart center.

And if you'd like, you can join me in an opening nice full breath in. Lyft your chest, bow your chin, lower your arms by your sides, and blink your eyes open, taking in your space. Hi. Press down to the Four corners of your feet. And as you inhale reach up to the sky, pause at the top.

Send your left hand forward, reach your right arm straight back. Here's where it gets exciting. Swing through. See if you can get your arms moving in opposite directions and know that sometimes it doesn't go as we think it should in our minds. Go with it.

And then pause at the top. And let's do the opposite. Take your right hand forward. Reach your left arm back. Swing through.

A little yoga for your body and to tickle your mind. And then pause at the top. Press again through the Four corners of your feet. Try to touch the ceiling. And with an exhale, wait a bit forward in your feet.

Let's all bend our knees a bit through this first round, just easing into your hamstrings and back. Inhale. Maybe take hold of your blocks here. Raise the ground a bit closer to you as you stretch your heart forward. Acts how fold. And if you feel stressed through your hamstrings or lower back, bend your knees once again. And then press down in how reach your heart forward, circle your arms up and overhead, and exhale hands to your heart.

Let's take that again. Artasirayanamaskar, half sun salutation. Press down in house sweep up or upward hands pose. Exhale. Wait a little forward. Look out. Like, you're looking over a balcony as you fold into self. Utanasana intense stretch pose.

Inhale. Press your thighs back as you reach your heart straightforward. Ardutinasana half intent stretch and exhale fold it right back in. Forward fold. Press down in house, circle your arms up and overhead returning to upward hand's pose. And then x. I'll join your hands at your heart.

Let's take one more of those, and then we'll add on. Route down in house sweep up. Reach up. If you can do so without wrinkling the back of your neck, look up. Acts. How wait a little forward in your feet as you fold in half. Let your head and neck go inhale straighten your legs to a comfortable edge in your body as you reach your heart forward, and then exhale fold yourself right back in.

Press down in how rise up, reach up, maybe look up, and exhale hands to your heart. Adding on a little variation of Suriana Musgar C, sun salutations. In hell, again, lift haul. Exhale fold into south. Inhale. Stretch your heart straightforward.

Keep your heart forward and bend your knees enough to get your hands to the earth or your blocks. Step back with your right foot Set your back knee down, pat it with your blanket if it feels tender. Uncurl your toes root down, rise up. If you feel a little wobbly here, take left foot to the left, widen your base. X. I'll bring your hips forward. Take your hands to your block.

Or the mat. Pick the option that keeps length in your spine. Shift your hips back, come to the heel of your front foot, and fold to meet a comfortable edge of resistance in your body. Rebing your front knee. Keep the hands down this time as you lift through your chest. And now shift your hips back a touch and bring yourself to your hands and your knees.

Set locks to the side for a moment here. Alright. And then take your left leg straight back. Toes tucked under. Feel how in a lot of our bodies, the ribs, and the abdomen wanna spill towards the floor, which puts a lot of pressure on the low back.

So scoop the pit of your abdomen in. Draw your front ribs in and push the floor away, broadening your upper back. You may choose to stay here with your toes on the ground. If you can keep the draw of the front body in as you do so, try to lift your left leg. Notice if your hip turned open, roll the hip down.

So hip points are parallel to the floor. Big maybe. Try walking your right hand forward. And if you feel steady doing so, lift the arm. This is dandayamna Barmanasana. Balancing tabletop.

Exhale. Place your hand down. Set your knee down. Push the earth away, round it out, marjariasana cat pose, and inhale lift your heart. Beid Alasana cow. We'll come back to a neutral spine and walk your hands a few inches forward of your shoulders. Glide forward to bring your shoulders over your wrists, and then tuck your toes, lift your knees, and take your hips up and back downward facing dog.

Feel free to pedal your heels up and down a few times. Sometimes in the first down dog of the practice, We need a little movement to bring us to a place of stillness with greater ease. As you settle into the stillness, if you feel yourself rounding through your back, or you're getting stressed through the back of the legs, bend your knees and focus on the length in your spine. Step your feet a little closer to each other, Inhale lift your right leg, point your toes straight down. Exhale right knee to your nose, float shoulders over your wrists, try to step the foot between your hands.

If it doesn't get there, grab the foot. Help it the rest of the way. Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender. Take extra space, if you'd like a little more stability, and then press down in how. Reach your arms up to the sky.

Half crescent. X. I'll bring your hips forward a little bit different on this side. Place your hands on the earth or on block. Again, pick the option that lets you fully lengthen your spine. Tuck your back toes under, lift your back knee. High lunge.

Bring your right thumb to right hip crease. Guide your right hip back as you reach your heart forward. Place your right hand now on the top of your bum, right at your sacrum, that lash triangular shaped bone just above your tailbone. Stretch all the way from the tailbone to the crown of your head. Try to keep your hips level as you turn your heart to the right. You can keep your hand here the whole time, or if it feels alright in your neck and shoulders, reach your top hand up to the sky.

Bring your shoulders out of your ears. And then exhale, return right hand to the earth or your prop. Hop your back foot up to meet your front foot in how reach your chest straightforward and exhale fold in half. Press down with a long spine in house rise up, reach up, maybe look up. And exhale to your heart. 2nd side, press down in hell once again, sweep to the sky, or vahastasana.

Exhile. Fold ribs toward your thighs. Let go. Inhale. Elongate from your tailbone to the crown of head. And then exhale, bend your knees enough to get your hands securely to the earth or your props. Step back with your left foot this time.

Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender. Again, if you like the stability, extra space creates, move right foot over to the right a touch. Rude down in how rise up, reach up, and exhale shift forward. Take hands to the earth or back to your props. Shift your hips back until left hip is on top of left knee straightened through your right leg. Lyft your heart, elongate through your spine.

Drag your heel toward your butt and fold to a comfortable edge. If you were at that edge upright, stay upright. Alright. Rebing your front knee. Coming into low lunge, hands stay on the earth or on your props, and then take your hips back a bit. Slide your front foot back.

Set blocks to the side. And then keep going with the right leg, like you're in plank pose with your left knee down. Plant hands right under the shoulders and grip the earth a little bit with your fingertips to move away from the wrists. Draw your whole front body in until you get supportive lengths through your back body. You can keep your toes down the whole time.

If you can do so without dunking into your lower back, explore lifting the right leg. And notice my heel didn't make it all the way to the height of my bum. I'm just going far enough to get a wake up through my glutes, through my hamstrings. From there, maybe you crawl your left hand forward. And if you feel steady from that point, reach your arm forward.

Push the floor away with your right hand. And then exhale, left hand down. Left toes down, left knee down. Push the floorway round through your back, cat pose, Inhale up the front of your body, draw your heart through your arms, cow pose. Come back to a neutral spine, tabletop And then again, walk your hands about 3 inches forward of your shoulders. Glide forward. Bring shoulders over your wrists.

Lift your heart. X how tuck your toes, lift your knees. As you press your thighs straight back, try to bring your front ribs and abdomen in, just like we did in our table Step your feet a little closer to each other. Inhale, lift your left leg, point your toes straight down. Exhale.

Left knee toward your nose, float shoulders over your wrists. Try to step the foot between your hands. Another option, if it didn't get there on its own, set your back knee down. We're all going here anyway. And then grab the foot, bring it forward the rest of the way. Right? If you haven't already, join us back knee down, uncurl your toes.

Press down in how Rise up, reach up, Arda, Anjanayasana, Half Crescent. Axial hips forward, If you take your hands down and find your rounding through your back, find your blocks once again, bring the ground to you. Tuck your back toes under. Lift your knee. Hook your left thumb this time to your left hip crease.

Steer your left hip back in line with your right as you reach your heart straightforward. Take your left hand to the top of your bum and, again, get longer through all four sides of your torso. Try to keep your hips level as you revolve your chest to the left. If you can do so without strain through the neck, through the shoulders, maybe you stretch your top hand skyward. Bring your shoulders out of your ears, firm them against your back.

And then exhale. Both hands down. Hop your back foot up to meet your front foot. Inhale. Maybe you take hands lightly to the shins or fingertips in line with your toes.

X. How fold yourself forward? Let your head and your neck go. Rude into the earth, reach up to the sky, and exhale. Take your hands to your heart. Relax your arms by your sides.

You may feel you've built a little bit of heat. Maybe I'm just talking for myself here. You can set your blocks down wide behind you. Like so, just so that they're in reaching distance, if you decide you'd like to use them through the standing series. Bring your feet together, coming to face one of the long edges of your map.

Bring your fingertips together at the height of your heart. Give a little bin to your knees. You can step or mindfully, hop your feet out wide. Make adjustments as needed so that your toes are on the same line with each other. And all of your toes point straight forward. And that's the goal. Right?

Once you have your distance set, roughly wingspan, lower your arms down. Angle your right toes slightly in. From your left hip socket, rotate your whole left leg open, and draw a line from your front heel to the center of your back arch. Bend your right knee and sorry. This is your left knee.

Bend your left knee in line with your second toe. Stack your knee right on top of your ankle or slightly behind. If the knee is moving beyond the ankle, it's an invitation to maybe Take your stance a little wider. Scoop your abdomen in and square your chest to the long end of your mat. Press into the earth in how sweep up to the sky.

X, how lower right back in to Veera Badrasana 2, warrior 2. Do that one more time. Press into both feet. Reach up. Sweep up. X. I'll rebend your knee lower in.

Hold here. Little something new. Rotate front arm so your palm faces the sky. Take your right hand to your back leg. And now reach back.

Slide your right hand down the leg as you stretch the left arm to the wall behind you. And how brings you back up? Straighten through your front leg. Let your arms rest for a moment here. Give him some dove.

Okay. Enough rest. For weight heavier to the ball of your front foot. Shift your hips back. When you can't shift or reach any more, take your left hand to the earth or to a prop at the pinky side of your leg.

Briefly put your top hand on your hip. If you feel yourself crunching in your low back, like I'm doing right now, bring your abdomen in. Like you're putting little tiny suspenders on. Stretch now from navel to top of sternum, and then revolve open through your chest. Take your top hand to the sky.

Bring both shoulders, especially the bottom one, away from your ears, firming them against your back. If it feels alright in your net, take your dristy, your point of focus to the sky. Otherwise, explore looking forward or down what feels best in your neck. This is Utitetrickonasana, extended triangle posts. Press into the earth and how stand it back up. Relax your arms and parallel your feet.

Angle your left toe slightly in. And from your right hip socket, rotate your entire right leg open. Align your front heel with the center of your back arch and then bend your right knee in line with your second toe. Scoop your right cheek under you as you press your left thigh straight back. Draw the pin of your abdomen in.

Leave your hips right where they are, and try to square your chest to the long end of your mat. Open your arms out to the sides and invite your gaze sweetly over your right fingertips. This is verabhadrasana 2, warrior 2. Press into both of your feet straight in your front leg. Reach up to the sky. X.

I'll lower back in. Do that again. Press down in. How come up and out. Ex how lower and stay. Rotate your front arm so your palm faces the sky, bring left hand to your back thigh.

Reach it back. Reverse your worries. Viprita vera badrasima. And then inhale come back upright. Straighten your leg and relax your arms.

Keep your front leg straight. Pour your weight a little heavier to the ball of your front foot to protect the back of your knee, and then bring your arms back out to the sides. Stay a touch heavier in the ball of your front foot as you shift your hips back and reach out over your front leg. When you can't shift or reach anymore, take your right hand to the earth, a prop, a block, a chair, higher on your leg, go to where you need to in order to create even length through the sides of your waist. Put your little suspenders on, scoop your abdomen in. And then leaving your hips where they are, stretch long through your spine, turn open through your chest. Again, trying to square your chest to the long edge of your mat just like we did in our warrior too.

If it feels alright in your neck, look toward the sky. Otherwise, look forward or straight down. This is extended triangle pose. Press into the earth in house, stand back up. Relax your arms and parallel your feet. Bring them in one heel toe.

So that we're just shy of our wingspan distance. Reach for your blocks. And set them down in front of you. Just so that they're in reaching distance, if you decide you'd like to use them. Look at your feet and adjust as needed so they are actually paralleled all of your toes point straightforward, adjust so that your knees point straightforward.

Take your hands to your hips, and heal all the way up the front of your body, open your chest. And as you exhale, send your weight a little forward in your feet, hinge from your hips fold in half. You can place your hands to the earth or if getting there causes you to round through your back or it's pulling on your hamstrings, bring the ground to you. Put your hands on blocks at any height that allows you length and purposeful effort as opposed to strain. Feel in your body if your weight has rocked back into your heels. Imagine a wall was right at the back of your legs, shift forward until your outer hips are more aligned with your outer ankles.

From that place, reach your heart straightforward, elongate through your spine, and, again, hinge from your hips fold in. If you can maintain the length through your spine in your legs and do so. Maybe you walk your hands and or blocks back a little more in line with your feet. Separate your hand, shoulder distance, and point all of your fingers straightforward. Hug your arms in.

As you lengthen the crown of your head toward the earth, lift your shoulders away from your ears. This is prasorita, a wide leg forward fold. In how reach your chest forward, walk your hands and or blocks forward. Giving yourself the height you need in order to get full length through your spine. Bring your left hand and or block right underneath your face, take your right hand, place it on your sacrum just like we did in our high lunge.

Scratch from tailbone to crown of head. And with your ex, how maybe you revolve your chest to the right? Bring your bottom shoulder out of your ear. Your hand can stay where it is the whole time, or if you can do so without strain to neck or shoulder, take your top hand to the sky. Parevita Prasarita Padotanasana, revolved wide leg forward fold.

And exhale hand right back to the block. Again, lengthen through all four sides of your torso. Bring your hand and or block the right one this time right underneath your face. Place your left hand to the top of your bum. Stretch from tailbone to crown of head.

Keep your hips as level as you can manage as you revolve naval rib cage and chest to the left. Mount shoulders away from your ears and stretch your heart toward your head. If and when you're ready, take your top hand skyward. Revolved wide leg forward fold, and act how bring your hand back down. A brief fold in. Let your head and neck go, and then inhale.

Take your chest straightforward. Firm your abdomen, take your hands to your hips, broaden your chest, root down, and with a long spine, rise up. He'll toe your feet in a touch, and then step that last bit together. Take your blocks with you. Set them in reaching distance at the top of your mat in case you'd like them through this transition.

Bring your hands to your heart center sit heavy to your heels. Bend your knees as you circle your arms overhead. Chair pose or in more literal translation fierce pose. Bring your abdomen in a little bit more. Lift your chest, and feel free to take your arms as hide as you need to bring your shoulders out of your ears.

Press down, stand up, lower your arms by your sides. Let you in on a secret, my least favorite post, but it's really good for us. So if you were not feeling that, you're not alone. Alright. Grab your blanket.

Just been sitting here waiting for its moment in the sun. Here it is. Roll your blanket. And then set that blanket down in the center of your mat. I'm gonna bring a block just a little bit closer. I'm gonna bring its friend as well because we may discover we want a little bit more support.

Take your heels onto your blanket roll. So it feels like you're standing on tippy toe a little bit here with support. Separate your feet for today. A touch wider than the outer border of your hips. And now sit heavy into the heels of your feet and lower your bum.

Putting a little bit height underneath our heels as we come into this yogi squat, Malasana, Garland pose, for many of us will take the pressure off of the knee joint. If you're like, that it's not a thing that's true for me, you can take your two blocks and stack them and set them underneath your bum. So we do a little combination of both so you can take your weight back a little bit further. Bring your elbows to your inner thighs. Take your palms to touch.

And now bring your forearms as close to parallel to the floor as you can manage without strain through your wrists or your inner thighs. Keep a connection through the ball of your big toe as much as the pinky toe. And then lift your heart and open your chest. Take a full breath into your back body. Exhale as though you could out in all directions.

And now place your hands down. If your butt is not on a block, you can sit all the way to your bum from here. If you are on a block rock, forward a little bit for a moment. Remove the blocks from below you so that you can get your bum down. Set blocks to the sides once again.

Set your blanket to the side. Thank you for your service blanket. Much appreciated. Okay. Ah, now place your feet on the ground. Just in front of you.

Take your hands straightforward. Before we roll back. If you put your blocks way forward, like I did, bring it back so it's closer to your hands here. Roll all the hole the way down. A little love for the core as we come to meet the ground. Walk your heels toward your bum.

If you can raise your heels with your fingertips, don't come in any closer than that. We're looking for the place where it feels like the knees are a little closer to aligned over the ankles. Spin your inner thighs forward and down, and scoop the pit of your abdomen in. Press into the back of your arms, walk your shoulders under your chest, and notice how most of us lost the scoop through the abdomen. Can you maintain the lift of your heart? And then again, scoop the pit of your abdomen in.

Press into your heels lift your hips. And now slide your block underneath your sacrum. Again, that last triangular shape bone, just above your tailbone, at any height that feels stable in your body. Press into the back of your arms, once again, walk shoulders under your chest, and then rotate your arms so that your palms face the sky as you lower them down by your sides. You may stay right here. If you have any major issue with pressure behind the eyes, like glaucoma, unmedicated high blood pressure.

If you're on the 1st few days of your cycle, stay here. Feed on the ground. If you're not on that list, and you would like today to explore a little supported in version here, Pick up your left foot, pick up your right foot, and stack your knees in line with your hips. And you could stay right here with knees aligned over the hip especially if you carry a little more tension for your glutes or your hamstrings. Otherwise, maybe you explore straightening your legs. Reach up through the balls of the feet and try to draw your toes down towards you.

So I think about this, like, a barbie foot. Poor Barbie always in her heels, even when she takes her shoes off. Right? If you brought the legs up, notice if you lost the lift through your heart. Keep walking your shoulders under your chest. And then exhale. Rebend your knees.

Set your left foot down, and then your right foot down. Pause a moment here. And then press into the Four corners of your feet, lifting your hips just enough to slide the block out from underneath you. Roll back to the mat. One little bone at a time. Scoot your hip over to the right a few inches, so you're a little crooked on your mat.

And then bringing your right knee into your chest. Stretch your left leg long. Leave your left hand on the knee. Open your right arm straight out to the right And as you exhale roll all the way onto your outer left tip and bring your right knee across the body. And if you're experiencing pulling through your low back, through your SI joints, or aggravation through your knee, as you come to the side here, don't worry about trying to get the knee all the way to the ground.

In fact, I like to use my left hand, like a kickstand, under the knee for support. If you're at ease, taking the right foot to the ground here, honor that. Right? Breathe into your lower back. And with the exhale, imagine your body being wrung out like a towel.

As the lower half spins to the left, your upper half spins to the right. And if it feels alright in your neck, turn and gaze to the right. So our final of the eight limbs of yoga is Samadhi. Complete absorption. Inhale.

Come back center. Put your right foot down. Bend your left knee. Scoop your hips back into the midline. And now shift them over to the left several inches so you're crooked on your mat in the opposite direction.

Bring your left knee into your chest. Stretch your right leg out long. Leave your right hand on your left knee and open your left arm to the side. Bring your left knee across your body. And, again, if letting this foot come down or the knee come down, it's pulling through your back, the back of your pelvis, or even your chest, Give yourself a kickstand of support.

I like to just place my hand underneath the inner thigh, inner knee. The same can be done with a prop if you have one handy nearby. Breathe into your back. And again, imagine your body being wrung out like a towel. It was described to me once that Darana practice and concentration was, like, dripping oil into a bowl. Not a steady pour.

There's a little bit of interrupt and our focus, but we keep coming back to it again and again. In how come back center, put your foot down, binge your right knee and scoot your hips back into the midline of your mat. Bring your knees nice and close to your chest for one last hug, Apanasana. If the pressure against the abdomen is not kindness in your body, separate your knees, frame your rib cage a little more. And with your next exhale, place your feet back down.

If you're looking more to the wall behind you, instead of up to the sky, consider grabbing your folded blanket and placing it underneath your head to create a little pillow of support. If the low back is tender with leg stretched long, bend your knees, separate your feet as wide as your mat, turn your toes slightly in and allow your knees to fall in. Otherwise, stretch your legs out long. Take your feet a bit wider than your side hips and allow your feet to flop open. Walk your shoulders underneath your chest.

Welcoming that subtle lift to your heart. Rotate your arms so your palms face the sky. As you rest them long by your sides. And either close your eyes or if you prefer, Find a point to softly focus on. Shavasana.

So if Darana, the 6th limb of yoga was like the drip drip drip of oil into a bowl. The constant pour is Dionna. Dionna means meditation, and meditation is just extended periods of concentration. No interruption in the flow. So as we reach this 8th limb Samadhi, there is nothing left to drip There is nothing left to pour.

In fact, it's not even that the bowl is now filled with oil. It's that that wooden bowl has absorbed the oil. There is nothing left to be known. There is complete understanding, complete absorption, And so just as we took the flow of this practice to bring together, many of the concepts explored through the series. And the Samad is the culmination of much as what has led us to this point.

Much of the things that came before, many of the things that came before, in our eight limbs. We grow subtler and subtler. Until there is no separation between meditator the practice of meditation, and the objects of our inquiry, of our meditation. We are 1. That's always if you're at ease and you'd like to stay longer here in your Shavasana, Give yourself the time you need.

No rush. Otherwise, bring your awareness back to your hands, to your feet, maybe giving a little wiggle, a little movement. If you haven't already, bend your knees, place your feet on the ground. Stretch your arms overhead, length, and through the sides of your waist. And as you exh, how long to your side.

Make a pillow with your arm and pause a few breaths Feel the earth below you. Thank it for its support. And then lovingly press the floor away. Look to the earth. Make your way to seated.

Bring your hands together at heart center lift your chest. We bow our chins and gratitude for all this beautiful body does for us every day. Namaste. Thank you for sharing your practice.