A Shift in Perspective

Hi, and welcome to a shift in perspective. For today's practice, grab two blankets, and two blocks, and some wall space we'll use throughout. We'll begin in practice today standing. Bring your right hip about your forearms distance from the wall. And in fact, place your hand on the wall, bring your wrist level with your elbow so that your forearm is parallel to the ground.

And if you get here on your wrist as really unhappy about this shape, instead of palm up, you can always make a fist with your hand and put your knuckles on the wall instead. Roll your inner thighs back until your feet parallel to each other, and then scoop the pit of your abdomen in and smooth the flush of your bum down. Creating some supportive length for your lower back. Lift through your heart center and roll your shoulders onto your back. Rotate your left arm externally so that your palm faces forward, and then press down to the Four corners of your feet reach your left arm in line with your ear.

Shift your hips away from the wall as you send your fingertips toward the wall. Continue to stand as evenly as you can through both feet. And again, smooth your bum away from your waist. Slowly rotate your torso as though you're trying to turn your heart open to the sky as you wrap your outer arm down toward your face. And then press down in how draw yourself back upright. And as you exhale, lower your left arm down by your side.

Take your right hand now. Move it a little higher. So the hand is about the height of your shoulder, and then step out until your arm is fully straight. Spread your fingers evenly wide. And again, if the wrist says no, thank you. Make a fist with your hand.

Put your knuckles on the wall with your thumb up. Imagine your arm here in one of those blood pressure cuffs Can you firm the muscles of your upper arm? See if you can wake your bicep and your tricep. And then come back to your foundation. Press through the Four corners of your feet, spin your inner thighs back, bring your abdomen in, and lift your chest. We begin from Tedasana.

Right? Leave your right hand where it is, and I'll turn your body away from the wall. Only as far as you can go without strain. So as you meet your comfortable edge of resistance, Notice if your shoulder head, the top of your upper arm rolled in. The answer is yes. Lift through the center of your chest.

Broaden across your collarbone and then spin your outer upper arm down and in so you get some freedom of space here through the side of your neck. Focus your breath into the right side of your chest and exhale as though you could through the length of your arm into the wall. And exhale, walk yourself back to where you started and lower your arm down. And pause a moment here. Maybe even close your eyes and observe the two sides of your body from within.

You may feel the right shoulder is a hair lower than your left shoulder. We're gonna even things out. Turn your body so that your left hip is now toward the wall, right hip away from the wall. Bring your left hand to the wall and walk in. So you're just your forearms distance away.

Bring your wrist level with your elbow, draw a right angle with your left arm. Spin your inner thighs back until feet parallel. Smooth the flush of your bum down to elongate your lower back as you lift through the top of your chest. From your right shoulder socket, rotate your right arm until your palm faces forward. And then press evenly through both feet and how reach your right arm up in line with your ear.

As you act how shift your hips a bit away from the wall and reach your fingertips toward the wall. And it's okay if your hand doesn't actually touch the wall, just continue to stretch in that direction. If your ribs poked out, if you find yourself crunching in your low back, again, smooth your bum down and draw your front ribs in. Lift your heart center. Revolve your torso, like you could turn your heart up to the sky. And if it feels alright in your neck, let your gaze follow.

As you continue to open heart to the sky, wrap your outer arm down toward your face, like you're trying to hide your armpit. And then press down in house. Stand yourself back up. Lower your right arm down by your side. Bring your left hand to about the height of your shoulder, and step out until your arm is straight.

Again, find your Tedasana on your foundation. Feed can be together or hip distance. What's more stable? Roll your inner thighs back, draw your bum down, and bring your abdomen in. Firm the muscles of your upper arm, like you're trying to hug the bone from either side.

Leave your left hand where it is. And then take your time as you turn to the right. So pausing in the place where you're getting a purposeful stretch without any strain, without any pulling. If your shoulder head is rolling forward, lift the center of your heart, broaden your collarbone and spin your outer left arm down toward the floor until you create open space and freedom for your neck. Breathe in to the left side of your chest and exhale as though you could through the length of your arm and into the wall.

And walk yourself back to where you started. Lower your left arm down and take a moment to feel the potential drape of your shoulders. If they're resting on your back, like a beautiful coat on a clothes hanger. Right? Okay.

So Come to the top of your mat away from your wall. Give yourself a little bit of space. Bring your feet together, or again hip distance. The low back is tender, consider taking a little bit more space. Roll your inner thighs back until your toes point forward.

Bring your abdomen in and take the time to draw your bum down. Lift through your heart and then rotate upper arms so your palms face full word. Breathe into the space you just created at the wall. Root down through all four corners of your feet in house sweep your arms up and over head, ordva hastasana. Acts, how shift weight a little forward in your feet hinge from your hips.

Please feel free to bend the knees if you're feeling stress or strain for your hamstrings or lower back. And then inhale to fingertips or hands lightly on your shins as you draw your chest straight forward. Keep your heart forward. Bend your knees enough to get your hands down And then step back with your right foot. Step back with your left foot, bringing yourself into a plank pose top of a push up. Feel free to put your knees down for added support as needed.

Otherwise, press back through your heels to firm your thighs as you smooth your bum away from your waist. Shift forward. Again, maybe here is where the knees could be of service. Bend your elbows right on top of your wrist and see if you can land your abdomen in your chest at the same time. Brush your toes back, hug your outer ankles in.

Imagine you were standing on tippy toe here. Take your hands and place them on the top of your bum. Point your fingertips toward the wall. Use your hands to smooth your bum away from your waist so much that maybe the navel comes lightly away from the ground. I have a teacher that used to talk about making a little path for a ladybug to crawl right underneath there.

Keep your hands in place try to draw your chest forward and broaden your collar bones, like you could bring your elbows to touch. Know that you won't go very high with the hands in place here. And that's okay. Work to keep the length of your low back, and now stretch your hands toward the wall behind you. Read your heart forward. Shalabasana Locust Post.

X. I'll set it down. Give yourself a moment to rest. The forehead can rest on the ground, or you can turn to rest on one cheek. We'll explore that shape once more. Roll your inner thighs up so your pinky toenail connects to the mat as you hug your outer ankles in.

Without the aid of the hands, can you once again, smooth your bum away from your waist and scoop your abdomen in? Rotate your upper arms now so that your palms face down, come onto your fingertips like you had tennis balls below your palms. Keep the smooth of your bum away from your waist. Reach your heart forward and up and smile with your collar bones. This time, reach back through your feet so much to come lightly away from the mat. Again, spin your inner thighs up.

Maybe you hover hands off the mat, stretch your body in opposing directions. And exhale, set yourself back down. Bring your hands back alongside your rib cage. Set your wrists right underneath your elbows. Tuck your toes under, sculpt your abdomen in, and press yourself to your hands and your knees.

X. I'll lift your knees. And press your thighs toward the wall behind you. Straighten your arms and get as even in length as you can through all four sides of your torso. Downward facing dog. In how high to tippy toes, exhale deep bend to your knees.

Look toward your hands and walk your feet up to meet them. Inhale, either slide fingertips in line with toes, or take hands lightly to your shins. Pick the option that lets you fully reach your chest forward. And then exhale hinge from your hips fold ribs toward your thighs. Root down. Use your inhale to circle your arms up and overhead.

Reach to the sky, or, and exhale join your hands at your heart. Equal standing, Tarasana. Grab one of your blocks, and set yourself up here. With your feet, we can spend distance apart. And the pinky edge of your foot let's say about 6 inches from the wall.

So about the length of your block. Angle your left toes slightly in, And from your right hip socket, rotate your entire right leg open so that your toes, your knee, your hip all face toward the wall. Create a clean line from your front heel to the center of your back arch. Put the block into your right hand, and now binge your right knee, wedge your block between your shin just below the knee and the wall. Adjust your distance as needed so that the knee is on top of your ankle or slightly behind the ankle.

And your thigh gets us close to parallel to the floor as your growing muscles will allow without strain. So the work of the block here is to help bring the weight a little bit more into the heel of the foot so that we take pressure off the front of the knee joint. Okay? With the block helping to stabilize us, even here, bring your right hip in and under and lengthen from your groin all the way to your inner knee. Hold on to the work in the front leg as you straighten through your back leg.

Scoop your abdomen in. Draw your bum straight down. Leave your hips as they are. Try to square your chest to the long end of your mat, and now take your right hand to the wall. Just depending on the proportions of your body, it might be your fingertips there, maybe your whole palm meets like mine does.

Reach your left arm back. Try to stick your other hand to the wall behind you. If you get there, what sort of go go gadget magic do you have? Just asking. Imagine it. Right? Reach evenly through both hands.

And maybe invite your gaze toward the wall. Verabradrasana 2, warrior 2. Grab your block straighten through your front leg and parallel your feet. He'll toe them in, maybe one heel toe, and then step your feet together the rest of the way. We'll do the same thing on the second side.

So turn your body around so that your left hip is toward the wall. Separate your feet roughly your wingspan distance. And for most of us, about 6 inches from the outer edge of your left foot to the wall. Engle your right toes slightly in. And from your left hip socket this time, rotate your entire left leg open.

Align your front heel with the center of your back arch. Take the block in your left hand. Bend your left knee and wedge the block between your shin just below the knee and the wall. Adjust your distance from the wall as needed so that the knee is either right on top of your ankle or slightly behind. You can move the right foot of hair back to help set up the distance so that your front thigh can get as close to parallel to the floor as your anatomy will allow without strain.

Draw your left hip under you and lengthen from your groin all the way to your inner knee. Keep the work in the front leg as you straighten through your back leg. Bring your abdomen in to support your low back. Leave your hips as they are, and try to turn your torso parallel to the long end of your mat. Take your left hand to the wall, push the wall away, to bring your chest aligned over your hips, and then reach your right fingertips back.

Imagine you could go go gadget your right arm to the wall behind you. Just in case you didn't watch Inspector Gadget, I'm not just making stuff up, or am I? Gotta keep the mystery alive. Gaze toward the wall. Take one more full breath up the length of your body. Ex.

I'll relax your arms. Grab your block straighten through your front leg and parallel your feet. Give them one heel toe in, and then step your feet back together again. Grab both of 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. Bring your feet together.

Bring your fingertips together. Make sure you're far enough away from the wall that you don't touch it here, and then give a little bin to your knees. Step or mindfully, hop your feet out wide. Maybe you go just a hair, narrower than your wings span this time. Bring your hands to your hips, and parallel through your feet.

Draw the top of your bum down. Lift the pit of your abdomen in. Keep that connection here and then lift through your heart center. Open your chest. X house shift your weight a little forward in your feet this time. And then hinge from your hip creases fold in.

Place your hands to the earth or to props. Choose the option that allows you lengthen your spine and length through your legs. Rock your weight a little bit ahead of your heels. So favoring the ball of the foot in straight leg poses, especially when we fold in, helps to relieve some of the pressure and strain through the back of your knee. If it is a kindness to your body to stay here with the heart straightforward, honor that stay here.

Is again hinge from your hips fold in. Length in the crown of your head toward the earth. And maybe if the gap in space between the top of your head and the floor can be made up by the height of one of your block, or both of your blocks, put your head on the block, the to be top of it. And then walk your hands back until they're a bit more in line with your feet. Separate your hand, shoulder distance, point your fingers forward, and wrap your outer arms in toward each other.

As you lengthen the crowd of your head toward the floor or toward your block, lift your shoulders up and away from your ears. Prasarita, a wide leg forward fold. Walk your hands a bit forward. Reach your chest straightforward. If you're not already there, find that halfway lift like Artotanasana.

Firm your abdomen, take your hands to your hips, broaden your chest, root down hinge from your hips to come upright. Take your arms open to the sides. Interlace your hands behind you. You stay as you are. I'm gonna turn so you can see the side of my body for a moment here.

Bing your elbows and rest your thumbs at the top of your bum. Direct your tailbone down and scoop your abdomen in, like we've been exploring throughout. Lift through your heart center and wrap your outer arms back toward each other. Find width through your chest. From here, slowly try to straighten the arms as you lift through your heart.

If you're trying and trying and it's not happening, the arms feel stuck or you're pulling or aggravating through your chest, or the top of your shoulders. Instead, put your hands on your hips and focus on wrapping your arms back toward each other the whole time. Alright. Coming back to meet you here. In hell, lift your heart, open your chest, maybe allow your gaze to follow a bit skyward. Shift your weight once again, slightly ahead of your heels.

Folden. If you start to round through your back, bend your knees to help you keep the length in your spine as you send your knuckles toward the sky. Your block is in place there for some of us, in which case the crown of the head can come to meet it once again. If you found or find that you're sinking back into your heels once more, reach your heart straightforward, elongate from tailbone to crown, I've had Think about locust pose, that Shalabasana, we took lying on the front body. Keep the length in your spine hinge from your hips fold right back in.

Draw breath up the back of the legs at tell us, though you could, down the length of your spine, out the crown of your head. And then root into the earth, reach your heart straight forward your knuckle straight back hinge from your hips, stand yourself upright. If you get a little dizzy in that transition, Take your hands up for a moment just to give yourself a reset. And then as you're ready, hands to your hips, He'll toe your feet in a touch, and then step them back together. Come on down to your map.

And you can set your blocks to the side. Turn to face the wall, and take your toesies up the wall. Bring the ball of your foot to the ground, the heels to the ground, parallel your feet to each other, and separate them about the distance of your front hip points. Scoot your bum toward your heels as best you can manage without pain or strain. And then lie on your back.

So the toes up the wall here is giving a little lift in activation for the arches of the feet. It's also another way to help us put the weight, a hair more into our heels, that we take some of the pressure off the front of the knee joint. Bend at your elbows make little robot arms so your fingertips point up to the sky. Press into the back of your arms, walk your shoulders underneath your chest, finding a lift through your heart. Maintain the lift as you scoop your lower belly in and elongate through your lower back.

Press into your heels. Press into your arms. Lift your hips. Try to spin your inner thighs toward the floor to keep your knees pointing straight forward. As you smooth your bum now towards the back of your knees.

And then exhale roll right back down to the mat one little bone at a time. Now if you felt any pressure or discomfort to the front of the knees, it may be a sign that we scooted the bum in a little too close. You can explore scooting your bum a little further away from your heels as we come into the second round. Bing your elbows once again. Walk your shoulders under your chest.

Get the lift through your heart. Scoop your lower belly in your front hip points toward your bottom ribs, direct the tip of your tailbone up. Press down through your heels. Press down through your arms. Lift your hips.

You may stay right here. Perhaps you straighten your arms on the mat, Interlace your hands below you. Switch to the less natural grip this time. Walk your shoulders under your chest a little bit more. And spin inner arm toward outer arms so that if your fingers weren't interlaced, you'd be rotating your arms until your palms faced up.

And exhale roll right back to the mat. One little bone at a time. Roll on to whatever side feels most natural in this moment. And then press the floor away, bringing yourself up to seated. So this next little piece, you may want to watch one time through and then hit rewind and come in with me. There's a few steps that are worth taking a look see at if this is newer to your practice.

So we're going to explore a little inversion today. I shouldn't say a little inversions, a big inversion, but with some loving support from our wall. Salamba Sarvangasana, supported shoulder stand. Take your two blankets. Make sure that they're neatly folded and take the folded edge of the blanket near the center of your mat, point the fringe edge of your blanket toward the wall. And we'll do the same thing with the second one. Right?

Make sure the fold is nice and clean. Set folded edge right on top of folded edge. Fringe edge with fringe edge. I then take the side of my mat that's touching the wall, and I fold that end over. A good two thirds to three quarters of the way up so that I still have some free and clear blanket space here.

This will help my me walk my shoulders underneath without so much resistance of the sticky mat. I'm then going to take the whole setup And I'll slide it in about 6 inches away from the wall. Look at my torso for a moment. Is very short. This is a crop top, but you might not know it because it meets the top of my pants.

So if you're looking at the size of my torso and thinking, yours is longer than mine is. Give yourself a little bit more space. And this is sometimes the most challenging part of this shape. It's just setting up our distance properly. Please take your time with it. Come up and out of it as many times as you need until you get this set.

A helpful way to check this, come sit to one side of your blanket set up. And lie on your side. Try to get your cheeks right against the wall and put the side of your shoulder down. So that you can eyeball here that the top of your shoulder is about an inch a half to 2 inches from the neat folded edge of your blankets. If that's not what's happening when your butt is at the wall, if your shoulders are going past this folded edge, it means move your blankets a little further away.

If you're, like, 3 or 4 inches away, it means move your setup a little bit closer. Once you have the distance properly set, for your body. And again, you can pause me, work the spit out, spin yourself around, taking your legs up the wall, adjust a little as needed so that the back of your head is on the floor. And the top of your shoulders, again, is about an inch a half to 2 inches from the neat folded edge of your blankets. We're looking to find a little tunnel of space below the neck. Like, I could drive a little toy car right under there. So my neck is off of my blankets, and my neck is off of the floor.

It takes a little bit in the setup, but the reason for the blankets here is help us maintain the natural curve of the neck so that we're not stressing or over flexing through the back of the neck. And then just like we did, setting up to go into bridge pose, binge your elbows, and bring the back of your arms to the mat. Bend your knees just enough to get the base of the feet on the wall. So we're not aiming for a right angle here. Again, just enough to get the base of your feet on the wall. Press into your arms, walk your shoulders a little underneath your chest.

And, again, just like we did in bridge pose, press into arms press into your heels, lift your hips, smooth the flush of your bum toward the back of your knees. Interlace your hands below you. And walk your shoulders underneath your chest, adding to the lift of your heart. Bend your elbows. Put your hands on your upper back.

Press the back of your head gently into the mat to help wake up the muscles along your neck. As you get a little bit more on the top of your shoulders. Now you may get here and say, you may come up and taste it and come right back down. Perhaps you take one leg up. Reach through the ball of the foot, and try to bring your ankle in line with your outer hip. If you feel steady in your body from here, maybe you take both feet up.

They get very interested in what's going on back behind you, there's nothing for you there. I swear. Press your hands into your back. Press your thighs toward the wall as you reach up through the balls of your feet. When you're ready to leave, rebind one knee, rebind the other.

Release your hands and roll yourself back to the mat. One little bone. At a time. Scoot your body back. Until your shoulder blades come off of your blankets.

But your back ribs, the lower back ribs, I should say, and the back of your pelvis are still supported. Once the shoulders and arms are free and clear, open your arms out to the sides and take any position in your legs that feels best on your back body. And something one of us should have mentioned before we started this adventure, that one is probably Me? Let's call her Ashley. If you have unmedicated high blood pressure, if you have any issue with pressure behind the eyes. If you're on the 1st 2 days of your cycle or if for any other reason, It's not a great idea for you to have your legs higher than your heart or your head below your heart, I should say.

Instead of coming on this adventure, just stick with your legs up the wall. So once we've had a few cycles of breath to rest here and what is sometimes referred to as soft Matsayasana, soft fish pose, rebend your knees, place your feet on the wall, Roll carefully onto your side off of your blankets. Press the top hand into the floor. And bring yourself upright. Okey dokey.

Let's clear our map. So slide your mat a little further away from the wall once again. Open the mat back out. Set your blankets off to the side. Teaching yoga is really just about prop management in case you didn't know.

You've got the inside scoop now. Like, it's off to the side. And then come meet me lying down. Bring your right knee into your chest. Take your right foot across it past your left thigh.

Flex your right foot as you open your right hip, you may stay right here. Perhaps you pick up the left foot. And if you can do so without aggravating your left knee, either interlace your hands behind your left leg. Or if you have a towel nearby, you can always use a towel to give yourself more length of space to explore here. Breathe generously into your outer right hip.

And exhale. Left foot, right back to the earth. Keep your legs in this thread the needle setup. And then scoot your hips over to the right a few inches so you're a little crooked on your mat. Lower your legs to the left so that outer left thigh meets the earth, and right foot comes to stand on the earth.

Take your left hand to your inner thigh. Lovable press the root of the thigh away from you. Open your right arm to the right. And if it feels alright in your neck, turn and gaze to the right. So this is Arta Jatthara, parivartanasana, Half belly churning pose, with legs in suture andrasana, eye of the needle, or thread the needle pose.

In how come back center. Scoot your hips back into the midline. Bring your right knee briefly to your chest. And set your left foot down. Bring your left knee in.

Take your left foot across it past your right thigh. Flex to the foot to help protect your knee. You can stay right here. If you can do so without aggravating the left knee, maybe you pick up your right foot. Either hold on to the back of your leg or again.

If you have a towel nearby, you can always take it behind your thigh. Give yourself that added space to work with. Take a full breath into your outer left hip and exhale. Set your right foot down. Scoop your hips over to the left a few inches.

And with an exhale, lower your legs. Thoughtfully to the right. So outer right thigh meets the mat, and left foot comes to stand on the mat. Take your right hand to the root of your inner left thigh. Gently press the root of the leg away. Open left arm to the left.

And if it feels right in your neck, turn and gaze to the left. So a shift in perspective, working inversions, these poses where we again, have head below the heart, and the act of going upside down gives us a literal shift in perspective. The 7th limb of yoga, Dionna, It's often translated as meditation. In some ways, this is, in and of itself, a huge shift in our perspective. Inhale.

Come back center. Scoot your hips. Back into the midline. Bring your left knee into your chest, and then set your left foot down. Draw the right knee back in, your left knee back in.

Separate your knees. Bring your arms inside your legs and grab front chin or pinky edge of foot for happy baby pose. Take a full breath in. Stick your tongue out lion's breath. And release your feet. Stretch your legs out long.

If the low back is tender with the leg stretched out, consider taking your two folded blankets underneath your knees to help Keep the back, gently lengthened. Walk your shoulders underneath your chest and allow your arms to fall by your sides. If you feel your chin jutting up or a bit of crunching through the back of your neck, put a blanket under the back of your head. Enough to soften the front of your throat and gently lengthen the back of your neck. So Dionna, meditation is what follows our practice in Dharana.

Concentration. All that meditation is is extended periods of concentration. And I mentioned this can offer to us a shift in perspective because this type of steadiness of mind, this continual flow of attention to one object, to one idea, can offer in life understanding can provide clarity. We at times know we've bridged that gap from concentrating to meditating when time feels a bit like an illusion. If you've ever sat down to meditate, And you felt like you were there for 5 minutes, but look at the clock, and it's been 30.

If you've not had that experience meditating, you can maybe think about how engrossed or focused you sometimes get into a book or a film that you lose time or you don't hear other people around you when they talk to you? I'm shifting from the distracted mind to a steady flow of cognition. And if you're at ease here, and would like a longer Shavasana honor that. Otherwise, bring the movement back to your fingers, to your toes. Bend your knees.

Place your feet on the ground. Roll to your right side. Make a little pillow with your arm and pause for a breath or 2. And then press the earth away with your left hand. Bring yourself up to seated.

And whatever may have happened or may not have happened through our attempt at inverting today, Can you make the choice to shift your perspective in a way that offers you peace, that offers you ease? That shows a little gratitude for all your body does every day without you even asking it to. Bring your hands together at heart center, lift your chest, We bowerchins in that place of gratitude. Namaste. Thanks for sharing your practice.