Lateral Liberation

Hey. Welcome to practice. I'm so glad you made it. I have Two Blocks. We're gonna get started lying on 1. I'm gonna have it low underneath my shoulder blades.

And if you need a second one under your head, go ahead and put it there. It's okay also if your head just hangs. We'll have the legs in constructive rest. So feet on the floor, knees bend. And the arms open.

If your head touches the floor, it's okay. Even if the chin is up, Sometimes just to begin with an openness across the front of the chest, openness in the shoulders, the neck, takes us out of the habitual seated hunched for forward kind of sedentary life that we're used to. Head down into the screen and can give a nice opportunity for some deeper breaths, some fuller in house and some real easy exhales. Go ahead and take a couple more like that, easing your way in feeling how you are arriving today. What's going on for you and your body and your mind, your heart, your life, and welcoming yourself, bringing yourself into this practice.

You know, to give you a little bit more space in all of those areas, physical, mental, emotional, your life, Okay. Great. And then come up to sit chest first, so hands on the floor. Left your chest up first. We're gonna sideline. So lying on your arm, right arm, and I'm putting this block on medium height under my armpit.

Now this is intense sensation. And if it too intense. You could be doing this on a rolled up blanket or, something that's softer. I like it because we're looking for this block to be a massage tool to all of the muscles that go around the bottom of the shoulder, the shoulder blade, the sides of the ribs, And I'm rolling chest towards the floor and then back towards floor. So a little bit of forward and backward motion, and your ear could lay on your arm.

And you might find a deep spot and just take a couple breaths there and hit pause. And you might also be interested in walking the block down a rib So it's, you know, closer to the bra line and rocking a little forward and back. You can continue doing that. You know, there are 12 ribs. So you can go in between each rib, into the intercostal muscles.

And just creating a little bit of space along the side body. You know, it's like on a on a luggage the way they have that extra zipper that might give you a little bit more space, letting the side body open could give you that same kind of room, additional room for breathing. Okay. Great. So we're gonna move the block aside and then lie on the side. Lie on your right side. Actually let's put the block under the right cheek.

So you're lying on the right side and we're gonna do a pranayama called sura beta, which is inhaling right side and exhaling left side. And we use our hand to do that so the thumb will be on the right nostril. And the ring finger will be on the left nostril. Take a breath through both sides. Feel your right ribs, your right lungs, 3 lobes dropping into the mat.

And then inhale. Right? And exhale left. Again, you're gonna inhale on the right side. And exhale left. So it's like a circle. Keep going.

And this is stimulating the whole right side of the body Pingala. It was what we call it in Sanskrit. The Sun channel, the energized channel, the thinking mind, the quick rationality, inhaling right, and exhaling left. Great. Release your right hand.

You can roll onto your back and do the other side. So it'll be the block in the left armpit, medium height block or your softer, you know, blanket and rolling chest towards the floor, chest towards the ceiling, This would be nice to do just on the regular. This wonderful for the glands It's wonderful for the shoulders and really quite a boon to the respiratory system. So again, you might stay in the armpit or be stepping the block down you know, digging around in between the ribs. You know, the ribs are like gills they could open and close like fingers or like blinds, sometimes venetian blinds, medium height under my armpit.

And they can get stuck sort of together. So this is a space making Okay. Let's lie on the left arm. Put the block under your left cheek. You could roll up a blanket and and then go ahead the left thumb to the noss left nostril and the ring finger to the right nostril. This, this is gonna be a chandra beta, the moon breath. So it's an inhale left, and an exhale right continuously in a circle, exhale through both sides. And then inhale left, dropping the left lungs, the left ribs into the floor and exhaling right.

You'll take 3 more breaths like that in how left. And exhale. Right. It's kind of an awakening that block to the whole left side body so that it can sync more. It can have more elasticity, more movement. One more breath, inhaling left, and exhaling right. So nice. And then come on to your belly.

Just floppy fish, roll onto your belly. And put the forearms at the front of the mat. Make a little pillow with your forearms at the front of the mat. Lay your head on your forearms. So forearms stacked, legs long behind you, and then just lift your head and chest up And we'll do a little bit of, let's call this sphinx, a little bit of left, right sphinx.

So, pull the elbows to the right, do a side bend, contract your right waist, and look over your right shoulder, see your right ankle, right baby toe. Come through center, change which arm is on top, side bend to the left. You might have to be scooching, you know, your mat is sticky, contract your left waist. So strengthening the left side, looking over the left shoulder. Come through center.

A little bit of cobra. Have your hands wider than your mat. Come up a little bit. Look over your right shoulder. See your right ankle.

Click your right baby toe down. Come through center both shoulders back. Look over your left shoulder. See your left baby toe. Click it down.

Come through center both shoulders back, breathe in, and roll down, belly, chest, forehead. Breathe out. Let's do one more. High as you can, but keep your pelvis down. So, you know, almost arms straight, high up. And then look way over your right shoulder. Let your left shoulder come to the midline.

Maybe you can even see the space between your feet. Right thigh bone heavy. Come center both shoulders back, arm pits forward. And then side bend to the left. So contracting the left sideways, right shoulder, hugs the midline, drift to the midline, look back, Left side bone down, come through center, both shoulders, back, chest up, armpits up, breathe in, and then slow belly, chest, forehead, breathe out.

Great. Push back to sit on your heels. Big toes together, grab your two blocks and one block tall at the, outside of your right knee, the other block tall outside your left knee. We'll take child's pose, so knees slightly apart, extend your arms forward. Go for length. You can even spider walk your fingers away from you.

Stretch the rib cage off the waist. And as you exhale, press the hips back and let the buttocks drop down. We're gonna move into a side bend. So walk your hands over to the right, diagonally away from your right knee, and like a bow bow and arrow bow your left ribs out to the side. You could even lean your left ear to your left arm. Left hip and left baby finger, widening away from each other.

Take a breath in. Listen, maybe even look underneath your left arm. Open the left armpit as you breathe out. Keep your left hand where it is and bring your right hand onto this tall block near your knee, you know, move it to where you feel good elbow in the air. We're gonna twist, push down into your right hand inhale, and now turn your chest, your belly to the right as you exhale. So right shoulder going back, right ribs rolling back, and your left ribs dropping down like they were still on the floor.

Take one more breath, left ribs, hanging, the lungs to the floor, breathe in, and then rolling your right ribs back. So nice. Roll up to sit, come up on your right side so your left hand rolls across your right knee and thigh and then just back through center child's pose, extend your arms forward. Lengthen create space and walk the hands over to the left diagonally away from your left knee. Bow out your right ribs, spread your right ribs open like fingers opening. You might be looking underneath your right armpit, sit your right butt back to your heel.

You might even pop up onto your right fingertips inhale. And let your belly lift up as you exhale. Great. And then keep your right hand where it is. Put your left hand up on the tall brick near your left knee. Push down into your left hand as you breathe in and turn the torso to the left as you breathe out. Go for length again.

Lift the chin up off the throat. Open the upper back like when we first started inhale and exhale revolve like a backbend and a turn, a twist. You'll roll up to sit on your left knee, right hand, gliding across your left knee, left thigh, and come all the way up to sit. Great. Downward facing dog.

You can have your blocks at the front of your mat. Nice sometimes to grip hold of the sides of the mat. You could even fold your mat. You know, the corner, so it's a little bit more narrow. For me, it charges up the whole side of the body, the outer arm, the tricep, wrapping down towards the nose, the outer hips, lifting, press the thigh bones back and sink the heel bones down.

That same look underneath your arms. So bend your left knee and point your left knee to the right. Kind of swiveling the hips to the left. And just look underneath your right arm. Come through center. We'll do the same on the left.

Point your right knee to the left and look underneath your left arm. Come back through center, high heels, breathe in, and plug your heels, drop your heels down as you breathe out. Okay. Great. Set up for Trikonasana, lift your right leg up, inhale. And step the right foot forward. Hopefully you have a block nearby.

You can use it. You don't have to if you are gonna use it, put it outside your right foot left arm up in the air. And then right away cast the left arm over your ear, and, like, a big rainbow lift your left ribs up. And then, like, you're doing a side crunch. See if you can drop your left ribs down and lengthen your right ribs forward. Yeah. Do that twice more.

Ribs up. And then, like, both sides of the ribs are elongating, like a telescope out of your waist. One more time. Up on the breath in, and like a side crunch on your left waist as you breathe out. Good. Bring your left hand to your hip.

Maybe leave the block here He'll tell you're left foot forward. We're gonna go to half moon, like half moon, but both hands are gonna be on the floor. So right hand could be on the floor. Right near your block left arm could be way forward and then turn underneath your left arm like you did before. Lift your left leg up like a standing split And c, can you turn your right ribs more underneath your left arm and roll your left ribs more back? Stepping back to a lunge.

So hands on either side of your right foot. Step your left foot back and then go ahead side plank but keep your right foot like a kickstand. So left hand, left foot side plank and your right foot can be sort of underneath your hip, lift your right arm up, cast it over your ear, that same kind of rainbow up and you could bring your left hip all the way to the floor as you breathe out should feel really long between your left hip and your arm do it twice more inhale and exhale one more time breath in. Cleopatra, you know, call for the grapes. Okay. Coming up full side plank Vasi Stasana step your right foot on top of your left.

Cast your right arm over. It's okay to make the big rainbow shape here. Almost like your right hand is trying to touch the floor and then real plank, breathe in. And downward facing dog as you breathe out. Lift the left leg, step forward for tree triangle pose.

Again, maybe block outside the left foot right heel down, right hand up. If you are using it, a block, have it underneath your left hand, left shoulder, Of course, it's under your left hand. Go ahead. Cast the right arm over your ear. Dome the right ribs up as you breathe in. And then sink them down as you breathe out.

2 more times, inhaling and exhaling. One more time. Breathe in. And I'll maybe leave the block there right hand to the floor. He'll tell your right foot forward spider walk your left hand forward somewhere between a standing split and a half moon Arta Chandrasen to lift your right leg up and turn turn turn turn turn.

Not just about a long right sideways, but also adding the turning of the left ribs forward and rolling of the right ribs back. I love it. Okay. Step back. Long lunge. Side plank, right hand, right foot, Vasi Stassen. I keep the kickstand of your left foot.

I mean, look, you don't have to, but I think it's real nice. Cast the left arm over your ear, lift the hips up as you breathe in, and then drop the hips down. Again, I'm making the big ring bow shape with my left hand, but I'm really trying to feel this tiny inch of waist space I'm getting when my hips go down inhale is the lift up and exhale is the hip down. It's somewhere between the hip and the waist. One more time and exhaling. Come to side plank Vasistasana, stack your left foot on top of your right, cast your left arm over your ear, And you can. You can lift your hips like you're trying to touch the floor, tailbone forward, front ribs, back, pull your left baby toe up, breathe in, and then both hands to the mat, regular plank, downward facing dog as you breathe out.

So nice. Come to sit on your heels. Put your knees down. Sit on your heels. Right hand holds the right heel left hand like nice to meet you reaching forward go on a diagonal across your face and lift your hips like a but your left ribs are high up And then you'll go back the same way you came up. Left hand reaches forward.

You'll sit back down. Left hand holds its left ankle foot right arm forward, inhale over your ear, and sitting back down. Let's do it one more time each side, inhaling across and up the left side, exhaling down. Inhale, right arm sweeps across the face. And exhale.

Nice. Cross your ankles. Sit behind them and extend the legs forward. Janu Sher Sasana. So, you know, bend the right knee. You could have a strap nearby if your left foot is far away from you.

You could also bend the left knee. Right arm lifts. We'll start with a twist. Breathe in. And as you act tail, your right hand to the outside of the left foot and you could use your block outside the left knee the same way you did to turn Go for length. Pulling the sideways, the side ribs up, and sitting the buttocks down.

You know, if it's available, if you can fold due, Those of you who have supple hamstrings can add the block behind your foot. Press down into the right knee like a launch pad, chest forward as you breathe in, and then turning the belly to the left as you breathe out. Inhale, flat back, straighten the arms, look forward. And exhale sit up. Keep your legs the way they are and twist a little to the right.

Parsvajanushi or sausana, so we're gonna keep going over the left leg but this time it's gonna be the left ribs down so you can put your elbow inside the knee. You could hold your cheek and your hand Your elbow could be on a block. If the elbow is on the floor, you could slip your fingers under the Achilles Your right hand could be behind your head like a sunbather or your right arm could go alongside your ear and you could hold the foot Again, going under the arm, pressing off the right knee, as if you could roll on to your left baby toe, as if your spine could lie on your left thigh. As you inhale, widen the elbows, the collar bones, the ribs, And as you exhale, roll the right side back and let even more of the back of your left shoulder The left shoulder blades sink to the inside of your left knee. It's like your head is going through the window of the arms.

Take one more breath. And then the right arm lifts to sit you up in the house. I mean, that's worth everything right there in exhale. Great. Pick up your right knee. Extend the right leg forward.

Dandasana. Feels so good this practice. Ben, the left knee Left foot to the inner right side. We're starting with the twist. If you're using a block, it could be outside your right knee. Inhale, the left arm up.

And exhale reach for the left baby toe. So your knee could be bent. You could be using a strap. It's nice to take a couple breasts in the upright way to find this revolution of the torso. You might even be able to feel the skin of your belly or the contents, the organs of the belly turning from left to right.

You're welcome to fold, if that's part of your practice, if your hamstrings feel alright. There's no gripping. You can hold the foot with both hands or the block. Inhale, and turn the belly button past the right size, you exhale. Like this long, lower left quadrice lumborum, the whole lower left corner of the back.

Okay. And then halfway up as you breathe in, and sit all the way up as you breathe out. Keep the legs, twist to the left, turn towards your left knee, We'll keep this orientation of turning left. Did you sink the right elbow down to the inside of the knee? Maybe slip the fingers, peace fingers under the Achilles. And again, you could just put your right hand behind your head, and lean your head back. You could clip your right elbow behind your head and lean your head back. It's this kind of, again, opening of the left side body.

If it feels right, you can hold the baby toe with your left hand. Maybe hold the big toe with your right hand. And there's a little bit of that same rocking pushing into your left knee rocking on the back ridge of your right heel. See about nuzzling another slight bit of skin, muscle, shoulder joint of the right shoulder down the inner left knee, spread the elbows open. And as you act tell, like you're going through the window of your arms.

Last couple breaths Let them be in your left lungs, left ribs. And as you exhale, roll the right ribs down and forward. Left arm lifts, inhale to sit, and pick up your left knee, slide the left leg forward. Dundasana. Let's fold and just put the head on a block, butoconasana souls of feet together.

Maybe a block is, you know, you might need 2 blocks if it's not how you could put it on your feet. You could certainly be sitting with your, not not folding. But if it's nice, you can put it on your feet. You could let your hands rest. Again, just to be symmetrical, And then we'll close in a supported fish pose, a soft matsayasana.

So you could now, you know, you could keep your blocks low or you could put, a medium height block for your upper back, for your shoulders, and a tall block for your head. Sort of the sweet spot. Your legs could be long, straight, or in bado canasana. Again, you could have your shins crossed. You know, do take the wiggle time to get the shoulder blades positioned onto the block and the head to feel comfortable. And we'll move into the meditation here.

If this shape is not conducive to your meditation, if you think you could be more comfortable lying on your back or even sitting up, by all means, please do that. Sends into any sensation you feel in the body. Whatever is easiest to feel in this moment. Maybe it's the feeling of breathing or whatever part of the body is in contact with the floor or the blocks. And now scan the body for any pleasant sensation.

The Buddhist call this kind of pleasant, unpleasant, neutral feeling, Vaden, a feeling tone. So you might feel it a pleasant sensation you know, in the weight of the body on the floor. Or maybe there is a pleasant feeling on the sides of the body. And just notice if there's any push pull associated with that pleasant feeling if the pull is I want more of this or the pushes, I don't wanna stop doing this. Next scan the body for an unpleasant sensation, something that feels tans or tight.

It might be in your jaw or behind the eyes, the neck, the back, What's it like? Is there pressure or throbbing? Is it hot? And notice if there's any push pull associated with unpleasant. If there's a kind of aversion not wanting this, wanting to change this or a kind of craving, wanting this to be relieved, or different. Let that awareness shift to the background.

And in this last body scan, Feel into a neutral sensation. It might be your breathing. Not pleasant or unpleasant, or your hands. And notice what the push pull is around that. Maybe we ignore the neutral.

Bypass it. Look for something more pleasurable. Allow this information about these simple physical sensations to illuminate What would be helpful for you today? What is needed to bring you into a kind of equanimity Knowing that this is here and that is there. Ordinarily, we have a sense that there are unconscious tugs directing our actions in some way.

Maybe we're bored, but we eat. Or we're angry. So we pick up the phone or behave in some way. And instead just seeing what's at work, what would really genuinely be helpful, beneficial uplifting. And as we close this meditation, you know, some kind of dedication or intention of giving yourself us what you need.

I hope you can stay longer and feel more And if you're ready to move into the rest of your day or night, take your time to roll to the side or come up to sit through center. Thank you so much for spending this time with you, breathing, being, being kind, hope to practice with you again soon, Shanti.