Truth Seeker

Hi. Welcome. My name is Erin, and today's class is called Truthseeker. And the idea is that by releasing tension in our hips where we store emotions that might block us from connecting to our truth, we find clarity as we release the stuck energy in the hip. So allow yourself to find a comfortable seat and close the eyes. Feel free to prop up onto a blanket or a block if you have 1 nearby. And take a moment to ground through your seat to lift up out of your hips and to connect to your breath.

And even energetically send the breath into the hips through the ground and join the palms together in front of the heart, Perhaps your intention is just to connect your truth or to find clarity. Maybe there's another intention that you'd like to layer here. But just getting clear. Take another breath all the way to the heart. And as you exhale bow the head, release the palms and allow the eyes to open, taking in the light, And then as you inhale, reach the arms up and exhale bow forward and fold, press through the palms to root your seat lengthen the spine, and then fold a little deeper.

Take a breath. And then come back up, and let's switch the cross of the shins. Inhale. Reach up tall. Lift out of your hips. And exhale bow forward.

Notice from each side to the next how it feels. And what you might be able to release? Link them through the crown. Take 1 more breath. Slowly come back up to center.

And let's come to a seated figure for you need more space, your feet will be further away from the body crusher, right ankle on top of the left thigh. If you wanna take it deeper, you bring your left foot in. You scoot your hips closer to the heel. Keep the chest broad, and take 1 more breath here. Good. Slide back.

Set the right foot down. Cross your left ankle on top. And This is my slightly tighter side. So just notice if this feels a little tighter for you. Maybe the other side was tighter.

And take 1 more breath. And then release that. Let's swing the legs around for a cat cow, spread the fingers, stretch through the toes and lengthen as you breathe in. Exhale press and round. Take a couple more like that.

Or turn your fingers to face your knees, getting into the wrists and forearms as you continue your cow 2 more breaths. So we will be having some options to go into a couple arm balances. Feel free to play and find a sense of lightness and ease around that. 1 more breath. Exhale.

If you flipped your palms, turn your hands back forward. Tuck the toes. And lift to your first downward facing dog. Take a moment to stretch out of the shoulders up through the hips. Connect to your seat up on the back wall.

So every posture has a seat. We wanna find comfort in that seat. 1 more breath. Inhale shift forward to plank, lower through Chaturanga all the way down, bring your forearms forward point the toes, elbows under the shoulders, lift to a sphinx pose, draw the navel in Press through the tops of the feet and forearms, lift your core, lower down, lift the heart, breathe in. 1 more time, lift the thighs, lift your core, lower down, slide the hands back next to your side for cobra or lift all the way to upward facing dog.

Hips back downward facing dog take a deep breath. On your next inhale, lift your right leg up and back. Open the hip, bend the knee, maybe circle the foot in 1 direction and the other, and then straighten the legs square off. Step your right foot to a lunge and then hop the back foot a few inches forward straightening the legs for a pyramid. If you need to bring hands to blocks, you can wrap the outer right hip back, pull the sternum forward, and then fold.

Take a breath. Good. Look forward. Put a little bend in your right knee. Step to the top, uttanasana fold. Inhale lengthen the spine.

Open the chest like COBRA exhale fold rise to stand, reach the arms all the way up. Tadasana mountain pose, inhale reach up tall, exhale bow forward and fold, inhale length, then let's step right then left to plank for this first 1. Shifting forward, lower halfway Chaturanga chess broad. Up dog as you breathe in. Exhale hips back downward dog.

Press the thighs back. Draw the sit bones in. In how left leg lifts, open the hip, bend the knee, maybe circle the foot in 1 direction and the other. Straighten the legs. Square the hips.

Step your left foot to a lunge. Hop the back foot in a couple inches, wrap the outer left tip back, pull the sternum forward, And as you fold, engage your thighs, maybe walking the hands forward, folding a little deeper. At the bottom of the breath, connect to your core. Put a little bend in your front knee. Step forward to fold at the top, inhale, Arda, exhale fold route through the feet to rise, reach the arms all the way up.

Palms to the heart connecting to your truth, your intention, adding on inhale reach tall, exhale bow forward and fold inhale lengthen once more step left than right to plank. Shift forward lower halfway Chaturanga over the toes up dog brought in the chest. Exhale hips back downward facing dog. On your inhale right leg lifts, open the hip, bend the knee, breathe, Strating the leg as you breathe in, square off, step your right foot forward coming into a crescent lunge this time, inhale arms up by the ears. As you exhale, cactus the arms and sink a little deeper bending the back knee twice more, inhale reach tall, exhale cactus, 1 more inhale up tall, exhale cactus.

Good. This time straighten both legs as you reach up, pivot to the left, turn your left toes out, bend your left knee, right knee, and toes lift, Skandasana. You can use your left arm to nudge your knee open, getting into the right inner groin hamstring, as well as the left hip. 1 more breath. Good. And then pivot back to a lunge at the top, hop the back foot in for pyramid pose, reach the heart forward as you breathe in, and fold on the hail, perhaps this time you flex the front foot and dig the heel bone down. Last breath.

Standing split, plant your right foot, float the left leg. Hands can be on the blocks if you need a little bit of height. You can press the right hand behind the calf to fold deeper and see if you can wrap the right hip crease back. Take 1 more breath. Walk the hands forward, step to the top, bend your knees, utkatasana, sweep the arms up chair pose.

Take a breath, feel the sit bones lifting as the thigh bones to send down. 1 more breath here. Good rise to stand, right knee lifts to the chest, externally rotate the leg, cross the ankle on top of the thigh, sit back into a figure 4, try to wrap the left tip back, pull the heart forward, and take 1 more breath. Weight is in the left heel. As you upright your torso, right knee to chest, and then kick back through warrior 3.

Extend the heart forward, slowly start to bend your left knee, step into a lunge, and then he'll tow your left foot over to the right single pigeon. Point the right toes. Lift the heart. I'm gonna stay upright for today because later on, we're working into a flying pigeon optionally. And in that case, we don't wanna be sing down on the leg, but rather feel buoyant as the top of the foot presses into that outer arm, you get light and lifted.

So 1 more breath here. Option to stay a little longer. I'm gonna plant the palms for a flip dog. So tuck the right toes under. Lift the left leg up and back.

Open the hip, bend the knee. Shift forward slightly and right spin the right heel down. Tap your left toes. Lower the hips and then press the hips and heart up towards the ceiling for your wild thing. Swivel back around to your downward facing dog, you're welcome to shift forward and take a vinyasa or stay in down dog for the breath. Take an inhale sigh it out.

On an inhale left leg lifts, Open the hip, bend the knee breathe. As you inhale next, straighten the legs square off, Step your left foot forward crescent lunge, high lunge arms rise, inhale here, exhale cactus the arms little bend in the back knee twice more inhale reach tall. Exhale cactus, once more, inhale reach up, exhale cactus, this time, reach up straighten the legs, pivot the right toes out, bend the right knee, left knee and toes lift up, use the right arm to press the knee out, turn your chest towards the left leg and breathe here. 1 more breath. Pivot back to a lunge at the top.

Hop the back foot in pyramid pose, straighten both legs, elongate the spine, wrap the left hip back and in, and fold this time option to add the flex of the left foot. 1 more breath. If you lifted the toes to Dorcey Flux, the foot plant the left foot, lift the right leg to a standing split. I like to lengthen find some space out of the hip, and fold, elongate through that back leg. Now we're talking the back leg in our flying pigeon.

So that's the prep there. Wrap the outer left tip back draw the navel in and take 1 more breath. Activate the back leg. Even if it's a little lower, shoot energy through the foot. Step to the top, length, and arda, exhale fold, Bend your knees, This time as you rise to stand, left knee pulls up to the chest.

Open the leg. Externally rotating. Cross the ankle on top of the thigh. Draw the palms to the heart, move the hips back and down evenly. So the weight is in your right heel, excuse me.

Take a breath. Breathe into your hips. Slowly. Come back up to center. Left knee pulls into the chest and then kick back through warrior 3.

Extend through that top leg Left leg is our flying pigeon leg. Slowly bend your right knee step back into a lunge. He'll toe the right foot towards the left wrist, open up into your single pigeon. Take a breath. If you'd like, you can fold forward.

For the flying pigeon prep, you want this hugging in energy. So not only are we opening the hip, but we're drawing in and creating strength and stability as well. So take a breath. Let go of anything that might be holding you back from connecting to your truth. Sometimes things stand in our way.

And we have to clear it out, whether it be space in our house or anything else so that we can find that clarity. 1 more breath. Good. You're welcome to stay right here or plant the palms. Tuck the left toe under. Extend the right leg up and back, open the hip, bend the knee, shift forward, and left spin the left heel down. I like to lower the hips a little bit and then press up into your wild thing.

Take a breath. Come back around, downward facing dog, or a Vinyasa. Take a breath. Side it out, lower the knees, sit the hips back, child's pose. Take 1 more breath into your hips, into your side ribs, Let the sit bones heavy. Like, the inner groin is being pulled back.

Take as long as you'd like. When you're ready, come forward, tuck the toes, and lift the hips downward facing dog. Take a breath, work energy through the legs, spreading through the toes on your next inhale, right leg lifts, This time need a right tricep. Option to stay here. Gonna break this down.

Option to lower the back knee pull forward, bend your elbows like Chaturanga, maybe you extend the back leg, echopada, heart forward. Tuck the left toes, 3 legged dog, right leg high, step your right foot towards your right thumb, come up crescent pose, take an inhale, Exhale cactus the arms. This time, we'll step up onto the right foot. Pull the left knee into the chest. Option a, hold on to the knee.

Option b, hook the peace fingers around the left big toe. And then extend any amount through that left leg. If there's a slight bend in the knees, no problem. Try to keep the, standing leg straight. Keep the hips square start to open the leg. You can do this with the knee bent option.

To slowly gaze over your right shoulder. 1 more breath. Good. Come back to center. Bend the knee for that figure 4 chair again. Cross the ankle on top of the thigh.

Sit the hips back. You can even hold on to the hips. Press them down and back evenly. Stay here or start to bring your hands to the ground or blocks for the blocks. I like to use them so that we can snuggle the shin bone a little bit higher.

So you kinda can bend the elbows. Get the top of the left foot around the outer right tricep, you can even straighten through the right leg for a moment and fold. And then rebend. If you're staying here, absolutely not a problem. I'm gonna move my blocks to the side.

And hop the right foot back, plant the palms, hook the toes around the top of the tricep. And then start to shift forward so the elbows stack over the wrists kick the right heel towards the bum. Like in that pigeon pose, we're pressing down so that we're not collapsing on the arms and, like, standing split, extend the right leg back. Slowly land the right foot, come back to your figure 4 chair, lift the left knee into the chest, He extend the left leg back to your warrior 3, heart open, plant the palms, step back to plank, optional vinyasa shifting forward, lower chaturanga, Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog.

Take a breath. Take a moment in your down dog to find a little bit of length. A little bit of space. As we create space, we create space for that clear thinking, that higher self, So as you inhale left leg lifts up and back, exhale need a left tricep option to stay here. Option to lower the back knee, shift forward, chaturanga arms, back leg might float, right toes might float, Lower the right toes, lift the left leg back, 3 legged dog, step your left foot forward, Crescent pose, take an inhale.

As you exhale cactus the arms, draw the shoulder blades in towards the heart, step onto the left foot, lift your right knee into the chest. Option a, we're doing this with the knee bent. Option b, hook the piece fingers around the big toe left hand to the hip, firm your standing leg to grow taller, extend the right leg, wrap the outer right hip down, plug the arm bone into the shoulder socket. As you're ready. Oh, a little wobbling might happen.

Open the right leg out to the side. Drop the right buttocks. This is like the extended leg in Skandasana option to test your balance. And gaze over your left shoulder. Take a breath.

Come back to center, bend your knee cross ankle on top of left thigh. Hands can come to the hip creases to press them back and down. So the weight is in your left heel. Option to slide the hands down to the ground. Or maybe use those blocks again.

So the idea is that we can use our arms to pick up the shin Get it a little bit higher. The toes are flexing around the outer left arm. So I'm hooking in there. And then if you'd like, you play with the arm balance. So, again, we're not collapsing. We're buoyant.

Pressing the ground away, hook the toes, lean forward so the elbows stack over the wrist. Weight is in the fingers. Chest stays broad. Left heel kicks towards the sit bone or extends up towards the sky. It's like your standing split leg, press through the palms, extend through the back leg, bring the foot back down, come back to your figure 4 chair, Breathe.

As you rise, right knee comes into the chest. Feeling those outer hips start to extend the right leg back through warrior 3. Ben then left knee, step back to plank, shift forward, optional Vinyasa or a cat cow even. 1 more round. You can even take that wrist stretch again.

Big toes together, knees apart, rest the forehead child's pose. Pause and breathe as you slow the breath Connect to a place of inner peace. From that place of peace, You connect to truth. As you're ready, We'll make our way up and onto our backs, setting up for bridge pose. So as you make your way down, bend your knees, have your feet about hip distance, sit bone distance.

Plant the palms, roll the outer, shoulder skin down, and then ground through the heels, Lyft the hips. You can stay here or interlace the fingers underneath the body. Give them a little tuck dig the heel bones down, roll the inner grind down, and open the chest. Take 1 more breath. If you interlace the fingers, slowly release lower down upper, middle, and lower back to the ground.

And then we'll cross the right ankle on top of the left thigh, again, for our figure 4 and just a different orientation, thread the needle, You can hold behind the left thigh in front of the shin. You can even cradle your right leg and extend the left leg for a supine pigeon. We're here for 3 more breaths. Keep flexing the right foot if the ankle is on the thigh so that you don't over rotate and sickle the ankle. Over stretch the outer ligaments.

1 more breath. Let's go ahead and release and switch. Set the feet down. Flex the left foot cross ankle to thigh. Either thread through that space hold behind the right thigh.

In front of the shin, or cradle the shin option to extend the right leg long. Make sure that the shoulders aren't rolling up and the head is hanging. Let's try to keep that chest broad like we did in our cactus arms and neck long. If you're pressing ankle to thigh, keep it like a foot you would stand on, protect the ankle, knee, And then as you breathe in, lengthen through the inner left grind. And on the exhale, maybe drawing a little closer last breath.

As you're ready, set the feet down. This time, cross your right thigh on top of the left, bring the knees in for suptagoma Casana, If this is enough, you hold the shins. If you can turn your palms up and then pull the feet apart so that thighs and knees are stacked, and the feet are somewhat aligned with the knees. You can find that. Once again, it ought to be rounding and shortening the back of the neck.

So everything stays open. Just focusing on that outer hip here. 1 more breath. Keep the right leg crossed on top of the left. Plant the left foot, scoot the hips a little right for your spinal twist.

You can hold the knee with your left hand, and maybe gaze to the right. What a beautiful day. 1 more breath. Slowly unwind back to center, set the feet down, cross your left thigh on top of your right, pick up the feet, this might be enough. If you can catch hold of the heels or ankles Again, we're trying not to over stretch the outer ligaments, so keep them flexed.

The knees press forward. You're drawing your feet out knee height and breathe into your hips. And you might notice 1 side feels quite different than the other, and that's just what it is. Without attaching or judging, just notice. And that's your truth.

In this moment, 1 more breath. Gently release plant the feet Bring the hands behind the head, elbows wide, inhale here, exhale curl the head shoulders, just gentle core. 2 more. Inhale lower, exhale lift, draw the navel towards the floor, inhale lower, collar bones stay wide, exhale. Lift. Last 1. Lower down.

Bring the knees to the chest. You can open the knees. You can hold on to the feet. I like to have the arm inside the leg and the hand over the foot to the outer edge of the foot. If, like, you're Skandasana, you wanna extend 1 leg, you can.

And rebend that knee. If you extended it, I kinda let go for a moment to extend the leg, so I'm not over stretching. And then if there's space, you can re hold. 1 more breath, rebend both knees, find evenness, Hug the knees to the chest. Plant the feet. Give your hips and shoulders a little tuck.

And extend 1 leg and the other. Extend the arms. Allow yourself to make any adjustments to find stillness. Take a full breath up the legs and to the hips through the spine to the crown. Exhale.

Let it go. Like an ice cube melting onto the ground. Allow yourself to dissolve the physical and find that place of peace. Let the middle tongue melt back into the throat. Allow the bones to heavy as we start to dissolve the physical body.

You can connect to your spirit or your higher self or your truth. Letting go. And Shavasana. Stay here as long as you'd like. I encourage you to maybe set a timer for 5 even 10 minutes. But if you're ready, start to bring small movements to the body, big stretch. Like, you're just fully awakening or even reawakening, bend your knees, roll to your favorite side.

Letting the head come up last gently, press up to seated. Allowing yourself to ground to feel the hips. The hips don't lie. So just noticing where you might feel A little lighter, a little bit more connected. Anything else that surfaced.

As you're ready, join the palms together in front of the heart, honoring yourself for carving out time to practice, to be curious and present and to find clarity. Take a moment to breathe in, bow the head towards the heart, honoring the light in you, that light in each and everyone around you. Namaste.