Strength Within

Hi. Welcome to today's practice. Today, the theme is strength from within. And the idea behind it is that when things go differently than expected, can we still hold on to our sort of compass true north. Can we find that strength when things get challenging? And can we also notice our thought patterns and connect to the positive feedback loop so that we get on track in a way that feels really positive.

So close the eyes take a moment to land. Connect to your inner strength. Connect to your breath. Let go of anything that's come before this. And allow yourself to be present.

And then join the palms together in front of the heart, taking a moment to set any intention. Just getting clear here. Slow supportive breaths. Take another deep inhale. As you exhale bow the head towards the heart, release the palms, and open the eyes.

Today, we're starting with the left. So left hand down, right arm up and over. Take a big stretch. One more breath and come back up to center. Right hand comes down left arm to the guy, breathe in.

Find ease as you exhale. From back up to center, bring your hands to your knees, start to circle the upper body. 2 more and reverse the direction. Notice the hips, the low back, the shoulders come to center. We'll take a neck roll, drop the ear to the left.

Release the right shoulder down. Big breath here. Maybe the chin tilts up slightly. Exhale lower chin to chest and then ear to the right shoulder. Let the left shoulder heavy.

Take an inhale. Exhale through center. We'll go 1 more each side. Inhale left. Moving with the breath exhale center.

Inhale. Right? And exhale center. When you're ready, we'll come forward to a tabletop position. And take a couple rounds of cat cow. So inhale to lift the chest, exhale press and round the back.

2 more inhale lengthen, exhale press and round. One more inhale. Open the chest. Exhale. Round. Come to neutral.

Heart forward, belly in, extend the left leg back out forward and down, taking little hip circles activating the loop back out to the side forward and down one more time back. Out forward and down, switch sides, right heel up, knee out, knee down, kick it back, move it out, down, and around. One more back. Out forward, come down, tuck the toes, lift the belly, hips back downward facing dog, take a moment to breathe, wrap the inner arms forward slightly so the shoulder blades widen. Grow the fingers longer.

Grow the pinky edge of the foot forward. One more breath. Full exhale, inhale to the tiptoes, bend your knees, step step or hop to the top. Inhale lengthen, exhale fold, rise to stand or vahasta, arms by your side, Tedassana. One round of Syria, a, inhale reach up.

Exhale bow forward. Inhale, Arda, step or jump, plank, lower chaturanga, either halfway or all the way. Cobra, or if you're ready, upward facing dog, hips back and downward facing dog, Take a breath here. Full exhale. One more breath and sigh it out.

We're gonna move on here. So left leg lifts on an inhale, exhale step forward, lower the back knee, inhale arms rise on Jana. Frame the front foot, straighten the front leg, Artahanum on half split. Take a breath to lengthen, pull the navel intern it slightly left, and then fold re bend the front knee, tuck the back toe under lift the back knee, step up standing split, right leg to the sky. Come to fingertips like, bring your right toes to hover.

And see if you can tap right toes to right wrist and then kick it back. Bring your right foot to hover next to the left, pin the outer left tip in, see if you can bring your right leg out to hip height, lower it back down, kick it back through standing split, And then step back and widen your stance out for a lizard lunge. So hands will go inside the left foot. Pull the heart forward option to stay here or lower the back knee and extend the toes. Take a breath, full exhale. 2nd option, if your knee is lifted, you might take your left hand to the left calf.

Snuggle the shoulder underneath and stay here. Maybe the left arm wraps behind the back or the right arm. We're here for one more breath. Heart extends forward, full exhale, Release the hands, pivot right, prosorita, lengthen the spine, and fold down the legs. Notice from left to right how the body feels.

Find your inner strength even when things are going a little different. Like, as simple as starting on the left foot versus the right, one more breath. Bring your hands forward, lengthen the spine, turn the heels and toes out bends your knees for a sumo squat and then eagle wrap your right arm over your left as you come up. If you can't double wrap, you can hold on to shoulders. One more breath here. Maybe a little sway side to side, get into the flow of things, and then pivot the back heel up the right toes may turn and move a little right, crescent, step up onto the right foot, eagle wrap your left leg on top.

You can use your toes as a kickstand. You might pick up the left foot, and you might double wrap hugging into the midline. And notice what you notice. One more breath. Fly your eagle into a chair, step down, reach up tall, inhale, squat down into a toast stand, lower the hips, lift your legs, Navasana, knees can bend or straighten.

Inhale Arden Evosana, exhale Navosana. This time as you lower Arden Evosana, will bend the knees, plant the feet reach forward. The next time we do this, if you need a rock, we're gonna come up to a toast stand. So if you can, you might reach here. If you need a little rock, press through the feet reach forward.

Option to stay here or to plant the palms, knees high up onto the triceps, tip the weight forward, bring your big toes to touch hard extends forward. If you're shooting it back, try to keep the elbows over the wrists Push the ground away, lift your core, heart goes forward, legs back right into Chaturanga. COBRA or up dog. Hips back downward facing dog take a breath. Side it out, lower the knees, sit back child's pose.

Take a breath. Full exhale. When you're ready. Press back to tabletop and downward facing dog. This time, the right leg will lift with your inhale.

Step your right foot forward. Lower the back knee. Inhale. Reach your arms up on Janayasana. Exhale frame the front foot straight in the front leg, Artahanaman, naval turns slightly right as that right hip crease wrap back and down, heart forward, and fold. One more breath.

Rebender front knee, tuck the back toes under, lift the back knee, standing split left leg to the sky. Walk your fingertips forward, lengthen the spine, Bring your left foot to hover next to your right. Suck the femur bone up into the hip socket, see if you can kick your toes forward towards your left wrist. Hover next to the right. Next, extend the left leg out, keep pinning the right hip in, hover next to the right.

Kick it back, standing split. As you step back wide in the stance, he'll toe the right foot out hands inside the front foot for lizard lunge option to drop the back knee. So if you did on the first side, take it here. Keep the chest broad. Find your inner strength.

So where your attention goes, your energy follows, we're moving all over the mat today. So we wanna follow ourselves around. And not get left behind. If you tucked the back toes and lifted the back knee, you can do so here. Option a, b, I like to heel toe the right foot back into the midline. Press the right hand into the calf.

To get the shoulder underneath. So you can stay right here. You might wrap the right arm behind the back, pull the heart forward, Maybe the left arm meets it. 3 then. Full exhale.

If you took the bind, unbind, walk to the left, prasarita, lift the chest, inhale, and fold down the legs. Take a moment to pause. Breathe, hug the shin bones in, lift your inner shoulders. One more breath. Lengthen the spine, turn the heels in, toes out, bend your knees, pause here for a moment.

Engage your glutes. And then we'll eagle wrap the left arm on top as you upright your torso. Maybe that little sway. And, again, if you wanna give yourself a hug, you can go here. One more breath.

Good. Pivot the back toes in, the heel up, crescent, just for the transition. And then eagle wrap the right leg over, maybe use your toes as a little kickstand, maybe the foot floats, and maybe you wrap behind the calf. One more breath as you broaden the shoulder blades widen the collar bones. Fly this into chair in hill, rise tall to stand, and arms by your side, pause for a breath. Grounding your energy.

As you're ready, we'll move into one round of Syria B. Bend your knees, sit back into the heels, reach up tall chair pose, exhale fold forward. Inhale, art, a lengthen, plant the palm step or lightly hop back Chaturanga. Over the toes, up dog, breathing in, exhale downward dog, left foot forward for warrior 1, back heel grounds, inhale arms rise, maybe gaze up, exhale right through plank and lower Chaturanga. Over the toes, breathing into up dog. Hips back downward dog, right foot steps forward, back heel grounds, inhale rise, maybe gaze up, Exhale Vinyasa, optionally, moving through with mindfulness.

Exhale downward dog, pause, and breathe, deep inhale. Full exhale. Spread the fingers. Notice where your attention is going. One more breath. Adding on. Inhale.

The left leg up and back. Exhale. Step your left foot forward, ground the back heel, rise up warrior 1. Open up warrior 2. He'll toe the back foot back, bend the front knee. Reach up straight in the legs, pivot the back toes in, turn the right toes towards the back of the mat, trikonasana.

Reach, land the hand on the shin, or if you're using blocks for today's practice a block, lift the top arm up. Take a breath. Maybe the top arm extends up and overhead. Rise back up, re bend the knee reverse warrior, big inhale. Pivot through to Skandasana on the left. Left toes turn out.

Left knee bends, right toes and knees lift up. Option to walk the left hand in front of the shin, option to reach the right arm up, maybe you wrap. One more breath. Good. If you took the bind, unbind, walk through center to the right, step back to plank, shift forward, optional vinyasa, or maybe just bend your knees, press back downward facing dog. If you wanna do that again, plank Ben Junies to hover rock back downward dog, take a breath, and sigh it out.

Good right leg lifts on an inhale. Step your right foot forward. Ground the back heel. Inhale warrior 1. As you exhale, open up warrior 2.

Straighten the legs reach the arms up. Pivot the right toes in, rotate the left foot back all the way. Make sure your toes are pointing towards the short edge of the mat. Trico Nasana triangle. Right arm extends, soften the eyes, find your steady gaze, Let your energy follow.

Maybe the top arm rotates. And get that full side body stretch last breath. Walk through center, turn your right toes out, bend the right knee, lift your left knee and toes up. Skandasana. I didn't say this on the first side, but if you have knee issues, you can come into a lateral lunge instead higher.

Right hand can come out to the right. Press the right knee out, left arm can reach to the sky. Maybe you wrap. So the left arm goes behind you. The right arm is in front of the shin, and you're rotating your chest to the left.

One more breath. Unbind. If you took the bind, pivot back to the left. Step to plank, optional vinyasa, or that rocking to down dog. 1 or 2 more times, plank, hover the knees, downward dog. Let's lower the knees when you're ready and take a child's pose.

So mixing it up. The idea is that we're moving our energy, our attention, and then finding these places to pause to reconnect to your inner strength. Knowing that we can always do this, whether we're offered that place of pause or not. One more breath. Downward dog when you're ready.

Take a breath. Full exhale. Lift the heels high, bend your knees gaze forward step or hop to the top. Inhale lengthen. Exhale fold, bend your knees, utsukhtasana, chair pose, rise tall to stand, arms by your side.

Alright. Now for the fun part, step the feet wide, turn the heels in, squat down into your yogic squat. And then take the fingertips down. As you go into a wide fold, turn your toes in, heels out. Two more. Heels in, toes out, yogic squat, fingertips down, toes in, heels back. Fold.

One more toes out heels in squat. Forward fold. You're like, where's the fun part? Work we're getting there. Okay. So from here, lengthen the spine. Put a little bend in your knees.

Reach underneath you with the left hand. Reach underneath you with the right hand. Try to get the shoulders back under your legs as far as you can. So there's a little release and then I'm squeezing in with my legs. Walk under squeeze in.

Once you get to the place that feels like your comfort zone, fingertips down, as you bend your knees, heel of the hand comes down, heel of the foot lifts up. Maybe you're doing this on box. Once here, feet can float, squeeze in, cross the ankles, breathe. Open the chest option to extend the legs out TD Basana, chest broad, Oh, option to push through the palms. Lift the hips.

Draw the knees into the arms. Big toes touch crow pose. And land. Let's take a wrist stretch, turn the feet forward, slide the hands underneath the feet, padahastasana lengthen and fold. Let the head heavy.

If you need a little bend in the knees, do so. Take a breath. One more. Lengthen the spine. He'll toe the feet together, and let's come to a toast stand for a moment.

To have a seat all the way back. John Oshirshasana, left leg straight ahead, right knee opens, reach the arms up inhale. Go forward when you can't go further. Hold on to the foot. I like sometimes to add a twist.

So left hand outside the left leg, right hand to the outer left foot. Turning a little bit deeper here. Once you get that twist, you can connect back to the foot. Breathe. One more breath.

As you upright your torso, bring your right knee up for Mauricio and a c, right hand back behind you, flex the left foot, reach your left arm up, hook the left elbow outside the right thigh, and revolve. Move the back body in towards the front body. So we tend to round, try to lift and lengthen, and from their turn, stabilize the hips as you turn. There is a bind here if you choose to do so. One more breath.

Don't rush if you just came into it. Slowly unwind back to center. Let's extend the right leg out and then open the left knee for John your Shasana. Reach the arms up, inhale, exhale fold. Right fingertips. If you took that twist on the other side, come outside the right leg, left hand to the pinky edge of the foot.

Plug the right femur bone back into the hip socket as you go forward and down, and then maybe catch the foot again. And even out both sides of the waist. Bereve here. One more breath. Check-in with our tension, our energy, intention, bend your left knee.

Left hand back right arm up, hook the right elbow outside the knee. Are we leaning? Can you move the back body in? Lift the sternum and turn soft in the navel, see if on the exhale you might be able to revolve deeper. And if you did the bind on the first side, feel free to take it here. From your right side, take one more breath.

Slowly unwind back to center. Extend both legs out, dandasana, reach both arms up, fold forward paschimo. Lengthen and fold. Notice if you're rounding in the back body, can you elongate the front body, spread the toes, notice things that you might not typically be aware of. And then from a place of inner strength, when we see more clearly, we can choose.

Yes. This feels right for me. No. It doesn't. But if we're not looking, we might miss it. One more breath. Slowly. Come back up to center and make your way onto your back.

Then the knees. And then we'll take the left knee in. You can keep the right foot on the ground. Half happy baby. Option to extend the right leg long.

Take a breath. As you exhale, bring your knee across to the right spinal twist. Deep breath. Full exhale. Come back to center, plant your left foot, hug your right knee in, option to take your half happy baby, option to extend the left leg long.

Take a breath. Guide your knee across the body and take your spinal twist. Deep inhale, maybe underneath your right shoulder, and as you exhale, settle in deeper. Slowly plant your right foot, come back to center, knees knock in, hands to heart and belly, take a breath. Full exhale, straighten one leg, and the other Allow yourself to find your final rest.

Take one more conscious breath slowing the inhale. Slowing the exhale just as long, if not longer. And then let go of any breath control. Let go of any tension in the body, any holding, any gripping, Choose to give yourself this space to rest Shavasana. Stay here as long as you'd like.

I encourage you to stay another 5 minutes or longer. If as you're ready, you'd like to slowly find movement stretch, bend your knees, and gently roll to your side. And this if you're not trying to disturb any peace that you might have found, slowly press up to seated. Allow yourself to just ground to connect to your strength within To notice anything that showed up for surface. Without judging or attaching, it's just information that we can use.

So as you're ready, join the palms together in front of the heart, taking a moment of gratitude honoring your inner strength, honoring yourself for showing up to practice, take a deep breath, bow the head. Namaste.