Inverted Vitality

Hey now. Welcome to this practice of inversions. My favorite. Two Blocks and a bolster would be great. You can absolutely do this without them. We're gonna get started in child's pose.

So big toes together, sitting on your heels, knees slightly apart, and have the blocks out in front of you low height. You're gonna hook just the front knuckles over the front of the blocks to like first knuckle over the front of the block. It's okay if your head doesn't touch the floor. It can hang, let your ears be between your arms. So a sense that the front ribs are being held by the leg legs not wider than the ribs, but giving the ribs a little feedback to broaden in the back waist.

And then elongate the spine and the sides of the ribs. You might even be able to inch the blocks forward. And as you exhale, let the hips go back, let the abdomen move towards the spine. So with your first knuckle, with the tip of your fingers just over the front face of the block. Feel like you're pulling the blocks back towards you.

Don't actually move. It's isometric pulling back. And let that firm your tricep, your outer upper arm muscle. Like, the arms are plugging into the socket. Almost a sense of retracting the shoulder blades.

But then that width at the back waist, almost wrapping the outer upper edges of the shoulder blades around the sides of the ribs, around the armpits so that the whole shoulder girdle, the whole rib basket feels like it's Saran wrapped held. Roll your biceps up and your tricep down and absolutely straighten the arms. Nice. Let's do down dog with hands on blocks. If that doesn't feel right for you or, again, if you don't have blocks, you know, just classic down dog with your hands on the floor is great. And this could even be a short dog, which is to say that your hands and feet are a little bit closer together so that there's more weight in the legs and your head can really hang down.

Almost imagining the entire spinal column hanging off the tail. The tailbone a kind of draping, hanging, suspending of the head. One more time. Firm the arms, elbows towards the ears, wrap the triceps down towards your nose and roll the biceps up towards the ceiling. Yeah. Good. And then plank pose, and you'll just go ahead and lower all the way down onto your belly. So you can put your knees down, go between the blocks.

Move your blocks to the side so that you have room to extend your arms alongside your ears lying prone face down You can put your forehead on the floor and touch your hands together in prayer, outer wrist, pushing down, Push your elbows down. Push your pubis down. All ten toes like your shoelaces, toe nails down. Breathe into the back waist. And as you exhale, just hover the front ribs.

Lift your front ribs. Lift your solar plaques. Lift your low belly up away from the floor. And you could do this like catch and release sort of contracting the abdominal muscles and then letting them drop back down to the floor, or you could just hold it suspending, feel what gets engaged, the very bottom of the gluteal muscle, like where your short shorts end. So where the hamstring meets the glue, that kind of contraction there, a pulling of the low belly, the pubis, the front hipbones up towards the ribs, lifting the belly to the back, and hoisting, hovering the front ribs up away from the floor.

Take one more breath. If you're doing contraction and relaxation, contract lift, and then release. Lovely. A little updog, a little cobra. You can come onto hands and knees, make your to the wall crease.

No blocks this time. So this is the template for inverting right here. With your head hanging down and your hips lifting up high. And, you know, this is a delicious verse inversion to do every single day. It's wonderful to submerge the head, blow the heart, blow the gut.

Step to the front of your mat. Inhale halfway. And you're just gonna sit down all the way. Have your blocks roll onto your back and set your blocks down tall. So the other thing that supports inversions is a stable strong core.

Tall blocks, hands on bricks, push down, push down, push down until you feel your back ribs on the floor. Your head could be down or you can lift it up. That's more intense. The main point is that you're breathing your back ribs down. I'm not talking about the pelvis or the low back. It's the back ribs that you're looking to connect to the floor.

And as you exhale like a cough, like a laugh, see with your eyes that your belly moves away from the skin from your t shirt. So a kind of hollowing. Sometimes when we do core work, the belly pushes up make sure that your abdomen, your your core muscles are moving down. Okay? So push into your block hands and lift your legs up and you could stay like this field. Did your back ribs come up away from the floor, root them back down, hands down, pressing into the block to breathe and inhale, push hands into blocks back into the floor.

And as you exhale, reach your right leg forward. Some, a lot a little You'll know if you've gone too far if your back ribs pop up away from the floor inhale. And on exhale, lift the right leg up. Breathe in, Push down, exhale, left leg goes forward, back ribs are down, push hands, inhale, and lift your left leg up. You could stay with both with one leg or you could do both legs, exhale. We're moving on the breath out.

Pushing with our hands on the breath in and exhale to lift inhale Exhale lower 1 or 2 legs. Inhale. Exhale left. You'll do 2 more. Breathe in, exhale lower pushing, pushing hands, back ribs, low belly to the back, exhale lift, One more time.

Breathe in, exhale lower. Inhale and exhale lift. Amazing. Feed on the floor. Roll yourself up to sit. Cross your ankles, move your blocks forward, come up to stand, fold, rather, and you're gonna set up like a tee tall block and then a low block on top.

Step your feet apart a little bit wider than hip width So almost like you're, a bike pump or, you know, pushing a suitcase to zip a suitcase down. So you're pushing down into your hands. We're gonna be like this for kapala, so you'll feel the belly flap up and down as you exhale. You know, if you're pregnant or menstruating, this is not great, better to just be here and find, you know, some space between your shoulder blades. Otherwise, inhale, smooth exhale.

We'll do 108 pumps breathe in and begin. Stay with it. Last eight inhale, lift your arms up. Touch palms. You're gonna exhale out of your mouth. Hands on your knees.

Breathe empty. Been the knees, lock the elbows, and pull the abdomen up towards the chest. When you're ready to breathe in, you will. You'll stand, lift your arms, inhale, and hands down to the chest as you exhale. We'll do just that part, Udiana Banda practice one more time, so it's an inhale arms up and an exhale on empty, pushing the hands down and rounding the back. Breathe, then reach the arms up. Out of the mouth, exhale empty.

Draw the abdomen up, spread the back ribs wide, almost like a fake cough or a fake laugh, Mula Banda, Udianna Banda action, if you know those. And then you'll inhale when you're ready, stand up, breathe in, look up, touch palms, and exhale hands down through the heart. It's wonderful to use the breath to stimulate the nervous system, to awakening the body. Stand at the front of your mat. One block off to the side.

Hold the other block in your hand. Lift the block overhead. That same action inhale. And as you exhale, like you're pulling the block apart, open your mouth, breath out, pull the block apart, And then inhale, bring your right knee to your chest and slip the block underneath your right thigh as you exhale. So you're holding the block wide orientation under your thigh press down thi bone into blocks so you feel the rebound of your belly pulling to your back and bend the elbows a little bit so you can feel the shoulder blades into the chest, the chest lifting.

And imagine that your left thigh had a block behind it also. So that both legs are pressing towards the hamstring, the bones. If you like, you can straighten your right leg like, We're gonna keep this shape, bend your right knee, put your foot on the floor and step your left foot back a half step And then worry your 3. Keep your block behind your right leg. Use that feedback of the block to find your belly moving to your back. And then go ahead step way back to the back of the mat for Warrior 1. Ground your back.

He'll lift the block up overhead. Breathe in and then dump the breath out of the mouth, get empty, stay empty, and pull the block apart. Inhale. Exhale. Both hands block down. Step your right foot halfway back, put your hands on the floor, and let your hands be flat, standing split, lift your left leg up, and just go high up on your tippy toes.

So that your shoulders move in front of your knuckles, that you're looking way over the edge of your mat like a diving board. And then fold both feet to the floor, inhale halfway up, flat back. Exhale back of your wrist to the floor, wrist stretch and fold. Grab a block, stand up, inhale, block overhead, Exhale, pull the brick apart, Uddiana Banda. And then breathe in.

Lift your left knee up. Lay the left thigh on the brick, brick underneath your left thigh and push push down into your leg as a way to find your belly moving to your back. A little bend in the elbows to broaden lift the armpit chest. Maybe you extend your left leg. Keep pushing down thigh into hamstring, not just with your left leg, but also your right.

Keep the block where it is bend your left knee step to the floor and then step your right foot back a half a step warrior 3. Arms pulling the block into the leg leg pushing the block so the belly finds the back ribs. Go ahead and step to the back of the mat. Warrior 1 big step back. Block up overhead, hold it on the short side.

Breathe in nose. Open mouth, pull the block apart. Inhale, look up and exhale both hands in the block down. Step your left foot back, half step, kick your right foot up in the air, standing split, plant your palms flat, and then high up on your left tippy toes, lift your heel, so that your shoulders move over your knuckles. Maybe even over your fingernails, go forward. Go too far forward.

Get more weight in your hands. Breathe in. And then right foot meets, left folding down, breathing out. Halfway up, Come up onto your fingertips. Excuse me. Arto Uhtana breathe in and back of the wrist to the mat Uhtana as you breathe out.

Hands to the hips, inhale, squeeze the elbows together and stand. Pilicious. Let's go to the wall. Set up your bolster at the wall. Now look, if you don't have a bolster, we're gonna do handstand.

So you could just kick up if you have a handstand practice. And I'm gonna use blocks. You could also be using a chair. Nothing, you know, is is classic to use nothing. But lifting the grounded leg. One leg is gonna be up in the air and lifting the grounded leg is gonna bring more weight into your hands.

So you could have one block, you could have two blocks, you could have a chair, a bed, you're gonna set up tall bolster up against the wall. Hands in front of the bolster down dog and then step one foot up onto the support if you're interested in that. Leen your head into the block so I have the top of my head like where sheer sausen and where I do head stand. And then lift your other leg, my left leg up in the air. And see, can you get your shoulders past your wrist? So that you're lifting the right heel high, higher, highest And it might feel like you're light enough to lift, not even kick up.

And because the bolster is there, you might be able to be more vertical without being in a a banana shape So the work of Udiana Bhanda of moving the front ribs to the back, the tailbone up to the heels, wrap the triceps. And then come down slow if you have block It might help to widen the legs and come down. Bring your hands to your hips and how and stand. You know, and you can certainly do it so you kick up on each side. That would be lovely and symmetrical.

We're gonna keep going. You're gonna set up your blocks like a t shape. So they're both narrow orientation. And the bottom block has some space between the wall and the block And this top block is gonna be between your shoulder blades. So this might be closer to pinch of myrasana or sheer sausana.

You'll see Hands around the bottom block, just that first knuckle like you started around the edge of the block, elbows, shoulder width. Not wider. And then start with your head on the floor. Press the elbows, wrist down, and lift your shoulders up. And then tuck your toes and lift your knees and walk your feet towards your face so that you feel the second block, the top block, between your shoulder blades.

This could be lovely to stay here New again might lift your leg if you kicked up with your left leg first. Maybe this time you stretch up with your right leg. And again, you might not need the wall because you have this prop supporting you, giving you space in your shoulders. And it might be that your head is touching the floor. It also might be that it's slightly hovering.

Front ribs to the back ribs, tailbone up to the heels. Keep pressing down into your wrists to lift the hips up off the waist, and then come on down. So you can stay with that. And if you want, you could take a classic sheer sausana. If you're new to headstand, interlace the knuckles or, you know, if you're if you're still getting balance, you'll interlace your knuckles right at the wall thumbs are crossed like you're holding a bouquet.

There's a little bit of space between your hands, between your thumbs and your fingers. Elbows no wider than shoulders, and then head to the floor. I mean, you could set up at the wall and still not use it. And now if you use the props in our free from props, you can still feel their echo, what it's like in the shoulders, in the upper back. They say if there's one pose to do for the rest of your life.

This is it. I think it's a wonderful physiological neurological psychological experience to stand on the head. People who study craniums, bones, brains, say that the pressure of headstand mimics being birthed coming out of the birth canal, the kind of pressure on the skull, and all the neurological effects that radiate out the spine, kind of awakening. New beginning. Last breath here.

Come down either knees bent or straight legs together or separate. And welcome to a land and child's pose. I also like to hold the chin to land, holding the chin, and gently drawing it forward. So elbows underneath the chin and giving the cervical spine some release and then we'll take down dog like lobster claws like you're wearing mittens, thumbs, and index fingers separated just into the wall crease And, again, let your head be heavy so your neck can be long. And then walk your hands back to meet your feet.

Bring your hands to your hips and how and stand. And our last inversion will be Viparini Karani, and you're welcome to just lay with legs up the wall I'm gonna put two blocks under my but, you know, also if you have a bolster it could be nice to do Salumba serving Gosinan. I'll show that here. So either you're taking bridge with blocks under your butt and lifting your legs where your legs are up the wall, or you can be in a very mild shoulder stand so that your spine is on the bolster, your head and shoulders on the floor and your feet up on blocks just a little bit higher than the bolster. Again, this is a mild inversion.

Of course, you could be in a much bigger inversion. With your hips significantly higher than your heart, significantly higher than your head. And we're gonna move into, some of pranayama of equalness, equal length, inhale, and exhale. So you might breathe in for account of 4. And breathe out for a count of 4.

Keep going. If 4 feels too long or short, you can do 3 or 5. The voice, the breath sounds like an ocean, like a soft whisper. And if it feels alright, you can add a pause at the top of inhale and a pause at the bottom of exhale. So that the breath is almost like a box inhaling for a count of 4. Holding full for 4.

Exhaling for a count of 4. And staying empty for a count of 4. Keep going. And after you complete your next round, let your breath return to normal. Spontaneous irregular breath.

And if you're maybe by letting your whole spine rest on the floor, turning the bolster sideways or coming off the blocks. You could rest your knees, your shins, your thighs on the bolster if you're using one. Where you could lie in classic Shivasana, or you could come to sit for this final meditation And we'll begin this meditation once you get yourself physically settled with eyes open. So the gaze can be very soft. It could even be low to your cheeks or your nose.

And just mentally note 3 things in your site. 3 things you see. White wall, yellow cord, brown box. And you can keep the eyes open or softly close them and tune in to listening. Listen to your environment, the sounds close to you, and the sounds far away.

And note 3 sounds you can hear. Continuing to tune into the body. Feel into the sensations, whatever you can sense that's present, temperature, or pressure, pulsing your heartbeat, breathing, Just silently note 3 sensations. What are you touching? The difference between the armpits and the toes, the tongue in your mouth.

This practice of 3 sites 3 sounds and 3 sensations is a simple way of coming into the present moment. Embodying, being in the body in this present moment, The mind is a time traveler, forward, and back. And the body will bring you right here, right now. And you can do this at any time, anywhere. Just to ground yourself to anchor yourself back down, find that kind of clarity of rebirth, of renewal, of seeing things in a new way.

Please stay as long as you can. Returning yourself back again and again with a lot of warmth and kindness into this present moment. And if it's time for you to move again, go slow. Be reluctant, appreciative, as you bend your knees or roll to the side, come to sit, or maybe as you simply touch hands together, lifting the chest up as you breathe in and bowing as you breathe out in this gesture of gratitude for anyone or anything in your life, you're thankful for appreciative of Thanks for spending time doing any of this. Thanks for your practice and attention.

Hope you feel great. Shanti.