Foundation for Resilience

Hi. I'm Brianna, and welcome to your practice today. For our practice, we won't need any props. You can arrive exactly as you are as we dive into our practice of cultivating mindfulness, and self awareness as a tool for emotional resilience. When we practice yoga, we're putting ourselves in uncomfortable strange, unusual positions, And with the ability to stay with our breath and stay with ourselves, even when things get challenging, we work towards this so that we can extrapolate this tool into our real lives and have the ability to come back to our baseline and this cornerstone of mindfulness again and again. We'll be working throughout our practice with the ability to tap into the way that the body feels, the way the emotions feel, and the heart beats.

When you're ready, we'll begin by coming down onto our back. And as you arrive on your back, you can keep your knees bent and your feet on the earth. If there's another position that helps you feel more comfortable, you're welcome to do that. What we're searching for in this moment is a feeling of neutrality and comfort. So as you arrive, deepen your breath, deepen your breath in a way that feels comfortable and maybe a little edgy so that you breathe in and you might breathe in a little bit more.

And let it go completely. Good. The next time that you inhale, inhale into the pelvis and the lower belly Inhale wide into your rib cage, and inhale all the way up into your chest. Open the mouth and let it go. Let it go. Let it go. Let it go to the very bottom.

And begin this pattern once again, breathing in the first third of your breath into your lower belly and your pelvis. The next third of your breath into your ribs, breathing into all directions. And then breathing in all the way up to the chest and the upper back, your deepest breath in that you've taken. And let it go out the mouth. One more breath, just like that, filling from the bottom to the top, the belly, pelvis, widen to the ribs, and up into the chest, out the mouth.

Now you can smooth the breath out breathing in and out through the nose, keeping the depth and the expansiveness of this breath, and noticing how you feel. Noticing how the breath feels, how the body feels, and how the mind feels, without becoming too attached to anything really that is coming up just aware. Another brother so here are. And then from this place of stillness and awareness, if you have a an intention for your practice that you'd like to set today, You're welcome to establish that now. And as you're ready, You can start to widen your feet out so that they're slightly wider than hip distance apart, and you can toss your arms out towards the sides as you gently rock your knee side to side, like windshield wipers moving one way, and the other.

And because nothing is separate and everything moves together as your knees rock side to side, let your pelvis shift side to side your shoulders might shift a little bit, and you can allow the head to rock side to side as well. Then as the head rocks side to side, the jock can soften, and you notice what you notice here. And if this feels quite good, you can stay with it. And if you would prefer, you can draw your knees up towards your chest. Hugging the shins or the backs of the thighs in towards you and a continuation of that rocking side to side motion here.

Whether your feet are on the ground or your knees are into the chest, you can gently allow the knees to drop over to the right in a casual sort of way while your left arm reaches out to the left. And you take a look over towards the left fingertips. Take a few deep breaths into the left side of the heart space, into the left side of the lungs. And if it feels quite good to expand, in that way, you can slide the left hand a little bit higher, like, maybe 2 or 3 inches further up towards the top of the mat. Mhmm. I'm breathing into the lower back.

And as you're ready, you can start to bring your knees back to center either hugging in or feet on the earth a little snuggle in and a press into the lower back into the earth. And when you're ready, take your knees up and over to the other side. To the left and take a look over towards your right fingertips, expanding the breath now into the right side of the lung space, and deciding if you did on the other side, if you'd like to slide the right fingertips up a few inches towards the corner of the mat. I'm breath into the lower back and into this moment. And when you're ready, draw your knees back into center, hug them into the chest, and take a deep breath in.

And place your feet on the ground. The feet are hip distance apart and the hands will be by the sides. You'll take a deep breath in here. And as you exhale, press down through the entirety of both feet and to lift your pelvis up towards the sky a little or a lot so they can come halfway up or they can go or your hips can go all the way up towards bridge pose. That'll be an inhale.

And as you exhale, you'll slowly lower down to the earth. Good. Inhale allow the pelvis to lift upwards towards the sky and exhale slowly lower down. You're moving with the breath here. Inhale and lifting. And exhaling and lowering.

Then if your pace is a little bit different than what I'm instructing, that's okay too. And if you wanna rest or hold, you're invited to do so. We have just a few more of these. And with the awareness on the quadriceps engaging and the glute muscles engaging and that constant exchange of breath and movement, And the next time that you lift up towards a bridge pose, you'll lift up and hold. You'll lift and hold the bridge pose.

And, again, this can be a half bridge. This can be a full bridge. Right now, your feet are pressed into the ground. Can you pull the feet gently towards your pelvis so the feet don't move on the mat. It's a gentle and subtle pull.

Towards your pelvis, towards your back, towards your shoulders so your hamstrings engage. Mhmm. And then you can press the feet down and away, down and away the opposite direction, quadriceps engage, and you breathe in here. And split the difference, come right down to the middle, and then slowly lower down to the ground. Good. A full breath in here and let it go.

Extend your right foot up to the sky. Hands can interlace behind the back of the right thigh. You can take a nice leveling gaze up towards your toes. If there's a little roll through the ankle you'd like to take here, you're welcome to do so. And you'll take an inhale as you bend your right knee and an exhale to kick the right leg up to the sky.

2 more like that, breathing in a little bend, and an exhale reaching up towards the sky. One more just like that. When the right leg extends, the leg could be straight. It could be bent. What we're looking for is sensation in the back of the leg, which means if you want, you can pull the leg a little bit closer towards you.

Yeah. Few more breaths here. Mhmm. And the last breath in. And you'll let it go. Let the right foot come right down to the ground and extend the left leg up to the sky, catching the hands, interlacing on the back of the left thigh. A little ankle roll if that suits you here to adjust and land on the other side.

Take a deep breath in, bend the left knee. Extend as you exhale. 2 more just like that feeling into the back of the leg. A moment ago, we were lifting through bridge and engaging the back of the legs, and here we are in this moment stretching them. You can stretch and hold here.

We start the foundation of our practice in emotional resilience by working with the backs of the legs and the hamstrings. Really important aspect of how we propel ourselves through the world. Couple more breaths here. And a part of our body that's intricately related with our nervous system. Good. Alright. You can release this side.

Both feet come down into the ground. If you'd like, you can lift both hips up for a moment as if to even out through the hips. Take a deep breath in. And lower down to the ground as you exhale. As you're ready, you're all over towards one side.

Slowly make your way up to a seat across legged seat or any other seat that suits you. As you sit up quite tall, you'll place your right hand down onto the mat next to you and reach your left hand up towards the ceiling or the sky and take a deep breath in, exhale and reach up in overhead. We'll stay here for 2 breaths breathing in and out. And another breath in. And out.

Slowly rise on up. Place the left hand down next to you and extend the right fingertips up towards the sky, towards the ceiling, and breathe in. Up and overhead as you breathe out. You can choose where you set your gaze here for the next two breaths looking forward or up towards the sky, or if you've got a little neck thing going on, you're welcome to take your gaze down towards the floor. It's really useful to see which one feels best to you in this moment?

The breath in? Come on up. Bring your knees together and rise all the way up onto your tabletop position, your hands and your knees. With your hands spreading evenly with your wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips. Nice stable foundation of the body on the ground looking downwards. You can close your eyes just for a moment to feel what you feel. Take a deep breath in.

And a deep breath out. And the next time that you inhale, bring your heart forward, lift your sit bones up. This is the breath in and round and curl inwards as you exhale. Cow moving with the breath in some harmonious ways, you start to unlock the spine. Good.

Right now, you might have a sense more of how the body feels and what's going on in the interior world. My favorite part is when we start to move with the breath in this way, kinda squeezes out any of the chatter of the mind. From here, you can start to turn a little side to side if you'd like so that you get some other aspects of the spinal movement. Feels good sometimes to start to roll the ribs in a big barrel like circular motion, essentially taking spinal movements that feel good to you in this moment as part of the practice of turning inwards and feeling what it feels to be you. And what might feel good.

Mhmm. When you're ready, come to a neutral spine, one that's parallel with the earth, and start to extend your right leg back with your right toes curled under onto the mat and the right heel pressing back. So the calf stretches, the shoulders can take a little moment to go away from the ears as you send some of the weight of the body back towards the right foot, the heel presses back and you take a deep breath into that calf muscle of the right foot, right back of the leg. And shift right on over to the other side. The right knee comes down.

The left foot goes back behind you. You can curl those toes under and press through that heel. And you decide like a dial, whether you'd like to dial it up by pressing back more or to ease out by shifting forward just a bit. So good. And then when you're ready, you'll put that knee down. Breathe in and look forward, turn the heart forward, curl your toes under.

And as you exhale, we'll start to lift to the knees and shift up and back to downward facing dock, to the Adamuka's finasana shape with the hands pressing, the heart pressing towards your thighs, and the heels reaching towards the earth. A full breath in here, let the head go. Shift yourself forward to plank pose as you breathe in. The shoulders will be above the rest, and the hips will be in line with the heels, take a deep breath in and your plank pose and downward facing dog as you exhale. Inhale to the plank and exhale to down dog. Inhale to plank.

Lower onto the belly as you exhale, you can drop your knees on your way. Come all the way down. Hands are underneath the shoulders, and your next breath in will reach the heart forward. For cobra pose. A little pressure through the hands, tops of the feet press in. This is the inhale.

And as you exhale, you'll lower the third eye, the forehead down to the earth. 2 more like that. Breathe in. Slithering forward, heart lifting forward cobra. And lower on down.

One more. Good. Pressing up to your plank pose or your hands and your knees and then downward facing dog. The breath in. Take yourself in a long, slow walk up to a standing forward fold to uttanasana with your feet about hip distance apart. You can grab your elbows for a moment on rock side to side. Let the head go.

Drop your hands to the ground, bend your knees, and slowly roll and rise up to stand one vertebra at a time. The head lifts last and you'll breathe in and lift the shoulders up to the ears and exhale. Let it go. Sweep your arms out and up as you inhale. Bring the hands to the heart as you exhale. Once the hands come to the heart, take a moment, standing upright, notice how you feel the heart eating and the breath moving in a different way, and you can shift from side to side to find exactly what feels like your center.

In house stretch your arms out and up to order Vahastasana to the sky, And as you exhale hinge at the hips, let the heart lead the way as you come forward into uttanasana the forward fold. Inhale, the half lift to lengthen, bringing the heart forward, exhale hands come down, step back to plank pose. There's an inhale here, and you exhale and lower towards the earth. Coming back to that cobra pose, the heart moving forward, breathe in, upward dog is an option here if you prefer, and lower down as you exhale. Press up to plank or hands and knees and downward facing dock.

Extend your right leg up to the sky for the breath in. And as you exhale, step your right foot up and in between the hands, let your back knee lower to the earth. You could keep your hands exactly as they are as your hips settle forward. It could also bring your hands to the thigh, or you could extend your arms up to the sky in Anjanae Asana. A little gentle lift through the gaze as the left hip fluts or stretches and the heart moves forward, breathe in, and the breath out. Another breath here.

The hands will slowly come down towards the earth. Walk the hands back a little or a lot. So the right leg can extend and the right foot flexes. The left knee stays underneath the hip. The foot flexes and the heart reaches forward. There's an inhale here.

An exhale, you can bow in. The back of the right leg stretches once again as if to greet the the back of the leg and the hamstring muscles. Let them know it's safe and comfortable to relax here. Nothing to run from in this moment. A couple more breaths.

On your next exhale, curl the hands forward, curl the back toes under and step back to plank for the breath in, lower towards the earth as you breathe out. You can take a cobra or an upward facing dog here and a downward facing dog. Allow the left leg to rise high for the breath in Exhale step the foot in between the hands, back knee lowers down to the ground, making a wise choice once again of keeping your hands as they are on the ground, of bringing them up towards the thigh, letting the hips shift forward, or extending the arms upwards to the sky. Good. The chest keeps lifting, lifting up and out of the lower back, and the breath keeps breathing with the awareness and the right hip flexor. The breath in.

And out. Hands land down towards the ground and you can slowly walk the hands back. Left leg starts to straighten a little or a lot as you flex the foot. And you can use the flexing of the foot as a dial. So if you would like more sensation, the more flex of the foot, the more wrapping of that left hip backwards, and an extending straight leg. And if it feels like too much, can let the foot become more natural or neutral.

Could even bend the knee if you prefer. Breath in and out. Crawl your hands forward, curl the back toes under, and step back to plank pose for the breath in. From here, you can go right to down dog, or you can lower towards the earth halfway or all the way. Another opportunity for the back bending and upward facing dog or cobra.

And downward facing dog. Good. Take a deep breath in. Notice how you feel in the way that the practice is becoming more challenging. It is building what is changing in the heartbeat.

In the mind, in the story, lift your heels up as you breathe in, bend your knees, take a walk, or hop up to the top of the mat, inhale the heart moves forward, and exhale fold all the way in. Sweep your arms up to the sky. Inhale. Hands to the heart as you exhale. A pausing for a moment, opening up the space. Breath in.

Breath out. Inhale stretch your arms up. Forward fold as you exhale. Half lift lengthening, set back to plank as you exhale, and lower down. Remember, you can always rest if you'd like. Otherwise, you take the Chaturanga, the updog, or the cobra, into the downward facing dock. Right leg reaches to the sky, breathe in.

And as you exhale step the foot up and in between the hands, something changes this time. The back knee remains lifted as you sweep your arms up. Towards crescent posts. Arms reaching, tailbone lengthening downwards, heart rising. Remember that feeling of that left hip flexor stretching and opening, and you can feel a little bit here about how that's happening and stacking the the the the heel above the ball of the foot, if that makes sense to you. Otherwise, finding a better place for that inhale and exhale. Two more breaths.

Right leg will straighten as you breathe in, back heel spins down to the earth Turpin turn open and arms reach wide warrior 2. So you can dip right on in with that bent right knee. Arms fly out towards the sides in line when the same level as the shoulders. A nice, loving gaze out through those right fingertips. Good. Mhmm. And if it feels good, you can take a straightening through the right leg and a bend through the right knee, arriving in warrior 2 feels a little bit different towards dirt to everybody. So takes it's worth taking the extra moment to feel really grounded and connected to the shape.

Mhmm. Back toes are turned in just slightly. It'll be helpful for our next moment when we gather the hands to the heart in prayer right through heart center. Straighten out through the right leg and bend in through to the left knee for a little lunge, a little scandas in a shape. You can send the seat pretty far back and flex the right foot as much as you'd like to.

And yes, there is a balancing aspect to this. So if the right foot wants to stay down instead, you're welcome to do that. We'll take the same shape up and over to the other side so you'll rise up, turn the toes to the side of the mat, and turn the left toes up, bend into the right knee, lift the left toes. Good. And you've already probably gotten a sense that you could dip a little bit deeper. You could send a seat back.

This is up to you how low you'd like to go. All the way up and back over to the first side. Right leg extends. Hands could reach to the ground if you want to, or they could stay at the heart. Breadth and energy rising through the inner right thigh.

And to the back of the mat, once again, transitioning so that the left knee the left leg straightens in the right knee bends. Good. So nice. As you rise up this time around, all of your toes turn towards the side of the mat. Hands can come to the heart just for a moment just for the breath in, and then tip yourself over hinging at the hips coming into a wide leg forward fold, placing the hands on the mat and letting the head go. Lien a little bit further forward into the ball of the foot and the toes.

And in that way, you can draw the crown of the head closer to the ground and lift the sit bones further up towards the sky. You might shake the head out. Good. Little bend through both knees. Walk your hands over to your right foot. Turn the right toes forward.

Lift your back. He'll step back to plank and breathe in. Lower towards the ground as you breathe out. The opportunity or offering of the cobra or the upper dog, and the downward facing dog. Left leg will extend high behind you Brianna in.

As you exhale step up and in between the hands crescent pose on the other side, left foot stays, arms extend, and reach up, taking any modifications that are needed here, recognizing the space, the openness, the right hip flexor, the strength building through the legs, breathing in, and breathing out. Shoulder blades glide down the back, making more space through the neck, the shoulders, sometimes turning the palms towards when another can really open up that space as well. Good. Inhale. Let that left leg straighten. Exhale. Turpin the back heel down to the ground.

Open up the arms wide into warrior 2. Good. And if you did so on the other side, you can straighten and bend through that front knee. As a tool to really bring you into this pose in the sense of grounding through both feet, taking the gaze maybe out through the left fingertips unless there's another place that would feel better. The breath in, and the breath out. Gather the hands to the heart and start to bend into the right knee, allowing that left leg to straighten a little or a lot with the foot flexing.

Yeah. You might be getting the hang of it, and you could move even faster than the way that I'm moving, if that suits you better. Switching to the other side when you're ready, left knee bends and the right leg lengthens and straightens, take an extra moment to reach that sternum forward, the chest forward. Rise all the way up. Good back to that first side. Left leg straightens. Nice.

Good. Rising up, breathing in and extending over the right leg as you breathe out. So nice. Come all the way back up to center, turn the toes to the long edge of the mat, and once again, take yourself up and over into a wide leg forward fold. Hands can plant onto the ground in this pose, or they can reach towards the ankles and the feet.

Allow the head to fully let go. It's quite heavy. We carry it around all day long. The head can release, and maybe do that same thing from the other side of leaning a little bit further forward. We tend to be heavy in our heels.

Lifting the sit bones up to the sky. Allowing this pose to be to have some aspects of passivity into in it. Of course, we're standing. Of course, we're using the muscles of the body, but the head itself is releasing. The body is holding us up.

We can let go of the head when we can trust it. Hands come back underneath your face, walk them over to the top of the mat so the left foot tote turns forward, and you can step back to plank for the breath in and lower to the earth as you breathe out. Cobra or upward facing dog, and downward facing dog. Your deepest breath in and into the pelvis, into the lower back, white into the ribs and up into your chest and upper back, let it go out the mouth. Again, into the pelvis, into the ribs, into the chest and upper back.

Let it go. Lower your knees down to the earth, walk your hands in and shift yourself on to your seat. Shift yourself onto your seat with your legs extending forward out in front of you. The feet can be about hip distance apart or wider if you have that as your preference. Sit up quite tall, might even bring your fingertips down next to you to allow the crown of the head to lift upwards, and allow the arms to be an extension of the spine for the breath in. Fold over yourself as you breathe out into the forward fold Pashimotanasana.

The head might release here, and this breath starts to breathe into the back of the body. And slowly start to roll to rise up to your seat. Allow your arms to extend forward. Breathe in. And slowly start to lower onto your back as you breathe out.

When you arrive, you can stretch your arms all the way up and overhead, take up some space, breathe in, and in a little bit more, let it go out the mouth. Allow your arms to come down by your sides, resituate yourself on the mat if needed, bend your knees. Feet will be about hip distance apart once again, one bridge pose, hips lift upwards towards the sky, evening out through both hips. Inhale. And slowly lower down as you exhale.

Hug your knees up into your chest, allow the lower back to imprint and to release. Separate your knees a little bit wider so they're in line with the shoulder or they're reaching towards the shoulders. You can lift the feet upwards towards the sky for happy baby pose. You can hold the outer edges or the inner arches of the feet as you widen the feet out, and it's up to you whether you'd like to rock a little side to side here. Yeah.

You might notice as you rock side to side, you could start to kick into one leg as you lean to the right, the right leg kicks out. You come back to center lean to the left, kick the left leg out, and come back to center, making, in essence, that same Skandasana shape we took when we were standing now lying on our back. And take one more breath in here. And when you're ready, lay on the feet onto the earth. Hands by the side, your deepest breath in.

And in a little bit more, out the mouth. Cross your right ankle on top of your left thigh for figure 4 or eye of the needle, you can stay as you are or you can interlace the hands behind the back of the left thigh if you'd like a deeper hip stretch. And breathe into the right hip and the lower back. Noticing and noticing. Last breath in here.

And releasing the back of the leg, letting the right foot come down to the ground, and taking a deep breath in. Letting it go out the mouth. The left ankle will cross over the right thigh where you can stay, or if you would prefer to interlace the hands on the back of the right leg, you're welcome to do so for figure 4, for the eye of the needle, for the left hip stretching and opening. Her last breath in into the left heel. I'm releasing the back of the leg and releasing the foot to the ground as you exhale.

Go ahead. Take your feet slightly wider than the hips. Let your knees windshield wiper side to side. So throwing it back all the way to the beginning of our practice as a way of marking and sensing and feeling any differences from the beginning of our practice today. Body might feel more open, different in some way, warm peaceful. Good.

And you can continue this for a few more breaths, or you can take any last movement or pose that you'd like before we rest. It might feel nice to come back to the knees drawing into your chest, an opportunity for another happy baby if you would like it. And when you're ready and it feels like time, You'll allow the legs to stretch long, and you can choose to have the hands come by your sides, or you can place a hand on the heart and a hand on the belly. Making a decision about what would feel best in this moment. You can close your eyes if that feels comfortable and start to feel some release in the physical body. In a practice full of effort, we arrive at the pose of ease where the physical body releases completely.

Where the mind follows by releasing completely. The emotional body follows by releasing completely. And any other aspect in the energetic body can release completely as you drop in to Shavasana. Take a deep breath in, and let it go. You can gently move your head side to side. Move through the fingers and the toes.

Stretch your arms up and overhead. Ben the knees, and roll to your side, allowing the head to rest in the right arm. Slowly start to press your way up to your seats, coming to a comfortable position and turning the palms upwards towards the sky. If it feels okay to keep a soft gaze or keep the eyes closed in this final meditation, you're invited to do so as you deepen the breath. As you allow the inhale to reach the crown of the head upwards, and an exhale to lean into the seat into the sit bones, Allow the heart to lift or breath in, and let the shoulders relax as you breathe out.

Noticing how you feel as a foundation of the practice of mindfulness so that we have a baseline and a foundation to keep coming back to you again and again. In the way that we cultivate emotional resilience. Gently bring your hands to the heart and prayer. Reconnecting with your intention. Our last collective breath together, bowing in words to the heart, to the inner light that has guided you always and always will.

Thank you.