Welcome. I'm Brianna, and this class is on expanding your perspective. You won't need any props for our practice today. And in fact, we'll begin on our back. So when you're ready, start to take yourself up and over and onto your back. And as you arrive on your back, you can resume a comfortable place so your knees could remain bent.
And in fact, you could lean your knees in on one another as a way of allowing the lower back in the sacrum to release and spread. You'll deepen your breath here in a comfortable way that fills your belly and your ribs and your chest. A deep, slow breath. And if it feels comfortable for you to close your eyes here, you can close your eyes and open up the ability to listen to this story as a means of meditation for today. This is a Hindu parable that's been told again and again, and it takes place with a master and his student.
And in this story, the student is an eager, eager, annoying student who wants to know all of the answers and wants to know them now. In this story, the teacher asks the student to go and get a handful of salt. The student diligently returns with a handful of salt, and the teacher instructs to put the salt in a glass of water. The student does so, and the teacher asks the student to drink the water. The student drinks the water and makes a a face and the the teacher asks, how did it taste?
And the student says, bitter. Next, the teacher asks the student to get a handful of salt once again and leads him to a lake. The teacher asks that the student place the handful of salt in the lake, and the student does so, the teacher asks take a drink. How does it taste? And the student says, fresh.
We all get our handful of salt, of our pain in life, And it's about the container that we place it in and how we right size our pain again and again. So the question is how can we become the lake? Deep in your breath once again. How can you become the lake? And as you continue to deepen your breath, you might separate your knees away from one another. Start to move just a little bit through the head and the legs, allowing each breath to deepen as if expanding the capacity and container of yourself.
You can draw your knees up and in towards your chest holding on to the backs of the legs or the fronts of the shins allowing the lower back to imprint and the lower back to release on the ground, and you're invited to move a little bit here, like rocking side to side, like moving the head a little bit so that everything is connected and everything comes online here. And the breath deepens. We'll lower both knees all the way over to your right side. For a twist. The left arm can reach out to the side, modifying in any way that you'd like or your or you need. And if you'd like, you can place your right hand on the left knee.
Sometimes that feels good as you take your gaze out through the left fingertips. And expand the breath as if making more and more space. You might notice and stressful or contracted situations that the breath become shallow. And this is another way of being able to expand and expand expand. A full breath in that makes some more spaciousness in the low back and the left shoulder, and then slowly bring yourself back to center.
Keys can hug back up to the chest. Gently lower both knees over to the left side and extend your right arm out to the side twisting on the other side. Expanding the breath here into the right side of the heart and the right side of your lower back. Last breath in. Slowly come back up to center.
Dry your knees up and into your chest here and allow the knees to open as if reaching towards the shoulders. Allowing the feet to float upwards and taking a happy baby pose if you would like. Otherwise, you can keep the hands behind the backs of the thighs. Hold the end to your happy baby. You can move a little side to side. Expanding into the breath of the lower back, another breath here, and lowering the feet down to the ground. Let the feet be hip distance apart as your arms reach downwards by your side and breathe deeply in here.
As you exhale, press through both feet and lift the hips upwards towards the sky for half bridge pose. So halfway lift or the full lift up towards bridge pose. Breathing and expanding, and you might even feel the breath expand more through the front of the body as it lifts upwards. 2 more breaths. And on your next exhale, slowly roll down one vertebra at a time.
Cross your right ankle on top of your left thigh. For a figure 4. You can keep yourself as you are with the left foot on the ground, or you can interlace the hands behind the back of the left thigh. Expanding the breath now into the right hip. Take one last breath in here.
And gently release the hands, release the right foot down to the ground. A bridge pose in between the hips can lift up halfway or all the way and slowly come down. Switch to the other side by placing the left ankle on top of the right thigh. Staying as you are, we're interlacing the hands behind the back of the right thigh. Allow the brows to deepen into the left hip.
Another breath here. And gently release by bringing the left foot back down to the ground. And taking a deep breath in here using an exhale to lift up for 1 less fridge pose, and then slowly roll down one vertebra at a time. Shift yourself over to one side and rise up towards your hands and your knees to the tabletop position, wrists underneath the shoulders, and the knees underneath the hips. And while you're welcome to move into a familiar cow shape, what we might initiate with today is big circular motions through the ribs.
So that you inhale as the belly comes downward and the heart comes forward. And you exhale as the ribs move over to the right up into a rounded cat shape over to the left and back through breathing in. And out a big churning sensation, widening the circles more and more so as the breath expands. And if there is the bend in the elbows that you'd like to take that helps expanded wide in this position, you're welcome to do that. And when you're ready, you'll switch sides up and over to the right and down.
Mhmm. These big barrel like shapes. And if it calls to you to start to move in different ways through the spine, you're invited to do so, maybe figure eights or side to side motions. A few more here. Make your way to center and breathe in.
Look forward. Cur your toes under and lift your hips up and back for downward facing dog. You can allow the head to let go and allow the heels to drip down towards the ground. You can shift to the entire body to the left and the entire body to the right, finding your place at center or through the practice of examining your proprioception and how you present onto the ground, how your body meets the earth, roll towards a plank pose for a moment as you breathe in, and as if to reset and recalibrate, come back up into your downward facing dog. Walk up to your hands nice and slow into a forward fold. And hang here for a moment, expanding into the breath.
Sometimes it feels like the breath expands primarily into the front of the body. We can take these opportunities in the forward fold. To extend and expand the breath into the back of the body, backs of the legs, back of the pelvis, lower back, upper back, and back of the neck in school. Bend your knees. Slowly roll or rise up to your standing position in any way that you'd like.
Good. As the head reaches last, let the shoulders move back and down, turn the palms forward, find yourself evenly planted on the earth, and take a deep breath in. And then in a little bit more, out the mouth. Good. Reach your arms out and up as you extend and expand upwards towards the sky. Your deepest breath in.
And as you exhale, hinge at the hips and start to fold forward, the heart can lead the way into uttanasana. Lift your chest forward for art of uttanasana, the half lift, and bow in. Plant your hands. Step back to plank pose. Breathe in. Lower towards the ground as you breathe out.
Cobra pose, inhale. And lower down as you exhale. You can press to your hands and knees or plank pose. And downward facing doc. Each and every breath, the opportunity to expand and contract to get big and to get small.
The ability to right size the breath and right size our pain while we are at it. We are practicing, especially the expansion. Allow your right leg to reach up to the sky. Your hip can open, and the knee can bend. The knee can bend, and it may be the apex of the pose reaching up towards the sky.
Left heel can reach downwards towards the earth. And in fact, you might inhale and lift the left heel. And exhale and lower the left heel. Lift the left heel as you breathe in. And as you exhale, the right foot will step up and in between the hands.
Back heel comes down to the ground, and you can circle your arms all the way up to warrior 2. A pretty deep bend through that front knee, impossible gaze out through the right fingertips, maybe after you take the check back towards the back fingertips. Arms are lengthening. Bread is breathing. Flip the right palm upwards towards the ceiling and tip back for peaceful warrior or reverse warrior extending and expanding through the right side of the body.
Two more breaths here. Rise up to warrior 2. And inhale. And as you exhale, reach the right elbow towards the top of the right knee for side angle pose, elbow on top of the thigh above the knee. And the left arm reaching to the sky, or reaching up in overhead.
The rotation of the right ribs roll forward. Good. A couple more breaths. Reach all the way back up to warrior 2. Tip back to peaceful warrior. This is an inhale.
As you exhale slowly, the hands reach down to the ground, stepping back to plank pose and breathing in. Lower halfway or all the way as you breathe out. COBRA or upward facing dog. Downward facing dog. Allow the left leg to reach high.
Bend the knee and open up the hip. The knee, the highest point of the pose. Lift your right heel as you breathe in, and lower the right heel as you breathe out. Lift your right heel as you breathe in. And as you exhale, step the left foot up and in between the hands, The back heel spins down to the ground and you rise towards warrior 2.
That deep bend through the front knee, the outer edge of the back foot presses down a lot and the shoulders soften away from the ears. Breath is breathing, sense of groundedness, and liftedness through the crown of the head. Turn the front palm up and tip up and back for peaceful warrior, reverse warrior. Keep bending through the front knee. Rise up to warrior 2 for the breath in.
Inside angle pose as you breathe out. Left elbow on top of the left thigh. Right arm extending and reaching to the ceiling or sky or up and overhead. And especially if you've reached it up and overhead, left ribs wrap underneath you as right ribs open. Two more breaths.
And rise all the way up and back. Through warrior 2 to peaceful warrior to catch your inhale, and cartwheel the hands to the earth as you exhale. Going to down dog or lowering to Chaturanga. COBRA or upward facing doc and downward facing doc. A deep breath here.
And as you exhale, you can bend the knees, look forward, walk, or hop up to the hands. The half lift as you breathe in, forward fold as you breathe out. Bend both knees, sweep your arms forward, and up, chair pose. Rise all the way up to stand on an inhale. Bring the hands to the heart as you exhale.
A deep, deep, deep breath in. Empty at out the mouth. Share a pose, breathe in. Sing a little deeper for the breath out. Inhale.
Forward fold as you exhale. The half lift to lengthen look forward plank pose. Lower down halfway or all the way. The inhale comes in the upward dog or cobra and downward facing dog. Right leg rises, bend the knee, and open up the hip.
Similar to the other side. You might lift and lower the left heel. And if you choose to, you could step your right foot back behind you and reach your right arm up and overhead. Flipping your dog into wild thing. Breathe in.
Warrior 2 as you breathe out. Right hand comes down. Right foot steps up in in between the hands. Circle all the way up to warrior 2. Right palm flips, tip back, peaceful Turpin, inhale.
Through warrior 2 as you exhale. Right. Come on into your side angle pose, the elbow onto the thigh. Top are reaching to the sky or up and overhead. As you rise up through warrior 2 straighten your right leg. Turn the right toes in a bit.
Turn the left toes out. The goddess pose, hands come to the heart, bend both knees. Hands are at the heart in prayer pose, and you get pretty low in the sense that there's a muscular contraction that holds you here in god's pose. And the sentiment of widening and becoming the legs straighten your legs, sweep your arms out and up. So through this big flying warrior star shape, as expansive as you can be fingertips reaching, and then bring the hands to the heart, come back to your goddess. Pose.
Again, reaching and expanding and back to the goddess pose. One more just like that. So good. Straight in both legs, warrior 2 to the front of the yoga mat, tip back to peaceful warrior for a huge breath in. And then the hands cartwheel to the earth where you can move through the flow or rest. You can move through chaturanga and updog.
Winding up in your downward facing dock. The left leg will rise and the knee will bend. Hip will open. Me, the high point of the pose. Lifting and lowering your right heel or flipping your dog by stepping the left foot behind you and allowing the heart to lift.
Very cobra feeling in the upper back here. Breathe in. Warrior 2, left foot steps through, back heel down, rise up. Flip the front palm, tip back for peaceful Turpin. Inhale.
Warrior 2, exhale, dipping right back into the side angle pose. Rise all the way back up, gather everything up towards star pose, flying warrior, toes turning out to the side. Hands to the heart, settle in. Alright. Inhale.
Open. Expand. Everything reaches. Fingertips reach. Bend in as you exhale. Good.
Inhale. Reaching, extending, every essence of the being expanding and exhale. Mhmm. Inhale. The felt sense of widening the space within you and exhale. Lyft all the way up and open warrior 2 to the top of your mat. The breath in that takes you into peaceful warrior and the breath out that takes you up and over and onto the mat through the flow.
COBRA or upward facing dog and downward facing dog. If you would prefer to rest in child pose, you're welcome to take that here. About 4 more breaths. Lower your knees down to the ground. Can bring your seat down to the ground and start to shift onto the seat with the soles of the feet together and the knees wide.
You can snuggle the heels as close to the pelvis as you would like. As you rise up tall. You can hold onto the shins or the fronts of the ankles. Shoulders can move back and down. A breath in.
And breath out. Breathe in. And start to fold forward over yourself. Allowing the head to release coming into kind of this feeling of, kormasana of a tortoise like shape rounding the back, letting the head go, deepening the breath. And the consideration of what helps you expand your perspective, a meditation practice, a yoga practice, and experience with friends, being in nature.
It's helpful to have these tools queued up and ready to go. When it becomes necessary for us to once again expand our perspective. Keep letting the head release. Slowly start to rise up. Extend both of your legs forward and gently roll onto the mat.
Reach your arms up overhead and allow your feet to become wide so you are taking up a lot of space. Warning stretch style reaching and extending through fingers and toes. Allow the breath to follow. Brianna in and in some more, a two part exhale, out the mouth. It sounds like this. The fullest breath in Two part exhale out the mouth.
A tantric breath for letting go. So the most expansive breath in that helps widen the capacity of the loans. A couple more like this. Release your hands down by the sides and bend your knees. Hug your knees up and into your chest.
Keep hold of the right leg as your left leg reaches long. The right knee can move a little side to side. Alpinasana. When it's time, bringing that right knee across the body over to the left for a twist. Your right arm will extend out to the right. A couple more breaths.
Gently bring your right knee back towards your body hugging into the chest. Allow the left knee to gather up towards the chest as well. Keep the left knee as your right leg reaches long on the mat. That left thigh can rock a little side to side into the belly. And take. Get into the twist.
Left knee across the body. Right hand, my anchorage is your left arm reaches out to the side. Expand back into the breath here. And gently bring that left knee back into center. Gather up the right knee into the chest.
And take any last movement that you would like before we rest. And when it's time, you can let your legs reach long on the mat. Bring the hands by your side. And allow your eyes to close, allowing the body to rest, allowing the mind to release, and allowing the heart to open. Shavasana.
Take a deep breath in. And let it go. And gently move your head to side to side and move through the fingers and the toes. Extend your arms up to stretch and bend the knees. Roll to the side and slowly press your way up to your seated position.
When you're in your meditation seat deep in your bra, Your eyes may remain closed or they might keep a soft gaze as you allow the breath to deepen and reawaken. Because there's no way to limit the pain that we experience in life, then it becomes essential that we give ourselves the tools that we need to right size our pain, to make ourselves the lake instead of the glass. Bring the hands to the heart and prayer. Take a deep breath in. And bound to the heart, to the inner light that has guided you always, and always will.
Thank you for sharing your practice.
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