Ground and Flow

Hi. Welcome. I'm so glad you're here. My name is Annie. I'll be guiding us through our practice today. We have Two Blocks that are optional.

We'll start in child's posts. Knees will start to come wide. Big toes to touch. And the hips draw back, hands can begin to walk forward in the chest and lower down towards the earth. Trying to drop into the breath a little bit, feeling the inhale through the nose, and letting that breath go through the mouth or the nose who's settling.

Finding the breath in, letting the breath go. One more inhale. Any little softness with the exhale. Feel all ten fingers spread wide pressing the palms onto the mat as you inhale roll into a table top and feel the shoulders start to stack over the wrists, hips over the knees. We can drop the belly and lift the horrors we breathe in for our cow pose, then exhale curling round into a cat, chin to chest.

One more time. Inhale, Cal. Exhale in the cats. Neutral spine is you inhale. Now keeping the hips stacked over the knee is reach the right hand over towards the left and then sit the hips back and drop the heart down closer to the thighs. This little variation of a puppy pose.

Filling the crown of the head, relax a little bit more towards the earth, breathing into the side body. And he'll come back through center. Right hand will plant underneath the shoulder. The left hand reaches diagonally across, the hips sit back, and we breathe a couple deep rounds of full inhales and full exhales. And he'll start to draw back into your tabletop, left hand back underneath you, tuck the toes, spread all ten fingers wide.

We'll drop the belly, lift the heart for cow pose. One more time into your cat as you exhale. This time lift the knees and start to send the hips up and back downward facing dog. You can really walk it out, bending one knee and the other. You can find the feet a little wider as we just ease into the hamstrings.

And then start to invite some stillness, soft bend of the knees. The heart just melt a little bit closer towards the thighs. You relax the head a little bit more. Start to draw the gaze forward, come high the toes, lift the heels, and do some baby steps into a forward fold, but feet hips width, knees stay bent. We move into a ragdoll shape. So torso is heavy over the thighs.

Crown of the head. Again, just drops down towards the earth. Maybe a little sway. Start to interlace the hands into the elbow crooks. We'll take a couple around the world with this ragdoll shape. So leading up towards the left first, inhale reach the elbows all the way up to the sky, lift the heart, lift the elbows, as you exhale, keep circling down towards the right, come back into that ragdoll shape. Inhale, switching to the right, reaching over, up, circling all the way around down towards the left as you exh sale, and then settle the hands back towards the earth. If you can stay hips width or come a little bit closer maybe to touch.

Fun a halfway lift as you breathe in. Palms towards the shins, heart forward. And exhale forward fold. Softbend of the knees. Come on up to stand as you breathe in.

Palms come to heart. Thumbs draw into the sternum. Maybe a little bow of the chin inward. Feeling the feet heavy onto the earth. Inhale back into the to Dasana arms reach up, exhale forward fold, soft bed of the knees.

Find a halfway lift once more, hurt forward. Left foot will start to step back prepping the crescent moon on Janae Asana. Arms come up to the sky. Maybe there's a little bounce in and out of the right thigh. The hips just gently draw forward.

That line of energy reaches up through the heart as you breathe in a little bit higher as you reach. Find an exhale. Your hands can come to the earth or blocks. Half splits pose. Hip shift back. Right toes will flex up off of the earth.

And then we breathe. Finding some stillness, finding a pause with the bottom of the exhale. One more inhale. Full exhale. Start to crawl your way back forward into your lunge.

You can walk those blocks off. Hands can plant, lift the left knee. Step the right foot back into a high plank pose and then just hold and feel this first time. Palms rooting into the earth, shifting through the toes a little bit forward. Elbow stay in. Your knees can ground to the mat, or you come all the way down to the belly with the knees lifted.

Untuck the toes. Let's find Bhujangasana, cobra, lift the heart as you breathe in, hug the elbows back. And then exhale lower back down. Toes tuck, maybe knees lift coming in a tabletop or high plank, hips high, downward facing dog. Full breath in.

Full wrap out. Inhale gaze forward. Dippy toe feet towards hands. Forward folds. This time we'll find that halfway lift as you breathe in. Axale forward fold.

Food to rise, tadasana, inhale, reach the arms to the sky. Ak sail hands to heart. Just flowing with that inhale arm sweep up. Forward fold as you exhale, halfway lift, inhale, right foot steps back, low lunge, crescent moon, arms come up to the sky. And then just feeling that line of energy and the connectedness of the right knee onto the mat, letting that bit of rooting allow some lift through the fingers, through the heart.

Start to ground the palms to the blocks or Earth, half splits pose as you exhale, hips shift back, left toes flex towards the face. Couple long exhales. Just settling. Being with what's here. And start to walk back forward into your lunge, walk the blocks off of your mat space, lift the right knee, plant the palms, then high plank pose as you breathe in.

These are there for you. Let's take it one more time to the belly all the way. Elbows stay in. Untuck the toes, cobra, bhujangasana, press the feet, lift the hearts, exhale lower back down. Talk the toes, tabletop, or high plank, hips high, downward facing dog, a few deep exhales.

Feeling the palms on the earth. The feet connected to the mat. The back of the neck soft. Left foot will stay down. Right leg lifts high when you're ready.

3 like a dog reaching the right heel up to the sky squeezing the right glute. As you exhale, right knee comes towards your nose. Right foot will step all the way through. Left heel will hop up and in. Maybe a little bit of a wider stance.

It could be mats with distance, verabradras, no one. When you're ready, inhale rise. Keeping the right knee bent. Hips squared towards the top of the mat. And there's there's that little bit of heaviness letting go to the tailbone feeling some strength holding you through the legs. As you exhale, carry the hands behind you.

And at least the fingers squeeze the palms and lift the heart up. Draw a really full breath in, leading with the heart devotionally bow over yourself. Chest might reach towards the thigh. It might hover off of it. But see how high the knuckles can reach up and overhead.

Ground of the head dropping down towards the earth. Letting go of gripping in the shoulders. Trausting the strength of the legs. Now from here, find a gentle halfway lift of the spine, unlaced the hands, sliding into trichonasana, right leg will straighten hips bump back. You have this really broad t shape to the arms.

Right. Big toe just presses firmly into the mat space, soft bend of the right knee, just to protect that right knee joint. Fill up with a really deep round of breath. Let's start to bend the right knee. We'll come into warrior 2. Now this will be an exhale as we flow.

You'll feel the right knee tracking over the right ankle. Don't worry too much about perfection of the feet. I'm just feeling the hips opening in this broadening to the heart. Find the inhale. Flip the right hand up and back reverse warrior.

Keeping the bend of the right knee. Maybe finding a little half behind with the left hand behind the back. You full breath in. You're gonna plant the palms down to the mat space as you exhale. Come into high plank pose.

You can lower all the way to the stomach. If you wanna find a Chaturanga, you'll lower halfway exhale, inhale updog or cobra of dog knees lifted arms streets. Axail into downward facing dog. Now I like to call those vinyassas. They've offered me a little bit more leeway of just finding a little bit of a dance back into down dog.

So you can make that yours. Backbone of choice or just shifting the hips high. Homebase is down dog. Full breath in together. Clearing exhale out.

Left leg will lift high, breathe in 3 legged dog. As you exhale, step the left foot forward and through, hop the back foot in an up prepping into verabradrost in a one warrior 1, arms reach up to the sky. Sattling, feeling the setup of the shape, but then letting go of what the shape should look like, what it should feel like. Just being with what's here. Travel the hands behind you.

And at least the fingers squeeze the palms together, lift the heart, breathe in, and then devotionally bow, leading with that heart over the left thigh. The crown of the head just gets a little bit closer towards the earth. Some knuckles reach up overhead a little bit more. Gently unlacing the bind. Trico Nasana. Arms come to a tee, and the left leg straightens.

Hips bump back. There's a little rotating of the heart up to the sky. Feet rooted. Start to bend the left knee, come into warrior 2, settling into the left thigh, and then bringing your arms out to a wide tee. And find the gaze over the left hand, maybe onto that left middle finger, following that gaze, flipping the left hand up and back into your reverse warrior, Left shoulder draws down, space in the neck.

Maybe the half behind with the right hand behind the back. Full breath in. Exhale plant the palms down to the earth. You'll find your high plank pose, lowering all the way or halfway. This is your Vinyasa, backbend of choice, inhale.

Downward facing dog as home as you exhale. Few breaths to land. And draw a really full breath into the nose. And a big clearing exhale go. We'll take that sequence and just flow it breath the movement one time.

Just invite you to let go of now what the shapes should look or feel like and gripping onto that attachment a little bit and just letting the body move, being with yourself here on this day. Right? Leg lift high, this guy, inhale. Exale step the right foot through. Hop the back foot in and up, inhale warrior 1, exhale hands behind you, and release the fingers, inhale lift the heart. Exhale devotionally about. Trico Nasana inhale, straighten the legs, open the arms to its heat, exhale warrior too.

Inhale reverse warrior, flip it up and back. Exale plant the Palms, high plank through your Vinyasa, backbend of choice. Downward facing dog is home full wrap out. Left leg high, inhale, step the left foot through exhale. Warrior 1, inhale rise, exhale hands behind you.

Interlace the fingers, lift the heart, inhale, devotionally bow, exhale. Trico Nasana, inhale, warrior 2 exhale. Reverse warrior, inhale, plant the palms as you exhale, hide plank, dancing your way back in a down dog. We'll lay in there a couple breaths, and then just feel now What's here? Lowing curiosity to be the the center.

Finding curiosity through the breath where it can move a little bit deeper. Curiosity in the body, what shifted. Curiosity for the mind rather than critique. Are you speaking to yourself or the expectations you're offering yourself this morning? Maybe letting just one of them go. Off of the mat space.

Breathe in gaze forward and come high of the toes. You can bend the knees and step or jump into melasana. We're gonna bring the feet wide. Heels in toes out. It's a beautiful place to grab a block if you want.

Underneath the sits bones, I'll drop right on down, bringing the hands to heart. Perhaps the elbows connect to the inner thighs or the knees. Connect with the legs. Feeling the heels. Heavy onto the earth.

One more breath in. In a full breath out. Start to ground the palms down towards the earth, come into a forward fold, feet will come into a parallel shape, bring them closer underneath the hips. This time, we'll take a slow roll. So head comes last, bend the knees, vertebrae by vertebrae, rolling up into tadasana, shoulders, shrug up, down, and back, hands by the sides.

Feet's settled. Shoulders soft. We'll just move a little bit of energy. So coming into to Dawson as you sweep the arms up to the sky and then exhale, press the palms through heart, but, like, you're pressing the palms down towards the earth. Inhale slowly sweep the arms up, breathing in, lifting, exhale pressing palms towards the earth.

Inhale sweeping the arms up. Exhale pressing palms down, maybe sending something through the feet down into the earth one last time. Inhale. Sweep up. Breathe in. Exhale pressing palms down. And he'll sweep the hands up.

We'll forward fold this time hands through heart. Palms to touch. Hinge through the hips. Find that halfway lift as you breathe in. Come into a little squatty.

So lift the heels, bend the knees a lot, and round yourself into a tiny little ball, chin to chest. Broadening the shoulder blades, feeling the arches of the feet open as you take a really long breath in and a full breath out. When you're ready, we'll make our way onto our backs. You can just lower down onto the seat, rolling onto the spine, finding a little mini Shavasana as you let the head start to rest. Feet can plant needs better, maybe legs are long.

Palms slipping up towards the sky. I'm just feeling the earth. Allowing it to hold you, welcoming in this shift back into gravity. If your legs are extended long, go ahead and bend them and plant the feet onto the earth. The right ankle will come towards the left thigh into a figure 4 shape.

And just stay here for a moment. Maybe a little rock of the hip side to side swaying your figure 4 shape. Will come through center, and you can stay here, grounded, maybe pressing the right thigh away with that right hand. If you wanna take this into a threaded variation, you'll lift the left foot. Just capture the back of the left thigh. Feeling the right knee again, whether you're in the threaded variation or grounded, just gently drawing away from the body.

And then playing with how deep the breath can move now that you're on your back, breathing in to the lower belly, feeling the back press against the earth. And then softening and settling with the exhale. About 3 more breaths. Just you, your body. As you feel ready, if the left foot's lifted, ground it down to the mat space.

We'll grab the back of the right thigh now with the hands and just send the right leg up to the sky. There's so many layers here. You can point flex the toes. The hands might stay behind the right hamstring. You can also crawl up the right calf.

If sliding the left leg long suits you, you can find the left heel pressing forward. Again, just a reminder, letting go of what this should look or feel like. The interesting parallel of what life should look or feel like in our brains at any certain moment. This beautiful lesson of just allowing That's right in front of us to be be with this gift. One more breath in for this right leg and a full breath out.

Right. Nea will start to bend. Wrap the hands around the right shin now and slide the left leg long if it isn't already finding halfway. So drawing the right knee up and around the right rib cage, giving yourself a really nice hug. Then as you exhale, drawing the right knee across into a supine twist, let any arms draw out to a tear cactus, perhaps. The gaze can find the opposite side of your mat. You want a little cervical spine twist, a little opening to the neck.

Notice if there's gripping or pushing. It's a practice and an art of just letting go and allowing that breath is your companion. Bring you back into that thoughtful center, a place of presence. So follow the inhale to come back through center, both knees through center. You can take a moment.

Just plant both feet onto the earth. Feel the lower sacrum settle. Right foot will stay down, left ankle, right thigh. Figure 4 and maybe a rock or 2 with the legs. Just easing into the hips.

Coming through center and staying in this grounded shape or lifting the right leg, grabbing the back of the right hamstring, pulling this figure for shape a little closer. Towards your chest. One more full breath in. Full clearing exhale. Right? Foot will plant if it's lifted.

Left leg goes up to the sky, finding the supine, hamstring stretch. Hands can grab the back of the left thigh. Maybe they crawl up the left calf. If you're hanging here and you're like, I could use a little bit more. You can play with sliding the right leg long.

Whatever shape you've landed into is right where you need to be. You're right where you need to be. Just here with this inhale. Then this exhale. One more round of breath to yourself.

Then the left knee starts to bend, wrapping the hands around that left shin, half wind, drawing the left knee up and around, and wide, big hug, exhale supine twists. Left leg draws over. Arms can come out to that t or cactus. Maybe the gaze travels to the opposite side of the mat. It can be scary to let go.

We kinda strip ourselves away of these externals that allow us to have, I'm good at this, or I know I'm supposed to be here. There's a little bit of peace in that stripping away of letting go. You can build some trust with yourself through that process that you are right where you need to be. And hail knees come back through center, plant both feet onto the earth for the lower back resets. We'll draw the knees into the chest one more time, giving ourselves a nice big hug.

And you can wrap the arm so much so that the head begins to lift the forehead draws into the knees, and you really, really hug yourself in. Like, you're giving someone the biggest hug that you've ever given. Breathe into that space. And as you exhale, begin to let the legs go long, the arms go long, settling into Shavasana. Shoulder blades might shimmy underneath you.

Just creating some space for the heart to stay open towards the sky. Legg's heavy. In this ultimate shape and practice and process of surrender. So breathe into that space that you can let go. You're right where you need to be all is well.

I really encourage you to Stay in this space, in this shape, in this little bubble that you've created for yourself for as long as you can, as long as the body is calling for. I'm wishing you so much peace and bright journey into the rest of whatever lays ahead of you after this practice. Sean T. Peace fee with you.