Guided Asana, Day 1

Okay. All rise. So this is the Simon Says part, chapter three. With your right arm, please. We're going to go through opening three. I do this in a lot of class. I would vote that you memorize this. With your right arm, just small, easy little arcs like this. Just control the easy movement.

Gradually the arcs get bigger. Finally, your arm feels like going all the way over. Keep it a smooth control movement initially. Little by little, you let it become freer. You let it change direction at any point. And as you're doing this, remember what you're learning is how to channel the movement.

And the clues on this are like be attentive to when your arm feels like lingering. You'll feel like lingering and then it'll feel like sliding on again. So be attentive to the linger moments, the slide on moments, the change direction moments. Do a few of these with your eyes closed, please. And just see if you feel differently about it when you're doing it with your eyes closed.

Let the arcs slow down, get smaller, and then you come to the second side. Left arm, small, easy arcs. Gradually get bigger. Until finally your arm feels like going all the way over. Again, be attentive to the linger moments, the slide on moments, the change direction moments.

Close your eyes again, please. And be aware of what your feet are doing. There's this whole intricate dance going on down there. Let the arcs slow down, get smaller, and then come to the first side with your right hand and just shake it loose. Add your forearm, add your whole arm.

Watch how you change it up and shake it differently. Go with your eyes closed for a moment. And the practice, remember, is just keep getting into it. Get into it since you're doing it. Then switch the hands, the left hand, and feel what's happening.

You're shaking out habitual tension, your forearm, your whole arm. Close your eyes and experience it a little bit more than you already are. And watch how you change it up. And then with the foot, the right foot. Just try to get your toes as floppy as your fingers were.

Add your lower leg, your whole leg, and then close your eyes, and then the other foot. That's sort of hard. The left foot, the lower leg, the whole leg, eyes closed. Okay. And then please start with your feet hip-width apart.

There's only one place, remember, when your feet are hip-width apart, your legs will be parallel at that point. Just try to be specifically, perfectly hip-width apart. From there, step your feet a little bit wider. From there, step a little bit wider. So here, my feet are not quite one leg-length apart.

If my feet were one leg-length apart, which is an instruction given frequently, if your feet are one leg-length apart, then this would make an equilateral triangle. And it's not that at the moment. Spread your toes, snuggle your feet into the floor, take a breath in. As you exhale, bend your legs, and just keep following the words. Slide your hands down to your legs, down to the ankles, and just snuggle your hands into your ankles.

Re-snuggle your feet into the floor, as though you've got brand new feet and you've never snuggled them before, and you're experiencing it in a new way. Push your arms straight so that you actually lift up a little bit. And then be aware of your head and neck, and put your neck in a nice neutral position, and then breathe here. So your grounded legs bent, spine neutral, lifting up out of the arms, and breathing. Shift your hips over to the left.

Re-snuggle the feet, re-lengthen your arms, like lift up, and refix your head and neck. Just linger here for a moment. Notice how there's more weight on your left foot, not so much on your right foot. Shift your hips over to the right, feel how the weight shifts. Snuggle the feet, push the arms straight so you lift up a little more, fix the head and neck, breathe, and just get into it a little bit more than you already are. Shift your hips over to the left.

Shift your hips over to the right. So again, just play the game. Now shift your hips side to side a couple times, but be attentive to the linger moments, and then the flow on moments. It's not a big deal, it's not crucial, but you're learning the skill here where it's easy. Now shift your hips over to the left, keep them there, move your head and torso over to the right. Notice how that begins to put a gentle twist through your torso, just do it gently.

Re-snuggle your feet, re-lengthen your arms, gently spiral into the twist little by little by little, fixing your head and neck a couple seconds. Shift your hips over to the right, keep them there, move your head and torso over to the left, feel how the twist starts to happen. Re-lengthen the arms, gently spiral into it, fixing your head and neck a couple seconds. Just stay with the breathing. And then bring yourself back to the middle, and still with your legs bent, just let your torso fall down through the middle, let your head dangle.

And then bend your legs, come all the way down to a squat position. I put my feet closer together on this one. And bring your hands into mudra number one, like so. Just for a couple seconds here, just feel what this one's about. The second one, let your arms extend straight, your palms will face forward like this.

Just feel what this one's about. The third one, just slowly let your hands float up. Feel the energy in your hands here. Feel what this one's about. And then the fourth one, bring your palms all the way together again.

Let the left hand spin down, the right hand spin up, and then mudra size your fingers to somehow, and feel what this one's about. Okay, your butt comes up, you fold over, and then just curl your head in and come all the way back up again. Step your feet a little bit wider once again, please. Re-snuggle your feet, take it up into the chin, just stretch up into the chin for a moment. Feel what you're doing, take a breath in, and as you exhale again, please bend the legs, slide the hands down to the ankles, re-snuggle the feet, re-snuggle your hands, push your arms straight so that you lift up, and then fix your head and neck so it's a nice neutral.

Immerse yourself in the breathing, wait for the right moment, when it feels like the thing to do, like about now, shift your hips over to the left, soak it in for a sec, shift your hips over to the right, let it soak in for a sec, side to side a couple times, just mindful movement. You're learning to listen for inner guidance within this specific movement shape. Shift your hips over to the left again, keep them there, move the head and torso over to the right so you twist into it again a couple seconds. Even now, just watch what you're doing in there to like, customize the lines, you're doing something. Shift your hips over to the right, keep them there, move the head and torso over to the left, just spiral into it a couple seconds, and then lift your hips over to the right, move the head and torso over to the left, just spiral into it a couple seconds, just pay attention to what you're doing, and then bring your torso back to the middle, legs gently bent, fold down through the middle, let your head dangle, and then again come down to the squat pose.

The first mudra first, the second mudra second, the third one just let the hands float up, feel the energy in your hands, and then the fourth one, the palms come together, the left hand spins down, the right hand spins up, and then mudra size. Just close your eyes for a second, and feel the meaning of what you're doing. Okay, from there, come into the all fours position, begin by looking at your hands, and just position your hands so that the wrist crease of each hand is horizontal, so the wrists are squared, spread your fingers fully, snuggle your hands into the floor, and then look at your index finger and just memorize where it is. Wherever it is right now is where it will be when your fingers are fully spread with the wrist creases squared. This is not the only way to have your hands, but this is a good standard place that you should be familiar with.

Keeping your arms straight, let yourself lean down into your shoulders, and just experience what this is like. This is the down extreme of the arm line. Push the floor away and lift up as high as you can. Live here for a couple seconds. This is the up extreme of the arm line.

As you exhale, float to the bottom. As you inhale, float to the top. Just go down and up a couple times. These are your options and choices. You're either at the down extreme or you're at the up extreme, or you're somewhere in the middle.

Now make the movement smaller and smaller until you're in a nice middle spot. Shrug the shoulders away from your ears. Put your head in a nice neutral. When your head's in neutral, your gaze will be at the floor. Then just slowly take your seat back towards your feet.

So you're coming into a child's pose here. Again, just practice following the words here. Re-snuggle your hands. And with your hands snuggled into the floor, I pull backwards a lot and just feel what happens. That's one choice.

The other choice is like push the floor away and feel what happens when you push the floor away. When you push the floor forward and away, your butt goes backward. The forward fold that you are gets tighter. This is what I do most of the time. Push the floor away, get the forward fold tight, and then wobble gently.

Just liquefy the shape. Now without moving your hands, come up onto your hands and knees again, and just practice peeking at your hands. Theoretically they haven't moved. Then turn your toes under. Peek at your arms.

Keep your arms exactly how they are, and lift your knees up off the floor, straighten your legs. So your arms are still vertical. There'll be more weight into your hands now. You'll be on the ball of each foot. Be aware of your head and neck and put it in a nice neutral position.

So like now your arms are straight, your spine is straight. Slowly move your butt back and up. Keep your heels off the floor. Move the butt back and up until your straight arms and straight spine become a single straight line. You'll know that you're making a straight line because your ears come in line with your upper arms.

Now again, feel your hands on the floor, and then push the floor away. Your butt will go away from your hands. Wobble gently. Just liquefy it. And then shift the shoulders forward.

Bend the knees down to the floor, point your toes, and just slowly take it back to child's pose. Wobble gently. Stay with your breathing. Slide your hands back by your knees. Curl your head in a lot.

Slowly begin to round your way up. Your spine will come up to vertical. Your head will float up to neutral. And then just close your eyes here for a moment. And practice sitting absolutely still without holding yourself still.

With an inhale, let your chin begin to float up. And as you exhale, hinge forward. Slide your hands forward again. Lift your head peak at your hands. Put your index finger where you had it before.

Spread the other fingers fully. Theoretically, your wrist creases will be squared. Let your head go back down. And then pull for a couple seconds. Feel what that does.

That's one extreme. And then push. Feel what that does. Wobble gently so you liquefy everything. And then without moving your hands, come up onto your hands and knees.

Again, peak at your hands. Turn the toes under, peak at your arms. Keep the arms exactly how they are as you lift the knees up, straighten the legs. Fix your head and neck. And then slowly move the butt back and up.

Until it feels like your ears come in line with the upper arms. Now again, feel your hands on the floor. Push the floor away so your butt goes away from your hands. Bend one leg a lot. You'll get a big toe stretch on that foot.

And press the other heel toward the floor a couple seconds. Switch the legs. Get the toe stretch on the other foot. Press the other heel toward the floor a couple seconds. Keeping that heel down, press the other heel down also. And then get out of there.

Shift the shoulders forward. Bend the knees down to the floor, point your toes. Take it back to child's pose. Again, wobble gently. Slide your hands back by your knees, curl your head in.

When it feels like the thing to do, about now, begin to round your way up. Goes sort of slow. Your spine comes up, your head comes up. This time let your chin keep going up, up, up, up, up, up, up. Hit the top of the note up there, take an inhale.

And third time please, as you exhale, hinge forward. Slide your hands out there again. Lift your head peak at your hands. Put the index finger where you memorized it. Spread the other ones fully.

Let your head go back down. And then pull a couple seconds. Then push a couple seconds. Wobble gently. Without moving your hands, come up on your hands and knees again.

Peek at your hands. Turn the toes. Peek at your arms, keep them exactly the same as you lift the knees, straighten the legs, linger. Fix your head and neck. Slowly take it to stage one.

And when it feels like your arms and spine make a single straight line, then push the floor away, wobble gently. And this time come way up on the toes on each foot. So you're getting a big toe stretch on each foot. You're at the up extreme with your feet. Slowly take your heels down to neutral again, go through neutral.

Take your heels closer and closer to the floor, to the down extreme. Last second, just emphasize it. And then get out of there, shift your shoulders forward, bend the knees, point the toes. Take it back to child's pose. Wobble gently.

Slide your hands back, curl your head in, wait for a moment, and then slowly begin to round your way up. Your spine comes up, your head comes up. And then just close your eyes. And relax for a couple seconds. Be as tension free as you can be.

Practice feeling the energy that you're made out of. Okay, so that was the dog pose. The next pose is the cat. As you inhale, float the chin up. As you exhale, hinge forward again please. Slide the hands forward, lift your head, peek at the hands.

Again, put the hands down accurately, then your head goes back down. Pull, you're just familiarizing yourself with the notes. Push, feel the difference, without moving your hands, come up onto your hands and knees. Again, follow the words. As you exhale, pull the belly in, curl your head in, and just round your back a little bit.

A couple seconds here. With an inhale, lift your head, arch your back a little bit, like not your maximum, just a little. Feel what it's like here. Notice that your arms are somewhere. You could sink towards the down extreme. You could lift towards the up extreme, and you are one extreme or the other, or you're somewhere in the middle.

Your job is to start customizing it. As you exhale, pull the belly in, curl your head and make it a little rounder. Notice what you're doing with your arms. I like to start pushing more. Not frantic yet, but like more. With an inhale, lift your head, arch, customize the arms.

And then a couple times, please, just smoothly go back and forth. I would recommend do this mostly with your eyes closed, and be attentive to the linger moments, and the flow on moments. And the simple instruction is just keep getting into it a little bit more than you already are. One more time each way, please. Just do this so that you like the feeling of it.

And then bring your spine back to a neutral, your head neutral, your gaze towards the floor. And then take your seat back towards the feet. Feel your belly merging with the thighs, wobble gently. One reason for coming back into the child's pose like this is just to give your hands a rest. From here, pull again, push again, without moving your hands, come up onto your hands and knees again.

Practice peeking at your hand placement. So none of the instructions are going to be that difficult. Now put a side bend to the left, sort of like 50%, just a gentle side bend. Notice that even as you hold it at 50%, you can hold it right there, you know you're not at your maximum, but you can nudge into 50%ness. Be aware of what you're doing with your arms, you can sink more down, feel what that does, you can lift more up, feel what that does.

Side bend to the right, just sort of 50%, just go into it leisurely. Hold it at 50% and just nudge into the curve of it. Like wherever you detect a flat spot, see if you can make it rounder, rounder, rounder. Customizing the arms, again you're doing something, customize it. Side bend to the left again please, 50%, 60, 70, take it to about 75%, still not your maximum, but a little bit more than a second ago. Take it to the second side, 50, 60, just leisurely amping it up.

Again go to the first side, big side bend, increase it, 75, 80, 90, like go for a huge side bend this time, and top it off by moving your head way over there. Close your eyes and get into the feeling of it. And as you get into the feeling of it, notice how you fix things. Go to the second side, little by little, gently, gradually amping it up, topping it off with the next stretch. And then pull your belly in, curl your head in, and let that initiate these big barrel rolls with your torso. Just four or five times, one direction, go sort of slow, just big barrel rolls.

Notice how you lift towards the top of the arm line some of the time, you sink down some of the time, change the direction. Just let it feel like your spine is a big jump rope, keep getting into it, keep doing it so you like it. And then come back to a neutral, take your seat back towards your feet, wobbling gently. Notice how your hands are getting a rest right now, even though they're still out there. And then the last part of this is again, pull for a couple seconds, and then push for a couple seconds.

Just feel what the difference is. Then come up onto your hands and knees, peak at your hand placement again. Now this time move your hips over to the left, and then move your butt back, circle around to the right, and just gently start doing big hip circles around your stationary knees. You're circling your hips around your knees, you're initiating the movement with your hips, then change the direction, go the other way. Feel how the weight shifts from knee to knee, to hand to hand. Just get into the experience. Now bring your awareness up through your spine to the top of your head, and now just gradually start rising around to sort of organic writhing.

Again, close your eyes most of the time, stay with the movement of what you're doing. Some of the time go really slow, some of the time you take your foot off the brake and just let it slide fast, five more seconds please. You're just trying to get all of your energy malleable here. Bring yourself back to a neutral, take your seat back towards your feet, feel the torso merging with your thighs. Wobble gently, and then slide your hands back, curl your head in, round your way up, and just bring your legs to a simple cross-legged position, Sukhasana. Tip forward a little bit so you can wriggle the butt back, bring the torso up to vertical, snuggle your seat, wobble gently as you grow tall, and then let the wobble settle down.

And for about a minute please, you practice the conscious pause, this is also called the holy instant or the sacred pause. Practice sitting absolutely still, but do that without holding yourself still. And again, the only way you can do that is by letting go, and it takes skill to let go. Let your awareness roam around and through your body, and wherever you detect even a subtle feeling of tension or gripping, soften, soften, soften. Skillfully be tension-free, as tension-free as you can be.

Enjoy these couple seconds. Savor how it feels. Savor is a cool word. Savor how it feels. Notice that you're breathing. See if there's a subtle fragrance in the air that you hadn't picked up on yet. Now just before you open your eyes, do a leisurely body scan, and really wash yourself clean. Really get as tension-free as you can be. All through your face, all through your eyes.

Just let all the little tensions that feel like you, let them melt out. Experience how your tension-free presence begins to emerge. Pay attention to how this is feeling for you, as tension-free as you can be. And then without wrecking it, stay as tension-free as you can be and let your eyes come open. And notice that as your eyes come open, the colors look a little more psychedelic.

That's the sign that you're getting a little clearer. Okay, pull one leg in, stick the other leg out to the side. It doesn't matter which one. Tip forward a little bit so you can wriggle the butt back, and then bring the torso up. So pretty much each leg is angling out at about a 45 degree angle and you're facing down the middle, okay? Now I talk about the head as having 10 movements. It's usually not talked about as 10, but I like 10.

So we're going to talk about it as 10, the 10 movements of your head. Now if you were sitting in front of a mirror and doing mirror gazing with yourself, and I highly recommend that by the way, and doing it with a friend also, we'll get into this in the next couple days. But if you were sitting in front of a mirror and doing eye gazing with yourself, your head would be on neutral when your eye beam was level and you were like zeroing in on yourself. Pretend like you're looking into a mirror out in front of you and put your head on to where you think your head is in neutral, to where the plane of your face is equal with the plane of the mirror. Movement one, and just like do little micro movements initially.

Movement one is your chin comes up a little. Now what is that as your chin comes up, the angle of your face changes, your gaze goes up, and then you float your head back down into neutral. So some of the time you'll come into neutral by coming down into neutral. Movement two is your chin comes down. Notice how the plane of your face is changing.

And then let your head float up into neutral. This feels like kindergarten, but it's more significant than it seems, okay? Movement one is your chin comes up a little or a lot, and then you float back down to neutral. Movement two is your chin goes down a little or a lot, and then it floats up to neutral. Just again, please. One is up a little or a lot.

Simon says, floats down to neutral. Two as it goes down. And I would vote do this at home in front of the mirror and just watch yourself doing it, and then it floats up. The plane of your face is equal to the mirror. Your chin is level. Movement three is you turn your head to the left. Just keep your chin level.

It comes back to neutral. Movement four is you turn your head slowly to the right. It comes back to neutral. Three is to the left. Keep the chin level.

Back to neutral. Four is to the right. Keep the chin level. Bring it back to neutral. Five is you tip your head to the left. Notice if your chin goes up or down, keep your face level. It comes back to neutral.

Six is to the right. Side to side a couple of times. These are the notes. And you'll always be doing something. And so start being aware of what you are doing. Bring it back to neutral.

Movement seven is you keep the plane of your face equal with the mirror and you slide your face forward. Eight is you slide it back. Seven, eight. Just go forward and back. Chiropractors like this one.

And then nine is like press up with the top of your head. Keep that up thought and ten is just let it settle. Everything settle down. Okay, switch the legs, please. See, it's easy. Be glad it's easy. Tip forward, wriggle the butt back.

Bring your torso up. Feel the sitting bones plugging into the floor, belly backwards toward your spine gently. Wobble gently as you grow tall and then put your head on in neutral. This time with your eyes closed, please. With your eyes closed and your eyes soft, just wait for the right moment like pause first.

And then movement one, your chin floats up a little. Like feel it, feel it, feel it more than normal. It floats down to neutral. Movement two as it goes down. Like go slow, be mindful, then it floats up.

Go up and down a couple times, please. But like don't rush it. The practice is get into it. Typically you'll find yourself going a little slower and savoring it more. And then from wherever you are, either float down into neutral or float up into neutral.

And still with your eyes closed and your chin level, turn your head to the left. Movement three, turn your head to the right, movement four, keep the chin level a couple times. Like don't rush your head, just stay in the now with this. Then you bring it back to neutral five as you tip to the left, six as you tip to the right. Five, six, back to neutral, seven as you slide your head forward, eight, slide it back a couple times.

And so it's like if your head's not already in neutral, you're going to have to do one of these or combination of these movements to find a beautiful neutral. Nine, press up through the top of your head. Like exaggerate it, like up, up, up, up. Keep that gentle up thought and then ten is just let everything settle down. And for a couple seconds, please, with your eyes closed, experience what a perfect neutral head feels like.

Your head will feel buoyant. That's a great word for this. It'll feel floaty, weightless. Just before opening your eyes, do a leisurely body scan. Again, get as tension free as you can be.

Get familiar with how this feels for you. And without wrecking it, let your eyes come open. If as you open your eyes, you notice yourself tensing up, notice it and then just soften again. Okay, switch the legs, please. Tip forward, wriggle the butt back, bring the torso up.

And then put the arms something like this so you don't use them. And just gently rotate to the right. Just bring your spine back to neutral, rotate to the left. I'm just having your arms like this just so you don't use them. Come back to neutral, rotate to the right again. Rotate further, further, further, further, further, further.

Without your arms, you know you get stuck at a certain point. You know you can twist further, but you can't go there because you're not using your arms. Now don't use your arms yet, but put your left hand at your left inner knee, like on the straight leg. Left hand on the straight knee. And put the right fingertips on the floor behind you.

Don't use your arms yet. In fact, lift your hands up, prove you're not using them. Put them back down, but don't use them. Now, in order to twist any deeper, you're going to have to use your arms. Use your arms and just wind it one notch tighter, like not much, just a little. Try to minimize your arms.

Wind it one notch tighter. Try to minimize your arms. One notch tighter, one notch tighter, one notch tighter. Try to minimize your arms, and then put your head into a perfect neutral, chin level. Shoulders back, shoulders down, belly in, chin level. Keep the chin level, turn your head to the right, movement number four.

Your whole torso is spinning to the right like that. Keep it spinning to the right like that. Turn your head to movement number three, all the way to the left. From here, slowly take it up into movement one. Hit the top of the note up there, inhale, and as you exhale, fold out over your right knee. And just let your hands land into a comfortable spot here.

Sort of like a push-up position. Keep your hands where they are. Just slowly press your arms straight so that your torso comes up to a mid-range position. Plug the left sitting bone into the floor. And just gently begin to round your back and curl your head in. But do it gently. You're going to a round back extreme, gently.

Your head is like in a movement number two. Your arms are straight. Keep your arms straight, lift your chin up, let your back begin to arch into a gentle back bend, and take the chin up into a movement one. And just sort of like feel what this is like. With an exhale, pull the belly in, gently begin to round your back, curling your head in.

Plug the left sitting bone. Notice that as you push the floor away with your hands, gently, you can feel it go out the middle of your back, and you can sort of like move the stretch point around a little. Don't get too wild yet, but just feel how you can move the stretch point, the press-out point. Take it up into the chin again, please. Hit the top of this note, like look for this sweet spot in here.

And one more time each way. Round back extreme, plug the left sitting bone into the floor. Take it up into the chin, arch back extreme. Bring your head back to neutral. Keep the arms where they are. Now start low, start moving your belly around in small little circles, sort of like the barrel rolls that you were doing in the cat pose.

It doesn't matter what direction you're going, you're going to go both directions. But you start low, start small, be gentle. You can gradually start making bigger circles here. Start bringing the circles up through your mid torso. Feel how your shoulders are moving.

Feel how your neck is getting liquid. Then change the direction, start low, start small, like down by your hips and pelvis, just start going the other direction. Small little circles. The technique is get into it more. Again, the new now, just keep getting into it.

Since this is what you're doing, gradually bring the bigger, bigger circles up through your torso, your shoulders, and then take it up into the chin, hit the top of the note, inhaling, and as you exhale, bend your arms, fold out over the knee, curl your head in, slowly push the arms straight, and then switch the legs, please. Tip forward, wriggle the butt back. This puts you on the frontal edge of the sitting pose. Bring the torso up, belly in, no hands, rotate to the left, rotate back to the neutral, turn to the right, and then go the other way. Twist a little, twist a little, twist a little, and now you can't twist anymore.

Put the right hand at the right inner knee, but don't use it. Put the left fingertips on the floor, but don't use them. The tendency, even years later, is to start using them in that first second. Pick them up, prove you're not using them. Put them down, don't use them.

Now use them to wind yourself one notch. Try to minimize the arms. Use them to wind yourself one more notch. Try to minimize it. Another notch, another notch, another notch, belly in, shoulders back, shoulders down, head neutral, chin level, and then slowly turn your head to the left as far as it'll go.

Movement number three, feel how your whole torso, everything's spinning left. Keep it spinning that way. Turn your head to the right, movement number four, keeping the chin level initially, and then right about now start taking it up into the chin, movement number one, take a breath in to hit the top of the note, and exhale, fold out over the knee. Let your hands land in a comfortable spot. Again, sort of like a push-up position.

Keep the hands there, curl your head in, slowly push your arms towards straight, round back extreme, plug the right sitting bone into the floor, right toes spread, and just give it a couple seconds here. With an inhale, take it up into the chin, so you're taking your spine to the other extreme, right toes spread. As you exhale, pull the belly in, curl your head in, round back extreme, plugging the sitting bone. Okay, a couple times, just go smoothly back and forth. When I'm at home, I'll get into this and go like 25, 30 times, attentive to the linger moments, to the flow-on moments.

One more time each way, please. And then start the circles from low, the belly rolls. Just notice which way you feel like going. Start small, do a lot of this with your eyes closed, and that's you in there, be gentle. Gradually make the circles bigger, bringing the spirals up through your torso.

Feel how your head and neck begins to get more into the act, and then change the direction. Start low, start small, start going the other way. Oh yeah, keep getting into it. Like feel the experience more, like feel the stretch, feel how it moves around. The more you get into it, the more interesting it gets. Feel how it moves around.

The more you get into it, the more interesting it gets. The more interesting it gets, the easier it is to get into it. Watch how your head is going through the various shapes. And then with an inhale, take it up into the chin, movement one, hit the top of the note. And with an exhale, fold out over the knee, curl your head in, push with your hand, just slowly round your way up, and then stretch the left leg out to the side, and just come right down through the middle.

Just do an easy-ish spot. To start, what feels to you to be about a 50% spot. Close your eyes. Or not, but close your eyes. Notice what you're feeling.

Immerse yourself in the experience, remember. Notice that you're breathing. And that because you're breathing, your body gently bobs up and down. If you weren't breathing, you wouldn't be bobbing up and down. It sort of feels like you're on an air mattress in a swimming pool or something, like you're just floating and bobbing.

As it gets easier for you, let yourself fold a little deeper. And a little deeper. Just a few more moments here, please. Okay, and then bring yourself up. Now, I would vote, do this one a lot when you're at home.

Like when you're watching TV, just sit around in this thing and just... You know, watch TV like this a lot. And then get into Pigeon and watch TV. And then get into Sphinx and watch TV. And then get back into this one and just sort of flip around in those positions.

And just sort of be not strict about your alignment. Just be relaxed. You know, just sort of like put more time in there. Low intensity, but longer duration in this stuff. I mean, if you're sitting there watching TV anyway, the voice, so you've been watching the voice. So this is what I do. This is my TV thing.

This is one of my TV patterns. It's from here. Fold the right leg in like the position that we did before. And then the left leg, bring it in and just cross the foot over. Pull the foot back as far as you can get it towards your hip. And then just let the knee come down.

I use my left hand on the right foot to just pin that foot down and I just shift my hips back. So I'm in sort of like a nice, tight, half lotus-y position like this. And you just do what you can do. You know, at first this was really hard for me. Now I like it. And you just let this soak in for a few seconds.

Okay, now the left leg is the one that's on top. The bottom leg is underneath. I lean back and I use my hand just to lift the leg up. And the bottom leg, you stick it out to the side and let this foot come down. And I just turn to go out over the other knee. And you just hang here for a few seconds.

This is a part of the pattern that we just did a moment ago. But you're just being relaxed. You're just like just... It's sort of like doing the big brush strokes or doing the big washes on a painting. You're not being too detailed. Just like do the big background washes. Okay, then bring yourself up.

The left leg is bent there. Bring the right leg in, cross the foot over. Pull the foot back towards your hip as much as you can get it. Let the knee drop down. With the right hand, pin the left foot down and shift your hips back. So here you are on the second side.

And you're just watching TV. You're not being judged. You're not judging yourself. You're just like just doing it. And wobbling is good. If you can wobble, that means you're not stiff. Wobbling is good.

Okay, then you lean back. Hold the top leg like that. The leg that's on the bottom, stick it out to the side. Let this one drop down. Turn towards the bent knee and fold out over that. Bring yourself up. Let's do that again. You bring the first leg over.

Pull it back. Drop it down. Pin the foot. Shift your hips back. Pull it back. Drop it down. Pin the foot. Shift your hips back.

Let me just do this gently on a regular basis. It gets really comfy. Comfy. Get out of there. Bend over that knee. This way you're just getting the easy forward bends in, easy lotus preparations in.

Bring yourself up. Bring the straight leg in. Cross the foot over. Pull it back towards the hip as much as you can. Drop the knee down. Pin the foot with your right hand. Wiggle your hips back. I like to flex the top foot and sort of like grab my leg and then I let it relax.

It's really nice when this gets easy for you. You don't need to be warmed up to do it at a certain point. And then release it. Release it. Go down the middle one more time. So I'm voting do a lot of this one to get good at it. Do a lot of lotusy stuff to get good at it. And just always be gentle.

Okay, now from here, come into a position like this with your legs bent and your feet flat, your feet about hip width apart. Slide your seat into your feet and then bring your spine down. And bend your arms with your palms facing up towards the ceiling. And just let your eyes soften and close. I spend a lot of time in this shape or different variations of this, but this is the basic shape.

This is called the cosmic grounded pose. Just feel how grounded you can be here and how cosmic you start to feel. Your feet are snuggled into the floor. Your sacrum, your whole back is on the floor, your head's on the floor, your shoulders, the back of the arms. There's a lot of you being supported by the floor. It's easy to feel grounded.

But because of the upward facing position and because of the hand placement, let it feel like you're cosmically connecting. Then let your eyes come open. But let it feel like you just teleported to this planet and you've never been in this room before. And you're looking up at the ceiling and you're not really sure what anything is. Notice that it's possible to be conscious and aware with less commentary going on.

Okay, sweep the right arm up over your head, tip over onto your right side. Just come up to a seated position here and come into a squat, please. We're just about at the free-form chapter. That one could have gotten deep just then. You know what I mean? I had to cut it short.