Gentle Yoga - Side Body Strength and Stretch

We start with gentle neck stretches to release the upper body. From there, we move into a one legged side plank to build strength through the side body, and finish with mermaid pose to stretch it out.

Transcript

Okay, And as always, Welcome to this, Okay, Another Monday evening yoga with me, And I guess today Maypole has decided to join us. As always, It doesn't matter if it's my yoga class or anybody's yoga class, It's to listen to your body. You know your body best, So do only what feels good for you, Especially when we are on video, I can't see you. So yeah, We are going to get started. Maypole, Come over here. Okay, So for today, We're going to focus on the side of our body. So kind of like from the neck all the way down towards the IT band. We're going to strengthen it a little bit, But also stretch it out. So with that said, We're going to find ourselves in a comfortable position. I am going to stay seated for today as my body is asking me to stay seated. However, If you want to lay on your back, Lay on your side, Find whatever comfortable position that you would like, Do that instead. If you're seated though, Making sure that we have a nice tall spine, Letting your arms and legs be wherever is comfortable. And whatever you are, If it feels good to close the eyes, Close the eyes for soft gay summer just right in front of you. And let's just start by taking a deep breath in through your nose. And exhale, Let it go. Start to let yourself arrive into this moment, Into this space. Then maybe start by noticing your surroundings. As always, Practicing at home is a little bit different than practicing in person. Give yourself time. Permission to arrive onto your map. And then for the next few breaths, Maybe even starting to notice how does your physical body feel in this moment. Are there any tension? Are there any discomfort? And as always, Noticing what feels good as well. And coming back to that steady breath. In and out. Maybe even noticing if that breath is long or is it deep. Is your breath shallow? For the next few moments, I want you to imagine that there's some sort of inflatable object at the lowest part of your room. Whether you're seated or laying on your back, Maybe it feels good just to place your palm off of that space. And on your next breath, Can you consciously breathe into that lowest part of the ribcage? Inflating that inflatable object. And then for the next couple of breaths, Can you consciously breathe into the right side of the rim? Maybe feeling the expansion on that right side. And then for the next few breaths. And you breathe in the left side of the ribcage. Feeling that expansion on the left side of that space. Couple more breaths in here. One more. And then eventually finding that steady breath in and out. Maybe this time see if you can breathe in the bow of the left and the right. Feeling an expansion on both sides of the ribcage. And then finally, Those last few breaths in the seat of meditation. If you wish to set a dedication or an intention, I invite you to do so now. Allowing that thought to fill your mind. Let's start to practice by bringing our breaths together. Let's take a deep breath in through your nose. Exhale, Let it go. One more just like that. Beautiful. And then slowly starting to flutter our eyes open. If any of you that are seated, I invite you to come back or seated. Laying on the mat, I invite you to come into a seat. The first posture that we're going to do is we're just going to gently tilt the head from side to side. So once again, Sitting nice and tall, Take a breath in. And as you exhale, We're going to tip our head over towards the right. We're going to make this a little bit more dynamic though. Inhale, Come back to center. And exhale to the left. A few more times just like that. Maybe you would like to follow your breath. You Maybe noticing any sounds and sensations. And then the next time when your right ear comes towards your right shoulder, We're going to stay. For some of us, It may feel good to release that left hand down onto the ground. Maybe it feels good to even place that right palm on the side of the head. Acting it on this little extra way. We'll stay here just for one more breath. Beautiful. And then on your next inhale, Let's come back to center. As you exhale, Let's come to that second side. Does it feel good to release that right hand down onto the side? Does it feel good to bring that left hand on the side of the head? One more breath in here. Beautiful. And then on your next inhale, Let's gently start to make a way back to center. This time we're going to come onto our tabletop. Now for this tabletop, I always like to do some movement, Almost like a moment to tune in to my physical body. So maybe it feels good to shift the body forward and back or side to side. Or as always doing some circles. Whatever it is that feels good for you. A moment to tune in. Noticing what feels good. It doesn't. You might need a little bit of extra love and attention to them. Yeah. And then eventually starting to make a way back into that tabletop. Let's just start off with a few cat and cows. On your next inhale, Lifting your tailbone up to the sky, Broadening your chest, Float the chin if that feels good. And on your exhale, Let's scoop your belly button in, Pressing the ground away, Tuck your chin into the chest. Inhale, Letting the belly hang. Shining the chest forward. And as you exhale, Rounding out the body. Just about two to three more of these cat and cows at your own head. Maybe even feeling the movement one bone at a time. Wonderful. And then on your next inhale, We're going to make our way back into that tabletop. I guess both my dogs decided to take over. So I'm going to pivot one foot out to the side. I'm going to demo it facing towards this side so you can see me what's happening. I'm going to pivot my left foot out to the side, Almost like a little kickstand, Extending my right leg long out to the side. I'm going to plant that right foot down onto the mat. Keep pushing that left palm into the mat. We're going to reach that right fingertip up to the sky. Again, I'm facing away from you so that you can see how my foot is pivoted. Take a breath in here. And as you exhale, Let's reach that top hand all the way towards the front of your mat. Now, I want you to imagine that someone is pulling the fingertip towards the top of the mat while someone else is pressing that pinky edge of that foot down onto the ground. Feeling that stretch onto the side of the body. Maybe it feels like it's just around the body just a little bit more. Now, If it feels okay for you, You're welcome to join me just to strengthen out the side of the body. So option one is to slowly starting to lift that extended leg out long. Option two is to do a little kind of like a side crunch with me. Take a breath in. As you exhale, We're going to bring that elbow towards the knee. We need to do that about three more times. Inhale, Reach long. As you exhale, Bring your elbow towards your knee. Two more times just like that. One last one. Beautiful. So we're working onto both sides of the body, But also finding that balance. And then whenever you're ready, Starting to make your way back into that tabletop. Maybe it feels good to do some cat and gals or shift the body before coming to the second side. So second sigh. I'm going to pivot my right foot towards the back, Extending my left leg long. Plant a left foot down. Push my palm into the mat as I lift that left arm up to the sky. Keep pushing the bottom hand down. Take a breath in here. And as you exhale, Reach those fingertips towards the top of your mat. Shining the chest towards the front. Once again, Maybe it feels good to do a little mini arch, Really stretching out the side of the body. Now option to stay here, Option to do that little kind of side elbow towards the knee thing with me. Option, Start to lift that back foot up to the sky. This might be it for you. If you're already finding this is very intense, Stay right here. But if you would like, Take a breath in. As you exhale, Bring that elbow towards the knee. Good, Three more times just like that. One last one. Beautiful. And then wherever you are, We're going to make a way back in that tabletop coming into our child's pose. So start to bring those big toes together, Knees above, Hip width, A mat with this in support. Sinking your hips towards the back. Let your forehead either come down onto the mat or onto snap palms, Fists, Or maybe a little pillow. Whatever feels good for you today. Just staying here for the next couple of board breaths. Hmm. Giving your body time to rebound after that strengthening posture. Thank you. And then on your next inhale, We're going to start to make our way back up into that tabletop. We're going to roll over to one side. Again, It doesn't matter which side. I'm just going to roll over to the right so that everybody can see me this time. I'm gonna prop that elbow down onto the ground. Hopefully you can see me. The elbow is right underneath the shoulder. I'm going to extend both legs long in front of me first. And then this top leg is going to come in front of us. Now, If you happen to have a dog in front of you, And if your knee doesn't come down, You're welcome to gently place your foot or your leg onto your pup. But sometimes it might feel good to bring a pillow, Or I always have props with me close by, So I'm going to just bring a. . . Block underneath the knee or even the shin. Now, Instead of keep pushing the elbow down, I want you to sink into it. So this is the one pose. I always say that this is the one pose where I want you to bring your shoulder up towards your ear. Hopefully you feel this stretch on the side of the body. For anybody that wants to deepen this stress just a tiny little bit more, You're welcome to come on to your pump. Keeping in mind as you come onto your bone, You might need to adjust with the props. It's also can be quite intense for the palm or even on the side of the body. So once again, As always, Listen to your body. Closing the eye. Checking in. Which position is your body asking for you today? And once you've found that position, We're going to stay here for a few long breaths. Stretching out the side of the body, The side of the ribcage, The side of the belly. Stay here. For about six to seven more long deep breaths. Two more breaths in here One more breath in. If it feels good, Sigh it out. Now option to stay longer if you wish. If you're ready to come out of it, Check in with yourself. Does it feel good to come down onto your belly? Does it feel good to roll onto your back? For me, My body is asking me to roll onto my back, Bringing my knees into the chest. And rock myself from side to side. Now, As always, Yours may be different than mine, And that's okay. We encourage you to listen to your body. And in taking your time, There's no rush. Whenever you're ready, We're going to come into that mermaid pose on that second side. Now, You're welcome to just roll over to the second side. For me, I'm just going to prop myself up and flip myself over so that you're not facing or you're not looking at my back again. Alright, Coming on to our elbow first. Extending both legs long. Let that top knee come in front of you. Maybe it feels good to bring some support underneath that space. And once again, Instead of pushing into the elbow, Start to sink into that elbow. Does it feel good to stay on your elbow? Does it feel good to bring that palm down? Now, Keeping in mind there's always difference between the left and right. So maybe it's the same posture as before. Maybe it's different. And as long as you feel something, Feeling that stretch on the side of the rib cage, Maybe even side of the belly, That's perfect. Stay right there. Keeping in mind that in Yin Yoga, We do try to stay still in the posture. However, Keeping in mind that sometimes There might be this tiny little adjustment. This little movement that. . . Can actually help you. Feel a lot more better in this pose. If you feel like you have one of those, I invite you to follow your body's guidance. We'll stay here for about this time, Four to five more long, Deep breaths. Two more breaths in here One more breath in. It feels good. Say it all. Once again, Option to stay longer if you wish. If you're ready to come out of it, Start to make a way out. Does it feel good to lay on your back? Does it feel good to lay on your belly? For me this time, My body's asking me to come into a child's pose. So I am going to listen to my body. And keeping in mind, If there's some movement that you would like to do, Always do that as well. And eventually do finding that stillness. Come back into that stillness. And you're starting to notice what a sensation both sides of the body is sending you. We were strengthening it a little bit with. . . Those side planks and elbows. And we also stretch it out with that mermaid pose. Maybe even invite you to notice the side of your neck. Are there any changes on the side of the neck compared to. . . Even the start of this session, Let's stay here for a couple more breaths in this awareness. And whenever you're ready, Starting to prop ourselves back up. Now, For those of us, If you have to go, Feel free to go as we head into Shavasana. If you have an extra little five minutes with me to join me in Shavasana, Feel free to stay. And for those of us that have to go, Thank you for coming. Hope to see you next time. And for those of us that are staying, Finding ourselves in whatever comfortable position that feels good for you. Now, For me this time, Usually Shavasana, We stay laying on our backs, But I am getting over this cold. So I know that if I lay on my back, I will start coughing. So I'm going to stay seated. I encourage you to tuck yourself in with a blanket, With a pillow or whatever it is that feels good for you. Closing the eyes or just gaze somewhere just right in front of you. Maybe your hands are by your hips, Palms facing up, Or maybe they're on your belly. Does it feel good to extend your legs out long and having those feet about mat with distance apart? And maybe even allowing those toes to fall to the side. Let's take a deep breath in through your nose. And exhale, Let it go. You Shavasana, Our final wrestling talk. Start to bring awareness to the top of your head. And relax the crown of your head. Smooth out your forehead. Your eyebrows. And allow your eyes to sink deep into their sockets. Creating that space between your teeth. Releasing your neck. And let your shoulders come back down towards the ground. Allow your arms to be heavy. Bring the awareness back towards the chest. And sense the openness of your heart. Let this relaxation float down your spine. Releasing your upper back. Your middle back. You're a Loba. Sends a rise and fall of your abdomen. Load your hips to be grounded. And allow your legs to be heavy. And send this relaxation down towards. Her ankle. Feel the release. Of your tone. Allowed yourself to be surrounded by this warm Remember this piece. Reminding ourselves to fill your jar with the things that you love to do. And as always, Keep being new. The world. Needs more you. Slowly start to deepen your breath. Bringing sensation back into your body by wiggling your fingers and your toes. Rolling your head from side to side. Rolling your hands and your feet. Reaching your arms to the back of the room. Take a deep breath in. The next I'll saw, You know. Bringing your knees into the chest, We'll all roll over to the right, Coming into a ball, Maybe using your arm as a pillow. Staying here for a few moments. Enjoying this peace and quiet that you have created for yourself. And know that it is here for you whenever you need. Hmm. Gently pressing ourselves back up into a comfortable seat. Taking your time. Sitting nice and tall. On your next inhale, We'll sweep our arms up to the sky. And as you exhale, Hands over to heart center. Thank you for sharing your time with me today. Namaste.