Hi,
My name is Jessica.
Welcome to Jess King Yoga.
We'll start this sequence.
Lying on our backs in supta baddha konasana.
Grab a couple yoga blocks.
And meet me on your behalf.
If you would like some support.
Put these blocks underneath your knees.
Bring the soles of your feet together.
And what's your heart?
Soften.
Down to the mat.
There are three settings of a block,
Lowest setting,
Middle setting.
High setting.
Choose the setting that's best for you.
Bring the floor a little bit closer to you.
Watch your palms.
Relax by your side.
Maybe you'd like to find a little bit more space between your arms and your body.
Just take a moment to notice how you have landed today on your mat.
Bringing awareness to what is so that you can meet yourself where you are today.
This sequence is all about getting grounded into the body.
Getting so grounded into the mind,
Body and spirit that you are able to focus your energy your attention.
Take a nice,
Big,
Full belly breath.
Push your belly out and expand in your ribs.
Take an open mouth exhale,
Let the air go.
Again,
Fill the belly up,
Nice nourishing breath.
And let the air go.
One more time,
Biggest breath of your day,
Expand in your ribs,
Push the belly out.
And let all the air go.
Now begin to move into your Ujjayi breath.
Inhaling and exhaling through the nose with a slight constriction in the back of the throat.
This breath sounds a bit like Darth Vader.
Inhale through the nose.
Exhale through the mouth.
Keep going with this breath.
This breath fuels the body,
Keeps the body safe.
Builds heat in the body.
But also know that open mouth exhales are always available if you need to take them to release heat or stagnant energy.
Maybe there is a specific spot in your life where you need to focus your energy.
Where you need to be still.
Long enough that you can find clarity.
If you have something particular,
Think about it now.
And if you don't.
Just remain present with the breath.
When you are ready,
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
Take a breath into your heart and into your belly.
And exhale,
Let it go.
On your next inhale,
Close your legs like a book.
And gather your legs into your chest.
Take a rock side to side on the lower back.
Let the feet come down to the mat.
Land them hip width apart and pointing straight.
Extend your right leg high up to the sky.
Interlace your hands around your right hamstring.
Circle out the ankle.
Circle the opposite direction.
Point and flex your toes a few times.
Release your right foot back down to the ground.
Extend your left leg high.
Interlace your hands around your left hamstring and circle out the ankle.
Circle the opposite direction.
Point and flex the toes a few times.
Just noticing the difference between your right ankle and your left ankle.
The feet and the ankles are such an important part of our stability,
Our ability to be grounded.
Release your left foot down to the mat.
Hug your legs back into your chest,
Another rock side to side.
And then rock yourself to the right or to the left.
And just pause in the fetal position.
Using your bicep as a pillow for your head.
Drawing your legs in nice and tight.
Sometimes the thing that we need to do is to be still.
Rather than be productive.
When we give ourselves this time to be still.
What we need to do becomes more clear.
We can see a more effective path often.
Of first.
We need to stop.
The mountain is you.
Use your top hand to gently push yourself up.
Up to a seated position.
Find crisscross legs or extend your legs out in front of you,
Whatever feels good for you.
I like to sit on a block.
So my hips are above.
My.
Knees.
That's the most comfortable position for me.
And then once you arrive in your Seat,
Sit up nice and tall.
Track your tailbone down towards the earth to lengthen your lower back.
Find a little bit more space between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips.
Draw the shoulders away from the ears.
Let the crown of the head be high to the sky.
On your inhale,
Bring the arms up and over your head.
Reach up high.
Find length in the sides of the body.
Notice if this action.
.
.
Made you stick out your lower back again.
Can you track your tailbone down and keep the length in the lower back?
Pulling the ribs together and drawing the shoulders away from the ears.
Spiral your pinkies towards one another.
Take an inhale breath.
On your exhale,
Bring the right arm down,
The left arm up and over.
Take a side body stretch.
Keep tracking the left tip towards the mat.
And keep bringing awareness to the lower back and the ribs.
Mindful that they are not splaying out but they are keeping alignment.
Come back to center,
Reach both the hands up high.
Check in with the body,
Track the tailbone down.
Take a nice big breath here.
Bring that left arm down,
Right arm up and over.
Keep the head in line with the spine.
Notice if that right armpit dropped forward.
Square it back even with your left shoulder.
Track the right hip down.
Come back to the center,
Reach the arms up high.
Exhale,
Rainbow the hands right back down.
We'll take a gentle twist and hold the arms up.
Bring your left hand to the outside of the right thigh.
The right hand becomes a kickstand behind the back.
Maybe you gaze over your right shoulder.
Maybe that's too much on the neck.
Be gentle.
Come back to center,
Reach high.
Other direction,
Right hand to the outside of the left thigh.
Left hand becomes the kickstand this time.
Track your tailbone down.
Come back to the center,
Reach up high.
Bring your arms out to a T,
Palms face forward.
Take a big breath.
Give yourself a great big hug.
Pull the shoulders down.
Tuck your chin to your chest.
Inhale the arms back out wide.
Opposite arm on top.
Pull the shoulders down.
Tuck your chin to your chest.
And how the arms back out wide follow through till the end.
And rainbow the hands down.
Rainbow them right back up,
Big breath.
This time reach forward and down any amount.
You're welcome to use your block to bring the floor a little bit closer to you.
Decide whether you'd like to keep drawing the heart forward with a long neck or tuck your chin to your chest.
Inhale the arms back up high.
Rainbow the hands down.
Bring your hands behind you,
Switch out your legs,
Put the opposite shin in front if you're crisscross.
Inhale the arms up.
Exhale fold forward any amount,
Likely the amount has less depth.
Because the non-dominant leg is in front.
Maybe on this side you need to stay a little bit higher.
Or tuck your chin to your chest.
Inhale the arms back up high.
Exhale,
Rainbow the hands down.
We'll make our way to a tabletop position.
Stacking the shoulders over the wrists,
The hips over the knees.
Just take some movements that feel good in the body.
Maybe you sway the hips side to side.
Maybe you go straight into a few cat cows.
If you're doing something one-sided or front to back,
Start to even yourself out.
Then come back to your neutral tabletop position.
Set up your foundation well.
Spread your fingers nice and wide.
See that your wrist creases are parallel to the top of your mat.
Push into your finger pads and your knuckles so you take some weight away from the wrist.
Extend your right leg out behind you.
Leave the toes on the mat and just pulse into the heel a few times.
Lift the right leg parallel to the earth.
Dial the right hip down.
The inseam of the right thigh towards the ceiling.
Push the earth away,
Pull the ribs together.
Stay here or extend your left arm out in front of you,
Thumb faces up,
Keep pushing the earth away.
Nice long neck here,
The gaze is down at the mat.
Take an inhale breath.
Exhale,
Come back to your tabletop.
We'll move into a modified side plank.
Leave your right knee on the mat.
Take your right toes out like a little bike kickstand.
Left foot comes to the back of your mat.
Peel the left hand high up to the sky.
Push your hips forward.
Stacking your left rib on top of your right rib,
Your left hip on top of your right hip.
Option to lift the left leg.
Take an inhale breath.
Exhale,
Come back to your tabletop.
Take a cat-cow.
Inhale,
Drop the belly,
Lift the gaze,
Spread the sit bone.
Exhale,
Chin to chest,
Round the spine,
Soften the elbows.
Come back to your neutral tabletop.
This time extend your left leg out behind you.
Leave your toes on the mat,
Just pulse into the heel a few times.
Lift your left leg parallel to the ground.
Activate your left foot.
Point the pinky toe down so you have level hips.
Push the earth away.
Stay here or extend your right arm out in front of you,
Thumb faces up.
Keep pushing the earth away.
The neck is long,
Look down at your mat.
Push into your finger pads and your knuckles of your left hand.
Take an inhale breath.
Exhale,
Come back to your tabletop.
Modified side plank.
Leave your left knee on the earth.
Take your left toes out like a little bike kickstand.
Right foot comes behind you.
Peel that right hand high up to the sky.
Push your hips forward.
Stack your ribs,
Stack your hips.
Option to lift your right leg.
If you do,
Energy out of the foot,
It's going to help you balance.
Take an inhale breath.
Exhale,
Come back to your tabletop.
Take another cat-cow and I'll drop the belly.
Exhale,
Chin to chest,
Round the spine.
Moving into downward facing dog,
Send those hips up high.
Pedal out the feet,
Bend one leg and then the other.
Peek-a-boo under one armpit And then the other armpit.
I like to cascade myself into a high plank.
And then send my hips back up high.
And then press into your hands and your feet firmly.
Check in here once again with the ribs and the lower back.
Can you?
Pull the ribs together slightly and track the tailbone down while pushing the chest closer to the thighs.
This prevents that overarching in the lower back.
Creating more stability so that the shoulders can be in line with the hips.
Take a big inhale breath.
Big open mouth exhale,
Let it go.
At the bottom of your next exhale,
Look at your hands,
Take 10 tiny steps to the front of your mat.
Once I get halfway,
I often come up onto my blocks so I can create more space.
I like my feet wide and my forward fold.
Find your ragdoll,
Put your hands in your elbow creases,
Let the head hang heavy.
Opposite arm on top.
Pull your lower belly in,
Soften your knees,
Let your head be heavier.
Release your hands down to a dangle.
Soften into your knees,
Push into your feet.
Roll the body all the way up.
Take some shoulder rolls when you get to the top.
Take your shoulder rolls the opposite direction.
Come on back to center.
Option to find a mountain pose with a yoga block if you have one.
If you don't,
That's okay.
You can just imagine that the block is in between your thighs.
Put the block in between your thighs.
Amen.
Notice for a moment your body.
From the base of your feet to the crown of your head.
If you closed your eyes for a minute just without aligning anything,
Where is the weight shifted to?
Maybe the weight is more in your arches.
Maybe the weight is more in your heels.
Maybe the wave is leaning forward into the balls of your feet.
Just take a moment to notice first how you have landed.
And then we'll begin to refine our mountain pose from the ground up.
Lift all 10 of your toes,
Spread them wide.
And set your toes down one at a time.
Bring awareness into all four corners of your feet.
Can you push down equally into all four corners of their feet?
For me,
That means that I need to lift my arches a little bit.
Bring your knees over your ankles.
Are you locking your knees?
Can you soften your knees?
But still remain strong.
Squeeze the block if you have one with your thighs.
Notice how that rotates your thighs towards the midline almost like you could shoot this block behind you.
This action might have made you lock your knees again,
So can you keep this spiraling action,
These strong thighs,
But soften your knees?
Track your tailbone down.
Are your shoulders over your hips.
Do you have that same length?
That you had when you were in a seated position from your hips to the bottom of your ribs.
Pull the ribs together,
Track the tailbone down.
Inhale the arms up and overhead.
Spiral your pinkies towards one another and bring the shoulders away from the ears.
Taking your hands up over your head might have made you splay out your ribs.
Can you pull your ribs together?
Track your tailbone down,
Keep engaging your inner thighs on this block.
Pull your belly in.
There's a lot happening in this extended mountain pose.
Just breathe.
Can you be stealth?
Maybe close the eyes for a few breaths.
If your eyes are closed,
Blink them open.
Take an inhale breath here.
Exhale fold forward swan dive lead with your heart all the way to the toes Find a halfway lift,
Bring your hands to your shins or your thighs,
Squeeze your upper back,
Push your butt back.
Remove the block from in between your thighs.
Leave your right foot forward,
Step your left foot back to a low lunge.
Drop down to the back knee.
Toe heel your right foot far enough forward that you have some space to drop your hips.
And then just mindfully move your hips forward and down.
Honor your boundaries here.
We're just noticing the fluidity that we had in the hips and the left psoas.
Bring your ankle back underneath your front knee.
Bring your shoulders up over your hips and hold the arms up and overhead.
Right arm comes down,
Maybe onto your block.
Left arm reaches up and over,
Take a side stretch.
If you need stability,
Curl your back toes under or you can leave them flat.
Might also help your knee to curl it under or help your knee to have it flat.
Inhale,
Come back to center,
Reach high.
Exhale,
Bring the hands down to frame the front foot.
Lift your back knee.
Moving into a warrior one today.
See that your feet are on two separate tracks.
Point your back toes towards the top left corner of your mat.
Square your hips forward-ish.
Rise up,
Bring the hands up and overhead.
Track the tailbone down.
This is another pose where we pull the ribs together and track the tailbone down.
The shoulders are drawing away from the ears.
The pinkies are spiraled towards one another.
Focus your eyes.
Take an inhale breath.
Exhale,
Bring your arms out to a T,
Palms face forward.
Taken in Hal Phillips.
Exhale,
Eagle arms,
Left arm comes under.
So if that doesn't work for you,
You can go back to that great big hug or find your eagle arms.
Eagle arms don't have to be the full wrap.
You can bring the back of your hands together if that works better for your shoulders.
Anchor into the pinky side of the back foot.
Lift your heart,
Take a baby backbend here.
On an exhale,
Humble eagle.
Bow the right shoulder to the inside of the right thigh.
Keep anchoring into the pinky side of the back foot.
Let your head be heavy.
Keep pulling that right hip back rather than letting it swing out to the right.
Lift up in the torso enough to safely release your eagle arms.
Grab your blocks.
Take a quarter turn.
Prasarita wide-legged forward fold,
Shimmy with the feet until they're on one track.
Let your head be heavy here.
Maybe you use your blocks for support,
Bringing the earth closer to you.
Roll the weight slightly forward.
On an inhale,
Find a halfway lift,
Straighten your arms,
Soften your knees.
Pull your belly in tight.
Exhale,
Low lunge to the front of your mat.
Just walk your blocks back forward.
Pop your back heel high up over your toes.
Look forward.
Step forward.
Forward fold.
Inhale rise,
Reach up.
Exhale,
Seal the hands into the heart.
Take an inhale breath.
Ground down into your feet.
Exhale,
Breath.
Notice once again.
Where the weight is shifted in the body.
Push down into all four corners of your feet.
Lift your toes and set them back down so you're not gripping.
Soften your knees.
Strengthen your thighs.
Track your tailbone down.
Find length between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hips.
Release your hands.
Inhale the arms up and overhead,
Big breath.
Exhale,
Fold forward,
Bow,
Uttanasana.
Soften your knees,
Lead with your heart.
Find your halfway lift,
Hands to shins or thighs.
Squeeze your upper back.
Exhale.
Release.
Plant your hands.
Leave the left foot forward this time.
Step your right foot back.
Drop down to the back knee.
Toe heel your left foot far enough forward.
So you can take some time to let those hips float forward and down.
Honor your boundaries here.
Just notice,
Self-study.
Bring your front ankle underneath your front knee.
Maybe curl your back toes under if you need more stability.
Bring your shoulders up over your hips and hold the arms up and overhead.
Bring your left arm down,
Maybe on a block,
Your right arm up and over.
Keep the head in line with the spine.
Inhale,
Come back to center,
Reach high.
Exhale,
Release the hands down to frame your front foot.
Lift your back knee.
Warrior 1,
Step your back foot in a little bit.
Point your back toes towards the top right corner of your mat.
Square-ish your hips forward.
Push into your front foot,
Rise up,
Bring the hands up and overhead.
Once you get up,
Spiral your pinkies towards one another.
Track your tailbone down.
Push into the pinky side of the back foot.
Notice if you're gripping in your front toes,
Can you lift your toes and put them back down?
Focus your eyes.
Take an inhale breath.
Exhale bring your arms out to a T.
Eagle arms,
Right arm comes under this time.
Find your wrap or great big hug.
Take a baby back,
Then lift underneath your heart.
Keep anchoring into the pinky side of the back foot.
Exhale,
Humble eagle.
Bow the left shoulder to the inside of the left thigh.
Tuck your chin to your chest.
Lift your torso enough to unravel your eagle arms.
Take a quarter turn,
Left hand to the inside of the left foot.
Prasarita wide-legged forward fold.
Shimmy with your feet until you get on one track and then let your head be heavy.
Rotate the inner thighs up and back.
Get yourself tethered to the breath.
Halfway lift,
Straighten your arms,
Soften your knees,
Pull your belly in tight.
Low lunge to the front of your mat.
Just walk your hands forward.
Pop your back heel high up over your toes.
Look forward.
Step forward.
Forward fold,
Inhale rise,
Reach up.
Exhale,
Seal the hands into the heart.
Take a breath or two of gratitude for the body.
Gratitude for the mind for getting you here.
Can you be still enough?
To create focused clarity.
Release your hands.
And held the arms up and over,
Had big breaths.
Exhale,
Fold bow.
Halfway lift,
Strong flat back.
Plant your hands,
Step it back,
High plank.
Downward Facing Dog.
Send those hips up high.
Big inhale breath.
Push,
Exhale,
Breath.
Drop down to the knees.
Shift your butt to one side or the other.
Come to sitting on the butt.
We'll take Janu Sirsasana seated tree pose.
Extend your right leg out to an angle.
Bring the left sole of the foot to the inner thigh.
Inhale the arms up and overhead.
Square your shoulders towards your straight leg.
Flex your foot.
Hinge at your hips any amount.
I like to traction my hands against the earth.
And gently draw my heart forward until I feel the right amount of stretch in the back of my leg,
Sometimes my lower back.
One more breath.
Walk your hands back towards your body.
Star Gazers.
Your left hand is going to become a kickstand behind your back.
Point your right toes towards the earth.
Swoop that left hand,
Right hand in front of your body.
Lift your hips.
Reach up and back.
Nice big breath in the right side of the body.
And release your hips back down to the mat.
We'll take Baddha Konasana,
Soles of the feet together.
Draw the heels towards your body any amount.
And then hinge at the hips with a nice flat back.
Always option to put blocks underneath your legs if you need a little bit more support.
Bring your shoulders back up over your hips.
Make your diamond longer.
Send your feet forward.
This time round the back.
Any amount so for you it could just be letting the shoulders come forward and down and tucking your chin to your chest.
Maybe you have more flexibility.
You can bring your forehead towards your feet.
Maybe stack up your hands,
Your fists,
And put your forehead on your fists.
Take one more smooth,
Steady breath.
And then unravel the spine.
Let's do seated tree on the other side.
Left leg comes out to an angle,
Right sole of the foot plants to the inner thigh.
Inhale the arms up and overhead.
Square your shoulders towards your straight leg.
Hinge any amount.
Walk your hands towards your body.
Stargazers,
The right hand becomes the kickstand this time.
Left toes point towards the earth.
Left hand swoops in front of the body as you lift your hips and reach back.
Nice big breath into the right side of the body,
The left side of the body.
Exhale,
Let the hips come down.
Really nice.
Plant your feet out in front of you.
Take your blocks with you.
Take anything else that you would like to make your shavasana enjoyable.
An eye pillow,
Maybe you need socks.
A blanket.
Lower yourself all the way to your back.
When you get there,
Hug your legs into your chest.
Take a rock side to side.
Let the feet come down to the mat,
Land them hip-width apart and pointing straight.
Push into your feet,
Lift your hips,
Find a supported bridge.
Put your block underneath your sacrum and then let your hips be nice and heavy.
Just let yourself relax.
Surrender your weight onto the block.
Let go of your control on your breath.
Relax your jaw.
Let your hands be soft.
Stay here,
Find the legs up the wall pose,
Send your legs straight up to the ceiling.
Where in your body are you still holding on,
Gripping?
Can you let go?
Can you be still?
Maybe this week instead of climbing the mountain.
You are the mountain.
Still and steady,
Grounded.
You are welcome to stay in your legs up the wall for as long as you would like.
If you're ready to float your feet down,
Float your feet down.
Push into your feet,
Remove the block from underneath your body.
And make your way to your final Shavasana.
But the feet.
Flap out to the side.
Let the body be heavy and still.
I will call you out when our time is complete.
If you have the gift of time,
I encourage you to stay in your Shavasana longer.
This is where I will leave you here today.
I hope you take the time this week to find stillness.
Stillness.
Can bring focus and clarity.
Have a beautiful day.
Namaste.
