Yoga For Balance

Inspired by this line from On Children by Kahlil Gibran
“For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.”

This sequence is designed to give you a chance play with and explore your balance while moving mindfully through transitions. Think of it as practice for slowing down as you navigate change and transitions in your life.

I hope you enjoy it!

Transcript

Hi there. In this practice, We are going to be exploring balancing poses. We'll also be exploring transitions. So I encourage you to take your time between the poses. Don't be in a rush to get from one pose to the other. There's so much good information that you can learn about yourself and how you tend to navigate transitions that you can apply to your everyday life by paying attention to what's happening here on your mat. So we're going to start standing at the short front edge of our mats. So if you're not already there, Join me. Once you're there, Place your hands onto your hips. Shift your weight to the left. Step your right foot back as far as you can. Your left knee is bent. Your right leg is straightened. All toes are tracking forward in line with your eyes. Notice all of the tiny movements that your ankles and feet might be doing in order to keep you balanced here. Hinge forward to bring your weight over your left leg. Really press into that left leg as you lift your right foot and bring your right knee towards your chest. So now you're standing on your left foot, And your right knee is bent and high. Step back. Take your time. So you're back in Crescent. Torso is once again high over your hips. Let's repeat that. And now that you know where you're headed, You can really take your time. So lift or shift your torso over your left. Put all your weight into your left leg. Draw your right knee towards your chest as you stand on your left foot. Lift over your left leg. What did you notice about the way your weight had to shift as you moved into this new position? Step back. Come into Crescent once again. Take your time. And for the final time on this side, Shift forward. Step forward. What I notice is I don't always give myself enough space. Keep bumping into my plant. All right. Step your right foot back. And now I'm going to take my right foot and now step your right foot forward so that it's right next to your left foot. Both knees are bent. Straighten your legs. Shake out your legs. And we'll repeat on the other side. So shift your weight to the right. Step your left foot back as far as you can. Check in with your feet. When you're ready, Hinge forward and slowly come to stand over your right foot as your left knee comes up in line with your left hip. And step back. Come into Crescent. Take your time. We're moving slow. Hinge forward. Hinge forward. Stand over your right leg. Left knee comes up. Step back to Crescent. Final time. Hinge forward. Slowly come up over your right leg. Left knee slowly comes up. Step back. Come into Crescent. Hinge forward. Step your left foot alongside your right foot. Both knees are bent. Straighten. Shake out your legs. Shift your weight to the left. Step your right foot back. And then turn to face the long edge of your mat. So your toes are facing one of the long edges of your mat. Hands are on your hips. Bend your right knee. And shift your torso so it's over your right knee. Straighten your right knee. And then bend your left knee. Go back to the right. So the right knee bends. Come up through center. Left knee bends. Come up through center. Continue going from side to side at your own pace. Take your time. We're not a marathon. We're not in a rush here. The next time you find your left knee bent, Stay there. And then switch to the right and stay there. Straighten your right knee. So now you're up through center. Ask yourself, What would I have to adjust in order for me to balance over one leg? Would I have to draw in one of my legs? Would I have to bring both feet closer together? Would I have to shift my weight? Ask yourself what you might need to do. When I look down at my feet, I know that I would need to have to bring everything in closer. At least I think that's what I would need to do. But I won't find out till I try. So I'm going to set myself up as best as I can for what I think will work. All right. Now bend both knees once you are set up for what you think will allow you to just step over onto one leg and try it. So let's shift our weight to the right and then step onto that right foot. Left knee comes up. It looks like I did need my feet to be closer together. What did you need? Lower your left foot. Bend both knees. Shift your weight to the left. And then step onto the left. Lift your right knee. Lower your right foot. Bend your knees. Shift to the right. Lift your left knee. Left foot lowers. Bend both knees. Shift to the left. Lift your right. Continue going back and forth at your own pace. Make this your last round. Once both feet are firmly on the mat, Turn your toes out and your heels in. Bend your knees and lower your hips. You can remain high if you'd really like to work the thighs a bit. Or you can come down low if you want to create a sense of openness. My thighs are tired, So I'm going to go ahead and rest. We're coming down. Wherever you are, Place your hands down onto the mat. Take a seat. Keep your feet about hip's width apart. Place your hands behind your back. And then shift your knees from side to side. The next time your knees are up through center, Leave them there. Slowly make your way onto your hands and your knees. Bring your big toes together. Knees come out wide. Your hips rest onto your heels. Your hands slide forward. And your forehead meets the mat. To come into our final pose for this practice, Child's pose. I'll leave you here to finish out the practice. You can remain in child's pose for as long as you'd like to and for as long as it feels comfortable. I hope you've enjoyed this practice.