Exhale: Deep Yin For The Spine | Extended Practice

The breath that releases. This practice works with letting go: softening the spine, emptying what's full, and settling into the ease that lives at the end of things. We'll move through long, folded holds across the back body, with kidney and bladder meridian work and a quality of surrender that doesn't ask for effort.

Expect a slow, grounding hour that lets the nervous system downshift and leaves you lighter than you arrived.

Props are optional but welcome if you have them: a block, bolster, or pillow to support the folds and help you settle deeper without strain. No prior experience needed, and the class stands on its own whether or not you joined the earlier two.

Transcript

So finding a reclined position. That is comfortable for you. You can have your knees bent, Feet flat on the mat. You can bring a bolster, A rolled up blanket, Or a pillow under your knee. Or you can just extend your legs long. You can have a pillow or a folded up blanket under your head. It's taking a few moments to get really. . . Settled on your mat. And allow your hands to rest gently somewhere on your body, Maybe on your belly, Maybe your right hand on your belly, Left hand on your heart. Feeling your body on the mat just allowing your hips your shoulders your legs and your head to be really heavy and comfortable, Grounded. And then come to stillness. Making sure that Your lower back is comfortable, So maybe tilting your hips forward just a little bit. When you find. . . Your posture. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just start to bring your awareness inward. Noticing your breath. Just bringing your awareness to your breath, Noticing how your breath feels, Not trying to change it. Just notice the quality of your breath today. If it's fast or slow, Deep or shallow. Quiet or loud. Today we're going to be focusing on the exhale. Letting go our breathing practice this morning is. Longer exhales. Before we get back there bring your awareness to your body. Just notice how your body feels. Scan from the top of your head. All the way down to your toes. Notice if there's any part of your body that's maybe a little tight or sore today. That they need. A little bit more love during practice. And just really being mindful of that. Something I say during practice doesn't feel right for you. Please don't do it. Come out of the pose and take a resting posture that works for you. And then we hold poses for. . . Longer periods of time, So three to five, Sometimes seven minutes. And you want to make sure that you're never holding any pain or discomfort in your body. Always listening to your body. Doing what feels right. Now take a deep breath in through your nose. And then open your mouth and slowly and quietly sigh it out. Let it go. Two more like that. Deep inhale through the nose. Sigh it out through the mouth, Let it go. And last one, Deep breath in. And exhale to sigh it out. Yeah. Now continue breathing deeply in and out of your nose. And just notice if there's any part of your body that you can soften. Maybe it's your jaw. Maybe it's your forehead. Let's start our breathing exercise. Then start to breathe in through the nose for a count of four. And then pause at the top. Then exhale for a count of 8, So twice as long as the inhale. So I'm going to count the first few. But then allow you to breathe at your own pace. You can try to breathe. N. And then as you exhale, Try to really extend your exhale. Try to go twice as long as the inhale, Really exhaling all the air out. So starting with an inhale for four. Two. Why? Aww, Is that the top? And exhale. Great. Bye. Or. . . Good, Inhale 4, 3, 2, 1. Too. Why? Exhale for eight happen. Bye. Chore. Two. And more. Inhale for four. Exhale for eight inhale for four exhale for 8. Continue at your own pace, So counting quietly in your mind. Inhaling for a count of four. Pausing just for a moment. Before exhaling for a count of 8. And depending on how you feel today. Your capacity. You can breathe as fast or as slow. Just making sure your exhales are. . . Twice as long as your inhale. Notice that You've lost count or you got distracted. Completely okay. And just come back to counting with the next inhale. Inhaling for four. Pausing for a moment. And exhaling for eight. Do three more like that. At your own pace. Inhaling for a count of four. And exhaling for a count of 8. When you're done your last one, Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth and sigh it out. Let it go. Slowly start to bring some movement to your body. Moving your fingers, Your toes. And then bring your big toes together. Extend your legs long. Point your toes. Reach your arms overhead. And kept to a full body stretch as if you're waking up for the first time today. Deep breath in. And exhale soften and let go And then bend one knee and then the other. Roll onto your left side in a fetal position. Using your bottom arm as a pillow Just pause here for a breath or two. Just notice how your breath feels compared to the beginning of practice. When you're ready slowly. Start to push yourself up to a comfortable seat. Sitting. With your spine tall. Your neck straight, Chin parallel to the mat. Soften your shoulders down, Your back. Allow your hands to rest gently somewhere on your body. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Bring your hands by your side. As you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up, Palms touch, Overhead. Exhale to bring your hands to your heart, Bow your head to your hands. Bye. Think of one thing you're grateful for today. Slowly and start to move your props aside and our first yin posture today is Child's pose. So we're gonna get ready for. . . A child's pose and you can decide the child's pose looks like so you can have your knees together or knees mat distance apart big toes together and you're going to roll your upper body all the way down to the mat or to a prop so if you have a pillow rolled up blanket if you have blocks you can prop your bolster or pillow option. Just slowly just bring your spine an upper body down onto your props. If you are. Rolling onto a bolster or pillow. You can turn your head to one side. Allowing your arms to rest gently on the mat. If you're coming all the way down to the mat. You can allow your forehead to rest on the mat or on a block. Again, Allowing your elbows to rest on the mat. Shoulders are soft, Away from your ears. And if your hips are lifted, You can always bring a folded up blanket or pillow under your thighs Just so we can allow. Your hips to really rest and feel heavy. So taking a few moments here to really get settled in this child's pose. Want to make sure you can really let go of holding on to any muscles. Just allowing your body to rest on the mat. Feel heavy. Allowing gravity to pull you down. Want to make sure there's no discomfort in your knees and your shoulders in your neck. And your hips. So taking your time here and finding a place where you can pause in stillness. When you find Replace and find your pose Gently soften your gaze, Close your eyes and come to stillness. Come to your breath. And allow your awareness to settle on your breath. Letting go of anything else you are holding onto. Maybe it's your jaw. Maybe it's your forehead. Maybe it's a thought or your to-do list for the rest of the day. Very weak. Maybe it's a feeling Let's see if you can let all of that go. And just come to your breath. I'm gonna be here for about five minutes. So. . . I'm just getting really settled, Comfortable. And breathe. If your mind starts to wander. Kindly bring your awareness back to your breath. Really gentle. With yourself. Coming back to the next inhale. And exhale. We've been here for a few minutes now. Just notice the sensations in your body and listen to what they're telling you. You may notice that your body's opened up a little bit more. Maybe you can go a little bit deeper into the pose, Adjusting your props. Maybe reaching your arms forward a little bit more, Maybe pushing your hips back a little bit more. Or maybe your body is telling you to back out of the pose a little bit. So listen to your body. And and see if it's telling you to make adjustments. And if it is. . . Just really slowly and mindfully. Make any adjustments you need and just come back to stillness. Finding a place where you can settle. Soften and just breathe. When your mind drifts. And just gently guide it back to your practice. Take a deep breath in. And a long slow breath out. One more like that, Deep inhale. And exhale. And really slowly. Mindfully. Start to come out of the pose. So just really moving really slowly. Come to your hands and knees, Come to tabletop. Fish out. Bringing your knees under your hips. Rest on your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide. And just pause in tabletop. Noticing the sensations in your legs. In your head. You back here and then maybe slowly starting to bring some movement to your body so you can start to make circles with your hip. In one direction. And then the other. Maybe making figure eight grips good any movement here that feels good in your body. You can start to move through some cat-cows with your breath. And exhaling to cat. And then sit back. On your heels, Sitting in a kneeling position. Pausing here with your hands resting gently on the floor. On your thighs or your laps. Soften your shoulders, Down your back, Soften your gaze, Close your eyes. Just notice how your body feels. After holding. Child's pose for a few minutes. Notice your breath. Notice your mind. What if it's quiet or loud? Just notice it, No judgement, No trying to change it. And slowly start to come back to your hands and knees, Walk your hands forward, Tuck your toes under, And then push your hip back. To downward facing dog. In this down dog, You may choose to stay in stillness or maybe paddle your feet, Bending one knee and then the other. You can keep your knees bent and lift your heels up. Drop them down. Maybe walk your hips from side to side. That release in your legs and your thighs. Get. Pausing in stillness, Take a deep breath in through your nose. And exhale let it go From here, Slowly start to walk your hands back towards your feet. Coming to a forward fold so for this one you can Bring feet wider, Hip distance or wider apart. Have your knees bent a lot so you can really Let your upper body hang here so your hands can stay on the mat. You can bring your hands on blocks here. You can choose to grab opposite elbows. Wherever you are, Really bend your knees and allow your head and shoulders to relax. Hang heavy, Allowing gravity to pull your head towards the earth. And. . . Notice. How this feels in your back, In your spine. You can maybe rock back and forth on your feet a few times. You can choose to nod your head yes, Shake your head no. This should feel like a really good release in your upper back. So if you're just feeling this in the backs of your legs, Bend your knees more. And. . . Make sure you're not stretching your hamstrings. Here. This is to release your spine, Your upper back. Alright. We're not going to be here for too long. So you can choose to stay in stillness or maybe bending one knee and then the other, Rocking your upper body from side to side. It. Really allowing your spine to decompress and let go. When you've had enough, Bring your hands back down on the mat and start to walk your hands forward. Coming back to your downward dog. Head. Paddle your feet. Take a deep breath in. And then as you exhale, Slowly bring your knees down on the mat. From here, Start to walk your knees forward, Cross your ankles and come to a seat. So we're gonna come to a seat, Extend your legs long. And we're going to come to a seated forward fold with the legs extended. So this is called caterpillar pose in yin. So you can choose to use props here. So if you want to sit on top of a folded up blanket or roll up your mat to just tilt your hips forward a little bit. And then your feet, Your legs can be together or maybe hip distance apart. It'll help you kind of bend your knees and fold forward more. You can choose to use a bolster or a block. In front of you. You can bring a bolster under your knees. Um, Fold forward there so choosing and where you want your props to be. If you don't have any props, You can have your knees bent and feet flat on the mat and just fold forward over your thighs. Grabbing anything you need here and finding. . . An option that suits your body today. So. And. . . Today may. Be different from the last time you practiced this pose. So just listen to what your body needs now. And when you're ready, Just slowly start to fold forward. And as you fold, Make sure your knees are bent. Your hamstrings, The backs of your legs are really soft and comfortable. You wanna let your feet go so you're not flexing or pointing your feet. Just let your feet go. Soft. And allow your forehead to rest on something. So you can grab blocks or you can bring your hands on your legs. And just let your forehead rest on something here. Making sure you're not holding your head up high. Letting go of any effort. In your neck, In your shoulders. Okay, So taking a few moments to Find. Your forward fold. We're going to be here for a little bit longer. Um. . . Seven to eight minutes. So just taking as much time as you need. To really get comfortable and settled. Find your edge. Find a pose where you're feeling something. So you're feeling a forward fold in the chest. Your legs and your back. Making sure that it's not your 100% range. Find a place where you can comfortably hold. Stillness and breathe. And when you get there soften your gaze or close your eyes Soften your jaw, Your forehead. And start to come to your breath. Feeling the next inhale in your body. And settling and letting go with the next exhale. Folds are. . . A symbol of reflection going inward. So if you notice thoughts feelings, Emotions start to come up. Know that that's completely normal. Just notice what's coming up for you. See if you can gently set it aside for now. And guide your awareness back to your breath. So we've been here for. . . Couple of minutes now. You may notice that your body starts to open up. Maybe you feel that you can go a little bit deeper into your forward fold. Maybe you start to adjust your props. And fold forward a little bit more here. So taking. . . Some time. To adjust if you want, If you need to. Moving really mindfully and slowly. Allowing your body. To soften. And come back to stillness. If any thoughts or emotions start to come up. Just notice them. And then gently guide your awareness back to your breath. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more just like that, Deep inhale. Long and slow exhale, Let it go and really slowly start to Come out of the pose. Coming up, Moving really slowly and mindfully. Resisting any Bye. Come to a seat. And just pause here with your eyes closed. Shoulders down your back. What is? Anything in your body maybe there's a rush of energy in your head, In your spine, In your legs. Maybe you notice the urge to. . . Move out of this pose. Bend your knees or into a different position. See if he can stay still here. Slowly start to relax. Move your palms aside, Bend one knee and then the other. And bring your feet at distance apart, Your hands behind you, Fingers can point forward or back. Gently start to breathe. Windshield wiper your knees from side to side. Moving really slowly, Mindfully noticing how this feels in your body, In your spine. Come back to center. We're going to come to half butterfly. So extending your left leg long, Bring your right foot to the inside of your left thigh. So you can, Again, Bring something under your hips if that feels good. You can have something under your left knee. Make sure you're not flexing your foot. Your left foot is soft. And then we're going to turn our torso towards the extended leg. And one way to do that is just bring your hands by your side and slowly pull the left hip back. So, Um. . . When you're facing your extended leg, You're just going to start to walk your hands forward and hold forward over. Your leg and you can use props here to bring something under your leg if that feels comfortable. Good you can bring a block or two on your forehead so again just taking some time. Adjusting your process. If you don't have props, You can have your knee bent, Again, Feet flat on the mat, And just fold forward, Bringing your forehead. On your knee. So. . . Finding a variation here where You can stay in stillness and pause. Allowing your upper body to soften and let go. Making sure there is no pain or discomfort. Especially in your right knee, In your lower back. In your left hamstring. And if you can't go too deep into the forward fold, Worry about that. That's not the point. Just go to a place where you can hold stillness. You should be feeling something. And your lower back on the right side As long as it's not pain. Just sit gentle. So a key. In your tissues, Allowing your muscles to soften and let go. Closing your eyes. And just breathing here. If at any point you notice that your body is opened up a little bit And you feel the need to move deeper into the pose. Or maybe back out a little bit. You can do that really slowly and mindfully. Making sure any movement you make. Is intentional. If you do make adjustments. Come back to stillness and come back to your breath. Notice if you're starting to cleanse your jaw. See if you can soften anything you're holding on to Breathing in deeply Maringo with your exhale. Deep breath in. Exhale to let go. And slowly start to walk your hands towards you coming out of the pose. Moving really slowly. Move your props aside. If you like you can bring your hand your right hand behind you Point the left toes. And just slowly lift your hips up. Good. You can reach your left arm overhead if that feels good. And when you're ready come back down We're going to switch sides so extend. The right leg long. Bring the left foot to the inside of the right thigh. And then you're gonna turn your torso towards your extended leg. So lifting your hip up, Pulling your right hip back. And then again, On this side, Decide what feels right. Maybe you bend your knee. And just fold forward over your thigh, Bringing your forehead to your knee. Maybe you can bring a pillow or bolster under your right knee. Just allowing your leg to rest softly on your problem. And then folding forward and bringing your forehead somewhere on your leg or on blocks maybe on your hands if you don't have blocks So again, Taking a few moments here. To find. Your half butterfly on this side. Allowing your right foot to be soft. Making sure there's no pain, Especially in your left knee, In your lower back, In your right hamstring. Making sure your head is heavy. And your neck and shoulders are comfortable. Soften your jaw, Soften your gaze, Soften forehead. And just breathe here. You may notice that your body feels different on the sides. Maybe. What is telling you to move a little bit deeper into your forward fold Maybe it's already too much and your body is asking you to move out a little bit. So listen to what your body is telling you. And make that adjustment. And then come back. Come back to stillness. Come back to your breath. When your mind wanders. Just be really kind to yourself. No judgment. Just gently bring your awareness back to your breath. Back to this moment. Take a deep breath in. Long breath in. . . One more like that, Deep inhale. Exhale to let go And slowly start to. . . Walk your hands up towards you. Coming up to our seats. Stay here or if you like bring your left hand behind you, Point the right toes. Lift your hips up, Reaching your right arm overhead. And then come back down you can bring your feet flat on the mat in front of you Let's rock your knees from side to side, Letting that go. And bring your feet towards you, Give yourself a hug, Bring your forehead to your knees if that feels good. And just thank your body. For everything it does for you holding you for healing you. And for all the poses on and off the mat. Now we're going to move to our back so Our next posture here. Let's start on our back with the knees bent. Just make sure your spine is straight. Really grounded, Comfortable, Make any movements you need to make sure your hips are grounded. Shoulders soft on the mat maybe turn your head from side to side Just getting settled back on the mat, Feeling the mat under you, Supporting you. You can hug your knees into your chest if that feels good, Maybe walking. Gently from side to side So our next posture is snail pose, Which. Yeah. May not be accessible to everyone. Give you different options. So if you want to move into Snail, You can use props, So make sure your props are closed. And having your hands by your side, You're just gonna start to rock your hips up. And just allowing your hands to hold your hips, You can bring your feet behind you. And just holding. Your hips and your hands. You can have your knees bent if that feels better, And just let your knees rest. Hang beside your ears. We can have your legs long, Bringing your toes to the mat behind you. So any variation here that feels good. If this does not feel good in your body. You can just bring a prop under your hips. And just lift your hips up. And grab the outer edges of your thighs. For your knees. We're not going to be here for too long, So taking any posture you need. So you can always keep your feet on the mat. You can come to an easy inversion, Just lifting your legs up. Good. Take any variation here that feels good for you. If you are in snail. Make sure you're not turning your head from side to side. Your neck, Your shoulders, And your head to be really comfortable. Breathing here if this is too much in your neck. Make sure you move out of the pose. And take a posture that feels right for you. Take a deep breath in exhale all the air out And then slowly start to come out of the pose. And wherever you are bring your feet flat on the mat. Your knees bend. Move your props aside. And just pause here with your feet flat on the mat. Allow your hands to rest gently on your body. And feel your hips and your shoulders and your spine, Ground. Feel heavy on the mat and feel supported. Take a deep breath in, Feel your body expand. Oh, Is that the time? And then exhale slowly, Let everything go. Empty, Empty, Empty all the air out. More like that, Deep inhale, Feel your body fill up with air. Hold it at the top. And then exhale slowly, Let everything go. Exhale all the air out. When you're ready, Start to re-rock your knees from side to side. You can hug your knees in if that feels better. And we're going to come to an easy inversion. So for this one, If you have a block or pillow or bolster you can bring. Your prop on your hips. Just make sure your prop isn't under your spine. So it's not pressing again your spine on your lower back make sure it's under and your head and you're just going to start to lift your legs up. You can have your knees bent, You can have your legs bent. Straight. If you have a wall and you want to come to legs up the wall, You can do that. Wherever you are, Make sure your head, Your shoulders, And your neck are really comfortable. Can have your hand. On your belly or by your side, Palms face up. You can come to cactus arms if that feels good. Just be here for a few minutes so make sure that you can stay and stillness. Your lower back and your shoulders. If you have your legs up the wall, You can have your legs wide or close together. Whatever feels good in your body. Soften your gaze, Soften your jaw. Soften your forehead. This posture is really good for blood circulation. Heart health. If you're. . . Pregnant or cycle. May not feel as comfortable so don't hold that press on, Don't hold them to the pose Taking deep, Long breaths. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Slowly if it feels good you can point and flex your toes. Maybe make circles with your ankles in one direction. And the other feels soft. Here my ankles pop. And bend one knee, Bring your foot down, Bend the other. And if you have a problem under your hips. Lift your hips up, Move your palms away. And again, Just gently rock. Your knees from side to side. Massaging your back. You can hug your knees. Anything you need here before we move into our supine twist. Getting ready for supine twist. Come to your back. And you can extend the right leg long on the mat. Hug the left knee in. Making movements if you need we're gonna stay in stillness for a few minutes So if you need to make movements between the poses just moving really slowly mindfully Taking anything that feels right When you're ready, Bring your right hand to the outside of your knee. You're going to cross the knee over to the right side and you can use your props. Um to and allow your leg to rest on something. So your knee is probably not going to reach. The mat, If it is, Great. If it's not, You can use blocks and pillows and blankets to bring the earth up to you. Wherever you are, Make sure your shoulders are grounded. So again, If your shoulders are lifted you can bring pillows under your shoulders. You can have your arms Extend it to either side you can have your arms reaching up if it feels good in your shoulders You can have your right hand resting on your left thigh. Left knee can be bent or you can extend your leg long if that feels better And then turn your head to whichever side feels good. So if it feels good you can turn your head to the left. Just come to a twist where you can breathe comfortably and stay in stillness. We're going to be here for 5 minutes. Long poem. You want to make sure that you're starting off really comfortable. And you can stay in stillness. Taking your time to make any adjustments that you need. And then soften your gaze or close your eyes. Soften your jaw. Allow your tongue to fall away. The roof of your mouth. And just breathe here. Noticing if as we come towards the end of our practice if you're starting to get distracted if your mind is wandering. You're feeling. A little bit more frustrated about holding stillness. You want to go back to. The state of doing. Away from. Is being here in the present moment. If and when. You notice that, You know that it's completely normal. Part of being human. Let's see if you can give yourself the permission. To feel that. But also be here. To guide yourself back to this practice. Knowing that that's why it's called a practice. Notice if there's anything you're holding on to. Let's see if you can let go with the next exhale. Take a deep breath in. Bye. One more deep inhale. Exhale, Let everything go. Slowly start to battle the pose. It's moving really slowly and mindfully. Coming back to a neutral spine on the mat, Hips grounded, Feet flat on the mat. And just pause here. When you're ready, Extend the left leg long. Hug the right knee in. And just again, Making any movements you need, Maybe making circles. In one direction and then the other. Shh. And then bringing your left hand to the outside of your knee. You're just going to guide your knee towards the right side. And grabbing any props or anything you need on the side to get comfortable in your twists. This side may feel different. Don't expect it to look the same. You can have your arms to a T. Allow your shoulders to round. Turn your head to the right if that feels good in your neck. And allow your gaze to soften. Continuing to bring your awareness back to your body. Deep breaths. In the long term. One more deep inhale. Exhale. And slowly start to relax. Come out of the pose. Moving really slowly. Bring your feet flat on the mat. Around your lower back. Keeping your hands on your belly. Deep breaths in. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. Now we're going to get ready for our final resting posture, Shavasana. If there's anything else your body needs. You can grab that. If you need to grab any props or layers. Anything that will help you. Really get comfortable here. So you can bring bolster under your knees. You can bring a pillow under your head. You can bring a blanket on top of you. Bye. Wherever you are, Just really feel grounded. Held by your mat. Allowing your feet to soften. Your legs. And your hips to be heavy. Your spine long on the mat. Shoulders grounded. Arms by your side, Palms face up. Fingers gently curled in. Soften your jaw, Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of your mouth. Soften the muscles of the face. Your eyelids allowing your eyes to gently close. Soften your forehead, The space between your eyebrows. Bring your awareness to the crown of your head. Feel a white light shining. From the top of your head. And moving down slowly, Covering your body. Coming down towards your third eye. As it moves down it softens everything. Your body. Moving down. Or to your throat. Softening your head and your face. You're next. Moving down your shoulders and your arms. Heart center, Your spine, Your torso, All the way down to your hips. Down your thighs, Your knees. Your shins and your calves. Ankles, Your feet. Your toes. Allowing everything to soften. Letting go of anything you're holding onto. Allow your body to rest here in this white light. Breathe naturally. And take in the effects of your practice. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more like that deep inhale full and complete exhale, Let it go. We start to. . . Bring some movement back to your body. Moving your fingers, Your toes, Your wrists and your ankles. Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side. When you're ready, Bend one knee and then the other. Rolling onto your right side in a fetal position. Using your bottom arm as a pillow. Needle pose, After corpse pose. Is a reminder that after every ending, There's a new beginning. Slowly start to. . . Bring yourself up to a comfortable seat. Sitting with your spine. Long. Your neck straight. Your chin parallel to the mat. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Bring your hands by your side, Inhale to reach your arms all the way up, Palms touch overhead. And as you exhale, Bring your hands to your heart. Bow your head to your hands. Thank yourself for coming to your mat today. For spending this time for yourself. For your practice. For your breath. Thumbs to your third eye, The space between your eyebrows. May your thoughts be kind. Thumbs to your lips. May your words be caring. And comes to your heart center. May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.