Grounded: Yin Yoga On The Belly

A 35 minute Yin practice done almost entirely on your belly. Everything happens on the floor, close to the ground, with holds lasting a few minutes each so you can settle in and let the shape do the work.
Prone Yin has a particular quality to it. There is nowhere to look, nothing to watch, just the weight of your body against the mat and your breath moving underneath you.
Suitable for all levels. Props are welcome if you have them, a bolster or pillow, a blanket, and a couple of blocks. Move slowly and never push into sharp pain.
Music: Healing Waves by Light_Music via Pixabay

Transcript

Knees as wide as the mat, Big toes together. On the mat and you can use props for this child's pose you want it to be really relaxing so if you have a pillow or bolster you can bring it in front of you and just bring your upper body on your bolster you can use block to you. Elevate your pillow or bolster so it's a little bit more comfortable. Wherever you are, Make sure your head is resting on something. So either on a pillow or a block or all the way down to the mat. Make sure your head is comfortable, Your neck is comfortable, Shoulders rolling down your back. So coming to a comfortable child's pose. To start. And make any movements or adjustments you need to get really comfortable here. So if your knees Don't feel right in this pose right now. You can maybe lift your hips up and bring a pillow under your hip. If your shoulders are uncomfortable, You can maybe walk your knees closer. And allow your arms to move back. So any adjustments you need here. To get really settled and comfortable in Child's Pose. And just coming to stillness. Allow your body to settle wherever you land. Letting gravity pull your body Reach the max. And as you breathe. Just notice how your body feels. So bringing your awareness to your body. Scanning from the crown of your head all the way down to your toes. Noticing if there's any part of your body that's maybe a little tight or sore. May need a little bit more love during practice. Just being mindful of that. If something I say doesn't feel right in your body. Please come out and take a resting pause here, That works for you. And then join me when you're ready. Also in yin. We're going to be holding postures for A few minutes. So if at any point you feel any sharp pain, Or something that doesn't feel right. Don't hold it in your body. Come out of pose. And make adjustments as needed. Take a deep breath in through your nose. And then open your mouth and slowly sigh it out. Let it go. Two more like that, Deep inhale through your nose. Exhale through the mouth. Let it all go. Last one, Deep breath in, Feel your body expand as you breathe in. And then open your mouth, Sigh it out, Let it go. Let your body melt onto the mat. So we've been in this child pose for a little bit and I just noticed that how it's starting to feel, Maybe it's. . . Mmm. Getting easier or maybe it's. . . Becoming too intense. So. . . We can take a moment. To make any adjustments. So maybe you go a little bit deeper into your child's pose. Or maybe you back out. If being in this position doesn't feel good, You can always do it again. Just set up in a kneeling position with your hands resting on your thighs or your lats. Yet. Taking deep, Long breaths. In and out of your nose if that feels good. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Let it go. One more like that, Deep inhale. And exhale. And get slowly start to walk your hands towards you come to a seat and bring your knees together come to Kneeling position so hero pose Just sitting here shen. We're not going to be here for long, So. . . Finding stillness. If this doesn't feel good in your knees, You can just come to a comfortable seat. And allow your hands to rest gently somewhere on your lap or on your leg. Shoulders soft down your back. Soften your gaze and close your eyes. And then just notice how your body feels after that first child's pose. Slowly start to walk your hands forward and we're going to come down to our belly. So however that feels good for you, Come down to your belly and stack your hands. And bring your forehead. Onto your hands. So, Um. . . Coming to crocodile pose. So this is a back bend. It's a very gentle back bend. And you can have your feet wider on the mat or closer together and just notice how that changes any sensations in your lower back. You want to make sure that your shoulders are comfortable and your head is resting, So allowing your forehead to rest on your hands. And just breathe here. Pausing here for a few moments if lying like this on your belly doesn't feel right, You can come to your back. And if any of the back bends we're doing on our belly doesn't feel right for you, You can come to your back and maybe take a supported fish. Or supported bridge. Or any of those postures. Good. Taking a few deep breaths. And crocodile, Just noticing how it feels in your body. And if you want. To go a little bit deeper into your backbend, You can move into sphinx pose. So bringing your elbows under your shoulders, Your forearms parallel, Your palms facing down, And you can bring a pillow or a bolster under your belly or just under your ribs to help hold you up. Yes. If this is too much, Just come back to crocodile with your hands stacked. Forehead on your hands. If you're in Sphinx pose, Make sure your shoulders are comfortable. So you're allowing your shoulders to soften. They want to creep up towards your ears. Just let them fall down your back and allow your head and your neck to stay neutral. Now, If holding up your head again for a long period of time doesn't feel good, You can use a block to just rest your forehead on. And if you're in swings and you want to maybe walk your feet wider on the mat or closer together, Just noticing how that feels in your lower back. We're just spending some time here to find a back bend. That we can feel comfortable in and hold for a few minutes. So either you're in crocodile or in sphinx pose. If being on your belly doesn't feel good, You can. . . Being supported fish or supported bridge on your back. Wherever you are, Make sure your lower back is really comfortable. So you don't want to feel any sharp pain or pulling. Any part of your body, Especially your lower back here. And then when you find a place where you think you're comfortable and your body feels okay, And just do a quick scan from your head all the way to your toes. Notice if there's any part of your body that you're holding on to that you can soften and let go of. Maybe it's your fingers, Maybe it's your jaw. Yep. Um it's your muscles and joints. Your ribs or your belly. Just letting go of anything that you can soften. And then coming to stillness. And just coming to your breath. You can soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just breathe. Noticing if any thoughts or emotions start to come up for you. And if they do, Just noticing what they are and allowing them to I do. Off the mat for a bit longer. As you bring your awareness back to your breath. So we've been here for a few minutes now and. . . Is. . . You want to go a little bit deeper and you notice that the pose is starting to feel easier. You can start to slowly make adjustments in your pose. So if you're in crocodile, You can maybe try to come to sphinx pose. If you're in Sphinx, Maybe you walk your feet closer. Or maybe you start to bend your knees, Bringing your big toes together. Notice how that changes. The sensations in the pose. And maybe if. . . You want a little bit more you can start to move into seal pose so starting to walk your hands wider, Maybe off the mat. Spreading your fingers wide. And just using your arms to hold you up. Into a deeper back bend, So coming into seal pose. Again, You can allow your head and shoulders. To stay neutral and soft. Forehead on blocks if that's more comfortable. And if you move into seal pose and realize that this is too much, You can go back. To where you were before. So taking a few moments to Find the position. Where you're comfortable again. So it's either moving deeper or maybe moving out of the pose a little bit. Depending on how you feel today. You Just recognizing that wherever you are is. . . Completely okay. And making adjustments without judgment. Out. Waiting for a call. Going to achieve a specific goal. Just listening to your body. Moving into what feels right. Finding stillness. Coming back to your life. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the way around. Let it go. One more deep inhale. And long exhale. Again, Slowly start to come out of the pose, Moving really slowly and mindfully. We've been in a backbend for a long time, So just being really mindful of how you move. And then coming back to crocodile. Bringing your forehead down on your hands or on the mat. Then bend your knees and slowly start to windshield wiper. Your knees from side or your feet from side to side. Or maybe just rocking your hips from side to side, Letting any tension move out of your your body. And from here we're going to move into half frog so you're going to bend the right knee and just bring your knee on the mat to the level of your hips. Or a little bit lower than your right hip. And you're on the inner edge of your right foot, If that feels good, And you can stack your hands and bring your forehead down or the left side of your head. And this should feel really good in your lower back, Especially after the backbend that we did. This should feel really comfortable so if doesn't feel right, You can adjust your knee a little bit, Move it up or down to find a place where it feels really good. You can always bring a pillow or a bolster under your head. If that feels better, You can. And stay up on your elbows. That feels better. So again, Taking a few moments to find a position where you can settle and come to stillness. Coming to half frog on the right side. Making adjustments and movements to get comfortable, Finding your edge. And then backing out just a little bit. And then coming to stillness, Softening your jaw, The muscles of your face, Soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just breathe here. Notice where you feel this pose. And see if you can visualize your back moving. All the way down to your lower back, To your hips. And then as you exhale see if you can soften and let go of any tension in those areas breathing deeply And just noticing if thoughts or feelings start to come up. And when they do, Just gently setting them aside and coming back to your breath. Good, Now slowly start to breathe. Come out of the pose bringing your right leg back And extend your right arm towards the right side. Start to bend the left knee. And you're just going to slowly roll onto your right shoulder. So just bringing your left foot behind the right if that feels good. Um. . . And again, This should feel really good in. . . Your right shoulder making sure there is no pain. Just noticing how this feels you can use your left hand in front of you to help hold you up Trying to open up your heart towards me. The left side. We're not going to be here for too long. So just a few breaths. And then slowly coming back to your belly. Now we're going to move into half frog on the second side. So starting to bend the left knee on the mat, Just bring your knee up to the level of your hip. And you're on the inner edge of your left foot. And then adjust your. . . Head, Whichever direction feels good. So you can stack your hands, Bring your forehead down. Or the right side of your head, Your temple on your hands. And again, Just making adjustments, Making sure this feels really good in your lower back. There should be no pulling or sharp pain here. And then coming to stillness. And coming back to your breath. Notice if you're clenching your jaw. Of frowning and see if you can solve in that. When you notice that your mind has wandered. Just kindly bring it back to your breath. And slowly start to come out of the pose, Come back to center. Bring your forehead down for a breath. And then extend the left arm to the left, Just to the level of your shoulder, Your palm faces down, Bend the right knee. And you're just going to roll on to your left shoulder and just being really mindful of how this feels on the side. Using your right hand in front of you to help hold you up Breathing deeply. And slowly start to come back to center and then And we're going to roll onto our back, So just slowly coming to your back. And bend your knees, Bring your feet flat on the mat, And then lift your hips up and just tilt them forward a little bit so you can ground your lower back here. And this should feel really good having your spine. Really rest on the mat. Feeling your hips and your shoulders heavy. You can always bring your feet mat distance apart, Allow your knees to fall inwards. And bring your hands to rest gently somewhere on your body. And we're going to take three deep, Long belly breaths. So breathing as deep as it feels comfortable for you. Inhaling to fill your belly up, Feel your hands rise. As your body fills up with air. And then slowly exhaling through the nose or the mouth. Let it all go empty, Empty, Empty, All the air out. Two more like that and with every breath see if you can sip in just a little bit more air Every exhale, See if you can empty all the air out and then a little bit more. Take a deep breath in. And then exhale. Let it go. Good. We're going to move into our final posture, Our resting posture, Shavasana. So if you need anything else here, You can take that. Maybe you want to hug your knees into your chest. Maybe you want to come into happy baby pose. Whatever feels good in your body. And then when you're ready. Grabbing props or layers, Anything you need to get comfortable in Shavasana. So you can bring a bolster under your knees. Or maybe a bolster under your spine. Allowing your shoulders to roll under a little bit. Feeling your hips and your shoulders heavy on the mat. Letting your arms rest by your side, Palms facing up, Fingers gently curled in. Soften your jaw, Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of the mouth. Soften the muscles of the face and your eyelids. Letting your eyes to gently close. And then scanning from the crown of your head all the way down to your fingers and your toes. And see if there's any part of your body that you can soften and let go of just a little bit more. Get comfortable here Allow your body to rest and breathe naturally and take in the effects of your practice. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more just like that, Deep inhale. Full and complete exhale, Let it go. Slowly start to bring some movement back to your body. Moving your fingers, Your toes, Your wrists and your ankles. Maybe gently moving your head from side to side. When you're ready, Make your way to a comfortable seat. Finding a seat with your spine tall, Your neck straight, Chin parallel to the mat. Soften your shoulders, Down your back. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Bring your hands by your side, Inhale, Reach all the way up, Palms touch overhead. And exhale to bring your hands to your heart. Bow your head to your hands. And thank yourself for coming to your mat today, For spending this time for yourself, For your practice. Thumbs to your third eye, The space between your eyebrows. May your thoughts be kind. Thumbs to your lips. May your words be caring. Thumbs to your heart center. May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.