Hi Yogi,
I'm Nicole.
Thanks for joining me today.
I have a soothing gentle class for you.
This one is really ideal for the end of the day to help undo tension in the shoulders,
The hips and the back.
But of course you can practice it at any time of the day.
I do have two blocks for this practice.
If you don't have the two blocks,
You've only got the one.
You can improvise with a rolled up towel.
If you don't have any,
A rolled up towel and a thick book.
When you're ready,
Come on down to your back.
From here let's let the right knee fall out to the side so it's coming into butterfly.
And then wiggle the right foot over to the left so that it's in between the left heel and buttock.
If your right hip or knee needs support,
You can always position the block underneath.
You can reach your right foot with your left hand take a hold if you can't reach it doesn't either resting here or lifting up that left leg as well.
So you might have both hands on the left knee or left hand to right foot,
Right hand to left knee.
Let's rest here for just a few breaths.
Begin to inhale a little deeper.
Breathing into the lower body.
At the top of the inhalation,
Pause.
Just for a moment or two.
Before you exhale slowly.
Simply observe the body expand and contract.
With the ebb and flow of the breath.
Let's lower the left foot down if it's lifted.
Raise the right leg now straight up to the ceiling.
Cactus arms and we'll take reclined pigeon with no hands.
So right ankle to the left knee.
Lift the left foot up.
And you might like to rock from side to side or you can hold it still.
Let's lower left foot to the floor,
Hamstring stretch,
Interlace the hands around the right leg,
Maybe the hamstrings or the calf.
Feel free to point and flex the foot with the breath.
And let's change sides.
Butterfly the left leg,
Move the foot across,
Maybe you can reach those toes.
Option to hold the right knee as well.
Let's be the quiet observer in this practice.
Observe those thoughts simply come and go.
Returning your awareness to the breath.
Whenever you get caught up in a scenario.
There's nowhere to be but with the urban flow of your breath.
Reclined pigeon,
Cactus arms,
Left ankle to the right knee.
Hamstring stretch.
And let's release.
Coming up to seated now,
You can roll to your side and press up,
Or you might like to rock and roll forwards and backwards.
Eventually bringing.
Yourself up.
Coming over onto all four.
We'll take a brief puppy pose,
So keeping the bottom up nice and high.
Reach the arms out in front.
We'll keep the palms and the elbows lifted,
So just the fingertips on the floor.
And gently.
.
.
Squeeze those shoulder blades up towards your hips.
And let's see.
Walk the hands back,
Coming into a child's pose,
Resting the hands next to the feet,
Palms to face the ceiling.
See if you can puff out your back with your breath.
And gently coming up to tabletop now.
Let's have the hands as wide as the mat.
Tuck your toes under.
We'll inhale into a little back bend.
Exhale and round the spine.
Practice that once more this time as you round the spine lift those hips up downward facing job.
Let's inhale the right leg up.
Look forward and step through,
Find a lunge.
Low lunge,
Left knee to the mat.
Bring the arms up.
A little tone in the left buttock.
You sense as though you're bringing that knee forward.
From here we'll bring the hands down.
Lift up the back knee.
So we're going to transition into a seated position.
If your knees and hips permit,
Bring this left knee behind and to the outside of the right heel.
As you come to seated.
Otherwise,
Just bring yourself to seated and find your way into this position.
Option one,
If you need to lighten the pose,
Keep your left leg straight,
Otherwise the knee is bending.
Let's take a twist,
Turning to your right.
Either hold the knee or wrap the arm around the thigh.
Let's inhale and sit tall,
Press down and away through the right palm.
And as you exhale,
Simply return the head to the front so the spine will stay twisted,
It's just the head moving.
As you inhale head turns to the right.
Feel the breath descend and the navel expand.
As you exhale head returns to the front,
Draw the navel in towards the spine.
Cleansing breath.
This time as you exhale,
Return to front.
So option if it's available for you,
Simply stack the right knee on top of the left.
You can always sit yourself up on the block if the hips are tight.
If this isn't an option for you,
Simply cross the legs,
Right leg in front of the left.
So finding the variation that your body says yes to.
We'll take a little side bend here over to the right.
Let's cradle the head with the left hand.
Inhale to look up.
And exhale to point the elbow down.
Well done,
Yogi.
Next time you lift the elbow,
We'll hold it there in our side bend.
Coming all the way up.
Folding forward.
Allow the spine to round.
Follow the next inhalation out of the pose.
And then lean back just so you can straighten your left leg or keep the right leg crossed.
Taking an open twist now,
Sitting on your left leg only,
Right buttock is off the mat,
And I'm pressing my arm into the inner knee.
Deepen the breath to deepen the pose.
Let's return to the front And let's return to tabletop position.
Tucking the toes under,
Inhale,
A little back bend.
Exhale around the spine,
Downward facing dog.
Left leg lips.
Step forward and lunge.
Low lunge.
Bring the hands down,
And if you can,
Place the right knee behind and to the outside of the left ankle.
Taking out twists.
Inhale,
Let the breath descend.
Exhale,
Bring the gaze back to the front,
Draw the navel in towards the spine.
Last one.
Exhaling back to the front if you can stack the left knee on top of the right.
Or crossing the legs if you need to.
Let's take our side bend,
Cradling the head.
In how to look up.
Exhale,
Round the elbow down.
Coming into your side,
Ben.
Coming all the way up and folding forward.
Pull your next inhalation out of the pose and lean back.
You straighten the right leg underneath you,
Coming into that open twist.
Let's return to the front.
Well done,
Yogis.
Recruiting our blocks now.
We're going to take a reclined fish pose.
So I'm taking the block under the head higher.
And the one under the shoulders on the flat side.
When you're ready.
Bring yourself down and line up that bottom block or your towel if you're using the towel with the bottom of your shoulder blades.
And then either the book underneath your head.
So let's take the first few breaths here with the knees bent.
We'll inhale,
The arms are out to the side.
And as you exhale,
Cross the right arm on top of the left.
Either take the hands to the shoulders or take eagle arms.
Squeeze the elbows together and take a little sit-up.
Tuck in the chin,
Come halfway up.
Then return to the blocks.
Unravel the arms as you inhale.
And exhale of a song.
Elbow squeezing.
And unraveling the arms as you inhale.
We'll do one more on each side.
And unraveling the arms for the last time.
If it feels okay for your back,
Straighten and relax the legs.
If you'd like to go a little deeper turn the block under the head a little lower.
Or you can remove it altogether.
If you have removed the prop from underneath the head,
Let's just bring it back now.
You can bend the knees as you remove the prop from underneath your shoulders.
So we're coming to rest.
The base of the skull lined up with the edge of the block.
Now we'll just slowly allow the head to fall to one side.
With your next inhalation,
Bring the head back to center.
Exhaling to the other side.
Feeling the meeting points between the back of the head and the pro.
If you would like to take a few more repetitions.
Feel free to do so.
Otherwise removing the prop when you're ready.
And coming down into Shavasana.
Allowing the shoulders to tuck under.
Closing the eyes down.
And softening the forehead.
The tongue and jewels.
Leave no traces with your thoughts.
Just as birds leave no tracks in the sky.
Let your thoughts float off into the distance.
Without a train.
And just be.
Inhaling a little deeper now.
Becoming aware of the layers of sound meeting the ear.
Swallowing if the mouth is dry.
Wiggling those toes and fingers.
Following any urges to move or stretch.
Rolling to your preferred side when you're ready.
Eventually making your way up to Seton.
Thank you,
Yogi,
For practicing with me today.
I hope you enjoyed that gentle flow and you were able to.
Rid the body of tension and create more space.
Wishing you a lovely day.
