Slow, Gentle Yoga For The Whole Body

In this slow, gentle practice, we’ll take our time intentionally preparing the whole body, with a little extra emphasis on the shoulders. Along the way, we’ll create space through the shoulders, hands, hamstrings, calves and feet, build gentle strength through the core, and stay deeply connected to the breath. More than anything, this practice is an invitation to remember that you can do hard things gently — with patience, purpose, support, and a willingness to meet yourself exactly where you are.

Transcript

Hello and welcome. My name is Paige Lee. I'm based in Nashville, Tennessee, And I am so glad to have you here. Today, We're going to be moving through a very gentle, Intentional practice, And we will be focusing on the shoulders. We'll hit a little bit of every part of the body, But with extra emphasis on taking care of these really, Really wonderful joints called our shoulders. Find a block, Have that handy, And perhaps a strap. If you don't have a strap, Then perhaps. . . A scarf or something similar. I love using scarves. I feel like they carry some really good energy and some great memories too. So have both of those handy, Perhaps a bolster too. That might feel nice, Some pillows work as well if you don't have a bolster. And then we'll get started on our back tonight. Alrighty. So before we do anything, Let's just simply settle. Noticing the areas where our body is meeting the earth and taking any micro adjustments here just to create a little more comfort. With more comfort, We can truly arrive. So I'd love to empower you too. Find that place for yourself. The place that feels. . . Really supportive and relaxing. It feels easy to soften into. If it feels tight on the low back for the legs to be extended long down the mat, Perhaps take a bend in the knees and bring the feet to the mat. That might feel a lot better. So meet yourself where you are right now and then continue to settle, Settle, Settle with every out breath. Let's begin to draw some attention towards those inhalations. The big inhales through the nose to notice and expand. The ribs and the lungs and noticing where the inhales where that fresh breath reaches. We don't need to lengthen or fix or change it just yet, Simply observing. Noticing the sensation, The area in which the breath takes place, Where it finds space in the inner body. Amen. As the breath empties completely. Notice the experience that takes place in your body. Where do you feel it? What does it feel like? And then following the steady ebb and flow, The breath flowing in, Noticing where it reaches, And the breath flowing out, And noticing where it reaches. Take a few more rounds just like this simply to settle and observe. Listen and soften. To inhale and release. As I mentioned, We're going to be going on a bit of a journey today. Deep into the shoulders and giving them a little bit of love. And in my gentle classes, I love to stir. Effortless. And then we continue to build that way where we're going, We are prepared. So from here, Begin to float the left palm all the way up to hover above the torso here. That will be your inhale. Your exhale floats the palm all the way back down. Inhale lifts and then imagine the fingertips as a paintbrush here. And as you exhale, Begin to lower the palm all the way back down to the mat. Let's take one more just like that. Inhale, Lift. To hover. Then exhale. Float the palm down. Full range of motion here. Inhale all the way up and then up overhead with our reach getting deeper into the shoulders, The armpit here. And then exhale slowly lowering the left palm all the way back down to the outside of the hip. Let's take a couple more just like that. Inhale all the way up. Matching your breath to your movement. And then exhale, Lowering slowly. Moving through honey nice and slow. One more. Beautiful. On your next inhale let's float the palm all the way over the torso here and then let's take some time finding some rotations of the arm. So you can curl the fingertips down just a little bit as if we are rotating a button or a dial or opening a jar. And so as we rotate the palms inward until we find that edge to where it stops, Then begin to rotate the palm all the way outwards. So the palm technically is staying exactly where it is. The rotation is taking place in the arm, In the shoulder joint. Let's take a couple more rounds just like this. Come back to the breath if you've lost it. Big inhales to fill, Fill, Fill the chest, Even down to the belly here. And then exhale as you empty slowly and completely. With your next external rotation and the fingers are pointing away from you, We'll reach up with the right palm to grab a hold of the pinky finger. We'll take a big breath in here to prepare, And then as you exhale, Pull the pinky back towards you as you spread through the palm of the hand, Reaching the heel away. Your next inhale grabs a hold of the ring finger. Exhale, Pull it back towards you as you reach through the palm of the hand. Inhale, The middle finger. Exhale, Pull it back towards you as you spread through all of the bones and tissues of the hand. Inhale grabs ahold of the right, The first finger here, And the exhale pulls it all the way back towards you, Spreading as far as you can, Creating space from thumb to pinky. Release for the thumb back of the hand comes to back of the hand reach up grab a hold of the thumb here and then pull it out and then as you exhale pull it back towards you as you reach and spread through the palm of the left hand. Release. You can take a couple wrist rotations here. That might feel really nice. We'll take all of that to the other side. So palms down by our sides. Simply checking in here. We've just done a fair amount of work from the fingertips all the way up to the left shoulder here, Even to the side bodies a little bit. So, Let's even out. Your inhale hovers the right palm up over the body. Shoulder squeezes down and away and then your exhale floats the palm all the way back down. Inhale lifts to hover. Exhale, Lowers nice and slow. And how lives. Then exhale, Let's go. Finding the paintbrush hands here. Adding full range, Inhale all the way up overhead, Nice and slow, Beginning to find some elongation in the side bodies and the rest of the arm. Then as you exhale, Begin to float the palm very slowly and purposefully all the way back down towards the mat. Another big breath in to fill, Fill, Fill, And reach as you lift. And then exhale, Begin to float the palm all the way back down. On your next inhale, We'll lift the palm all the way upright. We'll rotate so the palm opens towards the ceiling. We might find a small bend in the fingertips here. And from here, Let's take those internal and external rotations as if we're opening a jar. Or turning a knob or a dial. So a few more just like this and notice if the breath has escaped you. Begin to layer on the breath once you've found your movement. And then next time that the palm is externally rotated and the fingertips are pointing away from you, We'll reach up with the left hand to grab a hold of the pinky finger. We'll take a big breath in here and as you exhale, Pull the pinky back towards you as you spread and reach through the palm of the hand. Big stretch here. Inhale, Grab a hold of the ring finger. Exhale, Pull the finger back towards you as you spread through the palm. Inhale grabs the middle. Exhale, Pull it back and spread through all the tissues of the hand. Inhale grabs the first finger. And as you exhale, Pull it all the way back, Spreading, Spreading through the bones of the hand. Inhale back of the hand to back of the hand reach up grab a hold of the thumb take your inhale to pull out and then exhale all the way back towards you as you spread spread spread through all five of those fingertips creating as much space as stretching through the webbing. And release. We'll take a couple wrist rotations here. And then from here, If you have your strap or a scarf or. . . Something similar. Grab a hold of this and we're going to add a little bit more tension to the shoulders. We'll do some more shoulder work here. Alright, So as we've got a really nice grip on our strap, We're going to begin to rotate open so that our the backs of our palms of our hands will come back down up above us meeting the floor behind us. And then we'll lift the arms and bring them all the way back to the outsides of the hips. So the grip on the strap is wider than the hips. Just a little bit. But you may need to adjust the distance in which your hands are on the strap to find the length that feels really good. So either scooting the hands away. Or even closer to you. I want this to feel really secure. I want you to. Use the hands and pull away from one another, So creating some tautness in the straps. We're using the strap to help us stabilize and finding a really nice shoulder position while also we build on some length. Let's take one more just like this. And when you're complete, Let's. . . Draw the right knee in towards the chest. While we're here, I love to use the strap to get into the lower body a bit here very intentionally. As I mentioned, We will be heavily emphasizing the shoulders. But it's always lovely to give the rest of the body. A little bit of love. So with the right knee in towards the chest, Notice that the shoulders have come off to create this connection. If reaching for the front of the leg doesn't feel available to you, There is no harm. I fully support grabbing a hold of the back of the thigh. So whatever connection is going to feel really nice for you, That doesn't come at the expense of your shoulders. I don't want your shoulders rounding forward and reaching and gripping and tightening. I want them to stay anchored into the mat while also establishing connection with this right leg. One more full round of breath here, Deep down into the belly. Expanding, Ballooning, Creating a lot of space right here. You might even feel the belly expand into a portion of the thigh. Feel into that sensation. And then with the exhale, You feel the belly perhaps pull away from the thigh as you empty the breath. Completely. From here, Reach up and lasso this right foot. The ball of the foot is just fine as far as placement goes. And then let's begin to take some pumping action with the knee. So drawing the knee in towards the chest and then reaching up through the heel. So your inhale is going to find the length, The reach, And then your exhale will come in as you draw the knee in towards the chest. Prepare breath to movement here, We'll take a couple more. The next time you are extended, We'll pause. Let's move into some extension of the foot here. So reaching through the ball of the foot and the toes, Pointing and flexing now back towards the face. So some nice isolated movement right here in the right ankle. So take a couple. Nice and slow, There is. There's no rush. We are right here. We are right here together. Slow and steady. Nice and easy. And then from here, Take a really nice bend in this knee and then begin to draw the foot back over towards the face. So getting deeper into the hamstrings here. Again, This is still just warm up. You don't need to go super deep. Hard or fast. Might take some little pumps. Pulling it back. And easing off. Pulling it back. And easing off. Wonderful. Last one. And then from here, Take some gentle rocks from side to side. Left to right very small, Very subtle. Slowly waking up the hip joint here. And when you're complete with that, Let's draw the right knee in towards the chest. We'll unlasso the right foot, Extend it long down the mat. Let's take a pause for just a moment. To check in. We've got some really nice blood flow and energy beginning to pulsate in the right leg. So just simply notice leaning into those sensations. Extending awareness, Love, And gratitude. And then. We'll begin to send our attention to the other side. So drawing the left knee in towards the chest, Giving it a really sweet squeeze here. I'm seeing how this side might differ. And letting all of it be OK. Reconnect to the belly breath here if you've lost it. Big inhales to inflate and fill and balloon the belly. Deep breath in, Deep breath out. To empty. Let go and release the belly. From here, Reach up and lasso the left foot with your strap. And then begin to send the sole of the foot up towards the sky. Pause for just a moment here before we move into our pumping action. So drawing the left knee in towards the chest, That's your exhale. And then your inhale finds the extension, The length through the left leg. The exhale draws and pulls. And how all the way back up. Two more. Reconnect to those really, Really long, Slow, Big breaths. When you're complete with that, We'll move into our pointing and flexing of the foot. So with the inhale, You'll extend through the ball of the foot, Reaching through the toes. So it's a nice stretch through the top of the foot here. And then as you exhale, Draw the toes back towards you as you reach through the heel. We've got a nice isolation taking place. In the ankle joint and in the toe joints here. Very intricate, Very subtle, Very profound. There's a lot to marvel at this experience. There's a lot to feel and notice and observe. Reconnect to the breath if you've lost it. Long slow inhales. With nice deep exhales. Then from here, Take a nice bend in the knee. As you shift the foot back towards you. So getting into the back of the leg here. Take a big breath in. Big breath out. Soften the shoulders down and away. Re-anchor into the earth. Maybe you come out for just a moment and then you come right back in. Come on out. And right back in. From here, Returning back to a neutral extension of the leg, We're going to take those low rocks. So we anchor through the shoulders, The spine, Anchor through the back of the pelvis into the mat, And then gently switch the leg from side to side here. We are by no means not going all the way to the floor. This is still a warm up. Simply saying hello to the hips. Hello to the hamstrings. And when you are complete with that, We'll take a big bend in that knee. We'll remove the strap from the foot, Draw both knees in towards the chest. Wonderful. Then from here, Soles of the feet come to the mat. Curl over to our favorite side. For me, I'm on my right. And then we'll lift ourselves back up to center. Moving into actually a tabletop position. So. . . If you need to pad beneath your knees, Then I do highly recommend that. The more we can take care of our joints, The longer our joints are going to take care of us, And they are so, So, So important. So, If you have a blanket, Please feel free to put that down. I am all for comfort, Comfort on and off the mat, And this is one way to do it. Practice that. I have a couple of mats down and a rug so I feel really secure here. From here, Let's take some traditional cat cow simply to create some more movement in the spine. So with a big breath in, Drop the belly, Lift the gaze. So really broadening through the front body here. In through the collarbones. Then as you exhale, Round through the back body as you push the mat away, Curling the chin towards the chest. Your inhale to drop the belly, Lift the gaze, Finding a really nice tilt in the tailbone, Reaching up. And as you exhale, Round through, Press the mat away. In the chest. Wonderful, Take two or three more rounds at your own pace, Nice and slow here. There's no rush. From a neutral position, Extend the left foot long behind you, Planting the toes to the mat. So already we've got a nice stretch taking place in the sole of the foot, Getting into the Achilles and to the calf here. So shifting the weight back is going to bring sensation to the calf. And if you rock the weight forward, Pressing through the toes, You'll get deeper into the tissues of the foot. So back. And then forward. Back. And then forward. Once more. Reconnecting to your breath, Notice where it's gone, Invite it back with love. And then from a neutral tabletop position from here, Let's go ahead and lift up. We'll float the back. Foot notice that the left hip is wanting to be higher than the right let's take an adjustment to lower that and find a neutral pelvis here from here begin to extend through the right arm so building a little sneaky core here some nice stability some balance The arm frames the ear, Bicep right next to the ear, But the shoulder blades down and away. Notice if this right shoulder is wanting to be higher than the left, How can we bring that back down so that it aligns with the left? Again, Re-check in on the left hip, Lowering it back down so that it aligns with the right. One stable arm. Foundation. On our back. Take another big breath in here. Let it go. If everything comes back down to the mat, We'll take it to the other side. So extending the right foot long behind us, Planting the toes, Take a big breath in here. Then as you exhale, Shift the weight back as we find a really nice opening in the calf, The Achilles, And the sole of the foot here. Reaching forward, Broadening through the sole of the foot, Opening up the toes. And shifting back. And then from here, Float the right foot back behind you. Checking in, Making sure the right hip is in line with the left. Now reaching forward, Lifting through the palms, Stretching through the arm, Noticing if the left shoulder has become taller than the right, Lower that back down to find a sense of levelness. Take a big breath in. Exhale, Release. Another big breath in. Exhale, Lower everything all the way back down to the mat. From here, Moving into some palm work. I want to bring the shoulders directly over the hands just like they are in tabletop position. And then from here, Lift the palms, Press through all 10 of the fingertips. Set the palm down and now lift the fingertips. Great, Fingertips back down, Lift through the palms. Palms down, Lift through the fingertips. Let's do a couple more just like that. As we work to find differentiation, In our weight distribution. It's going to come really handy for where we are going. Couple more just like that. Not often we give our hands very much attention but most especially this kind of attention. All right, Releasing that, Moving back into our neutral tabletop. From here, Rotating the fingers so that they are pointing out away from you. And then shifting the weight to the left. And then to the right. Another beautiful opportunity to love on the wrists here. Reconnect to your breath if you've lost it. Come on back. Long, Full, Slow inhales. Just nice and deep, Slow exhales. Easy does it. Alrighty, Fingertips rotate back forward from here. We're going to come down to our forearms. And we are going to find the correct distance. Of Our arms. By grabbing the opposite biceps. So if I started way out here and I went to reach for my biceps, I would need to scoot my arms a little bit closer together to find your unique distance. From here, You keep the elbows exactly where they are and just simply rotate the forearms. So this is where we're going. So find your distance. And then from here, Press through all 10 of those fingertips, Just like we did. Press through the palms, Just like we've done in our previous exercises. From here, We're moving into some cat cows in this position. So, Inhales, Drop the belly, Lifts the gaze here, Find a really nice expansion through the heart space. Exhale, Round through the back body, Pull the belly button up towards the spine, Chin comes to the chest. Inhale, Drop the belly, Lift the gaze. Exhale, Round through. Inhale, Drop the belly. Take two more. At your own pace. Really articulating the spine, Warming up through the core, Feeling really stable through the shoulders, Squeezing the shoulder blades together. Wrapping them towards the spine. And when you're complete with that, Let's lift back up to the palms and then moving into a puppy pose. So the hands will come out towards like a downward dog situation. And then from here with our hips staying high, We're going to reach the hips back towards the heels but staying lifted. This is not a child's pose where our hips come all the way to our heels. This is a puppy pose and the goal is to get deep into the chest, The heart space here as we elongate through the underarms, The armpits, Side bodies. So. . . Once you have found the shape that feels just right for you today. Settle in. And then reconnect to the breath. Big inhales, I love to send it to my low back in this shape. Allow the breath to wash over the areas we're feeling the sensation. And then as you exhale, Soften. And melt just a little bit deeper. Letting go through the neck. Forehead can come to match. With your next inhale, Very gently begin to lift yourself back up to center. From here, If you have a block. Maybe reach for it. You don't necessarily need it. But from here, I love to use the block. We're moving into thread the needle. I love to put my hand on a block here because I like to create more space, As much space as I possibly can so that I can find even more range of motion with the upper body. So where we're going with the thread the needle, Inhale to lift up through the right fingertips, Broadening through the heart space. And as you exhale, We are not landing, We are simply flowing. So we'll pause. At the bottom of the exhale. Then your inhale will bring you all the way back up, Finding some more expansion here. Exhale takes you down. We'll do one more just like that. Inhale all the way up. And then exhale. Take the breath of needle and here we will pause. I like to bring the right ear to the mat. You might keep the hand on the block, But just scoot it out a little bit or scoot it forward, Whatever is going to feel best. I like to put my palm on the block and then reach the elbow all the way up. And then I press into the palm to create even more leverage to find a deeper twist, Getting deeper into the back side of the body. Of the ribs here is where I feel the stretch. Not only in the shoulder area. But it begins to travel down the length of the back. Stay for one more full round of breath. Fabulous. On the inhale, Begin to lift yourself back up to center. You can reach the palm up towards the sky and then float it all the way back down. And we'll take it to the other side. So let's go ahead and set up the block if you were using it. And then from here. Finding as much space. To lift and lengthen through the left fingertips. And then as you exhale, We'll float all the way down, Beginning to open up through the back of the left shoulder. Inhale all the way up a couple more times, Just like that. Exhale as you lower down. One more, Inhale all the way up. And then exhale. Will stay. Get settled in here. Soften anything that we are not using. So maybe you're noticing you're flexing or curling through the feet or the toes. How can we find a sense of release to that part of the body? Maybe the hand plants very purposefully either on the mat or on the block. The elbow can reach straight up if that feels good. And then once you've arrived to the place that feels really, Really delightful for you today, Then reconnect to the breath. Layer on those big inhales through the nose, Expanding the ribs and the belly. And as you exhale, Empty the belly, Empty the ribs out through the nose. One more full round of breath right here. Beautiful. With the next inhale. Let's reach those fingertips all the way back up. Towards the ceiling. And then lower back down. To our tabletop position. Fabulous. Okay. From here. I'm just rotating back to the front of my mat. There's no need for you to rotate, But we are going to come down to our belly. Into a sphinx pose. So the elbows will be directly beneath the shoulders here. And I want you to press firmly through the tops of the feet. There are hips-width distance back there, So take a peek back there if you need to, Just to check in. But we're also pressing very firmly through the pubic bone. And as we do that, You might notice that a very small, Subtle lift already begins to take place. Just by re-anchoring into those two areas of the body, The tops of the feet and the pubic bone. And with this natural lift that's beginning to take place, Already there's natural expansion beginning to occur in the collarbones. And from here, We're simply just layering on. So big breath in to find some length and expansion through the neck, The crown of the head. And then as you exhale, Re-anchor, Get heavy, Settle more firmly into those points where the body meets the mat. Big breath in to fill, Broaden, Telescope the ribs. And as you exhale, Ground through. The anchor points. And soften. Seems like such a simple pose but there is so much power here. Let's take one more full round of breaths. From here, Moving into a bit of a covert core exercise. Begin to draw. The low back in, Moving into like a little curl here, Almost as if we're moving into a cat back, And then we'll lower the pelvis back down. As we lift the gaze. So pressing down through the mat, Broadening through the back body, Lifting the pelvis up. And your curl might just be an inch or two off the mat, And that is just perfect. This does not have to be big and dramatic and exaggeratory. This can be really slow. Incredibly meaningful, And very gentle. Let's take one more. Warming up the core is so, So, So important. It is part of our posture and our structure. It keeps our low back stable and steady. It's responsible for our breathing. It holds all of our organs. The list goes on. From here. Let's begin to slide all the way back, Moving into a child's pose. Hips come back to heels. The knees are wide if that feels good. If the low back is feeling a little achy today, Knees can come together. Hips sink back towards the heels, Arms extend long, Forehead comes down to the mat. So it'll explain where we're going next. And as we settle. . . And just be here for a moment. So reconnecting to the breath. Really purposeful inhales. Really satisfying exhales. Continue with a few rounds just like that as I explain where we are headed. So he's very intentionally warmed up. The palms, The fingers, The wrists, The forearms, The shoulders. We've gotten into the heart space, The back body, The spine. And some hips and hamstring work. Down into the calves, The Achilles, And the feet. All of that is going to be used in our next pose. This next pose is. . . Sometimes considered a challenging pose. It is a challenging pose. It is hard. But the whole point of this practice is I want to teach you that you can do hard things in very gentle, Very easy and thoughtful ways. You are so capable of that. I love to use this as a metaphor for the challenge we experience in our everyday life. And how when something is challenging, It doesn't have to be easy. That challenging. We can lower the bar. And make it easier and easier and easier and break it down step by step by step so that we feel more prepared when we arrive. 2. The challenge. Take one final round of breath here. Let it go. Fabulous. Your next inhale will lift you back up to a tabletop position. And where we're going next is dolphin. Dolphin is. Not typically a pose that is done in a gentle yoga practice. But as I mentioned, I want to teach you that you can do more challenging things in very, Very gentle, Purposeful ways. So just like we did previously, You're going to locate your correct forearm distance here. By grabbing a hold of opposite biceps. Re-extending the arms if this doesn't feel good for you on your hands, On your wrists, Etc. Then you have another option to clasp the hands into the mat. This might feel more stable for you and your body. So find whatever version shape of the hands that are going to feel really good for you. I love to keep my palms on the ground because we have built a lot of incredible awareness around each of the finger pads here. And if this is the direction in which you're going. Press the pinkies into the mat. The fourth finger into the mat, The middle finger into the mat, First finger into the mat, Followed by the thumb into the mat, And then glue the palm down into the mat. So you have lots of stability grip taking place in the arms here. And you have really nice stability taking place in the forearms up into the elbow, All the areas where the body is contacting the mat. And then find that subtle external rotation where we're turning the dial but you're turning the dials with both palms externally, Outward, Away from one another. From here, The toes will tuck and rather than extending through the legs, Think about lifting the pelvis up. The pelvis comes up. Rather than dumping into the shoulders, Slide the shoulders down and back and then begin to press through the palms, The fingers, The forearms as you shift and reach the heart space back towards the thighs. So really broadening and expanding through the ribs here with every inhale. And then with every exhale, Maybe you reach the heels down towards the mat a little bit further, Pressing through the forearms as you reach the heart towards the thighs. Soften through the neck here. Release through the jaw. Let's stay for one more full round of breath. Your next inhale lowers the knees down towards the mat. Sink the hips back into a child's pose. One of the reasons why I love Dolphin so much is. . . It's a fabulous way to build heat. In the body. It's an inversion. It is a power pose. And if dolphin doesn't feel right or good in your body, Then downward dog is always a fantastic option for you. Once you're complete in your child's pose, Let's begin to shift yourself back upright, And we're gonna return to our back here. So if you have a bolster, Or a pillow. Or something. You would like to use to prop the hips. We are moving into a supported bridge post. So as you find some really nice extension down the mat, Just allowing the body to resettle. Again, Just checking back and we've We've touched on a lot of different areas here since the last time we were lying on our back just not that long ago. Allow yourself a moment to reacquaint, To settle back in. And then from here, We'll take a bend in the knees, Bring the soles of the feet to the mat about hip-width distance. The solo back into the mat here. Arms can be down by the sides, But keep one handy to grab a hold of your block. Blanket, Bolster, Pillow. Take a big breath in here to puff up through the chest. As you exhale, Press through the feet to lift the pelvis off the mat. And then find your prop, Whatever one you're using. And slide it directly beneath the pelvis. Not the spine, The pelvis. And lower the hips on to the prone position. This might feel really nice just to experience the comfort and support here. Maybe this is where you stay. Just take a few rounds of breath. To be with yourself in this shape. Allow your inhales to feel really meaningful. Really meaningful here. If you are. Looking for more. You can always draw the right knee in towards the chest. And then you might begin to slowly begin extending through the sole of the left foot. It might come to straight, It might not. This is the fullest expression here, So. If you've even gone. This direction, This route, And you realize, Oh, This is starting to not feel good. Listen, Listen to those cues and then you can replant the foot and slide it back in towards you. Really checking into those cues, The ones that happen in your body. And the ones that happen in your mind. Allow that to be your compass. That is your inner wisdom. Your intuition speaking. So whatever expression of supported bridge pose you're in is just wonderful. Reconnect to the breath. Relayer on those long, Slow, Big inhales. Those really luxurious, Full, Deep, Wonderful, Satisfying exhales. When you're complete here. We will plant that left foot if it is extended and begin to draw that back in towards the hips. And then we'll release the grip on the right leg, Planting the right foot back towards the left. Then from here, Drawing the left knee in towards the chest. Might already begin experiencing a nice big stretch within the hips. So send your breath to that area, Right to the sensation, And then as you exhale, Soften around it. Stay here if this feels just right for you. And if you're looking for more, Maybe you begin extending. Through the sole of the right foot. Big inhales to balloon the belly. Exhales to empty the belly completely. One more full round of breath. If the leg is extended, Begin to bend the knee and draw the foot in towards the mat. And then releasing the grip of the left leg, Planting it towards the mat as well. Take another full run of breath here before we transition. And then on your next inhale. Press down through the soles of the feet to lift up the pelvis. Removing the prop from underneath you. As you exhale, Bring the upper back down, Tuck the tailbone, Middle back down, Tuck the tailbone, Lower back down, Tuck the tailbone. A little swish of the legs, Some windshield wipers here simply to rinse and cleanse. Then from here, Both knees draw in towards the chest, Moving into a twist. So taking a big breath in here. And as you exhale, Begin to extend through the left arm to a T position. And then both knees rotate over towards the right side of the body. So if this feels. . . Challenging or uncomfortable or unsupported, Use the blocks, Use the bolster, Use the props that you have available to you. You might put one underneath the right leg to prop yourself up to bring the floor a little bit closer to you. You might set it between the legs to find a nice cushion, A nice bit of space and lift. So wherever you are, It's just fine, Truly. Just be all the way there. Like fully there, Fully mind, Fully body. Everything is fully on board. Full breaths. Softening through the shoulders and back. Scanning if there's any slight tension anywhere, Like in any of the tissues or. . . Muscles of the face soften all through there. Soften through the back of the neck, The skull, The ears, The jaw. Letting go through the belly and the chest. And go through the legs and the feet. One more full round of breath. Nice and easy. Very gently, On your next inhale, Lift the left leg back up to center, Followed by the right. Plant the feet, Take a couple of very gentle swishes here to reset the pelvis. And then knees draw in towards the chest. Right arm comes out to a T-like position and then rotate the legs over. Towards the left. Again, Find your station, Find your props, The position that's going to feel just right for you today, Right now. Create comfort right where you are. Create comfort right where you are. Is one of the most valuable life lessons I've learned for myself. Even when things feel incredibly challenging and hard. And uncomfortable. In certain experiences or seasons or moments. Keep coming back. To the power that you have. To create more comfort right where you are. And you get to decide what that looks like. You get to decide what comfort means to you, What it feels like. In this particular shape, It might be a little shift of the legs or a bend in the knees. It might be adding a blanket underneath you on your mat to create more cushion. In life it might be adding an extra five or ten minutes. To your schedule. So that you aren't rushing from place to place to place on very minimal. Margin. To creating comfort right where you are. Just one more full belly breath here. With your next inhale, Begin to lift the right leg back up to center, Followed by the left leg back to center. We'll give both knees a final squeeze here as you draw them all the way in. And then from here, We'll make our way to a comfortable seated position. So we might roll over to either side. Pausing for. . . Just a breath to reorient here. And then very gently, Very gingerly and lazily, Very respectfully. Lifting yourself back up to a seated position. We'll close class together right here. As we take an inhale, Sweep. Palms all the way up overhead. And then exhale, Draw the hands home to heart center. Thank you so much for practicing with me today. It's been a true joy to have you here. The light in me, The light in you, It is the same. Namaste. Have a beautiful day. I'll see you next time.