Leg Focus Yoga - Tap Into Your Roots

A grounding yoga class focused on the legs, recorded outdoors at his grandmother's home. Vance opens with a short seated breathing practice, then moves through a foot massage, seated folds and twists, hip circles, downward dog, a low cobra, a standing body scan, and low lunges with quad stretches. Throughout, he invites you to feel held by your own body and connected to the earth, whatever your family situation. It suits all levels, with options to go deeper or ease off.

Transcript

Hey, What's up internet friends? I'm here in Roswell, Georgia at my grandmother's house hanging out with my family and It's just reconnecting to my roots. And it feels really nice to be around a grounded, Kind of loving, Big familial energy. And I'd love for you to experience some of that. So no matter your situation, Whether you have a. . . Family that you're connected to or not. Like in an immediate sense. We all have this collective family and this collective shared space of. So I invite you today to just really like sit and feel into your connectivity with everything. So it feels like you're held. Feels like there's a place for you. Because there is. Come on, Sit down, Make yourself comfortable. And then just place your left hand on your heart and your right hand on the earth. Close your eyes, Take a deep breath in. Sip in a little bit more at the top. And then as you really slowly exhale, Can you imagine any words in your mind's eye just drifting out on the current of carbon dioxide that you're blowing out? And then repeat that process, Take another big breath in. Sip in a little bit more, Feel yourself taking in what's around you. And then as you exhale, Let go of things that are inside of you, That are taking you away from the present moment, Or your connection to the earth, Or your five senses, Or this moment. One more round of breath in. Sippin' more, Steepin' presents, Takin' all the sounds. And then take a long, Slow exhale. Slowly open your eyes up and then immediately look at your feet and bring them together to touch. And then I want you to take your thumbs to the soles of your feet and then start to massage them a little bit. Any way is fine. Then as you take an inhale, Move your heart forward. Keep massaging your feet though. And then as you exhale, Round yourself backwards, Tuck your tail, Pull your belly backwards, Keep rubbing. Find a little multitask, Whoops. Sorry, Mosquito. And then I exhale around. I'm connected to you, But. . . I don't want to be connected to you in that way. Find one more round of moving your spine back and forth. Welcoming it all in, But also having healthy boundaries. Hey, Isn't that a lesson to take to your family? Okay, And then softly you'll find a neutral spine. And then you'll kick your right leg out to the right and put your left foot into your right inner thigh. From here, You're gonna walk your hands, Frame your right thigh, And then just walk them as far forward as your body allows. Maybe it's a little bit, Maybe it's a lot, Maybe your forehead's to your knee, Maybe you're all the way up here. Whatever the case, Can you move your heart forward and see if you can drop some breath below your belly button. And then drop your attention down into both legs. If you can close your eyes comfortably, Do that and imagine the shape of them. Imagine the triangle that's created in the left leg. Imagine the straight, Strong line of the right leg. Feel into the feet and the toes and really kind of illustrate yourself with your imagination. Grounding into your body, Connecting your spirit and your proprioceptive nature and your and your mind to your body, Creating a oneness, A yoga. One more big breath here. And then slowly take your time and sit back up. And then from here, I want you to try and lift your right leg. Maybe you use your hands to help. Maybe you just like pick it up through the center. Then you're going to carry it all the way up and over and step it outside of your left leg. Then you'll start to twist towards your right. So right hand goes behind your back and then left hand to the right thigh. Close your eyes again and just illustrate the shape of the legs. Feel the ground underneath you as well. And then find your spine and spiral it up and to the right. Find one more big breath breathing into the entire picture of you. In space, In this moment. Present. Hell. By who? By you. Okay, And then unwind the other direction. Take your hands to the earth and then take your forehead towards the earth. Maybe even tap it. Maybe even give it a little kiss. I love you, Earth. Thank you for this complicated life. Switch your legs out, So you just unstep your right leg, Kick your left leg out, And then plug your right foot into your left inner thigh. Then walk your hands around your left thigh. Same thing as before, Walk your hands forward or don't. And then just try and move your heart forward a little bit more and keep your pelvis grounded on the earth. And then close your eyes again. And start to illustrate. And then see if you can feel held in that sweet place of imagination and illustration and, Again, Proprioception, Being able to see your body without actually looking at it, Like a deep imagination of what's physically real. On one more big breath here, Sending breath below the belly button into the low back, The side waist, The hips. And then releasing and feeling held. Make your way up with your spine, And then you'll pick up your left leg, Either through the strength of the core and pelvis or through your arms. And then slowly you'll carry your left leg over to the right and then step your left foot outside of your right knee. This time you're twisting to the left, Left hand behind your back and then right hand, Right elbow to your left thigh. Okay, Settle in. Start to illustrate. Pick up your heart, Spiral it up and to the left. And then feel the squeeze of your spiraling spine, Like a little hug, Being like, Oh. Hey, Your body is holding your heart. Body is holding your spirit. You're safe with the little family, Three of you, Your mind, Body, Spirit. One more big breath. Nice, And then softly unwind to the other side. Take your forehead down to the ear. Give a little reverence to it. I love you, Even you little mosquito and ant. Okay, And then softly you're gonna release from here and then find your way onto hands and knees. Take your time to get there, And then bring your knees together to touch, Your feet together to touch, And then sink your glutes towards your heels, And then rest your forehead as close to the earth as possible, And take a full breath in here, And practice actively relaxing and softening. And then switch to activation and come forward to hands and knees. Send your right leg back behind you in space. Tuck your toes on the earth. Dig into the earth with a lot of strength. And then just rock forward and backwards. Start to feel your fingertips and your knuckles and your palms push into the earth. Maybe a little lift between the thumb and the index finger and that little arch of the hand. And then if you're feeling really strong, Pick up your left leg and then continue to do what you were just doing. Just a little hover will do. And then play with rocking back and forth. Nice, And then you'll put the left knee down and switch your legs out. Right knee down, Left leg back. Start by tucking toes, Digging into earth. Ooh, I got a nice root under my foot here. Give my under toes a massage, Thanks this tree or that tree. Okay, Find a little list. Through the belly. Find some action through the foot, Dig into the hands, And then push into the hands and left foot so much your right knee comes up, Maybe. If not, Keep rockin'. Notice how things start to shift the more you play. The more you pay attention. One more rock here. Nice, And then you'll put both knees down, Touch them, And then start to make big circles with your hips. So you're pushing your hips all the way to the side, All the way to the back, All the way to the side, As far forward as your body will let. Gentlemen, You might feel a little squishage. It's OK. Things are flexible. Probably more flexible than you are. I'm just kidding, I don't know you, It's the internet. Go the other way. Find your breath. Find your squish. Find the multidimensional movements of the hip. One more like this. Okay, And then we'll find center. Tuck the toes, Have the feet about hips width apart, And then lift your hips into a downward facing dog. Heart towards thighs, And then give a really generous bend to your knees. Yeah, And then really feel into all of the toes and the spaces between. And then just pedal one heel in the other. So one knee straight, The other knee bent. Then just feel into the back of your legs here. Keep the breath steady. Keep up that mentality of feeling held by your body, Even if it feels really uncomfortable. Keep your breath alive to support your movement. And then still yourself. Bend both knees. And then just be here. Stillness goes a long way. Come forward to plank. Lower down to your knees, Bend your elbows straight back, Rub your ribs with your biceps, And then lower down to your chest and your chin, And really press your pelvis into the earth as you lift your heart up by squeezing your shoulder blades back and down. Now stay here. Feel your toenails. Can you press them all into the ground? You can even lift your kneecaps by straightening your legs. Let me find one more big breath here and lift your heart up and forward just a little more. And then press back to a child's pose. Your knees can be apart this time. Take one full breath here. I dare you to feel. At ease. Pretty scary there, I know. All right, Come forward, Anthony. Tuck your toes. And then find down dog with bent knees, And then just take little steps up to the top of the mat. Keep your breath supple. And then again. See what it takes to shift your mind to that space of being held by your body in any shape. Take a halfway lift, You could have your hands on your shins looking forward. And then fold back down. Reaching your arms to the sky. And then take your hands in prayer right in front of your heart, Close your eyes, And then just feel your two feet on the ground. And then trace energy up from the pressure of your feet to the ground, From the pressure of your ankles to your feet. Your knees to your ankles, Your hips to your knees. Your ribcage to your hip. Your shoulders to your ribs. Your skull to your shoulders and then the earth above you. And one more big breath. And then just softly release your thoughts again as you release your hands by your sides. Reach your arms all the way up as you dig your feet down. Pull yourself long in two. And then forward fold over your legs. Step your right leg back into a lunge. Drop your right knee. And then reach your left arm up towards the sky. Now start to kick your right heel towards your glute. Reach back for your right foot. If you can't reach, Don't grab. If you can reach, Do grab. It feels like you are gonna cramp up. Then back off. That's not being held, That's being shaken. Never shake a baby. You're not a baby, But you know, You are the Earth's baby. Okay, Lean forward a little bit. Turn your right nipple towards the sky. See if you can close your eyes again and then imagine the front of your pelvis, That like V-shape, Right? Can you think about the right side of the V-shape and just breathe some life and awareness into there? Find one more big breath. Just striving to feel, Not to hit perfection. And then release your right leg, Tuck your right toes, Take your hands to the earth, Framing your left leg, And then pick up your right knee. And then walk your hands forward as if they were at 2 and 10 on the clock, Or just out to the corners. And then lean as far forward as possible as you reach your foot into the earth and your right heel backwards. Now see if you can find that right side of the pelvis again. Top of the right thigh. Really connect with the earth. One more big breath. And then slowly walk your hands backwards and see if you can straighten-ish both legs. See if you can even your hips, Right hip forward, Left hip back. See if you can find the center of your hips, Your pelvic floor. Play with that a little bit, Let it bulge down as you inhale. Let it dome up as you exhale. Then bend into your left knee, Step to the top of the mat, And fold. And then immediately just switch your legs. Step your left leg back. Drop your left knee. Reach your right arm to the sky. Your left arm will be underneath your left shoulder. And then you'll squeeze your left heel towards your glute. Reach your right hand back. And if you can grab your foot, Great. And if you can't, Great. You're still in your body, And you're doing a video about yoga. So you're all right. Okay, Now find your breath again. Hug your right knee in towards center. Rotate your left nipple towards the sky. Feel the twisting of your belly. And then again, Think about the front of the pelvis. Find the left side of that V crease, And then breathe some life into it as you lean forward a little bit more. Mmm, Hello top of the leg. Bottom of the belly. Find one more big breath in here. Again, Feel yourself held maybe by your breath this time. And then release to your left leg, Tuck your left toes, And then take your hands to the earth, Framing your right foot. Lift up your left knee. And then walk your hands forward towards the front corners and the mats. Mat and then lean forward but dig into your left heel or left foot and reach your left heel backwards And then really try to elicit some sensation from the top left. Of the leg. Top of the left leg. Find your breath. Dig into your right heel, Lean forward a little bit more, But keep reaching your left heel backwards. One more big breath going into that space of feeling. Nice. And then slowly walk your hands backwards. And start to straighten both legs. If they don't go all the way straight, It's all good. Okay, Left hip forward, Right hip back, Evening the pelvis out. And then bring your attention to the middle of it. What's in between that space? Pelvic floor. Base of that really, Really important thing that is your torso from your hips to your shoulders. To be breathed some life into all of that. Find one more big breath here. Maybe your heart moves towards your back shin a little bit, But your hips stay even. Nice, And then bend into your right knee, Step your left foot to the top, Fold, And slowly roll up. Nice, Now take your hands onto your heart. Close your eyes. Take a big breath in and just feel your body as one piece. And feel your imagination holding your body in one. Can you see your imagination almost as benevolent? As it holds your body. And its power of Illustration Construction. And then can you extend that being held feeling outside of yourself till your imagination or spirit is holding not only you, But the earth everything on it. Can you feel it? All is one. You feel your connectivity. Can you feel your roots to the earth? Into nature. And allow yourself. To feel rooted. And simply being. And allowing yourself to be as you are. Take one more moment. And just feel.