Yoga With Blocks & Yoga Nidra

Today, we're diving into the world of prop-assisted yoga, where we'll explore how props can enhance your practice, improve alignment, make adjustments, and add exciting variations to your poses.

Props are fantastic tools that can provide the support you need to take your practice to the next level. Whether you're a seasoned yogi or just starting your yoga journey, this session is for everyone.

Incorporating props into your practice can open up new possibilities and make yoga more accessible. It's a creative way to customize your practice to suit your unique needs and abilities.

As always, I'll conclude our practice with a blissful Savasana, incorporating the Yoga Nidra technique for ultimate relaxation and rejuvenation.

Transcript

Hello and welcome for day number nine. Today we're using blocks. Blocks will help us in our practice as we have already seen, But we also use them to give our practice some new and exciting variations. They also allow us to go into poses that we wouldn't be able to go in without the blocks, Either because our arms are too short or mostly because our hamstrings strings are too short. So let's get started. We're going to be using one block straight away in Tadasana Mountain Pose. So come to the front of your mat and bring your block in between your legs, Between your thighs. Now try holding your block so that it doesn't fall down, But also to slightly move your block backwards, So you're rotating your legs inwards. And then bring your block out and push your block forward, Rotating your legs outwards. So you will notice that when you rotate your thighs in, And the block is moving backwards, You're rotating onto the inside of your feet. And it doesn't feel so good. Now if we do the opposite, Pushing. The block out and rotating the thighs outwards. You will feel a nice contraction next to your sacrum and your glutes. And you will also feel more stability in your legs as you are pressing down into your outer heel, Outer arches. And now, Let's get that big toe mount on the floor. So lift all 10 toes. Pressing the toe mounds down. Kicking your block forward. And then bring the toes down. So if you feel like in a corset now with your legs. That's totally fine. We'll get used to it. So let's stay in Tadasana with the block. For some breathing. Movement breathing exercises. So take a deep inhale. Move the arms overhead. And exhale, Release the arms. What are the legs doing? Block still pushing forward. Inhale, Arms come up. And exhale down, Focusing on two different things at the same time. See that's using props, Giving you new impulses for the yoga practice. All right, Let's do that one last time. We're pushing the block forward, We're pressing the heel down, And we're pressing the big toe mount down. All right, Stage two. Inhale, Arms overhead, Left arm down, Right arm stays up. Now bend sideways to the left. Exhale. What are the legs doing? Don't lose your block! And keep pressing that right foot into the mat. Inhale, Come back up, Left arm lifts. Then exhale. Right arm down, Inhale, Lift and lengthen and exhale, Bend over to the right. How does that feel? I'm a little tense. Maybe you are too. That's totally fine. We're learning something new. So what's your block doing? Inhale, Come back up. We're doing this just one more time. Inhale, Right arm up. Exhale release, Inhale lifting and exhaling. Now you can use your head to maybe look up. Looking towards the scale ceiling. Then on the inhale lift, Exhale arm comes down. Inhale, Lift the arm up. Exhale, Shoulders relaxed. Inhale, Lengthen. And exhale, Bend over to the right. I don't know about you, But my right foot starts to cramp, So we will get rid of this vlog in a second. It's just too much pressure. Then he'll come back up. Exhale, Release the arm back down. So position that block Just right in front of you. Maybe pedal your feet. And remember what we just did, So rotating the leg slightly outwards. And the truth is, The lower leg is rotating inwards. Up and out, Down and in, So that the big toe mount reaches the ground. All right, How does that feel? Better than inhale, Arm over, Arms overhead, Exhale through the nose, Bend the knees and grab your blogs in. Forward fold. So we're staying here with the hands on the blocks. As we're coming into tabletop. So tabletop can either be done using blocks or you can use your shins. But actually. . . The blocks are really nice. And you can adjust them to any height that you need as you're progressing. So. . . I'll be here. Lengthening the spine and now exhale and release, Bend the knees. Inhale, Lengthen. Crown of the head pressing forward. Sitting bones pressing backwards and exhale release. Inhale, How are your legs doing? Do you have a new stance, A new sense of grounding in your legs? Maybe you do. Last time, Inhale, And exhale, Release. Back down, Wonderful. Inhale, Bend the knees, Hands flat on the ground, Stepping back. Into plank pose, Stay here for just a few breaths, Adjusting your hands underneath your shoulder. Your heels. Above your toe mounts and now inhale, Press forward. Just a bit. Exhale, Heels push back. Inhale, Press forward. Exhale, Press back. Two more times. Inhale, Forward. Nice. Exhale, Pressing back. Inhale, Forward. Exhale. Pressing back, Then come back to neutral. Inhale, Knees down. Exhale, Chaturanga. Elbows caressing the ribcage, Elbows tight. And then let go of your hands. Maybe bring your hands into your lower back and on your next inhale bring the chest up. Lifting the chest, Exhale. Lowering the chest, Hands down, Inhale onto all fours. And exhale into downward facing dog. Pedaling the feet, Walking on the spot. Then inhale onto your toe marks. Exhale, Pressing into the heels. Inhale, Bend the knees, Look forward. And exhale. Walk forward into forward fold. Again, Hands on blocks, Inhale lengthen. And exhale release. Thank you. Inhale, Lengthen. And exhale, Release two more times. Inhale, Press into the floor. Lengthen the upper body. Lengthen the spine. Exhale, Release. Head and neck. Inhale, Press the crown of the head forward. Exhale, Let go. Inhale bend knees and exhale roll up into standing. Inhale arms overhead and exhale release. Inhale, Arms come up. Exhale, Bend forward into forward fold. Just one tabletop here. Inhale, Hands on blocks. And exhale, Hands back down on the floor, Forward fold. Inhale, Bend knees, Hands flat on the ground, Just one little plank. Nice and steady. Activating the core, Pressing the navel in. Then inhale, Knees down. Exhale, Chaturanga. Elbows tight. Inhale, Lifting the chest without involving the hands too much. Exhale, Lower. Inhale onto all fours and exhale. Here's your downward facing dog. Inhale onto toe mount. And exhale pressing into the heels. Walk your feet together, Inhale lifting the right leg up. Keeping the hips square, Meaning parallel to the ground. Then exhale, Navel in, Rounding, Bringing the knee forward. And step forward into low lunge. Now we're grabbing our blocks. A wonderful low lunge variation. Is getting your hands onto each side on two blocks. So this allows you to keep the chest open for better breathing, But work on your hip flexion. So if you're down here, You're all folded forward, Folded up, Your lungs a little bit compressed, Unless you have that flexibility and can go all the way. So why not? Using our blocks here, Lifting the chair, Staying open. So this is somewhere halfway between a a low lunge and a high lunge, But hey, That's totally fine. Now, Let's Get rid of those blocks and coming here into high lunge, Lifting the arms, Pressing into the floor. Big inhale. Actually, It'll stay. Inhale. Lifting the chest. Exhale, Stay. Yes. Inhale lift. Woo, Exhale, Stay. Inhale it. Exhale, Stay. Inhale, Lift a little. More? And exhale release back down. Now stay here, Bring your back knee down into anyanasana or the lizard pose. So the goal is to bring both hands to the inside, But hey, Why don't we use our two blocks? And help ourselves. So you can use your two blocks. Getting your elbows. Onto those blocks. Why not? And here is your lizard pose. You can also stay up here. Ever feels great. So we're now focusing on opening the hips. So inhale, Try to lengthen the upper body, Opening the chest. And exhale, Come a little deeper, Letting go of your legs. Inhale, Lengthen and open. And exhale, Lowering the hips, Whatever is possible. And if you feel more comfortable up here, That is totally fine. Last one, Inhale. Exhale, Hips coming down. So it's just nice to play with the blocks in these poses. Then Get the blocks out of the way. Just to the front of your mat. We need to get out of here somehow, So why don't you get back onto your back foot and step back into plank. The legs feel a little weird, That's fine. So inhale, Knees come down, Press a little bit forward, Exhale, Lower the chest. Inhale, Lift the chest. Looking forward, Exhale, Release. Inhale underneath. And exhale back into downward facing dog. Nice, Then inhale, Lift onto your toe mounts, Pressing up all the way. And exhale, Lower into your heels. Then close the feet, Walk the feet together. Inhale, Lifting the left leg. Exhale, Navel pulls in and step the left foot forward or help yourself. Then grab your blocks. Into that low lunge. So we're inhaling, Lifting the chest And exhaling, Releasing the hips. So get a really stable stance, Use the exhale to get stability and strength into your legs. Inhale for expansion, Exhale strength. And now we're here. And we try to lift. So stability and strength in the legs. Now on the next inhale lift the arms overhead. And keep the legs just where they are. So inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale, Lower the hips a little lower. Inhale lift. Lower a little more. Inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale, Lower into the hips. Inhale, Lift the chest. Exhale. And one last time, Inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale, String. Focus. Last big inhale to lengthen. And then exhale coming down with the hands on the floor. Lizard pose. So bring the right knee down. Get the foot flat on the floor. Now move that left leg out just a little. Move your two blocks into the center. And here we are, In lizard pose. Inhale lift the chest. Exhale sink into your hips and just go wherever you can, Whatever feels comfortable. And maybe you are with your elbows on the floor or in any other variation of positioning your blocks in any other pose. Right, Inhaling lengthening. And exhaling, Lowering the hips. Inhale, Lengthen. Exhale, Lowering the hips. Inhale, Lengthen. Exhale, Lowering the hips and let's get out of here. So let's get back on that right foot. Bringing those two blocks to the front. And then hands back down, Stepping back into your plank. Nice. Come into your vinyasa. So inhaling, Pressing forward, Bringing the knees down. Exhale, Lower the chest. Inhale, Chest. Floating up. Cobra, Exhale, Release. Inhale onto knees. Exhale onto feet. Downward facing dog. Inhale onto toe mounts. Exhale, Heels down. Walk your feet together, Right leg lifts. Inhale. Exhale, Nose to the knee, Round the back, Navel in. Step forward as much as you can. Use the hand to do the rest. Nice, So get your hands back. Onto the block. Bringing the back knee down. Let's try to do something else here, Because we're coming with our hands up. So you can use the block now to support your hips. If you feel like this is a bit too much. You can use one block underneath your thigh. Lengthen that left leg. And hey, This is the seated. Anya Niyasana. So lifting the arms. Lifting the chest. Ain't that wonderful? So you didn't know. Yoga could be that great. So we're still in hip flexor stretch. But not just that much, So we're not. . . Pulling our hip apart. We're having weight on the block but we're still in a stretchy position. Inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale, Letting the legs go a little more. Inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale letting the legs go, Wonderful. So that is one great use for a block, Just helping you in the pose. Then keep your knees down, And then let's press the hip back. In a hamstring stretch. Now get your blocks on either side of your legs. And here we support the hamstring stretch. Without blocks as well. Use whatever height you need so that your back can stay nice and straight. Great, Now here we go. Let's see if our blocks are in the correct position. Inhaling, Bend the front knee. Keep your hands on your blocks and exhaling, Pressing the hips backwards. Nose as much towards the knee as you can. Stay still, Open. Inhaling, Hip flexor stretch. Exhaling, Hamstring stretch. Inhale and all the way, Your hands can help. Exhale as the hands do not touch. Reach the ground in this pose. At least not for me. Exhale, Let's do that one more time. Coming to the inhale. Hip flexor Exhale, Hamstring stretch into standing dog. Stay here, Pulling that toe towards the nose. And get comfy. So that you're not hanging in the stretch, But you can stay active, Pressing that heel forward and pulling the toes towards your nose. Nice. Then inhale, Release. Bring the hands back down on the floor blocks. To the head of your mat. And get that leg somehow. Back to the other knee. Then position your blocks in front of you, Shoulder width apart, Get those knees slightly open and let's get into a child's pose, Hands on block, Big exhale. Forehead to the ground. So this is a bit more of a chest opener as the usual child pose. We're using the blocks to elevate the arms. So that the shoulder girdle gets a little more of a stretch out of this pose. Inhale, Lengthen the upper body and exhale, Sink deeper into your child. Inhale through the nose. And exhale, Sinking into the pose. Last big inhale. And exhale, Sink and release. Nice. Then get your hands back underneath your shoulder, Pressing up. We're moving forwards back into plank pose. So let's take a second here to get readjusted. Into plank, Hands underneath the shoulder. Feet underneath the heels, Then big inhale, Shift the weight forward, Get the knees down, Then elbows tight, Exhale and Chaturanga. Inhale, Lift the chest. Cobra. Exhale, Release. Inhale onto your knees, All fours. Exhale, Press into down dog. Wonderful, Let's try the same on the other side, But first inhale, Lift onto toe mounds. Exhale, Release. And a heel. Then close your feet to the center. Inhale, Lift the left leg up. Exhale, Round the back, Nose to the knee, Step forward. Into. Low lunch. So let's use our blocks again. To help us bring the back knee down. And use one block. Position that block and help us. Underneath a thigh. Yes, There we go. So just use whatever position is comfortable so you still in something like a stretch, But you're not hanging in your ligaments and muscles. So it should feel a bit. . . Like a challenge, But not too much. And inhale the arms overhead. Exhale, Release the thighs. Inhale, Lifting the chest. This is live backbends. And exhale, Sink into the hips. Inhale, Lifting and opening. Exhale, Sink. Last time. Inhale, Lift. And exhale, Sinking. Wonderful. Let's slowly get. . . All hands back onto the floor. Get the block out, So strength into the legs so you can safely pull that block out and bring your blocks to either side of your leg and Exhale, Hamstring stretch. So in your first hamstring stretch. Get your blocks adjusted to wherever you need them. You know what's coming. Inhale, Hips move forward. I still need my blocks a little further back. Use these first repetitions to get your blocks where you need them. Exhale, Hamstring stretch, Pull the toes. Inhale, Lower the hips, Lift the chest. Exhale, Nose somehow towards the knee, Hamstring stretch. Inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale, Hamstring stretch, Nose towards the knee. Inhale, Lift. And exhale. Push the hips back. To that one more time. Inhale, Pressing forward, Lifting the chest, Lifting the gaze. And exhale, Pressing the hips back, Hamstring stretch. Nice one! So let's get out of here. Somehow inhaling. Now get the hands back somehow onto the floor. Get the two blocks to the head of your mat. Preparing for child's pose. So let's get that front knee. Somehow towards the back knee. Opening the knees, Mat width, Closing the toes and now get your block shoulder width apart and lean back into child, Getting your forehead on the ground. And releasing the whole spine, The shoulder girdle. Inhale, Little bit of length. Exhale lots of letting go. Inhaling, Little bit of length. Exhaling, Letting everything go Inhaling into length. Exhaling, Letting go, Keep breathing. Oh, You. Did it so we're slowly coming closer to the floor so you can Release into the ground. We're slowly moving towards our final relaxation. We'll be using these wonderful yoga nidra techniques too. Deepen the relaxation. And slowly. Bring your hands underneath your shoulders, Press yourself up. Then swing your feet around. Coming into seated pose. And We're not quite done yet, But almost. So we're trying a little variation of the boat pose. So remember the Tadasana standing pose at the beginning. Again, Bring your block between your thighs. Then grab the back of your thighs, Lengthen the upper body, Lean back. Make sure you're not losing your block. And then release the hands. Now let's make sure that the block Move. A little towards our nose. So remember that rolling out of the thighs. See if you can do that now. Maybe you might need to lift the feed a little. And I'll see if he can move that block. Towards your nose. Just a little. And don't let go. Keep grabbing that block. With your thighs. Just a little bit of pilates. In yoga. Why not? And then let go. Come back into seated, Put that block to the side. And just rounding the back. Exhaling, Inhaling, Lifting the chest. Exhaling. Inhale, Lift. Then exhale, Slowly roll. Down towards the ground. So we're getting into bridge pose. And use that block one more time. Heels next to your hips. Blood comes in between her thighs. And You know the drill, Trying to get the block somehow towards the head, Not the opposite. And now lifting the hip. And if that is enough for you, You can stay up here, Just static. If you still feel like moving a little, You can lower down. On the exhale and inhale, Lifting. Rotating those thighs outwards without letting go of your block. So block moves all the way towards the head and up towards the sky. Nice. So inhaling lift. Bending, Exhaling, Letting go. Inhaling, Lift, Expand. And exhale, Letting go, Then lift. Everyone we meet up here. Climbing onto the backs of our shoulders. Interlacing all fingers. Maybe letting the index finger and the Thumb out. Now lift a little more, Still pressing your block to the sky. Maybe you'll be sore tomorrow, But you'll know why and it'll be for a reason. And slowly. Lower down first and then grab your block. Last time. And Here we were, Using the block for some more variety in our yoga practice. So let's release those legs, Shake it out. Have your feet above your hips. Letting go of the knees, Letting go of all the muscles in your legs. Just letting all the blood flow back. To your body. Keep breathing deeply. In through the nose. And out through the nose and start slowing down your breathing. If you can, Five seconds in. Five, Seconds out. Breathing in. Cheers. Three, Or Bye. And breathing out. Two. Free. Bye. Nice. Then, Bend the knees, Hug the knees towards the chest. Maybe lifting the head a little and then Lengthen the left leg. Hugging the right knee in, Switch. Hugging the left knee in, Stretching the right leg out. Then stretch both legs out. Release the hands towards the sides. Palms facing up. Release the shoulder girdle. Releasing the neck. And we're coming into Shavasana. A final resting pose. Continue breathing through the nose. Slowly, Five seconds in. And slowly five seconds out. As you settle into this peaceful Shavasana posture. Close your eyes. Let go of any tension or stress. With each slow. Exhalation. Focus on the space in front of you. Closed eyelids. You can imagine. A transparent screen. Right in front of you. Like a giant movie theatre screen. This is your thought screen. So let's become aware of all the phenomena that manifest. On your thought screen. You might start to notice colors. Of patterns of life. Colors are gentle. Simply be. Aware. Of this space. Without influencing it. This way we practice. Detached awareness. Maybe subtle images appear. Or thoughts. Arise. Simply notice them. Without trying to direct. Or control them. Let thoughts come and go. And keep your attention focused. On observing. The space of your inner cinema. Then let's visualize Pacific. Images. As you hear a tone. Simply imagine. Or visualise it on your mind screen. The key to visualization is to relax. Simply let the images rise. Naturally. Flickering lights. Picture it dancing. On your mental screen. A large flowering cherry tree. See its beautiful blossoms in full bloom. A large fir tree. Its majestic branches. Stretching high into the sky. A moving car. Gliding along a peaceful road. Colored clouds in the sky. Drifting by in all their vibrant shapes. Yellow clouds. The sky painted in warm yellows. Grey clouds. Pink clouds. A foggy morning. Feel the tranquility. Of a misty dawn. Sunshine in the fresh air. Bask in the warmth. Of the morning sun. Starry night Imagine gazing up. It's vast. Star-studded sky. Moonlit night. See the round luminous moon. In the night sky. Laughing with friends. Hear the joyful laughter fill the air. A warm hug. Embracing the warmth and comfort it brings. A cleaning cat. Watch as it gracefully grooms itself. Galloping horse. Shield of power and grace in its movement. Rising sun. Witness the birth. Of a new day. Setting sun. See the sun slowly dip. Below the horizon. Ocean waves. Hear the soothing sounds of waves. Crashing on the shore. Cool, Clear water. Dip your toes in. And feel the refreshing coolness. Sandy beach. Feel the warm, Soft sand beneath you. Smoke from a chimney. Cold winter. Feel the crisp cold air of a late winter's day. Light in the house. Illuminate your mental space with gentle, Warm light. Temple bells ringing. The sound wash over you like a gentle rain. Meditating Yogi Resting Buddha. Find stillness. And peace within. Wide, Calm sea. A dense jungle. Near the sea. Explore the lush greenery and life teeming within. Animals living peacefully together. See harmony among cobras. Lions. And goat. Now place yourself in this jungle. And hear the mantra OM. In the background. Listen to this mantra. As it resonates with you. Thank you. Enjoy this peaceful journey within your own mind. And be completely. At ease. Thank you very much. You you. And slowly move your hands and feet. Open the eyes and look around you. And maybe stretching out. Doing any movement here that you would like to do. And slowly roll onto your side. Pushing yourself. Up into seated and here's another great use for the block. Or pillow if you have one. Is to lift your hips onto the block. So this allows you to have a very fixed support for your sitting bones so you can really adjust in gravity and also your crossed-legged seat is much easier. Then take a deep inhale, Get the arms overhead into prayer. Joining the hands, Connecting the thumbs with the forehead. The chin and the chest. Namaste. Thank you so much for joining and I'll see you for day number 10.