Grounded + Balanced - 50 Minute Slow Flow

a slow-flow yoga asana practice that will build gentle heat, a sense of groundedness, as well as an easeful and balanced mind. the sequence opens with a gentle seated warm-up, progresses to hands-and-knees, then to standing postures. we end with a supine cool down and savasana.

this sequence can be done any time of the day and it's a wonderful preface to meditation, yoga Nidra, or self-inquiry.

blocks, blankets, and straps (or other similar props) are suggested. modifications are offered.

Transcript

Welcome to your yoga asana practice today.

Great to have you here.

Today's practice will last about 40 minutes.

And I recommend that you have blocks or something that could function as blocks.

So two of those,

Whether it's yoga blocks or books or something that's just nice and solid.

You can even use suit cans that are the same size and height.

At least one blanket.

And if you have a strap,

A yoga strap,

A belt or a towel,

You may want to also grab that.

So feel free to pause the video if you need to collect any of those items,

And then we'll see you back shortly.

Otherwise,

If you have all of those items already prepared,

Wonderful.

Today's practice can be done at any time of the day.

And this practice is wonderful for the season of spring,

Or in Ayurveda,

What is considered kapha season.

So when the elements of water and earth are dominant and the qualities of heaviness and stickiness and cold and stagnant are kind of in excess in nature and can be within us as well.

So this practice is meant to kind of create some gentle heat,

To create some spaciousness,

And at the same time also keep us grounded and feeling secure and stable.

So we're going to be moving through some twisting shapes in our asana today.

So if you are dealing with any sort of discomfort in the low back,

Please,

Please,

Please take care of yourself and honor that feeling.

It may be one where you skip today's practice or you take it just a little bit easier.

So as always,

This is your practice.

If I am cueing something that does not feel great in your body today,

You are welcome to take a different shape that does.

I,

Of course,

Will offer some modifications to each shape that we move through today.

To get started,

Let's come to a seated position.

And if you have a block or a blanket to sit on,

I highly recommend that.

Just allowing the knees to be lower than the hips.

This allows the spine to be nice and tall.

It relieves any tension in the hips,

The groin,

And the glutes,

And just allows us to come to a comfortable seat so that we can drop into our practice.

So once you find that comfortable seat,

You're welcome to cross the legs.

You can even extend the legs out in front if that feels better.

One wrong in,

You know,

Just find something that works in your body today that allows you to come into this moment.

And if you like,

You're welcome to close your eyes or you can just gaze softly towards the tip of your nose.

Your hands may relax down onto the legs or on your lap.

And begin to sense the points of connection between your body and the earth,

Your body and whatever support you might be seated upon.

As you exhale,

Sense the shoulders dropping away from your ears,

And those points of connection with the support and the earth beneath you just become deeper,

Heavier,

Letting gravity take over and feeling that support of the earth beneath you.

Now on that inhale,

Feel that the spine lengthens.

So you grow just a little bit taller.

And once again,

On the exhale,

Just gentle softening.

So what may seem like opposites,

Lengthening and then softening can actually both be held at the same time.

So see if you can begin to just notice those qualities in your body,

A sense of groundedness,

But also a sense of expansion,

Spaciousness.

And then draw your awareness to your breath.

And without shaking the breath just yet,

Notice how the breath feels today.

You may begin by sensing the breath moving in and out through the tip of your nose.

You may notice the collarbones rising and the ribs expanding.

And as you watch the body breathing,

You may notice that the breath naturally becomes deeper,

More easeful.

And then let's begin to shape our breath so that the inhale and exhale become the same length,

Somewhat fruity,

Balanced movement.

And that may be three,

Four,

Or five counts.

It's finding that rhythm that is comfortable for you today.

And on your next exhale,

Gently drop your chin towards your chest,

Allowing your spine to stay tall,

Your sit bones rooting.

On an inhale,

Let's take the right ear over to the right shoulder,

Just stretching gently through the neck here,

Exhaling,

Chin to chest.

And inhale,

Take your left ear to your left shoulder,

Making sure that the jaw stays soft and relaxed.

Exhale,

Chin to chest.

We're gonna take an inhale,

Go back to the right side,

This time an option to reach your left fingertips down towards the earth.

Your fingertips may touch the earth or they may just hover,

Either is okay.

Just keep that energy of reaching down.

This creates a little bit of a deeper stretch in the neck.

And on an exhale,

Bring your chin to chest,

Your hand back to your lap or leg.

Inhale,

Taking it over to the left side,

Maybe the right fingertips together,

Reach towards the earth or gently rest on the earth.

Spine tall,

Jaw relaxed,

Sit bones rooting,

Exhaling,

Chin to chest.

Now on an inhale,

Gently lift the head,

Coming back to a neutral spine.

Exhale,

Take your gaze over your right shoulder.

And as you inhale,

Coming back through center,

Exhaling,

Gazing over your left.

We're gonna do that once more,

Each side.

Inhale,

Back through center.

Maybe you sense the spine getting taller.

Exhale,

Gazing right and then gazing left once again,

Back to a neutral spine.

Take an exhale here.

And on an inhale,

Gently lift your chin,

Taking your gaze up.

This time you'll sense the stretch through the throat,

Maybe even into the upper parts of the chest.

And then inhale,

Come back to a neutral spine.

Beautiful.

Bring your hands to your thighs or knees if they're not already there.

We're gonna move through some seated cat and cow.

So as you inhale,

Draw your heart through,

Take the gaze up to the tailbone.

As you exhale,

Round the chin to chest.

Let's take three more just like that.

Breathing in and breathing out.

And inhale,

Nice and expansive,

Cross the heart space.

Navel to spine on the exhale.

Beautiful,

One more inhale and exhale.

Coming back to center,

Nice tall spine.

Beautiful,

On an exhale breath,

Let's take the ribs over to the right,

Back through center and to the left.

Once more each side.

Once again,

Maybe sensing growing just a little bit taller on each inhale.

And finding pause.

And we'll make some circles.

Any direction,

Any size of circle,

Any speed.

And here your breath does not have to match the movement.

However,

Do keep the breath in some of the T.

So balanced,

Inhale and exhale.

If you feel a space that feels maybe a little sticky or tight or tense and you wanna linger,

Feel free.

And then when you're ready,

We'll take those circles in the opposite direction.

Little churning,

Coming back to a neutral spine.

Dropping that left hand towards the earth.

Not an inhale,

Let's take the right arm up.

We're gonna exhale.

And we're gonna lean gently to the left here.

Really anchoring down through that right sit bone.

You can take your gaze down towards the earth,

Out towards the front of the room,

Or even up towards that top arm.

But whatever way you take your gaze,

Continue to roll your heart open towards the sky.

So it's like you're shining your heart.

Beautiful,

On an inhale,

Let's bring that left hand back up through center.

And this time we're gonna lean to the right.

Sensing the side body really becoming spacious and open.

The ribs fanning.

And here you can place a block under the hand that's rooted to the earth if that feels better.

Beautiful,

Inhale.

Coming back through center as you exhale,

Take the arms wide.

We're gonna twist to the left first.

Beautiful,

So that left hand comes behind that right hand to the knee or the thigh.

And here,

Since it's our first twist,

I'd like you to think about getting taller on the in-breath.

You may not twist very far on the exhale,

And that's okay.

Once again,

We're focused on lengthening,

Creating space between each vertebra first.

We'll get into some deeper twisting shortly.

Beautiful,

Take one more in-breath,

One more out-breath.

And then inhale,

Come back through center,

Taking the arms up.

Side body stays long as you exhale.

This time we're twisting right.

Allow the back of your neck to stay long.

So notice here,

The chin likes to lift and the back of the neck crunch.

If so,

Gently drop the chin.

So you create nice spaciousness in the cervical spine.

Beautiful,

Inhale,

Come back to center.

Exhale,

Drawing hands to prayer.

And we'll open with an om.

Let's take a breath in and out through the mouth,

Breathing in for om.

Om.

Just noticing where you sense that vibration of the om in the body.

Maybe the sound is lingering in the mind.

We'll come back to that mantra throughout our practice today.

And if om doesn't resonate with you,

Feel free to just press the lips together gently and create a humming-like sound instead.

Let's make our way into tabletop.

So finding hands and knees,

Coming to all fours.

All right,

Once you're in tabletop,

Shoulders over wrist,

Hips over knees,

Let's find some cat and cow.

So as you inhale,

Belly drops,

Toe bone lifts,

The gaze lifts.

As you exhale,

Press the earth away from you,

Rounding through the upper back.

Beautiful,

Take three more,

Breathing in and out.

Inhale and exhale.

Beautiful,

Last one,

Breathing in.

See if you can keep the glutes soft as you round here.

We're just using the strength of the hands to press the earth away.

Beautiful,

Coming back to a neutral sign.

Save our left fingertips to the sky on an inhale.

As you exhale,

Thread that left arm under your right.

We're gonna bring the left ear to the earth,

Or you can place a block under the ear.

So allow this to be gentle.

If you feel like there's any strain,

Certainly grab a block or blanket.

That right hand can stay right where it is,

Or maybe you reach it towards the top of your mat.

On your next inhale,

Pressing into the right hand,

Reach those left fingertips back up to the sky,

And tabletop.

Inhale,

Take your right fingertips up,

Threading the arm through and exhale.

And here as you rest in this shape,

Bring your awareness in that space between your shoulder blades,

The back of the heart space.

Pressing into the left hand,

Inhale,

Reach those right fingertips back up.

Exhale,

Back to table.

Beautiful,

All right.

On an inhale,

Let's lengthen the spine.

And as you exhale,

Keeping thighs parallel,

Seek hips to heels,

Forehead and heart melt towards the earth.

Inhale,

Come back for tabletop.

We're gonna continue with this movement.

Exhale,

Hips to heels.

Breathing in,

Sense the spine lengthening.

Breathing out,

Navel to spine.

Please continue inhaling.

As you exhale,

This time add the sound of ohm.

Ohm,

Inhale through table.

Ohm,

Two more.

Ohm.

This time,

Just hear the sound of ohm silently.

Allow yourself to rest here in child's pose,

Sensing that vibration of ohm once again.

Inhale,

Let's make our way through tabletop.

Come all the way down to the earth.

We're gonna set up for dynamic cobra.

So,

Tops of the feet are pressing into the earth.

Hands are right underneath the shoulders.

Elbows thugging towards the ribs.

And your forehead gently resting on the earth.

Beautiful.

As you inhale,

Lift your head,

Lift your heart.

Exhale,

Gently release.

Let's take two more.

Breathe it in,

Smiling the collarbone.

Breathe it out.

Forehead kisses the earth.

Last one,

Rising up.

We're gonna pause here in our cobra.

So,

Keep that head and heart lifted.

Imagine you're taking your heart to the top edge of your mat as your toes are reaching towards the back edge.

Beautiful,

Just two more breaths.

And maybe you hear that silent sound of ohm.

Exhale,

Last breath in.

Down dog on your exhale.

So,

Once you're in your down dog,

Feel free to pedal the feet,

Walking the dog,

Stretching through the backs of the legs.

You can even circle the hips or make waves with the spine.

We're just taking the opportunity to feel into this particular shape.

How does it feel in your body today?

Know that tabletop is always an option for down dog.

So,

If you don't wanna do down dog today,

Table is another option for you.

Beautiful.

So,

Finding stillness,

Whether it's in table or down dog,

And find about four breaths here.

Coming back to that sangha vritti,

And notice how the breath feels in this shape compared to when you were seated earlier.

Beautiful.

From this shape,

Make your way to the top of your mat.

It can be one big step.

It can be small steps.

We're gonna find a fold.

Beautiful,

Halfway lift,

Hands to thighs,

Knees or shins.

Exhale,

Fold.

Let's take one more just like that.

Halfway lift,

Legs that aid the spine.

Exhale and fold.

Beautiful,

Rising all the way up.

Breathe it in,

Urdhva hrsidasana.

Exhale,

Tadasana.

So,

Your tadasana here may be big toes touching,

Heels slightly apart,

Or it can be feet hip distance apart.

What feels most stable in your body today?

If you like,

You can just rock forward and back the length of the feet,

Finding that space where the weight of the body feels balanced evenly.

Beautiful.

Lift all 10 toes,

Spread them wide,

And then gently place them back on the earth and sense the space that your feet take up.

Beautiful,

A little sun salutation modification here.

Inhale,

Urdhva hrsidasana.

Bring it in,

Exhale,

Open the arms,

Twist to the right.

Beautiful,

Back through cinger,

Inhale.

Twisting left,

Inhale,

Side bodies lengthen.

Exhale,

Fold forward.

Beautiful,

Halfway lift.

Exhale,

Fold.

Rising all the way up,

Breathe it in,

Tadasana.

Breathe it out.

Same,

Same,

Inhale,

Twist right.

Inhale through cinger.

Twist left,

Keeping the hip points square.

Back through cinger,

Long spine,

Folding forward.

Halfway lift.

This time,

Step back to your high plank.

We're gonna hold for four breaths.

Remember that you can lower the knees to table if that feels better.

Here,

As you're holding whatever shape,

Plank or table,

Maybe you sense the silent sound of the OM on each exhale.

Beautiful,

Take one more breath in.

Down dog,

Lift the hips,

Press through the heels,

Root through the knuckles,

Lift the tailbone.

On an exhale,

Top of your mat,

Halfway lift,

Fold forward.

Urdhva hrsidasana,

Rising all the way up.

Exhale,

Tadasana.

Same,

Same,

Breathe it in.

Twist right,

Back through cinger,

Twisting left.

Inhale,

Lead with the heart as you fold.

Half lift,

Keep that length,

Step back,

Table or high plank,

Another four breaths.

Anchor into that silent sound of OM.

Exhale to down dog.

Next,

Exhale,

Top of your mat.

Halfway lift,

Fold forward,

Rising all the way up.

Breathe in,

Tadasana.

Breathe in,

Beautiful.

Take a moment,

Practicing the pause.

Noticing the effects of your practice and maybe you sense that little bit of heat building.

Allow that heat to spread throughout the body,

Melting.

Any tension,

Any area that may feel a little stagnant or sticky,

Just allow yourself to receive that warmth.

That fire of transformation.

Coming back to Sama Vritti on an inhale.

Utkatasana,

Chair pose.

We're gonna hold for four breaths.

You can keep the arms extended.

You can bend the elbows.

You can even bring hands to prayer or fingertips reaching towards the back of your mat.

Just stay low in the hips.

Heart lifting,

Tailbone is dropping.

It's not tucking,

But it's just nice and neutral and dropping,

Beautiful.

Take one more breath in,

Exhale,

Fold forward.

We're gonna halfway lift.

We're gonna step our left foot back.

Lower your left knee to the earth.

So we're coming to a low lunge here.

Take a few breaths here.

If you want to pulse the hips gently,

Feel free.

Keep drawing that left hip forward a little so that you're actually squaring,

Especially if you know that you tend to lean on the hypermobiles.

You keep some strength and stability in the hips.

Beautiful,

Here,

Keep the left hand on the earth or bring it to a block.

We're gonna inhale,

Take that right hand up to the sky for a twist.

Once again,

Your gaze can follow the top hand.

You can just gaze out to the side or you can even gaze down towards that left hand.

Really press into the block or the earth as those right fingertips reach.

Sense the spine lengthening.

Maybe on that exhale,

You find just a bit more rotation.

Now that right hand stays directly over that shoulder.

Make sure that it's not flying back behind you.

We're not hyperextending that shoulder joint here.

Nice and long and spacious,

Beautiful.

Take one more breath in.

On an exhale,

Right hand comes to the earth.

We're gonna step forward to pull top of the mat.

Beautiful,

A halfway lift.

This time,

The right foot steps back,

Right knee moves.

Now we're just taking,

Once again,

Maybe a few pulses,

A few breaths here.

Just really find our foundation.

Allow the earth to support us in this shape.

That left foot is rooting,

That right hip's drawing forward.

Just slightly so the hips stay square.

Spine is lengthening,

Beautiful.

Maybe you grab a block,

Placing it below the right hand.

As you press down,

Inhale the left fingertips.

Notice how your breath responds here in the twist.

If you notice any tendency for the breath to become shallow or holding the breath,

Come out of the twist a little bit.

Reconnect with the breath,

Beautiful.

Take one more breath in.

Exhale,

Lower the left hand.

This time,

We're gonna step back to our down dog.

Beautiful,

Remembering tabletop's always an option here.

If you'd like to skip down dog today or if down dog's not in your practice currently.

Right on your next exhale,

You're gonna step your right foot forward and you're gonna send that left foot down.

I'm gonna switch directions so that I'm facing you.

And you're gonna come up into a warrior two.

So in warrior two,

Our right heel is in line with the left arch.

So it's almost like we're on a tightrope.

The weight in that right foot is evenly distributed.

So notice if you lean towards the arch of the foot or if you lean towards the outside blade.

And can you balance the weight evenly across the whole length of your foot here?

Beautiful.

Arms can be extended.

Arms can also hands at hips or prayer,

Whatever feels best for you.

And take two more breaths.

Feel that expansiveness in the body.

And on an inhale,

Straighten your right leg.

And we're gonna exhale,

Trikonasana,

So triangle pose.

Your right hand can come to the earth,

Ankle,

Block,

Or shin.

And I'd like you to think about keeping the right side body just as long and spacious as the left.

So that may mean coming out of that fold just a little bit,

That side bend a little,

So that you can lengthen.

This is where a block is really nice.

So you can press down to create that length.

Beautiful.

Take one more breath in.

Down dog on your exhale,

Step it back.

Three more breaths,

Heels pressing,

Tailbone lifting,

Knuckles rooting.

And once again,

Maybe you're using that silent sound of om to anchor into your practice.

Beautiful,

Exhale,

Step your left foot forward.

Right foot spins down,

And on an inhale breath,

We find warrior two on the opposite side this time.

So build that foundation from the ground up,

Heel to arch.

Roll into the outside blade of the right foot,

Weight evenly distributed on the sole of the left foot.

And then finding that arm variation that works in your body today.

Connecting with breath,

Imagine your fingertips can touch the opposite walls.

Your shoulders are directly over the hips.

On an in-breath,

Straighten your left leg,

And then find trichinosis.

Remember,

Keeping the left body,

Side body,

As long and spacious as the right.

I'll use the block this time.

So placing it right under the shoulder,

Really press down to that left hand.

This allows you to roll the heart open.

Trichinosis is a little twist for the back body here.

So it allows you to really anchor into the earth as you shine your heart towards the sky.

Take in one more breath,

Exhale to down dog.

Four breaths.

On your next exhale,

Top of your mat.

Halfway,

Floating forward.

Beautiful,

Chair pose,

Utkatasana once again.

Remember,

Finding the arm variation that works in your body today.

We've got three more breaths here.

Thighs hugging in towards each other,

Weight in the heels.

Take one more inhale.

Exhale,

Straighten the legs,

Release the arms by your side,

Tadasana.

We're practicing that pause once again.

Maybe hands come to heart or belly,

Noticing the breath,

The movement of your mind,

What sensations are present in your body?

You notice that warmth,

Maybe more spaciousness or a freer flow of energy.

Using this awareness about the effects of your practice,

Let it guide you as we move through this last little bit.

All right,

Let's bring hands to hips.

Actually,

Grab a block first,

Set it right in front of you on the tall level.

And then coming back to your tadasana,

Bring hands to hips.

We're gonna step that right foot back about two thirds of the way.

So this is not as wide as our warrior two.

This is in just a little bit.

It's out to the right a little bit as well.

So for instance,

It's like this.

So the left toes will face the top edge of your mat.

It's not tight rope alignment.

It's more railroad track even further because this will allow you to square your hips to the short edge of your mat.

So the shape feels stable in your body.

Beautiful,

All right.

So that block is to the inside of that left big toe.

You're really anchoring down through that right heel.

We're gonna bring both hands to our sacrum,

Palms facing away from you.

Great.

I'm gonna take some dynamic forward folding here,

Creating length as well as some fire in the belly and strength in the low back.

So hands can stay here at the sacrum,

Or if you would like a little more fire to this movement,

You can extend the right arm.

Bicep stays by the ear the whole time we're moving.

So as you inhale,

Take a big breath in,

Lengthen and as you exhale,

We're gonna fold about halfway.

So right before the spine begins to round.

If you notice the spine rounding here,

Then come out of your fold just enough to flatten the back.

So maybe you come to parallel spine to the earth.

Just keeping the spine lengthening.

Inhale,

Rise all the way back up.

And as you exhale,

We're folding once again,

Keeping the back flat,

Spine straight.

Take two more,

Breathe in,

Breathe out,

Navel to the spine.

Last one,

Inhale,

Exhale.

We're gonna hold here in the fold for four breaths.

Keep drawing that left hip back as the heart moves towards the top edge of your mat.

That right arm is extended,

That bicep staying by your ear,

That arm's not sagging towards the earth.

Fingertips are reaching,

Take one more breath in.

Beautiful,

Exhale,

Release your arms down.

Fingertips can come to the earth,

Hands can come to the block,

Whatever feels best in your body.

Just allow the upper body to be heavy.

Head is heavy,

Jaw is soft.

Beautiful,

On an inhale,

Half lift.

We're gonna step that right foot forward,

Take a fold.

Beautiful,

Rise all the way up,

Urdhva nishthasana.

Exhale to dusk.

Bringing hands back to the hips,

We're gonna set the left foot back this time.

So that block is in the same spot,

Hands to the sacrum,

Tailbone dropping,

So the neutral spine,

Maybe that left arm extends up.

On an exhale,

Fold halfway,

Keeping the spine straight,

Back flat.

Three more,

Rising up,

Lengthen,

Navel to spine as you exhale and fold.

This time in the fold,

We're gonna hold for about four breaths.

So really press through that right big toe.

Jaw is soft,

Back of the neck is long.

One more breath in,

Exhale,

Releasing hands down to the earth or block.

Head heavy,

Torso heavy.

Inhale,

Halfway lift.

Exhale,

Stepping forward,

Fold.

Rising all the way up,

Inhale.

Exhale to dasana.

Practicing the pulse.

All right,

Bringing hands back to hips.

We're gonna set that right foot back once again.

So we're creating the same shape in the lower body.

This time we're gonna slide that block to the inside of the left foot,

But it's gonna stay under our right shoulder.

It may move in towards the midline just a little,

But we'll set that up in just a moment.

All right,

So on an inhale,

Take that right arm up.

We're gonna keep that left hand at the sacrum for just a moment.

Take a big breath in.

As you exhale,

Fold halfway.

All right,

Place that right hand on your block.

And again,

You may have to adjust so that it feels nice and steady.

You can also use multiple blocks or books if you need to bring the earth a little closer to you.

All right,

On an inhale,

Let's take that left hand and we're gonna reach the left fingertips towards the sky.

So we're finding revolved trichinosoma.

So here,

Really watch the breath,

How the breath flows.

Again,

If you find yourself holding your breath or becoming disconnected,

Come out of the twist,

Reconnect.

If you feel that connection is strong,

Maybe on an exhale,

You deepen the twist just a little bit.

Take one more breath,

Lengthening on the inhale,

Folding forward on your exhale again.

Hands to the earth or block.

Let your head be heavy.

You're also beautiful.

And inhale halfway,

Step forward to pull,

Rising all the way up.

Hands to hips on an exhale.

All right,

Let's step that left foot back with you.

So right toes pointing to the top edge of your room.

That left foot out to the left just a little bit,

Hips are squared.

Go ahead and set up the block or blocks or soup cans or books,

Whatever you may have.

Right hand to the same room,

Inhale that left arm up.

Using that strength of the navel and the low back on an exhale,

We're gonna fold.

Spine comes parallel to the earth.

Place that left hand on your block,

Really root down into that hand.

And on an inhale,

Take the right hand.

We're gonna reach for the sky.

So once again,

The gaze can follow the top hand out to the side,

Even down to the earth.

Just keep rolling the heart open towards the sky.

Take three more breaths here,

Lengthening on the inhale,

Navel to spine on the exhale.

And on the next exhale,

Find a fold over that front leg.

Beautiful,

Halfway lift.

Step back to down dog on your exhale.

Beautiful,

Breathe it in,

Tabletop.

Exhale,

Sink hips to heels.

Inhale,

Back through table,

Hips to heels,

Hearing that silent sound of oh.

Take two more,

Breathe in.

This time we'll pause in our child's pose.

So with the thighs parallel,

Stacking the fists and resting your forehead on the fists may feel better than trying to get your head towards the earth.

Find that shape that works in your body today.

Beautiful,

From here,

Make your way onto your back.

I love placing a blanket under my head,

Especially if you have a fairly deep arch in the neck,

A little extra support.

You can always use the blanket across the belly in our Shavasana in just a moment,

So know that that is an option.

So once you're on your back,

Bring the soles of your feet to the earth about hip distance apart and just gently rock the knees side to side.

Or if it feels better,

You can draw knees into the chest and make circles.

Just taking a moment to reconnect to that support of the earth beneath us.

We've been on our feet for a while,

So let's just feel that connection between our back body and the earth beneath us.

And then gently bring your feet back to the earth.

And then we're gonna cross our right ankle over our left thigh.

And just let that right knee move away from your right shoulder.

You don't even have to take your hand and press it away,

But that is an option.

Just be gentle,

We're not forcing anything here.

And just sense that the hip creases are softening,

The low belly is softening,

Your low back is melting onto the earth.

And you can rest here in this shape,

Or if you like,

You can draw your left knee in towards your chest.

And then you can interlace the hands behind your thigh.

And so if you take this version of figure four,

If your head comes off the earth,

Release that foot back down so that your head can relax back down on the earth.

We wanna keep our low back and the back of the head resting on the earth here.

So if we find some tightness,

Some stiffness in the low back,

That's okay.

Just make the shape work for your body,

Jaw,

So.

Now on your next exhale,

You can release that left foot down to the earth if you had the knee drawn in.

And then uncrossing that right ankle,

We're gonna switch sides.

So take that left ankle over your right thigh.

So a few breaths here,

Once again,

Softening through the hip creases,

The groin,

The low belly,

The glutes,

The low back.

Trust the earth to hold you.

And staying here or maybe drawing the right knee in.

And this may look completely different than the first time,

Or maybe the same.

Just honoring what our body needs in this moment,

Especially if we are feeling depleted or recovering from injury,

And staying connected with your breath.

And then on an exhale,

If you have that right foot lifted gently,

Bring it down to the earth and uncross that left ankle.

Go ahead and grab your strap or towel or belt,

Whatever you may have with you today.

We're gonna loop the ball of the right foot.

And for now,

We'll just keep that left foot on the earth.

Here,

I'd like you to grab the strap,

Placing a little tension on it so that the toes are moving towards the forehead,

But the backs of your arms are resting on the earth.

So you're not grabbing the strap close to the foot.

You're actually using the support of the earth,

Creating a little tension.

So you can have a nice deep bend in the knee.

The idea here is not necessarily to get the leg as straight as possible,

But just to create that support so that you feel,

Once again,

That hip crease,

That glute relax,

And that thigh bone just begin to drop into the socket.

Begin to sense the low back really melting into the earth.

Just that little bit of weight from that tension on the strap and create a sense of ease and release.

And then exhale,

Gently bending the right knee.

And then bringing your left foot into the strap,

However you like.

You're gonna bring that right foot to the earth,

Gently pressing in the left foot towards the sky.

Once again,

A bend in the knee is completely okay.

Just rest the backs of your arms on the earth.

Add a little tension to the strap and allow your thigh bone to really relax down into the hip socket,

Low back into the earth.

So exhale,

Gently begin to bend your left leg.

You can take your foot out of the strap,

Set that strap off to the side and allow both feet to relax onto the earth,

Maybe resting left hand over your heart,

Right hand over your belly.

Just notice what you notice,

What sensations are present.

And without the need to judge or label,

Compare or change,

What is arising?

And then from here,

We'll make our way into your favorite Shavasana.

So if you like to use props,

Bolster,

Pillow behind the knees,

Covering yourself with a blanket,

Anything that you like,

Go ahead and gather that and then allow yourself to rest down onto the earth.

Please note,

If lying on your back is uncomfortable today,

You are also welcome to rest on your left side,

On your belly,

Or you can even find a seated position against the wall,

Just something to support your back body,

Your spine.

And then once you've found that shape in your body that feels easeful,

Allows you to soften,

We're gonna begin to create a little bit of sound on our exhale,

The humming breath.

And it's just that,

It's a hum on our exhale.

So as you breathe in,

Breathe in through the nose.

As you exhale,

Gently press the lips together and hum.

Please continue.

Inhaling through the nose,

Gently humming on the exhale breath.

And then after your next exhale,

Drop the humming sound and just let the breath flow free.

Your eyes can be closed or gazing softly.

Allow the breath to be effortless,

The mind to be effortless,

The body to be effortless.

You're welcome to rest here as long as you like,

But when you are ready to come back,

Just gently begin to deepen the breath.

Sense the points of connection between your body and the earth.

Hear the sounds around you,

Begin to visualize the space that you were in as you arrive back into your physical body and into this present moment.

Allow some spontaneous movement to arise.

Watch as that movement grows and expands into all other areas of your body.

Eventually you may find yourself in a deep stretch curling into a ball and then gently making your way to your favorite side.

From here,

You're welcome to go right into the practice of yoga nidra.

You can find a position for meditation,

Whether that's seated or lying down.

And if you're ready to end today's yoga asana practice,

Go ahead and come up to a seated position,

Bring your hands to your chest,

Bring your feet up to a seated position,

Bringing the hands to heart center.

Take it another moment just to realize the effects of your practice.

What are the quality of your thoughts,

The movement of your mind?

How does the breath feel and what sensations are present in the body?

Again,

Not from a place of judgment,

But from a place of awareness so that we can move back out into the world that nourishes and supports ourselves and therefore those around us.

With hands at heart center,

Let's close the practice with a sound of om.

Inhaling for om.

Om.

Bringing down knuckles to forehead center.

Thank you so very much for allowing me to guide you today and to share your practice with me.

It's an honor and a pleasure.

The light in me sees and honors the divine light within you,

The same light that lights the universe.

Together we bow in gratitude to these practices,

To these teachings.