Welcome.
My name is Diane Harris,
And I feel grateful and privileged for the opportunity to share with you now.
Thank you for inviting me into your space.
This is part one of the Nourish Series,
Legs Up the Wall.
The Nourish Series is a place to restore,
Rejuvenate,
And come home to yourself.
In this series,
You'll be guided into a shape to hold for the practice,
But you can do this practice in whatever shape calls to you.
Please listen to your internal guide,
Not taking or staying in a position that doesn't feel right for you today.
Doing this is the beginning of listening in and of honoring your body needs and yourself.
So let's start our time together by coming into our shape of Legs Up the Wall,
Or whatever shape you determined to be right for you.
To come into Legs Up the Wall,
You're going to find a place that's got some soft ground,
So some carpeting or putting down a mat or a blanket next to a wall,
And perhaps bringing a support to place under your hips.
If you feel quite stiff,
You'll want that support to be lower and maybe placed a little bit away from the wall.
And if you're more flexible,
It might be a higher support and closer to the wall.
You might have to experiment a little bit here.
So placing your support near the wall,
Maybe five inches away,
Sit sideways to the side of the support,
With your feet towards the wall and your face pointing out.
So you can start by sitting sideways or you can start in a table position facing away from the wall.
And you're just going to gently bring your glutes down to the floor,
Rolling your back onto the floor with your butt comfortably nestled onto the cushion.
It won't be graceful getting there.
Take a few minutes now to find your place.
It's worth the effort.
Don't feel rushed.
It's so important to make all the adjustments and take the time you need to find that perfect shape just for you.
Maybe smiling if you're struggling to get up or sliding off of the cushion.
And we come to our practices with a light touch.
And this is what helps us to teach our inner self kindness and compassion.
You might want to lift and release your neck and shoulders.
Try to soften your throat.
You might even like a small blanket or cushion under your head.
When you find your place,
Invite openness and surrender.
And with your arms to the side and your palms up,
Invite your body to start to unwind.
Let your eyes soften and they may even be closed or looking downward.
The longer you stay here,
The easier it becomes to find that release and relaxation.
Feel and connect to the support of the ground.
Now that we've all found our place into our shapes,
It's time to notice your breath.
We're going to practice some equal breathing as a way to settle into our space and settle and forcing the breath.
On your next inhale,
Just start to count slowly in your head with this nice soft inhale.
Let the exhale be what it wants.
Continuing to count and notice the length of the inhale.
And when you inhale,
You might feel and notice the belly lift,
The ribs spread apart.
And once you've learned the length of your inhale,
Try to let your inhale match the length.
Coming into this equal breathing.
Softly in and softly out.
Softly in and softly out.
As you continue to match the length of your exhale to the length of your inhale,
You might be noticing how the ribs spread on the inhale,
Making space and softly surrender and knit together on the exhale.
Continue to count the length of your inhale and exhale for three more breaths.
When you've finished your three breaths,
You can settle in and let your breath be unshaped.
Letting your breath breathe you.
Feel the breath come in and come out without needing to make it be any way.
Without analysis or judgment,
Just notice and perhaps being grateful for the breath.
Can you notice how this connection to breath can help the mind and the body to relax?
You may already feel differently than you did before you started this practice.
Maybe it would feel good to commit to staying present for the remainder of our time together.
Remaining present by noticing the breath.
Then as the mind wanders like it will,
Just notice and come back to noticing something about how the breath feels.
As soon as you've noticed your mind has wandered,
You have actually come back.
So welcome yourself back with a little smile.
Be grateful for the fact that you've carved out this time for you.
Taking this inversion is a great way to relieve stress and tension.
Having your feet and hips up higher than your heart creates this inversion.
Turning your body upside down.
Can you feel how your heart rate may have lowered?
Maybe any feelings of stress or anxiety have started to melt into the ground below you.
Something like gravity is holding you.
By elevating your legs,
You're helping gravity to facilitate the return of blood back into the heart.
In this shape,
Some people enjoy keeping their attention in that heart space.
As the inhale expands the chest,
Let it expand the heart's capacity to hold you,
To hold your emotions,
To gently comfort you as you process whatever's happened in your day up to now.
This shape can feel quite soothing.
As we release any swelling or pain that might have come from our day that is in the lower part of the body,
This is a great shape that you're gifting yourself with.
Whether you've had a busy physical day,
A busy mental day,
It's a great pose to take after flying,
Before you go to bed,
Or if you've done a lot of sitting or standing.
This is self-care.
So,
Tap into that feeling,
Acknowledging that you are nourishing and nurturing yourself right now.
Despite the demands and the busyness of our days,
It's critical that we take care of ourselves as well.
So,
Perhaps as you come back to the breath,
Internally acknowledging that you're here now in this shape for the benefit of yourself and all others.
Taking care of your body and mind.
You might feel that you're relieving some tension in the low back.
You might feel your pelvic floor relax.
Can you also feel the mind relax?
The heart soften as fresh blood courses down the legs and up the legs.
Studies have shown that this shape can reduce the negative effects of chronic pain,
Varicose veins,
Fibromyalgia,
Hot flashes from menopause,
Restless leg syndrome.
But stepping away from the science,
Can you just feel in to what's happening for you right now?
At any time to regain a feeling of presence,
You can come back to that equal breathing as a method to reconnect and dial in.
Can you feel the layers of tension peeling away?
As you spend time in the pose,
Can you feel your body continue to soften and let go?
Breathing in and breathing out.
In ancient texts,
This is a pose that is thought to help maintain youthfulness.
The secret to good health.
Healthy body,
Healthy mind,
Healthy heart.
Improved immune system.
This shape is designed to relax your whole body.
And right now,
I'd like you to find the place in your body that feels the most ease.
Put all your attention into that place.
And let that part of your body teach the rest of your body how to find calm and relax.
As you spread the ease from that location throughout your entire body.
Perhaps picturing relaxation as a color in your body.
And start to paint that through your entire being.
Can you feel the pulse and the vibrating of that color warming your body?
As you sink into the floor in your shape a little bit deeper.
For the next few minutes,
Turn your attention inside.
Just breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in calm.
Breathing out relaxed.
Let your breath soothe your nerves.
And as we get ready to come out of the pose,
Let your attention stay inward focused.
Not letting your mind run on to the next part of your day,
But staying here and just noticing what you feel as you let your breath start to deepen.
You might start to bring some small movements into your fingers and your toes.
Listen in to what your body desires here as a way to awaken.
Maybe an overhead stretch.
See how it feels to move extra slow as you gently roll to one side of the body.
Now letting the floor support your side body.
Pause here.
Take a moment to notice exactly how you feel.
Perhaps with eyes still closed,
You'll use your top hand to push on the floor to gently come up to a seat.
Take a few more of these equal breaths that we started with.
Gently breathing in and gently breathing out.
Just notice if there's anything you want to bring with you as you move now back into the outer world.
You might want to pause with your hands on your heart.
May you know your own goodness and let it shine brightly.
Namaste.
