75 Min Hatha Yoga & Meditation | Permission to Slow Down

This 75-minute Hatha yoga and meditation practice invites you to soften your pace and give yourself permission to slow down. Through mindful movement, steady breath, and quiet moments of reflection, we create space to release urgency and reconnect with presence. The class offers a balanced combination of grounding postures and meditation to support calm, clarity, and nervous system regulation. Ideal for days when you need a slower rhythm and a more intentional practice.

Transcript

So welcome everyone and thank you for joining me this evening. For those of you that haven't practiced with me before, I teach Hatha yoga and meditation. Now, Hatha is the basis to all types of yoga. But we do typically tend to hold the postures a little longer. And it is a slower practice than a vinyasa, For example, Which is a lot more flowy, A lot more fast paced. Now today's class is going to be 75 minutes long. We are going to start with a short meditation. Then we will warm up the body and work our way up to a peak posture. Then we'll cool down and we'll end with a nice long shavasana which is our final resting posture. Now today, Like I said, All you're going to need is your mat. If you have a cushion or blocks, Then go and grab them. Otherwise, Don't worry. And as always, Listen to your body. Never push to the point of pain or strain. If anything does feel uncomfortable, Then come to speak to me at the end of class. Now if you need a break at any point if your breath gets fast and choppy You are very welcome to come into a resting child pose like this. And then just drawing back in. Whenever you're ready. So sometimes I like to use affirmation cards to. . . Help me find inspiration for the class. And today's affirmation card is to slow down. I give myself permission to slow down. Okay, So just serving us as a reminder that it is okay to take things slow, To take a break, To take some time for yourself, Which is what we're doing today in this yoga class. So let's get started in either a seated or a lying position. Now, If you're seated, You can sit cross-legged or kneeling. Invite you to sit up on maybe a cushion or a block as this is generally more comfortable. And then pull out the flesh from beneath your sit bones. This just helps tilt your pelvis forwards so that you get that natural curve in your spine and you're able to sit up a little bit taller. Reach the crown of your head towards the sky as your tailbone roots down towards the earth. Now here there is a tendency to lean forward, So just check your alignment. If you feel that you're leaning forward, Just draw your weight backwards until you feel one vertebra stacked on top of the other. Rest your hands. Wherever is most comfortable. Bring your chin to neutral and slightly up. And when you're ready, Gently. Close down your eyes. And prepare for time within. Take a nice deep breath in. Hold in at the top and a deep breath out. Once more inhale fully filling up your lungs Pause. And exhale release Relax your shoulders. It's often your face. And release your jewel. Become entirely still Bring your awareness to the entrance of your nostrils. Sense the air coming in through your left nostril. Through your right nostril. Or perhaps through both nostrils simultaneously. Observe the incoming and outgoing breath. Without forcing or changing anything. Maintain a natural soft breath. Now slowly begin to lengthen your breath. Breathing with intention. Inhaling and exhaling for a count of three or four Really slow it down here. And with every exhale moving deeper. And deeper towards the state of inner calm. There is nowhere else you need to be. Nothing else requires your attention Release the breath. And repeat the following affirmation after me silently in your head. I give myself permission to sew. Down. I gave myself permission. To slow down. Keeping your eyes closed, Place both hands on your chest. And feel the warmth beneath your palms. In yoga we generally like to set an intention. At the beginning of prayer. So I invite you to join me in setting your intention to be to slow down. Just slow down the breath. Know that it's okay to take a break whenever you need to. It's okay to carve out some new time. Take two more deep breaths. And on your next inhale, Gently open your eyes. And we'll begin. Leave your hands down by your side. You can remain sitting on the cushion or you can remove it. Turn your palms face forward. Exhale, Press your hands towards it. And as you inhale, Reach your arms out wide. X. Inhale, Sweep your arms up. Lengthen your spine. Keep your sit bones rooted towards the earth. And as you exhale, Reach forward. But stop before you start to round the back. Keep your spine nice and elongated. Thumbs point towards the floor, Lower your hands down but stay up high on your fingertips. Your head in alignment with your spine. Hold it here. Maybe you start to call your hands forward moving a little deeper if that feels okay in your body Maybe you go a little deeper, You might even. . . Drop onto your forearms, Maybe you rest your head on a block. Once you reach your limit, Hold it here and just breathe. Closing your eyes, Really feeling into your body. Slowing down serves. Too. Help us develop awareness. Awareness of our body our breath our mind Now prop yourself back up onto your fingertips if you are your forearm. Relax your head and slowly walk your hands towards your body, Just propping yourself back up to a seated position. Then we're going to switch legs so if your left leg is forwards bring your right leg in front and if it's uncomfortable on your knees or on your hips here you can always extend one leg or extend both legs. Now let's move to the other side, Palms face forward. Exhale, Press your hands towards there. Inhale, Reach your arms out wide. Exhale. Inhale, Raise your arms up towards the ceiling. Lengthen, Lengthen, Lengthen. And as you exhale, Reach forward. Sit bones remain glued to your cushion or the floor. Thumbs point downwards. Lower your fingertips towards. Their flow. And breathe maybe starting to crawl your hands forwards again, Nice and slowly, Giving yourself a moment to adjust. Before you take it that little bit deeper. Breathe here. And connect to your reason for practicing yoga. Maybe it's simply to just get away from this. Husband and kids. Or to de-stress after a long day's work. Relax your head and start to walk your hands towards your body, Slowly helping yourself back up. And again, Palms face forward. Exhale, Press your hands towards the ground. Inhale, Reach them out wide. Exhale. Imagine someone's grabbing onto each hand here and pulling in opposite direction so you feel your chest and your back expand. Inhale, Arms up. Elongate the spine exhale arms to parallel now on your next in breath shift your weight your body over towards the left but keeping your right glutes firmly on the floor palms face backwards lower your left hand onto the ground but stay up high onto your fingertips and as you press your fingers into the mat your rib cage pushes out into the opposite direction right arm comes up and over coming into a nice seated side stretch here Maybe your palm comes onto the floor depending on the length of your arms. Keep pressing the hand that's on the floor into the ground and reaching your right fingertips over, Your shoulders and hips facing forwards. You're not twisting here. Breathe into your right side body. Wonderful now to come up press your left hand into the earth as you relax your upper arm return to arms parallel Inhale, Sweep your arms up. Exhale, Hands come to touch and down to heart center. Let's take it to the other side, Palms face forward. Exhale press your hands towards the ground inhale reach your arms out wide hold it here exhale Inhale, Raise your arms up. Extend the spine. Exhale arms to parallel. This time it's your left glute that stays glued to the mat. Inhale, Shift your body over towards the right, Palms face backwards. Lower your right fingertips to the mat. Press into the mat as your ribcage pushes in the opposite direction. This serves to open up both sides of your ribcage. Right arm comes up and over. Now your head is always in alignment with your spine, So you're not looking up, You're not looking down, You're looking forward. Keep reaching your left fingertips over. Breathe into your left ribcage. Looking for the sensation of expansion. Wonderful press your right hand into the earth as you roll back out arms parallel Inhale, Sweep your arms up. Exhale, Hands come to touch and down to heart center. Release your arms. We're going to go for a gentle seated twist here. So bring your hands over towards the right and imagine your spine is like a bamboo pole and in a moment we're going to rotate around the bamboo pole. So inhale, Sweep your arms over towards the left. Reach, Reach, Reach to create length. You always want to create length before coming into a twist. I'm going to turn around here so you can see me. Point your thumbs downwards and lower your hands down. So your right hand is on your left knee and your left fingertips are on the ground. Make sure you're up high on your fingertips. Press your left fingers into the ground, Grow taller. And then turn to look up and over your left shoulder. Try not to yank too much on your knee here. You're not forcing anything. We're still warming up the body here. Check in with the breath. Are you able to breathe? Freely if not perhaps you're twisting a little bit too much. Now keep your head where it is. Your head is the last thing to come out. Slowly start to unravel as you turn to face the front. And then we'll move to the other side. So hands over towards the left this time. Inhale sweep your arms over towards the right keep reaching reaching reaching extending through both sides of the way Turn your thumbs downward and then lower the hands down. So this time it's your. . . Left hand on your right knee and your right fingertips on the ground but thumb pointing. Backwards to open up their chest. Press your right fingers into the ground, Grow taller with your inhale. And as you exhale, Look up and over your right shoulder. Breathe here. You breathe unrestrictedly. Remember your head is the last thing to come out. Slowly start to unravel from your hips, Lower back, Middle back, Upper back and shoulder. And from here just clasp your hands behind your back. Straighten your arms as you reach your chest forward. They're stretching out the chest. And the shoulders. And then release. Now do this again, But bringing the other thumb in front. So if it was your left thumb in front, Bring your right one in front, The one that feels a little bit awkward. And again, Straightening the arms. Opening up the chest and shoulders. And then. So come on to all fours now. Hands shoulder width apart, Knees hip width distance apart. Spread your fingers out nice and wide. We're going to take a few rounds of cat-cow here. So looking towards the ground. As you inhale, Lift your bum up. Your lower back comes down, Mid-back, Upper back. Relax your shoulders. Bend your elbows, Not outwards, But backwards slightly. And as you inhale, Actively pull your hands along the mat. Take the diving motion so chin reaches diagonally forwards and up. This just helps open up the whole of your front body. Make sure your hips don't come up. Forwards they stay on top of your knees at all times. And keep your head where it is. As you start to exhale, You're going to start to round through your low back first, Then your mid-back, Upper back. And then look towards the floor. Perhaps you press your hands into the earth. And again inhale lift your bum up. Lower back comes down mid back upper back relax the shoulders bend the elbows pull your hands along the mat As your chin reaches diagonally forwards and up. Help. Exhale, Round through the low back, Mid back, Upper back. Look towards the floor. Press your hands into the earth cap. Now keep moving like this at your own pace. Close your eyes to feel in to your body noticing every single sensation Move slow here. Remember our intention to slow down. Feel the wave-like motion in your body as you move. And note that the movement starts in your pelvis and then it ripples through the rest of your spine all the way up to your crown. Let's take one more. And then we'll meet in cat pose with our back arch. Now walk your hands forward. Hands remain shoulder width apart. Curl your toes under. Press your feet into the earth as you lift your knees, Hips up and back. First Downward Facing Dog of today. If your knees can remain bent here, It's more important to have. . . Straight back than to have straight legs. Inhale, Press your hands into the earth as you lengthen through your neck and spine. Soften the legs here and gently press Your shoulders towards your heel. Let's take five deep breaths here in through the nose. And then out through the mouth. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. And exhale. Last one. Inhale. Exhale. Use the exhale to release. Release any tension, Any negative thoughts. Good. Now come up high onto your tippy toes. Roll forward. Coming to high plank, Perhaps you walk your hands forward so that your shoulders are stacked over your wrists or slightly behind. We're gonna hold it here for five breaths. If this is too much, Just drop your knees to the floor. I'm gonna talk you through alignment as you breathe. So you wanna make sure that your hips aren't too low, They're not too high either. You're creating a nice straight line from your heels to the crown of your head. Your gaze is about a metre on the floor in front of you. Press your hands into the earth you're almost rounding your upper back here. One more breath. Then either lower from high plank or we're going to drop our knees to the mat. Shift the weight forwards, Bend your elbows backwards as you slowly lower down chin, Chest and onto your belly. Come up onto your forearms, Make an L shape with your hands and grab onto opposite elbows. Chin to chest. As you inhale, Pull your elbows along the mat. The chin reaches diagonally forwards and up. Nice strong shoulders here you're not collapsing you're pressing your elbows into there. If you feel any twitching sensation in your lower back, Relax your legs. And your buttocks, You cannot effectively stretch. A tense muscle. Wonderful. Lower down onto your belly. Hands come to either side of your rib cage. Curl your toes under. And as you exhale, You're going to press your hands down and forwards to come up in one smooth movement back to your down dog. So exhale, Press the hands down and forwards. Downward facing dog three breaths here perhaps you walk it out here bending into one knee into the other Now bend both knees, Bring your gaze in between your hands and step your feet to the front of the mat, Taking baby steps here. Feet hip width distance apart. Relax your head and let your arms hang heavy. Perhaps you grab onto opposite elbows here. Don't lock your knees here so a micro bend in the knee. Make sure that the weight is evenly distributed across both feet. Breathe here. Becoming aware of gravity in your body. Allowing the gravity to. . . Pull you down extending the spine. Maybe you even rock your arms from side to side here. You might even shake your head from side to side. Forwards and backwards just to release any tension in the neck. Find some gentle. One more breath. And as you exhale, Release the arms. Bend your knees. Shift your weight back into your heels. And as you roll up. Nice and slow press your feet into the earth and send your arms out wide palms face forwards exhale Inhale, Reach your arms up. Lengthen, Lengthen, Lengthen. Exhale, Hands come to touch. Downtown center, Anjali Medra. And release your hands down by your side. Come to the top of your mat, Feet hip width distance apart. Step your right foot maybe a metre behind and come up onto the ball of your right foot so your heel is directly stacked on top of the ball of your feet. Chin to chest. Exhale, Actively press your hands towards the ground. Hips remain pointing forwards. Inhale, Reach your arms forward. Your head moves up following the movement of your hands. Inhale Exhale. Inhale grow a little taller and as you exhale reach your arms back But stop bending when you stop elongating, So you don't need to go too far here. You're not cranking all the way back. We're aiming for a nice chest opener here. And if this feels funky in the low back, Just come up a little bit. Hold it here them back up through center. And come to touch, Draw them down towards your chest. And bring your hands over towards the right now. So we're going to do another twist. So your feet remain the same. So inhale, Sweep your arms over towards the right. So your hips remain facing forwards, But your arms. . . Are over towards the right and your hands are pointing together, Your palms are facing each other. Reach your arms up. Hold it here. I slowly start to unravel. To face the front. Lower your right heel down, Bend into your front knee. Step. Your right foot forward, Palms come to touch and then down to heart centre. Release the arms. Okay, Let's do the other side now. So step your left foot back. And then come up onto the ball of your left foot. So your heel is stacked over your left foot, Hips facing forward. This is warrior one. Look towards the floor. Exhale, Press your hands towards the ground. And as you inhale, Reach your arms forwards and upwards. Your head follows the movement of your hand. Stop at the top for a moment. Take another deep breath in as you lengthen. And then exhale, Reach back. Stop bending when you stop elongating. Hold it here. Exhale, Return through center. Palms come to touch, Draw them down to your heart center. Release the arms, Bringing them over towards the left this time. Then inhale, Sweep your arms over towards the right. Remember, Your hips keep facing forward, But your arms are over towards the right. Palms facing each other. Hold it here and then slowly unravel Lower down your left heel. Bend into your right knee, Step your left foot forward. Palms to touch and down to heart center. Release your arms, Palms face forward. Exhale, Press your hands towards the ground. And as you inhale, Reach them out wide. Exhale. Inhale, Arms up. Create space between your vertebrae. Exhale. Inhale, Grow a little taller with the breath. And as you exhale, Reach your arms and hands forwards, Lengthen, Lengthen, Lengthen, Lower your hands all the way towards the ground. Don't worry if they don't quite touch the ground. Standing forward bend. A few breaths here. Maybe you bend one knee, You bend the other. Again, Just playing around. With finding some intuitive movement. Plant your hands and step your feet to the back of the mat, Making your way once again to a downward facing dog. Spread your fingers out nice and wide. Press your hands into there. Lengthen through your spine. Shoulders away from your ears. And then gently pushing your shoulders towards your heels. Just take three breaths here. And shift your weight onto your left foot. And as you inhale, Slowly with control, Start to raise your right leg, Keeping your right foot flexed. Hips parallel. Three-legged dog point your right foot. Hold it here. This is a really great posture for strengthening the hamstrings. Now option one, You can flex your right foot and lower it back down to the mat, Returning to your down dog. Or option two, Roll forwards, Bring you a right. Knee to your right elbow and then step your right foot to the outside of your right hand if you're in down dog come up onto your tippy toes and step your right foot to the outside of your right hand. Shoulders over wrists. Now your hands can be flat on the ground or maybe you're on your fingertips if you have blocks you might even. Face blocks underneath your hands. Maybe you slide your left foot backwards. To lengthen this step. Hold it here, Breathe down your right foot. And hug your right knee inward so your right knee isn't going out towards the side. Hold it here. And then perhaps you gently rock forwards and backwards. Option to lower the left knee to the ground, Untuck your left foot. And then we're going to go into a twist here. So inhale, Reach your left arm up towards the sky as you turn towards. Or did I say the left? I meant the right. So right arm up towards the sky. Press your left hand into the mat. Hold it here and lower your right hand down. I'm going to take the diving motion here to lengthen before we twist on the other side. So bending the elbows backwards, Inhale. Reach your chin diagonally forwards and up. And then plant your right hand down so your right tricep pushes against your right knee. Find your balance. Inhale, Lift your left arm up towards the sky as you turn towards the left. Good. Lower your left hand down. Remove any blocks that you might be using. Come onto your fingertips, Tuck your left foot and lift your left knee up. Walk your hands over towards the left as you pivot on your feet bring your feet to parallel And then stay up high on your fingerships. Start to walk. Your fingers forward. Coming into a wide-legged forward bend. Keep your knees unlocked here. And you can play around with the stance of the posture to go deeper, Heel toe your feet outwards. If you feel like this is too intense, Perhaps you heel toe your feet inwards. Breathe here. Yoga is all about slow conscious movement. It's about staying present and focused. So if your mind starts to wander just bring it back. To the present moment. Bring the focus back to the breath. Now walk your hands in between your feet. And then turn your fingers around so your fingers are pointing backwards. Turn around so that you can see me here. Lean your weight slightly forwards seeing if you can lower your head a little bit further towards the ground. Then walk your hands forward bringing your Fingers underneath your shoulders. Walk your hands over towards the left as you pivot on your feet. Plant your hands, Step your left foot back downward facing it off. Maybe you walk it out here peddling the feet. Shift your weight onto your right foot and slowly with control start to raise your left leg, Three-legged dog. Point your left foot, Raise it a little higher but keeping your hips parallel. Hold it here. Can you feel the stretch all the way down the back of your right leg? Now take whichever option you took on the other side. Perhaps you lower back through down dog before stepping your left foot to the outside of your left hand. Or perhaps you come straight from a three-legged dog, Rolling forwards, Bringing your left knee to your left. Elbow and then stepping your left foot to the outside of your left hand. Make any adjustments you need, So shoulders over wrists or slightly behind. Maybe slide your right foot back a little bit. Your hands are either flat on the mat, On your fingertips or on blocks. And then start to rock forwards and backwards just to ease into this lizard pose. Which is quite a strong hip opener. Find some stillness. And then if you did so on the other side, Drop your right knee. To the mat, Untuck your right foot. Shift your weight into your right hand. And as you inhale, Sweep your left arm up towards the sky, Turn towards the left. Pressing your right hand into there. And hugging your left knee in. Rooting down the big toe of your left foot. Lower your left hand down. Let's take the diving ration. Lengthen the spine, Chin to chest, Bend your elbows backwards, Reach your chin diagonally forwards and up. Okay, Now this one's a little bit more tricky. Shift the way into your left hand. Left tricep pushes against your left knee. Inhale sweep your right arm up towards the sky as you turn towards the right Good. Lower your right arm back down. Tuck your right foot, Lift your right knee up if it's on the ground. Ground. Walk your hands back through centre, Pivoting your feet, Coming back to your wide-legged forward bend. Come up high onto your fingertips, Walk your hands forwards, Draw your hips backwards, Feel your spine get nice and long here. Remember knees soft here, You never want to lock the knees. Take a moment to reflect on. Our intention to slow down. Knowing that we will have days where. . . Not productive and that's okay. Clearly start to walk your hands over towards the right coming to a side stretch you don't need to go too far perhaps you just come to one or two o'clock Crawl the hands forwards, Draw the hips backwards. Return through centre and walk your hands over towards the other side. Again, Not going too far, Maybe just 10 or 11 o'clock. Keep walking the hands forwards, Drawing the hips backwards. And then walk your hands all the way around to the front of your mat. Plant your hands. And step your Right foot back, Returning to your down dog. Five breaths here. Keep pressing your hands into the earth. Lengthening through this spine. Imagine I'm placing both of my fingers on either side of your hips and just lifting you up and pushing you back, Up and back. Good. Now inhale, Come up high onto your tippy toes. Roll forward, The movement starting in your pelvis, Rippling through your spine. Perhaps you walk your hands forwards to ensure that your shoulders are over your wrists. Let's hold high plank, Five breaths. Or low plank, Whichever you're feeling today. Just make sure that you're pressing your hands into the earth and rounding through your upper back so you're filling up the space in between your shoulder blades. Strong core here. Nice straight line from your heels to the crown of your head. Building core strength here. Then either slowly coming down directly from high plank or again we lower our knees to the mat shift the weight forwards bend the elbows backwards And lower down nice and slow onto her belly. And tuck the toes. Now we're coming to a peak pose, Which is. . . Locust pose or Shalambhasana in Sanskrit. Keep your hands underneath your shoulders. So they're very lightly pressing on the ground. Now your toes are pointing backwards. Press the tops of your feet into the earth. Engage your call and lift your chest. The crown of your head reaching forward. It's almost as if you can lift your hands off the ground here. They're really not pressing firmly into the ground. Hold it here. And draw your elbows towards one another. Good, Now slowly lower down onto the mat, Bring your right ear to the mat. Arms by your side palms face up Maybe you shake your hips from side to side just to. . . Release the lower back. Now turn your head so you're facing forwards again, Chin on the mat. Bring your palms on the mat. And then come up high onto your fingertips. So pressing the tops of your feet into the earth, Activate your core, Lift your chest, Press your fingers into the mat. The crown of your head reaches forward. You're aiming for length here. This is a really great pose. For building back strength. Hold it here. And breathe. Good job. Couple more breaths. And then release, Left ear to the mat, Palms face up. Shake your hips from side to side. Okay, Last one. Look forward. Palms come onto the mat. This time, Clasp your hands behind your back. Press the tops of your feet into the earth. Engage your core. Lift your chest straight and your arms. Reach the crown of your head forward. And then perhaps one foot comes off the ground and then the other. Hold it here. Nice and strong. And then gently release. Make a little pillow with your forearms, Resting your head on the back of your hands. Once again, Maybe you rock your. . . Hips from side to side. Good, Now bring your hands underneath your shoulders and just prop yourself up. You're going to extend your left arm out in front of you. So your left palm is pressing onto the floor. And then your right arm, Bring it out towards, So horizontally towards the left, Palm faces up. We're aiming for a shoulder stretch here, Stretch of the right shoulder and then gently lower down. Now if this feels uncomfortable, If you have any shoulder problems, Then gently come out, Don't go too deep. Let's just hold it here for a few breaths, Breathing into the resistance. Remembering that you never want to push to the point of strain or pain. In yoga, We're always aiming to find our edge, Our limit, And know that our edge, Our limit can change from day to day. Moving slowly to build awareness. This is the safest way to maintain a healthy home yoga practice. Gently press your left hand into the earth as you come up. Withdrawing your right hand. Now bring your right arm in front of you. We're going to the other side. Press your right palm. Into this and bring your left arm out towards the right, Palm facing upwards and then lower down gently, Slowly. You might find that you have more room on one side. We're often imbalanced, Our left and right is imbalanced. That's okay. That's normal. It's important to know our limitations. Gently press your right hand into the ground. Ah, Dear. Remove your left arm. Bring your hands beneath both shoulders. Press your hands into the earth as you sit your bum back towards your heels. Come up high onto your fingertips. Walk your fingers forwards drawing your hips backwards. Child's pose here. Keep your head elevated for now. Head in alignment with your spine. This is an active child pose. Breathe here. Sending the breath to the back of your ribcage. Expanding on the inhale and going deeper on the exhale. Relax your head and slowly start to walk your fingers towards your body as you prop yourself up to a kneeling position. Swing your legs out in front of you. And flex your feet, Feet hip width distance apart here. Just pull out our bum cheeks here so that we can sit up a little bit taller. And know that if you have a tendency to round your lower back, If you feel like you're falling backwards, Then perhaps you come to sit up on a cushion or a block. Now to start with just. . . Come up high onto your fingertips, Placing your fingertips just behind your buttocks. Press your hands into the earth and just walk forwards and backwards. Good, Now you can either stay here, This is option one, Or option two. Bring your palms face forward. Exhale, Press your hands towards the ground. Inhale, Reach them out wide. Exhale. Inhale, Arms up, Lengthen. Exhale reach your arms forwards but stop before you start to round your back so none of this Nice long spine. Thumbs point downwards, Lower your fingers down. Head in alignment with your spine. Take a deep breath in. Create space. And then maybe you start to crawl your hands forward. Exhaling to soften. Keep your knee joints relaxed here. Inhale create space Maybe you walk your hands a little further. And then exhale, Soften. Relax your head and slowly walk your hands. To awards. Your body propping yourself up to a seated position. Bring your left hand under your left knee, Help your left knee up. And if it's available to you, Bring your left foot over your right knee. As long as your foot can be flat on the mat and your knee pointing upwards. Otherwise, Bring your foot just out in front of you with the palms distance between your foot and your leg. From here, Once again, Pulling out the flesh from beneath the sit bones, Flex your right foot. Bring your hands over towards the right. Inhale, Sweep your arms over towards the left. Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach. Create length. Point your thumbs downwards lower your arms so your right arm is wrapping around your left knee perhaps your left foot comes a little bit closer and then you're So your left finger's on the ground. Press your left fingers into the earth, Grow taller and then look up and over your left. Order. One more breath. And exhale gently. Unravel. Release your left leg. And we'll come to the other side. So help your right. Leg up. Be your right fit. Over your left knee. Right foot firmly on the ground, Knee pointing upwards. I'm going to turn around so you can see me. Bring your hands over towards the left. And as you inhale, Sweep your arms over towards the right. Lengthen, Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach. Point your thumbs downwards and lower your arms. This time it's your left. That wraps around your right knee. And your right hand comes onto the floor. But make sure you're up high on your fingertips so that you can maintain this nice straight spine. Press your hand into the earth glow taller. And exhale, Look up and over your right shoulder. And now gently release. And extend your right. Okay, So now. . . If you have a wall nearby, We're just gonna move towards the wall. If you don't have the wall, Don't worry. If you have a cushion, Bring that with you. And move towards the ball. So we're going to come to lie down here with the head almost touching the wall. So bend the legs here, Feet flat on the mat, And your feet are hip width distance apart, Knees are over your ankles. We're going to come up into a bridge pose here. Now if you don't have a wall you can still do this. Without the wall nearby. Start by rotating the pelvis towards your upper body. You should feel. Your lower back becoming flush with the mat. Just hold it here for a moment. Should feel a nice stretch all the way up your spine. And then slowly start to. . . Thank you all. Lower back. Mid back, Upper back, Off the ground. Then lift your head up off the ground for just a moment. Press your feet into the earth to come up a little bit higher. And then relax your head back down. We're gonna hold it here for five breaths in bridge pose. You can either stay here or perhaps you clasp your hands together, Walking your shoulders inward. Reach your thighs diagonally forwards and your chest diagonally backwards so that you're opening up the whole of your front body. Make sure that your knees are pointing forwards and not outwards. Breathe. Good, Now staying up high in your bridge. If your hands are clasped, Release your hand. If you have a cushion or a block nearby Place it underneath your hips. And then slowly. Roll down vertebra by vertebra. Coming to rest. Your bum on your cushion. Or your block. And then raise your legs up towards the ceiling. For an inversion, We're gonna stay here for maybe 10 to 15 breaths. Versions are really great to get the blood flowing. Improve your metabolism, Your digestion. Let's take a couple more breaths here And then if you're by a wall perhaps you bring your feet behind you so that your feet just touch the wall. Almost like a supported plough pose. Press your feet into the wall. You might want to adjust. Cushion on your lower back to get a nice strong stretch. All the way down the backs of your legs. You can also do a normal plow pose if you're familiar with that. Or just remain with your legs. Pointing towards the sky. Stay here for one more moment. And then release. Slowly lower your feet back down onto the mat. Press your feet into that. Lift your hips for a moment. Remove your cushion. And then lower back down vertebra by vertebra. Bring your knees to your chest and give yourself a nice big hug here. Nice squeeze. Maybe you walk from side to side. Option to draw your Forehead was your knee. And hold for a moment before releasing. And reach your arms up towards the ceiling. Slide your hands in between your knees and grab onto your heels. Flex your feet and bring your heels up towards. The sky, Happy baby pose. If you want to go deeper, Perhaps you gently tug down on your heels just a little bit. Lower your knees a little bit closer towards the ground. Maybe you have a play around here by rocking from side to side. Or straightening one leg. Straightening the other. And lower both heels down to your butt cheek. With your feet. Your hands onto your knees and we're going to take some knee circles here so drawing your knees out towards the side and then inwards. As if you're drawing two circles with your knees. And then switch directions. Your knees to touch. And then lower your left foot to the ground and place your hands over your right knee. Slide your left foot all the way down the mat. Flex your left foot. Draw your right knee towards your chest and then slightly out towards your right armpit. Hold it here. Maybe you gently rock. Your right knee from side to side. Finding some gentle movement here. Extend your right leg towards the ceiling. And grab onto the back of your right thigh, Or if you're hyper-flexible, Maybe even the back of your right calf muscle. And then gently Draw your leg a little bit closer to your upper body. Hold it here. Maybe you point or you flex your foot. Let's try out a few different things. How does it feel different in your body? That way you'll right fit the mat. Bring your left knee to your chest this time. Interlace your hands over your left shin. Slide your right foot down, Flexing your right foot. Draw your left knee towards your chest and then slightly out towards your left armpit. Hold it here. And if you want to, Maybe finding a little rock. From side to side. Straighten your left leg up towards the sky. And grab onto the back of your thigh or your calf muscle. Flexing or pointing your left foot. And then slowly lower your left foot to the mat. So bend into your right leg as well. Feet are flat on your mat. I'm going to go to. . . Figure of four now. So your right foot, Your right ankle comes over your left knee, Flex your right foot. Option one, Press your right hand gently against your right knee. Option two, Maybe your right hand threads through the hole and interlaces behind your left thigh. And option three, Maybe you interlace your hands over your left shin. So go to whichever level feels comfortable for you. Remember that right foot flexed, Hold it here. Close your eyes. Slow down the breath. Use the breath to release any remaining tension in your body. Any stresses from your day, Any worries. Use the exhale to offload. With every breath moving deeper and deeper. Towards a state of rest and relaxation. It's a sensation of inner calm and of peace. Sacred space that we all hold within. Gently and mindfully lower your left foot to the mat. And help your right foot down as well. This time it's your left ankle that comes over your right knee. Flex your left foot. Take whichever variation you took on the other side, Whether that's left hand pressing against left knee. Or wrapping their arms, Their hands around the back of your thigh or your shin. And keep your eyes closed here. It really helps to rid yourself of any distractions. It helps you focus, It helps you turn the gaze inwards. So that you're able to Observe, You're able to witness whatever's going on in your body. Notice how this side feels different. Notice how good it feels to. . . Slow down to take a breath. To carve out time for us to Nourish our body, Mind and soul. Yoga is an active self-care, Self-love. So by spending time on your mat You're actually. . . Serving others. Because if you're in a better place, Then you're able to. Give more. You're able to show love more. You're able to show up as a better person. Gently lower your right foot to the mat. And help your left foot. Down as well. Straighten one leg and then straighten the other. Prep yourself up onto your elbows. We're going to make our way to our final resting posture. So if you want to put on a jumper, Grab a blanket, Feel free to do so. And then when you're ready to come into Shavasana, You're going to lengthen the lower back first. So pressing the hands and the forearms into the earth towards the feet. As you point the feet and your upper body reaches backwards. Slowly lowering down. And then let your feet flop out wide, Palms phase up. I'm going to stay here for three to five minutes. So get yourself comfortable. Take a nice deep breath in. Hold your breath a little. And then deep breath out Once again, Inhale fully. For and exhale release Become aware of the shape of your body. Bye when you're left. And bring your attention to the parts of your body that are in contact with the air. You'll heal. The backs of your legs. The bum and hip. Your back, Your shoulders, Your arms Notice the point where your head touches the floor. Allow your body to fully melt into the earth let go surrender Allow your mouth to drop slightly open. As you release your jaw. Feel the skin around your eyes soften. My ball is heavy. Release any tension in your forehead. Keeping your eyes closed. Slowly begin to come back into your body. Now I'm looking at it. Start by finding some gentle movement. In your hands and in your feet. Wriggling your fingers and moving your toes. Mark your head from side to side. Releasing any remaining tension in your neck and shoulders. Your head back to neutral and take a nice deep breath in through the nose. Open your mouth and sigh it out. And again, Deep breath in. Exhale, Let it all out. And in your own time stretch it out here. Maybe you take a yawn. Bend your knees and roll over onto your right hand side. Using your right upper arm as a pillow. So hold it here for a couple of breaths. Offering up. Gratitude. Everybody. Keeping your eyes closed, Gently prop yourself up to a seated position. Resting your hands on your knees or your legs. Take a moment to sit in stillness and in silence. As you check in. How are you feeling? Compared to the beginning of class. Often what we learn on the mat we can take into our daily life. So I invite you to think about how you can. . . Slow down. Now you can remember to slow down in your daily life. To help you become more present. More aware. Keeping your eyes closed, Bring your hands to prayer. And draw your hands up towards your forehead, Resting your thumbs on your third eye. The space in between your eyebrows and slightly up. May your intuition always guide you in the right direction. Lower your hands down to your mouth. Pressing your thumbs and your lips. May you always speak the truth with love and kindness. And lastly lowering your hands down to your chest. May your heart be full of love. And compassion. Always. Let's bow to one another.