Welcome,
I'm Danya and I'll be guiding you through this yin practice for the hips,
Legs,
And spine.
I'm so glad you chose to take this time for yourself.
Begin by finding a comfortable seat on your mat.
You might sit up on a folded blanket or a cushion so your hips can soften and your spine can rise with ease.
Take a moment to make any small adjustments that would help you feel more supported.
Shifting your weight,
Finding a little more length in the spine,
And softening your shoulders.
Allow yourself to settle.
Let your hands rest gently on your thighs and close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Let's begin with the breath.
Take a few slow,
Steady breaths.
Notice where you feel your breath most clearly.
Does it move in the chest?
Can you feel it expanding into your lower belly?
Inhale through your nose,
Feeling your ribs gently widen and then release as you exhale.
Now take the deepest breath you've taken all day.
Slowly fill your lungs,
Sending the breath all the way down into your belly and exhale through your mouth,
Letting it go slowly.
Feel your shoulders soften,
Feel your hips grow heavy.
Take two more cleansing breaths like that.
Inhale deeply through the nose,
Exhale softly through the mouth.
Once more,
Inhale and exhale,
Releasing.
Now return to the natural rhythm of your breath.
Noticing how slowing the breath brings you into presence.
Throughout our practice today,
Keep returning to your breath.
Let it be your anchor.
Let it guide you inward.
And let's make our way into the first shape.
Bring the soles of your feet together and allow your knees to open wide like butterfly wings.
Slide your feet slightly forward so your legs create a diamond shape.
As you begin to fold forward,
Allow your spine to round naturally,
Resting your hands on your feet,
Your shins or the floor,
Wherever feels easeful.
Let your head hang heavy towards your heels.
If you'd like more sensation in the inner thighs and adductors,
Draw your feet closer toward you.
If your feet are further forward,
You may feel more length through the hamstrings and along the spine.
If your lower back prefers less rounding,
Keep your spine long and fold only slightly or even take a reclining version on your back.
Once you've found your variation,
Become still.
Feel the soft tug through the lower back,
The gentle opening in the hips and groin.
Notice the quiet inward focus this posture invites.
Stay with your breath.
I will guide you out when it is time.
And to release,
Slowly walk your hands back in and rise up.
Place your hands behind you and lean back into them,
Allowing the hips to reset.
Extend your legs long in front of you,
Coming into a gentle seated backbend.
Let the chest open softly.
And place the sole of your right foot to the outside of your left leg and come into a seated twist to the left,
Lengthening the spine on your inhale and gently rotating on your exhale.
And return to centre.
Place the sole of your left foot to the outside of your right leg and twist to the right.
Again,
Inhale to grow tall and exhale to softly rotate.
And slowly release back to centre.
From a seated position,
Bend both knees and place your feet flat on the floor.
Sit tall and lengthen through your spine.
Bring your hands behind your thighs,
Lift your chest and gently draw your shoulder blades together,
Lifting the chest and opening the heart space.
Switch on some engagement in your core and gently draw your navel in towards your spine to support your lower back.
Grow tall through the crown of your head.
Avoid any collapsing in the chest or rounding through the spine.
And now begin to lift your feet so your shins become parallel to the floor.
Keep your gaze forward.
Keep your heart lifted.
And this may be enough.
You may choose to stay here in half boat,
But if it feels steady,
Release your hands and extend your arms forward,
Palms facing one another,
Shoulders soft.
You may straighten your legs,
Creating a V-shape with your body,
If you can maintain length through the spine.
And hold for three slow breaths.
Gently engaging through the pelvic floor and deep core muscles so the low back stays supported.
Let your breath remain steady and smooth.
Navasana strengthens the core,
Awakening the hip flexors and builds inner heat.
Your agony cultivates balance and reminds you of your inner fire.
And to release,
Bend both knees and slowly lower your feet back to the mat.
Hug your arms around your knees and bow forward for a few breaths.
I like to use boat pose to bring awareness into the belly,
Making it easier to practice deep diaphragmatic breathing while sustaining long,
Healthy in poses.
From here,
Gently make your way onto your back.
You might rock and roll down the spine,
Giving yourself a little massage along the way.
Once on your back,
Draw your knees into your chest for apanasana.
Wrap your arms around your shins and soften your shoulders.
Let the belly relax completely.
You might rock from side to side,
Massaging the lower back and sacrum.
Or remain still.
Take a few natural breaths here.
When you are ready,
Gently rock yourself back up to a seated position,
Or just roll to one side to come up,
With your legs extended straight out in front of you.
Notice your pelvis.
If your lower back feels rounding or straining,
Sit up on a folded blanket or cushion to help the pelvis tilt slightly forward.
And when you are ready,
Begin to slowly walk your hands forward into caterpillar.
Allow your spine to round naturally.
Unless your lower back prefers to stay long,
In that case,
Hinge forward from the hips and keep lengthening.
Find your edge.
That place where sensation meets steadiness.
Move away from any strain,
So you can soften into what should feel like a nourishing stretch.
If your hamstrings feel tight,
Bend your knees or place a bolster or a rolled blanket beneath them.
You may choose to rest your chest or forehead on support to make the shape more restorative.
If your neck feels heavy,
Cradle your head in your hands.
Let your arms settle wherever they feel most natural.
Take a slow inhale through your nose,
And a soft exhale through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale gently,
And exhale and sigh it out.
Soften your legs.
Release any efforts in the quadriceps.
Let the ankles relax.
Feet falling outward,
Toes soft.
Imagine the muscles along your spine melting away from the bones.
As you breathe deeply,
Notice the stretch along the back of your legs,
The glutes,
The hamstrings,
The whole back line of the body.
Sending your breath into any tight spaces.
Each exhale invites a little more ease.
Each inhale creates spaciousness.
Each exhale invites surrender.
We are practicing letting go.
When you're ready to come out,
Take your time.
Slowly walk your hands back towards your hips and rise up.
Lean back on your hands and let your legs shake or wiggle.
Gently to release any residual tension.
And then make your way onto your back for a rebound.
Let the body rest completely in this neutral shape.
Notice what you notice.
Perhaps there's a subtle vibration along the back line of the spine.
Perhaps warmth in your belly.
Perhaps nothing at all.
Simply observe the after effects.
The echo of release.
Now slowly make your way into a kneeling position.
Shins grounded,
Heart lifted gently.
And bring your hands to your lower back.
Fingers pointing down,
Supporting your low back.
Gently press your hips forward as you start to lift through the chest,
Creating space along the front of your body for a mild variation of camel.
On an inhale,
Lift through the crown of your head,
Creating length in the spine.
On an exhale,
Let the hips drift forward as the chest rises.
Pause here if this feels spacious enough.
Or if your body invites you deeper,
Slowly let your hands travel back towards your heels.
If the heels feel a little too far away,
Try tucking your toes or bringing two blocks to your sides.
Wherever you are,
Soften into the shape.
Notice the gentle stretch across your chest and belly.
The lengthening of your thighs.
Feel the space created at your heart.
Keep your neck long,
Either gazing upwards or downwards.
Or let the head release all the way back if that feels comfortable for your neck.
Avoid any pushing.
Instead,
Soften into the stretch and allow the time here to open the front of the body.
Breathe into any subtle sense of vulnerability in the backbend.
And also the surge of courage felt by opening the front body and the seat of your heart.
Stay here for a few more breaths.
Trusting time will do the work of releasing.
No need to force or strive.
Just allow.
And when you are ready to release,
Gently bring your hands to your lower back if they are down.
With care,
Draw your chest forward and slowly sit back on your heels in Seiza,
Hero's pose.
And rest here for a few breaths.
Or you may wish to tuck your toes and sit back on your heels for toe squat.
Hands resting on your thighs and shoulders relaxed.
And pausing here to notice the effects of the heart opening backbend.
Close your eyes.
Perhaps you can sense warmth in your chest.
A softening along the back body.
And slowly make your way down into child's pose.
Arms resting behind you or stretched long in front.
Perhaps you can sense energy flowing.
A soft pulsing through your chest.
The quiet echo of having opened so deeply.
And slowly make your way onto all fours.
Stacking your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your ankles.
Begin to lengthen the spine as you inhale.
And drop down.
Rounding into your exhale.
Taking a few rounds of cat cow.
Moving slowly.
Inhaling to create length along the back body.
Lifting your chest and looking up.
And dropping your chin down to roll the spine into a gentle flexion.
A few more times.
Creating space along the spine.
Feeling the movement ripple into your hips.
Upper back.
And neck.
And coming back to a neutral spine.
Shifting your hips up and back for a few breaths in downward facing dog.
Shifting the weight of your hips from side to side.
Pedaling the feet up and down.
Having a little wiggle here if that feels good.
Or just finding a few moments of stillness.
Before we walk the feet forward and settle into dangle.
And when you are ready,
Walk your feet forward to your hands to the top of the mat.
Maintaining a generous bend in the knees to fold forward.
Letting the upper body hang heavy.
You may want to clasp opposite elbows to bring more weight into your torso.
And allow the crown of your head to pour down towards the earth.
There's no need to straighten your legs.
In fact,
Bending the knees deeply can feel nourishing.
If the back feels tender,
Keep a very generous bend in the knees.
And let the chest rest closely to your thighs.
Or even rest your elbows on your thighs.
This pose is not about forcing a stretch.
It's about surrendering to gravity.
Let the spine drape,
The arms dangle,
The head grow heavy.
Imagine your whole back body melting.
Cascading down.
As you breathe here,
Feel the gentle traction through the lower spine.
Releasing tension that often gathers here at the base of the spine.
Feel the hamstrings and calves awakening.
Stay here for another minute or so.
Softening with each exhale.
If the sensation becomes too intense,
Bend your knees more deeply.
And rest your elbows on your thighs.
Or come upright for a moment before flowing back down again.
If it feels good,
You may sway from side to side.
Or shift your weight slightly forward and back.
Balancing between your toes and heels.
And slowly release your elbows if you are holding them.
And bring your hands to the ground.
Plant your palms firmly,
Spreading your fingers wide.
Bend your knees generously.
Lift your hips high and send them back as you walk the feet back.
And lengthen through the spine into downward facing dog.
Pausing here for a few breaths in stillness.
Or it may feel good to invite some intuitive movement.
So,
Rocking and swaying your hips from side to side.
Moving your spine laterally.
Or exploring some organic spiraling movement.
From here,
We'll move into squat pose.
Bend your knees deeply and step one foot forward and then the other.
Coming into a low crouch at the front of your mat.
Bring your feet about mat width apart.
Toes slightly turned outward.
And lower your hips down towards your heels.
Coming into squat pose,
Malasana.
If your heels are lifting,
You can place a rolled blanket underneath them for support.
Bring your palms together at your heart.
Use your elbows to gently press your knees open.
Lengthen through your spine as you lift your chest.
Feel the grounding through your feet.
The opening through the hips and groin.
This is a deeply rooting posture.
Stabilizing,
Grounding.
Let your tailbone grow heavy.
Let the crown of the head rise.
Creating length in your spine.
Stay for a few more deep breaths.
When you are ready to transition,
You can bring your hands to the floor and step back into downward facing dog.
Taking a few breaths in down dog.
Choosing stillness or movement.
And when you are ready,
Make your way down to your mat.
With both legs extended.
Take a moment here to let your body settle before we move into cat pulling its tail.
To begin,
Twist to the right and lower yourself down onto your right forearm.
Keep your right leg long along the mat for now.
And bring your left leg forward and slightly out to the side.
Now bend your bottom right leg,
Drawing the right heel in toward your glutes.
Reach your left hand back and take hold of your right ankle or foot.
Pause here,
Propped on your forearm.
If you'd like a deeper variation,
Begin to lower your upper back onto the floor.
You can keep the back of the neck long or gently turn your head to look over your left shoulder for a more intense spinal spiral.
Notice what feels like enough today.
Easing away from strong sensations.
Or easing into a deeper variation.
You might experiment with drawing the foot slightly away from you to increase the opening through the front of the thigh.
Make your adjustments so the shape feels sustainable.
And then allow yourself to become still.
Close your eyes.
Feel where the stretch lands.
Perhaps along the quadriceps.
The hip flexors.
Maybe there is a gentle compression in your lower back.
With each inhale,
Create a little more space.
With each exhale,
Soften your efforts.
Stay curious.
Notice how sensations shift and change.
Stay with the breath.
Stay with the unfolding.
I will guide you out when it is time to transition to the other side.
And slowly let go of your foot.
Roll onto your belly and pause.
Let your legs rest long.
Make a little pillow for your forehead with the backs of your hands.
Or rest your arms alongside your body.
Notice what new sensations surface.
Warmth.
Tingling.
Spaciousness.
Just notice what comes up.
And when you are ready,
Gently press yourself back up to a seated position with your legs extended.
Twist to the left and lower down onto your left foot.
And bring your right leg forward and slightly out to the side.
And now bend your bottom left leg,
Drawing the heel toward your glute.
Reach your right hand back to hold your left foot or ankle.
Take your time finding the variation that feels appropriate today.
You may stay propped up on your forearm or lower yourself onto the floor.
Each side will feel different and that's okay.
Perhaps adjusting the angle of your torso,
The position of your head,
The distance of the foot from your body,
Make the shape feel sweet.
And then become still.
Close your eyes.
Drop into the sensations in your body.
Relax your efforts.
Allow the pose to do the work.
Observe the rising and fading of sensations as the muscles slowly release their holding.
All you need to do for the next minute is breathe and let the shape of the pose do the work.
And slowly release your foot and roll onto your back.
Arms relaxed,
Resting at your side.
Legs heavy.
Feet falling out towards the side.
Let the stretch from cat pulling its tail unravel.
With the same sense of curiosity,
Observe what has shifted in your body.
Perhaps there's more space in your hips.
More openness through your thighs.
A lightness in your spine.
Notice the quiet hum inside your body.
The hips now softened.
The legs relaxed.
The legs lengthened and released.
The spine gently awakened and spacious.
With each exhale,
Feel yourself drop a little deeper into rest.
You will stay here for a few minutes in stillness.
And you begin to feel ready to return.
Deepen your breath.
Invite some small movements into your fingers and toes.
Maybe circling your wrists and ankles.
Bend your knees and slowly roll onto one side.
Pausing here for a moment.
And gently press yourself up to a comfortable seat.
Bring your hands together at your heart.
Thank yourself for choosing this time to care for yourself.
And thank you for choosing this time to practice with me.
Your presence is deeply appreciated.
Thank you and have a beautiful rest of your day.
