Hello and welcome back.
This is a grounding embodied flow designed to calm the nervous system,
Release stress and guide you into deep relaxation.
Gather some props,
Perhaps a bolster or two firm pillows and a couple of blocks and a blanket.
The more supported you are,
The more deeply you can let go.
Let's meet in a seated position,
Hands resting on your knees.
Take a deep breath in and a long,
Slow exhale out.
Perhaps closing your eyes and letting your awareness drift inwards.
Breathe deeply,
Giving yourself this moment to fully land in your practice,
In your body.
Slowly bow your head forward and gently roll your head to one side and then dropping it back down through the center and to the other side.
Keep your shoulders relaxed,
Move slow and gently move towards any tightness in your neck,
Upper back and shoulders.
Be curious about where you sense a tug,
Perhaps pausing to release a particularly sticky area.
And coming back to center,
Lifting your head and opening your eyes.
Please bring the soles of your feet together in butterfly and on your next inhale,
Lift your arms up and interlace your fingers and turn the palms of your hands upward for a big stretch.
And as you exhale,
Drop your arms down to shoulder height and press the palms of your hands away from you.
Inhale to come back up,
Keeping your shoulders heavy,
Dropping away from your ears,
Gently squeezing the scapula to open the front of the body and rounding back down as you exhale,
Creating space in your upper back and shoulders.
One more time,
Inhale to lengthen,
And exhale to round.
And unwind your fingers and let your hands drop down,
Landing on your shins or the floor and dropping into an easy forward fold.
Relax your upper back and shoulders,
Softening down as you exhale.
Release your head so the chin moves towards your chest,
Lengthening through the back of your neck.
If it feels good,
Slowly turn your head from side to side,
Like you're saying no.
And then come to be still for a few breaths.
Breathe deeply through your nose,
And it may feel sweet to sigh out your breath through an open mouth.
And bringing yourself back up to sit,
Place the soles of your feet on the ground and hand behind your hips.
Lean back and gently sway your legs from side to side,
Softly windshield wipering them.
Move slow to feel more.
Take your time.
And then make your way up to all fours for a few rounds of cat cow.
Lengthening your spine as you inhale and moving into an easy flexion on the exhale.
Move slow.
You may want to close your eyes to feel the articulation of your whole spine,
Creating space between each vertebra.
Opening your heart as you inhale and pressing into your upper back and shoulders on your exhale.
When this feels complete,
Come back to a neutral spine.
Place a prop at the top of your mat and a folded blanket or pillow nearby to use and supported pigeon.
From hands and knees,
Slide your right knee forward toward your right wrist.
Gently angle your shin.
It does not need to be parallel.
And extend your left leg to the side.
Now lift your hips slightly and slide your blanket underneath your right hip and thigh.
If there's any strain in the back knee,
Just bend it and bring it out to your side or place a blanket below it.
Make the pose feel comfortable.
And when you are ready,
Fold forward.
Resting your arms on your bolster or lowering your head down to rest.
Settle into your sleeping pigeon.
Take a moment to simply arrive.
Notice where you feel the stretch.
Let it settle into your body.
For the next minute or so,
Just be with the sensations and rest your awareness in your own sweet breath.
Let your breath ground you in this moment.
And to make your way out of the shape,
Press gently into your hands and lift your torso slowly.
Slide the bolster forward and tuck your toes and step back into a downward facing dog.
Take your time here.
Finding some stillness or perhaps shifting your hips from side to side.
Lifting up on the ball of one foot and then shifting to your other foot.
Pedaling your feet and swaying your hips from side to side.
Slowly exploring some movement here to wiggle into the tight edges and sticky spaces.
And when you are ready,
Return to your hands and knees and take a few rounds of cat cows.
Inhaling to lengthen and softly rounding down on your exhale.
A few more times like this.
Opening the front of the body,
Lifting your head up as you extend and releasing your head as your spine moves through flexion.
Move slowly,
Articulating each vertebra and returning to a neutral spine.
Shift your hips back.
No need to go all the way back into a child's pose.
And then walk your hands forward and move towards an easy upward facing dog.
Finding your own rhythm and your own range of motion that feels nourishing.
Undulating back and forth.
Exploring the sensations that arise in the spaces between these two poses.
You may coordinate the movement with your own breath.
Exhaling to sink back towards a child's pose.
And inhaling to rock forward,
Arching the spine in an easy backbend.
You may close your eyes to feel more deeply the subtle arising of sensation.
Make the movement your own.
Moving in any way that feels good.
You may want to pause for a breath or two at some point if you find a particularly juicy place that is asking for a little release.
And when this feels complete,
Set up for supported pigeon.
On the second side.
Left knee comes forward,
Right leg extends long behind you.
Placing a blanket below your hip to balance your pelvis.
Setting up your props to support your chest,
Head or arms.
Take your time to arrange your blankets and blocks.
And once you are settled,
Become still.
Close your eyes.
Let the shape settle into your body.
Take a big inhale all the way into the bottom of your belly.
And a long sighing breath out through your mouth.
Anchoring your awareness in this moment through your breath.
Keep noticing the effects a long,
Slow exhale has on your body.
Each exhale is an invitation to soften.
To let go of any unnecessary holding in this shape.
Trust the support beneath you to carry your body so you can relax your effort.
And let tension begin to unravel.
I will guide you out when it is time.
And slowly make your way up,
Pressing into your hands and shifting your hips up and back into downward facing dog.
Pausing for a few breaths here in stillness or finding some movement.
Just listening and trusting the intuitive wisdom of the body to know how to move.
And make your way back down to all fours and come to sit.
With legs extended in front of you,
Spine long and sit bones grounded.
On your next inhale,
Sweep your arms overhead,
Reaching your fingertips up for a big stretch and then folding at the waist.
Lower your arms down,
Resting your hands along your legs in a forward fold.
You may choose to keep your spine long or softly round,
Dropping your chin down towards your chest.
Take a big breath in,
All the way to the bottom of your belly and then release it with a sighing exhale.
Be still or gently rock your head from side to side,
Releasing any tension in your neck.
Shoulders are heavy.
Breathe into your upper back,
Filling this space with breath and then soften the whole upper body down.
You may welcome a subtle sway,
Letting your torso rock from side to side.
Exploring some movement here if that feels good.
And on your next inhale,
Walk your hands back and come to sit tall and then making your way all the way down onto your back with the soles of your feet rooted on the ground and knees bent.
Pausing here for a few breaths,
Perhaps placing one hand on your heart and the other over your belly.
And if some movement is welcome,
Begin to rock and tilt your pelvis.
Subtle movement,
Keeping your sacrum grounded on the mat,
Arching your spine as your pelvis tips up and releasing the lower back to the floor as the pelvis floats back.
Coordinating movement and breath,
Inhaling into flexion,
Back flattening down and exhaling as your back arches in a soft backbend.
Moving like this for a few rounds of breath.
And when you are ready,
Come all the way up into bridge,
Peeling the tailbone and low back off the floor to come up,
Finding a gentle squeeze in the inner thighs,
A slight engagement in the abdominal muscles and some contraction in the glutes to support the shape.
Taking a few rounds of breath here.
In an active bridge,
We ask the muscles to come online.
Notice this engagement.
And when you are ready,
Rolling back down to rest.
And now we will move into a passive bridge where we endeavor to switch off any effort and allow the muscles to relax and release tension.
Make sure a block,
Bolster or firm blanket is nearby and set yourself up to come into bridge once again.
Once you're up,
Place your prop directly below your sacrum and lower yourself down.
Pausing here with your knees bent to feel what sensations arise.
Take a few deep breaths and let the shape settle into your body.
Gently rotate your palms to face up,
Opening your heart space and hands in a gesture of receiving.
This may be enough and you may choose to remain here.
If you feel that you need to go deeper towards sensation,
Extend one leg and then the other.
Notice how this feels.
Know that if it becomes too intense,
You can bend your knees and return to a more restorative position.
Once you are settled,
Notice if you can sense any spaces of holding,
Perhaps in your glutes,
Belly,
Shoulders.
Connect with your breath.
Observe how your exhale invites a surrendering of effort.
You may wish to stay with your natural breath or try a few rounds of square breathing.
Visualize a square.
We're going to inhale up for four,
Hold across the top for four,
Exhale for four down the side,
And hold for four at the bottom.
Beginning on an inhale,
Inhale up the side of the box,
Hold across two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale down two,
Three,
Four,
Hold across two,
Three,
Four,
Inhale up two,
Three,
Four,
Hold across two,
Three,
Four,
Exhale down two,
Three,
Four,
Hold across two,
Three,
Four,
Continue for a few rounds on your own.
Just keep the breath smooth and even.
If holding the breath feels agitating,
Skip the retention and return to a slow,
Steady rhythm.
This is your practice.
And when you are ready,
Return to your natural breath for the remainder of the time here.
And to come out,
Press into your feet,
Lift hips slightly,
Remove the prop,
And slowly roll your spine down,
One vertebra at a time.
Pause for a moment here.
Feel the effects of the shape as your spine returns to neutral.
Can you sense the aliveness,
A swirling of energy coursing through your back body,
An unraveling of tension?
Allow your legs to sway from side to side,
Slowly windshield wipering them back,
And hug your knees into your chest.
Take a few slow breaths here.
In stillness,
Or rock gently.
And then allow your legs to fall to the same side as your bolster or pillow,
To set yourself up in a supported twist.
Place your prop between your stacked knees.
You may extend your arms out wide at shoulder height,
Rolling your shoulders open,
So your palms face up.
Or try reaching them overhead,
Reaching them long or even cactused at your side.
Play with your shape and find what feels delicious.
Let your head roll from side to side a few times.
And then let it rest wherever feels best.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
And a long sighing breath out.
Soften into your shape.
Notice where you could release holding.
Perhaps in your upper back and shoulders,
Or in your glutes.
With each breath,
Settle into a little more ease.
Stay with your natural breath,
Or you may want to try some breath work.
This time,
Inhaling to the count of four,
And exhaling to the count of six.
And then holding at the bottom of your breath for the count of four.
We can begin together on an inhale.
Inhaling,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Inhale,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Exhale,
Two,
Three,
Four,
Five,
Six.
Hold,
Two,
Three,
Four.
Continue like this on your own for a few rounds.
And return to your natural breath when you are ready.
Take a deep breath in,
And a long sighing breath out.
And prepare to transition to the other side.
You may want to pause for a moment with your feet on the ground,
Or your knees hugged into your center.
Giving yourself a moment to feel the effects of your twist,
And let your body unravel and find a neutral shape.
And when you are ready,
Place your prop on the other side.
Lower both knees,
And arrange your prop so that your body feels completely supported.
Close your eyes.
Take a deep breath in,
And a long sighing breath out.
You may stay with your natural breath,
Or work with a breath work of your choice.
Let your breath ground you in this moment.
Stay soft.
I will guide you out when it is time.
And slowly make your way out of your twist,
And pause for a moment.
With the soles of your feet on the floor,
Or send your legs up in an easy inversion.
Take a deep breath in,
And a slow exhale out through your mouth.
Feel the weight of your legs.
Emptying your legs of effort,
Like they are suspended in a sea of prana.
Rest here for a few breaths.
And when you are ready,
Make your way into Shavasana.
You may want to place a bolster,
Or blanket underneath your knees,
Or behind your head and neck.
Legs resting heavy on the ground.
Let your feet fall open.
Palms turned upward in a gesture of surrender.
Feel the weight of your body.
Fully received by the earth.
Take a deep breath in.
And notice how your body settles on your exhale.
Notice your breath,
And the softening each exhale invites.
Take a deep breath in.
And a long sighing breath out.
Inviting small movements into your fingers and toes.
Perhaps taking a big stretch.
Arms reaching overhead,
Stretching fingers and toes in the opposite directions.
Drawing your knees in towards your belly for a tender squeeze.
Perhaps gently rocking your body from side to side.
And when you are ready,
Roll to one side.
Pause here.
Enjoying a few breaths in this sweet fetal position.
Before you press yourself up to a comfortable seat.
You may wish to keep your eyes closed as we close our practice together.
Take another deep breath in.
And a long exhale out.
Take a moment to notice how you feel.
Perhaps calmer.
More spacious.
More centered.
All the ways you could have chosen to spend this time.
You chose to take this time to connect.
With a slower rhythm.
To nourish the heart and the mind.
As well as the body.
Thank you for taking this time to practice with me.
Take gentle care of yourself and I'll see you soon.
