Welcome.
Today we're working on a half straddle pose.
As your work week has gone on,
Your low back is likely feeling it.
And the best thing that we can do to relieve tension in the low back is to stretch the hamstrings.
So for today,
I'd like you to have a blanket,
A bolster,
And a block,
Or some variation of that.
So you're going to sit on a folded blanket.
And then you have your bolster or a big cushion to help support your torso.
So we're going to sit on this blanket with the right leg straight and the left knee bent.
The left foot is maybe up against your right inner thigh.
It could be open as well.
That's not as important.
What is important is that while you're sitting,
You're not rounding your torso,
Your spine backward.
If you are,
I'd like you to elevate even higher because you're not going to feel the stretch in your hamstrings.
You're going to feel it in your back.
And that's not the intention of this pose.
So with this right leg,
I'm going to put my bolster on top of my leg.
And then I'm going to hinge my torso forward,
So hinging at the hips.
And then when I can't hinge anymore,
So that's my hamstrings telling me you're done,
Now I'm going to use my block and my fists on top of the bolster to support my forehead.
So basically,
Use any props you have to support your abdomen all the way up to your forehead.
And then you relax your right leg,
You relax your left leg,
And we get a nice gentle stretch up the back of the right thigh.
Make any adjustments that you need so that you feel mildly uncomfortable.
This discomfort teaches us that we can survive being uncomfortable.
It's okay.
Not ideal,
But we can get through it.
And then on the other end of that discomfort,
We become comfortable in the body.
So we meet the confrontation in the body and we come out better for it.
Try to relax the torso a bit more.
Relax your arms as best you can.
Almost done here.
On your next inhale,
Very slowly press yourself up.
Move your props to the side and then just rest with one hand on each leg.
And bring your hands behind you,
Roll your hips back,
Straighten the left leg,
And gently shake it out.
And then we're going to switch sides.
So now your left leg is straight,
Right knee is bent,
And then use your props however you can so that you can get your forehead onto one of those props.
Your fists count as props.
And then you lean forward,
You hinge forward at your hips,
You not maximize,
But you get a good stretch in the bottom of the left leg,
And then you round your back,
But you're supported with your props.
So that support gives your muscles,
Your tissue,
Something to fall into,
Which allows them to relax more quickly.
Then feel into your arms,
Your shoulders,
Relax.
Try to relax that left leg as best you can.
And we're here for about two more minutes,
Trying to remain still,
Remembering that we are gently stretching the hamstrings,
Which attach to the sitting bone,
Which relieves tension in a tight,
Low back.
On your next inhale,
Please come on up.
Try not to move too quickly.
Rest with one hand on each leg,
And then bring your hands behind you so you can support yourself as you roll your hips back and you straighten the right leg,
And shake it out.
Use your props to elevate your hips for our one minute of silence.
The higher your hips,
The lower your knees,
And the easier it is to sit.
Once you're comfortable seated,
You simply feel into your body.
You're finding the words that describe how you feel.
Please take a deep breath in,
And a smooth breath out,
And come back.
Your homework for today.
Whatever words that came to you to describe how you're feeling,
Please share those with me in the course classroom.
It's helpful for me to know what's shifting for you,
And it's helpful for others in the course to see how it's changing and affecting your mood,
Your mind,
Your body,
Et cetera.
Thank you so much.
I hope that you feel so much more comfortable in your body,
And hope that you're experiencing relief physically and mentally.
Thank you for being here.
