Return to Practice 7/29/26 - (Live Replay)

This Hatha Class a recording is from Wednesday's Live Class. Filmed on the screen porch with scenes of a peaceful forest. You can hear birds in the background. Nova and Luna make appearances (my dog and cat). The first 9 mins is Self Myofascial Release for the Piriformis, Glute Max and Psoas. This is a well rounded class getting into the whole body. Ending with a Self Myofascial Release for the claves.
Suggested Props: 2 blocks, 2 balls, a blanket or towel, a bolster, a strap, and a foam roller. Please note: you don't need any props but I love adding them in.

Transcript

Joining. I'm Rebecca. Like I was saying, Grab your prop, So two blocks, Two balls. A blanket or a towel that you might use for your knees. We'll start in constructive rest. Just arriving. So laying on your back. Knees are up The arms can be by your side or in a T-shape. Beautiful. And just noticing your breath. Noticing your inhale. And noticing your exhale. And as you do that, Maybe the inhale gets a little bit longer. And maybe the exhale gets a little bit longer. Beautiful. You can grab your balls. And we're going to take the balls and place them underneath each buttocks, Each breast. Butt cheek and right at the center. So you just take your balls, You'll place one underneath each. Head of glutes. And lie back down. So around the center of each one. Beautiful. And you could just stay here. Or you can add a little movement, Just moving your knees side to side. We're getting into the piriformis. It's just a band-like muscle. That attaches to the outer hip. And to the sacrum. It's a great place to work if you have low back pain. Hamstrings or hip issues. A great place to work if you're kind of thinking about clearing the slate. You've been sitting a lot. Running. It's pretty much a great place to work. Beautiful, Pause at center. And bring the right knee into the chest. And you'll drape the right ankle over the left thigh so you're in this figure four shape. You'll take the left ball away. And so the ball is underneath the right. Set of glutes. You can stay still. Or move a little side to side. If this doesn't feel good, You could always sit in a chair in a figure four shape. And move a little side to side. Or you can always take the ball away. Just rolling your body over the ball. And if there's a spot that feels like it needs more attention, You can pause there. Using your exhale to release tension. And if your mind's wandering, You can use the exhale to let go of any thoughts. Beautiful. One more inhale wherever you're at. Exhale, Slowly undrape the right leg. Can remove the ball. Straighten both legs out long, Reach the arms past the ears. Just notice the two sides and you might feel warmth and tingling. In the glue area. Beautiful. Bend your knees. When you're ready, No rush. This time. The left leg drapes over. The right thigh. You'll lift up and you'll place the. . . Ball underneath the left. And just notice how the side feels. You could stay still. Or you can roll your body over the ball. Going towards the sacrum. And going towards the outer part of the hip. I use my fingers to adjust the ball. If it rolls a little bit. Out of the way, You just can place it back to where you need it. We're exploring what's going on in. The left hip. But not judging. It's the invitation to release some tension. Clear the slate. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale slowly. Undrape the left leg and bring it down, The foot down, Lift up, Remove the balls. Stretch the legs out long, Stretch the arms out long, Get big. Notice the two sides. I like to reach the right fingers away from the right toes so you're long on the right side. And then reach the left toes away from the left side and your long on the left side. And you just move back and forth. And you're moving the skin layer over the fascia layer. Bringing a little bit of hydration. Beautiful. Bend the knee. We're going to do one more myofascial release before we get going. This time. Those pokey bones of the hip. You're going to go in. And then down just a little bit so you can feel those pokey bones in your hips. You're going to go. The ball is going to go in. And then down about an inch. You're lying on your belly. And then you're just going to place the balls. Inside the pokey bone of the hip. And then down just a little bit. And just notice how that feels. So now we're getting into the hip flexors, Into the psoas. You can keep your forearms on the mat, Kind of lifting you up, Or you can lower your head down on stacked hands. Breathing in, Pressing into the balls. Breathing out. And letting the balls nuzzle into your hair. Body. The invitation to be really kind. To yourself and if it doesn't feel good. You can always take the balls away. Or if you'd like to add a little more, Bend the knees and windshield wiper side to side. Beautiful. This is an awkward place to get massaged, But with the balls, You're in charge. We'll be here for maybe three more rounds of breath. Either your windshield wiper ring or the. . . Legs are down. You could even move the hips a little side to side. One more inhale, Pressing into the balls. Exhale, Slowly bring your hands underneath the shoulders and press up. Lifting the hips up and move the balls to the side so you won't roll into them. And we'll meet in tabletop. You can drop the belly, Lift the crown, Lift the tail, Breathe in. Exhale round, Pushing the mat away. Inhaling. Dropping the belly. So rounding. And you may feel tingling or warmth where we had the balls to start. And the piriformis and also in the hip flexor. So going at your own speed. Cow and cat Pause at center when you're ready. And just make sure your blocks are at the top of the mat. Perfect. Step the right foot back. So the toes are on the mat. I'm just going to press my heel back and then slowly bring it over to the toes again. So the heel presses back and then it comes over the toes. You're just doing these little pulses. Getting into the calf and the foot. The back of the leg. Beautiful. Pause the next time the heel comes over the toes. The right leg up. Beautiful. Breathing in. And breathing out. The next inhale, The right knee comes to the right tricep. Pause. Exhale, Slowly bringing the right leg back. Past the left. The toes come onto the mat and then you slide them back. Kind of like this long. Pigeon Pose. And now we'll move with the breath. Inhale, Slowly coming forward. Right knee to the right tricep or wrist. Breathing in. Exhale slowly. Right leg comes back, Past the left, Toes come down. And you're bowing over the left thigh. Inhaling slowly coming up, Right knee to the right tricep. Exhale like you're moving through honey, Right leg back, Past the left, Bowing. Inhaling. No rush. Exhaling. And this time, When you come into the pigeon variation, Pause here. The left heel. May press into the right hip flexor area. So you can see if that happens or not. Shoulders away from the ears and maybe The hands, The eyes rest in the hands. The elbows are on the mat. Beautiful. Maybe you can feel your breath breathing. As you lie over your left thigh. The torso, Maybe touching. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Hands to the mat. Slowly walk yourself up. You're going to come on to your left. Bye. And glute and the right leg will reach forward. So now we're in kind of tree legs. You can bring the hands behind you. Inhale, Open the heart. You could stay here. Or exhale bowing over. The right way. Thinking about the left. Leg pressing down towards the mat. As you bow over the right. Beautiful. Noticing any tugging. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly walk your hands back so you're just lifting your torso. Stay here or bring your left hand behind you so it's going to be behind the bent leg. Onto the mat or the floor. You're going to press down there, Press into the left. Thigh as you lift the right hip up for this kind of this rock star. Can reach the right fingers up towards the sky and then bend the elbow. Beautiful slowly lower that Hips down. Hands to the mat and we're going to meet in tabletop. So the right knee meets the left. Just kind of bring yourself back to your tabletop. Beautiful. And this time maybe circling the hips around. Or you can do your cow and cats. Anything that feels good in your tabletop. Beautiful. I'm going to turn so you can see me, But you'll stay where you are. And once you feel balanced, Pause in your tabletop. Step the left toes back when you're ready. And you're just going to press the heel back. And forward. These little pulses getting into the calf. And the foot. Of the leg. Pausing at center, Inhale, Lift the left leg up. Ask how to stay. Beautiful. Now we'll add that movement. Inhale, Left knee to the left tricep. Pause. Exhale slowly, Bring the left leg back. Past the right. Hose come onto the floor and then you're just going to bow down into a pigeon variation. Inhale slowly. The left knee to the left tricep, Just making this your own, Whatever feels good. Exhale slowly. The left leg hovers back past the right, And then you're sliding the left toes back as you bow. Inhaling slowly. Left knee to the left tricep or wrist. Breathing in. Exhale slowly, Left leg back, Past the right, And bow. The next time your left toes come back and you're bowing, Pausing in this pigeon variation. Maybe the right heel presses inside the left hip. You can bring your forearms onto the mat and you could. Bring your hands towards your eyes and rest your eyes in your hands. Noticing. The torso is touching the thigh. Maybe you can feel your breath moving in your body. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly bring the hands down. You're gonna walk the hands back. Coming on to your right thigh. Left leg will come forward into that tree leg. You can adjust yourself on the mat. Bring the hands behind you, Opening the heart. Stay here. Or slowly bow over the left leg. The right. Outer part of the leg is pressing down into the mat. Much as it can. And there's a slight bend to your left knee. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly walk your hands back. Right hand behind the bent right leg. You're going to press into your hand. Press into that right thigh as you lift the left hip up and open up into your left hip. My teacher used to call us Rockstar. I'm not quite sure of the name. You can straighten the left fingers or bend the elbow or move back and forth. One more inhale. Get big. Exhale, Slowly lower the hips down. And we'll meet in tabletop. Beautiful. I'm just going to turn to the top of the mat. And anything that feels good in your tabletop, Maybe circling the hips. If you're going one way, Then make sure you go the other way. Beautiful. Closet center. Again, Just make sure your blocks are up against each other. The top of the mat. And we'll meet in Downward Facing Dogs. Just notice how your down dog feels today. Any movements that feel good in your down dog, Feel free to do that. It doesn't feel good to be on your hands. You could always come on to your forearms. And come into a dolphin variation. Beautiful. When you feel balanced, Pause at center. Thinking about the sit bones lifting towards the sky. As the heels melt towards the earth. The hands pressing on the mat. As the shoulders melt away from the ears. Beautiful. And your next inhale, The right leg lifts. Exhale, Bend the knee, Opening up the hips. Inhale the right leg lift. Exhale, Step the right foot forward in between the hands. Left knee down. Inhale, Rise up, Low lunge. Beautiful. Your arms can lift, Or you could bring your arms on the blocks if it doesn't feel good to lift your arms. Beautiful. Just think about the right hip moving back. The lower body is grounded. And maybe you're a little more buoyant in your upper body and you move a little side to side. You're just moving your arms side to side. Beautiful. Pausing at center. Right hand comes behind the right sacrum. And then just lift the left fingers up and over for a side bend. And then slowly bring the left elbow outside of the right thigh. And maybe stack the right hand on top. For a twist. Finding wings. Exhale turning the left ribs underneath the right a little bit more. Stay with us. Left knee on the mat or slowly bring your toes underneath your heel and lift the left leg. Beautiful. Crowns reaching towards the front of the mat. The ribs are turning. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly lower the left knee down if it was bent, If it was lifted. Bring the hands back to center, Reach the arms up. Exhale, Slowly bring. The hands to the mat, Left hand holds you, Right hand reaches back and maybe you grab hold of your left ankle for a quad stretch. Beautiful, The toes are lined up with the heel. One more inhale. Opening up the right chest. Exhale, Slowly release the leg if you have it. Hands to the mat. Downward facing dog, So you just step the right foot back. And your downward facing dog, And notice the two sides. Beautiful. And walk your dog. Just bending. The right knee, Straightening the left leg out long, Bending the left knee, Straightening the right leg out long. Another way to get into the calves when you're pressing the heel down. And we can think of the calves as the second heart that helps pump lymph and fluid back towards the heart. Pause at center in your Down Dog. Beautiful and have a lovely rest. Exhale, Bend the left knee, Opening the hip. Beautiful. Inhale the left leg lifts. Exhale, Set the left foot forward. Bring the right knee down. If it feels good, Inhale, Lift the arms. Into your low lunge. Beautiful. So right hip's moving back. Tailbone is reaching down. You're grounded in your lower body, And maybe your upper body is a little more buoyant, And then move side to side. Just noticing how the body feels. Pausing in center, Reach the fingers up. Breathe in. Exhale the left hand behind the head. Sacrum. And the right arm reaches up and over for a side bend. Getting long on the right side. Stretching that right so as where we rolled earlier and we're compressing the left. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly bring the right elbow onto the left thigh. Maybe stack the left hand on top. For your twist. Inhale, You're finding length. Exhale, You're turning so the right ribs are up. Thinking about moving underneath the left. And how fine-linked. Exhale, Turn. Stay here or bring the right toes underneath the right heel, Lift the right knee. Breathing in, Getting long. Breathing out, Turning. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly lower. The right knee if you have it lifted. Hands to the mat. Right hand holds you. Left arm reaches back and maybe you grab hold of the right ankle. If it doesn't feel good to grab hold of it, You can just have the right leg bent and reaching back for it. And you're opening the left side of the chest. Breathing in, Gaze up. To the front. Or maybe the gaze comes to the back. The right toes are lined up with the right heel. Breathing in. Exhale, Releasing, Letting go. One more inhale. Exhale slowly. Let go of the right ankle. Hands to the mat. Pressing back into your downward facing dog, Taking care to get there. And if you have a flow you want to do, Feel free to do that. Stay still or walk your dog. Noticing the back of the legs. Back of the. . . Hi. Beautiful. Pause at center. Big bend to the knees like you're a leapfrog. Ready to jump into the pond. Breathe in. Exhale, Step or hop to the top of the mat. Inhale, Halfway lift, Flat back. Exhale, Fold, Letting go, Hugging your calves. Root down into your feet, Rise up, Take up space. Tailbone's reaching down, Fingers are reaching towards the sky. Beautiful. Stay still or maybe you feel a little buoyant and you move a little side to side. Getting into the side body. And remembering that you're grounded, This practice helps. Build this strong foundation. So when things come up, You can kind of go with the flow. When the routine changes a little bit. Can go with the flow. Beautiful, Pause at center, Reach the fingers up, Tailbone reaches down, Breathe in. Exhale, Hands to the heart, Anjuli Mudra. Beautiful. Maybe your thumbs are close to your heart or touching your heart. Maybe you feel the rhythm of your heart. Beautiful, Release the hands. Circle the shoulders one way. And circle the shoulders the other way. Beautiful. Deposit center. You're going to root down into the left leg and step the right foot back, Coming into your warrior two. So the blade side of the right foot is lined up to the back of the mat. The left toes are reaching forward. And just think about The left arch lifting towards the left knee. And the left knee opening towards the left pinky toe and you're getting into that inner thigh. Reach the arms. Out to the sides. If that feels good, Gaze goes to the left fingers. Breathing in. And breathing out. And now with that foundation, You're keeping the legs right how they are, You'll move the you can move your arms. So the right hand comes down, Left arm lifts. Breathe in. Exhale, The left arm. Arm, Forearm onto the left thigh, The right arm reaches up. Inhaling the right hand down, Left arm lifts for this dancing warrior. Exhaling. Left forearm down, Right arm reaches up. So making this your own. You're just moving side to side. The legs are not moving. Just the upper body. Going with the breath. It feels good for you. I'm breathing in and the right hand's coming down in my reverse warrior. Breathing out as the right, As the left forearm comes down and the right arm reaches up for extended side angle. Beautiful. The next time the right hand comes down, Left arm lifts. Pause here in your reverse warrior. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Extended side angle. Left forearm down, Right arm reaches up. Maybe the right fingers come past the ear. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale. Notice if your block is nearby. Step your right foot in. Press down into your left foot. Half moon. Beautiful. If you have a block. Or a chair, Or maybe you hover your fingers. Think about the right leg reaching up. And the right ribs are moving back so the left ribs can come under. Beautiful, You're amazing. One more inhale. Exhale, Slight bend to the front knee, Slowly step the foot forward. Back foot down. Straighten the legs, Straighten the arms. Yes, Star pose. You're amazing. Breathe in. And breathe out. Release the hands down, Circle the shoulders. And now we're just going to turn. The right toes to the back of the mat. And the blade side of the left foot is lined up in the front of the mat. Beautiful. Bend the right knee. So you're rooted down into your feet. You can adjust them so they're comfortable. And think about the right knee opening to the right pinky toe. You're getting inside the right inner thigh. Arms lift when you're ready. So you're grounded. Then the left fingers come down, Right finger reaches up, Breathe in. Exhale, Right forearm down, Left fingers lift, Breathing out. Going at your own rhythm. Making this your own, You can add anything that you like. This practice is yours. I'm just a guide. Inhaling, Left fingers down, Right fingers reach. Exhale, Right forearm down, Left fingers lift. Beautiful. Just think about the ribs lining up with each other. The next time your left fingers come down, Right fingers reach for your reverse warrior. Pause here. Right ribs are over the left. The right knee is opening to the right pinky toe. And the right knee is bending. Where can you soften? Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale slowly bringing. The right forearm down, Left fingers lift. The right ribs are underneath the left. You're rooted down as the left fingers reach towards the ceiling. The corner of your space. Beautiful. Now if you need your blocks, You can just take a moment and grab your blocks. And then we'll meet back in extended side angle. And from here, Heel toe your back foot in just a little bit. Root down into your right foot. Right hand onto the block or the mat. Half moon. Beautiful. And just notice how it feels on this side. Adjust your hands how you like them. Think about the right leg lifting. You're amazing. Breathing in. And breathing out. Making this your own, It doesn't matter what it looks like, It's how it feels in your body. One more inhale. Exhale, Slight bend of the front knee, Slowly step the left foot back. Straighten both legs, All 10 toes to the long edge of the mat. Reach the fingers up, Tailbone reaches down. Yes. To life. Yes to the possibilities that this new day has to offer or this evening has to offer, Wherever you are in the world. One more inhale. Exhale, Fold, Letting go, Using that compression. As you bend to let the air out a little bit more. Beautiful. Stay here or bend the knees side to side or get upside down. Whatever would feel good to you. Beautiful. Balancing the two sides. Or if you're upside down, Slowly coming back down when you're ready, No rush. Pause at center. Slowly walk your hands to the top of the mat. And step the right foot to meet the left and fold. Give yourself a hug. Inhale, Halfway lift. Exhale, Fold. Root down, Rise up, Take up space. Opening the fingers out wide, Tailbone reaches down. And then hands to heart, Anjuli Mudra. And maybe your thumbs connect to your heartbeat. Beautiful. Release the hands. Now we're just moving down to the mat. I'm using chair to do that, But you can just meet us if you want. So bend the knees, Lift the arms for chair, Tailbones reaching down. Breathe in. Exhale, Get a little lower. Beautiful. And he'll cheer. Exhale, A little lower. Inhale, Chair. Exhale a little lower, And then when you're ready, The hips come down and we land in boat. Just a nice place to land. You could always bring the hands behind you, Bring your feet down. Stay still, Or just move your legs back and forth, Like one over the other for five. 4. 3. Too. One. Amazing. Knees into the chest, And you're just going to slowly roll down. Taking your time. When you get there, You can grab hold of your. . . Blade sides of your feet for happy baby, And rock side to side, Or maybe straighten your legs out wide in your happy baby. Beautiful. Hug your knees in. Right knee into the chest and the left leg will reach out long. Beautiful. Just like low lunge. This is just like a low lunge. The right knee is bent into the chest and the left leg is long. So you're compressing the right knee. Hip flexor, Straightening the left one out long. Beautiful, You can circle. The right foot around the ankle. Going one way and the other way. Beautiful. Left hand holds the right. Shin or knee and you're just going to slowly spring. The right leg across for a twist. Reach the right fingers out to the right, Left fingers out to the left. So your variation of a twist, I like to lift up and bring my left shoulder underneath me a little bit more. And if you have a block, You could place the block underneath the right thigh for your twist. Beautiful. Breathing in all the way to the crown. Pausing at the top. Take another breath of air. And then this long, Slow exhale, Letting go. Beautiful. Slowly come back to center. Right knee into the chest and bring the left knee into the chest. Give yourself a hug. You're amazing. Keep the left knee as the right leg reaches out long. And notice how this side feels. You stretch the right, So as you can always bend the right knee. Stay still or circle the left foot around the ankle. Beautiful. Right fingers, Grab hold of the lower leg or the knee and you just gently Bring the leg across for a twist. If you have a block. Good place that. Underneath. The left leg. The right shoulder comes under a little bit more and you come into your variation of a twist. Beautiful. Breathing in all the way to the crown. Pause. Take another sip of air. Long slow exhale. Beautiful. Slowly. Coming back to center. Right knee into the chest. Left knee into the chest. Give yourself a hug. You are amazing. Beautiful. Our next posture is Shavasana. If you would like to grab your balls. You can grab your. Blocks. And we're going to do a little something for the calves. In your Shavasana. So you'll just take that. The block. The balls are going to, One ball is going to go underneath one calf. Between the. . . The center. And then your second ball will go underneath this second cast. So it's between the knee. And the Achilles right at the center. And then you can lie down. And move into your. Shavasana. If this doesn't feel good, Just ignore what I'm offering and move into your Shavasana. And we'll be here for one minute. Beautiful. Just breathing in. Thinking about the calves pressing into the ball. Breathing out as the balls nuzzle into the calves. No work, Just letting gravity. Have its way with you. Each exhale softening a little bit more. Beautiful. Two more rounds of breath. Beautiful. If you have the balls underneath the calves, Just slowly Bend the knees, The balls might roll off, That's okay. Hug the knees into your chest. And then straighten the legs towards the sky. Maybe point the toes towards the sky. And then point the toes towards your heart. Legs. Up the wall. And this is a great place to come anytime you've been working hard. You can just, In your office, Just drape your legs over the wall or over your chair. Hug your knees into the chest. Give yourself a hug. You are amazing. You are precious. Slowly roll to your favorite side, Watching out for any props. Bringing gratitude for this beautiful community. For this sacred practice that's been passed down for thousands and thousands of years. Slowly. Use your hands to help lift yourself up. Or you can always stay lying down. Rub your hands together. Placing your hands at your heart space, Bowing to the inner teacher within each of us. The light of awareness. That connects each one of us and makes us one. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti. Peace, Peace, Peace. Thank you so much for practicing with me today.