Return To Practice

This is a recording from the Tuesday, 7/28 live class.
This hatha class is really about coming back to yourself and building a yoga practice that feels supportive and realistic for everyday life. We’ll move through a grounding hatha flow with breath, gentle stretching, mobility, and a little myofascial release to help wake up the body and calm the nervous system for the day ahead. 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

So welcome to your practice. I'm Rebecca. It's good to see everybody. I've got A blanket fold. I've got two myofascial release balls, But you could also use tennis balls. And I've got two blocks. Have your myofascial release balls nearby. And a block nearby. And lie on your back in constructive rest. So your back's on the mat, Your knees are bent. I like to bring my feet out a little wider and so my knees come together. I'm not doing too much work here. It's kind of like take a load off pose. Just notice how your breath feels. Noticing your inhale. And noticing your exhale. And as you bring awareness to the breath, Maybe the inhale gets a little bit longer. And the exhale gets a little bit longer. Beautiful. The invitation. Is to use the exhale to let go of. Speed and rush. Letting go of expectations. Or to-do list. Letting go of tension. And using the inhale to take in what you need, Bringing in softness. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Hug your knees into your chest. Give yourself a hug. You're amazing. Beautiful. We're going to do a little myofascial release and I'm just going to show you where we're going. Oh, It's nice to see people joining from Australia. That's awesome. Okay, Yeah, It's a great way to end the day or to start the day. We're going to bring the balls to the upper traps, Where we go a lot, Between the crease of the neck and the shoulder, So right at the center. On each side, We're going to have the balls. So lying down, And I have one ball in each hand, So two balls, One in each hand. If you have one ball, You could just use one ball, Or you could use a foam roller instead. So the ball in the right hand, I'm going to bring underneath the left side of my body, Underneath the left shoulder. And then the left ball I'm going to bring underneath the right side. You're avoiding any bone. And just notice how that feels. And you might not feel a lot yet. But just notice, And this might be perfect for some people. If you have a block, You'll lift your sacrum or lift your pelvis up and you're going to bring the block underneath the sacrum. It could be on the lower setting or the medium setting and that's going to help roll your body. Onto the balls and the balls are going to go a little deeper into your body. And just noticing how that feels. Using your inhale to press into the balls. And using your exhale to soften, To release, Bring in that softness as the connective tissue melts over the balls. Beautiful. So you can stay still. Or you could add movement. Just moving your arms like you're. Making snow angels. Or maybe there's blossoms on the ground and you're making. . . Kind of angels in the blossoms from a tree. Or you're in a little warm puddle of water and you're making snow angels or water angels. And just noticing how it feels. You can move a little side to side. Sometimes I just like to move my arms a little side to side so my shoulders are moving. A little bit. The right shoulder moves down. And then the left shoulder moves down. Beautiful. You can always adjust the balls with your fingers. You're just avoiding bone and you're avoiding any sharp. If there's something that's really sharp, You want to move the ball to a different area. Beautiful. If you have the block, Move it to the side. You're going to lift up and just move your balls closer to the spine. So it's not on the spine, They're outside of the spine. And you can take your hands behind your head, So you're interlacing your fingers behind your head. And you could just stay here, Lifting your head up, Resting your head in your hands. And maybe move a little side to side like this. Or you could lift up your. Sacrum. And move a little bit back and forth. So you're just moving your body over the balls, But it's a very small movement. And you can adjust the balls if you need to. And we're just doing a little bit of rolling over the balls. But being really kind. Less is more. And we're also calming down the nervous system. So you're not trying to push. You're just exploring. You can lower down the pelvis if you're lifting it and maybe roll a little bit more so the balls are a little bit inside of the shoulder blades. And again, Lifting the pelvis and maybe rolling a little bit back and forth. Or just staying still. You could even bring your head down and just pause here. Which feels really good. So if you're starting your day, You might want a little more activity. And if you're. . . Slowing down your day, You might want to. . . Kind of bring in a little more yin and pause. And use gravity. Beautiful. Or go to one more area so you can lift up your body. Sacrum and roll your body forward as the balls roll down just a little bit more. Find another area in the body along the spine, Outside of the spine. And pause and decide maybe this time you bring your knees into your chest. And just notice how it feels and if there's any tension that bubbles up. Using your exhale to release. Like that you've got this. Valve. And almost like a tire and you're just releasing any pressure. That's the same idea of using the exhale today. Beautiful. Wherever you are, We'll take one more inhale. And then exhale, Slowly roll to your side, Just taking care, Not pushing. To come up, Remove the balls. And you'll place them. Somewhere so they don't get in your way. Have your blocks at the top of the mat, And we're meeting child's pose. Just lower the hips down. You can reach the arms forward or maybe have the arms by the side and just notice any feelings that you feel in the shoulders. Beautiful. Hips are sinking down. Towards the heels. The shoulders are melting away from the neck. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly walk your hands back. And we'll meet in hero's pose. Circle the shoulders one way. And circle the shoulders the other way. Pausing in center and just noticing how your shoulders feel. Beautiful. Walk the hands behind you. Opening up the chest. You could always bring the hands behind your back if that felt better. Stay here or maybe lift your pelvis up. Breathing in. And stay for the exhale, Letting go. One more inhale. Exhale slowly bring the hips down. And we'll meet in tabletop. If you have your blanket fold, You could use it underneath the knee. Beautiful. We'll do some Cat-Cows. So drop the belly, Lift the crown, Lift the tail. Breathe in. Exhale round, Pushing the mat away, Breathing out. Making this your own, Inhale, Dropping the belly, Lifting the crown, Lifting the tail, Breathe in. Exhale rounding, Pushing the mat away, Breathing out. Taking in what you need. Exhale letting go of what you don't need. Beautiful. Pause at center. Inhale, Reach the right arm up. Exhale, Thread it through the left arm, But pause. Inhale, Reach the right arm up. Exhale, Threading the right arm through. Through the left, Just hovering. Making this your own, Inhale, Reach the fingers up to the sky, Maybe look up towards the fingers. Exhale, Thread through and this time pausing, Maybe bringing the right shoulder down. Resting the head on the mat, But the head is light. The right hip is moving back, And the left hip is moving back. Left hand is on the mat, Or maybe you reach the left fingers up. And you thread the left yarn. Hand into the right hip crease. Or any variation that you like in your thread the needle. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly unthread the left hand if you have it behind you. Plant the left hand down. Inhale, Reach the right fingers up towards the sky. Beautiful, Maybe opening the fingers. Spin the left shin to the side, Step the right foot back for a side plank. Variation. I have my left knee on the earth. You can stay here or reach the left fingers towards the front of the mat. And then sort of make these circles. With the right fingers. I might have said that wrong. So that top arm is just making circles, But being really kind to yourself. If it doesn't feel good, You don't have to do it. Going one way. And then going the other way. Beautiful. One more inhale, Reach the fingers towards the sky. Exhale, Slowly bring the right fingers to the earth. Bring the right knee down and the left shin will line up with the right. And your tabletop. Beautiful. Drop the belly, Lift the crown, Lift the head. Tail breathing in. Exhale, Rounding, Pushing the mat away, Breathing out. Making this your own. Beautiful, Pausing in center. The right hand will hold you, Left arm reaches towards the sky. Breathe in. Exhale, Threading the left fingers through the right arm, Hovering. And how reaching the left fingers up. Maybe the gaze goes up. Exhale threading through. Inhale. And this time when you exhale, Threading the fingers through and pausing and maybe bringing the left shoulder down to the earth. So the left shoulder has a lot of the weight. The head is really light. The right fingers can be on the earth supporting you like a kickstand. Or you can reach the right fingers up. And maybe thread the right hand. Into the left hip crease. Or any other variation that feels good to you. Think about the right hip moving back and the left hip moving back. And making this your own, Doing what feels good in your body. Knowing that I'm just a guide, But your body is the real teacher. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly unthread the right arm. Maybe you reach the fingers up towards the sky and turn it around a little bit. Slowly bring the right hand back to the earth as it was lifted. Press into the right hand, Left arm lifts. Maybe you move the left fingers. Then the right shin to the side. Step the left foot back. For your side plank variation. Beautiful. Making it your own. You can always come down onto your right forearm if that felt better. Stay still or add movement, Moving the left fingers towards the front of the mat and then slowly lowering them down, Making circles. Or any movement that feels good on the left arm. Going One Way. And then going the other way. And just notice how this side feels. Get rid of any stagnation, But being really kind. If something's saying, Don't go too far, Listen to your body. Beautiful. Reach the left fingers up. Breathe in. Exhale, Left hand. Comes back to the mat. Left knee comes back to the mat. And this time we'll meet in downward facing dog. And just notice how your down dog feels today. Beautiful. Bending the left knee, Straightening the right leg out long. And then bending the right knee straight, Stretching the left leg out long, And moving back and forth, Or any other movements that feel good in your down dog today. Beautiful. Pausing in center and think about the shoulders melting away from the ears. Beautiful. The heels are melting towards the earth as the sit bones are lifting towards the sky. Beautiful, One more inhale. Exhale, The right leg lifts. Bend the knee, Opening up the hip. Stay here or make circles with the right knee, Going one way. And going the other way. Beautiful. Pause at center, Reach the right leg up, Breathe in. Exhale, Step the right foot forward. Bring the left knee down. Inhale, Reach the arms up, Low lunge. Exhale to stay. If it doesn't feel good to reach the arms up, You could always use your blocks and just have your arms up. Your hands down on the blocks. If your arms are lifted, Think about the lower body grounded, And maybe the upper body moves a little side to side. Beautiful. Just making it your own. Kind of noticing how the side body feels. Pausing at center, Inhale, Reach the fingers up towards the sky. Exhale, Hands to the mat or to the block. Straighten both legs and bow. Beautiful. Inhale. Bend the right knee, Left knee comes down. Lift the arms up. Exhale, Straighten both legs and bow. Your phone. Inhale, Let me down. Reach the arms up. Low lunge. See you then. Exhale, Straightening both legs, Making this your own. Inhale. And the next time you exhale, The hands come down. Pause here with both legs straight. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale. Turning all 10 toes to the long edge of the mat and folding into your y-legged fold. The cat came in. Say hi. So you're in your wide-legged fold. You could stay still, You can move side to side. Or maybe you get upside down. I have this little beam here. I'm bringing my hands down to the earth. And is lifting up with the support of the beam. But you could. If you have a headstand in your practice, You can go for it, Or just getting upside down by folding, Moving side to side in your skandhasana. Any variation that feels good. Beautiful. We'll be here for two more rounds of breath. Whatever you're offering is amazing. Really, It's all about what feels good in your body. We're all slowly meet in center, Bowing down. Take your time to get there. And you can always meet up. Hands to the earth, Slowly walk your hands. Back to the top of the mat. And turn. Your toes to the top. Step the left foot to meet the right and fold. Beautiful, Giving yourself a hug, Hug your calves. Inhale, Halfway lift. Breathing in. Exhale, Fold. Root down, Rise up, Pick up speed. Beautiful. Hands to heart, Anjuli Mudra. And just pausing and noticing the right side of the body and the left side of the body. Beautiful. Feeder grounded into the earth. Tailbones reaching down. Pubis bone is lifting towards the heart. The heart's lifting towards the. The crown. And the crown's lifting towards the sky. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Release the hands down. Circle the shoulders one way. Circle the shoulders the other way. Is think about any. . . That you've gathered along the week or the month. I know it's still early in the week, But. . . For me, This is the weekend. I work on the weekend. The weekends are my work days, So Tuesdays are the start of my weekend. So circle the shoulders one way. Circle the shoulders the other way. Just let go of anything that you've been gathering that you don't need. Beautiful. Inhale to arms lift, Tailbone reaches down. Exhale, Fold, Letting go, Using that compression to really let go of the breath. And he'll happily live. Exhale, Hands to the blocks or to the mat. Step back into your downward facing dog. If you want to take a flow, Feel free to do that. And you could always meet in child's pose or tabletop. Beautiful. When you're ready, Root down, Left leg lifts. Breathing in. Exhale, Bend the left knee, Opening the hip. Stay here or make circles with your knee going one way. And going the other way. Being kind to yourself. Beautiful. Pausing in center, The left leg lifts. Breathe in. Exhale, Step the left foot forward. Right knee down. Inhale, Rise up, Low lunge. Notice how this side feels. You're rooted down into the earth. And maybe your upper body is buoyant and it's moving side to side or any movements that feel good. Thinking about this strong foundation. And with that. You can kind of go with the flow of life if things get hard. Or if your routine has changed, No problem. You've got this foundation to come back to, This practice to come back to. This confidence in yourself. Slowly pause at center, Reaching the fingers up, Breathe in. Exhale, Hands to the mat or to the block. Straightening both legs and bowing. Inhale, Right knee down, Left knee bends, Low lunge. Reach the fingers up. Exhale, Straightening both legs, Hands to the earth. Making it your own. Making it work for you. Breathing in. And breathing out. The next time you meet, Both knees are straight, Pause, And that pyramid variation. And slowly bring your hands onto the mat, Turn all 10 toes to the long edge of the mat, And fold. Yogi's Choice, You can get Upside Down. Or maybe you move side to side. Or maybe you stay still. Whatever you're offering is more than enough. Just taking the time to tune into your body. Beautiful. When you feel balance, Pause at center fold. Beautiful. Breathing in. Exhale, Letting go, Maybe bow a little bit more. Inhale, Slowly walking your hands to the top of the mat. Turning your toes. And stepping the right foot to meet the left at the top and fold. Give yourself a hug. You're amazing. Inhale, Halfway lift. Flat back. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise, Taking up space, Opening up your fingers, Tailbone reaching down, Getting big. Exhale, Hands to the heart, Anjuli Mudra. Coming back towards your heart. One more inhale. Exhale, Release the hands, Circle the shoulders one way and circle the shoulders the other way. Letting go of anything that might have bubbled up, Any tension. Or thoughts. I love it when Luna comes onto the mat or onto the chair and hangs out with me. All right, Beautiful. From here. From your Mountain Pose, Step the right foot back. Bend the left knee, And we're coming into warrior two. So you're grounding your feet. Your lower body's getting grounded into the earth. And you can think about the left knee opening towards the left pinky toe. So you're getting into that inner left thigh. Grow your branches, Grow your arms. When you're ready. And feel that rootedness into the earth and there's that buoyancy in the upper body. And maybe you bring your right fingers down, Left fingers reach, Kind of like a reverse. Warrior. And then moving into extended side angle, Left arm onto the left thigh, Right arm reaches up. And so you're just moving back and forth, Going at your own speed. Breathing in, Right fingers down, Left fingers reach back. Breathing out. Left arm down, Right fingers reach up. So the lower body is not moving at all. It's just the upper body. And pausing where it feels good. One of my teachers is called this dancing warrior. Getting rid of stagnation is really what we're doing, Getting rid of any stickiness. So energy and blood can flow freely. In Chinese medicine, They believe that stagnation causes pain. Beautiful. The next time the right hand comes down, The left arm reaches up. Pause here in your reverse warrior. Breathe in. Breathe out, Maybe bend. The left knee a little bit more. One more inhale. Exhale, Straighten the front leg, Reverse triangle. Notice how that feels. Beautiful. Keep that length as you reach the left fingers forward. So you could even take your right hand and kind of hold on to your ribs, The left ribs. As you reach the left fingers forward. Left hand down. Right arm reaches up, But you're thinking about those left ribs turning so they're underneath the right ribs. Sometimes I just like to hold onto the ribs and feel that beautiful architecture of the body, Of the ribs. You can always heel toe your back foot in a little bit and your triangle. I like to stay up, But if you want to get down, You can do that. Just make it your own. One more inhale. And stay for the exhale, Letting go. The next time. You breathe in, Bend your left knee. Extended side angle. And just notice how that feels. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, You're gonna heel toe your right foot in. Left hand comes down onto the block. The right leg lifts for your variation of the exercise. Half Moon. Beautiful. The right leg can be down low. You could even bend your left knee and bring it onto the earth. My left hand is on a block. You could also put it on a chair or you could use the wall for support. Beautiful. One more inhale, Get really big. Exhale, Big bend of the front knee. Step the right foot back. Turn all 10 toes to the long edge of the mat. Reach the fingers up. Yes. Yes to life. Yes to all the possibilities. And then fold, Letting go. Beautiful. Move side to side, Get upside down, Anything that feels good. Just getting rid of stagnation. Getting rid of tension. Even though tension is not a bad thing, It's your body telling you. To be careful, To protect you. But sometimes there's some tension that we don't need to keep. Pause at center. Grab your block and place it to the back of the mat. Use your hands, Maybe bring them onto your thighs as you slowly lift up. Beautiful. Circle the shoulder one way. Circle the shoulders the other way. Beautiful. Now you're going to spin the right toes to the back of the mat and bend the right knee. Beautiful. So the back of the mat is now the front of the mat. Root down into your feet. Think about the right. . . Arch lifting towards the right knee and the right knee opening towards the pinky toe. So you're getting into that inner thigh. When you feel rooted, Grow your branches. Beautiful. Breathing in. And breathing out. The toe bones reaching down towards the left heel. And I'm really rooted down into my lower body. Left arm down, Right arm reaches up. Breathe in. Exhale, Right arm onto the right thigh, Left arm lifts. Going at your own speed. Moving your upper body. As your lower body is grounded. And noticing what side feels like it needs more attention. Using your breath to bring in softness. Beautiful. This dancing warrior. Beautiful. The next time the left hand comes down to the left thigh, The right arm reaches up. Pause here in your reverse warrior. Think about the right knee bending a little bit more, Opening the right knee up. Breathing in. And breathing out. And noticing if there's any. Tension or warmth or a little bit of burning. Just noticing. Letting it go on the exhale. One more inhale. Exhale, Straightening the front leg. Reach the fingers a little further. Beautiful. Taking that link that you have with you as you reach the right fingers forward. So I like to take my left fingers. I'm kind of pulling. Lightly my ribs forward so they're going to be balanced with the left ribs reaching the right fingers towards the front of the mat. Our new front. Beautiful, Like you have this offering. You could stay in this hovering triangle or bring the right fingers down, The left fingers up. The right ribs are underneath the left ribs. Noticing the beautiful architecture of our bodies. Our bodies are so amazing. Noticing tension. Beautiful. In triangle pose, I always like to imagine breathing into the heart space. And breathing out into the arms and the fingers. Breathing into the heart. And breathing out into the arms and the fingers and how we touch the world. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly bend the right knee, Extended side angle. You can stay here. Or slowly heel toe the left foot in. I have my block to bring my right hand on for half moon. So I'm rooted down to my right hand, Slowly lifting my left leg up. Reaching the left fingers up if that feels good. Your variation delay could be low. The leg could be lifted. You could have your hand on the floor. A wall or a chair. Or your shin. Or hovering. Whatever you're offering, It's amazing. Again, Breathing into the heart. Breathing out into the arms, Into the fingers. Beautiful. One more and I'll get big. Exhale, Slight bend of the front knee. Slowly bring the left feet down. Lift the fingers up. Yes. And fold. Stay upright, Get upside down, Move side to side. Your variation. Maybe you get lower in your skandhasanas. Or maybe you come into a handstand. Beautiful. We'll be here for two more rounds of breath. Okay, And then slowly bring your hands to the top of the mat. My cat is attacking me. Step the right foot to meet the left. Inhale, Halfway lift, Flat back. Exhale, Fold, Give yourself a hug. Inhale, Rise, Reach the fingers up. Exhale, Hands to the heart, Anjuli Mudra. And just noticing the two sides. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Release the hands. Beautiful. Now we're going to bend the knees. Reach the arms up for chair. This is just a variation, But it's just really helping us get to the mat. So breathing in. Exhale, Lowering the hips down. And how fingers reach. Exhale, Lowering down. If you don't want to do this, You can always meet us on the mat. Inhale, Fingers lift. Exhale, Lowering down. And when you're ready, We'll slowly meet in boat. Just a fun way to get there. So you can always have your hands behind you in your boat or bring your feet down. Make it your own. Stay still or move the legs back and forth. So I'm just bringing one foot underneath the other foot. For five. Four. 3. Too. One. Amazing. Awesome. Slowly come up. Beautiful. Feet together, Knees out wide, Baddha Konasana. Sink down into your hips. So the sit bones, It's like they're plugging into the earth. Shoulders away from the ears. You can bring the hands behind you, Opening up the heart. Or slowly walk the hands forward and bow. You can rest your hands. On the floor or you could always bring your elbows onto the block. Three more rounds of breath. Maybe you bow a little deeper. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly walk yourself up. Beautiful circle the shoulders. Hands behind you. Feet about hip width apart and just winge your wiper side to side. Pausing when the knees go to the right. Stay here or bring the right foot over the left thigh. Beautiful, One more inhale. Exhale, Slowly release. The right foot if it's on top, And then you're just going to winch a wipe or two. Again, Back and forth. And if something else is calling to you, Feel free to do that. When the knees come to the left, Pause. You can bring the left foot on top of the right thigh. Each exhale this release. Beautiful. One more inhale. Exhale slowly, Bring the. Left foot down if it was on top. Windshield wiper one more time back and forth. And then. Have your blocks nearby. Knees into the chest, Roll down, Give yourself a hug. You're amazing. Bringing love and compassion. To your body. It works so hard. Beautiful. Our next posture is Shavasana. If you would like to, You can use your blocks. To make a little platform for your back. You'll have your blocks in a T shape. One block for your head and one for your spine. And this is going to go along your spine. This will go for your head. I like to use a blanket for my head just to bring a little bit of softness in. Lie down. The block that's going along the spine is going in between the shoulder blades. And the block for the head, You're resting your head on so you have this T shape. You can always adjust the block lower or higher. And it can move up the spine. So you don't want to have any discomfort. Feet together, Knees out wide in a Baddha Konasana variation of this heart opener or any other Shavasana shape that feels good. Beautiful. We'll be here for two minutes. And if something doesn't feel good, You're in charge and you can change it and bring your body onto the earth. But if you're following along with me, Breathing in. Filling up. All the way to the crown. Exhale, Letting go. One more deep breath, Breathing in. Filling up to the crown. Pause. Take another sip of breath. Long, Slow exhale. As you move into Shavasana. Beautiful. Each exhale is release. Noticing your next inhale. And noticing your next exhale. Inhale, Reach the fingers past the ears. Exhale, Straightening the legs out long. Beautiful. Slowly bringing the knees back in, Breathing in. Exhale, Roll to your side, Watching out for your props. So you're just going to slowly come off your props and roll into a fetal position. Beautiful. Bringing compassion to your precious human form. To this beautiful community. To this sacred practice. When you're ready, Slowly make your way to seated. Taking time, Watching out for props. Placing your hands at your heart center. 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.