Inspired by Scaravelli Track 18

Warrior (III) balance. Nobody can know your body better than you. This Yoga will give you tools to enable you to become more aware of what your body needs, what your body likes. Imagination is important, it fills the gaps while your awareness is developing.
Discover how your body responds when you do things it enjoys. Work with your body, not attacking it, not against it, not trying to control it; and allow your breath, with the help of gravity, to release tension and stress. If it hurts, it's wrong.

Transcript

Standing a leg length away from the wall for Warrior III balance for personal serenity and fun.

Facing away from the wall with your feet hip width apart,

Let the shoulders feel light with the heels growing roots into the ground.

The outer edges of your feet are parallel to each other,

Pointing forwards,

So that you create some space in the sacroiliac joint and the lower spine can move more freely.

Gravity is pulling the lower half of your body down like sand in an hourglass.

The upper half lightens and a rebound enables uplifting growth into the sky.

Scaravelli says it's like a tree spreading its branches outwards and upwards at the same time.

Your legs are feeling strong and solid,

Reclaiming space for your internal organs and giving a strong sense of an alert self.

You're aware of the arches in your feet,

Especially across the base of the toes.

Lift them all up and then put the little toes down and the others one by one towards the big toe,

With as much space between them as possible.

Your soles seem to cover a wide area,

Which is really useful if you're going to do a balance.

Your kneecaps are floating,

Your hamstrings are released.

Your pelvis is balanced over your ankles,

Not tilting forwards or backwards,

Not doing anything but undoing everything around it.

Let the spine extend and take the weight of the arms and legs as they release away from the shoulders and hips.

Notice that the uplift in the upper body is maintained as on an in-breath,

Space is created by releasing the muscles at the tops of the thighs.

Activating the outer arches of the feet helps you become aware of the tailbone's location.

The little toe gives a connection to the lateral arches,

Giving a strong base.

Let the heels feel far away.

Feel the spine extend from there to the top of the head.

There are no big surface muscles trying to tense,

The skeleton is supporting all your weight,

No muscles are getting tired,

And you could be like this for a long time.

On an out-breath,

Allow your arms to float up to shoulder height,

Weightlessly like wings.

They don't finish at the shoulder,

But go all the way to the spine,

Which still supports their weight.

Again,

On an out-breath,

Let the hands float towards the ceiling,

Taking with them the wrists,

The elbows,

And leaving behind the shoulders.

The rotator cuff muscles there are released,

And the bones in the arms seem to float,

Seem to move through a sleeve of muscle.

The more vertical they get,

The less you need to use big surface muscles.

If your neck muscles start to tense,

Just move your head,

Possibly backwards,

To release them.

Move your shoulders to release tension there.

Feel as if you are hanging from your hands and all the weight is dropping from your waist down.

If your hands happen to touch the ceiling or a beam,

It's a surprise to find the release of tension possible from this contact.

Gravity continues to pull the lower half down,

But with each in-breath there is a rebound through the arches of the feet to enable uplifting growth.

When you feel ready,

Take a step forward with your right leg,

And allow the right knee to bend.

Feel your weight balanced in both feet,

But be especially aware of the back heel.

The tailbone keeps moving towards the floor.

Stay aware of your breathing.

Allow your arms to be like wings,

Not rigid,

But light,

Supported by the spine through the shoulders,

And allow them to face each other.

Go as far forward as your body likes,

So long as you're anchored back through your left heel.

Now feel the extension of your spine using all the vertebrae.

Feel your legs strong and solid,

And the spine extending up between the shoulder blades,

Taking the weight out of the arms and legs as they release away from the shoulders and hips.

The uplift in the upper body increases with each in-breath,

And you feel the spine extend from the tailbone to the top of the head.

With an out-breath,

Let the heels feel far away,

And really make contact with the floor.

Feel the lightness and uplift coming from roots going deeply into the ground from the heels.

Your head is just an extension of the spine,

Just like another vertebra.

It's not craning back.

Bring your attention to the way you're breathing.

Feel your base is well established for a balance.

Feel that the air is centered.

Focus on your spine.

Release muscles around it.

Be in a still frame of mind,

A quiet place,

Breathing gently with muscles released.

Focus on the right front foot.

Create space under your soul by engaging the arches.

Bring your attention to the whole foot,

From your big toe inwards.

Check the weight is not just going to the edges,

The bigger the base,

The easier it is to balance.

Feel really tall with the next in-breath.

The arms encourage the spine upwards,

And you imagine the breath coming out the front of the body to your forehead,

Feeling as if you're about to dive.

On the next out-breath,

Release and lengthen the spine by bending both knees,

And really feel the contact as you imagine the breath traveling down the back of your lungs to your heels.

Your pelvis and belly are over the legs.

The thighs extend up and not forward.

As gravity takes your weight,

Sinking to the heels,

Rebound on an out-breath and fly.

Lengthen the spine as you transfer weight from your left back foot,

Pouring it into the front right foot.

Peel your left foot off the floor,

As if someone were touching the back of your knee.

There is a movement from the back of your body,

Helping you break the back,

Helping you lift the back of your thigh.

Keep your head in line with your neck as you go down.

It's an extension,

Not going forwards.

The head doesn't lead,

Pivoting just happens.

And there's a natural pivot on the femur head,

The hip socket.

Your pelvis rolls over the top,

Just like Uttanasana,

The standing forward bend.

Gradually straightening from the bent right knee helps your hips stay level facing forwards,

Square,

Not twisting,

Bringing the left leg up from behind.

It's important to stay aware of space at the top of the thigh to avoid crunching or twisting.

It may help to move the pivot point slightly forward and then lengthen into both heels.

Don't hitch the pelvis up to keep it straight.

Your centre of gravity may shift,

Closing the standing right leg to move out of vertical.

But if you wobble,

Just exhale into your own footprint.

There is a separation at the back of the waist,

Going forward to fingertips,

Up and back,

Down to the heels.

Both knees are relaxed and lengthening,

Not locked.

You can touch the wall as you gradually go down.

But don't touch the wall and then lift your leg.

And when you're ready,

Come back gently to Tadasana.

Again,

When you feel ready,

Take a step forward with your left leg and allow the left knee to bend.

Feel your weight balanced in both feet,

But be especially aware of the back heel.

The tailbone keeps moving towards the floor.

Stay aware of your breathing.

Allow your arms to be like wings,

Not rigid,

But light,

Supported by the spine through the shoulders.

And allow them to come up,

First to shoulder height,

And then upset the hands face each other.

Go as far forward as your body likes,

So long as you're anchored back.

Now feel the extension of your spine using all the vertebrae.

Feel your legs strong and solid,

And the spine extending up between the shoulder blades,

Taking the weight out of the arms and legs as they release away from the shoulders and hips.

The uplift in the upper body increases with each in-breath,

And you feel the spine extend from the tailbone to the top of the head.

With the out-breath,

Let the heels feel far away and really make contact with the floor.

Your head is just an extension of the spine,

Just like another vertebra.

It's not craning back.

Ground yourself,

Breathe,

Release.

Bring your attention to the way you're breathing.

Feel that your base is well established.

Feel centered for a balance.

Focus on your spine.

Release muscles around it.

Be in a still frame of mind,

A quiet place,

Breathing gently with muscles released.

Focus on the left front foot.

Create space under your soul by engaging the arches.

Bring your attention to the whole foot from your big toe inwards.

Check the weight is not just going to the edges.

The bigger the base,

The easier it is to balance.

Feel really tall on the next in-breath.

The arms encourage the spine upwards,

And you imagine the breath coming up the front of the body to your forehead,

Feeling as if you're about to dive.

On the next out-breath,

Release and lengthen the spine by bending both knees and really feel the contact as you imagine the breath traveling down from the back of your lungs to your heels.

Your pelvis and belly are over the legs.

The thighs extend up and not forwards.

As gravity takes your weight,

Sinking to the heels,

Rebound on an out-breath and fly.

Lengthen your spine as you transfer weight from your right back foot,

Pouring it into your front left foot.

Peel your right foot off the floor as if someone were touching the back of your knee.

There is a movement from the back of your body,

Helping you lift the back of your thigh.

Keep your head in line with your neck as you go down.

It's an extension,

Not going forwards.

The head doesn't lead.

Pivoting just happens.

There's a natural pivot on the femur head for your hip socket.

Your pelvis rolls over the top,

Just like in a tenasana.

Gradually straightening from the left bent knee helps your hips stay level,

Facing forwards,

Square,

Not twisting,

Bringing the right leg up from behind.

It's important to stay aware of space at the top of the thigh to avoid crunching or twisting,

And it may help to move the pivot point slightly forward and then lengthen into both heels.

Don't hitch the pelvis up to keep it straight.

Your center of gravity may shift,

Causing the standing leg to move out of the vertical.

If you wobble,

Just exhale into your footprint.

There is a separation at the back of the waist,

Going forward to fingertips and up,

And back down to the heels.

Both knees are relaxed and lengthening,

Not locked.

You can touch the wall as you gradually go down,

But don't touch the wall and then lift your leg.

Come back gently to tadasana.

You could possibly also start from uttanasana,

Or from tadasana itself,

With hands down to begin with.

Also,

It's probable that facing the wall is a good idea at first,

For fingertip support,

Which is better than just leaning your hand on a chair,

On the back of a chair.

And it's useful to have something or someone for the back heel to make contact with.

Again,

Not for support,

But just for contact.