Yin Release: Open Heart (Live Class)

Yin Release: An open-hearted practice recorded during a live class. Yin Yoga is a slower-paced meditative practice. In Yin yoga, the poses are held for a long period of time to target the connective tissues.

Note: the audio is not of professional quality

Transcript

All right,

If you don't mind I'm just gonna See if we can't get it recorded and we're gonna start seems like we have a lot of stress We're gonna dilute this morning.

So we're gonna start in a heart-opening pose you can take both of your blocks or just one of your blocks and puppy dog pose The elbows will rest on the block The head will drop through The hands will come to prayer position If the block is too much height for the shoulders just remove the block Bring your palms to the mat And then glide your hips back So the flesh underneath the armpits gets a nice stretch The heart is melting towards the mat To decrease that intensity just pull the hips a little forward or draw the hips a little back to increase it And your head just kind of floats you.

And the feet up the head kind of falls through It's releasing any tension in the neck and in the jaw And begin to find your breath So beginning our practice from an open heart And centering ourselves with a breath that supports the opening of the heart To slow,

Gentle,

Smooth inhale followed by a calm extended exhale Both the hands and the feet are unweighted Giving them a chance to rest As the front line of the body begins to open You may feel some pressure a gentle pull from the creases of the hips Up through the low belly the solar plexus the ribs the collarbones deeply into the shoulders arms and palms Be here for about 10 cycles of breath Come soft around the muscles that surround your eyes and your jaw And bringing a little pressure to the palms of your hands set your intention for your practice And with the press of the palms together the lines of energy that start at your fingertips and filter down through the arms and into the heart And begin to open up as well And then very slowly to come out Bring your hands down by your sides shift yourself into an embryo pose or a child's pose The inner thighs will come to touch the forehead comes or a crown of the head rests on the block or on the mat And then the hands palms up facing the ceiling The belly rests on the thighs You come back to that gentle inhale The calming exhale This counters that extension of the spine as we move into flexion Slowly begin to open up the back line of the body Tissues that surround your pelvis The ones that connect the upper body to the lower body begin to lengthen out The thoughts begin to slow We pull our attention inwards And the felt sense of our experience The contrast between an open undefended heart and a closed,

Open,

Open heart The contrast between an open undefended heart and a closed,

Open,

Open,

Open heart Drawing in Then come up to a tabletop position Bring the legs around for a shoelace pose The right leg will extend out and then the left knee will cross on top of the right This may be a good place to bring your blanket underneath your hips in between your knees So the targeted area is the outer back of the right leg and the outer right thigh as well as the outer left hip And then you'll lean yourself forward Not to push or force yourself forward Separate the teeth,

Unhinge the jaw Draw the attention inward Towards your sensation And just observe if that sensation is constricted into one area There's one cluster And visualize the breath reaching up into that cluster,

Into that confinement,

Giving it a bit of relief Soothing breath in Slow calming breath out Begin to align that exhale with any strong sensation you may be feeling within the body About 10 breaths here And then very slowly begin to make your way out of the way Walking the hands back,

Uncrossing that leg Both legs will come out to a narrow V or a wide V Let the toes dangle,

Whether they're going to roll in or roll out And then begin to walk the hands forward Forearms,

Head,

Palms can rest on a block The targeted area is the inner groin,

But it's not confined to that area So discover in your own body where your sensations lie And once you pinpoint where the sensations are the strongest,

Use that calming breath To loosen,

To unbind,

That place of restriction About 10 breaths here And then notice the pace as you transition out of your shape Moving very slowly,

Coming into shoelace pose with the opposite leg on top Your right knee crosses over Again,

Bring your props as needed and then fold yourself in And did you move into your shape from an open,

Expansive place?

Or are you tiptoeing your way in from a guarded place?

Whether you're guarding an injury You're fighting an emotion,

You're having a battle with your thoughts Come back to the comfort of the breath The gentleness of the inhale,

The calming effects of the exhale The silence to observe what's surfacing The silence to observe what's surfacing And then 10 breaths here Very slowly begin to make your way out Extend the legs forward,

Give the hips and knees a side to side Turn,

The knees will fall over,

Heels will come into the seat And the knees will come over to the right The right ear will fall down to the right shoulder The left hand will come behind the back and you'll grab for the left wrist It's a gentle holding on to the wrist to keep the shoulders softened down away from the ear And play with the positioning of the chin,

Maybe arching it up to the ceiling or back down to the earth And then land in a place where you feel the most amount of stimulation happening down that left side body So whether we're talking about fascial lines,

Which is the soft tissue lines in the body,

Or meridian lines,

Which is the energy that runs through those soft tissues Both are working in conjunction with one another Working on freeing up restricted space Focusing the mind on the sensations in the body help to pull us out of our thinking mind And drop us into our true experience of what's happening here and now And then bring your head back to neutral,

Release the left arm,

Maybe do a chin roll from side to side just to feel the effects of the opening You'll shift your heels over to the opposite side,

The heels will come to the left side,

The left ear will fall down to the left shoulder The right hand will come to the low back,

You'll grab for the wrists,

And it's not a forceful tug,

It's a gentle opening into the body Guiding the mind inward,

Getting a tactile sense of how our energy is flowing down the right side body How the lengthening of those tissues support that flowing of energy Taking a moment of pause whenever we feel any obstruction or restriction or confinement Softening around that area About ten breaths here And slowly bring the chin back to center,

Release the arm down Soft,

Slow,

Gentle chin rolls from side to side And bringing the calves underneath you for toes pose,

You'll roll forward onto your shin,

Curl the toes underneath you You may need a block underneath your hips or two You know this isn't a fun pose for everybody,

But it's what the body needs to open up through the soles of the feet and keep the fascia healthy The hands will come to interlace behind the low back for a gentle extension of the spine and a heart lift Right away notice if you're contracting through your thoughts,

If you're restricting yourself before you even make a move The mind is very protective,

It closes up and in before we even get a true experience Sensations of energy,

Adaptation of tissue and the flowing of prana and breath Ten breaths here It's helpful to close down the eyes if you're having a strong emotion or a thought We make it into a shape Anger,

Frustration,

Resentment often come to the surface We train to be resilient and adaptive when those emotions arise The steadiness of the breath and the openness of the heart Release the hands,

Bring the hands in front of you and curl the toes,

Give them a little kick Then we'll roll over the soles of the feet Walk the hands in front of you So you're in a squat at the back of your mat,

You can roll up your blanket and bring the blanket underneath the heels if the heels are lifted So I'm leveraging my arms forward as I shift my hips back There's minimal amount of effort,

The weight is evenly balanced on the balls of my feet,

I just opened up the soles of my feet A nice rounding through the back and you're feeling the tissues pull from the pelvis all the way up through the trunk of the body That back line elongates,

Space is created,

Maybe the space for understanding and acceptance of where we're at The fluctuations of feelings and thoughts as we move through our practice is much like life The fluctuations in feelings and thoughts we have throughout our day Meeting each moment with a kind-hearted breath and gentle exhale You'll lower the heels,

Begin to straighten through the legs for a forward fold,

The knees are bent very generously,

Enough to bring the palms of the hands underneath the soles of the feet A variation of gorilla's pose,

So the knees are very heavily bent,

You might even have your belly button resting on your thighs And then the neck is gonna wanna clench up and shoulders will come up by the ears,

That's okay,

Just send the gaze in between the thighs to elongate the back of the neck and the upper part of the spinal column It's the old part of the brain wanting to tighten up,

Bound up,

Protect itself We let ourselves soften in,

Remind ourselves we're safe,

We're just exploring new territory Opening up to new sensations The weight of the ribcage dropping heavy towards the mat will help to stimulate the connective tissue between the heart and the diaphragm Diaphragm is a dome-like structure,

Every time we pull breath in we should feel sensation all the way down to our hips and we're not restricted and we're not stressed or anxiety isn't present So with each breath we take in it's a massaging and opening of the heart About 10 breaths here And then with the last few breaths begin to shift the weight from ball of foot to ball of foot on the palms of your hands,

Giving the palms of the hands a little massage And then bend deeply through the knees,

Remove the hands and very slowly make your way up to standing Take a gentle shoulder roll down,

Around and back,

Let the heart balance in between the shoulders And how was that energy,

How was that breath and blood cascading through?

The hands will come to interlace at the back of the head,

We're moving into a standing back bend,

The heart is going to lift,

The head will rest in the basket of the hand We're not jarring ourselves back,

It's an extension of the upper thoracic spine so the chest lifts and just leans into the basket of the arms The flesh of the forearms,

The under part of the armpits,

Lengthen as well Keep your feet firmly rooted into the earth,

The heart lifted up to the sky Be receptive to what's coming with this breath in and this breath out And then bringing the head back in line,

Right in between the shoulders,

The shoulders stacked on top of the hips,

The hips stacked on top of the ankles Close the eyes,

The body will find its natural sway forward,

Back,

Side to side And allow it to rest in your place of balance,

Your centering And very slowly,

Forward fold,

Bending the knees,

Bringing the hips back down Extending the legs out in front of you for half hero's pose The left heel will come close to the left butt cheek,

There can be a block or a blanket underneath the left sit bone Blocks can come behind you to rest your hands on,

You're going to lean the torso back You may come all the way down onto your back,

The top of the quad,

From kneecap all the way to the chest,

To the shoulders and beyond The tissues begin to stimulate and lengthen And then maybe rest down the eyes and watch the dance of colors behind the eyes The habitual thought patterns play out,

And you're centered in your experience,

Watching it all unfold Gentle breaths in,

And calming breaths out Now how is the face receiving the shape?

Are you tensing through the eyes,

Are you heavy in thought?

Can you be constricted through the upper temples?

We're here for about 10 breaths You can come to your side John,

Like this Is that okay?

You feel it in your top of the quad?

Oh yeah,

That's not the problem Very slowly begin to make your way out Extend that leg long Take the left leg,

It's going to come into an internal rotation You feel the difference from going,

And then windshield wiper just side to side And then we'll switch out the legs,

The right leg will come back to a half hero's pose You can come to your side for that quadricep stretch just laying on your side Where are you feeling it?

This side is much easier The injury you're dealing with?

Yeah Come back to that gentle breath Just calming exhale out So much of our discomfort,

Our pain,

Our constriction begins in the mind It's where the signals of the nervous system start Maybe a simple question of asking yourself what you're protecting,

What you're resisting May bring you a little bit more comfort When the mind is at ease,

The body can receive About ten breaths here Slowly begin to make your way out Extend that leg forward and then re-bend it to windshield wiper the legs from side to side And then you'll come to a table top The right leg will step forward,

Lounge lizard So it's up to you having the sole of the right foot grounded down or maybe toe healing the foot a little wider With the foot grounded down,

The thigh bones more parallel,

It's going to send sensations and stimulation differently along the femur head With the toe healing of the foot out,

The outer edge grounded down,

You'll get more sensation through the outer thigh,

The IT band We're not forceful with our openings,

We're gradual We're teaching the mind that it's safe to move into these shapes Start to break down that wall of fear,

That wall of protective anxiety That we tend to build up around the heart,

Build up around our ideas,

Build up around our sensations And all that's left is what we're experiencing right now Very slowly begin to make your way out You'll pause in a child's pose or embryo pose Just sensation and breath Emerging,

The uniting of body,

Mind,

Spirit,

Free of that protection And then coming back up to a tabletop,

You'll take the left leg and step it forward And again,

Find what suits you The foot is grounded or its toe healed out,

The outer edge or the big toe mound grounded in And those denser tissues might hold denser,

Stronger feelings We might be berating ourselves,

Beating ourselves up for getting injured Or pushing ourselves too hard,

And accept,

Can we accept where we're at with an open heart And feed the message of acceptance into that confinement About ten breaths here And very slowly you'll begin to make your way out into child's pose Or embryo Closing the eyes And watching your experience unfold And slowly you'll make your way up onto your seat,

We'll come all the way down onto our backs Put your legs up the wall,

On the block or on the blanket You'll bring your pelvis to rest on the block or on the blanket nice and evenly The knees will be heavily bent,

Extending the legs up to the ceiling I like to take my thumbs right to the creases of my hips and there's a stringy-like muscle that likes to grab on Your hip flexors,

Self-massaging that area,

Letting that tension dissolve Bending the knees will help with that And resting the hands on the belly or on the heart How does unweighting the lower body feel?

Of the burdens and the stress and the heaviness dissolved Is there a lightness in the legs and in the toes and in the joints of the lower body?

About ten breaths here And then very slowly bending the knees,

Bringing the feet onto the mat Taking the block out from under you And we'll move into twisted root through the lower body,

The right leg will come up and over its eagle legs If the bind is there,

You'll take the right foot and wrap it underneath the left calf If not,

You're just crossing the right thigh over the left And you'll bump up on your hips,

Turn over to the left Take that right hand,

Bring it behind the head and it acts as a pillow You'll also open up through the right pec and chest,

Maybe even feel it into the tricep,

The deltoid The left hand can fall down by your side,

Rest on your belly As a reminder to be gentle with yourself Very slowly you'll bring the head out from behind the head Bring the knees back to neutral and uncross the legs,

Crossing the left leg on top Taking the knees up and over to the opposite direction,

The left hand comes to rest behind the head Just come to notice how the lengthening and the opening,

The expansiveness of the tissues Merge with the flow of prana,

Of blood,

Of life force,

Producing sensations in the body And those sensations help to bring the attention inward,

Out of the thinking body,

Into the feeling body Take the left hand out from behind the head,

Bring the knees back to center Uncross the legs,

Extend them long,

Arms lay long by your side And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana And come to rest in your final savasana Gentle breath in,

Calm slow breath out Reminding ourselves the feeling of being unrestricted and unbound And when you're ready come to a fetal position on either side of your space And then very slowly making your way up to your seat with a soft gaze or closed eyes Gathering your hands at your heart space,

Notice how you're presenting yourself in space How the energetic body has come alive,

The spirit is receptive and awake All rooted in an open heart Exhale out the breath,

Inhale,

Exhale Breath in,

Breath out,

Gentle inhale,

Calm exhale Pouring the head to the open heart with light love,

Gratitude and grace,

Namaste