Triangle with Chair

(waves splashing) Hello, welcome. So in this next short piece, we're going to do some hip opening variations at the wall, and work on some balancing. So, here I have a mat and a chair at the wall and I have a foam block nearby. So the first thing is to bring your hands on the chair and then spread your hands wide apart. So this is a variation of a wide leg forward fold.

Okay, as you bring your feet wide apart, begin to just let one knee bend as you lean to a side and the other knee bend and lean to the side. And it might feel good to do this back and forth, side to side, just to begin to open the hips. Breathing. And notice if you're putting a lot of weight on your hands and connecting back down for the legs and the feet for support. And then bringing the feet parallel to each other, you might stay here, you might begin to bring your forearms onto the chair, reaching your hips away from the chair.

And it might feel nice to begin to let the head rest on the chair. Okay? And taking a few breaths, pressing through the outer edges of the feet, and lifting from the inner arches all the way up towards the pelvic floor and the hips. Breathing. (inhales and exhales) You might stay here for a few full breaths.

And then as you're ready, you'll use your hands and then walk your feet together, using your legs to come all the way up to standing. Okay? So, in this next piece, we'll find an extended right angle. Here, I'm gonna bring a block onto my chair. And this is some balancing, so I'll bring the right foot on the chair and now make sure the standing leg, the foot is in line with the hip.

So that's important to really spread the toes, press down through the standing leg, and my right knee is at about a right angle. Okay? The block is just in front of my foot. And then bringing that left hand on the hip and just taking a moment to press down through the standing leg and lengthen up through the spine, relaxing the shoulders down the back. And then from here, bringing the right forearm towards the right thigh and then again, pressing down through the standing leg and lengthening here.

You might even take a look down towards your block or towards the foot. And then from here, you might bring the hand, begin to lean towards the block. Bring one hand to the block and notice that there's a tendency to sort of collapse through the spine and taking a moment to really press down through the foot, lengthen through the spine. The left hand might stay on your hip or you might begin to reach that left arm up towards the sky, towards your wall. Again, notice if the body wants to round forward, and as you press down, lengthening up through the spine, the heart might reach up towards the sky and breathe.

And then as you're ready, bring the hand on the hip. You might take a look down and then come all the way back up. Okay? And then be careful as you release that right leg down. So it requires a bit of balancing here and just take a moment to stand in Tadasana.

Me, I feel my hips a bit more open. (exhales) Good, and then we'll turn and find the other side, bringing the block in front of the left foot. And then, as you're ready, you'll bring the left foot up on the chair. And take a moment to really align the standing leg so that the foot is underneath your hip. The left knee is at a right angle.

And then pressing down through the standing leg, as you lengthen up through the spine, releasing the shoulders down the back and taking a few breaths here with the right hand on the right hip, finding a spot to focus on. Eventually you might bring the left arm onto the left thigh. And for some of you, that left hand might find the block or the chair. Again, lengthening up through the spine. And you might stay here, you might begin to reach that right arm up towards the sky, reaching towards the wall and lengthening.

You might keep the standing knee slightly bent. And it might feel good to look up towards that right hand or look down towards that left hand. Breathing. So, here I'm getting a nice long stretch through the right side and then opening. It feels quite nice.

Ahh. And then as you're ready, bring the hand onto your hip. And you'll inhale to come all the way back up and taking a moment to pause before you bring that left foot down. Once you feel stable, letting that left foot come down to meet the right, and then taking a moment in Tadasana. Good.

And then from here, we set up for Trikonasana. So, the Triangle Pose variation at the wall. So bringing your feet wide, about three feet apart, bring your left foot and your right foot out and take a look down at your feet. I like to bring my right heel in line with my left inner arch and then have the block on the chair. Good, take a moment to lengthen up through the spine and here, the action is to really spread the toes, lengthen up, feel the legs engage, left hand on the left hip, reach the right arm towards the wall.

Inhale and then as your exhale, begin to reach towards your wall and the hand might find your block or perhaps for some of you, the chair. This is a nice variation to Trikonasana, Triangle Pose. And then rooting through the outer edge of the left foot, let the spine lengthen and notice that that right shoulder is collapsing in, drawing the shoulder blade down the back. And you might stay here, you might reach that left arm towards the sky, finding Trikonasana, and reaching from the heart into both hands. You might look up towards that left hand or if it feels better on your neck, take a look down towards the hand.

Breathing. And then as you're ready, strong legs, you'll inhale, reach with the top arm, come all the way back up. And then walk the feet together or hop the feet together. And taking a moment to pause here. (inhales and exhales) Good, and let's find the other side.

So bringing the feet wide, bring your right foot and your left foot out. And it's helpful to take a look down at the feet, bring that left heel in line with the right inner arch. I like to bring my hands on my hips and draw that right sit bone down so that the hips are even. Can you see that? Drawing the right hip and sit bone down.

And then keeping the right hand on the hip, reach the left arm out towards the wall, spreading the toes, pressing through the outer edge of the right foot, the back foot. Inhale. And as you're ready, begin to lean towards the wall. And the hand might find the block or the chair. And you might keep the right hand on the hip or reach the right arm up.

It might feel nice to look up at the hand or look down at the left hand. Breathing. (inhaling and exhaling) And then as you're ready, you'll reach with the top arm, come all the way up from Trikonasana, Triangle. Turn the feet in and then walk the feet or hop the feet together in Tadasana. (inhales) And taking a breath.

Good. So you do that a few times at home. Let us know how it goes. Thank you for being here. Namaste.