Rest in Wonder

Welcome. This is a relaxing and grounding floor practice to help us cultivate a deeper sense of wonder in the tiny miracles. Will also be recognizing identifying sensations of anxiety and tension in the body. And rather than trying to get rid of it, the invitation is to begin to feel recognized. And just in that recognition, it can help dial it down a bit.

As my teacher, Ravi Rivindra, on yoga anytime, says, wonder and anxiety cannot coexist. So in this practice, we'll be cultivating a sense of wonder. So join me. We're gonna begin one of my favorite shapes working with two blocks and a bolster. It'll also be nice to have a blanket for this practice and a strap. To start with, you can bring, one block on the second setting that'll be high up, and then another block at the lowest setting.

And you can bring them pretty close together. And then we'll re we'll create an incline with our bolster. Now you might have, a blanket under your head for support or a pillow. We'll turn and face away from the bolster, bring the sacrum right up against the edge of the bolster, And if you'd like, for this shape, you can bring the soles of your feet together knees wide and a resting butterfly. I like to open the blanket up and create a little nest of support. So for the hips. So rolling the blanket up, create a nice long roll, bring the blanket on top of your feet, lift your knees, and just tuck it right underneath the knees.

Feel so nice and cozy. And then reclining down using the support of your hands. Again, you might have a blanket under your head for support. And as you arrive, kinda wiggle in. So feel how you can draw your shoulder blades down your back away from your neck, you might lift your pelvis up for a moment, draw your tailbone under.

Just allow your lower back to release here. Making any adjustments so that it feels really good on your body. You might open your arms out wide or alongside the body. Feeling the support beneath you, allow for a gentle inhale, and be an audible sigh as you exhale out of the mouth. As you arrive in your practice, you might keep your arms where they are.

Might feel nice to bring one hand to the belly, one hand to the heart. Begin to notice the quality of the breath. We're breathing without strain, without force, or technique. Just notice how the quality of the breath changes as we come into relationship with it. I'm softening through the jaw.

The eyes and just continue to allow the weight of your body to soften and kinda melt towards the support. You more moments here letting your attention stay tethered to the breath. Now here, within the shape of the heart opener, right, the backbend. Bring some attention towards your exhalation. Now as you do this feel how your exhalation is naturally lengthens.

From the bottom of your exhale feel the natural rise of the inhale, the gentle buoyancy of the lungs and the heart. And an even longer exhalation to empty the lungs, softening the belly. You know how the exhalation can lengthen. Might even pause for a moment at the bottom of the exhale on empty. Are you resting in the quiet depths of the exhale?

Allowing for any sound, any size to be released. Oh, to sing where you can soften. Let go a bit. You more moments here. Following the exhalation to the very bottom. Eeling that gentle rise of the inhale, and even longer exhale with a sigh, out of the mouth.

Beeling the support beneath you, you are welcome to stay here as long as it feels good for you. This might be your practice today. Being with the breath and allowing the exhalation to lengthen. Giving yourself permission to be with, what arises? You feel ready to release. In transition, you might bring your hands underneath your knees and just gently draw your knees towards each other grounding your feet.

We'll reach one arm overhead and roll to that side, you might take a moment or two to pause on your side. When you're ready, we'll press up and we'll reorganize and transition on to our back. I bring your bolster off to the side. Your blocks off to the side. You might feel nice to have a folded blanket under your head as you come on to your back.

Bringing a folded blanket under your head. Making sure you have space and room around your mat. We'll meet on our back. As you arrive, draw your knees into your chest. Rock yourself side to side here.

Grounding the feet nice and wide on your mat for windshield wipers. You might stretch your arms wide. You might lengthen your arms overhead. But your knees fall to the right, maybe turn the head and the gaze to the left, inhale back to center over to the left, gazing to the right. More time side to side.

Just allowing it to feel fluid through your hips, fluid through your spine, recordinating the movement with the breath. Next time your knees fall to the right, pause with your knees to the right and begin to lengthen for your left arm a bit. XL softening into sensation. And begin to draw your awareness into your left lung. As you draw your awareness into your left lung, begin to notice the quality of the breath in your left lung.

My feeling sense, a gentle expansion through the side body, of awakening the intercostal muscles and tuning your attention towards the more subtle refined sensations. Neeling the miracle of this. From your left lung, draw your awareness into your left nostril. Notice the sensation of the breath and just your left nostril. And can you hold your attention here for a few moments?

What is the quality of the inhale? Quality of the exhale? Gradually relax the effort of your attention as you inhale sweep your knees up through center and over to the left. Pause with the knees to the left, reach and lengthen out through your right arm, feel how you can find a bit more length and space through the right side body. And then draw your awareness into your right lung.

Notice the quality of the breath. How the breath follows our attention. From the right lung, draw your awareness of the pathway of your right nostril. Notice the quality of the breath and just your right nostril. Stroll. Even noticing the subtle details, the texture of the breath, the temperature.

Sensation through the nostrils. Gradually relax the effort of your attention and the nostril of the lung. And then how to bring the knees back, upside to side, few more rounds of windshield wipers with a little more wide open attention. My draw your knees back into your chest and rock from side to side. And then we'll ground the feet.

Draw your right knee in, extend your, right leg up. Bring your hands behind the back of your leg. And then turn the thigh out, turn the foot out, bend your knee and bring the right ankle across the left thigh. Open the hip. You might stretch your arms out wide as you begin to rock from side to side. Just kinda easing into the outer right hip.

Just exploring a range of movement that feels good for your spine and your lower back. Your head might rock away from your legs. And your right knee or foot might fall towards the earth. Breathing into where you feel the stretch, you might pause with your right foot easing towards the floor. You might rock the shape back to center, flex your right ankle and begin to lift your left foot. Draw the left thigh into your chest for a figure four stretch.

You might weave your right arm through the window, finding the back of the left thigh or the shin. You might even work with your strap to extend the length of your arms behind the back of your left leg, mister gentle rock from side to side. Breathing into where you feel it, allow for an inhale. As you exhale soft in the jaw, soft in the shoulders, few more moments here. Easy through the eyes.

And if your head is dropping back and there's strain in your neck, you might bring an extra blanket or pillow under your head. You are welcome to stay here a bit longer lingering. In Halace, you're ready, exhale release, the hands ground, your left foot. You might free your right leg up for a moment, point and flex the foot circle out through your ankle, and then bend your right knee lower the foot. Clearing breath inhale, exhale everything. Draw the left knee into your chest.

Bring the hands behind the back of your left leg. Extend the leg up. Turn the thigh bone out. Turn the foot out. Bend your knee and bring the ankle across the right thigh. Open your left hip stretch your arms out to your sides and begin to rock from side to side rocking on to the inner outer edge of your right foot.

And see rock from side to side, your left foot or knee might fall towards the floor. Might rock the shape over to the right for a few breaths? Might stay here rock back to center as you lift your right foot, draw the right thigh and towards your chest, maybe weaving your left arm through the window, finding the back of the right thigh or shin. As you draw the right leg and flex the left ankle, rock from side to side and allow for an inhale and with your exhale softening the jaw, ease, see in the eyes, the shoulders. Breathing into where you feel the stretch.

Sometimes a gentle rocking, swaying, even a little bouncing can help communicate with the nervous system, a sense of ease. So there's a way out. Nice. In your own timing, breathing in, exhale. Lower the right foot for your left leg up, point and flex your foot, maybe circle out through your ankle. Then the knee ground the foot, take a moment to pause, clearing breath, inhale.

And exhale. Draw your knees into your chest, rock from side to side. Once you're ready roll to your side, you might pause there for a moment. Supporting your head, head heavy use your arms to press yourself up, easing your way into a tabletop position. We're gonna explore a supported child's pose with support underneath the head.

So with your bolster, you can also use a blanket that bring your bolster lengthwise out in front of you. And then you might fold your blanket in half. Bring the big toes to gather the knees wide, and then folding forward easing your way forward. And organizing your bolster so that it's supporting your forehead and letting your arms rest, letting the shoulders rest, allowing the weight of the body to receive the support, allowing the weight of the hips to get heavy. You take a gentle breath into the back of the body, exhale to soften.

Resting in your experience, noticing, recognizing. Sensations of anxiety, stress, tension in the body. Again, rather than getting rid of it or fixing anything. We're just allowing it to be welcoming it. And just that recognition can help dial it down. Creating more space, more awareness from the inside.

Inhale, and exhale. Beautiful. You might stay here a bit longer, especially if you're quite comfy. When you feel ready to transition, press down through your palms. Keep your chin into your chest as you slowly roll up. You can bring your blanket off to the side.

We're gonna work with a bolster where it is as we explore downward dog, spread your fingers wide. We're gonna tuck the toes under lift up, and now we have a soft supported cushion under the forehead. You wanna make sure you're not letting the weight of your head, really press into the bolster. So we're not looking to create any, compression through the cervical spine, really tapping into and feeling the support of the hands, the arms, and oppressing the earth away, bending the knees, reaching up through the sitting bones. I'm just allowing I don't know the the top of the head. To rest on the bolster.

Softening the gaze in word. Of course, if this doesn't feel good or right on your body, trust the feeling. Might change the support or remove the support. A few more moments just allowing allowing the mind to rest here. This might be a news sensation having support in downward dog.

It might be familiar. Now as you are ready exhale lower the knees. Okay. Pause for a moment, and then we'll transition towards a seat. So for this, you might sit up on your blanket or your bolster.

If you're sitting up on your blanket, you can bring your bolster off to the side. We're gonna work with our strap coming into a baddha konasana, bringing the soles of the feet together, letting the knees go wide. And we'll open our strap, and we'll bring the strap around the bottom of both feet. And then just hold on to the strap. You can bring the feet in as close as you'd like.

And then we're just using the strap to help us find a bit more support and postural awareness through the spine. So feel how you can draw your shoulders down your back. Kinda draw your spine into your back as you feel a bit more space through the heart, through the chest. Feeling the length in the spine as you soften through the jaw. You might stay right where you are breathing. You might explore a little bit of a forward fold as you wanna feel more sensation in your hips. Breathing in, exhale.

Just a few moments here. And then when you feel ready, just slowly coming up. Bring the strap off to the side. Keep the sole of your left foot in as you extend your right leg long. You might bring the sole of the left foot towards the right inner thigh.

Just take a moment to pause here as you lengthen through your spine. And then just releasing your right hand down your leg, inhale your left arm up. Just pausing here as you breathe wide into the left side of your body. You might stay right here, softening your right shoulder down your back, softening your gaze inward. Breathing into where you feel it.

And as you wanna feel more, you might begin to extend and reach the arm about and over. You might allow for some movement rounding forward, revolving the heart towards the sky. Really customized the shape for you allowing for any support under your head that would feel good. You more moments breathing into this shape. As you're ready on the inhale, slow release, pause, and then lean back switch the cross of your legs, draw the right foot and extend through your left leg, organizing through your sitting bones, pause as you lengthen the spine.

And then sliding the left hand down any amount as you reach your right arm up, feel how you can ground and reach and lengthen. It's creating space and awareness through the right side of the body. Again, you might stay here. You might stretch your top arm up out and over. You might pause as you breathe into where you feel it.

You might explore rounding down, revolving up. Customize the shape you might support the weight of your head. Breathing. Being with what arises, rather than trying to change or fix, just welcoming, letting it be. You more moments here. Take your time on your in house.

Slowly come back up. Exale, allow for a nice. From here, we'll transition into a restorative forward twist. Working with our bolster. So you'll bring your bolster lengthwise.

And then from here, you'll sit kind of a side saddle bring the sole of your right foot towards the back and our thigh and draw the left heel in. And then you wanna position yourself so that your bolster is right up against the leg. Maybe there's a little bit more space inhale lengthen your spine and then exhale twisting towards your bolster. You might even have an extra folded blanket on top, and I'll demonstrate that. Finding the right amount of support and space for your body, inhale lengthen exhale twisting towards the support.

You might bring your right cheek and ear towards the bolster, facing your knees. Inhale, exhale softening the belly. Releasing towards the support. As you soften towards the support, you might and explore gently breathing into the back body. Exail softening the front body.

I need ease through the shoulders. And if it doesn't feel quite comfy and sweet, taking the time to adjust to your props, adjust the support so that it feels very nourishing, very restful, very relaxing for your body and your nervous system. Here, we're giving ourselves permission to simply rest. And receive the support. You are welcome to stay longer.

Your own timing, slide the hands underneath your shoulders. Keep the weight of your head heavy as you slowly press yourself up. Keeping your gaze soft and inward. Pausing. And then we'll just simply swing the knees over. So you might just turn away from your bolster as you swing the knees over to the other side.

It's that left knee in front, right foot behind you, organizing your body and your bolster, inhale to lengthen your spine and exhale to twist towards the support. Taking your time to walk yourself forward. Generally, facing the direction of the knees can feel a bit more, supportive in the neck. Turning away from the knees can be a bit more intense. More intense of a twist.

So finding what feels right for you We'll inhale together and then exhale softening the belly. Receiving the support. Breathing into where you feel the sensation, exhale softening. Again, just allowing it to be. Creating a bit more room and spaciousness from the inside.

Finding a bit more space between your shoulders and your ears. Notice the quality through your hands. Hiving yourself permission to rest here. Softening the belly, softening the heart. I notice how the sensation in your spine and back and hips feels with time here.

It's brass. Allow for an inhale. XL. As you feel ready, bring the hands underneath you press into your palms, head heavy, and slowly come up and unwind, pausing, not even wipe the drool from your mouth. And then, as you're ready, we'll set up for a wonderful supported Shavasana.

If you'd like with two blocks and a bolster. So You might play with bringing your blocks, the highest setting, and then bringing your bolster on top. Like so. Probably feel nice to have a folded blanket under your head for support. Lower yourself down.

And if there's any movement you'd like to find here, If yourself the time and the space you might draw your knees into your chest, just allow for a gentle rock, side to side. When you're ready stretching your legs over the support, might align your legs so they're over the blocks. Readjust the support under your head so it feels really nice. Draw the shoulders down. You might bring some warmth or weight over your body for support.

Notice what you choose to do with your hands. You might let the palms open. Hands might be resting on the body. You might bring one hand to the heart, one hand to the belly. Feeling the gentle movement of the breath, the life force within you.

Resting in the miracle of being here. Relax. Aware, breathing. Allowing and embracing all that arises with a loving and gentle awareness. Might allow for a deliberate sigh and exhale.

Might rest in a more wide open awareness. If it's helpful, you might explore the technique of following the exhalation to the very bottom resting at the bottom of your exhale, feeling the gentle rise of the inhale. And an even longer size you exhale. I'm just allowing the weight of the body, the weight of the bones to drop and release towards the earth. I feel how with the support under your legs, the weight of your pelvis can drop and release towards the earth.

Realaxing any effort through the hips. Yeah. I invite you to stay and rest as long as you can as long as you'd like. When you feel ready to transition, might roll to your side, pause, and curl up, let your head be supported. Head heavy as you press your way up towards the seat. Keeping your gaze soft and inward, joining the hands together, breathing in.

Breathing out. Namaste. Thank you.