Block Party

Hello, everyone. Thanks for joining me for another practice. I'm excited to share my block party with you and, get you excited about using one or two blocks in your practice to go a little bit deeper and explore. Building a little bit more core strength. So we're gonna start with one block on your back, and we're gonna set the block up in the flat wide position, basically, where your feet go.

So if you can put your feet up on the block, and then recline backwards. We've got our supported recline cobbler's pose. And I love that lift of the feet to kinda ease some of the intensity of this first stretch. You might have your arms out to the side for a moment here and taking a pause and just get a little bit more connected to your physical body, your breath, your state of mind at the moment before we practice. And as we let ourselves settle in sync with gravity support towards the floor here, we might start to notice a little bit more stretch in the hips, maybe a little bit more connection of your bones on the floor.

So we feel stable, supported, and we can let that front body rise towards the sky on inhale, and belly in towards your back on exhale. Back body settling and towards the earth. Take three more centering breaths here. Appreciating a little hip stretch. The opportunity to relax into the floor.

And then in your own sweet time, let's start to slowly tilt your knees towards each other and see if your feet might be able to slide to the side of the block and squeeze your block and lift the block and tilt it into your hands. We put a narrow block between your knees and then let your arms open out to your side here. Now when your arms are open out to your side, let's go ahead and start to circle the legs around as you squeeze that block with your knees. Yes. We start to do a little bit of core exploration here, abdominal exploration. As you squeeze that block.

The further your knees move away from your body, the more challenging this move will be. K. Now while we're in the poor department here, reach for your block and turn it to the medium width. It's between your knees, and let's keep your arms now at your side. So the legs are gonna stay bent, and we're gonna move your legs forward and have your heels touch the floor and the legs tilt back towards your belly. Legs come forward, heels touch down, tilt legs back in. Yeah. We're gonna do several more and trying to keep your back neutral.

As your legs tip back and forth, we're being mindful that our back isn't arching. As the legs come forward. So you're trying to maintain your normal core position, torso position as your legs are going back and forth. Let's try one more that way. Now when your legs come in, slide this block a little bit higher up now between your calves and give that a squeeze between the caps.

It should feel a little bit different. Let's tuck your hands underneath that sacrum area. So we can bend the knees. It's gonna make it a little bit easier. I'm gonna let the legs come forward and maybe they go a little bit straighter or straight, and the legs can come back in.

You could try straight legs the whole time and come down and up. Your hands are supporting your lower back to keep it neutral. So you can come down straight legs or bent knees. Going into straight legs, I'll show that again, bent knees to straight legs. Come back in, bent knees to straight legs. Come in. So let's try a couple more.

Whatever one's working for you, engaging the inner legs and some of those abdominal muscles. As removing their legs forward and back. Alright. Now let's bring the legs towards you. Grab your block and put your feet down for a moment. Let's turn your block maybe to the medium position.

Bring your left knee above your hip and hold your block against that left knee. K. Now we're gonna keep holding that in place as you take your right arm in the air and lift your right foot off the floor. So we're gonna stretch your right leg to the ground and your left arm right arm by your ear and then come back to our neutral. Right leg to the floor, right arm by your ear too. Come back up.

And three, stretching right arm and leg down. Four, stretching long. And five. Let's switch. Hold the block in front of your right knee. Gotta hold that in place. Left fingertips point to the ceiling.

Now left leg and arm come down. One, come back to your neutral. And two, and neutral. And three. Neutral. And four.

Neutral. And one more time. And five. And neutral. Alright. Put both feet down and find your second block. So now we'll start to play with two.

I'm gonna encourage you to hold them in whatever way works best for you. I typically like to hold the long sides. It's small fits better in my hand, and we're gonna hold the blocks up in the air above your chest. So you have to work a little bit already to squeeze them together. Swing your feet up in the air here.

And as we're ready, we're gonna open the arms out to the side wide. Squeeze together, separate the legs and then reach forward. Come back to center. Open the arms out wide. Squeeze together, legs wide, curl up.

Recenter. Arms wide. Squeeze together. Open the legs and curl up. Recenter.

Legg's arms wide. Squeeze the blocks together, legs apart, and curl up. And I'll stay here, arms up, legs up. Now we're gonna take the right leg down to the floor in front of you as you stretch your arms, squeeze those blocks, and tip your arms towards your ears. Swing your right leg up and your blocks back up. Left leg comes down as the arms go back towards your ears, kinda like you're doing warrior three on your back.

Arms up, left leg up. Right leg down, arm check by your ears. And come up, you'll notice that's a fair amount of work to squeeze your blocks together as they're going back. Let's try each leg one more time. Wherever you might be in your cycle, one leg down, and we'll finish with the other leg going down.

And then up we go. K. Let's take the blocks to your side, bend your legs. And let's rock yourself up toward sitting. Let's take your blocks back behind you, so you can have your fingers and palms on the blocks and turn your fingertips to face towards your heels. It makes sure your hands or blocks are wide enough that you feel like you've got, the option to push yourself up off the floor and then come down. We can do a little lift up.

And come down. So a little tricep push up, going up, and down. As you look straight ahead, going up, and down, let's do two more, up. Down and one more up and down. Now something just for fun, we're gonna take your blocks forward in the tall position, and then stretch your legs out, and you've got your blocks tall to the outer ankle lower leg area, then lean just a tiny bit back. And we're gonna try to lift your right leg up and clear the block and go to the outside and then to the insides. Try your other leg, clear your block, go to the outer block back to center.

So right leg up and over engaging the quadricep, left, up and over. Okay. Same leg alternating rights, and then going to your left. To center a couple more, it kinda gets interesting with repetition up and over. Finding different ways we can engage the quadricep in your practice, up and over, up, and over. Alright. Hope you enjoy that.

Spring your blocks up towards the top end of your mat, and let's spin around that way and get ready to just stretch your feet for a second, getting ready for our transition to come up to stand. K. Now when you come up towards the top of your mat, let's go ahead and grab one block, and we're gonna insert that most likely the narrow or the medium position, whichever one feels like it helps you keep your knees tracking over your hips. So I might be facing this way so you can see better. So as you look straight ahead for a moment, we're gonna inhale raise your arms up and then lift your heels. Come into your chair, swing your arms back as you look towards the floor.

Gonna inhale and rise up slowly lift the heels. Heels down, swing your arms back. Okay. Squeeze that block. Inhale slowly rise up, lift those heels. Heels down, swing your arms back.

Two more come up, and exhale swing those arms back. Okay. Up, and then keep your arms down, heels down. Let's grab your block now, bring your feet a little bit closer together. We're gonna have that block more or less in front of your thighs. Let's turn your left knee out and have your left heel above your right ankle.

If you wanna do tree with your foot up, you can make that adjustment. So now I might encourage you to slide your foot higher up your leg as your arms lift up towards your ears, growing that tree, and take your arms down and foot down. Slide your foot up your leg, same leg going up, and taking the foot down as your arms come down to three. Let's go up, a little taller, then come down four. Going up, Our last one and down.

Alright. Let's switch sides. So plant that left foot, turn your right knee out, and you might start with your heel above your ankle. K. I invite you to slide your foot up. If you like for that tree, and coming down. And two, slide the foot up.

Get a little taller on that left side. Coming down. And again, going up. Maybe we're on three, reach up. Lower.

You can slide your foot up and lower. Last one, just working on balance, strength, get taller, reach up. And release. Alright. Now roll your shoulders back, let your feet kind of wiggle a little bit hip distance apart or maybe air on more narrow. Alright. So we're gonna play with another little sequence with balance using the block because we take our arms up overheads. K. Now as you exhale, bend your elbows and send your right foot back, that's that one, bend your knee and drop your block towards your foot.

And as your arms come up, we're gonna swing the knee in front of you and take your block underneath your right leg. Kick your leg out, balance, and then take your foot down, we're back to where we started. And your arms come up, send your left foot back, lift your left foot and lower your block towards your foot. Hold your block up. Your knee comes up, and we take the block under your left leg.

Transfer, left leg straight, and then the block in front of you. And as you're noticing, you might be wobbly like me. Let's try it again. Arms up, right leg back, lift your foot, lower your block. As you lift your block, you lift your knee.

Take the block under your right knee, transfer it to the other hand, and then kick out back to neutral. Arms up, left leg back, lift your foot, drop your block. And as you come up, the knee comes up, we're going under your left leg, pause, stretch your leg out as your arms go wide. Alright. Having so much fun, I'm sure you wanna do that one more time. We're gonna go up.

It's easier with practice. Right? Right foot back. Lift your foot. Drop your block down. Hold the block up, write the up, take it under the leg, stretch those arms out so you can balance the last sides, arms up, send your left foot back, lift your foot, lower your block. And as your arms go up, your knee comes up, we're going under the leg and stretch the left leg out arms wide. And then release.

K. Hope you had fun with that. Okay. Take a moment, re centering yourself here. Let's start to move your feet a little bit wider. Turn your toes out. Let's set up for a squat as you hold your arms out in front of you.

Keep that long back as you look towards your block. As you come up to standing block towards the thighs, hold your block in front of you, coming toward a squat, and come back up. Keep looking straight ahead as you squat. And come up. One more going down and up.

Alright. Now just for a moment, turn your toes forward, transfer that block behind your back and just hold the block with your hands. And just for a moment squeeze between your shoulder blades stretch that block back. It's kind of a nice chest opening practice. Then the block back in front of you and lets your legs now go wider. So we'll turn your right foot out bend your knee and hold on to the long side of the block with your right hand.

We're gonna open our arms as we do in warrior two parallel to the floor here. K? So it's gonna be step one. Now start to reach over to your right sides, like you're setting up for side angle, we're gonna reach behind you and grab your block with your left hand. When the left hand has the block, hold it and bring yourself back up to warrior two, reach in front of you straighten your front leg. Alright. Back to arms wide.

Bend your right knee. Tip to your right side. Reach back behind you. Take a moment. Squeeze between shoulders.

Left arm has the block, left hand has the block come up. Grab the block in front of you. Arms wide, bend your right knee, tip to your right, reach back, holds, Left hand gets the block as you tip back up. Front leg straight, hold your block. Again, arms wide, bend your right knee.

Let's reach. Hold the block behind you. Left hand gets to the block. Come up. K. Last loop, as we go back out with your right arm, bend your knee, tip to your rights, take a moment, grab that block, hold, left arm, scut the block, and then we're back to neutral.

Alright. Turn your right foot in, bring your feet a little closer so it's easy for you to turn your left foot out. Bend that knee and set up as you might for warrior two. K. So your left hand has the block, then start to reach to your left. See how that feels, reach back behind you. Grab your block.

Right hand has the block and you tip back to center. Front leg straight, hold your block. Arms out, bend your knee. Tip to your left. Take a moment. Hold that block.

Open that chest. Right hand gets to the block and you tip up and front leg straight. Again, arms wide, left knee bent. Reach to the side. Grab your block open chest.

Right arm has the block. Tip up. Back in front, one last time. Open those arms. Bend your knee.

Tip to your right. That's your left. Reach back behind you. Open chest. Right hand has the block come up, front leg straight in that block in front of you. Alright.

Keep your feet wide, legs wide as you bend your knees, and let's put this tall block down, underneath the chest or line of the face. Kind of adjust your feet wide enough that you feel pretty comfortable here. So I love the blocks for keeping our spine a little bit longer in this position. So let's bring your right arm raid out in front of you for a moment. Just raise your arm up towards your ear.

Stretch your right arm out to the right, look towards your right thumb. And then take your arm back in front of you and then hand back to the block. Left arm for a moment reaches forward lengthen. Open your arm out to your left, look to the left, reach in front of you, hand to the block. Bring your feet a little closer together bend your knees, and let's bring ourselves up to standing.

Okay. As your legs come in, give them a little rest, and we're gonna look for the second block and bring them both back into our practice. K. So when you have a a block in each hand, let's separate your legs again a little bit wider than your shoulders, heels in toes a bit out. And we're gonna move through a sequence. We're gonna have the blocks on our upper thighs. Bend your knees, and we're gonna bend from the waist forward to hold those blocks in place. Then the fingertips touch the floor now to point your toes straight ahead.

And take a moment to let your head drop down one of my favorite ways to do a forward fold with those locks as wedges in place to help me open up a little more in my back. And sometimes it takes a few times to do this move to start to fall more in love with it, but I hope it serves you well as you explore a forward bend with a nice open back. Let me take another second here. Maybe one more breath and join the forward fold. Now as you come out, we'll hold the blocks with your hands and lift yourself up holding your blocks.

Let's pivot and turn on one foot to face the short end of your mat, and then we can send these tall blocks down as you lift your back heel and we're in the high lunge. Now and when we're in our high lunge, let's all bring our right foot forward. So we're working on the same cues. From here, as you find the stance that helps you keep your legs energized and alive, let's from here take your right arm out to your right. And then take your hand back to your block.

Take your left arm out to your left, back to your block, and see if you can have both arms for a moment open out to your sides. Come back to your block. Let's switch. Bring your left foot forward and take your right leg back. Okay. So we're asking, a decent amount of the legs to support you here, and we'll try out sending your left arm to the left. Hand to the block.

Right arm out to the right. Hand to the block. And let's see if we can have our ribs on our front leg, and we're gonna have both arms maybe open out to the side like you would in a warrior three. Both hands back to the blocks. Turn your blocks a little bit lower so they're not so high and slide your left leg back so you end up in a plank position.

Maybe we're holding the narrow or flat edge of your block And as we tip our hips up and back, it might make it easier in your shoulders. And you might walk your wrist back to push into the short edge and find a way to make the block helpful in helping you go a little deeper into a shoulder stretch, heels might sink down, heels rise up, heel sink down, and up, and let's tip back to plank posts. K, and be willing to move your hand so it feels like they're in a good spot. One more moment, just holding yourself here away from the floor, and another moment, and another. Then let's bring your knees down, and this is where the blanket might be useful to have a blanket underneath your knees. K.

If you like that, if you're on a harder floor, that can be quite delightful. So maybe the blocks are in a good position here as we walk our hands a little forward of your shoulder line. Then tip your hips back and they won't necessarily be on your heels, but we stretch back for a knees down version of downward dog. And let's slide your right hand over to the left. So you look under your arm and thread, the arm under, and I often call this the reaching under the bed pose.

As you're looking up towards your right fingertips. Now your head may or may not come down to the floor. It might for some of you, but we might encourage a little bit of that sinking down towards the floor with your right arm. And the block can maybe be nice to, again, have a softer angle for this left shoulder that we're stretching. As you lift up, put your right hand on your block, come forward more towards tabletop.

Swing your hips back a little bit, then take your left hand to the right, look under that arm, stretch your hips back. Again, the hips aren't necessarily trying to touch your heels. They're just moving back to keep your right side body long. And see if we might feel a little bit of release and stretch through upper left shoulder. And, of course, also through that right arm.

And then as you look forward, bring your hands to the blocks. Okay. Now move the blocks a little bit out to the side so you can make some room to come down to the floor with your pelvis, and then we're pointing the toes straight back. So as we're here, let's have one block out in front of you turn the long edge and your hands hold on to that long side. Lower your forehead nose just above the floor.

And from here, you're gonna bend your elbows to hold that block up in the air above your head. You might wiggle your shoulders a little forward elbows a little bit forward and then press sides of the arms down to the floor. And just keep holding that block for a moment as you spread your shoulder blades. One more and join that stretch, then take your block down and look a little bit forward. So when we have a little bit of lift to that chest, take your block back around by your sacrum by the buttocks, and you might rest the block on the buttocks as you hold it for a moment.

So what we'll do is keep your feet down and then lift your block off the buttocks slide towards your legs and curl up. And then you might rest and come back down. The block literally on your buttocks, lift up, slide the block towards your heels, just as a general direction, and release. So maybe it's nice to have something to hold on to and as a guide kind of moving block towards your heels. It can help you open a little more through your chest.

Let's try two more. A little lift, hold that block, slide it towards your heels. Release. One more time. Lift and slide the block towards your heels. And release. Let's bring that block forward to the front corner of your matte, and then join. So the other block is on the opposite corner.

So with your blocks out to your sides, scoot them towards you so you can put your forearm, your elbow, and your hands are somewhat cross or stacked, so you can have a place to rest your forehead here. You might move your body back an inch or two if you wanna deepen that shoulder stretch with your forehead resting on your stacked hands. So there's a little draping in the chest, a little draping in the shoulders if this feels okay for you. Sometimes I do this with the bolster, but it's nice to do this with the firm blocks underneath you. Do we enjoy one more moment or so here with that stretch for your shoulders?

Encourage you to lift your head up and bring your hands, a little bit more by your chest. Okay. So we're gonna press up and get ready for our final move here where we might have one block in that medium position turn long and narrow And the second one might be flat and wide. So if I spin myself to turn around and put my elbows down, then I usually position the flat one up kind of upper mid back around my shoulder blade area. Put some weight on that, and then I reach for the second one and slide it underneath the base of my skull. So the first place, the props, support might not be the best spot, so you kind of wiggle around holding the props until you feel settled.

You might take your arms to your side with your palms facing up towards the ceiling. It's okay to keep your legs bent here if this feels better for your back or maybe for some of you, you go for wide legs and enjoy letting the weight of your arms and shoulders drop back, around the shape of your blocks. Try to let the weight of the heads, the skull settle into the place where you're meeting your block. Maybe we have the eyes close here and the eyeballs and the eyes are downward looking towards your lungs. See how that might help relax some of the eye socket or eyebrows or forehead as you're taking your gaze down towards the chest.

As we physically relax into the shape, we might notice a little more softness in the muscles across your chest and your diaphragm, your belly. Excellent opportunity to become more mindful of your inhaled breasts and where it's moving in your body. What's moving as a result of breathing in? Which changes occur in your body as you breathe out? Just becoming more mindful.

See if we can bring our focus to the breath and the body in this way for another minute. When and if you're ready, you'll take a slightly fuller inhale breath. Next fell through the nose or the mouth. Let's put your feet back on the floor when you're ready. And as we think about coming out of that pose, for some of you, you might like to turn to a side very carefully, turn to a side, one hand on the ground, and you slowly tip yourself back up.

And we've got a lot of blocks around might as well slide one underneath where you're gonna sit. And for a moment, treat yourself to sitting up a little bit higher. Maybe with your ankles crossed now, it's easy to tilt into a nice position where you come back into better postural awareness, noticing how you feel after your practice. So you remember why you wanna come back again soon. Alright. Thanks so much for being here.

Have a wonderful day. Namaste.