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Season 2 - Episode 4

Guided Asana, Day 2

75 min - Practice
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Erich guides us through Opening Pattern Three, a series of gentle standing and seated postures. He encourages us to channel the movement by listening for inner guidance within the subtleties. You will feel grounded and clear.
What You'll Need: Mat

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Okay, all rise, please. It is sort of cool. You can keep the concept, like when you meditate, just the idea of sitting absolutely still and just relaxing. Just relax and pay attention to your now experience. And just keep doing that. You'll have this real trippy ride.

Okay, right arm. Small, easy little arcs. They gradually get bigger. Okay. Until finally your arm feels like going all the way over or changing direction.

And then remember, at a certain point, close your eyes. See if you feel differently about it then. Keep getting into it, like a little bit more and a little bit more and a little bit more. And be attentive to the linger moments, the flow on moments, the change direction moments, and then let the arc slow down, get smaller, and start with the second side. Small, easy arcs.

They gradually get bigger. See, this is a cool way to start because it's not complicated. You're just making arm circles. It's an easy place to start. Oh, yeah, lingering when that feels like the thing.

Sliding when that feels like the thing. Close your eyes at a certain point. Be aware of what your feet are doing. Be aware of what your other hand is doing. That's step one, remember, be aware of what you are doing.

Let the arc slow down, and then come to the first hand, shake it loose. Add your forearm, add your whole arm, close your eyes, and just experience it a little more fully than you already are. Again, it's that thing. You are doing it. So get into it while you're doing it. When that arm feels satisfied, go to the other one, start with the hand.

Add the forearm, the upper arm, the whole arm. Close your eyes. Watch how you mix it up. Just notice there are different rhythms that start to happen. You could choreograph it, I guess. When you've had enough of that, then go with the foot.

The lower leg, your whole leg. And then try it with your eyes closed. And then the other one. This is just a good way to shake out tension. Okay, then with your feet hip-width apart.

Now what I usually do when I put my feet down, I check that the legs are parallel. The inner leg line is not parallel. If you look down at your legs, it's like, well, what's parallel? It's not that line. It's not even the outer leg line, by so much. But straight down from your hip should be right above your ankles.

And what I do is I lift up one foot. There are different ways of doing this, but the way I usually talk about it, the first way I talk about it is you lift up one foot, pivot, spread your toes as much as you can, catch the little toe, drag the foot in until the inner edge of the foot is straight, so that flares your toes. Then lift the heel, snuggle the ball of the foot, and then put the heel down. The other foot, you lift, pivot, spread, catch, drag, until they're straight. Lift the heel, snuggle, and then put the heel down.

You can also sort of like walk it like this. You'll find yourself doing different things. But sort of like break it down and be sequential when you teach it. From here, step a little wider. From there, step a little bit wider.

And then again, watch what you do to get your feet grounded, like snuggle your toes, snuggle your feet. Take a breath in. As you exhale, bend the legs, slide your hands down the legs to the ankles, and feel your hands merging into your ankles. Re-snuggle your feet. Like really, put your mind in your feet and like merge with the floor.

Push your arms straight so that you actually lift up more. So you're lifting towards the up extreme of the arm line. And then be aware of what your head and neck is doing. It's doing something. Find a nice neutral.

And then breathe. And notice how your whole body is rippling with breath as you breathe. Shift your hips over to the left. So now the left leg is bent, the right leg is straighter. There's more weight on the left foot.

Re-snuggle the feet. Re-lengthen the arms. Re-fix the head and neck. Just for a second or two, just get into it more. Shift your hips over to the right.

Watch what you're doing and get into it more. Keep breathing. Shift your hips to the left, linger for a moment. Shift your hips to the right, linger for a moment. Okay, so just side to side a couple times.

And we all know this is easy. But use it as a good place to just practice listening for the linger, the slide on. You're learning to channel the movement here where it's easy. Okay, then shift your hips over to the left, keep them there. Move the head and torso just slowly over to the right.

Feel how the twist starts to happen. Re-snuggle the feet like really. Re-lengthen your arms. Fix the head and neck and just little by little spiral into the twist more. Just feel what your arms are doing. They're doing something.

Couple seconds. Shift your hips over to the right, keep them there. Move the head and torso over to the left. And just breathe your way into it. Couple seconds.

Couple seconds. Bring your torso back to the middle. Let yourself just fold down through the middle, letting your head dangle. Okay, and then legs bent. Come down to the squat. Bring your feet a little bit closer together at this point.

And bring your hands into the first movement. Couple seconds. Whenever it occurs to you, remember, just relax more. And pay attention to the meaning of the event. The second movement, just let your arms go straight. Just feel what this one's about.

At a certain moment, your hands will want to float up, let them float up into the third one. Feel the energy in your hands. It's interesting when you start to feel more energy in your hands. And then you begin to realize, wow, I'm not actually feeling energy in my hands. I'm feeling the energy that is my hands.

There's the difference. And then the fourth one, bring the palms together. Let the left hand spin down, the right hand spin up, and mudra size your fingers. And then come to the all fours position. So we're going to go through opening number three again, please.

I would like you to memorize this, or I'd recommend that you memorize all of this. That's partly why I'm so repetitive. It's weird, like being repetitive, but knowing that, wow, if you get it, it's going to flower as intuitive. So begin by looking at your hands, put them down so the wrist creases are horizontal. Fingers spread your fingers fully.

Notice, you could spin your hands so your fingers are pointing sideways. Try that for a second. That's another option. You could spin your fingers all the way around. That's another option.

Sometimes I do it like this, where I'm on the back of my wrist with my fingers pointing out. That's sort of intense, though. At home, I've got a nice thick carpet. It feels good on the carpet. It's not so nice on the floor.

These are just different choices. But the main choice is the first one. Put the wrist creases squared and practice looking at them. You can then look at other people's when you teach, and you just know what to look for. Spread your fingers fully.

Snuggle your hands. Then look at the index finger and memorize where it is. Let yourself drop to the down extreme. Just be here for a few moments. Most people don't teach this.

But I'll tell you, certain moments at home in your practice, this just hits the spot. In any case, it's a legitimate option. It's the down extreme, and then lift to the up extreme. You wouldn't want to be stuck here either. As you exhale, float to the bottom.

Inhale, float to the top. Just go down and up a couple times. This gets more and more important the more yoga you do. Find a nice middle spot. Put your head on in neutral, shrugging the shoulders away from your ears.

Then just slowly take your seat back toward your feet. This is child's pose. It's a full-on forward fold. You're getting your torso on your thighs. But because your legs are bent, it's sort of easy.

Snuggle your hands. Then pull for a couple seconds. Feel what that does. Feel what gets activated. Then push the floor away for a few moments.

Feel what happens. The stronger you push, the tighter the forward fold gets. Keep it tight, but then wobble gently. And you try to liquefy it as you keep it tight. Without moving your hands, come up on your hands and knees.

Practice peeking at your hands. Turn the toes under. Peek at your arms. Your arms are vertical or nearly or whatever they are. Keep them exactly how they are as you lift the knees up and straighten the legs.

Notice there's more weight into your hands now. Your arms are like these vertical pillars. And you can just lean here. You can pretty much relax and just stay here if you've got the vertical line through your arms. Put your head and neck in neutral.

Stay on the ball of each foot. Slowly move the butt back and up. And just be attentive to when your arms and spine make a single straight line. And again, you'll know that's happening when your ears come in line with your upper arms. At that point, push the floor away.

Feel how your butt goes away from your hands. You keep it straight, but you just telescope it. And then wobble gently. The wobbling just helps you liquefy everything. Last second, just emphasize it.

And then get out of there. Shift the shoulders forward. Bend the knees. Point the toes. Take it back to child's pose.

Feel your torso merging with your thighs. Wobble gently. Slide the hands back by your knees. Curl your head in. Wait for the right moment, about now.

And then just slowly start rounding your way up. And just experience it. Your spine comes up, your head floats up to neutral. And then just land in neutral for a couple seconds. Do the conscious pause for a couple seconds.

Practice sitting still without holding yourself still. With an inhale, float the chin up. Move on number one. And as you exhale, hinge forward. Slide your hands out there again, please.

And again, just surrender to the words at this point. Lift your head. Peek at your hands. Put the index finger where it was. Spread the other ones.

Then let your head go back down. Pull for a couple seconds. Push for a couple seconds. Wobble gently. And without moving your hands, come up under your hands and knees again.

Turn the toes under. Lift the knees, straighten the legs, linger. Wait for the right moment and then start going towards stage one. Be attentive to when your ears come in line with your upper arms. Stay on the ball of each foot at this point.

Push the floor away. Lengthen the straight line. Wobble a little bit. And then bend one leg, come way up on the toe on that foot, and press the other heel toward the floor. Switch the legs.

Watch how you do it. Toes stretch on one foot. Heels stretch on the other foot. Do the first side again, please. Press the second heel down, please.

And then get out of there. Shift the shoulders, bend the knees, point the toes. Take it back to child's pose. Wobble gently. Just always staying with your breathing.

Slide your hands back, curl your head in. Wait for the right moment and then begin to round your way up. Your head will float up to neutral. Just let it keep going this time. Chin up, up, up, up, up, up.

Hit the top of the note, inhaling. And let the exhale hinge again for the third dog. Slide the hands. Press your head, peek at the hands. Fix them.

Let your head come back down. Pull. So you're just learning the song still. Push. Come up onto the hands and knees.

Turn the toes, lift the knees, straighten the legs. Put your finger, put your neck in neutral. Make your way to stage one. Heels up off the floor. Push the floor away, lengthen the straight line.

And then this time come way up on your toes, so you're getting the toe stretch on each foot. Slowly start taking your heels toward the floor, to the floor, couple seconds. And then get out of there. Shift the shoulders. Bend the knees, point the toes.

Take it back to child's pose. Wobble gently. Slide the hands back, curl your head in. Mindfully just round your way up. Your spine comes to neutral, your head floats up to neutral.

And then just close your eyes and let yourself land for a couple seconds. You are online. You are conscious space. It feels lovely. With an inhale, let the chin float up.

So the second pose is cat, hinge forward. Slide your hands again. Lift your head again. Put your hands accurately again. Let the head go back down and then pull for a few moments.

Push for a few moments. Wobbling every once in a while. Just more and more like get into it without moving your hands. Come up onto your hands and knees. Come into a nice neutral spine.

And with an exhale, pull the belly in, round your back just a little bit. Notice what you are doing with your arms. Are you at the down extreme, are you at the up extreme? You are somewhere. Lift your head, begin to arch your back a little bit.

Tinker with the arm line. Pull the belly in, make it a little rounder this time. Do it like a pro as though this were advanced. At the right moment, let your head flow up. And then a couple times, just smoothly go back and forth.

Be attentive to linger moments. Sometimes you increase the range of motion, sometimes you just keep it sort of small. And then come back to neutral please. Just keep getting into it and take your seat back towards your feet. Wobble.

So some of the times I will slide the hands back and round my way back up to child's pose the way we are doing with dog pose. And sometimes I won't. So at this point, let's not. Come up onto your hands and knees again. One part of this is putting the side bend into it.

So go to the left like 50%. Notice what the arms are doing. Notice what your head and neck are doing. And just start customizing it in there. Go to the second side, start at 50%.

Wherever you detect a flat spot, try to breathe into it. Go to the first side, 50%. 60, 65, take it to about 75. And really learn to do this so that you like the doing of it. Go to the second side.

Get into the feeling of it. Gentle but like pressing into it. And then go to the first side again please. Little by little, start pressing into a huge side bend. Notice what you are doing mostly to emphasize it.

And then put your attention somewhere else. Like at your hip. And pull the hip back or through your side ribs or through your neck. Find out what you can do to increase the curve gently. Take it to the second side, little by little.

Keep getting into it. Pull the hip back, spread the ribs. And then pull your belly in, curl your head in and let that initiate the big barrel rolls with your spine. This is four or five times one direction. I keep finding new little spots even on this.

Then change the direction. Try to isolate this movement remember. Like your spine is like a jump rope. And then bring it back to neutral. Take your seat back towards your feet.

Feeling your torso merging with your thighs. Wobble gently. And then the third part please, come up on your hands and knees again. This time move your hips to the left. Then move the butt back and just start circling your hips around your stationary knees.

Here you're leading the movement with your hips. Change the direction. Circling your hips around your stationary knees and you're memorizing remember. Keep getting into this. Again the more you get into it the more fun this easy stuff is.

Now bring your awareness up through your spine to the top of your head and now get into rising mode. Close your eyes and just sort of rise around. Sometimes through your neck a lot, sometimes through your ribs a lot. Try to keep watching what you're doing. If you had to talk about it what would you be saying about it?

Five more seconds on this one. And then you find your way back to neutral. Bring your seat back towards your feet. So the first level of instruction is like Simon says where the teacher tells you what to do. The second level is sort of what I've been saying the last few repetitions on this.

The second level is when it feels like the thing to do, slide your hands back, curl your head in, wait for the right moment and then round your way up. You're still telling the person what to do so they're not confused about it. You're still telling them, guiding them, but you're helping them get into the flow of it. When it feels like the thing to do, curl your head in, round your way up. Then come into Sukhasana.

It's an easy cross-legged position. Tip forward a little bit so you can riddle the butt back. Bring the spine up and then close your eyes. Wobble gently for a moment. And when you're at home, especially, figure out this wobbling thing.

Explore the wobbling thing. It helps you let go. Then let the wobble settle down. And lift or lower your chin in order to put your head on in a perfect neutral and float for about a minute. It takes skill to relax, remember.

It's not just spacing out, it's get into it more and let go thoroughly, skillfully through your face, around your eyes, around your mouth. The breathing is free and easy. Pay attention to your actual now experience. Yeah, wow, I do feel like conscious space. I'm aware of sounds.

I'm aware of the temperature. I'm aware of sensations in my body. But you're the conscious presence that's aware of it all. Not just before opening your eyes, really put your head on in a perfect neutral. Even just like a 0.0001 microshift of your head, chin up or down, might be all it takes to just click it into total weightlessness.

Get really familiar with what you feel like and then let your eyes open without tensing up. Be brave and stay relaxed. And again, notice how the colors get prettier. You can actually start to see auras around people's bodies, around things. Everything has a field.

You'll start to notice the glow around forms. That's sort of the clue that you're beginning to see the more of what's been there the whole time. Okay, come to the squat. I like that transition. Another one likes that.

And then your butt comes up, wrap the arms, just let your legs be bent and dangle over. I say legs bent just so that you feel okay about having your legs bent. If it's easy for you to have your legs straight, then yeah, have your legs straight. They're just different options. They're both cool. Okay, come to a standing position, please.

Walk to the front of your mat and start with your feet hip width apart. Look down and just sort of train yourself so that the more you do it, the more you get the feeling of, you'll just know by the feeling, but at first it helps to have visual feedback. And then watch what you do to actually get your feet grounded, like snuggle your feet. Take a breath in. As you exhale, bend the legs, just hinge forward.

Now at this point, your feet are hip width apart. It's as though your left foot was on the left railroad track, your right foot is on the right railroad track. Keep the right foot on the right railroad track, step the right foot back, and land on the ball of your foot. Okay, so your feet are still hip width apart. The left leg is bent and just sort of soft.

It's easy to see your right foot, the back foot, just rig it so that your foot keeps pointing straight ahead the same as your left foot, and just little by little press your right heel toward the floor so it comes down toward the right railroad track. If you need to shift your foot forward a little bit, fine. And then again, just take the heel toward the floor. The left leg, I just let it be sort of soft and easy at this point. But both feet are pointing straight ahead.

It's not the only way to do this, but this is a good standard thing to be familiar with. When each foot is pointing straight ahead, your hips are more likely to be level. Okay, step the right foot forward, step the left foot back, land on the ball of the foot, put a comma in there, check that the back foot is straight, and then just little by little, take the left heel toward the floor. For me, I just look at the line of my left inner foot, like the inner line of my foot, and I just keep that pointing straight ahead. Right leg soft.

Put your head and neck in a nice neutral here. Just watch yourself getting used to this. Just be okay about doing sort of easy stuff like this. Step the left foot forward, step the right foot back, land on the ball of the foot, and then leisurely take the right heel toward the floor again. This is the first part that you just did.

The second part on this is come up on the ball of your right foot. You can deliberately get more of a toe stretch when you do that. Bend your left leg a lot until you can rest your chest heavily on your thigh. And now slowly take your right heel toward the floor. Your left leg will straighten a little bit. You don't have to push it straight.

I try to just let my torso keep resting heavily on the thigh. So your chest and your leg are in a full-on forward fold. But still, look at the right foot. Make sure that it's straight here. So it's on both the heel and the ball of the foot or on the railroad track. Okay, step the right foot, step the left foot, land on the ball of the foot, pause, do the first part first.

Just slowly take the heel down or toward down. Second part, come up on the ball of the left foot. Big toe stretch there. Bend your right leg. Let your chest rest heavily on the thigh. Then take the left heel towards the floor.

Just notice how your right leg sort of automatically straightens a little bit. And just breathe. Step the left foot forward. Step the right foot back. Do the first part first, taking the heel toward the floor.

Second part second, come up on the ball of the right foot. Bend your left thigh, rest the chest heavily. Take the right heel toward the floor again. And then the third part is you come up on the ball of the right foot. And this time, spin the right heel down towards the left railroad track.

Shift your left hand back a little bit to wherever you normally put it for triangle pose. And bring your right hand to your right hip. So at this point your left leg will be bent. The right leg will be straight. The left hand, I'm on the ball of my hand.

I put my hand on the outside of the foot. My fingers are angling out a little bit. But just wherever you normally do it is fine. With the left leg bent. Right hand on the hip.

And then notice your left arm is doing something. You could sink to the down extreme of the arm line. You could lift up out of it. And again, you're just doing something. Like most of the time be lifting up out of it.

But that's not the only way to be. But lift up. Then pull your belly in. And we're just going slow. From your belly start lifting up into your chest.

Start spinning it a little bit. And little by little press your left leg towards straight. And then let the right arm float up into the position. And the top hand just mudra size it. Just whatever the mystical note of the moment is.

Your hand is an alignment. Just like put it in a shape that feels like the note. Now get the sense that actually your whole body is the mudra. And for a second or so just like energize the whole shape. Sweep the right arm down.

Step the right foot forward. Step the left foot back. See this is when you're happy for easy stage ones. First part first take the heel toward the floor. Second part come up on the ball of the foot.

Bend the right leg rest the chest heavily. Then take the left heel toward the floor. Just keeping the foot straight. Third part come up on the ball of the left foot. Spin the left heel down towards the right railroad track.

Reposition the right hand. Left hand to your hip. So the right leg will be bent. Both feet are on the floor. Just snuggle your feet.

Lift to the up extreme of the arm line. Pull the belly in. And then start coming up through the spine line. Spinning it little by little. Little by little pushing the right leg towards straight.

And then just let the left arm like a flower just like unfolding. The top hand mudra sizes. The top hand reminds you that oh yeah your whole body is the flower. Close your eyes and just sort of feel the meaning of what you're doing. Notice what position your head's in.

It's doing something. It's some combination of those ten movements. And then sweep the left arm down. Step the left foot forward. Bend the legs, come down to the squat.

Come all the way down and just bring your spine down sequentially. And you come into the cosmic grounded position. Legs bent, feet flat. Arms bent, palms facing the sky. And just breathe for a moment.

Life live, remember. You're experiencing the eternal new now. Right now. Be aware of the tension level in your experience. And just let it drop down a little and drop down a little. Just let your eyes soften and close.

Keep letting the tension level diminish. Anywhere, like through your face, through your fingers. If you just do it a little bit more, wherever it's easy for you to notice, the more you'll notice where you're not doing it. And then you'll do it more. You let go more thoroughly.

Then let your eyes open without tensing up. And let it feel like you're a baby on your back and you're seeing the world for the very first time. You have had that experience. Okay, now without using your hands, I usually just let my hands rest on my chest at this point. Without using your hands, bring the right knee into your chest and just gently extend your leg up into the air.

Okay, bend the leg, put the foot flat. Without using your hands, bring the left knee into your chest and then extend the leg up into the air. Be aware of the tension level in your experience. Let the leg bend, put the left foot down, bring the right knee in, extend the leg up again. Now just look at your leg and your foot.

The position that your foot's in right now, it's just sort of where it would habitually typically be. Okay, put your foot in a position where you think it's in neutral. Like if you were standing on your feet in tabasana, your ankle was square, your foot would be in neutral. If you were lying on your back and you put your feet into the corner of a wall, your feet would be, your ankles would be square, they'd be in neutral. Bend the leg, put the foot down, bring the left knee in, stick it up.

Look at how your foot is and then customize it so it's in a skillful neutral. That's your first choice. You've got many different options and choices about what you do with your foot. There's seven of them that I'm going to recommend right now. This is the first one.

Bend the leg, put the foot down, bring the right knee in, extend the leg up again, and put your foot in a skillful neutral. Position two is keeping your foot in neutral, spread your toes as much as you can. Position three is point your foot, sort of like a ballet foot. Position four is push through the heel. Position five is from here, spread your toes and then push through the ball of the foot.

If you were standing on your feet and you come up onto your toes, it's this position. This is the one I do the most in positions like this. It makes the leg feel springy. Position six is curl your toes in and make a fist with your foot. I hardly ever do this, but it's sort of fun every once in a while.

Then position seven is twist your foot with the fist. Again, it's weird, but it's sort of cool for a couple seconds. I wouldn't want my foot to be stuck like that, but it's sort of fun. Then just release it back to neutral, bend the leg, put the foot flat. Without using your hands, bring the left leg in, extend the leg up.

Just watch the position your foot tends to go into and just skillfully put it into neutral. That's one. Two is spread the toes. Three is point the foot. Four is flex the heel and just feel. Each one of these notes has got a different sort of feeling to it.

From here, spread your toes, push through the ball of the foot, springy feeling. Then curl your toes in, make a fist with your foot. Six and seven like twisted. Let it relax back to neutral, bend the leg, put the foot down. Bring the right knee in, extend the leg up.

Spread the toes again, please. Now this time, practice looking at your foot. Look at the colors of your foot. Look at the colors of your toes and the colors of the toenails. Spread the toes.

Look at the shape of the spaces between your toes. Look at the airspace around your foot, your ankle, your leg. As you're looking at what you can see, have the suspicion that there's more to see. See if you can detect the light glowing out of your foot. You've heard about oars, maybe you see them.

But look for the light that might be there. Bend the leg, put it down, stick the other one up. Skillful neutral and then spread the toes. And then look at what you can see. That's the trick.

You're not faking yourself, you're just expanding your ability. Look at what you can see, but have the suspicion that there might be more. Look for the more that might be there. Look for the light that just might be glowing out of your leg and foot. It's cool once you start to see it.

Bend the leg, put the foot down. Bring the right knee in, extend the leg up again please. Spread the toes. Look for the light that might be there. Now this time, keep the toes spread, keep the whole sole of your foot spread.

Slowly take the whole leg away from you so it slowly goes down towards the right railroad track. But keep the toes spread, the foot glowing. Even once your foot leg reaches the railroad track, keep the leg active here. Put the right thumb and the right hip crease there in the front of your leg. And then just slowly start bringing your right leg up again and press with your thumb to keep the hinge deep.

As your foot comes into view, look anew and stop when you think your leg is at 90 degrees. If you're more stiff, it's going to be difficult to get your leg to 90. For a bendy, you'll have to put it in reverse to have it at 90. It's not critical, it's just awareness training. Keep pressing your thumb deep, bring the leg further, further, further, further.

Bring your leg as far as you can get it without using your hands. I can't bring it much further than this. Here, push your left foot down, your sacrum will curl up off the floor, the right leg will come more over. Then float your left heel so you come on the ball of the left foot. You're on the ball of your left foot, push into that point, your right leg will come more over.

Reach up, grab your leg, but don't pull it in. Try to keep it right there, you won't be able to, but don't pull it. Your leg got there, it's fine. Slowly put your spine back down on the floor, sequentially, vertebrae, your sacrum will come down, and then let the left heel come down. At this point, your left leg is bent, the left foot is flat.

Keep the left foot flat, start walking your left foot away from you, but keep it flat. If you keep the foot flat, you won't be able to get your leg straight, I don't think. So it's sort of like a built-in two-third spot. It's cool because you can see if people are listening, if people are playing the game. From here, lift your left toes up so you're on the back of your left heel.

Hold the sensation on the floor and just slide that sensation away from you until now both legs are straight. Both toes are spread, both feet are glowing. Bend the left leg back to the starting position, bend the right leg down to the starting position. Bring the left knee into the chest, extend the leg up, and there's that foot again. Each time the foot comes into view, look anew.

Look for the light that's glowing off your foot. Spread the toes, slowly take the leg away from you so it approaches the left railroad track. Keep it active, put your left thumb in the hip crease, and then slowly start bringing the left leg up, pressing the thumb deep. Be attentive to when your foot comes into view and look at it as though you'd never seen it before. Stop when you think you're at 90, then bring it further, further, further.

Notice the tension level in your body. Be as relaxed as you can be, and yet do what you've got to do. Press the right foot down to curl the sacrum up, the left leg will come more over. Come up onto the ball of the right foot, portion of the ball of the right foot, the left leg will come more over. Reach up, grab the leg, but don't pull it in. On future stages, you pull the leg in at this point, but now you're just like, you got there, it's fine, grab it.

Slowly put the spine down sequentially. That should be sort of intense. The sacrum comes down, you let the right heel come down, the foot's now flat. Wait for the right moment, keep it flat, start walking it away from you. You won't be able to get it straight. At that point, lift the toes up so you're on the back of the heel.

Rig it so you're on the center of the back of the heel. That'll tell you that the foot is straight. Slide that sensation away from you. Push both legs straight, both toes spread. Be as relaxed as you can be. Not limp, but just skillfully doing only what you need to be doing. Bend the right leg back to the starting position, bend the left leg to the starting position.

Okay, one more here, bring the right knee in, stick the leg up, there it is again. Spread the toes, look for the glow. Slowly take it away from you down to the right railroad track. Keep the foot spread, put the right thumb, start bringing the leg up again. Linger through the 90 spot, there's the foot.

Bring it further, further, further, start curling the sacrum up. Float the left heel, come under the ball of the foot, press. Reach up, grab the leg, but don't pull it in. And then slowly put the spine down sequentially. Let the left heel come down, but don't straighten the left leg yet.

Now from here, grab the right foot. I usually wrap my fingers around the outer edge of the foot and I put my thumb between the little toe and the ring toe. The thumb between the little toe and the ring toe, wrap the fingers around and I pull the outer edge of the foot down to keep my foot squared and I use my thumb to spread the toes as much as I can. The tendency here is for your shoulder to get pulled up off the floor. Gently shrug your shoulder down toward the floor, that'll pull the leg in more.

Shrug the shoulder down and then down away from your ear. Now slowly just open the right leg out to the right, go sort of slow. Go to about the 50% spot. 51, 52, just slowly let it open more and more and more. Now there's a certain intensity to the stretch now, but because your left leg is bent, this is sort of easier.

Watch what happens as you start walking your left foot away from you. Each little walk, it starts getting a little more intense. Then you lift the toes, slide the left heel sensation away from you slowly until both legs get straight and then bend the left leg, bend the right leg back to the starting position, bring the left knee into the chest, stick it up, spread the toes, look a new, like it's a new now. The fact that you looked a new a moment ago doesn't mean you're looking a new now. Look a new now, slowly take the foot away, put the thumb, start bringing the leg up.

There's the foot. You've never seen that before. Bring the leg further, further, further, start curling the sacrum up, floating the heel, pushing into the ball of the foot. So the first time we did this, I broke that up into smaller steps. Reach up, grab.

I usually just grab my ankle, just some easy place. Roll the spine down, put the right heel down and then grab the left foot. You could grab the ankle, you could use a strap, shrug the shoulder down toward the floor, down away from the ear and then little by little start opening it out to the side. There's certain openings you can only get in those first couple inches. So like don't be in a rush to get to your deepest spot.

Sort of like get into going slower because it's intense and cool. It sort of feels like you're rolfing yourself. When it feels like the thing to do, start walking the right foot away. But study the movement. You had to write a report about it, like what are you experiencing?

Then lift the toes, wait for the right moment and then slowly push the right leg toward straight. Fully straight if you can. And see all of these are good because your spine's in a safe neutral position. Okay, bend the right leg back to the starting position, left leg to the starting position. Come to a seated position please with your legs spread wide.

And just come right down through the middle. Just a sort of a 50% spot initially. Watch yourself getting used to it. Notice that you're breathing and that because you're breathing your body is bobbing up and down gently. You don't have to make yourself bob up and down.

It's just natural. Every time you inhale there's a natural upward bobbation. Every time you exhale there's a natural downward bobbation. When it feels like the thing to do, with your exhale just let yourself go into it a little further. The next inhale will bob you up a little bit.

And so don't be trying to go down as you're inhaling. Let yourself bob up every inhale a little bit. And then with the exhale just as you're feeling like it, go for it deeper. That's been a minute and a half. We're going for three. And realize that the progression on this is not always deeper, deeper, deeper, deeper.

Sometimes after a minute or so you need to back up out of it a bit and just sort of reacclimate. And then you dive into it again and then you back out of it again. Another 45 seconds please.

Comments

Kristin K
2 people like this.
The way he gives direction is so clear and really made a huge difference in the way i approach each step and movement !! It felt amazing !
Jennine K
2 people like this.
OMG. THANK YOUUUUUUUU
Sarah N
1 person likes this.
Lovely. Thank you 🙏
Erich Schiffmann
thank you for saying!
Anne M
1 person likes this.
I really like the lesson on how to see my foot's aura!

Summer
1 person likes this.
I love how you ever so gently and mindfully guide us  into these “easy” postures. You’ve made it all feel brand new! My body feels so sweet and floaty after this practice, like my whole being is smiling.  ❤️ thank you

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