Quiet Strength

Namaste, everyone. Grab two blocks in a strap for class today as we'll be working towards a big backbend, Urva, Danyarasana. And if you're still learning this pose, or newer to your practice, there'll be options for you as well. We're starting on our backs today. So please lie down with your knees bent.

Rest your shoulders and shoulder blades on the mat, your arms, alongside your body with the palms facing down. And even though you can't see if your feet are hip width, Most of the time what I have witnessed in classes before is usually the feet are too wide apart, so we're always thinking our hips are bigger than they are. So I'm gonna suggest just to heal, toe your feet in a little closer together so that they are hip width. And another way to tell is that the heels will align with the sit bones. Just let your body settle here for a moment.

Let your exhale be an invitation for the front of the body to sink. And lower towards the back of the body. If you have an intention, you'd like to set here for class. Please do so. And if your eyes are closed, link them open.

Press your feet, all four corners into the mat in hell here. As you exhale, lift your hips, lift the pelvis off the mat. Taking your time so you're not thrusting the hips up towards the sky. You're using the backs of your legs to lift the pelvis. The ground through the heels, especially, inhale, lower the spine, like you're going down an elevator one floor at a time, lower the pelvis as you exhale, lift your hips back up.

And keep going like that inhale to lower One vertebra at a time, exhale lift. We're exhaling up to contract the abdominal muscles. So In a way, your navel's also assisting as you lift your hips. So keep going at your own pace. Do two more.

And one more. You'll lower your spine on the next inhale. Pause here, take your feet out to the width of your mat, keep the knees bent, and just when she'll wipe the legs side to side. Bring the knees back to center, hug them into your chest, and we'll make our way onto hands and knees. So tabletop position.

So tabletop position on your mat. You're gonna slide your hands a few inches in front of you. Take your right arm out to the right inhale. And as you exhale thread that right arm through between your wrist and your knee on the left side. So it's coming into a variation of thread, the needle for the shoulders.

Your left hand can stay as is or you can slide it forward towards the front edge of your mat. Breathe in through the nose. Out through the nose. If your left hand's forward, slide it back. Press into the mat, rise up. Left arm reaches to the left inhale.

And exhale thread the left arm through to the right sides. Your right hand slides forward, right arm lengthens, inhale. Big exhale and bring your hand back. Press into the mat for support. We're gonna sit up for downward facing dog.

Your hands are a few inches in front of your shoulders, tuck the toes, and lift your hips up. To Adomuka Shmanasana. The full breath in through the nose, full breath out through the nose. Join your legs together here. Float your right leg up to the sky breathing in.

As you exhale, step your right foot forward outside of your right hand. Grab your two blocks, set them up on the inside of that right foot. We're gonna come into lizard pose from here. So it's early for lizard. This is why it's nice to use the block, bring the floor up to you.

Your back knee lowers to the mat. You can stay right here or bring one form down to the block. And the other. So you really need to just explore, see where your body is at today. Ideally, your right knee is right over the ankle or behind it. I like to keep my back toes tucked under here.

You can also lift that back knee if it feels right for your body. Today. Draw your chest forward. Take one more breath. If your back knee is down, please lift it up.

Place your hands back onto your blocks. Move them in a little closer together because you're gonna step up to the top of the mat wide to your feet or the width of your mat. You can move your blocks to the side. Turn your toes out your heels in and come into Malasana. Joining your palms together, you can also sit on a block if you prefer placing that block underneath the sit bones.

Hug your knees into your elbows, push your elbows, slightly into the inner knees, lift your heart. Take one more breath. As you exhale lower your hands to the mat, straighten out your legs, heel and toe them all the way together or hip width apart. Inhale ara uttanasana. Exhale, uttanasana.

Inhale rise, breathe in. Join your palms to your heart. Sun salute a, inhale, arms rise up, feet, root down, exhale and fold. Half way up breathing in. Step back.

You'll lower either halfway or all the way down for Chaturanga. Take cobra or upward facing dog. The tops of the feet now are on the mat. Push the ground away with hands and feet, exhale downward facing dog. Lift your left left leg up and back inhale.

Step that left foot to the outside of your left hand, grab your blocks one more time. They go on the inside of that foot, lower your back knee. We're setting up for lizard pose. So you're taking the variation that best suits your body. Opening the hips, inner thigh, outer hip, but also pressing the upper back towards your chest.

So opening the upper thoracic here lift that back knee if you wish for one deep inhale. Full exhale. Bring your hands back onto your blocks if you're on your forearms, inhale chest forward. We're stepping up into Malasana, so that right foot comes up to the top of the mat. One more time, your toes are out, heels are in, squat down, palms to the heart, lift the sternum, breathe in.

When you exhale lower your hands down, straighten the legs, come back to uttanasana with the feet together or hip width. Inhale halfway up, exhale fold. Inhale rise. Hands, join at the heart. We'll take one more, sun salute, a, inhale, arms rise, exhale forward fold, ride your breath, inhale halfway up, to plank or lightly jump back, chataranga, exhale. Cobra or upward facing, downward facing dog.

Deep, inhale. Full exhale. High on your toes, bend the knees, step up or hop to the top of your mat, inhale halfway up. Exhale fold. Rise, breathing in.

Palms join at the heart. So you'll want to grab your strap here. We're gonna step up, step out wide with our feet. And your feet are about one leg's distance apart. You're gonna take that strap over your right shoulder Like you're just putting a a backpack over your right shoulder, check that your feet are slightly pigeon toads, and then stretch your arms out to the sides.

We're gonna take that right palm, turn it up towards the ceiling, and reach that right arm up. Ben the right elbow with your right hand, you're gonna grab the strap that's hanging behind you. Take your left hand to your right elbow and just lightly nudge that right elbow back. So you should feel a big stretch through the tricep on the right side. Left arm reaches out to the left, turn the thumb side down to internally rotate your shoulder in the socket, and then your left hand goes up, you're back grabbing the other end of the strap.

Inhale root into the mat with your feet, lift your chest, and lengthen, exhale, we're folding forward. So maybe you can walk your right hand down the strap to your left fingers. You might surprise yourself. If your fingers touch there, it doesn't have to. If they can clasp, great.

The strap is here to offer support. Shift your weight just a little more forward towards the toes. This is pretty gnarly in the shoulders, so hopefully your breathing deeply, finding ease in the posture. Now press down into the ground to rise back up. Take your left arm to the left, flex the palm, and your right arm to the right, flex the palm.

Grab that strap, move it over to the left side. And same thing. So you're gonna extend your arms, turn your left palm up, reach that arm to the sky, then the elbow, grab the strap with the left hand. Just place your right hand on top of that left elbow to nudge it back a little bit, then your right arm will go up your back. So you're holding the strap inhale, lift and lengthen. Take that length with you as you forward fold.

I know for myself when I come into the these deep forward folds, my hip shifts back a little bit. So shift your weight forward towards your toes just slightly. Maybe your hands walk up and down the straps, and you can clasp your fingers or not. Take another breath. Root your feet into the mat, soften the knees, inhale rise on up.

And take your arms out to the sides to flex the palms for just a beat. It feels nice to do after that. Hands on your hips, step one foot in in the other and come to the top of your mat. Nice work. From here, inhale, reach up.

Breathe in. Exhale fold. Come up halfway. Step back or hop back to Chattananga if you're taking that variation. You can also start to skip the vinyasas. It's nice to do them in a backbend class.

They keep the body warm. Ly your right leg up. Step your right foot forward. So it goes more on the inside of that right hand. We're gonna set up for crescent pose, inhale rise.

Take your right thumb. Stick it into the crease of your right hip and just draw your right hip back a little bit, firm your left thigh. Start to reach forward, hovering just slightly over that right thigh. So you're not laying on top of the right thigh. You're just reaching forward a little bit.

Take a breath in through the nose. As you exhale, you're gonna take your right elbow over to that or left elbow over to the right thigh, bringing your palms together for a twist. High lunge twist. You wanna feel that you're twisting above the hip points. So firm the side hips, revolving the upper body.

Take one more breath. Exhale lower your hands to your mat. Step your right foot back to down dog. Lift up with the left leg. Step your left foot forward.

Stay on the ball of your back foot, Preston on the left side inhale. Bring your left thumb into the left hip crease. Draw that left hip crease back. Lean forward. Just slightly, your right arm is reaching right side of the body lengthens.

Breathe in. As you exhale twist to the left, hook the right elbow to that left thigh, press your palms together. Breatheen your twist. Move the upper back towards your heart in hell here. Exhale hands down.

Step back downward dog. Take a full breath in through the nose. Deep breath out. Lower your knees to the mat. And we're gonna set up now for Erva Danyarasana, which is translated as open facing bow pose.

I'm gonna give you a couple of options. So come onto your back just like you did earlier in class, set up your feet tip width apart. And you can take bridge pose. So lifting your hips up towards the ceiling. Maybe your hands come together underneath the body, and this is as far as you go today.

And this is perfect. Otherwise, if you're taking open facing bow pouts, rest your spine on the mat, place your hands alongside your ears, right? So you're flipping your palms alongside your ears, Your elbows are pointing up towards the ceiling. Your feet, press down. We're coming onto the crown of the head first. Hands, press down.

This is your foundation. Take a breath, As you exhale hands and feet, press down, come onto the crown of the head first. Notice if your knees are splaying here. You wanna roll the inner thighs towards the ground. Take a breath in through the nose.

You can stay right here. This is a good place to hang out to, or push into the ground with your hands and feet and come up. Move your chest through the gate of your arms. So you're actually you're pushing your heels down, moving your shins in the direction of your chest, and your chest in the direction of your hands. Take another breath.

Tuck the chin in to lower exhale come all the way down, arms alongside your body. If you're still practicing bridge pose, just meet us here on your back. Take your right thigh over your left. Shift your hips to the right, drop your knees left. Just feel the strength you cultivated today.

Especially, right in the center of your chest. Back over towards the center with your legs cross the opposite thigh on top left over right, shift your hips, left, drop your knees right. Back to center. Bring your knees into your chest for up and asana. Just flattening the spine to the mat.

Opposite of what we just did a moment ago. And we're gonna end today with the feet down on the mat. Take the feet out to the width of your mat, please, and knock the knees in. Give your lower back more support. Let your hands rest either alongside your body or one over the belly, one over the heart.

And take your time here if you have the time. Thank you for sharing your practice with me today.