Nourishing Yin

Welcome. This is a well rounded and balanced in practice designed to target the fascia around the pelvis hips and spine. For this practice, it'll be nice to have two blankets. You might have a magic carpet underneath you, two blocks and a bolster. And we'll begin in a yin butterfly shape, and it might feel nice to have a folded blanket under your sitting bones.

As we approach yin butterfly, bring the feet further away from your pelvis, more of a diamond shape, and begin to slowly ease your way in. You might lean from side to side here. You might bring support underneath your hips or knees. You might bring support underneath your head. Feeling into your body as you gradually ease your way in.

Right? So in the in practice, we're offering ourself to the shape passively for length of time. It's usually about three to five minutes. With the exception of asymmetrical shapes or transitions. But as always, if and when you feel ready, can ease your way out or find a bit more support or a different shape. The intention here is to kinda begin to awaken the fascia or the connective tissue around the spine, the hips, the pelvis, the sacrum.

We're finding that appropriate edge of sensation and stretch. Without any strain or pain or nerve like feeling. So as you ease in, you might choose to support the weight of your head as you feel into your neck, You might choose to surrender the weight of your head and begin to notice the quality of the breath. Breathing into where you feel the sensation, you might allow for an inhale. And as you exhale softening the mouth, the jaw, the shoulders, they notice the quality through your hands.

Here as we offer ourself to the shape passively, you might feel a kind of dull, wide, achy sensation through the whole back of the body. That dense Fosha, around the pelvis, all the way up through the spine. You'll how the belly can soften a bit. As the sacrum widens, notice how the sensation may change with time, how the shape may change with time, breath, and awareness. For these last few moments, if an as the mind is restless, active busy, you might tether your attention to the breath?

And in your own timing, as you feel ready, chin into the chest slowly round and roll your way up. Head last. You might soften the gaze inward as you pause and Notice how you feel. In supporting your knees, you can stretch your legs out long. You might bring your hands behind you and just free the legs. A little side to side for the hips. And then from here, we'll turn on our mat and come into a seated windshield wiper shape.

So bring the hands behind you feet wide. I'm just beginning to go side to side here, finding some freedom through the hips and your spine as you feel into your body, as you feel into sensation. I see you more side to side. And then we'll meet at the front of the mat in a shape called deer pose kinda like a funky pigeon shapes. So having the front leg and external rotation, the back leg and internal rotation, you might bring support underneath your front hip, You might stay upright.

You might begin to slowly ease your way forward and in. Maybe resting on your forearms. Maybe bringing support underneath your head, or maybe gradually surrender the weight of the head towards the earth. Allow for an inhale. Exhale to soften.

Easy through the jaw. Again, in this passive approach, Can you begin to feel and sense your bones? Rather than the muscles. You might imagine or visualize the muscles and then softening and melting around the bones. And allowing the bones to get heavy and yield towards the earth and the spirit of yin.

Again, as you find that appropriate edge of sensation, notice the quality of the breath. And with each exhale softening, melting, yielding towards the earth. And honoring your timing, your energy. You're welcome to stay longer. Whereas you feel ready slowly ease your way up onto your hands, take your time in these transitions. And then as you're ready carefully lean back free your legs, and we'll find nice, slow windshield wipers side to side.

New more. And then easing your way over to the other side. Maybe that's the back of your mat. Your front leg is an external rotation. Your back knee and hip are internal rotation.

Bring in whatever support feels right for you on this side. You might stay upright. You might ease your way down onto your forearms. And maybe support the weight of your head or release it. Allow for an inhale nice, generous exhale here. Again, notice where you can soften and relax any muscular effort or clenching.

Usually around the glute muscles, the hip. This play of allowing the muscles to soften around the bones. And if the mind is busy, restless, wandering, you might tether your attention to the breath breathing into where you feel it, breathing into the shape. Beautiful. You are welcome to stay here longer. As you feel ready easing your way up onto your hands, take a moment to pause, and then carefully lean back free your legs. Again, side to side, seated windshield wipers might feel nice for your hips and your spine.

Stretch the legs out long. As you stretch the legs out long, you might bring a blanket underneath your sitting bones. And then bring the sole of the right foot towards the inner thigh. I'm gonna find a variation of half butterfly here. Taking a moment to inhale lengthen and then easing your way forward as you exhale.

You might stay here. You might walk your arms over to the left towards the leg that's extended. And as it would feel good, inhale the top arm up for a seated side stretch, opening through the side body. You might take a few moments to kind of revolve down and up and eventually allowing yourself to ease into some stillness. You might support the weight of your head with your hand behind your head, or you might have support underneath your head as you build it up from the ground.

Allow for an inhale. Nice full exhale. Just finding a place where your neck feels good. Again, without any strain or pain through the cervical spine, breathing into sensation, feeling the weight of the bones dropping towards the earth. Again, notice how the sensation, through the side body, through the hamstrings and hips maybe change with time in the shape.

Here, we're allowing time and gravity to assist in this deeper opening. I take your time as you feel ready and how reach with your top arm, let it carry you up. Take a moment to pause and notice how you feel, and then carefully lean back. Free your right leg. Will pause for a moment in the shape of dragonfly.

And then lean back and bring the sole of the left foot in towards the right inner thigh, taking a moment to settle in how to lengthen. And then exhale will walk the hands forward. Most likely this side feels different in your body. You might stay here. You might walk your hands over to the right and inhale your top arm up.

Oh, enjoying that stretch and length as you bring it up out and over. Again, you might revolve the heart up, down. You might and the arm, you might support the weight of your head with your hand, and maybe adjusting your gaze down towards the earth. Breathing into the side body. Breathing into where you feel the sensation.

These asymmetrical shapes, when you expose how each side is different, might feel tighter than the other. More open. And then your own time. Woah, inhale Lead with the top arm. Pause.

Lean back, stretch your left leg out, shape of dragonfly for a moment. Nice. And then we'll meet in cat cow in preparation for the passive backbend. So spread the fingers nice and wide apart and just begin to explore your cat cow shape. So as you inhale leading with the heart, feeling that extension through your spine, the space, and length, and as you exhale, curl round stretch your back in towards the chest.

Inhale lead with the heart lengthen, and exhale draw it in a few more rounds at your own pace. You might lean from side to side. You might circle out through your hips. Your rib cage, moving up into your shoulder blades and neck. You might keep your hands where they are.

You might spin your fingers wide if you'd like to or experiment with spinning your fingers towards your knees, wrists away from you. Also tucking your toes under offers a different flavor through the soles of the feet. You might stay with this a bit longer. When you feel ready, we'll transition into a prone position in preparation for sink's pose. Pause with your elbows wide for a moment, forehead finds the hands.

And just exhale. Allow the weight of the body, the weight of the bones to drop. Usually here I like to shimmy the hips a little bit from side to side. At any point of our back bending, you might return to this shape as you're ready. From here, we'll lift up onto the forearms for sphinx posts.

In sphinx arms are about shoulder width apart, elbows are just slightly forward of the shoulder. Lakes can be hips width apart or even wider depending on your spine, your lower back. Let's begin with a more active sphinx. So feel how you can use your arms to help draw your chest forward. Feel how you can lengthen out of your back, creating some space and opening through the shoulders, through the chest, feeling this active sphinx pose, the muscles, the glutes naturally engage.

And then we'll play with the opposite. So as you exhale, feel how you can relax the spine a bit. Feel how you can soften the belly. If and as it feels safe for your lower back, play with allowing the glutes, the buttocks to relax, the legs to relax. We're easing into a more passive yin like backbend, which naturally can feel a bit awkward.

A bit counterintuitive. By now, you might be feeling, kind of a dull pulling of pressure in the low back just above the sacrum. Which is characteristic of a a passive in backbend. Now as you feel into your cervical spine, your neck, you might keep your head where it is, or maybe tuck the chin in slightly, You might choose to support the weight of your head with a block underneath it. You might choose to surrender the weight of your head towards the earth.

Again, allow for a nice, full deliberate exhale softening into sensation. Easy in the eyes, the jaw, the face. Right as practitioners of yoga were discerning between that. Kinda curious achy feel good sensation versus anything that might feel sharp, painful, or just and they've intuitively wrong for the body, in which case we'd wanna come out of the shape or find a different shape or a bit more support. You feel ready slow on the exhale.

Let your elbows go wide. Rest your forehead on your hands, pause. Think a nice full nourishing breath into the back body. Really nourishing the kidneys, lower back. I mean, out of these long, passive holds, you might feel some fragility or vulnerability in the bones, the tissues, the joints.

Spend the knees in reverse windshield wiper the legs side to side. From here as a counter posed child's pose might feel nice on your body. Slide the palms underneath you. Press up onto the knees. If child's pose doesn't feel like the shape for you, you might just simply roll on to your back and draw your knees into your chest for a moment.

If you're in child's pose pausing with your forehead towards the earth. Living yourself permission to simply rest here. I'm feeling and receiving the support of the earth beneath you. You are welcome to stay here longer. Of course. When you feel ready, slowly ease your way up, Bring your knees about hips width apart.

We're gonna transition into a lizard pose. A little bit more action. As you're ready, you can work with your two blocks if you'd like to and step your left foot forward, have your blocks on the inside of that front left foot. Now as you feel into your body, the blocks might be high. You might bring them down a notch.

You might just simply have your hands on the floor. Let's just start by easing inside to side. Again, feeling into sensation, the front of the right hip, hip flexor. Notice where you can soften through the face and the jaw. You might stay on your hands.

You might lower the forearms towards the blocks or towards the earth. And allow for another inhale, exhale soft in the jaw. Notice what you choose to do with the weight of your head. Notice the quality through your hands. You might stay with a little bit of side to side, a little bit of oscillation, you might gradually ease into stillness, breathing into the shape.

And again, notice how the sensation changes with time here, how the shape may morph with time. Every so often you might allow for an exhale aside. Might stay right where you are if you'd like to explore a twist here. Keep your right forearm where it is. In the left hand, might come onto your left thigh.

You might turn your foot out. Feelinging that extension through the spine as you breathe. Exploring this variation softening through the jaw. If it feels like you've just arrived, and the shape is finally feeling like, oh, you might stay a little bit longer when you feel ready to transition. Slowly bring your hands onto the blocks or the earth, and then draw your hips back.

Oh, nice and slow. Tuck your back toes under. You might walk your hands and blocks closer towards you, half split variation here stretching the hamstrings of the front leg. Nice. Take your time, slow, bend the front knee and just shift the leg back.

Okay. Other side, walk the blocks over to the left. And then bring your right foot forward. Easing your way in, and you might start by leaning from side to side and just exploring the landscape of sensation through the front of the hip, healing into the hip flexor. We're targeting the fascia around the front of the hip. You might stay where you are.

You might ease your way down. Again, notice what you choose to do with the weight of your head. Notice the quality through the hands. Offering yourself to the shape passively. This play of muscle softening around the bones.

Eeling the bones heavy, yielding towards the earth, customize the shape for your body, your hips. You might stay where you are. You might explore the shape of the twist. Left forearm or hand stays down. Right hand on the right thigh.

Gently revolving the spine, lungs, the heart, finding ease in your neck, ease through your left shoulder, breathing into the shape. Might stay here slowly revolve back down towards the earth. For a moment. And in your own time, pressing up onto the hand. Slowly, mindfully draw the hips back.

You might bring the blocks or hands in closer. Flex your right foot extend through the leg. You might tuck your toes under. Draw the hips back. A half split action here.

Nice. Take your time, then the front knee draw your hips back. Okay. Bring the blocks off to the side. And sit down and stretch our legs long for caterpillar pose. You might bring a blanket back underneath your sitting bones. And as we ease our way forward, opt to work with a bolster for support under your head.

So we're stretching the legs out. You can also bring the bolster on top of the thighs. Completely up to you. And then easing your way forward and in. Inhale, exhale. Let your spine round.

You might keep a soft bend for the back of your knees here, adjusting the support underneath you. You might feel that dull, wide, warm, even burning sensation through the back of the body, in the back of the legs, the hamstrings all the way up through the spine. Again, this play of allowing the muscles to relax. Feeling and sensing the bones. The deeper web of fascia, around the pelvis up through the spine.

Soft in the face and the throat, relaxing the feet and the ankles. You're welcome to stay longer as you're ready, slow chin into the chest. Rolling your way up. Take a moment to pause. From here, we'll roll on to our back for a spinal twist.

And go ahead as you set up, bring your bolster onto the right side of your mat. You might have a folded blanket under your head for support. Let's start by drawing our knees into our chest. And it might feel nice to rock yourself from side to side here. Then from here, stretch your right leg long, draw your left knee into your chest.

Let's take a few breaths here. It's releasing the lower back. Peeling in to the left hip. We'll inhale here, and then exhale, bringing the left knee across the body for a spinal twist. And position your bolster so that supporting the inner left knee and ankle.

You might stack your shoulders, and then circle your top arm up and over releasing. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale softening the belly. Finding a place where your neck feels at ease. And simply breathing into the shape.

Letting it feel spacious between your eyes. In the base of the skull. Your own timing. Slow on the inhale lead with your top leg unwind. Pause.

You might shift your bolster now over to the other side if you're using it. You might pause a constructive rest pose between shapes. You might pause with the arms and legs wide. Cosmic starfish, and just rest in the space you've created through the body, through the hips, and legs. Anyhow, exhale everything. Since you're ready, stretch your left leg long, draw your right knee in.

We'll take a few moments here, releasing the lower back, feeling into the right hip. And now exhale, right knee moves across the body for a twist. Position your bolster so it's supporting your inner right knee and ankle. You might stack the arms. And if you'd like, inhale, circle the top, arm up and out.

Inhale to lengthen, exhale softening the belly. Breathing into the shape. And allowing the back of the right long and shoulder blades to get a heavy towards the earth. Oh, just saying how the, the shape and the sensation changes with time. How the fascia, the ligaments, the tissues respond?

These long, passive holds. It's amazing how each side is unique. It feels different. You might stay here a bit longer on this side. If you feel balanced and ready to slowly lead with your top leg, unwind.

Can reorganize you might pause here in constructive rest pose. Might draw your knees into your chest and rock. Setting up for shavasana might be nice to bring a bolster her under the back of your knees for support, and then stretch your legs long on the earth and wide. Yeah, you can snuggle your shoulders down, your back. Making any adjustments with the lower back and the pelvis.

Might allow your head to gently wobble, palms up, and allow for an inhale. Generous exhale. Again, allow the weight of the body to drop. Bones heavy towards the earth. Feelinging and sensing this inner nourishment.

The center space. Center East. And as you, like, gradually, draw your awareness back to the breath. Might be nice to stay here and linger longer in your Shavasana. And see you and feel inspired to invite some movement back in.

You might wiggle the fingers and the toes. I'm slowly drawing your knees and might rock from side to side. And then roll to your side and pause. Maybe resting your head in the pillow of your arm. Curl up.

Take your time slowly, press your hands into the earth. Using your way up towards a seat. You might sit up on your bolster. Taking a moment here, settle in. Inhale.

Nice grounding exhale. Joining the hands together, breathing in, breathing out. Namaste. Thank you.