Yin for Grounded Energy

Welcome. This is an expansive yin practice with a focus on spinal extensions and front body opening designed to promote a flow of energy grounded in the body. It'll be nice to have two blankets, one on your mat, two blocks and a bolster. We'll start with a block at the highest setting, and then the second block beneath the shoulder blades at the lowest setting. Turn away from your blocks, and we'll ease our way in together, then placing that block right beneath your shoulder blades, and then position the block onto your head.

So the edge of the block is right at the to put, the base of your skull. Take your time to settle in and make those adjustments so it feels just right. You might start with your knees bent, the feet wide, knees resting towards each other in constructive rest pose. Thaking your time to settle in as you draw the shoulder blades down the back, feeling the lower back lengthen. Option to also bring the soles of your feet to gather knees wide if you'd like a supported butterfly shape here.

And just notice what you choose to do with your arms. You might stretch the arms out wide. As you feel the back of the neck lengthen, let the eyes soften, let the jaw begin to melt a bit. Let's find a few landing breaths together to allow for an inhale. Nice generous exhale out of the mouth.

Feeling and allowing the back of the body to receive the support. Feeling this expansive quality in the front body. How the support might create a bit more breathing room for the lungs, a bit more space, around the heart, the diaphragm, the organs. You might keep your legs where they are. You might choose to stretch your legs long on the earth, finding your shape.

You might choose to keep your head right where it is. You might experiment with lifting your head and lowering the block to the second side, placing it a little higher up so it's supporting the back of your head. Might even gently roll your head a little bit from side to side. Feel how the front ribs can soften down and in. And there's a sense of kinda grounding and rooting the heart.

Within this expansive shape. The last minute or so, bring your attention towards your exhalation and feel how your exhalation naturally lengthens. From the bottom of each exhale, notice the spontaneous rise of the inhale, that inspiration in the heart, feeling the breath, maybe move towards the upper branches of the lungs. And even longer exhalation, empty. You might stay here for a few more moments.

You might bend your knees, bring the feet nice and wide, and let your knees drop over to the right. So, variation of windshield wipers, and then stretch your left arm at a diagonal towards the edge of your matte. You might roll the head to the right a little bit lengthening. And then inhale, let your knees come back up, exhale knees over to the left, really lengthen through your right arm. Feel that reach of the diagonal. Nice. Maybe a few more time side to side, nice and fluid through your hips as you reach and lengthen through the arms. Feeling that space, through the intercostals, up through the shoulders, allowing your head to naturally roll away from the knees.

Last round side to side, really make this your own and allow for a sweet exploration. Nice. Okay. Take your time as you're ready, bend your knees. We're gonna slowly roll to our side off the support. It can feel slightly awkward rolling off of the two blocks, pause. Good. And then as you're ready, we're just gonna press up for a moment.

You can bring your blocks off to the side. We're gonna roll on to our back and pause for a moment or two in the shape of Shavasana. Snuggle your shoulders down. Let the arms open. As you exhale, feel and allow the weight of the bones to draw and get heavy towards the earth. Taking a moment to consciously rest and begin to feel and sense the space you've created through the upper body.

Noticing any impressions, any residue, dropping into sensation. Allow for an inhale, and exhale. So you're ready, bend your knees. Again, nice and wide, we'll find windshield wipers again. Few more round side to side without the blocks. You might stretch your arms overhead this time as you cruise on to the inner outer edges of your feet.

You might let your head roll away from your knees as you stretch and lengthen out through the arms. It's a nice warm up for the hips and the spine. Before we drop into some longer, more passive yin shapes together, then draw your knees into your chest and rock. From here, you might roll to your side to come up or you might rock your way up. From here, we'll transition into cat cows.

Find your way into tabletop spread your fingers nice and wide. On your exhale, press the earth away round and stretch your back. Oh, that feels good. And then as you inhale, find your extension, feel how you can lead with the heart, feel the space, through the collarbone, sitting bones, lower the belly, exhale, press the earth away, enable the spine, round, and you might draw your hips back. Few more rounds following the rhythm of the breath, allowing for any feel good intuitive movement here.

You might circle out through your hips, lean from side to side, moving up into your rib cage, your shoulder blades, your neck. Nice. And then as you're ready, we'll lower on to the belly. Playing with sphinx and seal and a little half frog variation here. So you might have a folded blanket or a bolster for your belly, lower the, pelvis towards the bolster.

Wards the blanket, and then setting yourself up for sphinx pose on your forearms. So elbows are just slightly forward of the shoulders. Arms are about shoulder width apart. And just take a moment here to pause and settle. Make sure that support under the belly, under the pelvis feels just right for you.

Allow for a nice full exhale easing into a more passive yin like experience of sphinx. Option to stay right here. Option to begin to lift and open your left hip. So you'll lift the knee up. The foot can be in line with your knee, you're slightly in.

You might even pad your inner left knee if it's feeling a bit tender. If this doesn't feel quite right on your body, you might stretch your leg back into sphinx pose. Option to stay here, you might explore the shape of seal. Palms turn out arms straighten. Hands further away tends to bring the feeling more into the mid back, the thoracic spine.

If appropriate, you might walk the hands in a little bit closer towards your pelvis, which tends to bring the feeling more into the low back, the lumbar spine. Listening to your body and finding that appropriate edge of sensation. We trust the feeling. So if it feels like it's too much too spicy it is, so you might ease your way out. I'm softening the jaw, the eyes.

What is what you choose to do with the weight of your head? You might hold the head in place. You might support the head or surrender the weight of the head towards the earth. As you're ready slow, stretch that left leg back, finding that internal rotation pause. You might stay here as we move towards the second side.

You might take a moment to pause. Let your elbows go wide. Rest your forehead on your hands. If you're paused with the elbows wide when you're ready, you can lift back up into sphinx. Pausing here.

If you'd like, begin to open and lift your right knee, open the hip. Finding the placement of your foot where it feels just right? Maybe in line with the knee or slightly in. Notice how this side feels maybe a little or a lot different. In your bones, in your joints. You might stay in the shape of sphinx.

You might turn the palms out and Experiment with pressing up into seal. Again, finding the placement of your hands where it feels like the right medicine for your spine, for your lower back. Notice the quality of the breath. And here within the shape of the backbend, the spinal extension, kind of internally tuning towards the exhalation. Easy in the neck, soft in the eyes.

If you're up and seal, take your time to lower. Does spanx pausing here? Your own timing. Slow stretch your right leg back and find that internal rotation. Oh, inhale.

And exhale elbows wide, melt the forehead on the hands. You might shimmy your hips a little bit. And then slide the palms underneath you, press your way up and round your way very slowly back towards a child's pose. You might let your knees go wide, big toes to touch. Easing your way back.

You might take a nice full breath into the back body, like nourishing the kidneys, low back. Your own time slowly, ease your way up. From here, we're gonna stretch our legs long, and we're gonna explore half saddle shapes. So now opening the front of the body a bit more. If you have a bolster, you might bring it behind you.

You might bring a stack of bolsters behind you if you have them. And then from here, we're gonna lean to our right side, bend our left knee. I like to bring the hand around the ankle. As you draw the foot back, and then reorganize your hips, feeling that left sitting bone on the earth. Customize it for your bones, your joints, So you might have the foot close in towards the sitting bone.

In this practice, you might have the knee slightly wider. But really listening to your knees, your body. You might stay upright. This might be enough sensation. You might experiment with leaning back, drawing the tailbone under.

You might lower down onto your forearms, or you might experiment with reclining back onto your bolster. Palms might open here towards the sky, and take your time to settle in. If you find your head is dropping back, you might tuck a blanket or a pillow under your head if you're reclining. Your arms might stay out to the sides. You might stretch your arms overhead resting the hands on the top of your bolster, if you're reclining.

Allow for an inhale. Nice full exhale. Softening into sensation. Notice the quality of the breath. And then the in practice, we're offering ourself to the shape passively for a length of time.

It's usually about three to five minutes with the intention of feeling sensing, awakening the fascia. Ligaments, the bones, those layers of connective tissue. And to also stimulate the the subtle energy, the prana, the chi, the life force, that we can feel and sense once we come out of the shape. We're looking to target the fascia rather than the muscles. For the last few moments, see if you can allow the muscles to relax here.

You are welcome to stay longer, of course. The exit route to options, you might carefully roll to your right side, holding on to your left ankle and free your leg. I'm gonna demonstrate bringing the hands to the floor, chin into the chest, using little abdominal strength to come up. That feels like the safest exit route for my knee in this moment. Pausing.

Then if you're seated, holding on to the knee lean to the right side, and then just carefully free your left leg. We might lean back point and flex your feet circle out through your ankles a few times. I mean feeling and sensing the flow of blood and energy through the legs. Please into the second side, sitting up, leaning to your left side, bend your right knee, reach for your ankle. Keep the knee closed as you draw the right foot back.

And reorganize your pelvis, feel the right sitting bone ground towards the earth. The thigh bone might stay straight ahead. You might open it out. Again, it'll depend on your anatomy and your bones. What feels right for you? You might stay upright, play with easing your way back, onto your forearms, or maybe lowering to your bolster. Take your time to settle in, making those adjustments, might lift the pelvis slightly, draw the tailbone under, and lower the lower back.

Notice what you choose to do with your arms. Again, most likely, the side feels different. Notice the quality of the breath as there's bit more sensation arising. Can you meet that sensation? That edge with an inhale.

And generous exhale, softening, melting, again, this play of letting the muscles soften and melt around the bones. The bones dropping and yielding towards the earth. Few more moments here. Odising how the shape and sensation may change with time here. You are welcome to stay longer.

As always, when you feel ready, please find a slow safe exit route for your knee. So you might carefully roll to your left side and free your right leg. You might join me in bringing your hands to the floor, rolling your chin to your chest and pressing your way up. Pause and then lean to your side for your right leg. Lean back point, flex your feet, circle out through your ankles.

I do a little side to side with the hips, a little shimmy. Now we're gonna explore full saddle here coming up onto your knees. Now a few options depending on, again, your anatomy, your body. For you, you might sit straight down between your feet. This might feel natural for your body.

For me, I like to explore bringing the big toes together, the knees wide in the in saddle. You might stay right here. If appropriate, you might explore slowly leaning back towards your bolster. Now here in the saddle shape with the support of the bolster, I like to have the bolster, at least supporting the mid to upper back. So that the low back can kinda hang towards the earth.

Yeah. You might stretch your arms out wide. Allow for a nice full exhale as you kinda soften ground, root the heart. Appropriate, you might stretch the arms overhead and let the hands rest on the top of the bolster, awakening the heart and lung and pericardium meridians, healing and sensing that kind of big bold, beautiful stretch in the front of the body. And the play here is to as you act sail, feel how the lower back can kinda hang like a hammock towards the earth. You might even notice here that the sensation in one leg feels a bit stronger or more intense than the other.

One shoulder feels different than the other. Every so often you might allow for a deliberate sigh. Exhale. Gantly breathing into where you feel the sensation. And receiving the support beneath you.

You might gently roll your head a little bit. If you were climbing over the bolster, be wiggling the fingers, listening to your body as you find that slow safe pathway out. Again, you might roll to one side and carefully free a leg, and then the other. You might join me in pressing your hands into the floor, drawing your chin into your chest using some abdominal strength here as you slowly mindfully lovingly press yourself up. Draw your knees together.

Take a moment to pause on the heels. Wow. Feeling and sensing, noticing. We'll find a counter stretch here. So as you shift the weight forward, walk the knees back, You might stretch the legs out one at a time.

You might move towards the shape of downward dog. Tuck the toes under and lift back and ah. Phew. Feel the back of the neck release, and then pedal out through your legs. Oh, that feels so nice. Feel.

How you can stretch the back of the leg line, the calves all the way down through the heels. You more moments here. You might stay with the movement. You might drop in for a moment. Stillness.

Might even gently shake the head out a little bit, feel the weight of the head release. And then lower the knees. Okay. Let's reach the arm out. Stretch the legs.

We'll find a counter stretch here to and I decompress the spine. So for caterpillar, you might sit up on a blanket. I'm gonna demonstrate two options. You might find your caterpillar shape as you intentionally allow the spine to round here. You might work with a bolster to support the weight of your head.

Okay. I'll also demonstrate the shape of snail similar to the plow shape. You might play with bringing your bolster there for your feet and your knees, and you might have a blanket for your shoulders to support your neck. Turning away from the blanket and the bolster. And then if you're working with a blanket, line it up at the bottom of your neck, cervical spine, bend your knees, lift your hips, and then lift your legs rounding into the snail shape. You might bring the hands to the low back kidneys.

And depending on your body, your spine, you might bend your knees, rounding your spine. You might choose to extend for your arms and lengthen them on the floor. Or even interlace your fingers as you draw the shoulders under, really allowing the shape to reveal itself with time as you listen inwardly for guidance. Really paying attention to the sensation in your cervical spine, your neck, softening the throat, softening the gaze. Feel how the spine can deliberately round here.

Whether you're in the shape of caterpillars sitting up or snail, supine, rounding, You might stay here a bit longer as you stay with and explore sensations. If and as you feel ready, slowly roll your way up or out of shape depending on your orientation. Pause. If your supine allow your knees to bend for a moment, grounding. We're gonna transition onto our back for a spinal twist to release the spine.

So you might take a moment if you're a supine and you have that blanket to roll to your side. You might fold the blanket for support under your head. And we're gonna bring the bolster to the right side of our mat for a spinal twist. Slow in these transitions, pause on your back. Stretch the right leg long, draw your left knee into your chest.

Let's take a few moments here. Check-in, feel the shoulders, release down, the neck nice and long. Feel how you can take a breath into the back body, the lower back, and then bring the left knee across the body for a spinal twist. And her left knee supported by the bolster, and her left ankle supported by the bolster. And you might circle your left arm forward up and open.

Your right hand might rest on your outer left knee or you might stretch the right arm long. Inhale as you lengthen. And exhale as you soften the belly, feeling that natural spiral of the rib cage. The lungs, the hearts, finding that ease up through your neck. And your own timing, slowly lead with your top leg unwind.

Where you organize, bend the knees, can bring the bolster if you'd like over to the other side. Pause with the knees bent or stretch the arms and legs wide for a moment, taking up space. I will exhale. Stay with the feeling, the flow. Gathering up the arms and legs, stretch your left leg long, draw your right knee in.

Snuggle the shoulders down. We'll take a few breaths here. And then bring the right knee across the body to the bolster. Organize your bolster. So it's supporting your inner right knee and ankle. Might circle your top, arm forward, up. And open, inhale as you lengthen, exhale as you soften.

Easy app through the neck, breathing into the shape or releasing through the spine. Mid back, low back. You allow for another inhale. And exhale. Unslowly unwind.

Lead with the top leg. Pause with the knees bent, hug the knees into the chest and rock. On our way into Shavasana or a seat, you might take a moment to lift up, curl up, draw everything in, and then slowly release. For Shivasana, you might bring a bolster under the back of your knees to support your low back. Thinking your time to settle in.

Nice full exhale. Feel the weight of the bones, drop and release. Rest in the space you've cultivated in your practice. You feeling and sensing this flow of energy? Really grounded in the body.

Feel the weight of the pelvis, drop, and widen. Giving yourself permission to simply rest here and the experience of being. Wide open awareness. My stay here forever or just another moment. Taking your time to slowly transition.

Might roll to your side when you're ready and pause, Karilla. Head heavy as you press yourself up. Take a moment to sit together. Inhale to lengthen, exhale to ground. Joining the hands together, breathing in, breathing out. Namaste. Thank you for being here.

Have a beautiful day.