Counting Crows

Hello, everybody. Let's do some crow, shall we? So we're gonna do a couple different swipes and a couple different crows in this class, but I wanna talk about one thing before we get rolling is your hands because you're gonna spend some time on your hands. If you look at this right here, this is the metacarpals right here. These are the knuckles of the hands where the fingers are inserting.

This is the heel of the hand where the forearm's inserting, right, front of the hand, back of the hand. When you're on your hand, there's a lot of weight dumping into your hands when the shoulders, especially are over your wrist, what's gonna happen is the heel of the hand is gonna get heavy, and the metacarpals are gonna lift up. I called this the carnival tent. Right? You wanna switch that weight distribution. When you're on your hands, you want the metacarpals to be heavy, all four of these in the heel of your hand to be light. It's lifting up just slightly.

It's not coming off the mat because that's like near impossible. But it's gonna come up like it's grazing the mat. Basically, the front of the hand heavier than the back of the hand at all times anytime you're on your hands. So that being said, let's get on our hands. Take a tabletop right here, hands and knees.

And we're just gonna practice that right here. With your shoulders over your wrist a bit, press the metacarpals from pinky ring in or middle index down. So that way, as that gets heavy, the heel of your hand gets a little bit lighter. If you wanna play with actually lifting the heel of your hand up, like I just did do it. Let's actually do that.

Lift the heel of your hands up off the mat and keep the metacarpals down. And now slowly lower the heel of your hand back toward the floor. And when the skin just starts to graze the mat, not dump into it, stop. That's what you wanna feel. Now start to breathe in and out through your nose, ojai breath.

Slow inhales, slower exhales because this is a flow, and we're gonna connect breath to motion. Little constriction in the back of your throat, breathe, hands and knees. Now take a big inhale. When you breathe out, lower your chest to the top of the mat, your elbows are over your hands. Take an inhale, lift your heart up, baby cobra just a bit.

Breath out child's pose, press back the front of the hand heavier than the rear. Breathe in, come forward to all fours, one breath, breath out lower your chest top of the mat, one move, belly's tone, breath in, baby cobra, lift your heart, root your upper thighs down into the mat. Breathe out child's pose. Go back. One breath, one move. Breathe in. Come forward to all fours.

Breath out lower your chest top of the mat, strength in the body, calm behind the eyes. Breathe in, baby cobra, lift your heart, breath out child's pose, roll it back. Then breathe in, come forward to all fours tabletop. Now from here with the exhale start to bear roll. Move around, kinda omnidirectional.

Anything goes with this, get weird with it. Get weird because there's a real good chance I made this up. I'm not sure if I learned this some place, it's some training or something, but I think I made it up. So it doesn't matter. You can't do this wrong. Just anything that can be flexed or extended, any joint in your body, move it, move the goo, move it all around.

Now, with your next breath in, come up to all fours, curl into your toes. When you breathe out, lift your knees two inches off the mat. Now, had you lift your knees two inches off the mat, not to be a jerk about it, but so you can really see right now when your knees are lifted, the heel of your hand just got really heavy. The front of the hand got really light. Can you press the front of the hand down and make the heel of the hand light? Take a breath in.

Breath out down dog. Keep the front of the hand heavy, the metacarpals. And then pedal this out. Ben one knee, press the opposite heel down and just move it around a bit. Wijai through your nose. And then from here, take your down dog, both heels root toward the floor, upper thighs, press up and back.

Take a deep in breath through your nose, breath out, walk your hands to the back of the mat, fold, uttanasana, your feet are at hip distance. Breathe in, uttanasana, bend your knees. Reach your arms up. Breath out straight legs, hands to heart, we're taking one breath to one move, inhale, utkatasana, bend your knees, reach your arms straight up, breath out, fold forward, now travel forward, breath in, plank pose, walk out. Breath out knees to the mat, lower your chest to the floor, heels of the hands, lights.

Breath in cobra pose, lift your heart up a little taller this time. Breath out down dog, one breath, one move, breathe in. Breath out, walk your hands to the back of the mat, fold at the Bakotunasen. Breathe in utkatasen, powerful pose. Reach up. Breath out straight legs, hands to heart only moving with breath, inhale, or katasan sit back and down, heart up.

Breath out, fold forward. Inhale plank. Walk out. Now, you make the call here. Choose your own adventure. Breath out chaturanga or to your belly, your call, inhale, up dog, or a cobra pose, lift your chest, breath out down dog roll back. With a breath in, lift your right leg high, three legged dog.

Breath out, right knee to nose, travel forward. Can you put skin on skin? Breath in, fly your right leg back three legged dog. Breath out right knee to left elbow under your body, keep your left hip pointing down. Inhale, right leg back, fly it up, three legged. Breath out right knee to right armpit, come forward.

Inhale, fly your right leg, three legged dog. Breath out, step to your right pinky with your right foot. With a breath in, draw your heart forward, press your left knee up. Breath out, bend your arms, dive inside your right inner thigh. Breathe in, straighten your arms, heels of the hands light.

Breath out hips up and back modified pyramid. Breathe in, low lunge, come forward. Breath out, bend your arms and dive. Inhale straighten your arms. Breathe out hips up and back.

Inhale forward, low lunge. We gotta do that one more time. Breath out, bend your arms, hug your right thigh into your ribs. Inhale straight arms, breath out hips up and back, lift your right back pocket to the sky. Breathe in, low lunge, come forward.

With your exhale, left foot to left pinky toes out, but down hands to heart, melasana. How many times should you do melasana a day? Exactly. Once a day, eight times a week. Take a big inhale, lift your heart up.

Breathe out full forward. He'll tow your feet hip distance. Breathe in. Come halfway up. Chaturanga exhale, lower, slow, front of the hands heavy. Upward dog, breathe in, lift your collar bones as high as shoulders.

Breath out down dog, one breath, one move. So that being said, inhale left leg high. Breath out left knee to nose, round your spine. Inhale left leg high. Front of the hand heavy. Breath out left knee right elbow, right hip points to the floor.

Inhale, left leg high. Breath out left knee left armpit travel forward, his skin, to skin. Breathe in left leg box three legged. Step to your left pinky. Breathe out the foot softly.

Take a deep in breath. Pull your heart forward. Breathe out, bend your arms, lower your chest toward the floor, one breath, one move, breathe in straight arms, breath out hips up and back, flexing this left foot off the mat. Breathe in, low lunge, Breath out, dive your chest toward the floor, one breath, inhale straight arms, breath out hips up and back. The left back pocket picks up.

Breathe in, low lunge, Still one more for good measure. Breath out lower. Breathe in straight arms. Breath out hips up and back. You move with breath.

Keep moving. Breathe in. Come forward low lunge. Breath out, right foot to right pinky, toes out, heels in, butt down. Breathe so many adverbs. Breathe slow.

Lift your collarbones up and breathe in. Press your ears back and breathe out. Take one more big inhale. Lift your butt one inch higher. Breath out fold forward.

He'll tow your big toes to touch. One inch between your heels, now with an inhale utkatasan powerful pose, reach up, bend your knees, breath out, weight back into heels. The body strong, belly toned. Now, if this bugs your shoulders, you can cactus your arms out, whatever. Breathe easy. Make it match you, strong in the body soft in the mind behind the eyes. Wide open, empty.

Take a big in breath. Breath out straight legs, hands to heart. Now, forget every word I've said and feel it instead of think about it. Breath in, breath out full forward. Inhale halfway up lengthen.

Chaturanga breath out. Step back lower halfway down. Empty completely, breathe in, up dog. Come up front of the hand heavy. Breath out down dog, front of the hand heavy.

Breathe in, right leg high, three legged dog, breath out step to right thumb, spin to your inner left foot. Breathe in. First warrior, come up slow to lift your heart high. Breath out chaturanga, float your right foot, hip height. Inhale up dog. Come up. Breath out down dog.

One breath, one move. Inhale. Left leg up. Breath out step to left thumb, roll to your inner right foot. Breathe in, warrior one, come up. Breath out Chaturanga, left foot might hover.

Inhale up dog. You never know what you need, breath to breath. Exhale down dog roll back. Practicing metacarpal where the fingers meet the palm heavy. Heel of the hand, light. Upper thighs, up and back, breathe slow.

Breathe in. Lift your heels. Look between your hands. Breath out, bend your knees, float or step your feet, top of the mat. Toast's touch, please. Breath in, utkatasana, a powerful pose.

Bend your knees reach up. When you breathe out, are the utkatasana butt down arms forward. How low can you get your butt staying on your heels? So not tiptoes. How low can you get staying on your heels?

Strong through the body, calm through the breath. Take a deep inhale. Breathe out safely, get onto your butt, lie back, happy baby, grab your outer feet with your hands, forearms up your inner shins. You wanna stack your ankles over your knees best you can. We're breathing.

Keep your legs exactly where they at, where they're at. Take a breath in. And when you breathe out, let go of them without them dropping away from you, keep them exactly where they're at. Push your hands to the sky like you're doing a pushup. Breathe in.

Next time you breathe out, bring your knees to touch your elbows. You might notice I didn't bring my elbows to touch my knees wouldn't that be nice if that's how the world worked? Needs to elbows. Your butt's gotta scoop up. Breathe in.

Next scaffled up. Breathe out. Needs to armpits. Breathe in. Next scaffold up, press your hands as high as you can get them, lift your shoulder blades off the mat, how high can you get your palms, breathe slow, strong in the body, wide open in the eyes. Take a deep in breath, breathe out, lie back, knees to chest.

Now this egg shape you're in, breathe in, rock back, breath out, tap your heels to the floor and reach your hands forward. Do that again. Breathe in rock back. Breath out, tap and reach. This forward will bring you up, inhale back, utkatasana, exhale forward and up.

Big breath in, breath out straight legs, hands to heart, one breath, one move, inhale utkatasana. Breathe out fold forward. Halfway up, breath in, lengthen your spine forward, breath out, left foot, weight of the back of the mat, roll to your inner left foot, heel to arch alignment, breath in, warrior two windmill your left hand forward and back. Now from this second warrior, your tailbone rolls down, the left femur is pressing back. Right thigh rolls out, breathe slow.

Find that, take a deep in breath, breath out straighten your right leg. Tighter hamstrings back here. If they're tighter, shorten your stance. I just shorten mine. I'm gonna get a little more room right here.

Breathe in. Reach your right hand forward. Breath out triangle pose, right hand down, left arm up. This right hand Find a pivot point. On the floor, a block, your shin works great, pressing your shin, help it rotate your right lung up. Draw your right inner thigh in and up.

That constant reminder that you're cool inside the skin. Everything that can't be x-rayed is chill. Everything that can is powered up. Left hand, left hip, bend your right knee, breathe in and look down. Breath out, float your left thigh up, hip height, half moon, ardichindrasana.

Now with your next inhale lengthen your right lung forward, when you breathe out, turn your right lung to the sky. Point your tailbone to your left heel, breathe slow. Left legs powered up. Big deep in breath. Can you put some more sunlight or moonlight on your right lung?

Breath outstanding splits, hands to the mat. Inhale, lengthen your heart forward, breathe out, bend your right knee, step the balls of your left foot way to the back of the mat. Breathe in, fly your right leg back three legged dog when you breathe out, walk your hands to the back of the mat standing splits, rear the mat, left leg. Now, we're gonna scaffold up from one to the next to the next. Next scaffold up from standing split, lift your left heel high.

Front of the hands heavy. Breathe in. Next scaffold up. Bend your left arm, left knee to left arm pit. Look forward, next scaffold up, right knee, right arm pit. Only foot on the mat as you're left, you might as well pick it up, bakasana crow pose.

Hug heals to butt, front of the hand attempting to become heavier than the rear. Now, reverse engineer this whole show, step your left foot behind your left wrist, standing split, right leg up. We're just gonna go for it, people. Breathe in, walk out one legged plank. Come forward.

Breath out, step your right foot between your thumbs. Step your left foot outside your right foot, pinky toe to pinky toe crossed legs, fold and breathe slow. From here, it is counting crows, lift up onto your tiptoes with bound feet, bend your knees, put your knees behind your triceps, look forward, pick up your bound feet, bound macasana, flex them and now attempt to pull your feet apart. Breathe. Big inhale.

Breath out Chaturanga, or you step back to plank, up dog, breathe in, come up, breath out downward facing dog. One breath. One move. Inhale, left leg up, breath out step to left thumb, left foot, roll to your inner right foot, breathe in, windmill your right hand up and back. Second warrior.

Right femur presses back, tailbone down, roll your left thigh out. Cool through the breath. Breathe in, breath out straighten your left leg. You might shorten the stance. Inhale, left hand forward, breath out triangle pose, left hand down, right one up.

Rooting the mound of your left big toe into the mat as you pull the left inner thigh back, turning your left lung, isolating it rolling it to the sky. Absolutely opinionless of what is happening, absolutely aware of every nuance sensation in your body. Objective awareness, last breath. Bend your left knee, breathe in, right hand, right hip, breath out, right leg floats up, hip height, flex your right foot. Inhale, lengthen your lungs forward.

Breath out, turn your heart to the sky, half moon. Press your right heel to the back. And when you can't press your right foot back anymore, attempt to pull it to your left heel at the same time. Ojai breath through your nose. Speaking of that, breathe in, roll your left lung to the sky a bit more.

Breath outstanding splits. So this right big toe points straight down 06:00. Inhale lengthen your heart forward. Breathe out, bend your left knee, step the balls of your right foot way back there. Big in breath, left thigh flies back three legged dog, breath out, walk your hands to the back of the mat, fold at the back standing splits.

That you stay put. This is a great pose, or lift your right heel high. Front of the hand heavy. Right knee, right arm pit, bend your right arm, touch the two. Left knee, left arm pit.

This isn't supposed to feel convenient, by the way. That's cool. Get forward. Can you pick up your right foot, Bakasana, hug heels to butt? Roll your tailbone towards your heels and breathe. Front of the hand heavy. Breathe in.

Now from here, we're gonna reverse engineer it. Again, step your right foot behind your right wrist, left thigh up, standing split. Now we're gonna go for it. Might as well pull the band aid right off. Breathe in. Pull yourself forward one legged plank, breath out, left foot between your thumbs, right foot, outside your left foot, pinky toe to pinky toe. Fold.

Keep breathing. From here, one step at a time, lift your heels high, breathe in. Keep your feet bound. Breathe out. Bend your knees, knees behind triceps. Shift your face forward.

If you're a little off the mat like me, big whoa, such as life, pick up your feet, flex them, unpointed, and attempt to pull them apart. You'll feel your hips fire up. Front of the hand heavy, he said to self as well. Breath in, breathe out Chaturanga. Up dog inhale.

Breath out. Downward facing dog. Take a big breath in. Breath out, knees to the mat child's pose, traditional, sweep your arms, back, palms face up. Relax your shoulders.

Keep that Ojie breath going. Now, we're gonna roll to one last little baby crow. What's baby crow you asked? Reach your hands forward. Put your elbows on the mat and come forward so your forearms are parallel shoulders over elbows. Here's the thing about baby crow, regular crow people hate this.

Non crow people love this. So with your shoulders over your elbows, now walk your knees up to touch behind your arms, curl under your toes like I just did. Lift your left knee, put it on your left arm pit. High like I just did. Right knee to right arm pit.

Look between your thumbs. Breathe in. When you breathe out, shift your face forward, pick up your heels. Press your forearms into the mat, baby crow, incredibly effective in learning crow, and super adorable. Take a big inhale hug heels to butt cheeks like regular grows up crow. Breath out, lower down, slow, downward facing dog.

Take it back. Front of the hand heavy, heel light. Breathe in, plank pose, ripple forward, a five count to your belly. Breathe out five, four, three, two, one, right ear to the mat look left, cactus your arms out to the sides. So your elbows are a little further forward than the shoulders, bend your left knee and breathe in.

Breathe out, arc your left foot up and over to the right, step your left foot behind. Breathe slow. Put my take your hand, put it in front of your chest, give yourself some better leverage. Bottom of your right tricep is rotating toward the floor a bit. We push the earth away a lot today, now open up this pack, chest muscle, take it the opposite way.

One more big inhale, slow breath out, roll back onto your belly. Make sure this left arm is cactus, elbow a little higher than shoulder, left ear to the mat, breathe in, right knee bends, breath out, right foot steps behind. Oh, that's the stuff. Right hand can get a little closer to your chest to help you stay leveraged on the left side. Real subtly, the bottom of the left tricep is rotating down.

Open the heart now, balance, You can press it. Now open it and breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out. Roll back down onto your belly, hands to the mat under elbows. Cobra pose, breathe in, lift your heart, press your shoelaces into the mat.

Breath out child's pose. Go back. Now with an in breath, pull yourself up to all fours, hands and knees, When you breathe out, knees touch your wrist, top of the mat, toes touch, sit onto your heels, virasana. Heroes pose, whatever blocks you might need or whatever you never know what you're going to need, you might need to sit up on blocks, especially if your knees don't like it when you're sitting on your heels. This is hero's pose, virasana. We're gonna recline if you wanna go deeper.

You're gonna sit back, check it out, sit between your heels with your butt cheeks instead of on top. And then you start to slowly lower until you feel the front body open, function over form. You don't have to look like everybody on freaking Instagram. Open the front of your body. You might be a little bit bent. You might be a little more.

You might be all the way down. The lower you are, the further your belly is into the spine. You're removing that over exaggerated lordosis in the low back, the arching you're pulling down. I'll shut up. You breathe two breath cycles. If you're pretty flat to the floor, grab your ankles with your hands, prop your elbows under your shoulders, and then come up straight and slow.

Once you make it back up, swing your legs out in front of you, cross your right shin in front of your left, crossed at the middle of the shin bone, not the ankle, the middle of the shins. So you can see the top half of a square as you look down. Take a breath in, lift your heart up. Brass out. Take your chest forward. Slow, double pigeon. Feeder flexed three breaths in and out slow through the nose.

Breath out a bit longer than the breath in, and you get a little heavier as you breathe out, breath and motion speaking to one another. Now, take a breath in, come all the way up with your heart, stack one vertebrae on top of the next. When you breathe out straighten your right leg, step your left foot outside your right thigh. Left hand behind you, breathe in, right arm up. Breath out, twist to the left, right elbow outside your left thigh.

Inhale, lift your heart up and lean back just a touch. Breath out, twist, press your right elbow into your left leg. Inhale, lift your heart up. Breathe out, twist, belly cinches up towards your spine. Breathe in, lift your heart, comb behind the eyes, breath out, twist strong in the body. Come back around through center, check it out. Your left leg's already bent.

Cross it in front of your right shin in the middle parallel to the top of the mat. Inhale, hard up. Breath out, chest forward. Three slow cycles here, double pigeon. If you wanna deepen this to the left hip, you could walk your heart a little bit more to the right.

Breathe. Last slow cycle. Breathe in. Soften your body. Breathe out. Speak to language of Slowly roll your spine up, extend your left leg long, step your right foot outside, right hand behind you, breathe in, left arm up, breath out, twist right, left, elbow, right thigh.

Inhale, get long, lift your heart up lean back, breath out, twist. That lean back is very subtle. Breathe in, lift your heart up. Breath out, twist. One more, inhale lift, front of the right hand heavy, breath out twist, keep the fundamentals, inhale come back to center, give yourself a counter dip to the left and breathe out.

Back up, breathe in, lie back onto your back, knees to chest, give him a squeeze. Big inhale, Shivasana high. Let it go. Now be breathed. Don't do anything.

Don't breathe. Soften your jaw. Let your skin be heavy. Kick it in that Shivasan as long as you can. I thank you all so much for sharing your practice with me.

Thank you for your heart, your trust. Thank you for your courage. Namaste.