Full Bloom

Hi. Welcome to your practice. If you've been following season two of beginners in order, we've made it to our last class of the series full bloom. For today's practice, grab everything in your house, a chair, a couple blankets, a strap, and a couple blocks. And you may have noticed I am set up near a wall. We will also use the wall for a portion of the practice.

So once you've gathered your goodies, we'll start out today in a supported heart opener over two blocks. I'm going to take my first block tall to go underneath my head and my second block medium height. Please know that you can turn each of these blocks down one notch if you discover that the higher height feels like a little bit too much resistance right off the jump. To set up here, bring your back to face the blocks you've set up and place your hands down next to you. Lift through your heart center, bend your elbows back, and try to set yourself so that The bottom border of the block, the side that's closest to your heels, is meeting about at the bottom tip of your shoulder blades, and the second block is there to support your head.

We're looking for the sensation where the block feels flat against your shoulder blades and your shoulder blades feel flat against your back. Spell your arms long at the sides of your body and rotate your arms until your palms face up. And as you get your upper body situated, play with the position of the legs until you discover what feels best on your lower back. You are welcome to stretch your legs out long like we sometimes do in shavasana and allow the feet to flop open. If the low back says no, thank you.

Bend your knees instead. Place your feet on the ground as wide as your mat. Turn toes slightly in and allow your knees to fall toward each other in constructive rest. Either close your eyes or if you prefer, find a point to softly focus on. And notice how your body is meeting the resistance of the blocks. Can you breathe fully to where you feel that point of connection against your upper back?

Allowing the resistance to buoy your heart. And with each exhale, trace a pathway through the length of your arms and out to the tips of your fingers. So that in time, what once felt like resistance becomes a tool of expansion. As you settle more and more into breath and into your body. Consider taking a moment to layer in and intention for our time together.

Why this now? Once you have that gathered, if you'd like, you can join me in an opening, Nice full breath in. Blink your eyes open if you've closed them. Bend your knees and place your feet on the ground about the distance of your front hip points. Parallel your feet to each other.

And now take the block that's underneath your head and set it off to the side. Take your fingertips now to the back of your head and bring your elbows wide, like you might set up to take crunches. And now slowly, thoughtfully release your head back until you meet a comfortable edge of resistance to the chest and upper back. And then exhale, draw your front ribs down and in, lift your head, lift your shoulders. And do that again, inhale.

Allow the hands to support the weight of your head. Helping to maintain length through the back of the neck as you lean the head back. And then exhale, absorb your front ribs. Draw the pit of your abdomen in as you lift. Do this one more time.

I release back. And this time, I invite you to hold an extra breath or two in the back vent. And as we allow the block to help create a little more space through the heart, can you find a bit of a scoop through the pit of your abdomen? Imagine you could lengthen your tailbone a touch more to that space between your heels. And then exhale draw your front body down as you lift your head, lift your shoulders. Place your left forearm down.

And then thoughtfully roll to your left side pressing yourself up to seated. Make your way to your hands and your knees. If your knees are tender on the earth, please take time to open a blanket underneath them. Give yourself that added bit of padding to work with. Alright.

And then take your knees to touch. Or as close to that as your anatomy will allow and separate your feet a little wider than your outer hips. Grab one of your blocks and set the block wide between your inner ankles. Take a peek back and notice if your big toes are drifting towards each other and your ankles are sort of bowing out. This is common for a lot of us.

Can you do the opposite? Hug your outer ankles in and stretch back through the big toe side of your foot. Until the inner edges of your feet parallel and your outer ankles hug in. Take the heels of your hands to the top of your thighs and press down and a little forward with your hands. As you press down and forward with the hands, coil the pit of your abdomen in. Keep that coil and now lift your chest and broaden your collar bones.

This is a supported virasana hero's pose. And I forgot to mention before, if you get here and this block flat is not doing it for the knees, turn the block a notch higher. If the knees say more space, please add your second block. Alright? Take a clean breath all the way up the front of the body with the exhale all your shoulders onto your back. And then root down for the tops of the feet, the length of your shins, and reach up to the sky.

Saporate your knees so that the distance of your front hip points keep holding your block. As you exhale, sit back to the block and twist to the right. Root into the earth, and I'll reach up to the sky, exhale, sit back, twist to the left. We'll continue to set your own pace side to side if the knees don't like the movement, stay upright continuing the twist from here. Take one more each side.

And then pause at the top. Take your hands down, remove the block from between your inner ankles and set your blocks off to the side. Make your way to your hands and your knees. Plant hands under shoulders and knees underneath your hips. Spend your inner thighs back until your toes are directly behind the knees.

And then inhale, lift your heart, open your chest. Xhale, push the earth away and round your back. Do that again, bring heart through your arms, bid al asana cow pose, and exhale round through your back, marjari asana cat pose. Take one more round. And then invite yourself back to what feels neutral in your spine? Walk your hands about three inches forward of your shoulders and parallel all the creases of your wrist to the top of your mat.

Spread your fingers evenly wide. And as you inhale once again, rock forward, bring your chest through your arms, exhale tuck your toes, lift your knees, and take your hips up and back to downward facing dog. Peddle your heels up and down here. Slowly coaxing open your hamstrings, your calf muscles. And over your next few cycles of breath, make your movements smaller and smaller.

Until you find your way to a place of stillness. Now if you're feeling any stress or strain through the back or through your hamstrings, bend your knees as generously as you need in order to prioritize the length in your spine, and then walk your hands all the way back to meet your feet. Once you're there, slide your fingertips lightly up your shins high enough that as you take your heart forward, the chest ends up a little more level with your hips. Take hands to hips broaden your collarbones, root down, and with a length and spine, stand all the way up. Alright. Set your blanket off to the side.

I'm going to keep mine somewhat in reaching distance. In case I decide, I'd like a little more cushion for my knees as we move through this next series. Set your blocks tall at the top of your mat So they're there in reaching distance. If you discover you'd like the earth a little closer to you. Press into the earth, and as you inhale reach up to the sky or Ex, I'll wait a little forward in your feet as you fold in half.

Inhale reach your heart straight forward as you press your thighs back. Bend your knees enough to get your hands down and now step back with your right foot. Set your back knee down. Here's a place where you may wanna blanket to pad the joint. Uncurl your back toes.

Press into the Earth, and I'll reach up to the sky. X. I'll take your hands to the top of your bum. And if your wrists will allow without stress or strain, point your fingertips up. What this is doing is lifting this loop through the front of the chest a bit more freely. If first say absolutely not, by all means, please point your fingertips down.

Alright? Use your hands to draw your bum away from your waist until the abdomen draws back and into your body. Can you keep the draw of the hands down, the bummed down, and now take your hips a hair forward? And notice when you have that loop, that pelvic wheel working, It doesn't take a large shift forward to get the opening through the front of the hip and opposite thigh. K? Press bottom tips of your shoulder blades up and in towards your chest and try to wrap the arms back toward each other. Inv your gaze sweetly up the wall in front of you, any amount you can manage without stress or strain to the neck. Lower your arms and now circle your hands back up and overhead.

Next, I'll take your hips forward, place your hands back to the earth or to your props. Tuck back toes under, lift your knee, stab it back to your plank pose, top of a pushup. Take a full breath in. And as you exhale, glide forward to your tippy toes, set the knees down. If your hands are on blocks like myself, move the blocks out of the way, bend elbows straight back as you lower all the way to meet the mat.

Brush your toes back. Imagine the block we're still between your inner ankles from the top of class. Can you hug your outer ankles in and reach back to the big toe side of your foot? Anchored down to the tops of your feet. And now once again, take your hands to the top of the bum. This time, you can point your fingertips toward your heels.

Use your hands to draw a bum away from the waist welcoming that hollow of the pit of your abdomen. Keep drawing the bum away from the waist as you grow your heart forward. And know for most of us that the heart isn't gonna lift very high with the hands in place, that's okay. Reach your hands back now, and you might find a touch more of a lift. If you can hold on to the length in your low back and do so, reach back through your feet so much.

They come away from the earth. Excellent, set it back down, bring hands alongside your ribcage, tuck your toes under, and press to your hands and your knees. Acts, I'll take your hips up and back to your downward facing dog. Inhale, lift your right leg. Leave from your inner thighs so you see your toes pointing straight down.

As you exhale hook knee to nose, float shoulders over wrists, step right foot forward between your hands. And if it doesn't make it there on its own, grab the foot, help it the rest of the way. Set your back knee down, take time to pat it if it's tender. Uncurl your toes, press down, inhale, rise up, reach up. X how once again hands to the top of your bum.

Point fingertips up if the wrist will allow without stress or strain. Use your hands to draw a bum away from the waist as you take your hips a hair forward. Press bottom tip of the shoulder blades up and in toward your chest and wrap your arms back toward each other. If you can do so without wrinkling the back of your neck, walk your gaze up the wall in front of you. And then straighten through your arms, reach them back up to the sky, exhale, hips forward, hands to the earth or your props.

Pick the option that lets you fully lengthen your spine. Tuck your back toes under, lift your back knee. Hop back foot up to meet your front foot. Press your thighs back as you grow your chest forward. And then exhale fold it forward.

Press down in how rise up reach up. Maybe. Look up. And exhale take your hands to your heart. Second side.

Inhale again, circle arms up and overhead. Xhale fold ribs towards your thighs bend the knees if you're feeling stressed through hamstrings or back. Inhale straighten your legs as you grow your heart forward. Keep the heart forward, bend knees enough to get your hands down. Step back with your left foot this time. Set back knee down.

Take time to pad it. Uncurl your toes, press down inhale, rise up, reach up. This time, bring your hands to your heart. Take your right forearm parallel to your thigh and open your left arm out to the left. Rotate left arm internally so your palm faces the wall at your back and now slip your forearm along your back waist.

If it's there without stress or strain, grab the eye of the opposite elbow. If your shoulders or any other part of you says, no, girl. We're not doing that. Grab your strap, and you can actually take your strap around your elbow crease to give yourself more length of space. To work with, okay, energetically drag your front heel back, your back, and forward, and then find once again the little scoop for the pit of the abdomen and the smooth of your bum away from your waist.

Keep that in place as you shift the hips a hair forward. And now bottom tip of the shoulder blades up and in towards your chest. You may stay right here. You might send your right hand forward as you wrap your left arm back. So we're inviting in a little more width across the left side of the chest.

Take one more breath where you are. And then, x, I'll come back to face the short end of your mat, free yourself of your strap, or let go of your opposite elbow. And from here, bring your hands to the mat, tuck your back toes under and lift your back knee. Step it to your plank pose, top of a push up, Glide forward to your tippy toes. Once again, set the knees down.

Take a pause here this time. Find your pelvic wheel. So scoop your abdomen in, smooth your bum away from the waist. And you may notice when you get that connection to the lower abdomen, the upper back wants to round. Karen you, keep the lift through the pit of the abdomen and now reach your heart forward.

Bend your elbows straight back as you lower all the way to the mat. Brush your toes back, reach your arms back. Rotate arms so that your palms face down. Come high onto your fingertips like you had little tennis balls below your palms. Spin inner thighs up so you feel pinky toenail on the earth as much as the big toe, and then anchor through the tops of the feet so much that the front of your thighs might firm and rebound up a bit.

Imagine a bonus set of hands you could put on the top of your bum. Can you keep the thighs pressing up as you smooth bum away from the waist and now reach your chest forward? Know that in this shape, it's not about how high you lift. It's more about how much length you can get. Maybe you reach back through the big toes so much. They come away from the earth. Again, spin inner thighs up as you reach your tailbone towards your heels. Fingertips can stay down for added support or if and when you're ready, float the hands. Rotate arms so that palms face fully down.

And exhale. Let that all go. Maybe make a pillow with your hands for a moment here, bend your knees and sway your shins, so decide, offering a little relief to the low back. And come back center. Place your feet down.

Bring your hands alongside your rib cage, wrists right underneath your elbows. Tuck your toes under and walk them in. Inhale to your hands and your knees, and then exhale. Take your hips up and back. To your downward facing dog.

Inhale lift your left leg. Again, lead from the inner thigh so your toes point down. Exhale hug left knee toward your nose, float shoulders over your wrists. Step foot forward. And if it doesn't quite get down its own, grab the foot, help it the rest of the way. Set your back knee down, pat it if it's tender, uncurl your toes.

Press down, inhale, rise up, reach up. Exhale hands to your heart. This time, take your left forearm parallel to your thigh, reach your right arm out to the right. Rotate right arm internally. So palm faces the wall at your back.

And then slip your forearm along your back waist, either grabbing your opposite elbow or grabbing your strap to give yourself that added bit of length to work with. Props, man. They're awesome. Alright. Bring the pit of your abdomen in, smooth your bum away from your waist, and you may get the sensation of the back waist moving against your forearm. Can you keep that link that space created and now lift your chest and broaden your collarbones? Give a drag of your back shin forward, your front heel back, and then explore Reaching your left hand forward as you wrap your right arm back, seeing if you can create a little more width of space, cross right side of your chest.

If that brought you into a bit of a twist here, untwist. Release your opposite arm and or strap and set it off to the side. Come forward. Place hands to the earth or if the earth feels far. Grab your block.

Tuck your back toes under, lift your knee, and now hop your back foot up to meet your front foot. Inhale thighs back as you extend your heart forward, exhale fold. Let head and neck go. Root down inhale, rise up, reach up. Maybe look up. An exhale take your hands to your heart. Alright. Lower your arms by your sides.

If you have a blanket on your mat, set your blanket out of the way, and pick up your strap. Step your feet out to roughly your wing span distance or as close to that as you can maintain without stress or strain. Look at your feet and make any adjustments you need so that all of your toes point straightforward and your knees point straightforward. Once you have that set, take your strap between your hands about a shoulder distance apart. Explore straightening through the arms from there.

And if you feel a little stuck, if the arms don't quite go straight, or if it's not giving you freedom through your chest, go wider with your hands. You deserve the space. Alright? Smooth your bum down, bring your abdomen in, and now lift your heart skyward. As you lift your heart, removal the hands at the back of the head from the top of class Can you feel the imprint of the block against your back? And as you lean your head back, try to create or maintain spaciousness through the back of your neck.

Acts. I'll wait a bit forward in your feet hinge from your hips fold in. Now as you meet the edge of your fold, notice if you sunk all of your weight back into your heels. And if the answer is yes, know that you are not alone. Offer a bit of a bend to the knees and now shift your weight a little forward. So you're sharing more evenly with the heel and ball of the foot. Draw your chin just slightly in.

And for some of us, that will allow a little more freedom of rotation of the arms and the shoulder sockets. This is Prasada Pada Tanasana, c wide leg forward fold with hands bound behind the body. Press into the earth, reach your heart forward. And as you inhale rise all the way up. Saporate your hands, set your strap off to the side, thank you for your service, strap.

And now if you're a little distance from the wall like myself, slide the short end of your mat right against the wall. I know you've been desperately wondering Ashley, why do I have this chair? And I'm so happy you asked in my mind. We're getting there. Grab your chair. And set your chair up so that the side of the chair is right against the wall, seat of the chair facing you, and your right hip toward the wall.

Once you have that distance set up, take your right foot onto the seat of the chair. Gaze down your body and make any adjustments you need so that your left hip is right on top of your left ankle. And your left knee and toes point straight forward just like they did in our wide leg forward fold. Align your front hip with your front knee with your second toe. Remember that little scissoring action we explored in our low lunge, draw your right heel energetically back, and see how that may bring the left hip a little forward and wake your inner thighs.

Press down in house, sweep your arms straight forward and up. And as you exhale, revolve toward the wall, make cactus arms. I'm gonna turn back towards you for a moment so you can see what I'm up to, like, goal posts. Right? Place your fingertips on the wall, and you may notice for some of us the hip wants to lean into the wall. They're not friends right now or they're friends, but just long distance friends. Draw your right hip back, pin it in?

Lift the pit of your abdomen, and now give a little energetic pull down with your fingertips, inviting that energetic pull down of the fingertips to lift and expand your heart. Little flavor of a backbend in the upper back. Just a sprinkle. Take one more breath in here and then exhale unwind, inhale reach up to clear the slate, and a hex hall hands down. Please feel free to use the wall to support you as you take your foot off of the chair.

Turn your chair. Pardon me for giving you the back of my body. As we set the second side, take left foot this time onto the seat of the chair, right foot on the ground. Gaze down your body. And again, if the right toes have wandered, spin your inner right thigh back until your knee and your toes point forward.

Make any adjustments to the placement of your left foot so that left hip left knee and second toe all track. Drag the front hip back, the back hip forward, until your front hip points are more parallel to your seat, to your chair. In house, sweep your arms forward and up. And as you exhale revolve, navel, ribcage, and chest to the wall, bend your elbows to a right angle and put your fingertips on the wall. Again, if the hip made friends, draw the hip back in, lift the pit of your abdomen, even here, smooth the bum down.

Keep that connection to your lower abdomen, and now like you're gonna peel the paint off the wall, pull down with the fingertips, lift through your chest. And exhale unwind, inhale reach up to clear the slate, and then exhale lower your arms back down. Again, feel free to put hand on the wall for more stability as you step your foot off of your chair. Move chair off to the side once again. It'll have a moment later, so don't send it away too far.

And now grab one of your blocks. You didn't know that full bloom meant prop appreciation day, but it's unfolding like the petals of a flower. Take your block between your front chin just below your kneecap and the wall. Alright. Once you have the block in place, try to sneak a peek from the side here, we're looking for the place where the knee is rough fully aligned over the ankle.

And then from there, set hands on the wall and hop your left foot back until you get as close to parallel to the floor with your front thigh as your anatomy will allow without stress or strain. Pivot your back heel down, heel to heel. If that feels wobbly or it feels like it's compressing your back, go wider. Think train tracks versus balance beam. Okay? And then from here, walk your hands up the wall and let yourself lean toward the wall. And so you're trying to draw a clean line from your back heel, all the way up to the crown of your head.

So at this diagonal, for many of us, it's gonna take a bit of the pressure out of the lower back. It's able to stay more lengthened. You may stay here. You might coil the pit of your abdomen in. Once again, imagine a spare set of hands on the top of the bum. Can you smooth your bum down as you draw your hands down until They're closer to the height of your shoulders.

Draw front hip back, back, hip forward, and again, smooth your bum down. And maybe you traction down with your fingertips to help welcome the lift of your heart as you walk your gaze a bit up the wall in front of you. This may be plenty. Maybe you reach an arm up. Maybe you reach an arm up.

Know that every flower blooms differently. Maybe one petal's going this way. Bring both hands back to the wall. Hinge forward at your diagonal, grab your block, and now hop your back foot forward. Second side.

Step your right foot modestly back to begin. And get your block in place on the second side here. So again, block between the shin and the wall just below the knee. And then hop the foot back until you get a little closer to front thigh being parallel to the floor. Pivot your back heel down, heel to heel or wider for more space, more stability.

Okay. Walk your hands up and hinge from your hips slightly forward. Looking for the clean line from back heel to crown of head. Sometimes when we come forward in this way, I'm looking at you, my bindi friends, and thus looking at myself, there's a tendency to let everything spill. So even here, lift your hip points, absorb your ribs, You may stay here. Maybe. You grow a little more upright, bringing your hands to about the height of your shoulders.

Guide left hip back. Right, hip forward, smooth your bum down and give a little traction down with the fingertips to lift and expand your heart. You may stay here. Maybe you keep growing towards the light. And if you're not doing that with your hands today, know that the crown can be doing it, the heart can be doing it.

And exhale hands to the wall hinge a bit forward. Grab your block, remove it, and hop your back foot up. Okay. Set your two blocks. Down towards the what do we call this? The bottom third of the mat. That's the rumor I'm gonna spread.

We're gonna lean into it. Bring your hands to your heart sit heavy to your heels, bend your knees, utkatasana, sweep arms up, exhale fold ribs to your thighs, forward fold, inhale heart forward, come lightly to your shins, and exhale fold it right back in. Press down, sit into your chair, utkatasana, press into the earth, and lower arms by your sides. A little slate clearing. Grab your blanket.

And place your blanket right against the wall. This is gonna create a bit of padding for our knees. Once you have your blanket set, Come on down with the base of your feet against the wall and your knees on the blanket. Bring your left shin up the wall and your left knee down to the blanket. And can you see how saucy I got? My booty is like, hey, girl. We blew them all over the place.

Right? Instead, scoop your abdomen in, smooth your bum down. Let this be your root. Moving towards the earth so that the focus can be more about the lift and the expanse of the heart, the bloom turning its face to the sun. You may stay here. You might walk your hands and blocks over to the left and then try and bring right foot forward.

And if you got there and your brain said immediately no, know that you can go back. Put the shin back on the earth. Reframe the front foot. If you can, peek back at those toges behind you. They might not be there for sight in which case feel for what I'm saying now.

So you may notice the big toe side of the foot wants to drift in and the outer ankle wants to poke out just like we've seen in several shapes throughout. Instead, can you hug your outer ankle in and reach your big toe up to the sun? Right? Drag your front heel back, scoop the pit of your abdomen in, and maybe you walk your blocks back a little further. So this is a really intense stretch for most of us.

And if it's feeling like it's moving towards stress or strain as opposed to purposeful stretch, please give yourself permission to walk forward. I have these beautiful roses in my garden that are like, I don't know what they to call them. They were there when I got there. But they don't grow straight up out of the ground. They're not even in a bush.

They trail like a vine. And so maybe the pattern of your growth is more forward. If the body says okay, perhaps the pattern of your growth is more upward, where are you at today without judgment? One more breath up the front body wherever you are. And as you exhale, walk your hands and blocks forward, if you have your right foot forward, bring hands back inside your front foot.

Bring your front shin back. Your back should forward. Oh, think about your life and your feelings. If sitting back on the heels like this is not a kindness in the knee joint, Instead, you can come forward. Put your forearms on your blocks, let your head and your neck go.

Before we get too comfortable, press yourself back up to straight arms. And we'll explore the second side. This time, bring right chin to the wall. Okay. And walk hands and blocks back coil pit of the abdomen in.

And as you smooth your bum down, lift your heart. If you're at your edge here, honor this edge, be here. Otherwise walk hands over to the right. Step left foot forward. Reframe your left foot. Take a little peekaboo.

If right ankle is poking out, try to draw it in, stretch your big toe up. Imagine hands on the top of the bum, smooth your bum down, lift through your chest. And again, what direction is your rose growing today? If the sun is like too hot up there, get away from it a bit. Reach your chest forward.

Take one more length and breath up the front of your body. Stay for the exhale. If you brought your left foot forward, bring hands back inside your front foot. Slide your front shin back. Your back should forward.

Either coming to sit on your heels for a moment or, again, if it was kinder in the body, coming forward to forearms and knees. We've reached the mountaintop. And we get to invite our chair back. Okay. Set your blocks off to the side for now.

Grab your chair. And sat the back of the chair away from the wall, sat the seat and or legs of the chair right against the wall. Take a blanket, fold it in half like so, and set that over the back end of your chair. Depending on the proportions of your body in relation to the chair, You may need a couple of blankets. It may not line up perfectly.

And that's okay. We work with what we have. We grow in the direction. The sun is calling us. Alright. If you like the cushion underneath the knees and shins, place a blanket against the back legs of your chair. I'm going to take a block and sneak it underneath the seat of my chair so that my ankles have a little something to hold on to to help with the work that we've been exploring throughout.

Right? So feet right underneath the chair, knees right underneath your hips, walk yourself upright. Hands to the top of your bum. Roll your inner thighs straight back as you use your hands to draw the flesh of the bum away from the waist. As I'm doing so, I'm sending my pelvis a bit forward to help keep hips over the knees. And per maybe the head releases back to the chair.

Now the back of my head comes to meet the chair because magic. Again, know that it may not line up for you in your body. There's no need to force your head to the chair. Continue to draw the bum down as you lift your heart skyward. You are welcome to keep your hands on the top of the bum the whole time to encourage length in your low back. If you can keep the length and do so.

If you can keep your hips over your knees and do so, reach back and find the legs of your chair. Rotate your arms to help broaden your chest so we're wrapping out our arm back towards the seat of the chair and maybe walking hands down the legs until you meet a purposeful edge in your body. And feel the sunlight on your face in the open space of your heart. And as you're ready to leave the shape, Bring the pit of your abdomen gently back toward your back, take your hands to your hips, root down to the top of the feet, the length of your shins, and lift from your heart center. Let your head be the last thing to follow you up.

We did it. Come forward to your hands and your knees and walk yourself a bit away from the chair. Turn to face your chair. Move the blanket you were kneeling on off to the side for a moment and do the same thing with the top blanket. Block.

Thank you. You can go away now. Take your chair. And turn it so that the back of the chair is facing the wall, front of the chair, now facing you. It doesn't have to be right up against the wall.

Take your more open blanket and place it across the seat of the chair. So you have a little more cushion, a little more padding here. And then your blanket that is folded like so. Set it in front of your chair, actually give yourself a little more distance. And come sit cross legged.

I like so. Now if you get into this place and you discover that you are rounding through your back, collapsing through your chest, or your knees are sitting really high, Instead of the blanket, you might opt for sitting on your block, give yourself enough lift so that you can feel the length in your spine. Right? Root into the earth, inhale reach up to the sky. And as you exhale twist to the right, place left hand to right knee, right hand to the earth or prop behind you.

And with each inhale elongate, with each exhale revolve. One more breath in here and exhale unwind. Switch the cross of your legs to offer balance to your hips. Root into your sit bones. And as you inhale, reach up to the sky, exhale twist to the left.

Take right hand to left knee, left hand to earth or prop behind you. And again, with every breath in elongate your spine, with every breath out, maybe revolve a touch more. Take one more breath in here. And as you exhale unwind. Uncross your legs, scoot off of your blankets.

And then set your folded blanket off to the side. I like to keep mine in reaching distance in case I discover I'd like the support of it underneath my head as I come to Shivasana. Okay. Invitation. To take the seat of your chair underneath your calves in Shivasana, this can be a nice way to gently re lengthen the lower back after all the back bending that we've done in today's practice.

So setting up here, scoot in close enough that the back of your knees meet near the front edge of your seat. And as you lie back, if you discover that your head is falling back uncomfortably far, or you find you're looking more to the wall behind you than straight up to the ceiling, here's where you may wanna take your blanket under the back of your head. High enough to bring the chin subtly in and soften the front of your throat. You're welcome to place hands somewhere along the front body to offer grounding. Or invite your arms to rest long at the sides of your body.

Let go of all effort and body. All effort and breath. Shivasana. So we often miss the beauty of the flower prior to its bloom. It's important to recognize that it is the same in seed form, in the dirt, when it's growing roots, as it breaks through the surface of the earth, extending stem skyward, maybe unfolding a few leaves.

And then in time, opening the bud into bloom. For some flowers, the gluten part is the smallest part of the phase. Eventually, The petals will dry and drop. The stem folds itself back to the earth. And that flower becomes part of the fertilizer, part of what might grow the next cycle.

And I share this as a reminder that we're all at different phases of our growth. Whether you are rooting right now, or blooming. Know that there is beauty and purpose in every step. And may our practices on and beyond the mat help us to recognize the joy, the light, the beauty in each moment. If you're at ease here and would like to stay longer in your Shavasana, please do stay as long as you'd like.

Otherwise, invite a little movement to fingers to toes with an in house, maybe reach your arms overhead, stretch through your body. And as you exhale bend your knees, roll thoughtfully to your right side and give any residual effort from the practice to the earth below you. Try to leave it there as you press the floor away and make your way up to seated. Join your hands together at heart center. Lift your chest.

We bow our chins in gratitude. Thank you all for sharing your practice. Have a beautiful rest of your day.