Releasing the Grip

Welcome. Thank you for joining me for this practice, which is all about releasing and softening the grip, both in the spine and the back body. But also in the mind, in the heart, anywhere else where you might be grasping just a little bit. We'll move into a couple yin shapes caterpillar and a nice easy spinal twist you may wanna grab a couple blocks and a blanket for this practice and we'll begin seated. So make your way to a comfortable cross legged seated position.

You're welcome to sit up on your blanket. Otherwise, just taking a moment to settle in to let yourself land, to arrive here. And maybe if it feels comfortable to let your eyes soften and close, letting your gaze shift to the internal space. Allowing a big full breath in through your nose. And then maybe soften and exhale out the mouth, let your shoulders relax just a little bit.

Then again, allow a very big full breath in through your nose, filling up, cleansing breath, sigh it out the mouth, let it go. One more like that big, full, expansive breath in through your nose. Release something, soften on your exhale. Relax the shoulders, just a little bit more. Beautiful. And then start to take some seated cat cow.

So you can let your hands rest on your knees on an inhale tilt your weight forward, draw your shoulders back, feel the opening across the chest. And then as you exhale round your spine, tilt the weight back, tuck your chin, finding that opening in the back of the body, and then tilting forward, allowing the inhale to bring you forward, feel the opening in the front body for a seated cow, and then seated cat as you round back tuck your chin and round. Let's do three more like that. So letting the inhale bring you forward, letting the exhale bring you back. Again, inhale, tilting forward, heart, and gaze lifts, exhale rounding back one more time inhale tilt forward and exhale round and tilt back.

Beautiful. And then find neutral spine. So find that place between cat and cow as you inhale sweep your arms all the way up. You might gaze up and then take this into a twist, letting your right hand find your left knee. Let your left fingertips find the earth behind you, and then using that left hand to root down to anchor through your sitting bones, lift up and lengthen through your spine. Allow a big breath in as you might take your gaze over that left shoulder. Let's stay for your exhale easing into the twist a little bit more.

Good. And then inhale reach your left arm up and behind you, cross it on top of your right arm setting up for eagle arms cross at the elbows and you can find the back of the hands together. Maybe palms come together for eagle wrap with your arms. And then on an inhale start to draw your elbows up and away from you, maybe gaze up as you exhale round, draw the elbows in, tuck your chin, and then maybe wobble a little side to side. So finding this fluid movement. Good. And then as you come up, release your arms, take them out in front of you, and walk your hands forward for an easy forward fold, tuck your chin, round your spine.

And again, you might wobble a little side to side. Notice if that feels good, what feels good, linger anywhere it feels good to linger. And then walk your hands back in. Let's change the crossing of the legs, and we'll take it to the other side. So taking a moment to ground, to find your center on an in house sweep the arms up.

And then exhale twist to the other direction, letting your left hand find your right knee. Let your fingertips come behind you, anchor down as you inhale, find some length up through the crown of your head. And then exhale ease into the twist a little bit more. Beautiful. And then sweep your right arm up, cross it over your left for eagle arms with the opposite arm on top on an inhale. Start to draw the elbows up and away from you, allow a big breath in.

XL elbows draw in, tuck your chin and round, maybe wobble. A little bit side to side notice where you might be holding any tension in your lower back, your hips, softening there. Good. And then come on back up, release your arms, walk your hands in front of you. Just an easy forward fold, maybe rock a little side to side. I'm good at that fluid quality with your breath.

Walk your hands back in. Let's come to tabletop, making your way to all fours, letting your shoulders come over the wrists, and then we'll come right into downward facing dog. So tucking the toes, lift the hips up and back. And then find some fluid movement here, maybe paddle it out through your feet, and you sway your hips side to side, find some spaciousness in your spine as we feel that opening through the entire back body in downward facing dog. Taking a moment to ground, to land, to feel the palms of your hands, the soles of your feet on the earth.

Good. And then with your breath on an inhale, glide forward into plank pose. Feel a rounding in your spine as you come forward, taking a moment to land with your shoulders over the wrists, hips in line with shoulder blades. And then as you get to plank pose, soften your knees, and then start to lift your hips all the way up and back into downward facing dog. So these spinal waves, letting the breath guide our movement as you inhale come high up onto your toes round forward into plank pose, and then keeping it continuous soft in your knees. Lift the hips up and back downward facing dog.

But we'll do that one more time in how glide to plank rounding forward, find your center, and then soften your knees. And lift your hips all the way up and back for downward facing dog. Good allowing a very big spacious breath in and a spacious breath out to release. And then as slowly as you can, just start to walk your feet towards your hands, coming to the front of the mat, really feeling the earth beneath you as you walk your feet forward, and take a moment to land up at the top Step your feet about hips distance maybe a little wider. Let your knees soften.

Let your torso drape down. And then maybe catch opposite elbows swaying the little side to side. Notice your head, neck, and shoulders. Where might you be holding here? Can you invite those spaces to soften releasing tension? Head neck and shoulders just a little bit.

Where are you grasping in the back body? And then take the opposite arm on top a couple full deep breaths. Maybe shake out your head. Yes. No. Good. And then let your hands hang heavy.

Roll up. Nice and slow. One vertebra at a time. Soft knees. Letting the spine stack as you get up to the top, take some circles with your shoulders in one direction, and then the other direction. Taking a moment here to find some stillness, maybe draw your hands together in front of your heart.

In this mudra of gratitude, And then take a moment to notice the palms of your hands from the inside out softening, palms of your hands, receiving energy. Maybe rock, forward, and back a few times until you find center. And then we'll move into half sun salutations with the breath. Let your arms fall on either side of your body. Palms of your hands face forward as you inhale sweep the arms out and up, feel the length in the spine, maybe gaze up. And then as you exhale soften your knees and fold into uttanasana. Let the head hang heavy on an inhale lift halfway length in your spine, offer the heart forward.

XL soften right back into your fold and then roll up super slow one vertebrae at a time. Let the head be the last thing to arrive. Draw your shoulders up towards your ears and roll them down your back. And then do that again. Palms face forward in how gathering arms sweep up.

Exhale forward fold soften and release uttanasana. And they'll come halfway up, alright, uhtanasana. Exhale soft in and fold, roll up nice and slow one vertebra at a time, head heavy, shoulders up towards your ears and roll them down the back. And one more like that, inhale arms sweep up, letting the breath, guide the movement, exhale forward fold, soft knees, uttanasana. Good inhale lift halfway to lengthen. And exhale fold.

This time, plant your palms and step to plank pose, top of a push up will take a moment to land right there. Let your shoulders come over wrists, hips in line with shoulder blades, and start to shift your weight forward and back a few times. So as you come forward, the shoulders are coming over your wrists as you come back. We're pressing actively through the heels, and you're welcome to lower your knees. Otherwise, shift forward, hug your elbows in and take a very slow, lower all the way down to the belly. But untuck your toes, press into the top of the feet and then tent your fingertips on either side of your yoga mat, let your elbows point straight up to the sky for this wide arm cobra. And as you inhale, just start to peel your chest up off the earth and gaze in front of you.

You can keep the legs active and involved, exhale slowly release all the way down. Do that two more times. Inhale. Peel the chest up. Find some length as you lift and exhale soften and release. Go one more time inhale. Come on up.

And exhale, soften and release. Take your hands next to your side ribs. Tuck your toes. From the thighs up off the earth, come up into plank pose, and then meet back in downward facing dog. From here, allowing a very big full breath in.

And a long full breath out. And then coming back forward to plank, come high up onto your toes rounding forward just like we did when we started and then soften your knees and lift the hips up and back. Would rise high up onto your toes, knees, bend, look forward, step or float front of the mat on an inhale lift halfway to lengthen, and exhale forward fold root to rise inhale arms sweep up and exhale, draw your hands together. In front of your heart, we'll take a couple rounds of Suryanamaskar a sun salutations. Inhale arms sweep up, look up in lengthen. Exhale forward fold uttanasana.

Inhale lift halfway, exhale plant ear palm, step to plank, shift forward, come halfway or all the way down, chaturanga. You could stay with cobra or moving into upward facing dog, big breath in, and exhale meeting back in downward facing dog. Good from here, rise up onto toes, glide into plank pose, and then bend your knees, bring your hips up and back. Down facing dog. Couple breaths here to land to let the water settle, allowing a big breath in. And a long breath out.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Rise up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step or float front of the mat. Inhale to lift halfway, exhale fold root to rise, inhale arms sweep up, and hands together in front of your heart, exhale one more round, surya a, inhale arms sweep up. Exhale folding, inhale, Arta, uttanasana, in step or lightly, float back, lowering halfway, all the way down Chaturanga.

Inhale cobra or upward facing dog, exhale downward facing dog, rise high up onto your toes, round forward into plank. Soften your knees and lift your hips up and back for downward, facing dog, landing here, settling the waters, finding that moment to let it land, to let things just integrate in your body, where might you soften just a bit, allowing a big breath in, and a long full breath out. Good. Fluting the right leg all the way up and back. Draw your right knee toward your nose and take a big step through between your hands setting up for low lunge. Let your left knee lower down. Take a moment to land.

And then once you find the stability in your legs stacking your right knee right over your right ankle, pressing into the left shin, you can sweep your arms all the way up for Anjaniasana. Just taking a moment to land there. Let your shoulders soften a bit down the back, engaging through your core to protect your spine. Good. And then draw your hands together in front of your heart. Take your left elbow to the outside of your right thigh, finding prayer twist, drawing that prayer in front of your heart, and then using that left elbow a bit, to lift up and out of the side body, find length in your spine as you inhale, and then ease into the twist a little more as you exhale.

Breathing in, and breathing out. Good gaze down. Let your hands frame your front foot and then shift back for half split, ardahanamasana folding over your front leg and keeping this active with the breath as you inhale, find some length in your spine, and as you exhale soften and fold. Go one more like that inhale, find some length, reach the heart forward, exhale undulating as you fold over that front leg, breathe into the back of your right leg. Beautiful. And then rebend through your right knee. We'll step back to plank pose.

Shift forward, lower halfway or all the way down Chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, feel the lift in the heart space. Exhale meeting back in downward facing dog allowing a big breath in, and a long full breath out. Good floating left leg up and back. Stepping all the way through setting up for your low lunge, letting the right knee, find the earth, take a moment to land, find your rooted stability. And then once you have that stability, you can sweep the arm arms up for Angini Asana, lifting up and out of the sideways, allowing the shoulders to soften down your back, energizing up through your fingertips, feel the lift through the heart space.

Beautiful. And then draw your hands together in front of your heart and start to twist. So we'll bring the right elbow to the outside of the left this time. Taking that prayer in front of your heart, stacking at your elbows. And then again, with every inhale, find some length with every exhale, ease into the twist a little bit more. Letting it be fluid with your breath.

Good big breath in. And then gaze down hands frame your front foot. You might take a couple blocks under your hands. Shifting back for half split,arta, hanumanasana. You can allow a big full breath in to lengthen through your spine and then soften your elbows folding over your front leg.

Good. And then undulating the spine as you inhale, find length, reach the heart forward, and exhale soften the elbows and fold. Beautiful, and then re bend your left knee. We'll step back to plank, shifting forward, chaturanga, cobra, or upward, facing dog big, full breath in. And exhale meeting back in downward facing dog. Let's allow the breath in through the nose, allowing the breath out. Sound a sigh, a softening, releasing the grip.

Good. And then floating the right leg up and back, inhale. Need to nose, big step through. This time, stay on the ball of your back foot. You might widen the stance a little stepping your left foot to the left. And then once you have that stability, come up into crescent pose.

So you can let your back knee soften, let your tailbone melt down, energize up through your fingertips. And then again, bring your hands together in front of your heart. So same thing that we did with the knee down, playing with balance a little bit here, we'll take the left elbow to the outside of the right it thigh. And then again, just pressing through that left elbow to lift up and out of the sideways crescent prayer twist. And then let it be fluid with your breath. So with every inhale, Can you find a little expansion through the crown of your head, through your left heel with every exhale easing into the twist a little bit more?

Big breath in, and then gaze down, hands frame your front foot pyramid pose, step your left foot in into the left a little. I'm going to take two blocks underneath my hands, you might do that as well. Feel free to keep your hands down on the ground if that feels best for you. And then just check out your legs for a moment. Make sure they're on train tracks versus a tight rope.

Then we're drawing the left hip back, excuse me, we're drawing the right hip back, letting the left hip wrap forward, allow a big full breath in, and then exhale soften and fold over your front leg. Try to let your hips stay level. Finding neutral hips, spacious long spine. And you could stay right here or revolve triangle. I'm flattening out the left block to the lowest height and taking my hand to the left block, bringing my right thumb to my right hip crease, And then finding some length in the spine first, drawing the right hip back start to peel the chest open to the right. And you could take that right hand to your very low back and just kinda hang out there or if it feels okay without tension, can reach that right arm up for revolved triangle, but allowing a very big full breath in, press back actively through that left heel, and then right hand comes down, let everything melt down over that front leg. Good. And then transition standing split.

So transfer the weight into your right leg, float the left leg up, any amount, let your torso drape down. Go to allow a big breath in, and then bend both knees, tap your left knee to the back of your right knee and hover coming into a little squat here. But as you inhale, come back up towards standing split, straightening any amount, and do that again, bend both knees, tap your left knee to the back of your right knee hover. One more time inhale straighten. This time as you exhale hover and come all the way into seated vinyl twist. So the left knee will find the ground.

You might need to take a gaze here. It's a bit of an interesting transition. Walk your hands back. Let your sitting bones. Find the earth. So you're stepping your right foot to the ground, you're welcome to straighten out that left leg, if that feels better for you hugging the right knee in, or bend your left knee, draw the left heel in towards you. Just want the sitting bones to be rooted.

Plant your right hand and fingertips behind you, allow a big breath in, reach your left arm up, and then twist to your right, maybe hooking that left elbow to the outside of the right thigh. Big full breath in to lengthen, and breath out easing into the twist. Good. And then gaze forward. Release the twist, bring the hands behind you, step the feet in front of you, lift your hips, lift the chest, big breath in, reverse tabletop, long breath. Oh, good. Let your hips lower.

Gross at your ankles, hands come forward. Welcome to step back to plank in a vinyasa, or bring it right back to downward facing dog. And then let that all go. Allow a big, expansive breath in, letting the exhale be this quality of releasing, softening the grip, Go ahead, float your left leg up and back, inhale. Step all the way through, widen your stance a little, stay on the ball of your back foot.

And then once you have that rooted stability, You find your balance. We come up into crescent pose, sweep the arms up, let the tailbone melt down, let your back knee soften, good hands to heart. Keep the length in the spine, start to bring your right elbow to the outside of the left, prayer in front of your heart, stacking at the elbows active in your back leg, keeping it fluid with the breath. Breathing in to find length, and breathing out to ease into the twist a little bit more. Inhale to lengthen.

And then exhale to gaze down, hands, find the earth or a couple blocks, step your back foot in and to the right a little bit, and then find pyramid pose. Drawing left hip back, let the right hip wrap forward, maybe blocks underneath your hands, let the torso drape down. Crown of the head heavy. Hips are level and you can stay here or I'm gonna flatten out the right block and place my right hand on top of the block, the lowest height. Left thumb to left hip crease.

Gently draw that left hip back, lengthen through the spine, through the crown of the head. And then once you have that length, you can start to peel open toward the left. Maybe take your hand to your lower back, reach your left arm up, pressing back actively through the right heel, press through the ball of your left big toe. Inhaling. Good. Exhale to release.

Transition standing split. Transfer the weight into your left leg. Float your right leg up. Let the torso drape down. Lowing a big breath in and then bending both knees, tap your right knee to the back of your left knee and hover, maybe gaze forward as you inhale standing split.

X. How bend both knees and hover. One more time. And I'll reach it up. And then, bending both knees coming all the way to seated. However, that makes. Since for you, let your sitting bones root down, hug your left knee in, sit up nice and tall, find some length in your spine, then you can bring your left fingertips behind you.

Sweep the right arm up, find that length, allow a big breath in, and then hooking right elbow, or you could hug the knee in to find your twist. So find length up through the crown of your head, and take your gaze over the left shoulder. Let it be active with your breath, breathing in for length, breathing out to ease into the twist. A little bit more. Beautiful. And take your gaze forward and release your twist.

Step the feet out in front of you hands behind you. On and inhale, lift your hips, lift your gaze, big breath in, maybe tongue out, release lion's breath. Good. And then lower your hips down. Just take a moment to cross at your ankles. Bring your hands forward.

You could step back through plank. Feel free to take one more vinyasa. Cobra or updog on the inhale downward facing dog on the exhale and then take a moment to lower your knees. Hips to heels. Childs pose. You might wrap your hands back holding on to your feet, letting your forehead rest. Finding that stillness for a moment, but noticing the fluidity, the movement, the water settles.

The gentle sway, the surface that stillness and the depths of the ocean. And we'll take our time to roll up if it feels okay. Sit back on your heels for a moment. And then we'll make our transition into our held shapes for yin poses. First exploring caterpillar.

So that seated forward fold, you might grab your blanket and sit up on your blanket. If you want something under your forehead, a block, tock a bolster. That might feel good. I'm gonna take my blanket underneath my sitting bones. You could have it rolled out or feel free to stack it up, make it a little higher, up to you. Slifting the hips a little bit, letting the hips come up higher as the pelvis tilts forward.

Let your legs come out in front of you and then soften effort. So I'm just relaxing through your feet, soften the knees a little bit, find some length in your spine. And then waiting for that invitation, you can walk your hands forward any amount. Letting your hands fall wherever they fall, see if you can release the effort in your head, your neck, and your shoulders so that you're allowing gravity to do the work here and adjust however you need to, but eventually finding that place where you can pause where you can find some stillness, letting the shape meet you where you are today. And maybe you're bringing your palms to face up.

And this quality of opening the palms of the hands to receive notice where you might be gripping just a little bit. And that could be in the physical body. Remates, some hamstrings, low back. Where might you be gripping in your mind? Your thoughts?

Perhaps the heart space. Where might you soften and release the grasping? Leaning into this quality of trust, acceptance, surrender. I didn't go of that need to know. Relaxing your experience just a little more.

Bringinging your awareness back to just this inhale and just this exhale. And gently, slowly intentionally. Making your way out of that shape where we held for about three minutes. I'm just taking a moment up at the top, maybe bending your knees, stepping your feet wide, you could windshield wiper your knees from side to side, releasing any tension, then taking a moment to find a neutral shape to find stillness. And let that land.

Maybe a cross leg seated position, just like how we started. Observing. Without needing it to be a different experience. Part of that quality of surrender is noticing is allowing accepting. We'll make our way onto our backs.

I'm setting up for a twist. You might take a blanket between your knees. Come onto your back first. I'll start by hugging knees into chest rock a little side to side. And if you're taking a blanket between your knees, go ahead and do that.

Bringing your arms out on either side of your shoulders, knees draw in towards you, and then drop both knees off. To one side, maybe to the right. I'm taking my right hand on top of my left thigh, softening the left shoulder and taking my gaze over the left shoulder you might gaze straight up, it might feel better to have something underneath your knees. Maybe there's something under that left shoulder, ringing it all out. Releasing, spine, back body, mind, heart space.

And might you take your attention to the palm of your left hand? Noticing the connection Pandaheart, letting gravity do its work and yielding to the support. Beneath you. It's about two and a half minutes allowing a few more breaths on this side. And as you're ready, just gently rocking back through center.

You might hug your knees in for a moment. Notice saying massaging through the low back. And then when you're ready, you can drop your knees to the second side. Adjusting, however, you need to hear You can let your right arm open up to the right, maybe take your left hand to your right knee, your thigh, and then just allowing that twist to happen naturally. Letting the body yield, gaze softening over your right shoulder, maybe close your eyes, feel that connection in the palm of your right hand softening the grasp, the grip.

What are you holding that you might let go of here? Well, just resting into the shape, letting it find you where you are. Just feeling the shape with your breath, feeling more breaths on this side. When you're ready, just gently slowly unravel, coming back to your center, removing any props, hugging knees into your chest, give them a squeeze. Maybe rockside to side if there's any movement that the body is requesting or any last shape to explore.

Honoring that, otherwise stretching legs out long on your mat, coming towards Shavasana, letting the legs go long, bringing your palms to face up on either side of your body let your arms fall away from you and then give yourself to the support of the earth beneath you ishvara Prani Donna, that surrender. At letting go and letting be. Just rest. Allow your breath to begin to deepen. Bring your awareness back to your body.

Maybe rock your head side to side inviting any gentle movement. Back in, and just taking your time, maybe rolling over to one side or just simply making your way back to seated right where we began. We'll just take a moment to observe and notice any shifts from when we began. Any softening, opening, releasing that may have occurred. I'm holding this feeling of releasing the grip with you as you move out into your day.

Thank you so much for sharing this practice. You have a beautiful rest of your day. Namaste.