Heart: Held to Open

Welcome. Thank you for joining me for this VIN to Yin practice where we will explore shapes to hold the heart with care, with kindness, and we'll move into the yin shapes of saddle pose and supported fish pose. So you'll want two blocks and a bolster for this practice, and we'll start by sitting on our heels if that feels okay in your knees. I have a block between my ankles that might feel like a good place to begin or find any comfortable seated position. And just take a moment to land to arrive, to start by stopping, and taking a moment to check-in. And that might mean closing your eyes, turning your gaze to the internal space, noticing what you notice the sounds around you.

Nice, rainy day here that has my attention. What has your attention around you in this moment? And then can you let whatever has your attention blend with the rhythm of your breath, the beating of your heart, Anahata, that energetic heart space, bringing your awareness to both the physical heart and the energetic heart. Perhaps even sensing into the beating of the physical heart. And then can you invite a softness to the space?

Sending love to whatever you might be holding, releasing where it might feel good to soften just a bit. We'll start by breathing together. Three part breaths. So the inhale will breathe into the low belly, into the ribcage, and then bring the breath all the way up through the heart center, and you might place a hand or two on your heart, maybe gently bow inward. As you're ready, breathe in low belly, ribs, heart, and then reversing that as you exhale heart, ribs, low belly, inhale through your nose, low belly, expanding through the ribs all the way up into the heart space, softening as you exhale, heart, ribs, belly.

One more time, expansive inhale belly, ribs, heart, exhale heart. Ribs, low belly, checking in perhaps with your son, Kalpa, the heart's desire, your intention. I think you'd like to call in that quality that you'd like to cultivate today. And moving from this place with care with intention and attention to your breath gently blink the eyes open in. And just start to open your arms wide, allow a big full breath in, lean back a little, maybe lift up through the gaze, feel that expansive opening.

And then as you exhale, bring one arm on top, wrap your arms around your shoulders, tuck your chin, and round your spine. So kinda giving yourself a little hug here. As you inhale open wide, feel the expansion. And as you exhale opposite arm on top, round your spine, curl in. Now let's do that two more times in how expand, feel that opening, exhale opposite arm on top to round.

Inhale expand wide. Feel that opening and exhale rounding. Beautiful. And come on out of there. Let your hands come behind you. 10 ear fingertips lean back.

A little bit. Feel the expansion across the chest, the opening through the front body. Big breath in. Good. And then exhale. Make your way to tabletop. You can remove your block if you sat on a block.

And then as you come to all fours, we'll come right to downward facing dog. If there's any movement that your body is requesting along the way, feel free to honor that. Otherwise, tucking your toe lifting your hips up and back, spread your fingers wide, start to feel into the back of your legs by pedaling it out through your feet, finding that inverted v shape. Feel free to soften your knees or step your feet a little wider. And then softening into sensation. So notice where you feel this the most.

Breathe into those spaces creating a little space and ease. And then can you find some spacious connection in the back of your heart? Let your head hang heavy. Maybe shake your head yes and no releasing any tension that you might be holding here. Getting the heart up over the head as we find this first inversion. Beautiful. And then on your breath in, glide to plank pose top of a pushup as you find plank, reach the heart between the window of your arms.

Find your center, reach through the crown of the head back through your heels. Allow a big breath in. XL hips up and back downward facing dog. Feel free to soften the knees and let your tailbone lift up, let your torso, press back toward the top of the thighs. And then do that two more times, inhale, glide forward to plank leading with your heart space.

Exhale, glide back downward facing dog. Entire length of the inhale glide forward plank pose, top of a push up, entire length of the exhale, soften back, downward facing dog, beautiful and come forward to plank. Shift forward. Welcome to lower knees. Let's take a very slow lower all the way down for three.

Two hug your elbows. And one, as you get to the bottom, untuck your toes. Scoot your hands back a little and then peel your chest up into bhujangasana cobra shoulders away from ears, neck, nice, and long, heart lifts, exhale release. Good. Two more like that inhale lift and lengthen cobra pose and exhale release. And one more time inhale lift and lengthen.

Good. And then exhale, soften and release, pressing back to downward facing dog, hips up, and back. Good slowly walk your feet to your hands, come to the front of your yoga mat, soften your knees as you get up to the front, let everything melt down, let the torso hang heavy, arms hang heavy. And then roll up nice and slow. One vertebra at a time. Let the head be the last lasting to arrive.

And as you get up to the top, shoulders up towards your ears, and just take a moment. Let your hands soften at heart center. Anjali Mudra, Mudra of gratitude, checking in with something you feel grateful for today, moving from that place with awareness to Anahata. Good. Sorry, Anamaskar, a, inhale arms sweep up, feel the length in your spine. Reach the fingertips up and then bend your elbows, cactus your arms lean back a little, lift the gaze.

Good. As you inhale, sweep your arms back up, and then soft knees dive forward, uttanasana, forward fold. On an inhale lift halfway, lengthen your spine, offer the heart forward. And then step back, top of a push up plank pose will pause there, shift forward, charter on the halfway or all the way down. You could stay with cobra or straighten the arms from the thighs up off the earth. For upward facing dog, and then roll over your toes for downward facing dog.

As you get to your down dog, let's allow a few full deep breaths here. Inhale through your nose, exhale find one point to focus your gaze, let your heels disappear behind your toes, and then press through your inner and your outer hand. Let your biceps wrap forward. Your triceps wrap back. Inhale rise up onto your toes, bend knees, look forward.

Step or lightly flute your hands front of the mat. Inhale lift halfway. Arta uttanasana. Exhale fold uttanasana root to rise, inhale arms, sweep up, exhale gather your intention in front of your heart, and we'll take a couple more rounds You might close your eyes allowing this to be a moving meditation. In how arms sweep up, exhale cactus your arms, maybe lean back a little.

In how arms sweep up, exhale forward fold. Inhale, Arta, uttanasana lengthen. XL plant palm, step, or lightly, float back chaturanga. Inhale cobra or upward facing dog, and exhale meeting back. In down dog, maybe find some stillness here, anchor into your breath.

Your heartbeat, your intention, breathing in, and breathing out. One more big, full breath in, gathering energy, and exhale softening and releasing what you no longer need. Inhale rise up onto your toes, bend your knees, look forward, step or float front of the mat, inhale lift halfway to lengthen, exhale fold, root to rise, inhale arms sweep up. And exhale hands together in front of your heart. Last round, inhale arms sweep up.

Exhale cactus your arms lean back. Inhale arms sweep up. Exhale forward fold. Inhale lengthen come halfway up. Exhale plant ear palm, step to plank, chaturanga, Inhale cobra or upward facing dog, exhale landing back, down dog.

Good step your feet a little close sir together at the back of your mat, float your right leg up, bend your right knee open up through that right side. And then roll out your foot in one direction. Feel into your ankle, stretching through your ankle, your toes. And then take it in the other direction. Spread the toes wide, press through both hands as you straighten your right leg. Draw your knee to your nose and take a big step through between your hands.

Maybe widen your stance a little bit setting up for crescent pose. Once you have that solid base, reach your arms up, come up into crescent. And just take a moment to land. So you can let your back knee soften a little. Let your tailbone melt down, energize up through your fingertips, bending toward 90 degrees in that front leg. And then start to bend your elbows to cactus your arms here, sink in a little deeper.

You might even bend deeply into that left knee. But as you inhale sweep your arms up and straighten both of your legs. A little balance here, really activate through your left heel, and then open up warrior two side of your mat. Take a moment to land there in Berabhadrasana two. And then draw your hands together in front of your heart as you straighten through your right leg.

And again, maybe you close your eyes or just moving energy on your exhale, open up warrior two. And then do that two more times, inhale hands to heart, straightening the front leg, exhale warrior two. Okay. One more time, inhale hands to heart. Gathering, exhale, softening, releasing, flip your front palm and tilt back straighten your front leg, reverse triangle, nice length through the right side body. And then circle your hands down to the Earth runner's lunge, step to plank, shift forward Chaturanga, inhale cobra or updog, and exhale downward facing dog.

Let's take a big cleansing breath in through the nose. Maybe stick out the tongue. Let's something go. Lions's breath. Hurry releasing a little more with every exhale.

Feed a little closer together, float your left leg up, and the knee open up through that side. Roll out your foot in one direction. And then the other, spread your toes, feel into that left ankle, and then stretching through the left gaze forward, big step through, widen the stance a little. I'm stepping my right foot to the right. Once you have that solid base, take your time. You might start by bringing your hands to your hips, letting the tailbone melt down. And then reaching your arms all the way up as you lift up through your arms, notice if your shoulders came with you, and can you soften your shoulders down the back at the same time reach up through your fingertips?

Energize up. So there's this rooted stability, this quality of ease in the upper body. Good bend your elbows. You might soften through that right knee. It might even tap down toward the earth as you sink in a little deeper. And how straighten both legs, reach your arms up, activate through your right heel, open up warrior two side of the mat.

Feel free to adjust your stance. As needed, and then find your center, find your drishti, maybe close your eyes, turn the gaze inward, and then draw your hands to your heart and straighten your front leg, allow a very big breath in as you exhale deepen your experience of the shape or your two, two more inhaling. Exhale warrior two, inhale gathering, exhale releasing, flip your front palm tilt back straighten your front leg reverse, triangle pose, and then soften through your left knee circle your hands down to the earth, step to plank. Welcome to skip any of these vinyasas or add whatever you'd like otherwise chaturanga. Inhale cobra or updog, and exhale down dog, allowing a very big full breath in.

And a long breath out to release. Good adding on just a bit, coming back to the right side, inhale, sweep the right leg, bend the knee open up through that right hip. And then straightening through the right leg, square off your hips, gaze, forward, draw your knee to your nose, and take a big step through. On an inhale come up to crescent pose. Fluid with the breath, exhale bend your elbows, bend your back knee, sink in, inhale, arms sweep up straighten both legs, and exhale open up.

Warrior two. Good. Draw your hands to your heart just one time as you inhale gather. XL deep in your experience of warrior two. And then flip your front palm, lighten your front palm tilt back reverse triangle. And then this time, we'll come up and over into triangle pose, reaching your right arm forward.

Keep the length in the right side, let your right hand fall below your knee, reach your left arm up, or maybe wrap it behind your back. If you're taking that wrap, start to draw the left shoulder away from your ears, spin the heart space up toward the sky, and then maybe you take your right hand to your heart. If you're doing that, keep engaging through the right quadricep. Little microbend in your right knee. And then finding your way into balance, Artichundras in a half moon. I'm gonna grab a block, transfer the weight into the right leg, floating the left leg up maybe releasing that left arm up to the sky.

Find one point of focus, your gaze, your drishti. And then even in this shape, can you start to expand open through the chest? Take up space. Beautiful. And then, softly, step back warrior two. Reverse warrior inhale, circle hands down to the inside of your front foot for lizard.

He'll toe your right foot toward the right side of your mat. I'm gonna flatten out my palms and let the left knee lower down. You might have a couple blocks under your hands or your forearms. I'm gonna stay up on my hands and start to bend through the left knee, rolling to the front of the left kneecap, and then I'm taking my right hand, reaching it back, and finding that left foot. There's a twist that's happening in the upper body as I lean back a little, and I feel that opening an expansion across the chest, and then I get to stare at the rain. So what do you notice here? Perhaps it's sensation and a whole lot of it in that left quadricep or where else do you feel this?

Beautiful. And then when you're ready, whatever expression of the shape you chose, you come back to lizard, we'll tuck the back toes, lift the back knee, and then just step your right foot back downward facing dog. You could stay right here. If you're feeling it, glide to plank inhale, chaturanga exhale, cobra or up dog, big breath in. And downward facing dog, big breath out. Breathe in.

Breathe out. Good. Second side in how sweep your left leg up. Bend the knee open the hip, inhale straighten the leg, exhale step through, inhale up to crescent, exhale bend your elbows cactus your arms, bend through your right knee, maybe tap it down to the earth. Inhale as you reach up through your fingertips straighten the arms straighten the legs, exhale open up. Your badrasana to one time hands to heart straighten your front leg, big breath in.

XL deep and warrior two, flip your front palm, reverse triangle straighten your front leg, come up and over into triangle pose. You might shorten your stance a little bit here. Reach forward with your left fingertips. Keep the length and the left side body. Reach the right arm up, stack your shoulders, maybe drishti up to your fingertips, maybe that right hand comes and wraps behind your low back, and draw the right shoulder away from your ear.

Soften through your left knee a little, and maybe with engagement in that left quadricep, you bring your left hand to your heart space, and then notice the connection between the palm of your hand and the tenderness of your heart. Good. And you could stay there or Artichandrasana, bend the left knee, maybe grab a block. Transfer the weight into the left leg, float your right leg up and maybe reach your right arm up. Find one point to focus your gaze. Make sure those left toes are facing straightforward.

Good. And then slow motion. Step back, warrior two, reverse warrior, reach it up and back inhale. Circle hands to the inside of your front foot setting up for lizard heel toe your left foot to the left. Let your right knee lower down.

And then maybe blocks under hands or forearms. If you're taking that quad stretch, that heart opener here, you'll bend your right knee, roll to the front of your right knee, plant the right hand, and then sweep the left arm back maybe find your foot and I am feeling a whole lot of sensation. There's finding and arriving slowly at sensation, giving your body time to feel into sensation without force, we find our edge and soften. Good. And then when you're ready, take your time. Releasing that, tuck your back toes, lift the back knee.

Step your left foot back. Downward facing dog and then lower your knees and sit back on your heels for a moment or a fine child's pose. Finding just a moment here to pause, breathe, to notice, where does that movement land in your body? Where does it settle? Where might you soften just a bit? And we'll set up for some dancing camel poses here. You're welcome to take traditional camel or skip it all together. If you're coming into dancing camel, just tuck your toes, we'll sit back on our heels, and then left hand left ankle.

On an inhale, I'm gonna lift the hips at the same time sweep the right arm across the body, reach it up and gaze up toward the right fingertips. Good. And then keeping it fluid, lower the hips right hand, right ankle, sweep the left arm up, lift the hips, gaze up at the left fingertips. Feel free to linger anywhere it feels good to linger, otherwise start to fluidly move side to side, letting the inhale bring you up the exhale bring you back to center and the inhale to bring you back up and maybe take one more on either side. Feel that big and save quality in the front body. Good.

One more time. Lift up and lengthen. And settle for a moment. We'll come back. To where we came from, untuck your toes, sit back on your heels and breathe.

Let your shoulders soften a bit. Notice where that lands. Good. And then meet me in tabletop. Come to all fours. Let your hips.

Come right up over your knees. Tent your fingertips. And start to walk your hands forward, Anahat Asana, puppy pose, melting heart. This is a yin shape. It's not the specific one that we're focusing on today.

We won't be here too long, but take a moment. To really feel that expansion that opening across your chest. And again, just seeking sensation without force, letting the body arrive at sensation, this passive quality, soft muscles, and breath. Good. And then come up out of there a little bit, walk your hands back bring your forearms to the earth, stretch both legs back, tuck your toes, forearm plank, reach the heart forward, lower your hips, and then let your heart reach between the window of your arms for sphinx pose. Also a yin shape.

We won't be here too long, and our yin shapes will hold a little longer as we slowly start to lubricate the joints, the connective tissue, the fascia. And it's about those slow sustained holds and stillness. So we go a little deeper into the subtle body and observe. From here, allow a big breath in. And then take a moment, exhale, let your elbows play out to the side, stack your hands, let your bones get heavy, let everything melt down.

And just take a moment to observe, your lower back, anywhere else that has your attention. Feel the parts of your body that are connected, supported by the earth. Good. And then pressing hands next to side ribs, hips to heels, child's pose, knees together, or wide. Take a moment to ground. Feel that nice counterbalance that opening in your lower back, your hips.

Send the breath to the back of your heart and observe. Beautiful. And then take your time, walk your hands in and roll up, and we'll set up for our first yin shape of saddle pose. So we'll start by coming to all fours, bring your knees together, bring your feet wide. And then just like how we started, you might take a block between your ankles and sit back on the block. And this might be where you land today.

This might feel like more than enough this can be a demanding shape, especially if you have anything going on in your knees, feel that stretch across the front of the thighs. And they can be this big chest expander, this heart opener, So I'm going to remove the block. You might stay right there. Feel free to stop anywhere along the way and sit back between the hills. And then I'm taking my bolster behind me and bringing it up toward the lower back.

And then you can start to walk your hands back. You might come onto your forearms, your forearms might come onto a block, or maybe you extend all the way back letting the spine settle onto the bolster. Letting your hands rest wherever they rest Maybe you're holding opposite elbows and bringing arms up over your ears. Again, we're finding about 60 to 70% of our effort, a place where we can breathe deeply, where we're not straining or pushing or forcing in any way. So finding your edge finding any movement that you need to set yourself up appropriately.

And then allowing yourself to rest in stillness. Maybe closing your eyes, noticing the desire to move or wiggle, I certainly have that as well, but these shapes are really an invitation. For sustained holds for stillness as we drop beneath the surface and sink in a little bit deeper. Of course, there's a difference between discomfort and pain. If there's any sharpness or pain, of course, that is the signal to get out of there to choose a different shape. Maybe it's supported bridge today or half saddle.

Dis comfort, we can breathe into and perhaps watch as things shift. Resistance is normal. It's natural. Part of the process. You might come back to that three part breath if that helps you Stay present to your experience or maybe just the natural rhythm of your breath.

We'll be here for another thirty to forty five seconds. See if you can drop in a little deeper. Becoming the observer, the witness. Of your here and now experience. The only moment that truly exists.

I'm just taking your time to come back to your breath. And we come out as slowly as we came in. So very, very slowly. If you're reclining down, you can walk your way up onto your forearms. Oh, very slowly.

Come to seated. You might be in Mirasana. Let me walk your hands in front of you with awareness, attention, shift your hips off to one side and just rebound in a neutral shape So making my way to a seated position, you might sit on your bolster or elevate your hips, but do find a moment once you find that way out of the shape. To rest and observe and notice where it lands. Not only in the physical body and that release, that hydration, that reorganization of the connective tissue, but also that reorganization of the energetic body may be something's flowing a little more freely meridians The mind might feel a little more spacious, but it's your experience.

What is your current experience? And our next shape will be supported fish pose. So you can grab a couple blocks. We'll set up with one under our shoulder blades. You might take it the lowest height and horizontally.

The block will land right under the shoulder blades. And the second block will be underneath your head. If you want something that feels a little softer, feel free to take your bolster onto the blocks or just right on your mat might feel really nice today. So with all of these shapes, there's so many different variations. We create the situation that meets us where we are in this moment, letting the shape find us.

And support us in a passive way. So as you recline back, we'll let the block underneath the shoulder blades land. Yeah. Somewhere underneath and support and your shoulder blades and the one under the the back of your head, I have it the medium height. You can play around. There's three heights for the blocks, but you want it to be at a place where the chin can slightly tuck and that the back of the neck is nice and long and that there's no pinching in the back body.

And we come in slowly, seeking sensation, maybe stretch your legs. Long on your mat. You can also keep the knees bent and let your knees knock into touch if that feels a little better in your lower back. And then maybe let your arms fall on either side of your body with the palms facing up, and then give yourself to the support beneath you softening through the muscles, the jaw, the eyes, they might close. Just this passive shape, finding you, meeting you where you are.

And once you find that sweet spot where you can stay, stay, notice. And soften. As you may notice, the mind wandering which is totally natural and normal. The nature of the mind is to think. Can you become aware of when you may have drifted?

And perhaps allow yourself to come back to just this breath back to sensation. Observation and stillness. Releasing a little more into the support beneath you. Notice the quality that arises. Could you feel this opening across the front of the body, the heart space, allowing the shoulders to soften just a little more?

Perhaps in seeing the palms of your hands from the inside out. Me tingling or sensation, energy. Begin to invite gentle movement into your fingers, into your toes. You're welcome to stay right here, or we'll transition into our final resting shape by bending the knees and bringing the soles of the feet to the earth. And again, coming out just as slowly as we came in, maybe roll off to one side. You could reach your arm long and rest on your side.

Taking a moment on your side to rebound and observe the echo of the shape. Where does it land in your body? Your mind and your heart? Perhaps removing your blocks out to the side and lying flat on your mat for Shavas feel free to take the bolster under your knees if that would feel good or anything at all that would allow you to feel supported here. Otherwise, traditional shape of Shavasana, let the legs go long.

Palms face up. The integration of your practice, the body, the mind, and your spirit. Just rest. Gentle movement back in. Allow your breath to deepen, fill your body with breath, and perhaps notice that balance of the yin, yang, the lunar, the solar, the calming of the nervous system, just taking your time to make your way to seed it, feel free.

To stay as long as you'd like. Otherwise, thank you so much for sharing this heart opening practice from my heart to yours sending love. Thank you for being here.