Shoulders: Releasing the Weight

Welcome. Thank you for joining me for this practice where we will focus on releasing tension in the shoulders, anything you're holding in the head, the neck, and we'll build toward these yin shapes of broken wing and melting heart to really release that tension slowly in our shoulders. So let's begin in child's pose. You might wanna have two blocks for this practice. As you come to child's pose, bring the big toes and heels together, maybe take your knees a little wider than your hips. And then just let your hips sing back to your heels or reach your arms forward.

Let your forehead rest on the earth or something. You might stack your hands or take something under your head, but just taking a moment to ground in this pose of the beginner, Balasana. And right away, noticing that grounding quality of child's pose. Notice the parts of your body that are connected and making contact with the earth. Maybe rock your head side to side massaging. The third eye, the seat of your intuition.

Tuning inward to that intuition, that inner voice, noticing what you need, from your practice today, quality, a mantra that you're working with. And maybe it's that quality of release of softening of letting go. Start to notice your breath filling the entire back body as you breathe in through your nose. And then, like, you're fogging a mirror, open up your mouth and sigh it out, let something go. Then do that again.

Big full breath in through your nose. This time, gently press your lips together like you're fogging that mirror with the mouth close, let the breath come out the nose, ujjayi, pranayama. And then take a few rounds of ujjayi here matching the length of your inhale. To the length of your exhale. And with every exhale, invite that softening, that letting go quality, specifically in your shoulders, or any other area where you know you hold habitual tension, inviting those spaces to soften just a bit.

Welcome to stay here and centered. Otherwise, lift your gaze a little bit. We'll thread the right arm under the left arm coming into a twist letting the right side of your face come down to the earth and just threading the needle as you let your hips continue to sink back toward your heels. So just that focus on that right shoulder, and then notice if you can allow yourself to get a little bit more held, a little bit heavier here. Breathe into your sensation, any sensation that you're feeling specifically in the right shoulder. Good. And then take your time, gaze forward.

Slide your right hand forward, thread your left arm under your right. Come onto your left shoulder and the left side of your face. Continue to let your hips sink back towards your heels and then send the breath. To wherever you feel this the most. Creating a little space, a little ease in the body, in the mind.

Beautiful, and then take your time. Slowly. Come on out of there. We'll make our way to tabletop. And then let's stretch our wrists with some cat cow.

So start to turn your fingers out to the side of your mat and gently sway side to side so feeling into your wrists. Good. And then if it feels okay, let your left hand face toward you. So fingers face toward you, you could take your right hand back to fingers facing forward. And then cat cow as you inhale stretching into your left wrist arching your back look up and lengthen. And then as you exhale, round your spine, press the earth away, tuck your tailbone. Beautiful. And then come back to neutral, turn your left hand to face forward, let your right hand face toward you, fingers face towards you pressing the right palm of your hand down toward the earth on an inhale arch your back look up and lengthen.

And as you exhale navel to spine, tuck your tailbone, tuck your chin. Beautiful, neutral spine, face both hands forward. And then from here, sweep your right arm open to the right, let the chest open up to the right. Thread the needle with your arms. Sweep it under your left.

Come on to your right shoulder. And the right side of your face. Let your hips stay level, maybe walk your left hand in front of you, or you could wrap your left hand behind your back. And you could start to roll a little bit more open toward the left on that right shoulder, the side of your face and breathe into wherever you feel this the most. Big full breath in.

Long breath out. Good. Take your time, come out the same way we came in. We'll press through the left hand. Maybe sweep your right arm open to the right, chest open to the right. And then place your right hand gently back down, taking it to the second side, sweep your left arm open to the left. Thread your left arm underneath your right.

Come on to the left side of the face, the left shoulder. Hips level, maybe walk your right hand in front of you, or take it behind your back and wrap it up, and then spin the chest open a little more toward the right. And breathe into wherever you feel this, allowing a few full deep breaths here. Go ahead and then take your time coming out the same way we came in, press through the right hand. Sweep your left arm open to the left and then place it back down, walk your hands slightly in front of your shoulders, tuck your toes, lift your hips up and back downward facing dog, This first dog just feeling into wherever you feel this, biting any movement, any organic movement in, maybe pedal it out, sway your hips, soften your knees, if that feels good.

And then spreading the weight evenly across all 10 fingers, press the inner and the outer hand, that space between your thumb and your index finger. And then fill the shape with your breath. Good. On your next breath in, glide forward top of a push up plank pose, keep gliding forward, let your shoulders come over the wrist, take a very slow lower all the way down, hug your elbows in. And then tent your fingertips on either side of your shoulders. Maybe they're off your mat for this wider armed cobra, peel your chest up elbows point straight up to the sky, press into the top of the feet, big breath in, but exhale slowly lower down, bring the hands next to the side ribs and press back.

To downward facing dog. And we'll do that a couple times. Just starting to warm the joints a bit, moving with the breath on an inhale glide to plank pose. Keep gliding forward, shoulders over wrists, exhale lower down. Tent your fingertips on either side of your shoulders, peel up wide cobra inhale, and exhale release, come back downward facing dog.

Beautiful. One more time. Inhale, glide forward. Keep gliding forward. XL to lower. Inhale tent fingertips. COBRA lift up. Good. Exhale back, downward facing dog, lifting the hips, all the way up and back, and then float your right leg up and bend your knee and open up through that right side.

Find any movement here. And then as you straighten out through your right leg gaze between your hands and take a big step through, setting up for a low lunge, you might have a couple blocks under your hands. Otherwise, let your left knee lower down. Feel free to pad up that back leg. And as you come up into Anginiasana, we'll take eagle arms.

So let your left arm come underneath your right arm. Welcome to bring back of the hands together or palms together. Start to let the elbows lift up and away from you as you sink into the legs a little bit more and feel that opening in the back of your shoulders as you might lean back a little big full breath in. Good. And then release your eagle arms behind your back and catch an interlace. Welcome to grab a strap or opposite elbows.

Start to draw your shoulders away from your ears. Keep leaning back. Maybe sink in a little bit deeper, big expansive breath in. Good. And then exhale, release your hands on either side of your front foot, maybe a couple blocks. And we'll shift it back for a hamstring stretch, Arta, Hanasana, fold over your front leg.

Lift your toes up off the earth and breathe into the back of your right leg. Beautiful re bend. Through your right knee, we'll step back downward facing dog. Maybe come forward to plank on your inhale chaturanga exhale. You could stay with cobra or inhale upward facing dog. Exhale roll over your toes downward.

Facing a big breath in, long release exhale soften your shoulders away from your ears. Float your left leg up and back, bend your knee, open up through the left side, straighten out through your left leg, gaze forward, and take a big step through. Let your back knee lower. This time the right arm wraps under the left for eagle arms, draw the elbows up and away and sink in a little deeper. Soften your experience, breathe into wherever you feel this, lift the heart, the gaze, feel the opening, the back of your shoulder blades, your shoulders, big breath in.

Release your hands behind your back. Take the opposite thumb on top, the one that might feel a little uncomfortable, and then lean back shoulders away from ears, sink in, heart lifts. Big full breath in. Release your hands on either side of your front foot, maybe a couple blocks and shift back for hamstring stretch, Artahanamasana. Big breath in.

Exhale soften the grip, the tension, anything you're holding, just inviting it to soften just a bit. Rebend your left knee, step back downward facing dog, left foot meets the right, come forward to plank on your inhale chaturanga exhale. In hell, cobra, or upward facing dog. So there's this quality of strengthening and opening coming back to downward facing dog as you're ready. And how rise up onto toes, bend your knees, look forward, step or lightly float to your hands, front of the mat, and soften your knees, step your feet about hips distance.

If it feels okay catching interlace behind your back and your forward fold. The generous bend in your knees so the torso drapes heavy, head heavy. Maybe shake your head. Yes. And no. Good. And then release your hands, roll up nice and slow one vertebra at a time.

Head the last thing to arrive and then draw your shoulders up towards your ears and just take some circles in one direction. And then the other direction good. And then just taking a moment up at the top and to land to adjust maybe one hand to heart. One hand to belly and notice where all of that falls and can, you soften. Your shoulders just a little bit more, melting them down the back, feeling to your heartbeat. Perhaps a dedication for your practice today, someone you'd like to send this out to in your life that could use a little extra release of tension.

And we'll come to chair when you're ready, utkatasana, knees, bend deeply arms, sweep up, sink in, long spine, big breath in, forward fold, exhale release. Inhale to lift halfway, your transition step or lately float back Chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing dog, exhale downward facing dog. Good sweep your right leg up and back. Big breath in, step all the way through, setting up for warrior one, spin your back heel down. Find those eagle arms, left arm under the right.

Draw the elbows up and then sink in a little deeper into virabhadrasana one. Feel that lift in the upper back lean back a little as you sink in a little deeper. Inhale. Release your hands behind your back, interlace, strap, or opposite elbows, lean back, big full breath in, and then humble warrior, fold over the front leg and reach your arms up. Let the crown of your head melt down, hug the right hip in. Beautiful. And then let your inhale bring you up and open for warrior two.

Left arm open wide. And just take a moment to land, to soften in, to warrior two, let your weight be centered here, flip your friend palm and tilt back, reverse warrior. You might sink a little deeper into that. Right leg as you really enjoy that stretch up through the right side, body. Maybe take your left hand behind your back. Good. And then circle your hands to the earth and step to plank. Your vinyasa chaturanga exhale, cobra, or up dog, big breath, and landing and downward facing dog, inhale through the nose.

Exhale, maybe let out a sigh or a sound, good. Sweeping your left leg up and back inhale. Step through setting up for warrior two, spin the back excuse me, warrior one, spin the back heel down. Arms reach up. The right arm comes underneath this time as you come up for eagle arms. Draw the elbows up and away and then sink in a little deeper into the shape and feel the opening, the back body, feel that lift in the heart, and then sink in a little deeper. Into that front leg, seal the outer edge of your back foot, big full breath in, release your hands behind your back opposite thumb on top, inhale as you lean back, and exhale as you bow forward, humble warrior, crown of the head melts down, all that stretch in your shoulders.

And then as you come up, now warrior two at the right arm. Guide you up and open to face the side of your yoga mat, finding your alignment, reaching forward and back with the same amount of energy. And then even in this shape, can you allow the shoulders? To soften as you energize through the fingertips, flip your front palm, tilt back, reverse warrior, maybe wrap that right hand behind the back, big breath in. Good circle hands to the earth.

We'll step back. Chaturanga. In halicobra or upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog, pick up your hands, find forward, fold at the back of the mat, hook your peace fingers onto your big toes, on an inhale, find length in your spine. And exhale elbows out to the side, talk your chin, padangusthasana.

Feel free to soften your knees. And then letting the head hang heavy. Maybe Start to shake your head out. Yes. Or no.

Where might you release just a little bit more? Give it away. Good. And then take your time. Release your toes. Downward facing dog will add on just a bit here.

Coming back to down dog, sweep your right leg up and back. Step through same beginning as you come to warrior one, the left arm sweeps under the right, wrap it up, eagle arms, big breath in, release your hands behind your back interlace. Inhale to lean back sync in and exhale bow forward, humble warrior. Inhale open up for warrior two, left arm guides you up and open, and then flip your front palm to tilt back reverse warrior, keep the legs how they are, extended side angle elbow to thigh, left arm up and over. Your left ear and maybe you wrap it behind your back, half wrap, full wrap, wherever you are today, keeping the integrity of your spine in that line of energy from the crown of your head back to your left heel and then fill the shape with your breath, spaciousness, and your breath, ease in your effort.

Beautiful. And then come on up out of there straighten your front leg, reach back, reverse triangle, circle down to the earth, step back, find strength in the shoulders, Chaturanga, in how heartless cobra or up dog. Exhale downward facing dog, big breath in, clearing that side, and a long breath out. Good floating your left leg up inhale. Step through exhale, warrior one right arm underneath the left, bring it up, inhale sink in. Good. Exhale release your hands behind your back interlace. Inhale as you lean back and exhale fold humble warrior.

Good inhale right arm guides you up and open. Warrior two. Stay for your exhale, and then inhale flip your front palm tilt back reverse warrior, exhale extended side angle elbow to thigh, right arm over your ear. Line of energy from your fingertips to your back heel. Maybe take the right arm behind your back, half a full wrap, the expansion, the spaciousness, in your spine, in your breath.

Good. And then root to rise, inhale up and back, reverse triangle, circle down to the earth, step back, Vinyasa. If you'd like, feel free to skip any of these chaturongas in how cobra or up dog and exhale landing in downward facing dog, big full breath in. Long breath out. I walk your feet up to the front of the mat, step your feet about hips width. Slide the palms of your hands underneath the soles of your feet. Let your toes come up toward your wrist.

Feel free to bend your knees any amount to get there on an inhale find some length. And as you exhale soften and release, tuck your chin, head heavy. Maybe a little weight toward the balls of your feet and then where might you release a little bit more? Letting the XL be a reminder to release and then releasing your hands, enroll up nice and slow. One vertebra at a time, letting the head be the last thing to arrive and just taking a moment up at the top to land, to ground.

You can start to let your weight shift forward and back a little bit as you find your center. And then as you find your center pause, soften your knees, let your tailbone melt down. And we'll play with balance just a bit here coming into eagle pose, transfer the weight into your right legs. You can pick up your left leg and cross your left knee on top of the right. Feel Preta kickstand toes, float, or wrap, the left arm will wrap underneath the right arm, and then start to draw your elbows away from you, for Garudasana.

Find one point to focus your gaze squeeze inner thighs together. Gotta let your hips sink back. Beautiful. Now as you come out of there, release your arms, draw your left knee up in towards your chest. Sweep your arms up. And then as you come into warrior three, could draw your hands to your heart, let your left leg draw back, maybe take your arms back behind you.

And find that interlace. Good. Feel free to softly bend the right knee. Keep the heart lifted. Let the torso lower. Good. And then as slowly as you can, pressing pose. Let your toes find the back of the mat.

Sweep your arms up, feel the expansion through the upper body. And then as you exhale hands down to the ground, sweep your right leg all the way up and back. And bend your knee and open your hip, three leg dog. You could stay right here. If you wanna flip your dog, shoulders come over the wrists, spin to the outer edge of your left foot, step your right toes. Behind you and reach your right arm up.

Feel the opening across your chest. Beautiful. And then unravel into a vinyasa if you'd like. Otherwise, we'll meet in downward facing dog, letting go of that side, allowing a big breath in, and a long breath out Rising up onto toes, bend your knees, step or lightly float to your hands, front of the mat. Inhale to lift halfway, exhale fold, And then again, just take that slow roll up. As you get up to the top, find a little tension in your shoulders as you draw them up towards your ears, big breath in, and then let it go.

Soften ground and finding your center maybe shift your weight forward and back as we play with balance on the second side, soften your knees, let your tailbone melt down. But, and then start to transfer the weight into your left leg, pick up your right leg, cross it on top of the left, crossing at the knees. Feel free to kickstand float or you could pick up that foot, wrap it around the left calf. Good right arm under the left. Wrap up the arms, draw the elbows away. Sink and squeeze the inner thighs together.

Let the hips shift back. Good. Breathe. Even in these held shapes. Be at a place where you can breathe.

Good. And then come on up out of there. Stand up on your left leg. Staying where the breath is steady. Arms reach up, steady in the heart space. Need a chest.

And then as slowly as you can, warrior three, the right leg goes back. Maybe, hands to heart, you could release your arms behind your back, find that interlace. Maybe a little bend in the left knee, torso lowers heart lifts. Good. And then stepping to the back of your mat for Crescent, arms release up to the sky, big breath in. Three leg dog hands to the earth.

Let your left leg sweep up and back, bend your knee open up through your left hip. You could stay right here. If you're flipping your dog, shift your weight forward, roll to the outer edge of your right foot. Step your left toes. Behind you and then sweep the left arm up, feel the opening, the back of your heart, your chest. Beautiful, big, full breath in, and then go ahead and unravel into a vignal or right into downward facing dog.

We'll take a moment to land there. Breathing in. Breathing out to release, lower your knees, land in child's pose for a moment just like how we began and just observe notice what you notice if anything has shifted. You might wrap your hands back holding on to your heels, let your forehead rest, releasing your shoulders, and give it away to the Earth with your exhale. Maybe rock your head side to side.

What are you holding that's not yours to hold any longer? Good. And with that same sense of awareness, come on up to tabletop. We'll set up for dolphin pose, so letting your forums find the earth. Let your shoulders come right over your elbows. You can press the palms of the hands into the earth, or feel free to interlace your hands.

Good. And then keeping shoulders over elbows, tuck your toes, lift your hips up. And then start to tiptoe your feet in towards you any amount letting your sitting bones come up over your shoulders. Feel free to bend your knees. So we're strengthening through the shoulders here as we release as well. Feel the opening through the back of your legs.

Good. And then stretch your legs back for forearm plank. Reach the heart forward, lower your hips toward the height of your shoulder blades, engage through your low belly. Reach the crown of your head forward, holding for five. Four, three, two, sphinx pose, let your hips lower, walk your hands forward a little bit so the elbows are just slightly in front of your shoulders and then press into the top of the feet to lift your heart. And then let's take the chin down toward the chest.

Feel the opening in the back of your neck. And then start to roll your right ear to your right shoulder. Men gentle nodding of your head, feeling into the left side of your neck. And then draw your chin to your chest. Keep the core engaged to protect your spine.

Let your left ear find your left shoulder. Dental knotting of your head, breathing into the right side of your neck. Beautiful, and then come back to center. And gaze. Straight forward.

And then stack at your hands. Let your elbows splay out to the side. Build a pillow for your forehead and let everything. Release, let go of effort. Let the bones get really heavy here.

You might reverse windshield wiper your knees side to side or just release for a moment. Letting everything melt down into your mat, the earth. Taking this pause here to observe where your vinyasa practice lands in your body. And Binyasa, it was yang quality, energizing, sun, quality. And then as we transition to yin, more of that moon that lunar, slower, silkier quality, of the two energies balancing in our body. And our first shape for yin will move into broken wing pose, one of my very favorites.

So you can stay here on your belly. We'll start by reaching the right arm out to the right with the palm facing down. And then go ahead and bring the right cheek to the earth. You're welcome to stick a block under your face here. Otherwise, tent your left fingertips on the outside.

Of your left shoulder, bend your left knee, roll to your right hip, and step your left toes behind you. And then as much as you can, let everything melt down, and we're not forcing or pushing or seeking sensation. We're finding our edge and softening so that we can settle into stillness, to observation, to noticing the physical layers, of the body of sensation. Going a little deeper, the internal landscape of energy flow. Subtle body awareness, and the quality of the shape, where does it land?

Noticing the experience of the breath, how this all lands for you. I'm not about force. It's about duration, the amount of time we hold the shape, finding stillness as we hydrate lubricate the joints, connective tissue, fascia. And that happens slowly with patients. I'm coming back to your breath.

That was just over a couple minutes. Find a few more breaths here on this side. I'm in very, very slowly making your way. Back to your belly. So unraveling just as slowly as you came in. Coming out.

Whoa. They maybe stack your hands. Let everything settle. If it feels good to invite in some movement, reverse windshield wipers. Maybe sway your hips side to side, go for it, but then take a moment to rebound to pause, to neutralize, and I'm serve.

And where does that land? What comes up for you? Paul information. Coming curious. As you're ready reach your left arm out to the left palm facing down, tent your right fingertips to the outside of your right shoulder, bring your left cheek to the earth, bend your right knee, roll to your left hip, step the toes behind you.

Find a place where you can land and still remain connected to your breath. Noticing perhaps if this side brings up new information, most likely. Sending the breath to wherever you feel it the most creating a little space, a little ease. But might you be holding that's no longer your story? That's no longer serving you?

That might be held in the body. And that you might choose to let go of with kindness. Can't force anything away and do so with love. Fielding a little more to the support beneath you, letting gravity do its work. And gently allowing your breath to begin to deepen.

Coming out very slowly. Unravel and coming back onto your belly, stacking your hands, gently swaying your hips side to side or any other movement, and then taking a moment. To find stillness, to let that land. Good. And then bringing your hands next too. The sideways, press back for a moment to tuck your toes, let your hips sink to your heels for a tuck toad.

Child's pose, feel the opening in your back body. And then we'll set up for melting heart. We won't be here very long. You're welcome to take a couple blocks under your hand or even under your hands or even a bolster under your torso. Otherwise, make your way to tabletop, let your hips come right over your knees, tent your fingertips, keeping the hips lifted, start to walk your hands forward, any amount and then melt your heart down toward the earth. Maybe the forehead finds a block, the earth, a blanket.

And let's stay for just about a minute and a half here. It's pretty intense opener of your shoulders, the heart space. And just remember that we're not finding the fullest expression. We're finding that place where we can stay. In stillness where we can connect in to the breath, keeping the breath steady and observing. Simple, not easy. These poses can certainly bring things up, whether that sensation, sometimes shaking, heat.

And perhaps thoughts and things that are telling as the practice becomes a mirror to our lives. I'm very gently super slowly. Especially that shape for me brings up a lot and just roll on out. Maybe sit back. On your heels, taking a moment to pause to rebound.

I'm just finding a comfortable seated position. We'll take a moment to pause and seated meditation just observing. Feeling into your breath, sensation. Where does that all land in your body and integrate? And where might you soften just a little bit more letting your shoulders and the weight of the world that we sometimes hold here, melt.

Feel free to stay here as long as you'd like. Otherwise, thank you for sharing this practice. I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day.