The Vinyasa Show Artwork
Season 4 - Episode 4

Confident Forearm Balance

55 min - Practice
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Brenda guides us in a steady, rhythmic, and creative flow in preparation for Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance). This practice generates heat and promotes strength and stability, building confidence for a steady Forearm Balance.
What You'll Need: Mat

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(water rushing) Welcome back. So we all have the capacity to be beautiful, to be full of beauty. So take a moment to think about what are those things that really fill you up, that feed your soul. So close your eyes, tap in, maybe it's music, art, your yoga practice, nature. And then kind of feel that essence of what that is and how you are when you are filled up and how we can radiate and then take that off our mat beyond to our friends, family.

We all know that feeling when we're around people that are full of beauty, that they just make us feel good. So when I think about this practice and that we're gonna be moving in towards Pincha Mayurasana that this is a pose, whether it's a modification or a full, full expression, is that it has this strong base and it radiates upward and out. Yeah, so let's go ahead and play. Finding a comfortable seat, tapping in to our beauty. And so checking in on your seat that if your awareness is on your knees or your hips sit up a little higher on a block.

'Cause I want you just to be able to come into your breath. So being to engage your Ujjayi Pranayama. Slight constriction at the back of the throat and just create a little bit longer inhale and a little bit longer exhale, just starting to extend our breath. And slowly on an exhale taking your right ear towards your right shoulder, and keep your eyes closed or just a real soft gaze. Feel that softening of the right shoulder down.

And then take the left arm, reach it away. Just find kind of your little happy place. It might be chin tucking, might be chin lifting a little bit. Just that sweet spot. And so on inhale come on back up to center, exhale, take the left ear towards the left shoulder.

Again, just breath into that left shoulder, let it soften. Take the right arm out to the side. And play a little bit here, explore when you reach the arm up or down, chin can tuck or start to lift up. Feeling again, that place where you just get a really lovely stretch. And inhale, come back up to center.

One more time, exhale to the right, breath down the shoulders, reach the left arm out and away. And some softness to the eyes, to the jaw. Good, come back up to center. Then exhale left ear towards the left shoulder and soften both shoulders down. And reach the right arm away.

And then inhale, come back up to center. Exhale the chin to the chest, keep the chest lifted, extending through the back of the neck. Again, just breath down the shoulders, just a light letting go. And then your next inhale, lifting the chin, start to take the chin up, and maybe for some start to draw the shoulder blades towards each other and taking the head back, but don't just let the head go. You're still creating space and length through the back of the neck.

Just opening up all through the throat center. And inhale, come back up to center. Exhale, chin to the chest, keep the chest lifted, soften the shoulders. And then back up. Chin lifts, and it might pause here for some again, you might start to draw the shoulder blades towards each other, extend the crown back, lengthen through both the front and back of the neck.

And come back up to center. Then exhale, take the chin to the chest, slowly roll to the right, and to the back, to the left, to the right. We're gonna go around two more times on your own and just notice if there's any places that you avoid. Not forcing it, just notice. You notice any of those little sounds, little openings.

And when you get back to the front after your third time around, then tension tuck, and then slowly begin the opposite direction. To the left, to the back, to the right, to the front. And each time softening the shoulders down, notice maybe if you come to one side your shoulder starts to rise up towards the ear. And letting the chin meet at the chest. And if the eyes are closed, slowly blinking the eyes taking the earth in, and then just lift up the gaze.

We're gonna meet in a Tabletop on our mat, shoulders over wrists, hips over knees. On an inhale lift the belly, lift the chest, and pause here. Take a full exhale here. Then on an inhale press the spine high, and then a full exhale. Inhale, belly drops, chest lifts, spread wide through the low back, through the belly.

Good, full exhale. One more time, spine high. And a full exhale, press the floor away. Let's inhale, come back to a neutral spine, walk the hands out about two inches, curl the toes under as you lift the hips, Downward Facing Dog. Pressing through the palms, lifting through the hips, and just let the head go a bit here.

Alright, moving through a little bit of rhythm and repetition on an inhale take the right leg up, just pause here for a moment, drawing the right inner thigh up, press the palms. On the exhale draw the knee in towards the nose, take a sacred pause. Place the foot down, High Crescent Lunge, arms sweep up to frame the ears. Alright, lift the hips, soften through the belly. Exhale, draw the arms out forward, and on an inhale draw the fingertips in towards the heart.

And exhale, press down, root down, bend the back knee. Inhale, lift, rise up. Exhale, press the palms forward. Two more times like that. Inhale, draw the hands in, exhale, root down, in, exhale.

It's like we're filling up here. Inhale, it in towards the heart, exhale, bend dip. Inhale, rise, exhale, press. Inhale, lift up, exhale, palms with your step back, your choice Chaturanga or High Plank to the floor, nice and slow, no rush. Inhale, lift up from belly button to sternum, sternum to chin, exhale back, Downward Facing.

On an inhale taking the left leg high, exhale, knee in towards the nose. A little pause. Place the foot down, High Crescent, arms come up, good, hips lift, torso lengthens. Exhale, arms out. In, fingertips towards the heart, exhale, press down.

Inhale, rise. Ex. Alright, so inhale, filling up, exhale. In. This is exhale, press, almost like we're sharing.

Inhale, draw it in. Exhale. Good, in, ex, press the back thigh out, lift the arms, taking it all the way through, palms down, your choice Plank to the floor or step it right back Chaturanga. Inhale, exhale back and pause. And just taking four, five rounds of breath in between each.

So it's just a nice, steady, rhythmic flow. When you're ready, on an inhale right leg lifts up, same repetition, exhale, knee in and pause. Place the foot down, High Crescent, arms sweep up. Good, hips lift, exhale, hands out in front. Inhale, light through the shoulders, exhale, root, feel the right heel draw back lightly.

Inhale, exhale, press. Inhale, draw it in. Exhale, press, back heel still lifted. In. Exhale.

Good, one more time. Inhale, exhale, dip and press. In. Exhale. Good, on the inhale lift the arms, exhale, palms down, step it back.

Your transition, Chaturanga or the floor. Inhale, legs strong on an Upward Facing Dog, exhale, back Downward Facing. On an inhale, left leg lifts. Exhale, knee in. Place the foot, High Crescent, arms sweep up, exhale, arms down.

Inhale, draw it in. Exhale, dip, press down. Good, in, exhale. Good, in, exhale. Feel the left heel draw back just slightly.

Ex. One more. Exhale. In. Exhale.

Good, arms sweep up. Taking it all the way through, palms down, step it back, Chaturanga. Inhale. Exhale, back Adho Mukha. And five breaths here.

We'll go through one more time. Might feel a little softness through the elbows, a little bit of softness through the knees. And when you're set on an inhale right leg comes up again, exhale, knee to nose, draw it in. Place the foot down, High Crescent, arms sweep up. Exhale, arms out in front.

Inhale, lightly draw in towards the heart, exhale, press down. In. Exhale. Inhale, back towards the heart. Exhale, dip down towards the earth.

In. Exhale. Draw it in. Exhale. Good, in, arms press, come back up overhead on an in.

Exhale, palms down. Your transition, Chaturanga or Plank to the floor. Outer arms drawing in. Inhale, lift up, slide the heart past the shoulders, exhale back Downward Facing. One more side, inhale, left leg lifts.

Exhale, knee in. Place the foot, rise up, High Crescent. Soft through the lower ribs. Exhale, arms down. Inhale.

Exhale. Good, in. Exhale. Soft through the fingers. Exhale, soft through the shoulders.

In. Exhale. In. Press, dip, inhale, exhale. Arms come up, exhale, take it all the way through, stepping back, Chaturanga or High Plank to the floor.

Inhale, Upward or Low Cobra, exhale, back Downward Facing. On an inhale lift to the balls of the feet, bend the knees, come on down into Anahatasana, so we're gonna aim for hips over knees, walk the hands out, slide the forehead down. So you could stay right here. If it's available, you could start to take the chin down. And for some you can start to slide the chest down.

Right, and try to slide the hips back over the knee plane. Staying soft through the eyes. Right, slowly slide all the way forward onto your belly, so slide the shoulders down, stabilize them, and then come on to the belly. Take your arms a little bit wider than you would for a Low Cobra, tent the fingers, and on an inhale we're gonna rise up, Bhujangasana, Low Cobra, but we're gonna come up to the left, spin the left shoulder back, bend the right, take the gaze over the right, and slowly lower down. So it's a (mumbling), free-flowing Bhujangasana, inhale, rise up.

So we're trying to tap in to the upper back and to the thoracic spine. And if this doesn't feel good to be on the finger pads you can also bring the palms down. So your inhale, lift, roll, and your exhale to lower. So moving at your own pace. And so know at any time in a practice that I'm guiding if my pacing is too slow or too quick just slow it so you're honoring your breath.

Good, after your next one come back to neutral, walk the hands in slightly, forehead down, draw the inner thighs towards each other slightly, and then come up Bhujangasana. And then just pause. Feel like a little engagement in the gluts, so not completely letting them go, but not over-engaging. Tops of the feet seal, pubic bone presses. Okay, and then exhale, release.

Taking the forehead down, arms behind, interlace. So again, you can go (mumbling) or (mumbling) with the pointer fingers out. I like to start with my inner thighs towards each other. Inhale, lift, rise the chest, and then lift the legs. Just pause here.

So back of the neck long. So I like to take the gaze out, coming in like a diagonal towards the end of my mat. A little softness behind the elbows. And then exhale, release. Bring the arms down into a number 11, so wrists inline with elbows, elbows are gonna be right under the shoulders, and then just like a nice, soft spread of the fingers, curl the toes under, lift the hips, Pincha Mayurasana Prep, also called Dolphin Prep.

So for some if this is too much in the low back, lower the knees down and hold. If not, stay right here. If you find that you get into a place that's a little sticky, resistant, just give a little shake, side to side, front to back, and then see if you can just settle and simmer. Alright, tuning into the breath, so notice as the breath starts to shake, can you just smooth it out lightly? You might wanna close your eyes.

So feeling the connection, a relationship between your inner wrists, the base of the thumb, base of the pointer finger, so as we start to move into Pincha Mayurasana I've been taught that this is the brain of the pose and find when I bring my focus here and really seal that down I can root down to really lift up. Now let's just go four more breaths. Enjoying a little bit of shake. So on an exhale lower the knees, pubic bone, slide the hands out like two inches, so an Active Sphinx Pose, draw the heart forward. So almost like your heart's on a swing trying to come through your arms, just moving in that direction.

So now we're starting to tap into the low back, creating a widening that then creates a widening through the front body. Same with the upper back, the thoracic spine, it's a tough place to tap into. Exhale, release. Press all the way back into Child's Pose, just for three breaths, so just a quick counter pose, 'cause we're gonna continue to move in towards back bends. And next, inhale, come up to all fours, drop the belly, lift the chest, exhale, round, press the spine towards the sky, come back, inhale, chest lifts, take the hands out about two inches, curl the toes, lift the hips, back into Downward Facing.

Moving through a bit of a creative flow and an inhale, take the right leg up, stack right hip on left, so kind of open up here, bend the knee, take the knee high, squeeze the heel towards the bum. Shift forward like you're moving into Plank Pose and then let the right foot drop behind, coming to Wild Thing as you lift the right arm up, so a play, lifting pubic bone, lifting the chest. Any mischief in the neck you can bring the hand to the back of the head to open up through the chest through the back of the neck, to give a little support. And slowly take the right arm up, we're gonna slide right into Vasisthasana on the right side. So moving with control, outer edge of the right foot down, inhale, left arm up.

And maybe the gaze follows, maybe you keep it neutral. Left knee in towards the chest. Use your core and wrist step forward, Lunge Twist, back heel lifts. Exhale, left hand down. Inhale, rise up, High Crescent Lunge.

Alright, three times, on an exhale let the arms just drape back behind. Your inhale to rise up. So a little play of softening through the low ribs. Just exploring with your shoulders. On this exhale let the hands interlace behind your back, take a pause, checking in you can either hold a neutral spine or start to explore a slight back bend.

Inhale, come up, and then exhale, come halfway, spine long, crown reaching. Root through the left foot and inhale, slide forward right into Warrior Three. So the right inner thigh lifts up, the heart lifts, and a little press up at your low back, right where the kidneys are. Good, release the hands, slowly come down, Standing Split. You can play with the hover, or you can bring the hands right down.

And do three breaths here, right leg lifts. Good, on an exhale right foot's gonna come all the way down onto your right shin, slide the left shin back, open up coming into Virasana, so you're gonna take your bum down, thighs in. If there's any mischief on the knees, ankles, you can sit up on a block. And just pause here softening. We're gonna initiate and start with the right arm up, reaching back left arm.

So it's Virasana legs, Gomukhasana arms. And maybe just hanging out right here. If available, you can take the left arm down, spin the thumb down, reach the left arm behind. So find a spin of the right upper arm back, like you're trying to scoop out the right armpit. And then breath softly into the left shoulder.

Good, exhale, slowly release. We're gonna come back onto all fours and then lower right back down onto the forearms, creating that number 11. Any wrist mischief you can do the modification here with outer wrists pressing down and the interlace, but if you're alright, stick with the number 11, curl the toes under and lift the hips. So playing with Pincha Mayurasana Prep here. So from the shoulders up it's just like Downward Facing Dog.

You choose the intensity. If you want a little bit more the feet walk in, it's a little more intense on the hamstrings. And then find a press of the forearms down, like this, rooting, and then lift. And you can just let the head go, so the head's off the floor. And for some you can start to take the gaze forward, but if that's a lot on the neck just let it go.

And just opening up through the shoulders, opening up through the hamstrings. Good, slowly walk the feet back. Right back here in for some core. Wrists in line with elbows, elbows under shoulders, root through the inner wrist, crown forward, and just pause. And again, just feeling the breath, maybe it's smooth, maybe it's starting to shake already.

And so we just kind of ride each breath. A little press up between the shoulder blades. On an exhale lower down onto the knees, slide the hands forward, coming into an Active Sphinx, heart lifts. And again, there's this looseness of the bum, just like a slight engagement, so it's not over the top, but there's still like a little slight engagement, so you can root the pubic bone down. Good, exhale, release.

Option Low Cobra, Upward Facing, your choice. Transition back Downward Facing. Good, heels press. On an inhale left leg lifts up, open the hips left on right, and then bend the knee. So first, play with left shoulder down.

And now start to shift forward, coming into Wild Thing, so the back foot drops, left arm lifts. You can start with the arm up, you can take it back. And again, any mischief in the neck you can support your head with your left hand. And with control, coming back over Vasisthasana on the other side. Left outer edge of the foot down, right arm lifts up.

Maybe the gaze follows the right hand. With control, right knee in towards the chest, take it into a Lunge Twist, right arm lifts up, articulate the right hip back. Exhale, right hand down, slide up, High Crescent Lunge. And then three times with breath let the arms just come back behind. So again, we're just exploring.

Notice if anything just doesn't feel right and you avoid, just take that in, don't force it. Your next exhale let the hands come down behind the back, interlace, fist down. And either choosing to explore a back bend or holding with the spine neutral. Good, slowly come up. Take the chest forward, crown forward, long line of energy, root through the right foot, Warrior Three.

So left inner thigh lifts, find that energy at the low back to lift up. Release the hands. Coming back into a Standing Split again, maybe playing with the hover or tipping over, left leg lifts. Just two breaths here. Good, exhale, bring the left leg down.

Left shin down, so setting up again Virasana on this side. Sitting bum towards the floor, inner thighs in, tops of the feet down. And this time left arm comes up, right arm to the elbow. So either pausing right here or taking it into full Gomukhasana arms, right arm comes behind, on this side I need to give it a little help, and the left one comes on top. And so feeling the sit bones pressing, hip bones lifting.

And just breathing into those places that you feel a little bit of resistance. And meeting it with kindness. And slowly release the arms down, come back onto all fours, setting up again, Pincha Mayurasana Prep, create that number 11, root through the inner wrists, curl the toes under, lift the hips, walk the feet in. So playing here again with the hamstrings, maybe walking the feet in a little closer, maybe walking them further away. Find that place you can sustain.

Head is off the floor. And you could either play with the gaze forward or let the head go. Nice, slowly walking the feet back. A little Dolphin Plank, Pincha Mayurasana Plank Pose here. So if you're feel like you're working on strength to move into this pose this is a great place to stay.

And just go five breaths, a little press up between the shoulder blades, little roll of the heart forward. You wanna exhale, lower the knees, lower the pubic bone, slide the hands out, just like two inches, draw it right into an Active Sphinx Pose. And exhale, roll it down, option, Low Cobra, Upward Facing Dog. Exhale, back, Downward Facing. So we're gonna move that side, same sequence again, right and left side, and we'll add on some options.

We're staying right with that first sequence. On an inhale taking the right leg up, stack the hips, open it up, slide it forward into Wild Thing. So your choice, hang out right here, or maybe full wheel, full Chakrasana, bend in the elbow to guide yourself in. Just pausing, letting the head go. Alright, being careful on the transition, flip the left hand around, come all the way around to Vasisthasana on the right side, left arm lifts.

So moving slowly, thoughtfully. And then left knee comes into the chest, slide it forward, High Crescent Lunge. And when you arrive at the top, same exploration, exhaling, the arms go back. Inhaling. Exhale.

Good, one more. Interlace, draw the fist down, and again, if it feels better to keep the chest up you can stay here, or start to lift up and go back. Good, come back up forward. Shift forward, root through the left foot, shift forward right into Warrior Three. Right leg lifts, right inner thigh lifts.

So just this little Upward Dog, Low Cobra action in the chest. Release the hands, slow lower all the way down, little softness through the left knee. And maybe catching a little hover. And palms down, let the head go. And so on an exhale bring the right shin all the way to the floor, left shin matches, all the way down into Virasana.

So option, staying right here, or you can start to lower all the way down. So if your hips are up on a block don't go lower than the block. Starting to lower back onto the forearms. So just check in, if you find that you get to a place where it's too much on the back you can always stay lifted. For some it might be available to go all the way back.

Notice as you go back the thighs might try to start to part, see if you can just gently encourage them to stay in towards each other. And then, just soft through the low ribs. We wanna keep a space at our low back, we wanna keep a space behind our neck. So option, you can stay right here, or for this first one, taking the right arm up, bend the elbow, and before you take the right arm underneath we're gonna take the left arm like we're gonna go into Gomukhasana arms. Left arm's gonna go underneath, like you're reaching up high between your shoulder blades, lift the head just a bit, and maybe grab the hand, if not, you can just keep it at the back of your neck.

And then let the upper body get heavy. Close the eyes. Okay, slowly releasing the hands, coming out slowly, so press the elbows down, come all the way back up, back onto all fours, step on back, elbows down, curl the toes under, this time rising up again, Pincha Mayurasana Prep to start. So a couple options, you can stay right here, you can also do that Dolphin Plank, or take the right leg in the air. And just make sure wrists are lined up, elbows are lined up, so the right leg can go up.

Option to hang out here, or start to shift the weight forward into your forearms, taking the left arm up, left arm, left leg, that would be magical. Reach the toes up. Alright, so see if you can start to straighten out, lengthen out through your torso. And maybe the gaze comes forward a little bit. And then softly lowering down.

As you come down, back into that Dolphin Plank. So building a bit of core strength here. And just five breaths. So see if it's playing out in the jaw and the eyes and see if you can, just let it go. Knees down, pubic bone down, slide the arms out, Active Sphinx Pose, so forearms are lifted, apposed to keeping them on the ground.

Good, exhale, release. Low Cobra or Upward Facing Dog, swoop through and up. Exhale, back Downward Facing. Three rounds of breath then we'll shift to the left side. Okay, on an inhale take the left leg up, open the hips, bend the knee, and pause here.

Press the left shoulder down. And then slide forward, let the left foot sink back, come into Wild Thing. Alright, so again, choosing to stay right here, for some it might be available to walk the feet in, soften the right elbow, come on back into Full Wheel, so called Urdhva Dhanurasana, or also Chakrasana. And then slowly, with control, come back over into Vasisthasana on the left side. So move slowly, thoughtfully.

And right arm lifts. Right, right knee into the chest, step forward, High Crescent Lunge, arms sweep up. And exhale, let the arms drape down behind you. Two more times. Good, inhale.

And then exhale, interlace. And again, choosing to hold the spine here neutral or start to explore a back bend. Keeping the back of the neck long. Good, inhale, come up to center, take the torso forward, root through the right foot, slide into Warrior Three. So a play of hard up, low back stays engaged, left inner thigh lifts.

So we're transitioning, hands can come to heart, slowly lower, and maybe catching a hover, if not, just let the hands come down to the floor. Good. Left left lifts, three breaths. So even as you're extending there's this little articulation of the left hip trying to just soften and lightness behind the right knee. And then slowly left shin down, right shin matches, come into Virasana.

Just nuzzle in. So choosing, you can stay right here, or again, lift it up onto a block, or slowly start to lower yourself down, and just pause. Any crunching, cramping in the low back, come back up. Again, option to continue on down. And you can keep the hands kind of right on the ribs, keep at your side, you can take them overhead.

And the option I offered is taking the right hand out to the side, bend the elbow, you're gonna take the fingertips to slide between your shoulder blades, and just soften into the right shoulder, and then left arm, thumb comes up and then spins back, bend the elbow, lift the head so you can slide underneath, and maybe the fingertips touch, maybe you can clasp the hands. And if not, it's not a big deal. The nice thing with this one is the weight can kind of just keep your right hand in place. And again, notice the inner thighs might try to drift apart. See if you can just keep a light draw in.

Nice, releasing the hands, slowly rising up onto the elbows, palms, come on back around onto all fours. And again, a little play with Pincha Mayurasana, you choosing either moving into the Prep Pose and just check in, kind of use the discipline of lining up wrist creases, elbows, curl the toes under. Staying either right here or for some you can take the left leg in the air, and that can feel kind of nice, 'cause you can rock onto the ball of the foot to feel your weight into your forearms. And for some you can come all the way up into the full pose. Taking the right leg up, feel a rooting, a lifting.

And just another few breaths. Good, and when you come down come right into Dolphin Plank again. So jaw right into the center, long (mumbling), long line of energy. Nice, slowly lower onto the knees, pubic bone down, take the forearms out lightly, and then, so they're lifted up, draw the heart forward, Active Sphinx Pose. Exhale, release.

Palms press, you can come up Low Cobra or Upward Facing Dog, and then exhale back Downward Facing Dog. Good, take the right foot forward, turn into your right side, sorry, your left side, we're gonna come into a Forward Fold here. So a couple options, in Prasarita Padottanasana, you're gonna keep your arms as if you're moving into Chaturanga arms, so arms are gonna start to bend, forehead comes down, slide the fingertips if they can back in line with the toes, and then start to bring the crown of the head down. If the crown touches an option is to come into Tripod Headstand. So rooting through the palms, get light through the feet, take the legs apart, and then seal them up, seam up right through the inseams of the legs.

So Mukta Hasta, Hasta's our hands, Mukta is free, Sirsasana, our headstand. So bringing this in, 'cause we're gonna play with a variation of Pincha Mayurasana. Good, slowly lowering down, taking the legs wide, see if you can touch lightly. So hips lift, feet come down, inhale, rise up, and then walk the hands back to the front. Palms down, step on back, and bring the knees down.

So we're gonna play with a variation of Pincha Mayurasana, kind of like half Mukta Hasta Sirsasana, half Pincha Mayurasana. So one forearm's down, one arm's done. So we're gonna do one side, few breaths, and then play on the other side. So come on down, line up, forearm down, and then bring the hand down as if you're going into Mukta Hasta Tripod Headstand. Alright, so the head's off the floor for this.

I like to take my gaze kind of downward, diagonal downward. Some folks like to take it a little bit more forward. So I'm gonna start with my toes curled under, walk the feet in, as if I'm in that Prep Pose. I'm gonna take my right leg up, put my weight into my forearm and my right hand, and then left leg comes up. Toes reaching, lengthening, and then softly coming down.

Opposite side. Right forearm down, left palm presses, and then we start in the Prep Pose with the toes curled under. You can stay right here, for some you can take the left leg up, shift the weight, and then start to lift your right leg up. A little shaking. Good, and then softly coming back down.

Good, come back onto the knees. Good, go right into Virasana. So back on down, take a moment, press onto the feet, and then lower all the way down. Inner thighs seam up. So we're gonna continue to move into back bends here.

So from here keep your left leg tucked under, left shin on the floor, bring the right knee to the sky. Good, flip the palms up, and just pause. From here we're gonna come into Bridge Pose, lifting the pubic bone, pressing the left shin onto the floor. So it might be a little lift, might be a big lift. So hips lift, left shin presses.

I know the tendency is that we wanna lift this up, but we'll get there. So a little space between the back of the neck and the floor, shoulder blades start to roll under. From here, option to stay here, or bring your finger pads behind your shoulders, gonna come into a variation of Wheel Pose, but this time as you lift up you're gonna keep the top of your left foot, like your left back, top of your toes on the floor. So as we lift you can either come to the crown or one swoop, inhale, rise up. Then just getting a little deeper into the low back.

And then slowly lower down. Lower the right knee back down. I'm gonna actually come on up, it's easier to come up and switch. So bring the right leg back in, Sirsasana, not Sirsasana, I've got the yoga brain here, (laughs) Virasana, lower back down. Okay, this time left knee lifts.

So option, hang out right here, we start to lift the palms up, slide the shoulder blades a little bit in towards each other, and then start to lift the pubic bone. So we're playing a little bit with Bridge Pose here with the right shin pressing into the earth. So you should feel this pretty intensely all through the right, so as right quad. Option to stay right here, or you can play into Full Wheel, as you lift up staying on top of the top of the toes, should say the top part of the foot, root through the left foot, inhale, rise up. And just pause.

So you're lifting hips, chest. Creating space, so not just, not just pressing the spine up, but trying to broaden. And then tuck the chin, slowly lower on back down. Good. Take both legs out, draw the knees into the chest, take the knees wide, just a little rock side to side.

Good, taking the arms out wide. Slowly let the knees drop off to the right, gaze to the left, and you can bring the right hand to the thigh, and just let the hips get heavy, shoulders get heavy, and then soften. Good, inhale, come back up to center. Exhale, let the knees drop off to the left, gaze to the right. And then slowly come back up to center.

Let's bring the bottoms of the feet together, let the knees spread out wide, so Supta Baddha Konasana. Let the upper back just drop in, the palms face up. And then just allow your breath to soften. And tuning back in to what we chatted about in the beginning of class, about that idea that we can fill ourselves up with beauty and what that is for each of us is a really personal journey. And how we share that, how we radiate, and how we share our energy.

And just allowing yourself to take one leg at a time long and we'll just start to drop right into Savasana. So Savasana is that place where we were challenging ourselves to be ever so, so present. So not dropping out, but really tuning in. So as thoughts come up just let them go by, not hooking in. Not taking the ride for the list of what's to do or what's to come.

Just being right here, right now. And then taking a little deeper inhale. And full, complete exhale. Allowing your body to stay heavy. And you can start to wiggle the fingers, the toes.

And taking the arms up overhead, and big stretch, fingertips to toes. And slowly rolling to one side. Just taking a moment, and before you press up just taking a moment to tune back into those ways that you fill up with beauty. How you feel when you're in that place that you feel beautiful, and how you share that energy. Slowly pressing up to a comfortable seat, and you can keep the eyes closed down.

Let's take our left hand to the heart and the right hand over top and just lightly tucking the chin and bowing inward. Again, taking a moment for self-gratitude for making time out of your day to practice, just to make time for yourself. Thank you for practicing with me. So much love and gratitude and respect, Namaste.

Comments

Nanaco
3 people like this.
Strong and beautiful practice I like. Very helpful to open shoulders and increase shoulder strength before going to forearm inversion. Thank you, Brenda.
Deepti B
3 people like this.
Such a creative, beautiful,strong, flowing practice. I loved it. Thank you.
Frederic M
2 people like this.
Amazing flow, thank you Brenda!
Pascale M
1 person likes this.
This seemed way harder than "level 2" to me! I had to give up before the end.
Kira Sloane
Thank you for your level feedback, Pascale! xok
Kate M
1 person likes this.
A challenging and beautiful practice sequence. Great options... and I invented a few other options for myself too!! Thank you, Brenda!
Brenda Lear
Kate, I would love to hear about the options you invented. I love leaving space in my practice for creativity.
David S
Great quarantine class at home! You make it look too easy... thanks!

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