Lessons

Lesson Info

Sunday AM: Building Back Up

Welcome to Building Back Up. In this class, all you need is a yoga mat and your block. Let's begin whenever you're ready. (upbeat music) So go ahead and take a moment, find a seat, close your eyes. We'll begin the active movement part of the practice very soon but just take a few moments here to begin the journey. Allow your mind to quiet down a little bit. Allow your body to just feel at ease. Over the course of this practice you're gonna challenge yourself, you're gonna push yourself, and most importantly, you're going to build up a belief in yourself, in your capabilities. So keep that in mind. You are capable and you are free to explore in this practice. Find a natural rhythm of your breath, a rhythm of your breath that allows you to be comfortable and that you don't need to think about too much. It's not an overly controlled breath. It's a breath that keeps you aware. You're aware of your breath. You're aware of the moment. Just a few more simple breaths here. Allow yourself to ce...

nter. Allow yourself to enter this space to practice. Seizing the opportunity for self-discovery, for a heightened sense of awareness and for bringing a bit of joy and a bit of fun to your movement. And when you feel ready, find your way onto hands and knees. We are going to use a block in this practice. Put it up towards the top of your mat. Won't need it just yet. Eventually we will use it in the practice. When you got onto hands and knees, as always, just warm up the wrists for a few moments here, grounding the index knuckle down but circling in all kinds of directions over the base. So you're just moving freely around the hands. Keeping some action through the arms. Just allowing your body to wake up in space a little bit. You can feel free to sway the hips a bit forwards and backwards. Little zig zags up and down the mat. Find just a nice natural sway in your movement. And if you're ready go ahead and press the palms down. Find that static place, shoulders stacked on top of wrists. Body feeling very engaged, very active. And then tuck the toes, lift the knees off the ground. Don't worry if you're in a slightly shortened stance. Just kind of hold here, knees floating off the ground, very low. And then press the heels down. You're just in a shortened Downward-Facing Dog. See if you can really elevate the hips moving back, lengthening your spine. So don't feel like your ribs are chasing the tops of your legs. Instead, feel like the legs are running away from the ribcage. Through the power of the stretch of the legs you're really getting a bit more action and space through the spine. Ground the index knuckles down as much as you can. Then begin to walk the feet back. Walk the feet back. Walk the feet back. And all of a sudden, your short Downward-Facing Dog is turning into a very long Plank Pose. Your feet may even leave the mat. Your chest doesn't need to move over the wrists. The shoulders don't need to stack on top. But feel this nice, long, active plank. Your core is waking up but there's no pressure on the wrists. You almost feel like you're Superman here. And again, you can get as long as you want. So if you feel the need to wiggle your feet back even another few inches, that's where you're feeling the challenge, go for it. You are building confidence in your abilities throughout this entire practice. How long can you make this Plank Pose? Challenge yourself. Can you sit with it? If it's starting to burn, if it's starting to become too much, can you take two or three more breathes? The answer is yes, you can. And slowly walk your feet right back up into your normal normal Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, lift the right leg up to the sky. And exhale, bring the right knee to the right ribcage. Roll your body forward. And then gently drop the right knee down at the base of the right wrist. So the right knee lowers, not the right foot. Drop the left heel down. Inhale, reach your left arm up to the sky for a very long modified Vashistasana. Reach the left arm up to the sky. Really get long here, take an inhale. On the exhale we'll take Gate Pose so bring your left hand on top of the left leg. And then reach your right arm up to the sky so you're getting a nice side bending stretch here. Get as long as you can through the right side. Breathing in. And on your exhale, hands come back down to the floor. Roll onto the left toes. Press the left toes down so you get more and more action with the left femur lifting away from the ground. And then on your next exhale, pull the right knee up to the right collarbone, rounding through the upper back filling that space as much as possible. And then reach the right foot back to PlankPpose. Take an inhale in your Plank. On the exhale, lower to Chaturanga. We're gonna hold it here. So hold in your Chaturanga for seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Plank Pose. Drop the knees down. Sit the hips back so the forearm's low. Then inhale, pull your body up forward toward Upward-Facing Dog. Again, it doesn't need to be your biggest up dog of the day. In fact, it can be quite lazy, or a bit more like Low Cobra for a moment. So you just kind of warm your body up for the front opening. And then on your exhale, Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, lift the left leg up to the sky. On the exhale, the left kneescomes to the left ribcage. Sweep your left knee forward to the inside of the left armpit. And then drop the left knee down to the base of the left wrist. Drop the right heel down. Inhale, reach your right arm up to the sky. Opening. Feel a gentle press through the outer edge of the right foot. And as you begin to move toward the Gate Pose, the right hand reaches down the right leg. And you begin to reach the left hand up and back in space, lengthening your left side body. Elevating away from the floor. Leaning up and away. And then on your exhale, your hands come back down to the ground. Roll onto the right toes. Vigorous press through the right heel, going backward. Take the inhale here, hold in this space. On your exhale, pull that left knee up into the chest, rounding up as much as you can. Feeling your own power and your own strength. And then step the left foot back to Plank Pose. Take an inhale in your Plank. On the exhale it's Chaturanga again for a seven second hold. So keep your breath calm. You are capable of holding here for seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Rise back up to Plank. Drop the knees down as you sit the hips back. The form is low, perfect. Inhale, pull your body forward into Upward-Facing Dog or Low Cobra. Maybe it's a bit more of a full pose this time. You've already taken one. And on the exhale, you find your way back into Downward-Facing Dog. Feeling this new sense of awareness through the body. New engagement. Go ahead and lift the heels, bend the knees, feel the pull of the legs going backwards a bit. Moving the hips away from the chest. Very nice, and slowly walk your hands all the way back to your feet. Inhale, gently roll all up the way to stand. Lifting, reaching the arms up. Let the fingers touch. And then exhale, hands come right to heart center. Take an inhale here. And exhale, release. So your body is beginning to wake up just a bit. You're feeling more ready. You're feeling more capable. And the challenge ahead and the journey begins now. Inhale, reach your arms up. Exhale, fold. Walk your hands out to Downward-Facing Dog. Action through the arms. Pull the hips back up in space. Inhale with the right leg up to the sky. On exhale, right knee to the right ribcage. Sweep the right foot forward in between the hands. Drop the left heel down. Inhale, find Warrior II. Reaching through the arms, pressing through the outer edge of the left foot. Finding some depth in your seat. On your exhale, hands to the floor. Roll to the outer edge of the left foot. Point the right toes to the right. Drop your left hip down towards the floor. Reach your right arm up to the sky. And then press the outer edge of your left foot down, lifting the hips away from the floor. Pick the right foot up off the ground, pulling the knee up towards the right armpit, getting as long and tall as you can. And on your exhale, step the right foot back up to the top of the mat. Inhale, find your lunge. Reaching your arms up, getting long and tall. Feel your core lifting in your space, perfect. Exhale, hands to the floor. Sweep the right leg up and back to down to Downward-Facing Dog, a Three-Legged Dog variation. And then on your next exhale, draw a big circle with the right knee to bring it to the outside of the right ribcage, staying in your down dog. And then roll forward until the right knee is to the outside of the right arm. Lean the chest out. Lower towards Chaturanga. The right knee is wide. Press the hands down. Rising back up to Plank. Sweep the right leg up to the sky. Reaching through the right foot, let the right toes land near the left. Lift the heels, bend the knees, bend the elbows. Pull the chest all the way through into Upward-Facing Dog. Toes can stay tucked or untucked. And exhale right back into Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, the left leg lifts. Exhale, left knee to the left ribcage. Sweep the left foot forward to the left thumb. Drop the right heel down. Inhale, find your base in Warrior II. Lengthen through the arms. Press to the outer edge of the right foot. And then on your exhale, your hands come to the floor. Press into the palms, into roll to the outer edge of the right foot, pointing the left toes to face left. Reach your left arm up to the sky. Get long through your spine as you lower your right hip towards the floor. Maybe you feel the deep stretch in the outside of your right IT band or the left glute. Press the right hand down to lift the hips away from the floor. Lift the left foot up off the ground if you can, pulling the left knee towards the chest. If not, don't worry, give what you can. And then step the left foot forward to the top of the mat. Rising into your lunge. Pull the belly in, rise from the core. Reach the arms up, get long, get tall. Press through the right heel going back. Get as long as you can through the fingers. Take an inhale. On the exhale, hands to the floor. Press into the palms. Sweep the left foot all the way back up to your Three-Legged Dog. Anchor through the index knuckle. Draw a big circle with the left knee to the outside left ribcage and then roll your body forward, left knee wider than the left arm. Reach the chest out. Lower to Chaturanga, hold for a moment. Rise back up. Sweep back into your Three-Logged Dog. Set the left foot down next to the right. Lift heels, bend knees. Roll your body forward right into Upward-Facing Dog, toes tucked or untucked. And exhale back into your Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, lift the right leg up. On the exhale, right knee to right ribcage. Pull your body all the way up to the top of the mat. Right foot to right thumb, left heel drops. Arms open, Warrior II as you rise on the inhale. Feel the back left leg working. On the exhale, hands to the floor. Again, roll to the outer edge of the left foot. Point the right toes as much right as you can. Lift the hips high up for the start. Lower the hips down towards the floor. Lift the hips back away from the ground, grounding into the index knuckle. Pick the right foot up off the ground. The right knee lifts as much as you can. Flirt with your balance, staying with it, amazing. Step the right foot up to the top of the mat. Bend your left knee slightly so you can use your core to help you find your lunge. Reach your arms up to the sky. Press into your right heel. Work through the left leg as much as you can. On the exhale, the hands are to the floor. You're picking the right leg up, taking it all the way to your Three-Legged Dog. On the exhale, right knee draws a big circle to the right ribcage. Roll your body forward. Lower to the Chaturanga, rise back up. Three-Legged Dog, reaching the right foot up and back. Set the right foot down. Lift your heels, bend your knees. And on your exhale, press your body forward as you curve into Upward-Facing Dog on the inhale. And then exhale, roll back into your Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, lift the left leg up to the sky. On the exhale, left knee to the ribcage. Sweep the left foot to the left thumb. Ground the right heel down as the left foot lands. Open into Warrior II, moving from the midsection. Reaching through the arms with vigor. On your exhale, hands to the floor. Pivot both sets of toes to face left. Ground into the right palm. Reach your left arm up. Lift the hips as high up as you can, feeling the upper outer glute create space. Lower the right hip towards the ground. Sitting in towards the IT band stretch. Press the right hand down, lifting the hips up. Lift the left knee away from the ground. Lifting through the left leg as much as you can. Reaching through the left arm. Then step the left foot up to the top of the mat. Inhale, rise into lunge with a slightly bent right knee so you can move from the core strength. Then work your right toes to be part of the picture. Feel your body fully empowered, fully awakened in this space. On the exhale, your hands go to the floor. Sweep the left foot all the way up and back to the sky. Reach long through the left foot before you draw that big circle. Left knee to left ribcage. Roll your body forward, chest reaches out. Chaturanga, rise back to Plank. Pull the left leg back up to the sky as the hips elevate. Set your left foot down. Lift heels, bend knees. Mini bend to the elbows. Press your body forward, moving right into Upward-Facing Dog. And then exhale back into Downward-Facing Dog. Using this sequence, just warm your body up. Inhale, lift the right leg. On the exhale, right knee to the chest. Sweep your body forward. Set the right foot down. Drop the left heel down. Warrior II is your pose. Open through the arms. Anchor through the outer edge of the left foot. Engage the midsection of the body. Exhale, hands to the floor. As we've been doing, the toes point to the right. The right arm reaches, first the hips find their highest position, then the hips drop to their lowest position. On your next exhale, the hips lifting, the right foot floats. Maybe it's the smallest float. Maybe just your right big toe is barely touching the floor or the right knee is as high to the sky as possible. Either way, you step the right foot up to the top of the mat. You bend the left knee slightly. You inhale, grow into lunge. Reaching your arms up, getting as tall as you possibly can. On the exhale, your hands come to the floor. The palms land. The right leg is picked up and reaches towards the Three-Legged Dog. On the exhale, the circle of the right knee to the outside of the right ribcage. Your core is engaged and you sweep your body forward. Lower to the Chaturanga. Rise back up to the Plank. Sweep the right foot back and up. Set the right foot down. Allow your body to just move through into the Upward-Facing Dog right from the Downward-Facing Dog. Feeling the full range of your Urdhva Mukha Svanasana. And then exhale back into Downward-Facing Dog. Inhale, lift the left leg up. On the exhale, left knee to the left ribcage. Press through the right toes to bring the left foot to the left thumb. Drop the right heel down. Open into your Warrior II. Length through both arms. Press to the outer edge of the right foot. Breathe into your space on the exhale. Hands to the floor. Press into the palms. Point the toes to face left. Set yourself up as you reach the left arm up to the sky. Lift the left hip, amazing job. Feel the left hip elevating. Lower the right hip down towards the floor. On your next exhale, you rise. You rise up so much that the left foot floats to whatever the highest height it can find is. Your right index knuckle is grounded. You're giving what you have to give. You're building confidence and awareness in your physical capabilities to put in the work. The left foot steps forward. You bend the right knee, inhale, rise into lunge. Reach your arms up to the sky, get long, get tall. Find as much elevation through the fingers as you possibly can. On the exhale, the hands find the floor. The left foot sweeps up and back in your space. Three-Legged Dog. Circle with the left knee to the left ribcage. Gently feel your body moving forward. It's gentle because you know you have the strength to be here. Lower to Chaturanga. Rise back up to plank. Pull your hips back in space. The left leg reaches up. The left foot sets down near the right. Lift the heels, bend the knees. Pressing through the toes, moving from the chest, the inhale finds you into the up dog. And the exhale brings you back into Downward-Facing Dog. Slowly walk your hands all the way back to your feet. Pivot your heels and toes a bit wider and sit right down into a Yogi Squat. So toes point out in the same directions as the knees. Close your eyes and just take a moment here. So no matter your experience in the yoga practice, that flow is gonna wake your body up a little bit. You're active through the legs, you're active through the arms. Feel those sensations just radiating in your system. Feel your body just slowly waking up. When you're ready, set up for Bakasana or Kakasana, Crow Pose or Crane Pose. So if you're new to it, think about the knees going wider than the arms, elbows to the insides, so that it will keep you lower to the ground. You can reach the chest out easier. And then the feet float and they're closer to the ground. Or, if you're more experienced, knees on the backs of the triceps, vacuuming into your armpits. The index knuckles press down. The heart leans out, you look forward. Your chest moves forward. Your body fills the space. We're gonna hold here. So find a variation of Crow you can hold, even if it means a toe or two is on the floor. We're here, we're holding this strong, capable position because you are strong and capable. You can push through challenge. You can do things that break your patterns, that break your habits. If you usually only sit in Crow Pose for just a brief moment, or you go to a transition, can you be here, holding, connected, giving what you have to give? And then find a Squat. Sitting your feet back down. Create fists with your hands. Press the index knuckles together. Drop the backs of the hands to the floor. And then just begin to hug the forearms in as you lift the hips up a little bit. Sit the hips back down. Reach your arms out. Try and get long through the spine, even if it means your hips are just a little bit more lifted. We have one more long Crow hold to do so prepare yourself. Allow your mind to be fully connected. Allow your body to be fully active. Roll onto the toes. Let the hands land. Lean the chest forward, grounding into the index knuckles. See if you can lift from the belly. Reach the heart out. Lift the heels towards the butt, holding. Arms active, core engaged, heels lifted. Most importantly of all, breathing. Staying where you are. And then setting the feet right back down. Take a few breaths here. That could have been a lot at moments, it could have been stressful. But right now you're just where you began. You're just in the squat. The effort is past, the work is past, and you're still here. You're still just as capable as you were when we began. Maybe even more capable because you're more aware of your body. You're more connected to your breath. You're more in tune with the present moment. Straighten the legs, rise up to standing. Bind the hands behind the back. Chase the ground behind you, lift the heart. Lift the heart. And exhale, release. Bend the knees a little bit. Gently fold over the front of the legs. Padahastasana, so you're gonna slide the hands underneath the feet. Press the toes into the wrist creases. Lean the chest out. And on the exhale, pull your body down. Pull your body down. Create more length in the spine. Feel the hips lifting. And exhale, release. Gently walk your hands out to your Downward-Facing Dog. We are gonna use a block during this portion of the practice. Put your block at the very top edge of your mat. And it can be on the middle height or the lowest height. But just leave it there for now. What we're gonna do with it is very simple but essentially you'll need to figure out the best way for you to do the activity. Don't sweat it too much, it will be very straightforward. But find your Downward-Facing Dog. Feel reacclimated, connected with the legs, connected with the arms. Lifting your hips up and back in space. Press the index knuckles down. We'll let that be the anchoring point for the practice when your hands are on the floor. And then lift the heels and bend the knees. On the exhale, walk or float to the top of the mat. When the feet land, keep the feet a hips width distance apart. Sit the hips low. Catch the block in your hands. Inhale, rise up to Chair Pose. Reaching the block up, engaging the arms. And then sit the butt back further. Fold the chest towards the tops of the legs. Straighten the legs, set the block down. Inhale, halfway lift. Exhale, hands to the floor. Vinyasa, or skip it, find your way into Downward-Facing Dog. Staying smooth with your breath. Being connected and controlled in the activity. Press into the hands. When you get back to Downward-Facing Dog, look long. Lift heels, bend knees. Exhale, walk or float to the top of the mat. Feet always stay at hips width distance. Sit the hips low, catch the block, lift the arms up as high as you can so you're not only using this for strength, but you're using it to create flexibility. You're feeling your arms shake. Sit the hips back, fold over the tops of the legs. Gently set the block down. Straighten the legs and fold, Uttanasana. Inhale, Halfway Lift, Ardha Uttanasana. Exhale, hands to the floor, Vinyasa, or skip it, down dog. Staying with your flow. And remember, if you have a handstand practice you can always intensify by adding the handstands and the jumping. You're at your own rhythm. You're connected to your own pace. But when you get back to this Downward-Facing Dog, you're powering up the legs, you're staying with the movement and the momentum. Lifting the heels, bending the knees. And exhale, walking or floating to the top of the mat. Feet land hips width distance. Set the hips low, feel the insides of your legs engage. Catch the block. Lift up, reach the arms. Feel the outer arms closing your vision through the sides. Feel the outer arms closing the armpits. Feel the fingers reaching up higher. Sitting the hips lower, sit the hips back, to let the spine go longer as you fold and then gently set the block down. Straighten the legs. Inhale, halfway lift. Get long through the spine. Exhale, hands to the floor. Vinyasa, or skip it, down dog. Be free in your movement, alive and connected in your space. Every part of this process you're aware of. Lift the heels, bend the knees. The bottom of the exhale takes you into your Uttanasana. When your feet land, your hips sit low. You're catching the block. You're lifting up, getting longer, getting taller through your arms, sitting your hips back. Reaching the hands out. Setting the block down. Straightening the legs and folding. Inhale, Halfway Lift. Ardha Uttanasana. Exhale, hands to the mat. Vinyasa, or skip it, down dog. This is gonna be our last round here. Your body is probably very warm, very tuned in. So give this what you have. If you're not someone that usually jumps, try jumping this time. Empower yourself by giving yourself more options, things to play with. Lift heels, bend knees. Walk or float. Sit the hips low, reach the chest out, catch the block. Reach through the arms when you have the block in your hands. Press the index knuckles and lift higher, lift higher, lift higher. And then sit the butt back, reaching the arms forward. Press the index knuckles in. Slowly set the block down. Straighten the legs. Fold Uttanasana. Inhale, Halfway Lift, Ardha Uttanasana. Exhale, hands to the mat. Vinyasa, or skip it, down dog. And then when you get to down dog, roll your body forward. Move the block out of the way if you feel like it's gonna interfere. Lower all the way to the ground. Open your arms up like a T. Bend your right knee. Gently roll onto your left side as the right foot comes over and steps to the left side of your mat. Maybe even off your mat. To the outside of the right foot, pressing down. While it might feel nice, here's to bringing the right hand and just kind of press the inside of the right knee up a bit more. It doesn't take much, right, because most likely with the length of your arm it can only reach the inside of the right leg. So just giving you a little bit of help for elevation, for lower back relief. And slowly roll back to center. And you're just gonna go right into switching your sides. So remember, your body looks like a T on the floor. Bring your gaze to the left. Bend the left knee. Begin to reach the left heel up. And then step the left foot over to the right side. Letting your left foot leave the mat. You can keep your arms just like they would be, or you can bring your left hand to the inside of your left leg, pressing the left knee gently up towards the sky. And most likely, your left arm will only be able to reach some part of the inner left leg so that's your point of contact. Feel that press moving just gently to the right. Then slowly find your way back to center. Set your fingertips wide and in line with your chest so the arms are maybe off the mat. And then come back to center. Bring your fingertips in line with the chest but slightly wider than the mat. And then take a few rounds of Low Cobra here, so gently bring the chin to the chest. You inhale, lift your heart up and away from the ground. And exhale down. Inhale, lift your heart up away from the ground. And exhale down. Inhale, lift your heart up away from the ground. And exhale down. Let your body lay flat on the floor for a moment. And then locate your block. Put your block, let it sit right on your butt. That's gonna be the starting place and the finishing place for the block. But of course we have to have the moments of effort in between. So you're in your start. Reach your hands back, catch the block. Press the palms into the block. Try and not grip it. You may need to in the beginning depending on your current shoulder flexibility. But when you're here, press the palms, reach the hands back, lift the chest away from the floor. And then lift the feet away from the floor, Locust Pose. Holding here for 10, nine, eight, seven six, five, four, three, two, and one. Release, set the block back on the butt. Let your body lay flat. So again, the goal is to press the index knuckles into the block, but if you can't do that today, for whatever reason, don't worry, just hold the block. Don't pressure yourself, don't feel down. You're just exploring your capabilities. Catch the block again. Last round here, press the palms into it vigorously, as much as you can. Bend the elbows maybe in the beginning. See how that works for you. See how it helps you open through the chest a bit more. Then we're gonna reach the arms back. Lift the feet up, lift the heart up. Elevate in your space. Don't forget about your Mula Bandha. Holding, breathing, lifting through the shoulder. And release. Remove the block from your butt. Set it off to the side. Gently press back into Child's Pose. Feel your body lengthening out here. Moving away from the stress of the practice. You're in an introverted, calm, safe space. When you put yourself often into a position of challenge, or maybe a position of stress throughout this practice, then you're proving to yourself each step of the way that you can get through it, that you can do it, that you're fully capable of the activity and that no matter the challenge, you're still there when it's done. Allow yourself this brief moment to recharge your system. And then find your way back to Downward-Facing Dog. Feel the hips elevating, pulling back in space. Inhale, lift the right leg up to the sky. On the exhale, right knee to the right ribcage. Bend the left knee and then press the hips forward. Right knee coming to the right collarbone. Set the right foot down by the right thumb. Inhale, rise into your lunge. Reach the arms up. Be long and tall. Widen your stance slightly if you feel like it's too narrow. Bind the hands behind the back. Right thumb over left, press the palms together. Get long through the outsides of both wrists. Take the inhale here. On the exhale, fold the chest down towards the inside of the right leg. Try and keep your spine long. If your forehead comes to the floor, beautiful. If it doesn't, beautiful. You're good either way. Focus on those palms staying together. What can you do with your back left leg right now? Inhale to rise up. Keep the bind, stay focused. Keep the chest open. Step the left foot forward. Chair Pose with the bind. Sit into your Utkatasana. Pull your shins back, lift the heart up. The palms stay pressing together. Straighten the legs, fold over the top of the legs, reaching the bind out overhead. Exhale, release the bind. Shake your arms out. Inhale, rise up to stand. Lengthen the arms up to the sky. Let the fingers touch. On the exhale, hands come to heart center. Press into the right foot. Step the left foot over, back, and wide, setting up for Prasarita Padottanasana Toes pointing forward or just slightly in. Bend the knees a little bit to begin the folding motion. And then begin to sit the hips back as you drop the chest down towards the floor. When you reach the limitation of your fold, whether it's very deep or something that's a bit more shallow, feel free to catch the big toes. Lean the heart forward, and then pull the chest down towards the floor. Pulling the chest down. Hold here for a moment. Visualize your back being long and straight. If you'd like an inversion, feel free to take it. And don't rush it. Just find what you need. You're here for four more breaths. And then slowly, everybody's feet back to the floor. Pivot the left toes to face the back left corner. Bend the left knee deeply as you sit into your variation of Skandasana sitting left. In any variation that's comfortable. Working your range of motion. Sit Skandasana to the right foot. Taking your time in the setup for each of these poses. Really protecting your knees. Don't just dive into a deep range of motion because you think you should go there. Feel the posture. Slowly begin to pivot your hands towards your right foot as you roll onto the left toes. Drop the left knee down to the floor. If you can, drop the forearms down to the floor. Snuggle your body to the inside of the right leg to the best of your ability. And then walk your hands out longer. So walk your hands out as long as you can forward, reaching the chest towards the thumbs. And then tuck the left toes, lift the left knee off the ground, reach the chest out. So think about the left hip lifting but the right hip sinking. That will put them as close to level as you can muster at this moment. You can keep letting the hands reach forward, keep allowing your chest to reach out. Breathe into your space, stay with it here, feel all this action, all this engagement through the entire body. And slowly begin to walk your hands back underneath your shoulders. Drop your left knee down. Sit into a nice tall and long Half Splits. And you can inch the left knee back if you want. Allowing your chest to reach forward a bit. Close your eyes and just try and feel your hips being square and level. Your heart is reaching out. Your spine is long and parallel, maybe parallel to the ground. And then bend your right knee. Tuck your left toes as you lift your left knee off the ground. Wiggle the right arm underneath the right hamstring. If you know Koundinyasana II, feel free to take it. If not, just press into the hands. Pick the right foot up away from the ground and step the right foot back. And you'll meet in down dog. Of course, if you know the Koundinyasana II, think about the chest going forward, think about the right leg staying active on the back of the right arm, lifting the left leg with vigor, and then doing your best to shoot back to Chaturanga. And Downward-Facing Dog when you finish. Inhale, lift your left leg up to the sky. On the exhale, left knee to the left ribcage. Bend the right knee to allow your body to press off those toes and step the left foot to the left thumb. Rise into your lunge, growing tall. Mini bend in the right knee if you need it. Reach through the fingers. Get as long as possible. And then just like you did on the first side, bind the hands behind the back. Left thumb on top of right. Ground your left heel down. Reach the bind back just a bit. Then begin to fold the chest a bit inside of the left leg. Try and keep your spine as long as you can. Try and feel your heart lifted and reaching forward. Think about your skull going away from your hips. You're getting taller in your space. Your chest is dropping lower to the floor. You're breathing, you're connected, you're embracing every detail of this posture. The right toe's vigorous effort, the left heel grounding down, the chest reaching forward. Keep the bind, inhale, rise away from the left leg. You're back in your lunge. Step the right foot forward. Find Utkatasana. Sit the hips back. I know your biceps are probably burning but stay with it as best you can. Hold the Chair, engage your core. Focus on the other details of the practice. Straighten the legs and fold. Still keep the bind if you can. And release it. Feel the arms gently buzzing. Feel the legs surrendering to your work. And then inhale, rise all the way up. Moving hands to heart center. Press into the left foot. Step the right foot back and wide. Lining up for your Prasarita Padottanasana. Any variation you would like this time. So whatever variation of the Wide-Legged Forward Fold feels good to you, you give it a go. Any inversion that suits you, you give it a go. You're building into your confidence and your ability to do this practice, for your ability to work through the challenge. And also to embrace it, and have fun, and have joy in your practice. As you discover all these little unique awarenesses, there's like little ah-ha moments, something you didn't think you could do but all of a sudden you found the awareness, you found the strength, you found the courage to try. Wherever you are, three more breaths. And then pivot your right toes to face the back right corner of the mat. Sit into your Skandasana to the right. Just moving your own range of motion. Trying to keep your right heel grounded. Left toes can point up. Outer edge of left foot can press down. Sweep over to the left side. Point the left toes to the upper right corner of the mat. Play with the different foot variations on the right side but do what you need to do to keep the top of the right leg active. The quad is active, protecting your hamstring. And slowly you pivot towards the left foot. Wiggle the left foot slightly wider. Maybe the right foot goes slightly more towards the right side. Drop the right knee down. Gently bring your forearms to the floor on the inside of the left leg if you can. But again, you know where we're going so if you can't, just have the hands out in front of you. It does not matter. It is totally good either way. Find your space. And then from there, lift the right knee off the ground. Begin to walk your hands out as long as possible. Reaching your chest forward, press through the right toes. Let the left heel be your grounding point. The energy from the posture comes from the tips of the fingertips or the palms that are touching the floor, that are running back towards the midline of your body. The right toes are pressing down, elevating the right hip. That's energy running through those toes all the way up the back line of the leg to the midline of your body. Everything is moving middle, everything is connected, everything is engaged. And then slowly drop the right knee down. Walk your hands back underneath your shoulders. Pull your hips back in space. Sitting into your Half Splits, your Ardha Hanumanasana. And just like before, close your eyes here. Scan the inside of your body. How do you feel? Where are your hips? Where are your points of contact with the ground? Where's the stretch in the left hamstring? Can you feel your upper back moving towards parallel, with the floor, with your yoga mat? And then bend the left knee. Open your eyes, tuck the right toes. Begin to snuggle your left shoulder underneath your left hamstring. Again it's time for that Koundinyasana II if you want it. So press the palms down. Lift up, reach the left foot out to the side. And if you don't want it, you just press into the hands, straighten the left leg, step it back. If you do want it, of course. Your body is very awake, very prepared to practice the posture. Press the palms down, lean forward, sweep the left leg out, lift the back right leg up. And Vinyasa. Found your way back to Downward-Facing Dog. Press into the palms. Inhale, lift the right leg up to the sky. On the exhale, the right foot forward in between the hands. Let the foot land. Step the left foot up a touch. You're in a slightly shortened stance. Locate your block, put it underneath your left shoulder. Revolved Triangle Pose. Press the left hand down into the block underneath the left shoulder. Press the right heel down. Just reach your right arm up to the sky. And you can always adjust the stance to a stance that feels good to you. But think about your feet being hips width distance, your spine being long, your left hip elevating, your right hip pulling back in space. Of course, if you don't need the block underneath your hand, you don't have to use it. But I'd recommend it just because it really allows you to be more conscious of your hips and your legs. Also it makes the pose, in my opinion, feel just a little bit nicer. Exhale, right hand to the floor. Inhale, rise up. Bind the hands behind the back. Press the palms together, lift the chest. Stay here or slide the hands up into Reverse Prayer, our fists pressing together. The index knuckle grounds. The index knuckle is magnetized towards each other. And then fold over the right leg. So in the first variation we were very concerned about the spine staying long. Right here, right now, let it round. Let your head hang. Let your body go. Inhale to rise back up. Release your hands. Bend your right knee, bring your palms back to the floor. Set the block over to the side. Step the right food back to down dog. Inhale, lift the left leg up. On the exhale, left knee to left ribcage. Step the left foot forward to the left thumb. Shorten the stance. Bring your block up underneath your right shoulder this time. Really ground into your left heel. Pull your hips back in space. Reach the skull, the very top of your head, your enlightened place, as far forward as you can. Move your left hip back in space. Elevate the inside of your right hip. And then peel your left arm up to the sky. On your exhale, your left hand goes down. Inhale, rise up to stand. Bind the hands behind the back, left thumb on top of right. Feel the chest broadening. Widen the shoulders. Stay as you are here with the hands or bring the fists to press together a Reverse Namaste behind the back. Opening the shoulder. Widen the chest. Pyramid Pose. A few more breaths. Inhale, rise back up. Release your hand position. Bend the left knee, set the block off to the side. The palms press down. Step right back to your Downward-Facing Dog. Press into the palms, look towards the top of the mat. You're going to walk or float right into a squat. Let the heels land wide as the wrists. Sit the hips low. The toes point out to the sides. Sit in a slightly more upright position right now so you're more in a wide Utkatasana. Then bring the right hand behind your back, onto your right ribcage. Bring your right elbow to the inside of the right leg. And then just sit. Stretching the right shoulder. You can bring your left arm to the inside of the left leg. Pressing in if you need to relieve the stretch or dropping the left shoulder more towards the floor to intensify. Inhale, lift the hips halfway up. Allow the right arm to slide free. Bring your left hand to the back of your left ribcage. The left elbow to the inside of the left leg. Then again, just sit down. You don't need to sit down very far here. You're only working the range of motion that suits you. Nothing needs to be complicated. And again, if this is a bit too uncomfortable for your shoulders, you can just sit in the squat. It's good either way. Let your body hold the position. Again, the right forearm to the inside of the leg. Open the hips a bit more to move the pressure out of the shoulder or the right shoulder dropping down and in. Inhale, rise the hips halfway up. Release the left arm. Sit the hips down into your squat. Get long through the spine. Feel free to stay right here just as you are. Or if you'd like to take the shoulder stretch with both arms at the same time. Again, completely not required. But if you're feeling you need some nice shoulder relief, bring both hands onto the back, the right arm to the inside, the left arm to the inside, and then just sit down. And whenever you finish, straighten the legs. Release the arms. Let your body hang heavy. And then gently sit all the way to the floor. Allow your legs to extend out in front of you. Roll onto your back. Take just a moment here. You're almost done with the work of the practice. Feel all the new sensations you've awakened. If you have confidence in your ability to take on a challenge, to move with freedom, to move with grace, to pay attention to the subtle details. And then step the feet up like you would for Bridge Pose. Notice that naturally presses your lower back into the floor. From here, lift the shoulders off the ground. Reach the hands forward. Extend the legs out in front of you. Ground your lower back to the floor as best you can. Pulling the belly button in. And then see how low you can take the legs towards the floor but if the low back leaves, you have to lift the feet back up. Channeling this hollow body position. And release. Extend the legs out in front of you. Reach the hands forward. Gently roll up to a seat. Feel that lower belly connection. Lift the core, fold over the tops of the legs, Paschimottanasana. Reaching the heart out in front of you. And then walk the hands back until the palms are just behind the knees. We're getting towards the L set preparation so instead of the heels ever leaving the floor we're just gonna press the hands down, tuck the chin to the chest, and pull the heels back towards the hands as much as possible. If it's more comfortable for you, you can step off to the side of your mat, but again, completely not required. Squeeze the legs, feel the tops of the legs and the ribcage as glued together as you possibly can. Press the palms down, tuck the chin, lift the butt, and then pull the butt back in space for 10, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Set everything down. Two more, just like that, giving all you can these final closing efforts. The palms go flat, the chest leans forward. Squeeze the legs. They're active, they're connected. The palms press down. Pull the knees up towards the collarbones. Chin to chest, go now. Stay with it. And set everything down. Take a moment, one last go. One final challenge. One final pursuit of your own physical power. The palms go flat. Get yourself mentally ready, you can do this. Ground the hands down, take the inhale. On the exhale, every bit of energy you have, rise now. And set it down. Amazing work, that was incredibly challenging to do. Locate your block. Roll onto your right side. Sit on the block with just your right butt cheek. And then gently roll onto the block a little bit. Tuck your left foot underneath, Half Hero's Pose. You can even take the Reclined Half Hero's Pose here. But just sitting on the block will help you protect the foot a little bit. If you have no problems with the foot or the left knee, by all means, feel free to not use it. But from a lot of the stuff that I see, people actually find it a bit nicer to elevate one of the hips. And you can stay upright if you fancy it, or you can just begin to sit back and fold backwards. Dropping your head down towards the floor, opening the body. Just do what feels good to you. If it is more of your interest, you can also fold forward over the right leg, or sit upright. You're back into your breathing pattern. And especially if those L set preparations took it out of you, let your body relax here. You've completed the task at hand. You did a fantastic job. You gave what you had to give, and you've made it to the other side. You've made it to the completion of the journey. Something to be proud of. Something to feel accomplished about. Rise up to center. Then step your right foot close to your chest. Try and get as long and tall as you can here. And then catch the right big toe with the right index and middle finger, or catch the right heel with both hands, and just begin to extend the right leg up to the sky. Your lower back may round a bit. Just keep trying to get long through the lower back. Feel your chest lifting up. You're getting as tall as you possibly can. You're elongating every limb but without much effort. Just with a nice, simple grace, a nice, simple ease. Your body is in harmony. Slowly release. Now when you're ready, switch your side. So roll onto the right a bit more. Switch the block to be underneath your left butt cheek. Roll onto the left. Tuck the right toes. Ardha Virasana, Supta Ardha Virasana. Find what serves you. Folding back, sitting upright, folding forward. It's all good either way. Enjoy your relaxation. Enjoy the opening that you're finding in your body. And whether you're just laying back, sitting up, or folding forward, every breath is bringing you to a more calm state of mind. Slowly, on your next inhale, find your way back up to the seat. Step your left foot in towards the block. Get long and tall through your spine. Catch the left big toe with the left index and middle finger. Or, if you'd rather, catch the left heel and just begin to straighten the leg. Lifting the chest up towards the foot. Feel your left hip rolling down. Doing this nice last active hamstring stretch. And release. Set the left foot down. Move the right foot from out underneath the block. Remove the block from underneath your hips, but you may use it in a second. So I gave you the opportunity here to take one back bend. You can take a supported bridge using the block, putting it on the mid height, just as the very base of sit bone. Allowing you to sit up nice and comfortably and be supported. Of course, if you fancy Urdva Dhanurasana, the Wheel Pose, or a normal Bridge Pose, by all means, feel free and take it. But your one final back bend for the practice today. Set the hands, set the feet, and rise. Wherever you are, lower down. Find Supta Baddha Konasana, the feet pressing together, the knees splaying open. Close your eyes. Feel every sensation just running through your system. And just let your body relax in this pose. This will be the last thing that we do for this morning practice. There will be no more change. Unless, of course, you'd like to extend your legs for your full Shavasana. If you'd like to elevate the hips here in Supta Baddha Konasona of course you can take the block and put it nice and underneath the hips. Just giving you a slight back bend, a slight elevation. A little bit more opening through the hip flexor. Wherever you are, you're just relaxing. Visualizing the room that you're in and how your body is positioned in that room. You are here, you're laying on the floor. You've taken the opportunity to challenge yourself, to push yourself, to believe in yourself. Not only are you creating new strength and new flexibility, but you're taking care of your body. You're taking care of your mind. You're finding this time for self-care. And you're just relaxing into it. And you just begin to repeat one phrase in your mind. Because right now you don't have to be anyone or anything. Right now, you don't have a social identity. Right now, there is nothing you need to do. Right now, you're free of obligation. So in this moment, you are free. Begin to repeat this mantra in your mind. In this moment, I am free. In this moment, I am free. In this moment, I am free. Let this mantra put you into a deep relaxation. Because you're trusting yourself, trusting the moment, trusting the universe. Feel your body being filled with a warm, calming energy. Let go of control of your breath. Let go of control of your mind. And watch yourself moving to complete freedom and connection with the source of every fiber of your essence nature connected with every fiber of the unique being that you are. Feel free to say in this Shavasana for as long as you'd like. Namaste.