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Day 25: Leg Strength

If you've taken a yoga class before, you probably realized it takes a lot of lake strength in flexibility. This class is really gonna help you strengthen the quads as well as the hamstring so that you could support the body and open it up to so that we get more motion, more movement so that those warrior poses Crescent Chair opposes all become a lot easier. Let's start at the front of the mat in a nice Ford fold. Take the feet roughly about hips. Distance apart. Pull the inner thighs out. Make sure that the outer edges of the feeder parallel with the mat, soft bend in the knees. Relax the belly onto the top of the thighs. Release ahead. Release the crown. Release your arms, slow down like gravity through a little bit of work in the opposite direction. This is one of my favorite ways to start any classes just along. Ford full to really, really sous mine and open up my hamstrings open up my low back and the more that were relaxed more that we release into our Ford folds, the more benefit...

that we get from it, and also the more we could come into a little bit of Protti ahora this, this drawing inward of the senses, getting rid of the outside distractions uses, poses. You know, it's an amazing inversion. It doesn't have to be a handstand headstand, you know, to get the benefits of being upside down. Just a nice long forward fold. Slow down a little bit more into the breath. Shake the head. Yes, shake the head. No, roll out the neck. Inhale. Come up halfway. Bring the right foot to the center of the mat. Step the left foot to the back of the mat. Lower the left knee down. Slide the hands back, sink the hips ford. And now bring the hands to the top of the right thigh and sinking. Pull the shoulders back, Open the chest up. Now, if this is too much for you, you could always take blocks along the side of the body. This is really nice to to help kind of support into it. Open off a little bit more, sink down a little deeper, he was. Want to think, moving forward into the hips. We open up a little bit more into the front body. If you're working towards splits Holloman, Austin or anything like that. You have to have the so as and hip flexors open toe work into that post. So really sink deep and into this post. Shift the hips back straight in the right leg. I like to keep my hips above my knee this way. Could really draw the right hip back in length of my heart. Ford. I see a lot of times people in the house splits like this, which not that there's anything wrong with that. But I feel a lot more benefit when I'm up. And I could really work the length Ford. If this is his deepest, you can go. This is his deepest. You can go If you could take a little bit farther. Think of drawing the chest forward over the top of the right shin or maybe the chin for take it to your degree around down through the spine. Ben. The right lake. Step the left foot forward right back into our ford. Full. Take the feet a little bit wider pail of the outer edges full down. Maybe your forward folds a little bit deeper as the hamstring starts open up. Maybe you feel a little difference between the right leg in the left leg. These are all things that I really like to pay attention to in the bodies. I moved through my practice that I open up one side. You know, I think, does this side feel any different? Did I do anything that actually helped Was a benefit to my body? Inhale. Lengthen up halfway. Step the right foot to the back of Matt. Lower the right knee down. Slide the hands back again. Bring the hands the top of thigh. If it's too much on the knee. Put something on the near. Used the blocks. Sink the hips down. Open the shoulders up Dr the right thigh into the mat. Sink down a little deeper straight in the left leg and keep the right hip above the left knee. Pulled a in her left hip back. Take the right thigh bone. Ford. Lengthen the heart over the top of the left shin as you full down into it. Used blocks. You need to if you're really tight, maybe you're up here. It's not about how deep you go. It's about feeling the stretch through the hamstring completely, not just not just that the attachments and maybe even a little bit into the I t. Man. That's why we work this pullback. Create a little traction with the left heel and round down inhale, Come up halfway, plant the left foot, step the right foot for right back down into our Ford fold. This time, I want you to take the big toes together and separate the hell slightly. Look down at the feet. Make sure the outer edges the feet are lined up with the outer edges of Matt. This actually sets up the rotation through the lake so that the inner thighs or spiraling slightly out the outer thighs air coming in were grounded. The femurs or set up nice and straight into the hip sockets into the acid tabula roll deaf. Bend the knees if you can keep the the hands down that Polish ins back, going to find a little tuck of the tailbone. Disengages core. Reach the arms. Four. To wrap the triceps in. Come into this chair post, right. A lot of us we come into chair pose. We have this big swoop through the back. This means that we have no core engagement. That are cores loose. It also means that we're taking a lot of it into the low back. Bring it out of the low back and bring it into the core. Talk the tailbone slightly, really. Think of a neutral spine and sink down. I'd rather have students have good, strong spine and be up out of their pose and be super deep like this, Right? This doesn't help you. Pullback. Press to the He'll stand up. Reach up again, tucked tail and engage the court. Bring the palms to the heart, find share, pose again. Sweep the math, pulled the shins back, wrapped the triceps and pulled the shins back. Talk to tailbone. Engage the core. Bring the hands down. Lift the hips up, Inhale. Lengthen up halfway planted palms. Gonna step right back into downward facing dog a little bit modified from Avignon. Ossa really focused here more on working through the legs than anything else throughout the triceps. Under no down dog. Doesn't matter if the heels air down or up, just trying apparent like hide the toes or hide the heels behind the toes with the inner thighs up. Wrap the try steps down. Step the right foot forward. Now, if you have toe pick the foot up to take it there, you have to pick the foot up. Eventually, over time, you'll learn how to lift up and engaged to the court where you could just set the foot Ford. But right now, do what you can sit in the back foot out of 45. Want the feet on separate tracks were gonna come into warrior one. So pull the right hit back slightly left it forward. Really ground down. Don't worry about how long or how short the stances Warrior wants a closed hip Postal. Come in. Square the hips off, sink a little bit deeper into the right leg. Engage the core reaching arms. Ford can find the scapula. US. Reach out, rafted triceps under. Lift the arms up. Sink a little bit deeper. Engage into the legs. Squeeze the core. Plant the hands. Step back downward facing dog Step the left foot Ford. However, if you have to lift a hand, bring it up there. Get it up there. Spend the back foot out of 45. Maybe find separate tracks. Pull the left hit back against square the hips off here press firm into the outer edge of the right foot. The toast should be slightly on angle. I really like this, Matt, because it gives me angle lines. You know of how to put my feet and where I'm at. Sink a little bit deeper down into the legs. Pull the left hip back right hip. Ford talked The tailbone. Engage the core. Reach the arms. Ford wrapped the triceps under. Reach the arms up Warrior one post Plant the hands, Step it back. Downward facing dog. Take a few breaths and down. Dog, step the feet forward. Take the big toes together, heels apart. Bend the knees. Reach the arms up, wrapped the triceps under pulled oceans back Slight talk of the tailbone. Engage a court. Pick the toes up slightly just so that you know that the weights not Ford, were not leaning forward into it. But we're sinking back. Press through the heels. Rise up palms to the heart. Find chair pose again. Touch the mat. Politicians back. Tuck the tailbone. Reach the arms up, wrapped the triceps under sink down a little bit. Lower plant the hands Ford fold, inhale. Come up halfway, exhale, Step back downward facing dog step the right foot forward. Take the back foot out of 45. Square the hips off, reaching arms, Ford and up. Warrior one. Sink a little bit deeper into the right leg. Pull the right hip back. Gaze up between the palms. Open up the back body. Plant the hands. Step back downward facing dog step the left foot Ford. Spend the back foot at 45. Pull the left hip back. Reach the arms up. Sink deeper into the lake. Lift the inner right thigh up, wrapped the triceps in. Pull the Corrine plant the hands step back. Downward facing dog. Go from one more. Let's just set it up with the deep inhale, Open the mouth and exhale. Step two feet for Keep the big toe together heels apart. Set the feet. Upset the base up. Squeeze the inner thighs. Sink the butt down. Polish ins. Backtalk the tailbone. Good share pose. Reach the arms up, wrapped the triceps and engage through the court. Press it. He'll stand palms to the heart Share post. Bend down. Pull the shins back. Tuck the tailbone. Reach the arms up. Engage the core Fold four. Inhale halfway up. Plant the hands back to downward facing dog. Step the right foot Ford. Spend the back foot at a 45. Come into Warrior one pulled into right. Hit back. Pull the lower ribs and reach the arms up. Bend into the right knee. Really engaged. Plant the hands. Step back downward facing dog step the left foot Ford. Spin the back foot at a 45. Pull the left hip back. Ben left knee. Rise up. Make sure the knee is not coming up in front of the shin. Are in front of the ankle that were directly above it. Not over it. Reach the arms up. Try Simpson. Engage gauge in the core. Plant the hands. Step back, downward facing dog. Bring the knees down to the mat. Sit back on the heels of you breasts into child's pose. Rest the forehead down on the mat. Take the arms back. It's a few breaths. Slow down into the breath. You know, moving through a serious like that gets the heart pumping up a little bit, which is really, really good. But we always want to make sure that the breath is staying present, that we're breathing through it that were nice and controlled. This is how we do our practice. When you're ready, come back up next. A little bit of moves is gonna be pretty challenging. Ah, I challenge you to not use a chair or a stool or anything. But if you're having a lot of trouble with it, I'm gonna show you how to use a chair for assistance. And then, you know, when you're way off of, it's just like training wheels, we have them there so that we could use them. You know, when you ride a bike, you put the training wheels on and you go for it. And then once you start to learn the movements, you're like, Oh, I can do this. You take the training wheels off. So don't worry about if you need to use a store something. Know that eventually you know that will go away and you'll be rocking it. So come on to chair post. You use the stool here, if you like alongside and really all this is going to be is for a little bit support again, we're gonna we're gonna take our chair just a little bit wider, is gonna make a little easier, but you still want the same concepts of the feet, the outer edges of the feet lining up with the mat. The toast slightly pigeon toed sink the butt down, reaching arms up into chair pose. Now he could use the stool here. If you're using the stool, bring the other hand to the top of the fire. May both hands or just reach it. Ford. Lift the heels. We'll bring the knees down to the mat, right? Take the heels back, reaching back up chair pose or this wide. You know skiers post. We'll try it again. Maybe try it without the chair. Lean for trust yourself. Know that you can do this. Lift the heels up. Send the knees down to the mat. Sit the heels back. Bring it back up. Share posts. We'll go for four more. Slowly lift the heels. Send the knees down. Sit back on the heels. Take it back up to chair. Three more knee's down, up. Bring it back. Share two more. Bring it back. Last one chair pose. Then the knees fold for you. Push that off to the side, and I needed just yet. Hang down. Relax on halfway up. Plant the right foot between the hands. Take the left foot to the back of the mat into crescent lunch. So crescent lunges a little bit different than Warrior warrior poses. We have the back foot turned into 45. It's a little bit harder to keep the hips square, but it's really a nice way to open up into the hips. Crescent lunch, the hips. Or it's a little easier to open up into the hips or keep the hips square. But now we're worrying Maura about opening so much in the hits but opening up into the front body. So to start this, we're gonna tuck the tailbone, engage the court, keep the back knee bent. Lift the heel Ford. When you have the core engaged, we want to think about lifting the back me up. This way, we're opening up into the front body, right, just like we are in low lunge we are or low crescent. We are in high crescent, so lift up. Engage the core. Reach the arms up, bend the left knee, starts sending it down to the mat. Keep the core controlled, touch it down, lift it back up will do this for five. Slowly. Lower down. Really engaged into the left leg for four. You'd always use the hands of the side body lower down or if you need support, you know, use a chair stool behind you to one. Pick it up. Step forward. Fold for inhale. Lengthen up halfway. Exhale. Step the right foot back. Rise up again. Control the core. Talk the tailbone down a justice stances. You need to bend the back niece and the hell for once he have this in the core engaged. Lift the right knee up reaching arms. Ford and up wrapped the triceps in. Start to bend into the right lake. Lower down. Nice and slow and controlled the touch. Pull it up for five. Lower down. Four Lower down. Three to last one. Step four. Fall down. Inhale up halfway. Step the left foot back back into crescent. Reach the arms up again. You could always use a chair. Still for stability, press into the right foot. Stand up. Draw the left knee into the chest for five. Reach back Crescent lunch. Take it back again. You could use this. Four three to a little of balance of that one last 11 step back. Step forth. Step the right leg back square off the hips, reaching arms up. Or use your chair. Pull the right knee into the chest for five. Step it back. Four. Bring it back. Three to one. Step forward. Stand up. Nice and tall. Talk to tailbone. Engage the core again. You could use your stool or chair for balance. Come into a single lake. Standing post, sort of Stand on the right. Lake. Reach the left leg. Ford, I just want to stand up. We're gonna take the leg down. Keep the Legace straight as we can. Maybe set the hell down. Or let the hell hover and then lifted up. Keep the hands of the hips or on something. Supported. Go for five. Lift. Engage the quad for three. Little shaking is okay to last one. Its highest you can do and hold for five. Four, three to one. Set it down. Other side hands with hips. Or use your stool for support. Reach the right lake up. Chest up. Tailbone tucked slowly lowered down. Lifted up for five. Slowly. Lower four. Slowly lower three to one and hold for five. engaged for chest Ford three to one. Set the foot down. Shake the legs out, come into chair pose. Lift the heels up. We're going to do this nice and smooth like a ninja. Sink it down onto the heels. Bring the knees slowly down to the mat. Now he grab a block, take the feet a little bit wider than the hips. This really depends on the flexibility of the quads. You know, we start sit down on the block here and two heroes post. If you're not feeling anything here, you know we could go deeper. If you're feeling a lot, you always make the block higher, but let's say you're not. You take a block down, make it lower, sit down a little bit lower, or maybe take the but straight down between the ankles. Sit up nice and tall again, stretching out. The quads is so important for the health of our knees when the quads were tight. That means that all the pressure is happening in the knees. Ah, you know, if we're moving into something and let's say we stepped wrong or we do something wrong where we don't have enough flexibility to the quads to give that give what's going to take the damage is going to be your crucial Luke. Ligaments. Um, cl your a c l. You know you're gonna end up with a tear or, you know, blow out a knee cap or something like that. And that's all due to having tight quads. If you want to prevent any injury, you need to loosen up the quads. If this is feeling good for you and you could take it a little bit deeper, maybe come back onto the forms again on Lee. Take it to where you feel comfortable. If you stretch too quick and too deep and you're not ready for it, you're gonna find injury. And that's not, you know, it's not safe. An advanced practitioner is somebody that understands their body, someone that doesn't hurt themselves in the practice. Maybe he come all the way back. Wherever you're at. It's going to slow down and breathe here for a few, if you can. If you went all in to recline hero, slowly ease your way up. Come on, two. Hands and knees. Shake out the legs, cross the ankles, sit the butt down, reached the lakes Ford give him a little shake. Pulled the left healing left foot into the inside of the right thigh. This is called head to knee pose. Or John, you sure shot Cena. You'd use a strap here. You know, just depending on your flexibility, strap is always one way to do it to help pull it down. If we can't reach our foot, you know, helps us lengthen out through low, low back. I really I prefer to bend the knee first because I feel like this is a safer and healthier way to do it. And then you just feel the body. And when it feels ready, you start. Straighten the leg, Maura, until he could come down and what's he come down? Don't think about bringing the head to the knee. Even though it's called head to depose. I want you to think first about bring the forms down to the mat. When I started yoga, I was like, forms down to the mat like That's impossible. Like who could do that? That sounds ridiculous, you know, because I was so far away, but then eventually got lower lower so I could really come down, you know, now, forms down to the mat. Head down to the Met, you know, doesn't doesn't feel like much, but it took years, took years. It took time, but it happened. Flexibility was never something that came easy to me. You know, it's something that I've worked and I've taken the time. But because of that, I feel so much stronger and more mobile. You know, it's really I can't I can't speak enough about how important flexibility is and how much you need to work it, and he'll come up straight in the left leg out. Pull the right foot in again. If you need to bend the knee, bend the knee, use a strap. Whatever works for you. Lift the chest up. Come forward, you know, think about forms down to the mat first that may be head down. Maybe could even reach out and extend and grab and do all of it together. Let's take the time. Don't don't feel like you need to rush the practice. Hamstrings take a long time to open up its one of things. That's just, if you give it the time, it'll it'll be. It'll be great for union won't injure yourself. It'll feel good. This stretch will feel good if you If you go into it, you feel pain. It's going to be a nightmare. One of the biggest injuries that beginners get is tourney hamstrings and or its horn hamstring attachment. It's because they don't know how to back off. They just there to goal oriented. You know. Don't be one of those practitioners. You know. You could be a beginner practitioner with an advanced mindset. Inhale. Come back up, Reach the legs out, pressing the heels. Come onto the back colonies in little massage out of the sake and roll it out straight in the lakes. The toes point out. Open the hips up a little. Shake through the feet. Set the palms down. Roll the shoulders under deep inhale. Open the mouth. Exhale. Spend an extra two or three minutes in Shabbas. Nina. You know, working legs could be really strenuous takes. It takes a lot out of you. And it's one of those things that when you work it, you really feel that you feel the quads cook and you feel the hamstrings burning. I know that it takes time, you know. Stick with it. Stay dedicated. The practice does get easier on you will get stronger. Thank you for allowing me to share my practice with you with love and gratitude. Low cost Almost a Suki nobleman to mail being to be happy and free home. Shonte Shonte Shonte must a