♪ Support for Yoga In Practice is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

♪ Welcome to Yoga in Practice.

I'm Stacey and I will be guiding you in your class today.

Take a good seat.

Close your eyes.

Enjoy your breath.

Several years ago, I decided to go skydiving.

But on the way up, I certainly had my doubts!

When I swung my legs out of the plane and took the leap, however, I had no regrets.

It was a beautiful experience.

At times, yoga poses can be challenging, because life can be challenging, as well, and our practice teaches us, how to take a leap when faced with fear or stress.

I have a saying when I practice, "“I like who I become when I try.

"” because it reminds me to cultivate this mental and physical fortitude.

The word in Sanskrit for spiritual practice is Sadhana, meaning "“to reclaim.

"” So, as you practice today, reclaim your power and hold a positive attitude!

Please open your eyes.

Joining us for practice today are Heinz and Jen.

Come to Table Pose.

Moving to your hands and your knees.

Take a minute, just to set this first pose up intentionally to inform the rest of your practice.

Wrists straight.

Finger spread evenly.

Walk the knees back slightly so you have length from your hips to your shoulders.

Take a deep breath in and when you exhale, soften and settle, sliding your arms into the shoulder joint and making more connection across your upper back.

As you inhale, please look up.

Arch through your back and reverse and round to cow.

Inhale.

Look up and arch.

And exhale.

Round.

Once again.

Inhale.

Follow your breath.

Open the throat, reverse and round.

Then come to neutral position.

Again, take a deep breath keeping your hips above your knees.

Take puppy pose.

Walking your arms, your hands forward.

Begin with your hands flat to the floor just to build engagement, strength into your arm muscles.

Then raise slowly to your fingertips.

and as you push your fingertips down, let the arms rise up away from your mat, lifting from the outer elbow, the inside edge of your shoulder and the outer edge of your shoulder blades Release down, letting the muscles between your upper spine, your upper back relax.

And then lower your palm.

Walk back and then up to table position.

Plant your hands.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale.

Inhale look up and arch.

Downward facing dog Exhale.

Your first downward dog So make any settle adjustments that you may need, making sure your hands stay well grounded and your feet are parallel.

If you need to bend your knees to create more motion through your hips and lower back please do that.

Otherwise, just bend your right knee and stretch more deeply through the left leg and then change, Left knee bending.

And do this a few times.

Just walking your dog in a stationary position.

Starting to warm up around your calves, your hips, hamstrings and building this kind of integration into your upper back.

Good.

And then extend both legs.

Take a deep breath.

Look forward and walk up into Uttanasana.

Plant your feet beneath your sit bones.

Spread your toes.

Bow over.

Lengthen down and then inhale.

Lift halfway from the hips to the shoulders, grow longer stretching through the spine.

And then raise your hands to your hips.

Pick up your shoulders again feeling the shoulder blades lift onto your back pushing through the heels, rise to mountain pose Tadasana.

Release.

Take a breath.

Good, let's open our shoulders a bit more.

Sweeping your hands around your lower back or you can hold a strap or a towel between your hands.

With the fingers interlocked, lift from the sides of the body, Take the head of your arm bone and draw it backward Pull your shoulder blades onto your back and taking those shoulder blades toward the front of your chest, hold all of that as you raise your hands up away from your back, opening the chest.

This is a shoulder extension.

Now, if you have any active shoulder injury It's fine just to keep your hands on your hips and just work on moving the shoulders back.

Please bend forward.

You can bend your knees here, if necessary.

Relax through the neck.

Keeping the shoulder blades lifted and pressing toward your chest.

From the front of your shoulders, extend up even higher through your hands.

Try to draw the center of your palms closer together.

Exhale.

Release your hands or your strap if you used one.

Breathe.

And then moving your hands alongside your feet, enjoy the breath and then step back with your left leg into a lunge.

Breathe.

And the bring your hands to your hips.

Taking a high lunge.

Lift through the side body.

Pull the shoulders back and then bend your left knee once again and lower it all the way down.

With the left knee remaining on the floor, raise your arms over your shoulders Hook your hands behind your head interlacing the fingers and then allow the head to gently push backward into your hands.

Take the head of your arm bone and bring it into the shoulder joint using your shoulder blades to get more lift through the chest.

Make the back of the neck stretch longer by gently tugging with your hands.

As you exhale, bring your hands back to your mat.

Lift the left knee and step to downward facing dog.

Extend...Enjoy your breath.

Plank pose.

Inhale.

Eight point pose.

Lower your knees the center of your chest, the tip of your chin and then pull yourself forward laying flat, rising into cobra pose.

Pull the shoulders back, keeping length in your spine and stretching back even through your toes.

Good.

Tuck your toes.

Shift to downward dog.

Walk forward to Uttanasana.

Breathe.

Strong legs.

Reclaim your power here.

Then moving your hands alongside your feet.

Step your right foot back.

Lunge long.

Align the left knee over your heel and then raise up bring your hands to your hips.

Pull down through the hips as you lift up through the side of your waist and then bending your right knee, lower the right knee onto the mat, kneeling lunge.

Raise your arms again.

Leaning back.

Interlace your fingers around the back of your head.

Slide your head gently back into your hands.

Pull up through the spine and then lengthen the back of your neck and see how far you can curl back keeping the legs steady and strong.

This is where good neck and shoulder alignment begin, at the roof of your mouth, the soft palate.

Bringing the head back, pull the shoulder blades onto your back and get more lift through the center of your chest.

Extend and make sure the back of your neck stays long.

And then exhale, release your hands back to your mat.

Raise the right knee.

Step to downward dog.

Push out.

Inhale to plank.

Exhale to push up or eight pointed pose and then rise forward to cobra, rolling the head of your arm bones back.

Good.

Exhale and lie down.

You're going to do a thigh stretch here.

So make sure you are all the way on your mat.

I'd like you to extend your left arm in front of you and then roll over onto your left side resting your head on the mat.

Bend your right knee.

Hold the foot with your right hand and join the knees together.

Scoop your tailbone forward and you should feel the right thigh starting to stretch.

Now you can remain here this is a little easier, not quite as strenuous on the knees.

So, please hold here if you need to.

If you'd like to go a little bit deeper roll back onto the front of your hips and belly.

Move the left arm in front of you.

Keep your knee pressing into the mat and bring your right heel closer to the outer right hip.

Rising up.

Spread the toes and make sure you have balanced weight across the hips, across the belly and then exhale.

Release the right foot back.

Let's change sides.

So, extending your right arm out in front of you, roll over onto your right side.

Rest your head.

Get balanced.

And then reaching around with your left hand, bend your left knee.

Hook the knees together and scoop your tailbone forward.

Stay here or lower onto your abdomen pushing your left knee down, rising up onto your right forearm and breathe.

Now pushing into the knee, rise up through the hip.

Feel the front of your thigh stretching.

Definitely feel the side of the hip pressing down and square up your shoulders.

This is called Eka Pada Bhekasana.

And then exhale and release.

Lower that foot back.

Take a deep breath.

Enjoy your breath.

And then extend your arms out in front of you, resting your forehead down on your mat.

Turn your palms in to face each other and just adjust your legs, picking them up and lengthening them and spread your toes.

As you inhale, I'd like you to raise your right arm and your left leg and stretch.

So, definitely using the muscles across your lower back here warming up through the shoulders, extending long out of your spine.

And then exhale and lower down.

Change.

Raise your left arm, your right leg and extend.

Make sure that your hip has not raised off the mat, that you're keeping your hips level and extending evenly from the inner and outer edges of your leg.

And then roll back down.

Let's move with our breath.

Right arm, left leg.

Lower.

Left arm, right leg.

Make the neck long and lower.

One more time, both sides.

Right arm, left leg and down.

Left arm, right leg.

Extend like you're flying and then lower down.

Cross your forearms underneath your head.

Turn your cheek to one side and just rest your head on your arms.

Keeping your knees planted on your mat, raise your feet and lower legs off the floor.

Allow your legs just to rock from side to side.

Just that gentle motion kind of loosening the muscles across your back.

Forward facing back bends are some of the healthiest poses we can bring into our daily life keeping our spine and lower backs happy.

So, let's do both legs and both arms.

I'd like you to lie back down.

Adjust the legs.

Bring both arms out in front of you.

This pose is called Superman.

So, root the outside of your hands.

Lift the arm pits up.

Hug your legs in towards each other and then raise both arms and legs, stretching out.

Spread your toes.

Elongate the back of the neck.

Raise your right leg a little higher.

Bring your left leg up to that.

Reclaim that power and fly, soaring out for your practice.

And then exhale and release.

Cross your forearms again.

Turn your head to the opposite side.

Lift your feet and your lower legs and let your leg sway from side to side, enjoying that motion, softening into your breath.

Rest your feet back down.

Place your hands beside your upper chest.

Pick up your shoulders.

Good.

Push to table pose.

Once in table re-adjust your hands.

Take a deep breath and just settle.

Arch the back and lift to downward facing dog.

inhale.

Raise your right leg.

Turn the lower abdomen and extending from the right hip through the right heel, stay steady and push your left hand down and forward more and notice if you get a deeper stretch in through your left leg.

Now, looking forward, slowly, gracefully step up to a lunge.

Take as many steps as you need.

We'll come to a high lunge or you can choose to modify this kneeling like Heinz will show.

Inhale.

Raise your arms.

Bring the arms alongside your head.

Press through your right heel.

Hook your hands behind your head like we did earlier, curling back, opening the throat, lengthening the back of the neck more and then release your arms beside your head, stretching open.

Soften your gaze.

I like who I become when I try.

Exhale, lower Downward dog.

Saddle.

We always just return to the balance that downward dog brings to us.

Let's prepare for the second side.

Inhale.

Raise your left leg.

Reach from the hip through the heel.

Keeping your hips and shoulders level.

Push through your right hand and then look forward and step up to a lunge.

Good come to kneeling if you'd like.

Inhale.

Raise to a high lunge, lifting your arms.

Breathe.

Put your hands behind your head and curl back using the hands to elongate the neck and lifting the chest, feel this back bend.

Release the arms.

Extending.

Pushing through the feet, getting stronger and more balanced.

Exhale.

Touch your mat.

Downward dog.

Step back.

Enjoy the breath.

Lower your knees onto your mat.

I'd like you to pick up a block or perhaps a thick book or if you have a dense cushion or blanket, you could put that between your knees, as well.

So, come up.

Hold the block.

It gives you something to focus on.

Something you can squeeze into.

Take your toes and tuck them under, raising the heels.

We're going into camel pose, Ustrasana.

This is a wonderful back bend and you're falling back.

So, there's this quality of taking a leap and facing something that may not always feel easy or comfortable.

So, spread your hands across your lower back.

Pull down.

Hug the block.

Lift through the side of the body.

Roll the head and the shoulders back and start to curl back over your waist.

Now you can keep both hands on your low back here, like Heinz will show or reach down with your right hand first to your right heel.

Left hand to the left heel.

Hug your block.

Open the heart.

Stretch your chest higher toward the ceiling without letting your head drop back.

Keep the back of the neck long.

And then inhale, rise up.

Exhale.

Good.

Sit down.

Move your block and bow to child's pose.

Rest your hands under your forehead.

Keep your hips rooted back through your heels.

You're just stretching open across your lower back.

Enjoy the breath.

You can even let your hips sway a little side to side.

Inhale.

Table pose.

Tuck your toes.

Inhale.

Look up.

And round to cat.

Feel that back stretching out.

Again inhale forward.

And round open space in your spine.

Once again.

Inhale forward.

Exhale and round.

Then move to a neutral table position.

Take your left foot and move it slightly to the side Raise your right leg off the floor behind you strong.

And raise your right arm forward.

Now, try to keep yourself level to the floor.

Sweep your right hand around bending your right knee, Take hold of the right foot.

Hug in.

Now, lift the foot up and push back as you open through the throat.

This pose is called Eka Pada Dhanurasana, a half bow pose.

Then gracefully release stretching the arm and the leg back out and lower down.

Table.

Shift your weight.

Take a breath.

Shift your right foot wide.

Raise your left leg.

Sweep your left arm forward.

Find your balance, first.

Then reaching around bend your knee.

Hold the left foot and rise up.

If holding your foot is not possible, it is fine just to bend the knee and raise it up, coming more into a modified form of the pose.

Square up your hips as best as you are able and then exhale and return to table pose.

Good.

Flatten your feet.

Open your knees.

Child's pose.

Settle back.

Notice your breath and notice how you feel at this point in your practice.

Just repeat to yourself, I like who I become when I try.

Good.

Please come back to a kneeling position.

Pick your chest up.

Come to kneeling and place the block back between your legs.

Now, this time you can flex the ankles like we did the first time, or tuck the feet flat so your toenails are down.

We're going to do one armed camel pose.

I'll give you places to stop in this pose if necessary.

Squeeze the block.

Push your thighs back.

Scoop the tailbone.

Lift through the waist.

Take your shoulders back.

Spread your hands across the small part of your back and curl back.

Spread your toes.

Good.

Now move your left hand to the inside of your left back.

Raise the arm up.

Stretch over.

Now, take your left hand to your left heel and reach.

And then inhale.

Rise up.

Take a breath.

Sit down on your feet.

You can close your eyes.

Feel how a back bend really energizes your whole body better than a cup of coffee.

Coming back up to kneeling, squeeze the block.

Hug it in.

Build strength.

Take your thighs back.

Pull your tailbone down.

Lift your waist.

Hands across the back.

Support yourself as you curl back as you lean back.

Lean back.

Lean back.

Move your right hand to the middle of your back.

Raise your left arm beyond your head and then if possible, take your right hand to your heel, taking Eka Hasta Ustrasana And then inhale.

Rise back up.

Pause...Good Clear your blocks.

Come to table pose.

Downward facing dog.

Walk your dog slowly.

And then walk forward into Uttanasana.

Pause.

Plant the feet.

Get strong through your legs.

Relax your neck and pause Let gravity just unfurl your back, feeling the lengthening from your hips to your heels from your hips through the top of your head.

Good.

Lift halfway.

Inhale.

Stretch.

Side of the body long.

Bend your knees and sit down onto your sticky mat.

Holding onto your legs, make sure you're slightly forward and then roll down onto your back.

Plant your feet and then raise your right leg, clasping your fingers around the right hamstring.

Keep the right knee bent.

Simply push your right leg deeply into your hands.

This pose Supta Pandangustasana is after a back bend, a good way to just lengthen and stretch the back.

Please raise your right foot.

If you can get your foot straight, your legs straight like Jen is showing, great, but if you need to keep the knees slightly bent, that's fine as well.

Just meet yourself as you are.

Bend the knee.

Plant the foot down and change sides.

Picking up the left leg, interlace your fingers.

Begin by just pushing your leg toward your foot toward the hands.

Soften your face.

Inhale.

Raise your heel.

If the knee needs to remain bent, please do so, Push from the foot down to the hip but extend the bones, so you're contracting and expanding in all poses.

Feel the breath to do that, as well.

And then exhale.

Bend the knee.

Plant the foot back onto your mat and open your arms sideways, rolling your shoulders back.

Lower both knees to the right side of your mat.

Just an easy simple supine rotation.

Breathe into your back.

Feel the shoulders open.

Soften your eyes.

Inhale.

Come back to the center.

Go to the left.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Back to center and bring both knees into your body.

Wrap your arms around your legs and rock side to side.

Let the back massage out.

And then extend your legs one heel off to each corner of your mat.

Shake your legs.

Shake your hands.

Wiggle your fingers.

Relax your jaw.

Close your eyes.

Marcus Aurelius said, You have power over your mind, not outside events.

Realize this, and you will find strength."

I invite you to remain here in Savasana for as long as you may wish.

When you are ready, to come out of this pose.

Just gently move, bending your legs one at a time.

Roll to your right side and then push yourself back to seated.

Take a good seat.

Bring your hands together in front of your heart and close your eyes.

Honor the practice, you have just done.

Sadhana.

Thank you for practicing with us today.

Namaste.

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