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

♪ Hi.

My name is Stacey and I'll be guiding your practice today.

Sit well and enjoy your breath.

I invite you to close your eyes.

And settle.

Every time you move your body in a yoga posture you have the opportunity to experience yourself in a particular way because each pose taps into a specific aspect of who you are.

In the yoga tradition, it is recognized that we are made up of the five elements, space, earth, water, fire, air.

The elements not only influence our body and its constitution, but also govern our mind, emotions, and the way we learn.

We will focus on three elements today.

Space teaches how to have an open mind, Earth teaches steady commitment to a task, and Water teaches us how to be patient.

Let's begin.

Joining our practice today are Juliet and Greg.

Please come to your hands and knees and we'll begin in table position.

Look down.

Position your hands well.

Spread your fingers evenly apart.

Make sure the wrists are straight.

And then as you press down through your fingertips, build strength up your arms into your upper back.

Now take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale, allow yourself to settle.

Feel more connected into the steady support of the earth.

Walk your knees back just a little bit, getting some more space through the waistline and flatten the tops of your feet onto the mat.

With your exhale, sit backward onto your heels, extending and stretching through the back.

Inhale.

Draw forward.

Exhale.

Sit back and enjoy the breath, stretching slowly through your back.

Inhale forward.

Exhale backward.

Inhale draw forward.

And take a breath and pause.

And settle.

And now tuck your toes.

As you inhale again, look up.

and create arch through the back.

Open your throat.

Exhale.

Reverse and round, pushing into the earth, lifting your back.

Inhale.

Flow forward.

Look up.

And exhale.

Tuck in, round.

Inhale.

Look forward and arch.

And round in one more time.

Inhale and pull forward.

Keeping your toes tucked in the gentle arch through your back.

Please raise into downward facing dog.

The first thing make sure that your hands and feet have enough length between them, so that you're stretching out through your arms and your legs.

And then walk your feet apart, placing your feet as wide as your ankles.

Please bend your knees.

Open your knees apart.

Keeping the knees as wide as your ankles, focus on the inner thigh and reach your inner thigh up higher and press the inner thigh back.

And then as you feel that, notice the lower back curve in and slowly, slowly press your legs a little straighter.

With your wide feet here in downward dog, this is definitely much more of a hip pose.

More water element here, a widening across the hips and the lower back.

Still remain connected to the earth.

And then looking forward, keeping your stance wide, please walk forward to the front end of your mat.

The feet remain parallel Now, bow over.

Lengthen your neck.

Good.

Breathing through the feet, please lift halfway forward extending out.

Bend your knees and come into downhill skier, resting your elbows across your thighs.

Now, take a deep breath here.

Feel the feet connected to the earth.

Sweep the hips back and wide.

Rise up through the spine.

And then draw your arms backward next to your hips.

Open through the heart and then rise up to standing.

Inhale.

Good.

Fold your hands.

Lower the hands to the heart.

And walk your feet in beneath your sit bones.

Check that your feet are parallel.

I invite you to raise and spread your toes, making a deeper steady connection.

Lower the arms.

Inhale.

Raise your arms overhead.

And pull up.

Now maintain the strength from your feet up to your hand.

As you exhale, please twist your torso to the right.

Extending your left arm, drawing your right arm back and even turning your head.

Feel the hips facing forward.

And then inhale, rise back up.

And we'll do that to the left.

Exhaling.

Hips turned forward even as you're turning through your torso.

And let's move with the breath.

Inhale, raise up.

Exhale, twist.

Inhale, center.

And to the left.

Inhale, center.

One more time.

Both sides.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Moving through space.

And exhale, one more time.

Inhale, rise up.

And then exhale.

Bend forward to Uttanasana.

Standing forward, fold.

So you can place your hands on your mat, on the front of your shin, or perhaps even use a block beneath your hands if you need to.

Take a deep breath.

Softening your eyes from your hips, feel like you're grounding to the earth.

And then notice the fluid motion from your hips down your spine across the neck.

Move your hands beside your feet.

Inhale.

Step your left foot back and lunge.

I invite you to stay on your finger tips or even put your hand on a block again if you need a little height.

Hold the lunge, but move your hips in circles just bringing them around nice and wide in one direction.

And then reverse in the opposite direction.

And then hold the lunge.

Extend.

Take a deep breath.

Exhale.

Lower your left knee.

Rooting that left knee, shift your hips backward so you're coming into a runner's lunge.

Bow your head.

You may need to lengthen your stance slightly and you can even flex your ankle to deepen that extension of your right hamstring here.

Enjoy the breath.

And then lunge forward.

Plant your foot once again.

Keeping your left knee down for a moment, place your left palm out.

And you can walk it slightly forward and a little out to the side.

Please twist to the right side, raising your right hand up.

Okay, now, you can remain kneeling here which is a fine modification.

Draw your right arm over your ear.

Stay kneeling or raise your left knee, just intensifying the movement in your hips a little bit more.

Now, draw your arm around as you exhale.

Inhale, rise.

Exhale, pull forward.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Rise up.

Plant your right hand down.

Lift to your finger tips and step forward, Uttanasana.

Bending over.

Spread the toes.

Soften.

You feel more spacious, letting go of expectations of where you may be heading to allow yourself to be more present in the moment.

Please step your right foot back.

Lunge.

Good.

Enjoy the breath.

Nice long stance and then turn your hips in slow circles.

This really kind of brings us into our pelvis hips more carefully, more deeply.

Turn the direction, the opposite way.

We feel the fluidity, the receptivity that water brings into any pose.

And then pause.

Please lower your right knee to the mat.

Take a deep breath.

As you exhale, shift backward.

Runner's lunge.

Bow your head.

Feeling even your hands push down and forward, flex the ankle if you wish and enjoy that strength flowing up your left leg, steadying you, but then widen back through your inner thighs and through your hips.

Lower the foot.

Lunge forward and plant your right hand.

Maybe move it forward and slightly out.

Sweep open to the left side of your mat.

Extend and look up.

You can keep your knee down on the mat if you wish.

Please draw your left arm alongside your ear.

and raise your right knee if you wish to intensify the pose.

As you exhale, pull the left arm forward.

Inhale, rise.

Exhale, forward.

Inhale, lift.

Exhale, forward.

Inhale, lift and bring your left hand to your mat.

Step back to downward facing dog.

Hold your downward dog.

Take a deep breath.

Connecting into your hands and feet as the steadiness of the earth.

Now, turn your heels to the right side of your mat.

Open up the waist.

Then pivot and go to the left slowly, staggering the feet.

Once again, go over to the right.

Inhale, center.

Exhale, left.

Inhale, center and now hold to the right, keeping the feet staggered root through the right hand.

Open the left hand up to the ceiling.

Now, if you need extra assistance here, it's fine to step your left foot forward like a kickstand, a lunge to help you hold the pose more easily.

As you exhale, swing the hand back to the mat.

Step back to downward dog.

Come to the center.

And then go to the second side.

Spin your heels off to the left.

Root through the feet.

Rise up through the arm.

Extend.

Breathe.

Keeping the side of your foot connected to the earth and then exhale, swing your hand back to the mat.

Please step back through downward facing dog.

Walk forward to Uttanasana.

Plant the feet.

Take a deep breath.

Inhale, rise to standing Lifting your arms to the sky.

Stretch up and then again, join your hands, lower them to your heart and take a deep breath.

Release your arms and move to the middle of your mat.

And do a little balancing sequence here.

So, hold your hips, you can always have a chair handy if you need extra support for your balancing, lift your right leg out in front of you, keeping the toes raised off the mat.

And then point and flex your ankles a few times.

This right foot just moving, feeling your calf working.

Enjoy the breath.

And now keep your toe pointed and lower the foot down onto the mat in front of you and raise your heels, standing and balancing on the tip of your toes.

If you need to keep your heels grounded that's fine as well.

Lift your arms out in front of your chest and staying up on your toes, exhale, squat down, lower your arms.

Inhale, rise.

Squat.

And lift.

Exhale.

And inhale.

This fluid motion here, coming down as you exhale, rising up and then one last time, And lift back up Now, lower your left heel.

Find the ground.

Take your hands to your hips and slowly raise your right leg up.

And clasp your shin with both hands.

Pressing your shin forward into your hands, guide the top of your left thigh back and flex your right ankle strongly.

Balancing poses always have to balance us between feeling spacious but also feeling grounded to the earth.

As you exhale, release.

Stand in mountain pose.

Take a breath as you plant your feet.

Good, let's do the second side.

Hands to the hips.

Raise your left foot forward.

Pointing the ankle.

And then flex and point the ankle a few times here.

Enjoy the breathing.

Stand tall in your posture.

Keep your eyes steady on a point.

That will help with your balancing, as well.

And now hold the point.

Lower the left foot down.

Raise your heels and balance on your toes.

And staying up on your toes, please extend your arms out in front of your chest.

Exhale, squat down.

Raise up.

Lifting the arms.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Good.

Keep going.

Working on strength and balancing at the same time and one more time coming down and then raise up.

Good.

Release your right heel to your mat.

Good.

Bring your left leg up and hold on to the front of the shin Breathe.

So holding onto your shin.

enjoy the breath.

Good.

And then exhale.

Stand in mountain pose.

Once your mountain pose, pause.

And move forward to the front of your mat.

Now you may need blocks for this next sequence, so planting your feet take a deep breath in.

As you inhale, sweep your arms overhead.

As you exhale, bend forward to Uttanasana.

Please step back to downward facing dog Extend.

Enjoy the breath.

Good.

Now taking pigeon pose, bring your right knee forward up to your right wrist and pause.

Good.

Stay up on your hands or if you choose you could come down onto your elbows.

Feel the ground beneath your knees and keep your front foot active in this pose, but also go into the hips that widening of the hips, that more water element there.

You can even choose to just sway your hips gently side to side and enjoy that.

Good.

Pause.

Lengthen and then come up onto your hands and step back through downward dog.

And we'll prepare for the second side.

Good.

Slide your left forward.

Pigeon pose.

Walk your right leg back.

Take a deep breath.

Soften your mind.

Soften your skin.

And then feel earth steadying you Come forward if you wish and move into that water element through the inner thighs, through the hips through across the lower back.

Just be patient with the unfolding of your body during your practice.

That's why we call it a yoga practice.

It is nothing that happens quickly, so over time we find shift and change.

As you inhale, rise back up.

Please take downward facing dog, step back.

Enjoy the breath.

Inhale.

Raise your right leg up And as you exhale, step forward.

Now, you may need a prop here for the balancing of this next pose so allow yourself to pause.

Get those blocks if you need to.

Shift your hands out in front of you and then push off, raising up.

So, this is a standing split.

If you have the mobility, go up a little bit higher, stretching your left leg to the sky or to simply stay keeping both like strong and steady.

Spread your toes.

And then inhale lifting halfway.

Come out again extend through the spine.

Raise your heel.

So, your hands can be up on blocks here if you need to.

And then I'd like you to bend both knees and you're going to cross the left knee behind your right knee and squat down a little into your right hip.

And then inhale, lift back.

Exhale and cross.

Inhale, extend.

And exhale and cross.

Now, hold the cross or if you need to just sit down onto the mat.

Shoot your left foot out to the side and then walk yourself down into a seated twist, called Ardha Matsyendrasana.

If your foot cannot cross over your left leg here, just move your right foot in front of your shin.

You can also sit up on a blanket.

Please take your left arm around your right leg.

Reach around.

Rise up through your spine, and twist.

Enjoy the breath.

Open the throat.

Make sure your right hip stays grounded.

With the right hip grounded, remember to also widen the inner thighs and that's where that water element comes in.

It may feel subtle but it can also be quite profound.

Inhale.

Return to center.

Uncross your legs.

Shake your legs out.

And then cross at your ankles and roll to your knees and onto your hands.

Come back to table position.

Take a deep breath.

Once again, settle.

Let the earth hold you.

Open your mind.

Please take downward facing dog.

Pressing forward through your hands.

As you rise up high through the hips, inhale.

Raise your left leg.

And exhale.

Step forward.

Here's your lunge.

Get your blocks if you need them.

Stay steady.

Now, move your hands in front of you and push off and raise your right leg a standing split.

Keep your leg parallel to the floor.

Your hips level.

Open the throat and extend forward so you're not slumping over.

If you can go higher in the pose, do so.

Now, steady.

Raise your left heel.

Bend both knees and cross your right knee behind your left knee and take a gentle squat into that hip.

Inhale, reach out.

Exhale again.

We'll do it one more time.

Exhale, now keeping the right foot out to the side, squat down and sit down onto your mat or get down to your mat as best as you can.

Wrapping your right arm around your left leg, pull up through the spine and take your left hand behind you.

Good, breathe.

Twist through the belly.

Now, pressing, push through your left foot and widen your inner thigh.

Press through your right knee and widen the right inner thigh.

Inhale, center.

Uncross your legs Shake your legs out.

And then bend your knees.

Slide forward, so you have enough space behind you onto your mat and nothing is blocking your way.

Please hold onto your legs with that support, Roll down slowly onto your mats.

Extend your legs and extend your arms beyond your head.

Take a deep breath through your nose and exhale through the mouth.

Inhale through the nose.

Soften your eyes.

And exhale.

Do that one more time.

Feel the space around you, but also feel the space within you.

Keeping your legs extended,, sweep your hands down and pull your right knee in and up to your right shoulder.

Holding on to that shin, move your right foot.

So, point and flex the ankle a few times.

You could turn it in circles if you wish.

And now, notice what's going on in your left leg.

When we get down onto the mat, what we tend to do is just forget what we're doing.

So, I want you to stay grounded in your left leg and active in your left foot.

Now, open your left arm out to the side.

And holding on with your right hand, pull your right knee out to the side as well.

Enjoy your breath.

Hugging in with your left leg, so the earth is in that left leg.

Now, turn the hips back and you feel more of that motion in the hips, the water element.

Good.

Come back to center and switch hands.

taking your right arm wide, pull across and go over to the left side into a rotation.

Breathing here, that space inside of you, root the earth element into your right shoulder.

In any rotation, you want to to feel like you're broadening your back.

So, feeling like you're widening out through your left kidney, opening room along the right side of your waist here.

And then inhale.

Bring your leg back to center.

Extend both legs.

Reach your arms beyond your head.

Take a deep breath and again.

Exhale.

Inhale, extend.

And exhale, soften.

Once more breathe through your nose.

And exhale through the mouth.

And then draw your left knee up to your shoulder.

Hold on.

Expand across the lower part of your spine and move your foot slowly point and flex.

The right leg, earth.

So, rooting down.

And then holding onto your left knee with your right hand, sweep your right arm out nice and wide.

And take your left knee out to the side.

Turn your belly back across to the right and that's going to help you re-anchor into your right leg.

Make sure your foot is still active.

Spread your toes and then inhale.

Pull back up to center.

Twist to the other side, changing hands and pull across.

Widen through the back.

Enjoy the breath and get length moving the left hip away from your left shoulder.

Feeling the backside of the body broaden.

As you inhale, pull back up to center.

Stretch out.

Hug both knees.

Back into your chest, wrapping your arms across your legs.

Rock along your back and enjoy that massage across your spine.

And then slide your right leg out to the corner of your mat.

Take your left leg out and shake your feet and shake out your hands.

And roll the shoulders back.

Close the eyes and soften.

As said by Malcolm Gladwell... "“Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good.

It's the thing you do that makes you good.

"” So keep practicing.

Please remain here in Savasana for as long as you may want as long as you may need.

I invite you when you are ready, just to slowly move your fingers and your toes.

And then bending your legs one at a time, slowly roll to your side and rest there on your side.

And I invite you to push down and rise up to seated.

Join your hands together in front of your heart.

Thank you for practicing with us today.

Namaste.

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

Download the SCETV app now and watch Yoga In Practice with Stacey Millner-Collins on demand.

♪