Hey friend,
I'm Allie,
And today I'm sharing a sweet Ian yoga practice with you to really stretch out the side of the body.
So if you're feeling a little bit tighter in the side body or even the hips and the spine,
This will be a great one for you.
We're going to be feeling really good after this.
Now I'd love for you to grab a prop if you have anything close by,
Like a couple of cushions,
Yoga blocks,
Or a yoga bolster like this one.
And I am coming to you today from the beautiful Mexico where I've been for about a month now.
Happy to share this jungle backdrop with you.
If you are new to me,
I'm Allie.
I already said that I'm an international yoga and meditation teacher,
Retreat leader,
And yoga teacher mentor.
All right,
We're going to get started.
I will meet you laying down on your back.
So just slide your prop off to the side for now.
We'll come back to that in a moment.
We're going to move into banana asana.
So coming into a banana shape,
Or a moon shape with the body.
So you'll start by shifting your hips over to the right.
Let your feet land at the bottom left corner of your mat,
Arms overhead toward the top left corner of your mat.
Really ground down the whole back body,
Especially the back of your right hip and shoulder.
And if your arms are kind of floating in space,
Just bend your elbows as much as you need to so that they end up on the floor so they're supported.
Settling in here,
You should start to feel some stretch into your right side.
And after a few breaths,
If not much is happening in that area,
You could cross one ankle over the other for a bit more,
Or maybe clasp one hand in the other if they connect.
And we'll just start to notice the breath.
Just observing if it's short and sharp or long and deep.
Neither is better or worse.
Just get curious about it.
Since we're targeting the side body today,
You might even notice over time through each shape that your breath does start to open up and get a little bit deeper.
So just continue to bring that curiosity through the practice today.
Let's take one more breath in.
Big exhale,
Let it go.
Bringing everything back to center,
Arms by your side,
Separate your feet,
Hips to center.
And we'll just take a moment in Shavasana to observe.
How each side of the body is feeling.
Maybe there's already a shift.
That you can notice.
Could be super subtle.
Whatever it is that comes up,
Let it go,
And we'll shift to the other side.
Hips to your left.
Feet to the bottom right,
Hands to the top right.
Really little physical effort here.
And of course,
If the arms ever get tingly or numb at all,
Just bring them back down by your sides.
Starting to create some space in the left side of the body.
And shift your attention to that area.
And feel the lengthening and expansion of the left lung each time you take air in.
Now softening and grounding in the back of your body each time you exhale.
One more deep breath in.
Exhale,
Let it go.
Bring it back to center again,
Shavasana,
For a few breaths.
Just simply notice.
How things feel.
Take a big old stretch,
Reach your arms overhead,
Press your toes away from you.
We'll keep one arm lifted overhead,
Roll through that side of your body and we'll come up to a seat.
Grab whatever prop you're working with today,
Coming into a side stretch seated now.
So you can extend your right leg.
Out to the side.
Left foot can come to the inner thigh and then grab your prop,
Whatever you have,
Either sliding it on top of the leg or stacking a couple blocks in front.
Right arm comes down on your leg or the prop.
Couple of options here.
Start to stretch the side of the body again,
Either reaching up and overhead.
If or when that becomes too much,
You can also bring your arm down.
Okay,
So let's try reaching overhead first.
You'll probably feel a whole lot more in your side body.
Now,
Not the most comfortable shape to hang out in,
But we still,
Because it's yin,
We want to use as little effort as possible.
So give that a try.
And know that it's a short class so we won't be here for a super long time.
Really grounding through the seat.
As you breathe into the right side of your body.
Kind of soften the shoulders and belly.
Loosen up any tension in your face.
About five more breaths here.
Before we rise up,
Let's actually shift toward the right leg and fold over it so we get a stretch for the low back as well while we're here.
Slowly coming back up.
You can place your prop on the other side.
Let's just lean back into the hands,
Bend your knees,
Let your knees fall side to side.
Relengthening the spine as you lean back.
Then bring it into the other side,
Extending your left leg out.
Side stretch first,
Set up your prop.
However it works for you.
Reach your right arm up and overhead.
You could also bring the hand behind the head if that feels like a more reasonable place for you to hang out.
And then create as much softness as you can once you've arrived.
About five more breaths here.
If you want more of a side stretch,
Try drawing the top shoulder back a little bit.
And let's melt across over your left leg.
Folding forward.
Slowly again,
Rising back up.
This time slide your prop off to the side and we'll come into a downward dog just to get a nice centering stretch from all of that side body opening.
Step back,
Lift your hips,
Take a little pedal out through your heels,
Should feel pretty good.
Just stretch the back of the body out.
And we'll come into a wide knee child's pose.
You can always do this supported with your prop if you'd like.
I'm going to offer one more side stretch here.
As you fold forward,
Bring your hands toward the top left edge of your mat.
One more stretch for the right side body,
Either bringing your forehead down or your right cheek down.
You want to try that with the support of your bolster.
You could give it a go.
See how it works.
If it takes the whole stretch away from the side body,
It kind of did for me.
So I'm going to slide that off to the side and go without it for this one.
Also working into the hip.
Just remember to breathe.
Switch it up to the other side.
Crawl your hands to the top right.
Bring your forehead down again or your left cheek down.
Bring it back to center and now just shift around to lay on your back.
If you need any last centering shape,
Feel free to take that.
Otherwise,
We're coming right into Shavasana.
You can slide something under the back of your knees for a little extra support in this shape if you'd like.
Laying down on your back when you're ready.
Once more again to observe.
As you drop into stillness.
Just notice how you're feeling.
Give you an option for this shape as we settle in.
If you'd like to stretch a little bit more into the upper side body,
You could reach overhead,
Maybe catching opposite elbows.
And let this be your Shavasana for today.
Just make sure the arms are supported.
In the back of your body feels nice and heavy.
Observe your breath.
See if it has changed after the last few shapes.
You might feel a little more spacious.
And open.
Whenever you're noticing,
Feel free to linger here longer and continue to be curious and present with what shows up.
If you'd like to finish up the practice with me in a seated position.
You can take your time to make your way there.
I'll see you next time.
Namaste.
