Welcome to your guided Hatha Yoga practice for emotional release.
As I guide you through this practice,
Feel free to modify or use any props that may help make the practice more accessible or restorative for you.
Some props you might like to have nearby include a set of blocks,
A blanket,
A bolster or a strap.
If you have sensitive knees or hips,
Please feel free to place a blanket underneath the joints to provide some extra support.
If at any time your body is calling for a different variation or a modification of any pose that I offer,
I encourage you to listen to the innate wisdom of your body and to follow that calling.
Let's arrive here together on our mat in an easy cross-legged position.
Sit bones rooted to the earth,
Hips falling open,
Knees pointing out to the corners of the mat,
Lengthening the spine,
Maybe rolling the shoulders down and back as we begin to find our breath.
First becoming aware of your natural breath and then gently extending the breath,
Lengthening the inhales and the exhales,
Harboring an intention to find a true sense of release and clearance through this practice,
Giving yourself total permission to set aside everything that may have been going on before you stepped onto your mat today and using your exhale to signal your mind that it is okay to let go of any prior activities,
Thoughts,
Or engagements.
Perhaps letting out an exaggerated exhale,
Opening the mouth and sighing,
Noticing how this releases the tension in the body and allows you to find a sense of ease.
Let's do this a few more times,
Inviting each exhale to dissolve any tension that is occupying your muscles,
Your ligaments,
Your joints,
Consciously relaxing the space between the eyebrows,
Relaxing any tightness in the jaw,
Feeling the hips and sit bones melting down into the mat.
Let's take the hands to the knees or to the thighs and begin to circle the torso from the hip joints,
Leaning forward from the hips and then sending the torso out to the side,
Leaning back and then sending it out to the opposite side before it cycles back forward,
Perhaps linking the breath to the movement,
Inhaling as you lean forward,
Exhaling as you lean back,
Finding the speed that feels right for you,
Being as slow and as gentle as you need.
Maybe after a few rounds,
You begin to rotate the opposite way.
Let's take one last circle before coming to stillness.
We'll bring the feet together out in front of the body now for butterfly pose,
Baddha konasana,
Bringing the outer edges of the feet to touch while the soles open up toward the ceiling like a book,
Finding the appropriate distance away from the groin for your feet as you expand through the hip joints.
Inhale extends the crown of the head up toward the ceiling,
Lengthening the spine,
Exhale allows you to fold forward from the hips,
Folding over the legs,
Stopping when you feel the right amount of sensation and then allowing the spine to round,
Arms draping down onto the mat in front of you.
Allow the breath to release any tightness or tension that the body might be holding around the hip joints or the hamstrings.
Perhaps imagining that you are breathing directly into the hips and that each exhale dissolves this tension.
If you feel any emotions begin to rise or stir,
Allow yourself to recognize them and to feel them.
Let them move through the body in the way that they need to so that they can be released.
Finding some length in the spine on this next inhale as we begin to raise the torso,
Hinging the chest back up.
Coming on to all fours now,
We'll find a modified tabletop with the hands a bit further upward from the shoulders.
Similarly to our seated hip circles,
We're going to find the same motion in tabletop,
Inhaling to send the hips out to the side and then sending them backward toward the heels,
Exhaling to circle around and send the hips forward.
Maybe after a few cycles,
The hips sink all the way back toward the heels with the inhale and maybe they come all the way forward into the mat on the exhale,
Flowing with the breath.
Allow yourself to take two more cycles before coming to a traditional tabletop.
Once you're there,
Inhale to bring your left foot forward between your hands for low lunge,
Pressing the pelvis forward,
Stretching into the left hip joint and then begin to inch the foot out to the edge of the mat,
Finding lizard.
We'll remain static for a few moments here,
Expanding to the hip,
Experiencing openness through the entire groin.
And then we'll take the left hand to the left knee and guide that knee into small circles,
Sending the knee forward,
Then around and back before it circles forward again.
Maybe the hips move gently as well,
Finding the breath within the movement.
One more circle before finding stillness and returning the leg behind us,
The knee finding itself aligned directly under the hip once again.
Inhale brings the right foot forward this time,
Placing the foot to the mat between the hands,
Finding a nice stretch and expansion through that right hip,
Pressing the pelvis forward and then inching the foot out to the outer edge of the mat,
Coming into lizard,
Consciously opening up that right hip,
Employing the breath to soften the joint,
To welcome in release,
And then taking that knee in circles,
Feeling how this welcomes fluidity and unblocks any energetic stagnation in that part of the body.
One last circle,
Nice and slow,
And then we're going to return to tabletop,
Deliberately and gracefully moving the body as if our practice is one continuous dance.
From here,
We're going to push up into downward dog.
Inhale curls the toes under,
Pressing hands into the mat,
Lifting knees and sending hips up and back,
Lengthening through the backs of the legs and the spine as the torso presses towards the knees,
Finding some fluidity here,
Perhaps pedaling out through the feet or swaying the hips.
Let's inhale to take the left foot forward between the hands and plant the back foot at a 45 degree angle,
Coming into pyramid pose,
Adjusting the stance of your legs as needed before drawing attention to your hips,
Bringing them square to the front of the mat,
Keeping a nice micro bend in the knee of the front leg.
Exhale,
Inhale to lengthen the spine,
Perhaps hands come to the hips or clasp together behind the back.
And exhale sends us hinging forward from the hips,
Folding over the front leg as far as is comfortable.
See if you can anchor your awareness in your left hip in this pose and notice how this invites release in the hip in perhaps a different way than the previous poses.
If you're looking for a deeper sensation,
Perhaps you find a forward tilt with your pelvis,
Sinking deeper into the stretch as the hands come down to the mat,
Surrendering the body forward.
From here,
We'll inhale to rise up,
Hinging upward from the hips and bringing the torso vertical.
Moving into goddess from here,
We'll reposition the feet so that the toes are pointing outward toward the corner edges of the mat while we face the long edge with our chest.
Stretching your legs out as far as you would like,
Anchoring through both feet and then sinking the hips down as the knees begin to stack over the ankles.
Feel free to bring your arms into whichever variation you would like,
Giving yourself permission to focus more on the opening of the hips here,
Driving the knees apart,
Pressing the legs open,
Imagining that as you press them open,
You are opening the well of your emotions,
Your sacral chakra.
Perhaps imagining your emotions as a glowing orange energy releasing from your pelvis and being sent down through your legs into the earth.
Pressing through both legs now to straighten the knees and lift the hips up.
Toes reposition so that they both face straight ahead as we prepare to move into a wide-legged forward fold.
Finding the perfect distance for your legs,
Perhaps choosing to take them a bit wider for this asana than the last.
We'll inhale to lengthen the spine,
Reaching crown of the head toward the ceiling and exhale to fold forward,
Feeling the sensation in each hip as we hinge the torso toward the floor,
Allowing the spine to round once we've arrived at the point in which the sensation in the hips and hamstrings is just right.
Perhaps allowing the torso to hang here as the arms drape toward the floor,
Surrendering the entire weight of the body,
Surrendering any effort in the joints,
Surrendering any thoughts or emotions as well,
Letting go of everything here and now.
Allow yourself to take two more full and conscious breaths here and then activate through the legs to stabilize you as you find a flat spine and slowly raise the torso back up.
Take notice of the sensation in your hips and hamstrings here and maybe notice any of the emotional shifts or changes,
Becoming aware of the energy in the body and where you feel it.
We'll slowly move into pyramid pose on the other side now.
The right foot will turn to face the top of the mat while the left foot will turn to find a 45 degree angle.
Maybe the feet find a more narrow stance.
Maybe they remain where they are.
The torso will turn to face the right leg,
The right hip pulling back while the left hip pulls forward and brings the hips square with the top of the mat.
We'll inhale to extend the crown of the head upward,
Finding length with the spine and exhale to hinge forward,
Moving from the hips and finding our sweet spot,
That point where there's just enough effort in the muscles and joints to hold us in place while the rest of the body is allowed to let go.
If your body is calling for it,
Maybe the spine eventually rounds and the arms drape down to the mat while the pelvis tilts forward,
Allowing yourself to really sink into this pose and letting go of expectation of what the pose should look like,
Instead placing the value on what the pose feels like.
From this folded position,
We're going to find our way into downward dog.
If our hands are not already framing the foot,
We're going to bring the palms down to the mat while we bend into the right knee.
Back foot will pivot turn forward so that we can come onto the toes,
Pressing into the mat with the arms as we sweep the right leg back to meet the left and press back into our down dog.
We're here for just a moment,
Just one inhale and exhale.
And then we'll inhale to extend the left leg up and back behind us,
Opening the hip for three-legged dog,
Stabilizing through the thumb and index finger,
Bending the knee perhaps to open through the groin.
Exhale brings the leg through to pigeon pose,
Bringing the knee behind the wrist before the outer aspect of the left leg comes to rest onto the mat.
Adjust the back leg as needed here,
Perhaps shifting the right foot back to bring the pelvis closer to the mat.
Allow yourself to slowly ease into this pose,
Generously allowing your body to explore and to accept the sensations and the openings that it finds through this asana,
Spending some time and becoming familiar with the sensations with the torso erect and the hands supporting you.
And then eventually,
If the body invites you to come deeper,
You can walk the hands out in front of you and fold forward over the knee,
Finding a more profound opening in the hip.
Give yourself permission to be present with the sensations,
To be present in the places where you feel this pose the most.
And once again,
Employing the breath to take you deeper.
Each exhale releases you just a bit more,
Imagining that each inhale is being sent directly to the muscles,
Fascia and connective tissue surrounding that left hip.
And that each exhale liquefies them,
Releasing them completely,
Giving yourself loving permission to totally let go here.
Any thoughts that have resurfaced,
Any feelings,
Any emotions that have come up,
Graciously acknowledge them,
But then surrender them entirely.
No need to get caught up in the story.
No need to make narratives about them.
With indifference,
You can just let them go.
It's okay to do that.
It really is that simple.
Take one last nourishing breath in this pose and then begin to come out,
Perhaps walking the hands back under the shoulders and pressing through the arms and the chest to push back into downward dog.
Finding some movement with your down dog,
Pedaling out through the feet,
Maybe swaying the hips,
Whatever feels right.
And then we'll inhale to sweep the right leg up and back,
Opening into three-legged dog,
Expanding through the hip joint and the groin.
Maybe there's a slight stretch to the backside of the left leg as well as we draw the heel to the floor.
And exhale brings the right leg through to the top of the mat in one fluid movement,
Right knee meeting right wrist before we sink down into our pigeon,
Pelvis driving down toward the mat as we adjust that back leg as needed.
Listening to whatever your body is calling for on this side,
Perhaps spending some time with the torso erect before easing into a fold or perhaps moving directly into that bowing position.
Breathing into the opening of that right hip,
Releasing any tension in the muscles or the connective tissue,
Releasing any stagnant energy,
Releasing everything,
Breathing away every ounce of resistance,
Restraint or aversion,
Letting it all melt,
Letting it all dissolve,
Letting it all flow.
We'll take one last full breath in this space and then begin to gently press ourselves back into our last downward dog,
Allowing the body to move in whatever way it needs.
And once you're ready,
We'll slowly collapse toward the mat into a wide-legged child's pose,
Sending the knees out to the edges of the mat,
Bringing big toes to touch as we lower down and send the hips back toward the heels,
Completely prostrated in absolute surrender,
Each breath giving up just a little bit more,
Even when you don't believe you could possibly release any further,
Allowing the exhale to take you deeper,
Knowing that there is nothing to be holding onto,
There is nothing that needs to be grasped or clutched,
There is nothing that needs to be fixed or solved,
Finding our sense of a parigraha,
Non-grasping,
Non-clinging,
Witnessing our emotions without the need to change them or transmute them or judge them,
Honoring ourselves by understanding that there is no benefit of obsessing or attaching or identifying with our emotions,
With grace and with love,
Allowing ourselves to let them go.
If you'd like to use child's pose as your shavasana for this practice,
I encourage you to remain where you are.
If you'd like to move into your corpse pose,
Now is the time to slowly transition onto your back,
Moving your body in a loving,
Nurturing way,
Gently easing into your shavasana and continuing to use the breath as a way of submitting the body,
The mind and the emotions.
You can slowly begin to find subtle movements with the body,
Wiggling fingers and toes,
Rotating wrists and ankles,
Perhaps lifting the forearms and rotating at the elbows,
Bringing energy back into your body,
Choosing to remain in shavasana or child's pose or graciously coming up into a seated position,
Bringing your hands to prayer at the heart center and extending gratitude and appreciation to yourself for this practice,
For responding to your emotions in a healthy and responsible way.
The absolute light within me honors and bows to the absolute light within you.
Namaste.
