The Alchemical Mix#4 | Air | Slow-Flow Vinyasa

So today is an air practice,

An air-focused practice.

It's the fourth of the five elements.

We've already worked with the other three.

The air element obviously governs the heart space,

The cardiac plexus.

Breathing is the best way to detox.

So if there is an excess of toxins in the body,

Breathe big and exhale out of the mouth whenever you feel like it.

It's a great way to release stagnant air and of course today we're working with air.

Needless to say,

The best way to balance the air element is through breathing and of course movement as the air element is associated with movement.

So move slowly,

Ensure that the practice is nourishing you.

Remember that we come to the mat to feel and not to accomplish.

We will go through the qualities of the air element as we go through the practice so we don't take time away from the asana practice.

Breath of fire is a great,

Which we did last week,

Is a great technique to detoxify along with Kapalabhati.

The slow flow,

If something doesn't feel right,

Please don't do it.

Sirius is called the chemical mix as by the end of it you will have become your own alchemist.

That is my wish for you,

Knowing which elements need to be added or taken away on each given day.

So finding a seat of your choice,

Cross-legged or sitting on the shins,

Grab any props that you may need for the practice.

And today I would like to start with two cleansing breaths and one sound of Om.

You can join me.

Again chanting is another great way to create a resonant field,

To create a protective field around us.

Hands in prayer.

Inhale through the nose and exhale out of the mouth with a sigh and again inhale through the nose over mouth exhale,

Sigh it out and make some noise.

The third time we inhale to Om.

Inhale Taking the first few moments to arrive,

Perhaps closing the eyes,

Practicing Pratyahara.

The withdrawal of the senses and practicing being still.

That's a super skill to have.

With your eyes closed,

If possible,

If that works for you,

If closing the eyes does not work,

Just rest them on one spot with a soft gaze.

So eyes closed or not,

Turn the palms up and curl the index finger,

Index finger into the root of the thumb and use the thumb to secure it.

We'll go through that again.

This is the mudra for today,

The hand gesture.

Index finger curls into the root of the thumb,

Thumb wraps around to secure it.

Spin the palms up and rest the shape onto your knees,

Your thighs,

Wherever is comfortable.

Relax the shoulders down and allow the elbows to just rest gently by your side ribs and this is Vayu Mudra.

Vayu is the name of the air element,

Is also the name of the god of wind,

Vayu,

And the air element is associated to the index finger.

The sense is the sense of touch.

The air element governs the area of the chest,

The heart,

So the cardiac flexors,

The side ribs and the upper back.

The best poses to balance this element are,

Of course,

Backbends.

Backbends.

And we will go through the deficient and excessive characteristics.

The air element is associated to movement and this movement is primarily reflected in this sacred exchange between us and the whole of nature.

We're all breathing the same air and as we breathe in,

The trees breathe out and as we breathe out,

The trees breathe in and there is this beautiful tapestry happening every second of every day,

This sacred exchange that allows us,

This sacred movement that allows us to live.

So we can survive a few weeks,

I believe,

Without food,

We can survive a few days without water,

We can only survive a few minutes without air.

So consider for a moment the magnitude of the act of breathing which we take so granted for.

And so before we start moving,

Holding Vayu Mudra,

Which directs energy,

Breath and awareness to the area of the cardiac plexus and all of the physical areas governed by this element,

Holding Vayu Mudra,

Let's close the eyes again if that works,

And simply follow the sacred thread of the breath as it moves naturally up and down.

Setting an intention also for this practice could be very simple,

It could be very complex,

But take a moment to simply observe what you wish to receive from this time together today.

And if nothing comes up,

Let it be.

And continue to follow your breath from the moment of inception until the hands over to the exhalation.

And it's like a sacred dance between the inhale and the exhale.

I like to call it the soundtrack of our life.

When this sound,

When this movement stops,

It signals the end of this earthly journey.

So just for a few more moments,

Sanctify your breathing with the gift of your intention.

Lengthening the exhalations and deepening the inhalations.

And as we optimize the breathing,

We also optimize the release of toxins and metabolic waste.

By you,

The element of air is of course associated to the inhalation and so it's very uplifting and very energizing.

And from here,

Blink your eyes open and come on to fourths.

And from here,

Blink your eyes open and come on to fourths.

Tabletop position,

Stacking the shoulders over the wrists and the hips over the knees.

And from here,

With your left arm,

Reach your left arm forward and then up and start drawing huge circles with your left arm from front to back.

Three,

Six,

Excuse me,

Six from front to back.

See if you can follow your hand,

Your arm,

With your gaze,

Stretching out the scaling muscles as well.

This is super awkward and that's okay.

When you've done your six,

Switch direction from back to front.

So it's like huge breaststrokes.

So the air element also governs the arms,

Which in yoga are considered our alchemical wings.

They are the wings that we once had and have turned into arms.

Do your six from back to front.

Release the hand down,

Back onto all fours,

Inhale,

Arch,

Look up,

Exhale around.

Continue,

Two more,

Cat-cow.

Begin to cultivate to jayi.

Making a slight constriction at the back of the throat,

Take one more cat-cow.

So you hear it like a mantra.

Come back to center,

Neutral spine and switch.

Huge breaststrokes,

Huge circles from front to back with that right arm,

Like you're flexing your right wing to fly.

And switch from back to front.

And this should help with any stiffness.

When you've finished your sixth one,

Back to center,

Tabletop,

Inhale,

Arch,

Exhale around,

Chin to chest,

Cat-cow stretches,

Two more.

Last one.

Walk the knees three inches behind the hips,

Keep the toes tucked under,

Come high onto your fingertips,

This is called spider hands,

And begin to draw circles with your hips around your knees,

Sufi grinds,

High onto the fingertips.

And you will feel a lot more in the area of your shoulders,

So from right to left,

Three times,

And from left to right,

No right or wrong here.

So you can keep these circles small or big,

You can get the head involved.

Come back to center,

Walk the knees under the hips,

Release the hands down,

Walk the hands two or three inches further forward than the shoulders,

Spread the fingers nice and wide,

Wide,

Excuse me,

Tuck your toes under,

Fill up with prana,

Fill up with breath,

And press up and back into tiger dog.

If you don't know what tiger dog is,

No problem,

Invention of one of my teachers,

Tiger dog,

Knees bent,

Heels lifted,

Stick your butt up,

Really stick the butt up,

And press up and back,

Up and back,

And feel the length here in your side body,

The back of the thighs,

Breathe,

Two more breaths here in your first tiger dog,

Follow the entire passage of the breath,

Notice if you are glossing over some phases of the breath,

If you're rushing,

Last breath here,

Noticing how it feels to be in the body at this time today.

Look forward and step your feet to your hands,

Keep your knees nice and soft,

And bow,

Uttanasana,

Letting the head go,

Interlace the fingers behind you,

Take a deep breath in,

With the knees generously bent,

Draw the arms overhead for chest extension,

Deepen the breath,

And release the jaw,

One more breath here,

Release the clasp,

Bring the hands onto the shins for flat back,

Reach forward with your chest,

Ardha uttanasana,

Exhale bend the knees,

Uttanasana,

Let the head go,

Keep the knees soft,

Zip up the belly,

So pull the belly in and up,

And begin to come into standing,

Reaching the arms out and up,

Keep inhaling,

Keep inhaling,

Keep inhaling,

Join your prayer,

Lengthen,

Connecting earth and sky,

Exhale,

Draw this energy back to the heart space,

Samastitihi,

Close your eyes for a moment,

Feet at distance,

And see if you can find your balance inside,

From here,

Feet at distance,

Reach the arms out and up,

Hold your left wrist with your right hand,

Take an inhalation and lengthen towards the sky first,

And exhale,

Side bend to the right,

See if you can straighten both arms,

And keep them in line with the ears,

Breathe deep into both side waists,

So taking in more prana,

More air,

More life force energy,

Bend both legs and step the left leg behind the right,

There's about a foot between the two legs,

Stay onto your left toes,

And reach up and over to the right a little bit more,

You'll feel a lot more happening,

Especially in your hip flexor and the front of the left thigh,

Krishna crescent,

Step your left foot next to the right first,

And then release the arms,

Reach up,

Orbha astasana,

Upward salute,

On an inhale,

Hold your right wrist with your left hand,

And exhale,

Side bend to the left,

Bend both legs,

And now step the right leg behind the left,

Both knees are bent,

Stay onto your toes,

And reach up and over to the left a little bit more,

Notice what's happening to the jaw,

And keep your teeth separate a little,

The upper and lower row,

Come back to centre,

Step your right foot next to the left,

Inhale,

Reach your arms up,

Orbha astasana,

Separate the hand,

Exhale,

Fold forward,

Uttanasana,

Interlace the fingers behind you,

And fold with arms overhead,

Chest expansion again,

Shrug the shoulder blades together,

Zip up the belly,

Inhale into a halfway lift with bound hands,

Look forward,

Exhale,

Forward fold again,

Release your hands down,

And on an inhalation,

Step your right leg back,

Bring your right knee down,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Low lunge,

Exhale,

Lunge deeper into your left knee,

Cactus your arms and look up,

This is called the devotional lunge,

Inhale,

Come out of the lunge,

Straighten the arms,

Lengthen,

Exhale,

Devotional lunge again,

Cactus arms,

Look up,

Arching from the upper back,

Last time like that,

In your own flow,

Release the hands down,

Either side of the left foot,

Lift your back knee up,

Step back,

Downward facing dog,

Inhale,

Hinge forward into plank like a wave,

Exhale,

Knees,

Chest,

And chin down,

If you want to modify with the traditional vinyasa,

Please feel free to do so,

Release your body to the earth,

Release the toes,

Reach forward enough for cobra,

Pressing everything down,

Exhale,

Go through bent knees,

Back into downward facing dog,

Inhale,

Right leg lifts,

Exhale,

Step through,

Bring your right hand behind your head and twist to the right,

Reaching the right elbow towards the sky,

Look up on an inhale,

Exhale,

See if you can bring your right elbow towards your left hand,

Inhale,

Open,

Look up,

Exhale,

Right elbow towards your left hand,

Last time,

Release the right hand down,

Frame your foot,

Step forward,

Forward fold,

Inhale,

So coming to standing,

Reaching the arms out and up,

Join your prayer,

Exhale,

Prayer to the heart,

No hesitation to the other side,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Exhale,

Forward fold,

Inhale into a halfway lift,

Exhale,

Left leg steps back,

Left knee down,

Inhale,

Arms reach out and up,

Low lunge,

Exhale,

Lunge deeper,

Cactus your arms and look up,

Devotional lunge,

The arch comes from the upper back,

Two more times,

No cueing,

Allowing you to get,

To be guided,

Last time,

By your own breath,

Release the hands down either side of the right foot,

Step back,

Downward facing dog,

Your chosen vinyasa,

Either plank,

Ashtangasana,

Cobra and downward dog or the traditional vinyasa,

Choose your adventure,

I'll meet you in downward dog,

Left leg lifts,

Straight up and back,

Exhale,

Step through,

Right knee down,

Right hand stays where it is,

Bring your left hand behind your head,

Twist to the left,

Reaching the left elbow towards the sky on an inhale,

Exhale,

Left elbow towards your right hand,

Inhale,

Open,

Exhale,

Left elbow towards your right hand,

Inhale,

Open,

Exhale,

Left elbow towards your right hand,

Release your left hand down,

Frame your foot,

Lift your back knee up,

Step forward,

Forward,

Forward,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Coming to standing,

Join your kriya and lengthen,

Keep inhaling,

Keep inhaling,

Keep inhaling,

Exhale,

Draw this energy back to the heart,

Close your eyes,

Pause and feel.

Normalizing the breath,

Smoothing out the transitions between the inhale and the exhale and coming back to that even ratio.

The breath is the mirror of the mind.

When the breath is scattered,

So is the mind.

The best way to calm a scattered mind is to is to normalize the breath.

Two more breaths here in stillness.

Practice your breathing and being still.

Blink your eyes open,

Have your feet at a distance,

It's a lot easier and kinder to the low back.

Inhale,

Reach the arms overhead and sit into chair,

Same inhalation.

Exhale,

Fold forward only halfway and reach the arms behind you like airplane wings.

This is called airplane arms.

So inhale,

Lift your torso,

Legs don't change,

They're still in chair,

Arms overhead.

Exhale,

Airplane your arms,

Upper body is in a diagonal,

Arms reach up with the palms down as if they were airplane wings.

Three more times like that,

Belly in and up.

Inhale up,

Exhale,

Airplane your arms.

Last time.

Inhale,

This time stay in this.

Ardha Uttanasana with knees bent,

Interlace the fingers behind you,

Take a drishti,

Lift your left heel up,

Step back as gracefully as you can with your left leg into high lunge with bound hands,

Come upright with your torso,

Scissor the inner thighs toward one another.

Bend into your right knee and straighten the arms.

So get stable first,

That's the first order of business.

Release the bound hands and reach the arms out and up,

Out and up,

Out and up on an inhale.

Exhale,

Cactus your arms.

So bending at the elbows,

Spread the fingers nice and wide and ensure that the elbows are at the height of the shoulders.

Now zip up the belly,

Belly in and up.

On an inhalation bring the elbows together and round the chin to chest.

Exhale,

Open and gentle arch.

Three more times in your own flow.

Round and arch.

Last time.

Inhale,

Reach the arms up.

Exhale,

Hands down,

Step back,

Listen up into three-legged downward dog with the right leg up.

Bend the knee,

Stack the hip,

Open the right pelvis to the right,

Keep the shoulders square.

Inhale,

Straighten your right leg.

Exhale,

Bend.

Inhale,

Straighten.

Exhale,

Bend.

Inhale,

Straighten.

Exhale,

Bend.

Square your hips,

So draw your right knee towards the earth,

Re-extend the right leg and exhale,

Step through.

With your hands down,

Spin your back foot flat.

Warrior two feet,

Bend into your right knee,

Left arm carries you up.

Warrior two,

Take a moment,

Set your foundations,

Remember the teachings of the first elements we worked with,

The earth element,

Governs the legs and the feet.

So work for a steady posture.

The steadier the roots,

The stronger the tree.

Reach the arms out in a T,

Shoulders are relaxed,

The arms are engaged but they're not rigid.

Your gaze is at your right middle finger here.

So there's a beautiful teaching about warrior two and the warrior is neither leaning forward or leaning back,

So he's not projected to the future,

He's not attached to the past,

He sits right in the middle,

In the present moment.

I find that's a beautiful way to remember not to lean forward.

From here,

Spin your right palm up and bring your right hand to your left shoulder.

Right hand to left shoulder.

Spin the left arm down and wrap the left arm around.

You may or may not be able to bind.

I can do it on one side but not the other.

So if you can't bind,

Just do this,

Just grab anything you can.

The idea here is to open the shoulders and the chest and once you've got it,

Reach up and back and breathe deep into your right side.

Two more breaths.

How can I take in more prana?

Release the clasp,

Reach the arms in opposite direction,

Right arm up,

Left arm down,

Straighten your right leg.

Parasvatrikonasana,

Side trikonasana.

Bring the arms in a T,

Tilt your hips,

Right hip down,

Left hip up and coming to trikonasana,

Right hand onto the earth,

The ankle or a block,

Left arm towards the sky.

The regular trikonasana.

Again,

Awareness to the middle of the chest,

That's the seat,

The abode of the air element.

From here,

Left arm comes towards the back of the mat and down.

There's a full circle and goes back up.

See if you can follow it with your gaze.

Three more times with this flow.

You can keep the right knee a little bit bent but press the right foot down.

So drawing circles with that left arm,

See if you can follow it with your gaze.

Last time.

Release the left hand down,

Right hand down,

Spin your left heel up,

So come onto your left toes,

Step back into plank with your right foot,

Take a big breath in if you haven't already,

Exhale knees,

Chest and chin down.

Inhale into cobra,

Don't rush it,

Exhale press back,

Downward facing dog.

Pause,

Feel and receive.

So when the air element is balanced,

Thoughts and emotions arise and pass away easily.

If the air element is excessive,

We feel scattered,

Nervous,

Unable to settle.

If the air element is deficient,

We feel dull and lethargic,

Unable to move.

Depression,

For example,

Is an excess of water and earth,

Two gravity-bound elements.

And so they weigh you down,

They don't want to make you move.

You need to add air,

And fire to the alchemical mix.

So just observing,

Just allowing these words to sink in as you continue to breathe.

Best way to balance the air element is,

Of course,

Breathing,

Being in nature and movement.

Look forward and step your feet to your hands as many steps as it takes.

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Coming to standing,

Join your prayer.

Exhale,

Prayer to the heart.

No hesitation to the second side,

Starting with chair,

Feet at distance.

Inhale,

Reach the arms up and sit into chair,

Take a moment,

Ensure you can see all 10 toes,

Shoulders are relaxed.

Inhale,

Reach up a little bit more,

Exhale airplane your arms and fold in a diagonal.

Two more times.

Last time.

Last time you come into this funny half forward fold,

Interlace the fingers behind you,

Straighten the arms,

Look forward and this time lift your right heel and step back with your right leg with control into high lunge.

Come upright with your torso,

Straighten the arms,

Draw the shoulder blades together,

Puff up your chest as if to say I've got this.

Scissor the inner thighs and draw the belly in and up,

Let go of the jaw.

Release the clasp,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up.

Exhale,

Cactus your arms and here we go with our flow.

Inhale,

Round,

Elbows come together,

Chin to chest.

Exhale,

Come upright,

Cactus your arms and maybe even look up a little.

Inhale,

Round.

Exhale,

Arch.

Inhale,

Round.

Exhale,

Arch.

Last time.

Place your hands down either side of the left foot,

Step back into three-legged downward dog with the left leg up.

Bend the knees,

Stack the hip and bend and straighten that left leg three times.

Weigh your hips,

So draw the left knee down,

Re-extend the left leg on an inhale.

Exhale,

Step through.

Warrior two feet,

Spin your right foot flat.

Right arm carries you up,

Warrior two.

Spin your left palm up,

Left hand onto the right shoulder,

Right arm wraps around,

Maybe finding the left hand,

Maybe not,

Doesn't matter.

Bend deeper into your left knee and reach up and back,

Breathe.

Release the left arm towards the sky,

Right arm towards the earth,

Straighten your left leg and reach up and back a little bit more.

Parsva Trikonasana.

Tilt your left hip down,

Right hip up.

Trikonasana,

Regular reach,

Reach,

Reach.

Left hand onto the earth,

The ankle on a block,

Right arm up.

And here we go with that flow.

Right arm goes towards the back of the mat,

Does a full circle in front of your face and goes back up.

Three more times,

Synchronize this with a breath.

Last time,

Take two breaths in Trikonasana.

Awareness to the middle of the chest,

Press the feet down and deepen the breath.

Release your right hand down,

Bring your right heel up,

Step back into plank,

Your chosen vinyasa,

Knees chest and shin or chaturanga.

And up dog,

I will stay with the modified version,

I find it easier on the shoulders,

I will meet you in downward dog.

Four breaths,

Again return to that smooth quality of your breathing.

Practice being still and practice your breathing.

Inhale,

Lift your right leg up,

Down dog kick.

Exhale,

Step your right foot to the outside of the right hand,

Bring your left knee down.

And see if you can walk that left knee further back.

From here,

Reach your right arm towards the sky,

Open twist,

Reach your right arm towards the back of the mat.

See if you can bend your left knee,

This time bend your left knee,

See if you can bend your left knee,

This could be enough.

If you have the clasps,

If you can hold the top of the left foot with the right hand,

There is zero pain onto that left knee and in fact you're not right onto the kneecap,

You're on the top part of the knee.

If you have the clasp,

Draw the heel closer to your butt cheek for a thigh stretch,

Maybe even look up.

Release the clasp of the foot,

Release your right hand down,

Walk your right foot more to centre,

Slide your left knee to your outer right foot.

Take your time,

Draw the right knee in,

Right hand behind you,

Inhale left arm towards the sky,

Exhale twist.

Seated spinal twist,

Both sitting bones are grounded.

Unwind,

Counter twist to the other side,

Place the hands down and step back as mindfully as you can into downward facing dog.

Take some Shakti waves here,

If you don't know what they are,

No problem,

Making waves with your spine,

Come high onto your toes,

Hinge forward into plank,

Bend the knees and press back.

Making waves with the spine,

Remembering the qualities of the water element,

Fluidity,

Adaptability,

Following the path of least resistance,

Downward dog for one breath.

And switch,

Left leg up on back,

Straight up,

Downward dog kick,

Exhale step through,

Left foot to the outside of the right hand,

Right knee down.

Right hand stays where it is,

Reach your left arm towards the sky,

Open twist and then towards the back of the mat.

Bend your right knee,

See if you can hold the top of the right foot with the left hand,

If you can't,

No worries,

Just bend the knee and reach the left arm behind you.

If you have the clasp,

Push the foot into the hand,

The hand into the cloth,

Creating some traction and arching back a little bit more.

Release the clasp of your foot without slingshotting,

Walk that left foot more to centre,

Moving like a ninja mindfully,

Hands down,

Slide your right knee to your other left foot for Ardha Matsyamrasana,

Seated spinal twist,

Left hand behind you,

Use it as a back rest to stay upright,

Inhale reach the right arm towards the sky,

Lengthen,

Exhale twist,

Right elbow to your outer left knee.

Last breath here.

Exhale,

Counter twist to the other side,

To the right,

Bring the hands down,

Step back,

Downward facing dog.

Lengthen,

Choose to move with Shakti waves or stay still.

Inhale,

Hinge forward into plank,

Bring your knees down,

Bring your whole body down,

Belly down,

Face down.

Reach your left arm forward,

Stay high onto the fingertips,

Press the top of the left foot down,

Bend the right knee and see if you can hold the right foot with the right hand,

And then press everything down and come on up,

Half bow,

Half low,

Breathe.

Push the foot into the hand and the hand into the foot,

Stay high onto the fingertips and press the top of the left foot down so much that the kneecap and the top of the thigh lift.

Release,

Take a breather,

Rest your forehead down and switch,

Right hand reaches forward high onto the fingertips,

Press the top of the right foot down,

The toes are on top,

Bend your left knee so you can catch hold of the top of the left foot with your left hand,

Take a deep breath in and reach up,

Forward and up with your chest,

Half bow,

Half low,

Breathe.

Release the clasp,

Release your third eye,

Your forehead onto the earth,

Allow the dust of that to settle.

Bend both legs behind you and catch hold of the top of the left foot with the left hand,

Right foot with the right hand,

If a bow pose,

Press everything down,

Especially the pubic bone and on an inhalation reach forward and up with your chest for bow,

Down your asana,

Pushing the feet into the hands and the hands into the feet,

Five breaths here in silence,

Two more,

Last one,

Release,

Make a pillow with your hands,

Rest your forehead there,

Allow the dust of this backbend to settle and simply feel,

As you're ready roll onto your back,

Bend your legs,

See if you can take hold,

The back of your neck holds it,

With your hands,

Release the arms down,

Press the palms down,

Ensure that your legs are at hip distance and the legs are and the thighs are parallel like railway tracks,

If your knees splay out to the side as we go into bridge of wheel,

You will take it into your sacrum and that's not good,

So really engage the inner thighs,

If you have a block,

That's a great thing to do,

To remember the power of the inner thighs,

Which by the way are known as the warriors of the low back,

So pressing everything down and lifting up,

Maybe squeezing the block,

I love the variation where I place my hands under my sacrum with the elbows,

This is a great preparation for wheel pose,

It will allow you to build strength and open the shoulders,

The upper back,

The upper thoracic,

Take four breaths here wherever you are,

Release slowly,

Release the block,

Bring the knees to touch and just feel that.

And now bridge number two or option to lift into wheel pose,

Upward bow also known,

If you're going into wheel pose,

The setup is the same,

Feet are legs' distance,

Place your hands by the side of your ears,

Ensure that your elbows are pointing straight up and again they're not splaying to the side,

Engage your inner thighs,

You can come high onto your toes,

That will give your low back a bit more space and then lift your hips and see if you can come onto the crown of the head and from here I normally readjust my hands,

Take a deep breath in and lift up into wheel pose if you can or stay with bridge wherever you are,

Four breaths and backbends remind us the essence of yoga,

Fearlessness and joy,

They remind us to open our heart,

Backbends invite us to open our heart to the whole of life.

Last two breaths here,

Engage your inner thighs,

Come on down slowly,

Walking the feet out,

Walking the feet out,

Open the feet as wide as the mat,

Knees touching tippy,

Pose one hand on the heart,

The other hand on top of that,

Connecting with the heart space and the air,

Allowing the breath to normalise,

Noticing the space you've created in your lungs,

As you're ready cross the right leg over the left and drop the whole shape to the left,

Spinal twist opening the arms in a T,

Perhaps turning the head to the right,

Come back to centre with your legs and switch,

Cross the left leg over the right,

Take a deep breath in and drop the whole shape to the right,

Turning the head to the left,

Easy spinal twist,

Bring the legs back to centre,

Unravel and bring the knees into the chest and give yourself a hug,

Lengthening the low back,

Rolling the knees into the chest,

Squeeze into a little ball and release the legs down and settle into Shavasana,

Do not skip it,

We have a generous four minutes,

Take this time to rest and integrate,

Perhaps covering the eyes with something,

Perhaps choosing a blanket to cover yourself with,

And now the work is done,

Now it's time to rest.

So yoga teaches us that we suffer because stuff gets settled,

Overshadows our inerrant qualities by getting stuck in between the vertebra,

The organs,

The cells,

Along the meridians and it overshadows our inerrant goodness,

The beauty of backbends with their ability to open up the heart and stretch the body,

The beauty of backbend is the ability to disperse the stuff,

Thus allowing our true self,

Which is a state of ease,

To truly shine through.

Now simply resting to Shavasana,

Noticing the effects of the practice too,

Shavasana is the death of the practice,

But it's also the death of the old form,

Whether we realize it or not,

Every time we come onto the mat we let go of something,

We remove a veil,

So that the light of our true being can shimmer through.

So as you leave here for a few more moments,

You can consider what are you leaving behind today,

What can you leave on your mat,

What do you no longer need,

And as you already begin to deepen the breath,

Bend the knees and roll onto one side,

Take a moment in fetal position,

Notice how you feel,

Moving very slowly,

Treating your body tempo as a child,

As if you were waking up a child with so much love and kindness,

As you already come into a seated position,

Take Vayu Mudra one more time,

Curling the index finger into the root of the thumb,

Using the thumb to secure it,

Spin the palms up,

Rest the shape,

Onto your lap,

Onto your knees,

Spin the palms up,

Rest the shape,

Onto your lap,

Onto your knees,

Notice the peace you've created through the practice,

Bringing the hands in a prayer in front of the heart,

Thank yourself for practicing,

Thank you for practicing with me,

Namaste.