Welcome everyone.
So today's technique that I'm offering is great for those days where you feel like you might have a lot of weight on your shoulders.
Maybe the heaviness of life or the world is draining you.
It might be leaving you without motivation,
Without the joy.
The mind might feel quite stagnant even.
Now,
For those of you that don't know me,
I'm April,
And the holistic practice of yoga has really lit up my life.
And because of that,
I have really devoted myself to this yogic lifestyle and this lifestyle in service of my greatest self,
Of the greatest self.
And my Dharma really extends to support those on their yogic journey by offering these great yogic keys that do indeed light up life.
So I call this technique flapping wings,
And it may or may not have a formal name,
I don't know.
But if you've ever been to one of my classes,
You have likely done this technique,
This posture movement before in some expression.
So this technique invites us to connect to the steady swiftness,
To the motivation,
And to the lightness of the air element,
As well as the heart chakra,
The anahata.
Which helps to uplift or lighten up the unserving heaviness and stagnancy of the mind.
So it's a very simple technique.
It's very fun.
It's a great warmup,
And it's also a great technique to use on its own.
So let's practice together.
Find a comfortable seat wherever you happen to be,
And it could be cross-legged,
Kneeling,
Legs long.
You could even sit on a chair as long as you have space for the arms to move beside you.
We're going to begin first by placing the hands down onto the knees.
Encourage your eyes to close for a moment.
Shift your awareness within.
And begin to feel the sit bones root down evenly into the earth.
So we're establishing that earth foundation to really support now the balance of this higher element,
This element that's more associated with the lungs,
The heart,
The chest,
The arms,
The element of air,
Vayu.
So from the foundation,
The spine streams long.
The center of the chest lifts,
The shoulders relax back and down.
Release any effort in your facial expression and feel the inner gaze become soft and quiet.
So as we work with the air element,
It's still important that we maintain that connection to earth.
The connection to water,
So there's some fluidity within the body.
The element of fire as we find the stability of our core.
And then you're welcome to keep the eyes closed or to open the eyes.
As we move into our position,
We'll inhale.
Draw the arms out to the sides of the body.
Open up through the heart.
Option here to open the throat if that serves the neck.
Exhale,
Sweep the arms forward.
Bring the fingertips to touch the center of your chest.
So same motion.
Inhale to open all the way up.
And exhale,
Sweep the arms forward.
Now you can stay at this pace.
Welcome to speed up both the breath and the movement.
Like we're actually flapping our wings.
We begin to feel the sensation of the arms stream through the lightness of air as we enhance our pranic capacity.
And this position,
This technique is extremely beneficial and extra beneficial when we project joy into our inner body.
Lifting yourselves up out of the heaviness,
The weight perhaps of the world.
Returning back to our vibrancy,
Our motivation,
Our freedom.
Our lighthearted and compassionate nature five more times.
With your next inhale,
Extend both arms out to the sides of the body.
Feel the body expand.
Feel your energy expand.
Feel prana expand.
Notice the sensation through the palms of your hands.
Notice the sensation of energy running through the arms,
The vibration of feeling alive,
Lifted,
Bright,
And balanced.
Slowly release your hands down.
Place the backs of your hands onto your knees or your lap.
Roll and soften the shoulders down.
Invite the eyes to close.
And take three soft breaths here.
Being in the experience of yourself.
And a gentle releasing breath,
Inhale,
Nose.
And out the mouth.
So I encourage you to stream this vibration of upliftment into the rest of your day,
Into your interactions with others.
I'd love to hear from you.
Let me know how it goes in the chat below.
And I will see you next time.
Namaskar.
