Welcome to your class.
Come to a child's pose to begin.
Take your knees as wide as you're comfortable bringing them right now and sweep your big toes to touch.
Crawl the arms forward and let's turn the palms up for this version of child's pose,
A gesture of surrender.
The forehead resting onto the mat.
We'll hold each pose in this sequence for enough time to really sink in.
Take a moment to make sure you're comfortable here,
Making any adjustments that are necessary.
Perhaps a blanket under the knees and then begin to breathe more mindfully.
Let your breath come to the forefront of your mind,
Inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
I like to imagine that as my forehead rests on the floor in a child's pose that I am able to surrender any thoughts that don't serve me right through the front of the forehead,
Through that third eye center,
Draining away any negativity,
Any fear and any anxiety,
Giving it back to the earth to transmute.
Maybe this idea serves you.
Visualize thoughts that don't serve,
Draining away,
Being absorbed by the earth beneath you.
Let your breath come to a nice steady rhythm now.
See if you can match inhales with exhales.
Each of these classes will have a mantra,
Will bring to our breath and today's I am on the inhale,
Love on the exhale.
I am on the inhale,
Love on the exhale.
Continue that mantra even if in the beginning it doesn't feel like much or perhaps you don't feel as connected to it.
Trust that that repetition I am love is powerful.
When your mind gets busy come back to the mantra,
Breathing in I am love on the exhale.
We'll take some gentle side bends here in child's pose.
Begin to crawl your hands over to the right and as your hands travel to the right you'll find a slight stretch in the left side waist.
Rest here and breathing up and down the left side of the body.
I am on the inhale,
Love on the exhale.
Allow your body to sink into the shape,
To rest a little heavier into the earth beneath you.
Really surrender,
Really letting go.
And then slowly transitioning to the other side,
Walking your hands over to the left,
Going as far as it's comfortable,
Pausing.
Take a breath in and settle into the pose.
Breathing through your nose,
Coming back to your breath mantra.
And now walk your hands back to center.
As your hands arrive back at center,
Turn the palms down,
Drag yourself up to tabletop pose,
Aligning the shoulders over the wrists and the hips over the knees,
Carving the chest out for a cow,
Fingers spread,
Fingertips gripping.
Drive your chest forward and up,
Lift through the crown and the tailbone.
Then exhale and round your spine,
Pressing into the floor with the hands,
Squeezing through the belly.
Slow long breath in cow.
I am.
Rounding your back,
Love,
Exhaling.
Take a few sets like this,
Moving nice and slow,
Aware of each and every breath that you take,
Warming up the spine,
Inviting in more blood flow,
Loosening up joints,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
Now we'll begin to clock our hips into big circles towards the heels.
You can go either direction,
But go for that big wide sweep of your hips towards one heel,
All the way back and over towards the other heel,
And then all the way forward.
Move slowly,
Feel into where you have tight spots in the body.
If you wanted,
You could even walk your hands forward a little bit more so that as you make that circle forward,
Your hips might come closer to the mat before going back again.
Feel free to play with it,
Make it feel good,
Make it your own,
And most importantly,
Breathe I am.
Love,
Exhale.
Then circling the opposite direction,
Fast or slow,
Whatever rate feels right to you,
Big or small,
Breathing deeply,
I am.
Love on the exhale.
And now slowly begin to transition towards center,
Crossing your ankles so that you can sit back into Sukhasana or simple cross-legged seat.
As you arrive here seated,
Place your hands at your knees,
Close the eyes,
Feel your seat rooted into the earth beneath you,
And rise up through the crown of your head.
Bring your right ear down to your right shoulder,
Feeling a slight stretch into the left side of the neck,
And simply roll your chin forward towards your chest and then over to the left.
Left ear to left shoulder,
Stretching the right side of the neck.
Breathe in here,
Roll the head forward,
Breathe out,
Roll the head to the right,
Breathe in,
Roll the chin to the chest,
Breathe out.
Roll the head to the left,
Inhaling I am.
Exhale,
Chin to chest,
Love.
Right ear,
Right shoulder,
Breathe in.
Chin to chest,
Exhale,
Love,
And continue breathing slowly as you move your head side to side.
If it feels good at any point,
You can always drop your head all the way back into a full circle.
Go with what feels good and breathe.
And then very slowly bring yourself back to neutral.
Reach your arms from the seated position up overhead,
Interlacing all 10 fingers.
Just flip your palms and stretch upwards,
Wiggling out a little more space as you stretch the arms high.
Open up the chest by pulling the arms slightly back,
Maybe take your gaze up.
Gently releasing the hands and circling them behind you,
Clasping all 10 fingers there,
Pull your chest open,
Lift your gaze,
Maybe the knuckles even touch the ground behind your hips.
Releasing your clasp,
Look at your legs,
Notice that the shins are crossed.
We'll move into a gentle hip stretch.
Walk your hands forward and fold over your crossed shins.
As you walk your hands forward,
You might feel a need to have some support underneath you.
If a block is handy or some rolled blankets,
You can rest on them.
Flip your palms up when you find your edge,
Smoothing out the breath,
Taking long slow inhales and exhales and coming back to your breath mantra,
I am love on the exhale.
Feel your shoulders unwind,
Your hands softening,
Your spine releasing.
Feel the outer hips melting,
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
And now begin to pad your hands back in so that you come right up to seated again,
Looking down at the shins and crossing the legs the other way.
When you're ready,
Walk your hands out.
Notice the difference on this side.
Breathe into wherever you feel tight,
Sending this mantra,
This light,
This breath to those areas.
I am on the inhales,
Love on the exhales.
Relax your shoulders,
Relax your neck and let go.
Slowly begin to pad your palms back in,
Bringing yourself upright.
As you come up to sit,
Simply roll all the way onto your back.
Take your time.
As you arrive on your back body,
Knees can come into your chest,
Holding onto the shins and knees.
Begin to circle the knees,
Loosening up the low back,
Rocking a little bit side to side,
Moving slowly and organically.
Now keep the right knee pulled in towards the chest and set the left foot onto the floor.
Clasp your hands behind the right leg and reach your right foot towards the ceiling.
You can keep the left knee bent or straighten the left leg out.
With the right leg towards the ceiling,
Roll out the right ankle.
Point and flex the toes.
And then with a nice clasp around the back of your right leg somewhere,
Just hold the leg here and breathe,
Stretching out the hamstrings,
The hips.
If it's possible to walk your hands any closer to the foot,
Feel free to go there.
Otherwise,
Just stay where you are.
Now re-bend that right knee and place the sole of your right foot to the inner part of your left leg somewhere.
This pose will look like tree pose lying on your back.
As you bring the right foot against the inner left thigh,
Stretch the arms up overhead as if you were standing,
Balancing in tree pose.
Close the eyes and visualize yourself balanced perfectly in vrksasana.
Breathing in,
I am.
And exhaling,
Love.
Take two more breaths here,
Full inhales and full long exhales.
Big breath in,
Long breath out.
And then slowly with the assistance of your hands,
Bring the knee back to neutral,
Squeeze it towards your chest and drop your right knee to the left into a supine twist.
As your right knee drops left,
Gazing over your right shoulder,
Breathing here.
Check in with your mind,
Your mental space.
Clear any thoughts that don't belong here and return to your mantra.
Take this breath now,
Inhaling,
I am.
And this breath out,
Love.
Feel this mantra is being absorbed into your body,
Into your energy field,
Into every cell,
Muscle,
Bone,
And tissue.
I am love.
A few more breaths held here,
Just enjoying this supine twist,
Relaxing the right shoulder a little heavier towards the earth,
Allowing this gentle twist to take place and detoxify our bodies and minds.
And now very slowly begin to guide your right knee back up to neutral.
Release your right foot back down to the floor and bring your left knee into the chest.
As the left knee comes into the chest,
Clasp your hands around the back of your left leg and reach your left leg towards the ceiling.
You can have your right leg straight or the right foot on the floor.
As your left leg goes up to the sky,
Roll the ankle,
Point and flex the toes,
And breathe here.
And now bend your left knee,
Pull your left knee towards your chest,
And transition into this supine tree pose.
Place your left foot against your inner right thigh.
Let the knee fall open.
Reach your arms overhead and just breathe here.
Flex your right foot as if you are standing,
Balancing,
Breathing in,
And breathing out.
With the support of your hands,
Bring that left knee back in.
Take your time.
There's no rush.
When the knee does come back in,
Taking the knee across your body and down to the right supine twist,
Gazing over your left fingertips and breathing here.
And then slowly beginning to bring yourself back to neutral,
Just bringing the knee back in.
Bring the hands around the leg.
Gather your right knee in as well.
Give yourself a big squeeze.
And then releasing your feet down to the floor,
Sliding the legs out,
And coming into your final pose for this sequence,
Which is Shavasana.
As the legs extend,
Flip the palms up and move the shoulder blades down the back.
Close the eyes and I'll be guiding you into a deeply relaxing Shavasana for this practice.
So just follow my words and let yourself completely be at ease.
Lying on your back with your legs out straight,
Arms by the side body,
Palms facing up.
If lying with your leg straight creates any discomfort in your low back,
Place a cushion beneath your knees.
Close your eyes.
Relax the jaw.
Relax the brow.
Relax the tongue in the mouth.
Breathing in,
I am.
Breathing out love.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Feeling the rise and fall of the chest on each inhalation and exhalation,
Inviting relaxation every time that you breathe in.
Let go of tension every time you breathe out.
Invite relaxation every time you breathe in.
Let go of tension every time you breathe out.
Feel all the points of contact between the body and the floor and sink down through these points of contact even further,
Releasing all tension.
Let go.
Relax.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Allowing your bones to feel heavy.
Allowing the muscles around the bones to soften.
Thank these bones.
Thank the skin.
Thank these muscles for getting you this far.
And surrender into this undoing.
Surrender to gravity.
Surrender to everything.
In this moment,
Allowing your breath to just be just as it is.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
There's nowhere to go,
Nothing to do,
But to bring this gentle awareness to your breath.
Feeling your abdomen rise,
Feeling your abdomen fall.
Feeling your abdomen rise,
Feeling your abdomen fall.
Make like a puddle out of your body into the earth beneath you.
Dissolve.
Breathing in.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Breathing out.
Notice your breath now.
Begin to wiggle your fingertips and your toes.
Rock your head side to side.
And one more time,
Affirming,
Before you leave your mat today,
I am love.
Thank you for practicing and namaste.
