Hello and welcome.
This is going to be a guided journey into your Shavasana,
Your final relaxation pose.
So I invite you to come to a seat on your mat.
You've probably already done some other yoga or some other activity and it is now time for your relaxation.
So come to a seat,
Bending your knees,
Bringing the soles of your feet together,
Making a diamond shape with your legs.
You might decide to bring the heels in closer to your hips or have them further away.
If it feels like it's challenging to come forward,
You might benefit from sitting up on a blanket or cushion and that will allow your upper body to more easily hinge forward at the hip crease.
So find your variation,
Keep the spine nice and long and when you're ready on an exhale,
Hinging forward,
Coming into your Baddha Konasana or Cobbler Pose.
Remember this is going to be a little bit of a cool down before we come into our final relaxation for Shavasana.
Remember always listen to your body,
Listen to your breath,
Always find variations as you need to and to prepare for Shavasana is really important.
We want to be able to find stillness in Shavasana and then slowly on your next inhale,
Bring yourself all the way back upright,
Use your hands to close the knees like a book and straighten your legs out in front of you.
Pause for a moment and notice how your body feels,
Maybe noticing any echo from that last pose and then we're going to come into a seated twist.
Bend your right knee and cross your right foot over the left leg.
Right hand goes behind you,
Left hand or arm wraps around that right knee.
You can keep your left leg active,
Flexing the left toes up towards the shin and take a nice inhale here,
Lengthening through the spine and as you exhale,
Twist to your right.
Imagine you're taking those left ribs towards your inner right thigh and breathe here.
You could find a soft point to gaze upon or you could close your eyes.
Just notice your breath and observe how this twist feels within your body.
Take another full breath here,
Exhaling completely and then slowly on your next inhale,
Unwind,
Straighten out that right leg and pause and then bend your left knee.
Maybe take that left foot to the outside of that right leg,
Left hand goes behind you for support and the right hand or arm wraps around that left knee.
Keeping the right leg active,
Take an inhale,
Nice long spine,
Exhale,
Twist to your left.
Again,
Notice how this twist feels.
It might feel different than the other side and you might feel the twist more in your upper back.
Make sure there's no strain in the neck.
Keep the neck comfortable and the breath soft and easy.
Take a few more breaths here and then slowly on your next inhale,
Unwind,
Straighten out that left leg and pause and then coming into a forward bend,
You can either keep your legs straight,
Coming into a Paschimottanasana,
Seated forward fold or perhaps you would prefer an Upavistha Konasana,
Spreading your legs into a V shape and hinging forward with your upper body down the middle.
You could also sit up on a little bit of a blanket if you prefer.
Take a nice inhale and keeping the spine nice and long,
Walk your hands either forward if your legs are wide or maybe alongside your legs if your legs are together,
Coming into your forward fold.
Notice how this feels,
Getting a stretch in the hamstrings as well as a nice stretch through the spine.
If your legs are together and if you don't have any low back issues,
You might choose to allow the spine to round.
Otherwise keep the spine long and breathe here.
Notice how this feels in your body and notice your breath.
Take a few more breaths here.
And then slowly on your next inhale,
Use your hands and arms and bring yourself back up to a comfortable seat.
And then you're going to bring your feet a little closer in,
Bending the knees and lower yourself all the way down onto your back.
Bend your knees,
Drawing your knees in towards your chest and give yourself a little hug.
Maybe rock side to side or maybe holding onto the knees,
Move your knees in a circle to massage the lower back.
And if you're going in a circle,
Make sure you go both directions.
And if you like,
You might come into a happy baby pose,
Bending the knees,
Reaching for the feet or the ankles,
Taking the soles of the feet up to the sky and maybe again rocking a little side to side.
Any variation here that feels good,
Taking any final movements that your body is wanting before Shavasana.
And then whenever you're ready,
Begin to straighten your legs out,
Make sure you're comfortable.
You might choose to have a little blanket or other support under the head.
Make sure you're warm enough,
Cool enough and you won't be disturbed.
Take a nice big inhale and a soft,
Slow exhale.
If you're still not feeling like you're ready to relax,
You might choose on your next inhale to tighten all the muscles in your body,
Making your hands into little fists and just squeezing all your muscles tight,
Tight,
Tight.
And then as you exhale,
Release and let it go.
You could do this a couple more times.
And then on your next exhale,
Just take a nice open mouth side,
Let it go.
And then begin to focus on your body.
Let your body be heavy and soft.
Let the feet and ankles relax.
Just letting the feet flop open to the sides.
Soften the legs,
Letting them be heavy.
Bring your awareness up into the hips and allow your hips to soften and release.
Release your spine,
Envisioning space between each vertebrae and allow all the muscles along your back to relax and soften.
Soften your belly.
Soften the area around your heart.
Allow the shoulders to soften and release.
And let the softening continue down the arms and into the hands and fingers.
Maybe noticing any sensation in the palms of your hands.
Soften the throat and neck.
And allow your head to be heavy.
Release any tension in the jaw and soften all the muscles around the face,
Especially around the eyes.
Urbanquickness.
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