Hello again,
This is Vicky from Achela Yoga and today we're going to be doing a 30 minute session on the theme of balance.
In many parts of the world,
Asia in particular,
It's believed that health can be optimised by balance.
Rather than opposites working against each other,
They work together for equilibrium,
Being active but getting enough rest for example,
Or having community yet still being at peace and solitude.
So today our focus will be based on this idea,
Starting with a breathing exercise to balance the opposite sides of the brain and the energies,
Then moving on to our asanas,
Working on the front and back of the body and both sides.
Remember that in yin yoga we stay in the poses for around 3-4 minutes,
So take your time moving into the pose using the images on my website as a general guide.
Do bear in mind that these are what I look like but what I actually want you to do is focus on what you're feeling in a particular target area,
Not what you look like.
Please as always listen to your body and if anything feels painful then use some of the adjustments I offer or come out completely.
And finally be receptive and don't push yourself.
The props that you might need in this class are a blanket,
A cushion and maybe some blocks if you have any or if not you can always use books.
The poses that we will do today are square,
Lateral half dragonfly and extended dragonfly.
To begin our theme of balance we're going to start with a breathing practice called nadi shodhana to help relax you and bring you into the room ready to practice.
The idea of this exercise as I mentioned earlier is to balance the two sides of the mind connecting mind and body as well as help you prepare to be more present in the now.
If you've done this practice before and have your own way of doing it then please continue to do it in that way but if you haven't done nadi shodhana before then I will guide you through it.
First of all find a seated comfortable position on the floor.
If you're okay with crossing your legs then please do that or alternatively you can kneel perhaps sitting up on something particularly if your knees have a tendency to hurt.
Bring your shoulders back and down and relax them.
Straighten the body feeling as if there's a thread from the top of your head going to the ceiling holding you up straight but not too tight.
Place your left hand on your thigh,
Palm down or up and turn your right hand over so that you're looking at that palm.
Next bring the forefinger and the middle finger quite lightly to the palm.
It doesn't matter if they don't come down completely.
Then bring the little finger and the fourth finger together if that's doable.
Bring the hand up to the nose and close the right nostril with the thumb.
Breathe out completely through the left nostril.
Now breathe in and close the left nostril with the fourth finger.
Release the right nostril and breathe out the right nostril.
Breathe in the right.
Close the right with the thumb then release the left and breathe out the left.
Breathe in the left.
Close both nostrils.
Breathe out the right.
Breathe in the right again but this time slow the breath down.
Hold both nostrils again.
Breathe out the left slowly and then continue to do this for six more rounds in your own time with a slow and even breath.
Try not to rush if you can and notice the movement between the left and the right sides of the nose as you breathe.
Remember that after each in breath you close both nostrils then you breathe out the other side.
On the next out breath on the left side let go of the nose and just see if you can notice the balance between the left side and the right side.
So for the first pose,
If you're not already sitting cross legged then cross your legs with the right leg in front.
Now bring the right foot forward a bit so that the calf is approximately at a right angle to the front of the mat and bring the left foot forward to meet it.
Now fold forward over the legs.
The target area you want to be feeling the stretch in here is the side of the right leg going up into the glutes and also in the back.
You may even be feeling it in the left leg as well.
If you find that your ankles are digging into the ground then just grab a blanket or fold the mat underneath them.
If you feel that you're not really feeling much in the back then you can also sit up on something.
If you're feeling any uncomfortable sensations in the knees then try moving the knees further away from each other or perhaps bringing them closer together so it's more of a cross legged position.
If after playing with the legs your knees still don't feel good then you might want to put some support,
For example some books or cushions underneath the knees.
For those of you who aren't feeling the stretch so much and if your knees are okay with it then you can bring the right foot on top of the left leg.
If this is too much on the right knee then again you can try sitting up on something,
Tilting the hips forward and putting less pressure on the knee.
If it's still hurting after this however then take the foot back down again and try playing with the leg some more instead.
And now we stay for two minutes paying attention to that stretch in the right leg and the glute area.
Okay?
You you So on the next out breath bring the body up to the center and Bring the right leg straight out to the side Move the leg until you start to feel some stretch on the inside of the thigh Moving it further back,
Or if that's too much then further forward and keeping the left foot on the inside of the right thigh The stretch has always Should be not too much or too little But a nice stimulation over a general area We are now in half butterfly or half dragonfly Next Put the right elbow on or just above the right knee Putting something underneath it if it doesn't reach or if your elbow is digging into your leg and Rest your head in your hand if that's comfortable Then bring the left arm over the head so that it's resting on the head Perhaps you might even want to hold on to the other hand and You want to feel a stretch on the left side of the body?
If you're feeling any pinching sensations in the shoulder Then move the arm a little forwards or backwards perhaps bending the elbow The arm doesn't need to be straight If you feel that the pull is too much on the inside or the back of the right knee You can always bend that knee a little placing a rolled blanket underneath If you feel like you don't have enough stretch there Then you can try twisting the body a little so that you're looking up And now we stay for two minutes Focusing on what you're feeling in the body and where you're feeling it Focusing on what you're feeling in the body and where you're feeling it You You You You You You you you you Next Back to the centre,
Now drop them to the left,
Back to the centre,
Drop to the right,
Centre,
Left and continue to do this a few times yourself.
Slow movements,
Perhaps looking over the opposite shoulder for a bit of a twist in the spine before we move to the other side to bring that balance.
So this time,
Cross the legs again but with the left in front.
Move the feet forwards so the calves are squarish to the front of the mat,
Then again fold forward.
Notice if you're feeling that stretch in the side of the left leg,
In the bum area,
Perhaps going down the leg and ideally in the back as well.
This time,
Play with the torso,
Moving a little to the right,
A little to the left and find that stimulation that's neither too much nor too little,
Your natural stopping point.
Don't forget to sit up on something if you feel you want to fold forwards more or perhaps if you have sciatica.
Put something beneath the ankles if they're digging into the ground and play with the legs if you're feeling anything in the knees.
This is a hip opening pose,
There are no knee openers in yoga.
So move the knees away from each other or closer together,
They can come as close as they need to.
And then again,
Here we stay for around two and a half minutes,
Keeping those smooth,
Slow,
Even breaths that we had at the start.
Breathing in and out before allowing the body to relax deeper into the pose,
Using the out breath and gravity rather than force.
Breathing in and out before allowing the body to relax deeper into the pose,
Using the out breath and gravity rather than force.
You you you so on the next out breath bring your torso back up to the center and this time stretch the left leg out to the side as far as you want to so that you feel that stretch on the inside of the left leg bring the right foot into the left inside thigh then put the left elbow on the left knee perhaps on a book or a cushion and then stretch sideways over the left leg bringing the right arm up and resting it on the head either bent or straight but keeping it relaxed if you're looking for more stretch in the side body then maybe twist the body a little so you're looking more towards the ceiling if you're feeling an uncomfortable stretch on the inside of the left knee then you might want to bend it a little and place something underneath then we stay in stillness for just over two minutes perhaps adjusting the body slightly if we lose the stretch noticing where we feel the stretch which parts of the body just note them you you you you and on the next out breath bring the arms down bring the torso back to the center bend the left leg bring the foot on the floor in front of you and bring the right foot next to it and again just hold on to the knees either looking forward or dropping the head resolving to stay still and noticing the effect in the legs in the back you you you says Then we move into the counter pose.
So just place the hands on the floor behind you,
Keeping your feet where they are,
And on the next out breath push the hips up into table top.
Then come slowly back down again.
Push the hips up again,
Then back down again.
Do this a few more times,
Straightening the back as a counter pose to forward and side folds,
And bringing that balance.
Next,
We move into dragonfly,
Extended dragonfly.
So again,
Stretch the right leg out to the side,
And the left leg out to the side.
Bringing that stimulation on the inside part of both legs.
You may need to open or close them to get a good amount,
Perhaps rotating the thighs out or in to find it.
Then put the hands on the floor behind you,
Together so that the chest is open,
And again,
Play with the legs if you want more or less stretch on the inside thighs.
Bend the knees a little if you feel like there's an uncomfortable sensation in the knee attachment,
Putting something underneath if necessary to support them.
The hands can be facing any direction,
Fingers pointing to the back,
Or the front,
Or maybe even to the sides.
The closer you bring the hands together,
The more the chest opens.
So if you're feeling any pinching sensations in the shoulders,
You might want to separate them.
And now we stay for around two minutes with that slow,
Deep breath.
Keeping the muscles relaxed,
Noticing if you're holding any tension,
And as you breathe out,
Soften.
How are you doing to heal?
You you you And then on the next out breath bring their hands forward Take hold of the legs and bring them back to the center and now we move into shavasana So just stretching the legs out now lie back on the floor You can separate the legs and the arms if you want to just feel as relaxed as possible Perhaps put a blanket on if you're cold or socks just get relaxed And then when you're lying comfortably Just move the head from left to right Slowly Just to loosen up Maybe drop both feet to the right side To the left side to the right To the left You can make fists with your hands stretching clenching stretching clenching And then take a deep breath in breathing out through the mouth and Allowing the body to enjoy it A few minutes of silence to take in the effects of the practice You You You You You You Now start to bring your attention back into the room Noticing the body on the floor Noticing any skin that touches the mat.
How's the temperature just noting?
You Notice any sounds you can hear again just noting cars People Birds Once again roll the head from left to right keeping the eyes closed Start circling the wrists and the ankles one way Then the other Then the other Now bend the knees and bring them into the chest and just hold on to the knees for a few moments And then in your own time Drop the knees to one side and just stay here for a few moments When you're ready Bring yourself back to a seated position still keeping the eyes closed any seated position Taking your time And just before moving on to the next part of your day Notice how you feel compared to when you started the class Thank you so much for joining me again today.
I hope you enjoyed this small yin yoga class And that it might help bring some balance into your day namaste
