Kino MacGregor Yoga Intro to Ashtanga Yoga

Transcript

So, we almost have all the tools for a complete sun salutation. So, you can be excited about building full awareness for the practice. We have two crucial elements that we have to add in that will challenge both your strength and your flexibility. If you're a beginner and you're new to the practice, then you want to make sure to follow the alignment as closely as possible and go at your own pace. Never rush the movement or orient towards the ultimate goal because the journey is always the goal in the yoga practice. So the two elements that we're adding in are called chaturanga dandasana which is like a push-up position and upward facing dog where we lift the spine into a slight spinal extension. I'll be going through those a little bit slowly on the first one and then accelerating the the movement so it coordinates with the breaths as we progress into the sun salutation. So stand neutral gently gaze ahead. Find the center of your body by sucking in the lower belly. The mind is open and calm. The kneecaps raise into the pelvic floor. And now we're ready to begin. Exhale completely. And inhale. Raise your hands above the head. Look up. Exhale. Fold forward and down. Inhale. Lift your chest. Look up. And this time, instead of stepping to downward-f facing dog, you're going to step your legs back. Holding a plank position with the elbows straight for a moment. Press into the floor. Feel the strength of the body. Suck the belly inside as you tuck the tailbone. Then spin the elbows forward. And exhale. Take the chest over the hands. Lower down into a push-up position for chaturanga dandasana. If this is very challenging for you, you can place your stomach right on the ground. But do try to develop the strength that will bring you into chaturanga dandasana. Okay, put your knees on the ground. Roll gently back. And we're just going to try that one more time. So this time on your hands and knees, take the chest over the hands, suck the belly in, press through the arms, and inhale, come to that plank position, and then exhale chaturunga going to the floor only if you need to. And then roll back through the feet. Inhale as you roll over the toes both at the same time, rolling the chest forward. Press through the arms once you reach the apex of the spinal extension. Gently drop the head back, gazing at the tip of the nose. Then drop your head forward, curl the toes under, and use the arms and the strength of the belly to press back into downward-f facing dog. You can reposition your feet just to make sure that they're hipswth apart and the hands are shoulderwidth apart. And we'll stay in our downward facing dog, which is our basic rest position for five breaths. One, pressing through the heels. Two. Three. Feeling the centered calm state in the body and the mind. Four. Feeling the inner fire slowly being kindled. And five. Look forward. Press through the hands. Inhale. Walk one foot and the other foot. Step it forward as we look up. And exhale. Fold forward over your thighs. Inhale. Raise the hands. Press the palms together. And exhale back to standing.