Steady and Stable | Twist & Ground | Samana Vayu | Jungle Yoga (Melissa Wick)

Transcript

hey everyone melissa wick here welcome to my channel or welcome back i'm coming to you from the jungles of la fortuna in costa rica and this is a yoga practice that invites in twists there's lots of opportunity to cultivate stability in our body and stability in our mind really sinking our movements with our breath we're going to finish the practice in a delicious shavasana immersed in the sounds of nature so that we could return back to ourselves going inward returning back home so if you have a block that may be helpful or two blocks just to bring the floor up to us so we feel supported you want to get into something comfortable something that you can move in and let's get this practice started let's begin on our backs so go ahead and lay yourself down and either start with the legs straight out long or you can have the knees bent feet as wide as the mat knees fall into touch palms are facing up gently lift the chest and slide the shoulders under so the heart space is nice and open maybe lift and lower your hips so that the lower back feels spacious close your eyes and invite in two deep cleansing breaths to fully arrive inhale through the nose let yourself fill up exhale through the mouth let it go one more like this fully expand inhale belly and chest inflates exhale let it go through the mouth all the stale air out closing the lips the mouth and settle into the natural rhythm of your breath in and out through both nostrils [Music] give yourself permission here to be fully present letting go of the last few moments letting go of expectations and letting go of any to-do lists you may have put that aside gift yourself this moment set the intention here to make the breath as smooth and as even as possible equal length inhales equal length exhales and now bring your knees in towards tabletop legs together draw the belly button in towards the back of the spine so the lower back is imprinting on the mat arms out to a t palms facing down take a breath in here as you exhale legs stay together and start to draw your legs over to the left without lifting that right shoulder off the mat head stays center or over to the right inhale center exhale legs over to the right gaze to the left or center inhale center exhale to the left inhale center exhale to the right inhale center exhale to the left this time go all the way down flip your palms up left hand grabs a hold of the right thigh head is center or to the right whatever feels more comfortable and supportive breathe into the abdomen [Music] good and then come back to center legs over to the right right hand grabs hold the left thigh left palm up head center or to the left breathe into the abdomen and come back to center both knees in towards the chest give yourself a gentle hug now we're going to meet and tabletop all fours so you could rock and roll or you can roll to one side and make your way to tabletop all fours spread your fingers nice and wide tuck your toes underneath on an inhale just lengthen your spine you can dip the belly a little just reach the sternum forward soften the shoulders away from the ears as you exhale toes are tucked under pull the belly in lift your knees push up and back downward facing and your knees can stay bent here make this more about your spine nice and smooth inhale knees come down continue the inhale lengthen the spine exhale knees lift push down through the palms sit bones reach up and back a few more times nice and smooth inhale knees come down lengthen the spine slow down your exhale shift up and back two more times inhale slow exhale and back inhale knees come down lengthen the spine exhale downward facing this time stay in downward dog you can keep a slight bend in the knees wrap the upper arms around and in release any excess tension you may be holding in the head the neck shoulders belly pulls in breathe into the belly focus your eyes on one point equal length inhales equal length exhales on your next inhale come forward to high plank heels hips shoulders head in one line pubic bone crawls in you can always bring the knees down exhale bend your elbows toward the back of the mat elbows hug in lower down point your toes loop the shoulders onto the back tops the feet press down inhale shoulders relaxed elbows in lift the chest and forehead chin in exhale lower down twice more nice and smooth inhale feel the back body start to open up and engage lower down exhale last one inhale exhale lower down tuck your toes underneath elbows hug in push down to the palms breathe in belly lifts arms extend exhale downward facing dog bend your knees look between your hands walk or step to the top of your mat feet hip width distance forward fold pausing here a few cycles of breath shoulders out of the ears belly in back of the neck long root down through all four corners of the feet halfway lift inhale fingertips to shins or quads shoulders back belly in chin and long spine exhale forward fold inhale root down through the feet arise arms sweep up exhale hands to heart center tail lengthens down one cycle of breath here chest open inhale arms sweep up exhale slight bend in the knees biceps by the ears thumbs back in space you're going to exhale and slowly lower down feel the back body strengthen long long spine halfway lift inhale exhale plant your palms and step back downward facing dog take a breath in through the and exhale out of the mouth right leg's going to sweep up three-legged dog hips stay close keep pulling the belly in push down through the palms exhale bend your knees step your right foot through between the hands left knee comes down right ankle under the knee arms sweep up thumbs back in space chest open drop the right hip down low belly zips in inhale and exhale and then frame your right foot hips go back in space maybe hands-on blocks right toes toward the face softening the shoulders sternum reaches [Music] forward and then re-bend your right knee ankle underneath the knee arm sweep up breathe in as you exhale you're going to twist to your right so left back hand it's going to come to the outside of the right thigh keep dropping the right hip down it's like you're hugging the hips in toward the center as the right arm reaches back head could be off to the right or look back to your hand keep pulling up the low belly breathe into your abdomen [Music] dip your right arm down breathe in both arms reach up exhale hands on the inside of your right leg tuck the left toes under power up your back leg skandasana to the left turn your heels and toes out walk your hands to the back of your mat left knee in line with the left toes support yourself here so you're not over stretching and then re-bend your right knee frame your right foot all ten toes face forward okay slightly in front of you fingertips in front of you step into your right foot breathe in both legs lengthen left leg lifts long spine exhale lower your left leg beside the right forward fold halfway lift inhale exhale forward fold inhale rise all the way up to stand and exhale arms down by your side palms face forward shoulders onto the back feel the kneecaps lift reach to the crown of the head root down through the feet tuning into your breath inhale arms sweep up now as you exhale slight bend in the knees biceps stay by the ears thumbs back in space as you exhale lengthen lengthen the spine feel the back body start to engage lower down bend the knees as much as you need to halfway lift inhale exhale plant your palms and step back downward facing dog you can always take an exhale through the mouth you feel like you need to release re-establish the connection with your breath [Applause] move with these left legs then arise inhale keep pulling the belly in hips close push down through the palms as you exhale step the left foot through between the hands right knee comes down arms sweep up drop the left hip tailbone lengthens down broaden the collarbones chest open frame your left foot hips go back in space and then the left toes draw towards the face maybe hands-on blocks softening the shoulders and find more length in the spine as you breathe into the hamstring let's re-bend the left knee make sure the ankles under the knee arms sweep up breathe in as you exhale you're going to twist to your left your right hand comes to the outside of the left thigh drop the left hip down you can always engage the right glute for more stability breathe into the belly maybe look to your hand collar bones open and then dip the left arm down breathe in arms reach up exhale take the hands down to the inside of the left leg tuck the right toes under power up the back leg hips lift a little skandasana to the right so heels and toes out walk your hands to the back bend your right knee right knee in line with the right toes left knee towards the sky engaged yet at these and then bend your left knee walk yourself back to face the front all 10 toes face forward eyes in front of you fingertips forward when you feel steady weight into the left foot breathe in right leg lifts both legs extend spine lengthens exhale lower the right leg beside the left forward fold halfway lift inhale belly in shoulders back chin in exhale forward fold root down through the feet either circle the arms up or lengthen the spine biceps by the ears you can keep a little bend in the knees feel the back body support you nice and steady lots of strength breathe in rise exhale arms down by the side palms face forward shoulders back chin in there you are i'm just going to activate the back a little bit more here for more stability feet hip width distance apart arms are going to reach up biceps by the ears take a breath in as you exhale you're going to bend your knees into chair pose and just touch chair pose for a moment continue the exhale chest to the thighs chin in fingertips towards the mat knee stay bent inhale sit back in your heels touch chair for a moment continue the inhale legs lengthen arms are extended up that's your breath in now exhale touch chair bend the knees sit back in your heels continue the exhale chest to thighs so much strength for the back chin and fingertips graze the mat knees stay bent inhale touch chair for a moment thumbs go back in space continue the inhale legs extend arms reach up and last time exhale bend the knees touch chair continue the exhale chest to thighs fingertips to the ground inhale touch the chair for a moment knees bent continue the inhale legs extend exhale back to tadasana connect with your breath the back should be a little bit more warmed up for this next sequence have a block close by you're going to step your left foot back and you're on railroad tracks around two tracks so your right toes are facing forward and the left toes are out on about a 45 degree angle preparing for pyramid so the hips are squared towards the front of the mat your right hand can either stay on the right hip or back of the right hand to the lower back to the sacrum palm facing out shoulders back left arm reaches up again bicep by the ear that's what we're working with today thumb back in space take a breath in lengthen the spine now if you have tighter hamstrings feel free to micro bend your right knee you're going to exhale and keep pulling the right hip back so the hips stay square lengthen the spine think length length length length all the way down as you fold try not to collapse the right arm you want to strengthen the back bend the knee if you need to then as you breathe in bicep stays by the ear you'll feel your legs support you back supports you as you rise back up to stand we'll do that twice more exhale lengthen so thumb back in space keep pulling the right hip back folding forward inhale nice and steady rise bicep by the ear and last time exhale lengthen chest is open this time both hands come down frame your right foot hands could be on blocks here and here maybe you have a block underneath the left hand we're going to prepare to twist so you can always widen your stance a little more if you feel like you don't have balance now here we're going to inhale lengthen the spine first stay here for your exhale now as you inhale the right arm is going to open up so you're twisting from the navel and then exhale lower the right arm down do that two more times inhale keep drawing the right hip back lengthen the spine right arm reaches up exhale lower the right arm down inhale right arm opens up this time we'll hold static pose making sure that the sacrum the lower back is parallel to the mat and your gaze is wherever is most comfortable for your neck make the belly full with your breath in and out can you find this inner sense of ease as you hold and then exhale lower the right arm down now we're going to add on it might get a little bit spicy you're going to take your hands forward bring your weight into your right foot lift the left leg up now don't worry about how high the leg goes to keep the hips closed belly pulls in and power your lower back left hand can stay on a block and if this is enough stay here or if you want to add revolved half moon right arm's going to open up to twist now this can be a very humbling shape so just be patient and compassionate with yourself breathe into your belly reach through your left heel as the crown of the head grows tall one breath at a time [Music] slowly lower your right arm down step your left foot back to your pyramid pose forward fold hands could be on blocks hips are squared breathe into your belly release the back of your neck shoulders out of the ears smooth breaths in and out and now halfway lift breathe in hands to your hips exhale feel the strength of your legs shoulders back breathe in rise up with a flat back and exhale step forward tadasana mountain pose palms face forward chest open [Applause] and just feel into the grounding effects of the postures rooting down through the feet growing tall to the crown of the head [Applause] and now we're going to move to the other side so we're going to step the right foot back this time you're on railroad tracks heel is in right toes slightly out at an angle hips square to the front widen the stance as much as you need this time left hand to the hip or back of the left hand to the sacrum palm facing out shoulders back right arm reaches up bicep by the ear thumb back in space inhale lengthen the spine as you exhale you can always bend the left knee left hip pulls back as you lengthen the spine forward thumb back in space think length length length length length and then inhale bicep stays by the ear you rise back up how steady can you be as you exhale again left hip pulls back lengthen the spine bend the knee as much as you need this is more about the spine than the hamstring inhale rise back up keep drawing the right thumb back in space and last time exhale lengthen and this time both hands come down maybe on blocks bring your right hand to a block or the ground inhale halfway lift lengthen again stay here for your exhale inhale left arm is going to open up keep drawing the left hip back almost like you're sticking the right hip out you move dynamically first exhale left arm lowers down twice more inhale left arm opens up twist from the navel exhale lower down last time inhale open up this time we stay here for the exhale [Applause] and then steady your eyes on one point breathe in and out in the abdomen making sure the sacrum is parallel to the ground and then lower the left arm down now we're going to shift the weight forward your right hand could stay on a block your right leg is going to lift up flex the foot close tips belly pulls in you can stay here or revolve half moon when you feel balanced left arm opens up and remember once you meet your edge that point of resistance start there work from there so we're not attached to what it's supposed to look like reach your right heel back as you grow through the crown of the head twist from the navel it's okay if you're shaking smooth it out with each and every breath becoming more resilient and then as you exhale slowly lower and step your right foot back into pyramid pose forward fold hands could be on blocks or not just breathe into your belly shoulders out of the ears now inhale halfway lift hands on your hips stay here exhale shoulders back breathe in flat back rise exhale step forward mountain pose palms face forward shoulders back and feel that rush of piranha energy flowing down feel the sense of groundedness and rootedness and now we'll take our hands feet are still hip width distance interlace the hands behind you loop the shoulders onto the back extend the elbows bend your knees take a breath in as you exhale lead with the heart and forward fold chin in if the chin in causes rounding in the upper back then bend the knees a little more arms fall as far forward as it feels okay for you breathe into your belly slowly release your hands knees bent breathe in chair pose oot katasana sit back in your heels belly in again working with biceps by the ears thumbs back in space belly in neutral pelvis eyes along the horizon one breath at a time becoming more and more stable and steady inhale lengthen the legs exhale again lower the arms down take a moment to pause just witness all right let's take it down so arms are going to sweep up breathe in as you exhale slight bend in the knees busps by the ears all the way down lengthen the spine forward fold halfway lift breathe in shoulders back exhale plant your palms and step back to high plank pause here when your next exhale arrives lower down all the way to your belly so you can bring the knees down bend your elbows back in space lower down now two options here option one arms down by your side palms face down locus lifting your forehead chest shoulders arms maybe even legs option two coming into bow pose so feet are hip width distance bend your knees you can point the toes or flex the feet reach your arms back either grab the ankles or tops of the feet so your legs stay hip width distance make sure they don't splay out to the sides connect with your breath steady the mind first gather yourself we're going to enter this posture with a sense of ease and calm so when you inhale you're going to lift the chest lift the forehead and start to kick the feet into the hands making sure that we're not cranking the neck up so chin is in so that we're not over stimulating the mind one breath at a time focus your eyes on one point so remember you are not your body you are not your mind you are the one witnessing the mind thinking witnessing the body moving a few more cycles of breath slowly release bring one ear down to the [Music] mat turn your head opposite way bring your head back to center bring your hands by your upper chest elbows in tuck the toes under inhale push up you're going to exhale back downward facing dog knees can stay bent don't worry about the hamstrings just lengthen out the spine nice counter pose to bow pose and let's move into a nice hip opener to release the back here we're going to come into pigeon so right knee comes to right wrist right ankle towards the left slide the left leg back in space hips are squared arms on either side take a breath in open the chest as you exhale pigeon goes to sleep so maybe you rest your forehead on a block or stack your fists or fully extend the arms and let yourself fold here [Music] use the exhales to move through any density each exhale allows you to let go and release so [Music] [Music] so beautiful now we'll take our hands down onto the mat tuck the left toes under push down through the palms and step back to downward facing dog can give your legs a little petal and then we'll move to the other side so left knee to left wrist left ankle towards the right slide the right leg back in space arms on either sides of the legs hips squared inhale lengthen the spine open up and exhale take your pigeon to sleep maybe prop up your forehead or extend the arms out long and fold down meet yourself where you're at today each day and moment is different you use the exhales to release to go deeper [Music] [Music] beautiful and then bring your hands back down onto the mat tuck your right toes under and then step back downward facing dog lift your heels come onto your knees and come onto the sit bones legs come through now what we're going to do here is two options you can cross your right leg in front of the left sitting with cross legs making sure the torso is stacked over the hips if you need to sit up on something you can do that and we're going to twist so twisting to your right the right hand comes behind you as it kicks in the left arm comes up and you twist to your right holding on to your right thigh or knee if you have half lotus in your practice then you can take your right foot and bring your right ankle towards the top left hip bone making sure the ankle isn't sickling so that's a nice solid line if this hurts your knee in any way then don't push yourself this is not necessary it's just if you have it in your practice and you want to go ahead and try this then your right hand comes behind you you grab hold of the right foot and then the left hand holds on to the right thigh and you twist to the right notice if the chin is leaning forward you want to pull the chin in lengthen up through the spine breathe into the abdomen initiating the twist from the core and just focus your eyes softly on one point your internal gaze your inner eye is in the midbrain between the eyebrows forehead center and then slowly untwist give yourself a moment to just pause in the center feel the forces the simulating forces in the naval center and then we'll take it to the other side so the simple twist the left leg now is in front left hand behind you right arm up to the sky twist the left for half lotus making sure the ankle is really strong it's like a plank take the left foot to the upper right hip bone again making sure that there is no pain you want to protect and save your knees left hand will come behind wrap around grab the foot right hand to the left thigh growing tall twisting from the abdomen inner eye can rest in the third eye point space between the eyebrows [Music] slowly with care release back to center give yourself a moment to pause feel the effects of the twist and then slowly extend your legs out in front of you maybe sit up on something if you find that the lower back is rounding maybe take your hands and remove the flesh maybe slight bend in the knees flexing the feet arms reach up here we are again biceps by the ears exhale lengthen the spine lengthen length and lengthen and then grab a hold of the feet you can use a strap here and before you fold find the length first breathe in halfway lift and then exhale we fold so the chest stays open as we fold so you're not totally collapsing and rounding breathing into the abdomen [Music] so [Music] and now we'll extend the arms forward again thumbs back in space rise inhale exhale lower the arms down on the thigh to the ground [Applause] and we're going to prepare for shavasana you can lay yourself down let the body rest take up as much space as you like palms flipped up slide the shoulders under ankles fall open closing the eyes relax the energy behind your eyes whole body rests on the ground releasing any effort of your breath [Music] and let yourself [Music] rest in nurturance and spacious ease [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] cheers [Music] [Music] just [Music] so [Music] so [Music] [Music] noticing what it feels like to be at home in the center of your being and know that you always always have access to this you can slowly and gently begin your return by deepening your breath allowing your breath to gently stretch you from the inside out as you start to bring some movement back into your body maybe bring your arms up overhead a nice big stretch gently stirring the body into wakefulness bring your knees in towards your chest give yourself a good hug acknowledge your efforts rolling over to one side pause on your side for a moment a couple of deep breaths here into your upper back tuning into gratitude and really feel into the energy of gratefulness gratitude for our beautiful bodies and all that it does for us it's service to us carrying us through life gratitude for all of our resources and gratitude for all of the beauty that is life and when you're ready and only when you're ready bring yourself up to a seat to close our practice together find a tall spine closing your eyes tune back in to the soft rhythm of your breath going inward bring one hand to your heart the other hand on top of that hand slight bound of the chin notice how this gesture feels to you invite in a breath as you exhale welcome yourself home thank you so much for your trust for sharing your practice with me from my heart to yours namaste