Yoga in Practice

Support for Yoga In Practice is provided by the ETV endowment of South Carolina. Welcome to Yoga In Practice. My name is Stacy and I will be your teacher. Close your eyes, sit well, and enjoy your breath. There is a beauty and an Elegance in yoga. It encourages us to honor our bodies as sacred spaces, to become aware of what we bring into this space. How we breathe. How we think. How we speak. What we eat. And all that we consume. One way of honoring the inner self is through the care of the outer self. There are certain postures that are truly beautiful. Where this beauty helps us to remember our inner sacredness. Let's practice. Slowly open your eyes joining us today are Greg and Allison. Please come to child's pose. So sweep your knees apart, sweep your feet together and then bow forward bringing your heart down bringing your head down. Tuck your chin a little bit and look within the heart. It is the Hearth of our sacredness. Deepen your breath, tone your throat a little and begin an Ujjayi breathing pattern. Just a sweet remembrance of Who You Are. Keep your arms extended in front of you. Now walk both of your arms to the right side of your mat, shift to about 45 degree angle, sliding your belly across, pushing down through your fingertips, bring your head down, lift your arms up and shift your hip off to the left slightly. Notice how you can feel this across the side of your body into your lower back. On your inhale, walk the hands forward. Then walk over to the left side. Push down. Shift right and bow. Use your breath to open the pose from inside out. We have this connection between the inner and the outer body when we do our practice. On your inhale walk back to forward, Come into table position, adjust the knees beneath your hips and paws. Let's thread the needle here, so raising your right hand, lift it out to the side and up and then take your hand through underneath your body to the left side of your mat. Come down on your shoulder and then let your head rest easily down. Keep your hips level with each other. So pressing your left hip back, push down through your left hand for leverage and deep in the rotation, keeping the sides of your ribs drawing back so there's a fullness through the waistline. As you inhale, push down and slide back through come to table and pause. Let's do the second side. Please lift your left hand out and up. And Then exhale slide through. Support yourself on your shoulder pushing down with the right hand, press and twist and deepen and keep the breath full and expansive. Pushing down inhale slide back through to table position. Please check that your hands are straight restraint and press your hands into the floor. Tuk your toes and then take inhale, look up, arch through the back and as you exhale tuck and round. Two more times. Inhale follow the breath. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale hold here take a breath and just around through the mid part of your back. And then inhale look up again and then take downward-facing dog stretch back. You may need to adjust your downward dog in length slightly. Make sure your feet are parallel and your hands remain strong. Please bend your right knee only. Lift higher through the hips and actively stretch back through your left leg. Now bend your left knee, push back with the right leg, lifting up through the hip. And then move with the breath, bend your right knee. Your left knee. One more time each side. The right knee. The left knee. Press both legs straight, and then look forward and walk up to your hands. Place your feet beneath your hips. You can also place your hands on the front of your legs if you need to, enjoy your breath. Inhale lift halfway. Bring your hands to your hips and raise your shoulders on to your back, pressing down the legs rise up to standing and reach your arms down. Inhale sweep your arms out to the side and overhead. And float the arms back down out to the side into your hips. Lift from inside inhale, rise up stretch fully, exhale release. Again one more time up. And exhale float the arms down. Inhale raise the arms up. Keep your arms lifted overhead. Please hold your left wrist in the right hand and pull up extending a little bit more fully. On your exhale lean to the right. Now the feet stay grounded. Stop here and then press your legs backwards slightly and pull your ribs backward and then that will help you lean a little bit further. Turning your chest slightly to the floor. Pullover more fully and when you reach your maximum stretch here. Turn your body forward again stacking your shoulders. Keep the legs and the waist back. This is called crescent pose. Inhale rise up, take a breath reach the arms up high. Let's do the second side. Hold your wrist pull up and lean to the left. When you reach your maximum point there. Press your legs back, pull your ribs back and then turn your chest slightly to the floor. That will allow you to go further stretch more. Hold the depth of your stretch and turn open stacking your shoulders draw the head and the arms back a little further. And then inhale, raise up, exhale, Bend forward touch the floor. Step your right leg backward. Step your left leg backwards downward dog. Take a deep breath. Exhale. And lower your knees and hands. Good pause. Please come up and stand on your knees bringing your hands to your hips. Stand tall. We're going to do Gate Pose. So taking your left leg stretch it out to the side. With the left leg out to the side press your hips back and pull your ribs back and then hinge right from the front of your hips and touch the floor. Now make sure your left foot is in line with your right knee, that it's not too far forward or back. And then walk both hands over to your left foot. Position the left arm against The Shins so that you feel a push and a pull there. And take your right hand lift it forward and raise it up turning open. You can look up to that hand. Drag your legs towards each other squeezing your knee towards your left heel, your left heel back to the knee, and then turning your right hand to the side bring the arm over your ear. An feel this open up squeeze and tuck through that front hip. On your inhale rise up, bring your hands to your hips, step together, knee to knee. Take a breath. Second side pleae extend your right leg. Flex the ankle pointing the toes up. Keep the thighs strong and then pressing the legs back, the hips back, hinge forward and put your hands on the floor. It's fine to stop here if you need to, or walk over to your right foot. Position the leg, the arm against each other. Turn open and sweep your left hand forward and raise it above the shoulder. Look up to it. just feel the Elegance of this pose. This posture is called Parighasana. Turn your palm and bring the arm over your ear. And you should notice a big stretch along the side of your body. Keep stretching from the Shoulder Through the elbow out through the palm of your hand. And now press down through your legs, inhale rise up, bring your hands back to your hips and step your knees together. Take a breath. Keep your toes turned under and then sit back onto your heels. You will feel your feet. This is called Thunderbolt pose. Interlock your fingers. Take your hands forward raise your hands over your shoulders and stretch up. If you need to flatten your feet that's completely fine. Enjoy the breath. Good exhale. Release the arms take them all the way down and pause and breathe and then sit forward. Once you're seated you may need a blanket extend both of your legs. Keep your left leg forward and bend your right knee, hold onto the right leg and pull up. And now moving your right elbow to the inside of your right knee squeeze the knee and the arm against each other and then reach your fingertips behind you and pause. Lifting up elegantly turn, turn from your belly, turn from your waist and look over your shoulder and breathe. Keep the left leg involved in the pose. Pulling in through the belly and keeping a breath moving through the back of your body. Inhale forward and hold your right leg. Holding the leg draw up realign your spine and now take your left arm wrap it around the leg and then reach your hand your right hand behind you press down and twist to the right here. If you're more open in this pose you can place the back of your arm onto the back of the knee and just push the knee and the arm against each other too deepen the twist. Turn your head. Let the head move back a bit and open through your heart. Keep your eyes steady keep your breath moving and then inhale release forward. I'm taking your right foot cross it over your left thigh. allow that knee to open and keep your ankles strong. Bring your hands behind you again Arch through the back and then exhale full forward. You can stay upright so try not to overly round or slump over. Keep a lift and open this along the waistline coming down. If you can bring your hands more forward even holding your front foot. This is fine. You should feel this as a hamstring stretch on your left leg. Please inhale and Rise Up. Good change legs. Right leg forward left knee bent hold on and lift. Place your elbow on the inside of the knee and rising up exhale and twist. Turning to the right and open Twist. Turning the head move elegantly into the back. Breathe across your waistline and think of more of a backbend across your upper back and your shoulders. Inhale turn forward, and hold to your left leg with both arms and just refresh the length of your spine. Now wrapping your right arm around your left leg reach around with your left hand and turn this time to the side. Enjoy the breath. Use the breath to open through the back of the body. And then inhale release around and place your left foot on top of the right thigh. That added weight is which will stretch you into your hamstring. Lift up fold forward. Beautiful thing about seated poses is they help us to slow down. They help us to honor ourselves more. So find that and with every breath you just feel the life force moving through you. Inhale rise up, extend your legs and shake them out. An then bend your knees, bring the soles of your feet together with each other. Press the feet together like your hands would be at your heart and keeping the legs strong extend out through the inner thighs and press your inner thighs more deeply down to your mat as you rise up. Stay upright like this as Greg is showing or if you can begin to hinge forward not by rounding your back but by extending out from your hips through the crown of your head. You can even hold the side of your mat and gently pull on the mat to deepen yourself over. You bow to yourself fully. Inhale rise up. Then stretch your right leg out, stretch your left leg out. Flex your ankles and you can adjust the flesh beneath your hips. This pose is called puptavista Konasana and sometimes you may have to sit on even more height to do this pose with a nice curve in your back. Keep your legs strong, hug them in, so the inner edge of the leg stays grounded on your mat and then if you can fold forward. So staying upright is really wonderfull, it's a was to honor where you are today. If you can go further you do. Some people who are more open more experienced may be able to fold all the way down. If you're able to fold low in the pose scoop your hips make sure you stay grounded through your tailbone and your sit bones. On your inhale rise up keep the legs strong spread your toes. Now twist to the right straddling your right leg with both hands, turn stay here or fall forward. Breathe across your back and focus on both sides of your back body your rib cage where your kidneys are. Try to keep that area of the back balanced and even. And then inhale, rise up walk back to Center. Change sides, straddle your left leg thigh strong twist, fold and stay as grounded in your right hip as you feel in your left hip. Inhale rise back up come Center hold your right leg pull it in hold your left leg pull it in and shake your legs. Now you may need a strap for this next pose. So if you do need a strap just bring it up easily reachable. Keep your left leg stretched forward bend your right knee. Move the right foot wide and then lower the knee down. So looks similar to the bound angle pose we did a moment ago. Keep your left leg strong. Bring your hands straddling the left leg and once again lift and twist and then bow forward. You can keep your hands on the mat you can stay upright. You can reach out using your strap take it across the ball of the foot and allow yourself to twist more. You can also reach and just hold the toes. The key here is the mid part of your back that the right side of the waist is coming around the left side of the waist is drawing back and there's an eveness across your rib cage. As you inhale rise up. Release the right leg forward and change sides. So folding your left leg in, bend the knee. Take it out to the side breathe turn over the leg fall forward this pose is called janu sirsasana. The word Janu means me the word sirsasana means head so it is actually head to knee pose and you can bend forward like Alison is showing. Just keep the sides of your waist lifted, the right side of the waist drawing back, the left side turning forward. And then elongated out through the head. Inhale rise back up. Good shake your legs out and have your straps handy. With your left leg forward once again bend your right leg and take it wide to the side it. It is fine to have your foot a little closer to your left leg here. Use your strap and slip it across the ball of your foot. Hold both ends of the strap in your left hand and then feel the Elegance of the seat. Lift up tall Through Your waistline and take your right arm and extend it back. Stretch out through that arm and twist to the right even more follow your arm with your eyes your head your shoulders. Now bend your left elbow pull it down toward the inside of your knee if you can. An raise the hand straight over your shoulder and pause. Keep lengthening. See if you can go a little bit deeper and now turn your right hand bring it alongside your ear and stretch. Enjoy the breath. Lean the head back. Lean the shoulders back and feel this Motion in the mid and lower part of your back. Inhale rise up. Release. Change sides. Take your left leg back. Shift your strap onto your right foot. Hold and sit tall. I love this pose. I think it's so beautiful. Raise your left arm turn imagine you're holding something very precious to you and your hand and you're making that offering of your practice to this thing or this person. On your exhale bend your right elbow, bring it down. Stay grounded for your hips and raise your left hand over the shoulder, stretch. If you can go more deeply bring the arm over your head toward the right foot. If you're more open to more experience in the pose you can hold the foot twist and open even more fully. parahita janu sirsasana find the elegant spine the beauty and let it remind you of your own. Inhale rise up. Good release stretch your legs forward and take your straps clear them behind your mat. Please Bend both knees slide forward slightly. So you definitely want your head to be down on the floor. Please hold the backs of your legs and roll down on your back. When you have rolled all the way down hug both of your knees into your chest. Rock a little side to side and then plant your feet on the mat again bend the knees and touch the soles of your feet together. So your knees go out like they did when we were seated. Except this is a reclined form of bound angle pose. Bring your hands onto your belly close your eyes feel the breath moving enjoy the pose. On your inhale raise the knees back up separate your feet as wide as your hips bend your elbows alongside your body pointing your fingers up gently Arch the back pressing to your feet and raise your hips off the mat, bridge pose. Lift your chin and press your head into the floor open the throat and feel your breathing. Now imagine you have a block between your knees. Hug in with your ankles, your calves, your knees and rise up through the heart a little bit more. On your exhale sit the hips back down onto the floor. Rest your hands, take a breath, close your eyes. We do a pose like bridge pose at the end of a seated forward fold class to be able to realign the spine, especially the lower back. Please hug both of your knees back into your chest. Rock a little bit side to side again. Keep your knees into your chest and now point and flex your ankles a few times. Move your ankles around in slow circles. Shift your hands to the backs of your legs, raise your legs to the ceiling, push up through the heels. And then bring your knees back down again. Wrap your arms around your legs and roll up to seated. You can roll to your side but once you're seated please take a blanket or perhaps it a beach towel. You're going to use your blankets and unfold them so you have a fairly long blanket. Bring your legs together and then rest the blanket across the top of your legs. Use your hands, tuck the blankets up underneath the outer edge of your legs get them wedged in there pretty well. Once you feel that, relax your legs, bring your hands under beneath you and tuck your hips. Now roll down very slowly onto your backs. Shake your legs out. Shake your hands out. And close your eyes, soften your feet, soften your tongue. Using your blanket like this is comforting. It just Nestle's you in, it settles your nervous system and you should feel that the legs don't have to do any work. This allows you to feel the rhythm of your breathing. Feel the breathe move into your body. That Prana, that life force, that sacred energy, that reminds you of Who You Are. Let the breath go. Soften your face. Let your mind feel at ease. Continue to enjoy your breathing and your Stillness and honor your inner beauty. People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only when there is a light from within. Remain here in shavasana for as long as you may need or you may desire. Continue to enjoy the breath and let the Mind feel quiet. Soften with each breath just simply honoring yourself. When you are ready, please bend your knees, and roll to your right side. Pressing down with your hands lift up to seated. Keep your blankets as they are and perhaps drap them across your legs and sit well. Closing your eyes hold your hands together at your heart and in this gesture we come to honor the light within ourselves, and sacred and we look for that in each other thank you for practicing with us today. Namaste. Support for Yoga In Practice is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina. To purchase Yoga in Practice on DVD order online at shopscetv.org Thanks for your support of public television.