Yoga in Practice

opening music Support for Yoga In Practice is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

opening music Hi.

My name is Stacey Millner-Collins.

Welcome to Yoga In Practice.

Please take a good seat.

Sit higher on a cushion or a folded blanket if needed for your low back.

As you close your eyes, turn inward.

To your breath.

To feel grounded.

Perhaps you have heard the phrase "Perfection is the enemy of good" attributed to Voltaire.

Often, we simply do not strive for the good life, or the good body, or experience but rather the perfect one.

In doing so, we ruin our chances of satisfaction entirely.

As a younger woman, I suffered from disordered eating.

It was this practice of Yoga however, that opened a path of self-care and awareness, which led to my healing.

I learned to appreciate the good and to let go of the bad.

Today, embracing who you are right now, we will practice a full-spectrum class.

Slowly open your eyes to begin your practice.

Joining us today are Rachel and Mandy.

Clear any props off your mat and come to standing.

Once you're standing in mountain pose, check your foundation first planting your feet and spreading your toes.

Take a deep breath and fill out your body with that breath.

Now roll your shoulders backward a few times.

Just gently opening the neck and the upper back.

And then roll your shoulders forward.

And just enjoy that motion, in this moment.

Inhale, lift your arms over your head.

Reaching up for the ceiling.

Press down through your legs feeling grounded but also rising up.

Enjoy that stretch through your spine.

Please interlace your fingers and turn your palms up.

Holding this move your hips back and tuck your tailbone down, toning your abdomen.

Exhale, lower your arms in front of your chest and lower your chin to open the upper back just a bit more.

Take a deep breath in and feel that widening.

Lower your hands.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Lift your arms overhead.

Exhale, fold forward and coming down.

You can bend your knees to modify this or place your hands on the front of your shins like Rachel is demonstrating.

On your next inhale, look forward and extend stretching out through your back.

Elongate through the neck.

As you exhale, bow and fold again, strong legs and then inhale, lift to standing, sweeping your arms over your head, and then fold your hands and bring them down to the heart.

Remember the good of the moment.

Exhale, lower your hands.

Inhale, lift overhead.

bending forward, exhale, full forward fold.

Again, modify as you may need to.

Inhale, lift halfway.

Exhale, fold again, strong legs.

Inhale, rise to standing mountain pose.

Join your hands come back to your heart.

Take a deep breath.

Good, releasing the hand, stand at the front of your mat.

Inhale, lift your arms overhead.

Exhale, full forward fold.

Plant your hands.

We'll go through a sun salutation here.

So, keeping your right foot planted, step back with your left foot into a lunge, make sure the knee is over the heel and you're up on your fingertips.

You could also place blocks into your hands if you need to.

And then step to downward dog, press back.

Keeping the neck long, stretch out through your hands and back and up through your hips.

Again, bend the knees if needed to arch into your lower back a little bit more effectively.

Inhale now to a plank pose.

Shoulders over the wrists, maintaining a strong core hips, shoulders and head lined up.

Please lower your knees to the mat and come down through eight pointed pose.

Lowering the center of your chest in the tip of your chin, keeping your shoulders lifted.

Inhale.

Rise to cobra.

Pull your shoulders back.

Extend through the crown of your head, and then roll down and come to table position, and from table, shift back to downward dog.

Take a deep breath here, lengthening your arms stretching down through your feet, even into your calves.

Look forward and step up.

Bow into full forward fold, Uttanasana and then inhale, rise to standing, pick your arms up, and fold your hands once again to your heart.

Take a deep breath.

Let's change sides.

Lower the hands.

Inhale, lift up, reach for the sky.

Exhale, bow forward and touch the Earth.

Keeping your left foot planted, step back with your right foot.

Once your right foot is back, tone the muscles in the leg and then step back to downward facing dog.

Take a deep breath here.

Enjoy the exhale, the softening.

Inhale to plank and again, you're gonna pause and plank, just building a little bit of that strength through your back in your core.

Lower your knees and move down into eight pointed pose, chest and chin.

Inhale.

Rise open to cobra.

Draw the shoulders back as you reach through your toes and up through your head.

Roll down press back to table position.

Transition to Downward Facing Dog.

Reach back, and then look forward and walk up or step up to your hands bending over and fold.

Inhale.

Raise to mountain.

Exhale, bend forward.

Again, using your legs.

Bend the knees if you need to.

Just allow yourself to hinge forward from your hips.

Keeping your right foot planted, step back with your left foot once again into a lunge, and we'll move into warrior two pose.

So pivot your left foot down until it's down sideways.

And then on your inhale, spiral up with your torso extending out through your arms.

Turn your head gaze down the hands.

Find the power of this pose, the strength within your body as it is right now accepting who you are in this wonderful moment.

Take your hands back to your mat.

Step forward with the left foot.

Exhale and fold, and then change legs.

So keeping your left foot planted, step back with the right leg.

Turning that right heel down, stay lifted through your torso.

Inhale, rise up and open your arms.

Gaze right down that front arm.

Keeping a lift and opening through the back of your body.

Soften your gaze and just enjoy the power of who you are in this moment.

Accept the beauty.

Accept the good of being you.

Bring your hands back to the mat and step back to downward dog.

Come into a push up, plank pose.

And then pause.

Now when going into a push up you can lower your knees if you need to.

Exhale and come down.

Inhale, open to cobra that heart opening pose and then downward facing dog, press back.

Enjoy the breath.

Inhale, raise your right leg, one legged dog.

Lift the legs so it's in line with your torso, your core staying strong, and then look forward and step the right foot up into a lunge.

Now, you may or may not be able to get that foot forward in one step.

So if not just walk yourself forward until you're long enough in the pose.

Please turn your left foot down sideways once again and come up and rest your right forearm across your thigh.

Draw the shoulders back and take your left arm over your head as you turn to look up.

Keeping your core strong, feeling your legs strong.

You can also touch your right hand down to the mat toward the outside of the heel if you want to go deeper.

Good.

Bring your hands back to the mat.

Step back to downward dog.

Push out.

Inhale.

Lift your left leg, keeping the heel and the hand lined up and your hips level with each other.

Support the curve of your back with your abdomen.

Now look forward, and step this left foot up into a lunge.

Again, walk it forward as much as you may need to and turn your right foot down sideways.

Line up your feet with each other, so the heel and the arch are in line and now come up and rest your left forearm on top of your thigh and draw your right arm over your head.

Extending the arm over your head, push back through your right foot here.

Keeping your ribs drawn back and your core strong.

On your exhale, lower your hands back to the mat and step back to Downward Dog.

Inhale to plank.

Exhale to a push up, come down strong if you can.

Good.

And then inhale, lift to Cobra.

Exhale, roll back down, lying on your abdomen.

Bring your forearms in front of your body here and just rest your forehead on your arms or your cheek.

Please bend your knees, raising your feet off the mat and let your legs sway from side to side.

This is just a nice, gentle way to open those lower back muscles.

Rest your feet back down, and once they touch the mat, pick your legs up and stretch them just a little bit longer, with the left arm in front of your chest, take your right hand and reach around holding on to the right foot for a quad stretch.

You're going to keep the right knee pressing into the mat and bring the hip and heel a little closer.

Lift that right shoulder and now also add a tuck.

As you tuck you should feel the pose go more into your thigh, that quadricep.

This is also very good for your lower back.

Lower that foot and change sides.

Bring your right arm forward.

Reach around with your left hand.

Now find a good placement for your hand.

And try to keep your shoulder and your elbow and your wrists lined up.

Pressing the knee into the mat, draw the hip and heel just a bit closer and add the tucking action.

Good.

Release that foot back and take a breath, stretching your legs long once again, set up for locust pose.

So we're going to touch our forehead to the mat.

With our arms extended, beside the body.

Lift your shoulders, lift the head and lengthen through the crown of your head keeping the throat nice and neutral.

On your next inhale.

If you want to challenge yourself, go ahead and raise your legs as well.

Try to hug your legs closer together as you spread your toes open.

So good for the back muscles here.

These can be actually more beneficial than doing a whole bunch of situps.

On your exhale, go back down.

Bring your hands alongside your chest, push to table and from table, take downward dog.

Again, stretch out.

Hold your Down Dog.

Nice slow breaths.

Enjoying the posture.

Good.

Step to Uttanasana.

Standing forward fold.

And then lift halfway.

Again, finding that length in that room.

Enjoy the full stretch of the pose.

Exhale, bow forward, full forward fold.

And now inhale lift to standing.

Join your hands exhale, bring the hands to the heart and release your arms down.

Let's prepare the balance here.

So if you need to move to a wall or place a chair nearby that you can put your hands on feel free to do that.

We're going into tree pose.

So standing on your right foot, spread your toes, tapping your left foot out to the side, bring it up somewhere along the inner edge of your leg.

You could reach down and pull it all the way up to your inner thigh if that's possible, but squeeze together.

Join your hands.

Raise your arms up overhead, if you'd like.

But if you are feeling a little bit out of balance today, it's fine to take your arms out to the side or again put your hand down on something.

Exhale stepped down back to mountain pose, shifting your weight, and let's go to the second side tapping your toe out.

Slowly bring that foot up, and remember take your time, concentrate on a non moving point and squeezing.

Hugging the legs toward the midline.

Fold your hands or lift your arms to the side or bring your arms over your head.

Enjoy your breath.

And then as you release coming back to Mountain pose, simply close your eyes for a moment.

That balancing posture might have been challenging.

So just accept where you are today.

And recognize tomorrow maybe a different situation.

As you open your eyes.

Make sure you're at the front of the mat again.

Inhale, lift your arms overhead.

bending forward, hinging from your hips.

Good.

Inhale, lift halfway.

Exhale and fold.

Step back to downward facing dog, and then move into a plank and from plank, come down through a push up.

Lie down at the bottom of your pose.

Again, once you're down, stretch your legs a little longer rolling the front of your thighs in to help align the lower back.

This time we're going into bow pose.

So I'd like you to bend your knees and reach back and find your feet.

Now, if you need to modify this pose, if grabbing your feet is not happening today.

You can just keep your hands next to your chest, pushing your chest up and lifting your knees.

Once you have your feet, kick your feet back into your hands.

Feel that uplifting action come into your upper back and your chest.

And now also raise your thighs.

Take a breath, soften some effort, see if you can lift up a little bit higher.

And then exhale and release all the way down.

Bring your arms forward, relax your feet.

Put your head on your arms and let your hips rock a little side to side.

Good.

Placing your hands next to your chest, push to table.

Once in table, open your knees apart, touch your feet together and sit back on your heels for Child's Pose.

Pay attention to your knees.

So if you can't go back too far, because your knees won't allow for it just stay up a little higher.

Really what I want you to feel in this pose is just the delight of your breath.

That sense of opening your back and letting the heart rate slow down.

On your inhale, Please lift your chest and come to seated.

So you may need a blanket again.

So I invite you to put that blanket or a block if you have one, just something to get up a little higher.

This pose is Ardha Matsyendrasana half lord of the fish pose, you're going to bring your left knee in to the middle of your mat and cross your right foot over.

Now if your right foot does not cross over the left thigh, place the foot in front of the right shin.

Wherever you are, take your left arm, hug it up around that arm and feel that lifting action of your spine.

Reach your right hand behind you.

Take a deep breath and with the exhale, turn, Rotating.

Try to keep your hips balanced, turning all the way up across your chest, your shoulders and your neck.

And then inhale, release.

Come forward and change sides.

Once you're on the other side, position the feet as much as you can, crossing or uncrossing as necessary.

Draw your lower back in.

So anytime you're seated, you want to pay attention to the curve in your low back.

With the right arm hugging into that leg, reach your left hand behind you and slowly turn, rotating from the waistline.

Draw your head back and think of creating more of a back bended shape through your upper spine.

Reach through the top of your head.

Stay with your breath.

Inhale.

Rotate forward.

Uncross your legs.

Stay seated on the blanket and join your feet together in front of you.

So we're going into seated bound angle pose.

With your feet together, wrap your hands around your ankles and pull up getting that lift through the spine.

Soften your eyes.

Relax the corners of your lips.

Letting your legs stretch open from your inner thigh through your inner knee.

I invite you to stay seated upright or if possible, just lean forward, hinging right from your hips into a deeper forward fold.

It's not necessary to go deeper.

It is necessary for you to pay attention to yourself and what feels right.

Again, in a seated pose, we want the lower back to stay curved in, the shoulders back.

Press down through the groins.

Good.

Release.

Lift your knees back up to each other and come off the blanket clearing the blanket off of your sticky mat.

With your feet out in front of you, please hold the back of your knees getting grounded.

Now, toning your core.

Slowly, slowly roll down onto your back.

And then once you're all the way down on your back, take your right knee, bring it in, and then interlace the fingers around this right hamstring and push your right leg away from you, flexing the ankle.

Again the key here just a nice curve in your low back.

Now you can keep your knee bent or to challenge yourself start to raise the foot up toward the ceiling.

Be aware of the low back.

Be aware of the breath.

Now bringing the knee into your chest, open the knee out to the side a little bit.

Continue to hold behind your knee like Rachel is showing or you can raise your foot directly up over your knee.

This is half happy baby pose.

Tugging down on that leg, bring the leg close to the side of your body.

Try to keep your foot straight and lined up.

Remember to keep breathing.

Good.

And then release your hands and cross your right foot over your left knee.

Good.

Reach through your legs and hold on to the back of your left leg, turning the right leg out to the side, and remember the feet, the ankles nice and straight, but then to soften.

Sometimes we do a practice and we're just too hard on ourselves.

We get constricted and tight, and we think there's a perfect way to do something.

When in fact yoga is that invitation to awareness and self care of really self love.

Good.

Release.

Second side, Take your left knee into your chest.

Once your left knee comes in, keep your hands interlaced around the back of the hamstring and push your leg away from you into a hamstring stretch.

Raise the foot toward the ceiling if you can.

And Rachel's demonstrating this very well.

So only going as far as it feels appropriate for you.

Soften your grip just a bit.

Relax the edges of your eyes.

And now coming into half happy baby pose.

So bring that knee down a little closer to your body.

Either hold behind the knee like Rachel is showing or reach up and hold the foot like Mandy is showing.

The knee needs to be out broader away from your body.

And there is a push and a pull taking place a pushing with the foot and a pulling with the leg.

Good.

Now release and cross your left ankle over your right leg, reach through your legs and hold on.

Or you can just keep your foot down.

So Rachel will modify showing that this right foot stays down, and all you're working on is that opening of the leg keeping your ankle nice and straight.

Tip your big toe towards your little toe.

Good.

Uncross the legs.

Plant your feet.

Open your arms out sideways.

So if you have any props in your way, you can just slide the props out.

Shoulders back, please lower your legs to the right side of the mat for an easy, supine rotation.

Stack your knees on top of each other.

Stack your ankles on top of each other and roll back through your shoulders.

As you inhale, pick the legs back up to the middle.

Go to the second side.

Stack the feet.

Stack the knees.

Feel your ribs pulling back and a strong center core here in your body.

As always, I keep going back to good alignment that you may have in your lower back.

On your inhale, bring the legs back up to center.

Hug both of your legs into your chest.

Give yourself that wonderful embrace, and more than just thinking about hugging your knees into your chest.

Think about giving yourself a hug.

And then lower your feet down onto the mat.

Good.

Slide your legs out one at a time and sweep your arms beyond your head.

Hook your thumbs.

And as you do tug on your thumbs and feel yourself drawing the arms closer to your ears.

Take a deep breath and simply just lengthen your whole body.

Exhale, allow yourself to soften.

Inhale.

Stretch out through your spine, Open your legs.

Exhale again.

One more time, inhale, full stretch.

And exhale.

Sweep your arms down beside your body.

Go ahead and shake your hands.

Roll your shoulders back into your mat and open your feet apart about as wide as your mat.

Shake your legs as well, and now simply close your eyes.

If you have a lot of bright light above you, I recommend covering your eyes.

If you feel at all anxious, nervous stressed, covering your body as well, putting some weight across your lap will help calm your nervous system.

As you hold this final posture, it is a posture of just embracing yourself of letting yourself settle and soften.

music starts Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked.

Try approving of yourself and see what happens.

I invite you to stay in this pose for as long as you may need today.

Just take your time.

Enjoy your breath.

Let go of tension.

Let go of those expectations that you place on yourself that are unrealistic.

When you are ready to release from this pose I invite you to move slowly.

Move your fingers.

Move your toes.

Please, bend your knees.

Plant your feet and roll to your right side.

Press yourself back up to seated and take a good seat.

As you join your hands to your heart, do so to truly honor yourself and your effort.

I hope you have enjoyed your practice today.

Thank you for joining us.

Namaste.

Support for Yoga in Practice is provided by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.

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