Podcast #139 - Tapas and Inertia

Jivamukti Focus of the Month:  https://jivamuktiyoga.com/fotm/tapas-the-gift-of-simplicity/

Playlist for this practice: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5U1ajUyt8nQra6tHgixBPl?si=69115b3ce708494c

Follow me on all the socials:  @yogastickler

Jessica in Standing Spinal Twist, Photo by @andreakillam

TRANSCRIPT:
I'm sure you know it don't worry

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

(It means.) May all beings everywhere. Be happy and free.

And may the thoughts words and actions of my own life, contribute in some way

To that happiness, and to that freedom for all.

05:00

The Jivamukti Anthem you could say, sort of the You know, it expresses sort of the Orientation of the method of practice, right? And I mean, in some ways, it also describes the sort of guiding purpose of sort of all yoga practice, right. In some, in some sense.

Okay, so not to get too nerdy but and yeah get nerdy get ready but you know I was thinking a lot about inertia and how like the most the most force you need to move something that's at rest is to get it from the rest state to the moving state, right?

And like inertia, I feel like is also the strongest force in us like to get myself moving in a different direction. It takes a lot of energy, and kind of inner forcefulness right to kind of get myself going right, put that phone down, get off the couch paint the laundry room, you know?

And and so this word, this word ‘tapas’. This word tapas is sort of the expression of that force that we need in order to, like, do the willpower it takes to get us moving from from inertia to moving. That makes sense so far a little bit. I know, I'm kind of kind of wilding out on the physics stuff. The first part of tapas, ‘tap’ actually means fire, right? And even, in order to produce fire, we have to put a lot of energy into it. We might have to like, vigorously rub sticks together or like, you know, it takes energy to get that fire started.

I'm in a yoga sutra's study group, which meets at the last on the last Wednesday of every month. For the next two months, there's already been two, and there's two left. But if you have an interest in this yoga philosophy stuff, I highly recommend like sign up now, so that you'll get the reminder in your calendar at the end of November when the next one is because it's really good. Anyway, the teacher of the class, (see how I just slid the announcement right in to the talk.) Yeah. No, but seriously, you should sign up for it. If you're interested in the yoga philosophy, part of things The teacher Jaganath Carrera, who is a lifelong student and teacher of yoga, he was talking about how how he decided that for one month he wanted to, he wanted to like stop like negative thinking about other people. So so those times when you're like, oh that person has such a silly hat or oh that person looks whatever kind of way or, you know, you have those like internal kind of judgments about people who decided that for 30 days he was going to quit doing that. I use this as an example of tapas, right. And like, you can imagine how it goes because it's, you know, it is very hard to change habits. It's really hard to get that ball moving from not even just stillness. Maybe the ball is rolling in the other direction. So you have to kind of stop the ball and get it moving in the in the proper direction. So you can imagine how that goes right for the first like, weak, maybe two weeks. It's just, you can't even stop yourself. But you're noticing how many times it comes up for you? You're noticing like, oh my god, did it again, right? And then only like, mid-months or so I might be able to like sort of catch the thought before it percolates the surface. And then he said but you know, by the end of the month he had he had cleared up a good, a good amount of that thinking. And so whatever it is, right?

Like something that I have, you know, that continues to be a project but I've also worked on is, is interrupting people, right? I get really excited. I get so excited that I tend to have this interruption problem and it's something that when I first decided to change it, it's felt like it was gonna be impossible because I kept noticing how many times it was happening. And then it's almost like it's almost like you feel worse at first, because you're like noticing, how often it's happening. But noticing is the first stage and only then after a period of noticing, was I able to, like interrupt myself interrupting, you know? Like I would catch myself mid thing and I'd be like Right. And only now am I short like sometimes able to catch it like before it even starts? Just be like, you know, just go, wait, just wait till and I can have that like internal moment with myself. But anyway, all that is to say, like, whatever it is that you're trying to work on or change or whatever. That tapas is that like inner willpower, it's that energy, that it takes to just to get that ball moving in the other direction. Okay, let's come forward onto hands and knees and press back. Do downward facing dog.

Yeah, TAPAS, I can write it down for you if you want. Yeah.

Just as an as a sort of a side. You know, I think I have a hunch that my āsana practice also has sometimes reflected that that kind of excitement. You know, that interrupting tendency. Like when I was when I was in my first handful of years of practice, I certainly would, would often like anticipate what the teacher was going to say.And I, I'd be like already there before the teacher even said what we were doing. I'd be in crow pose for, you know, five breaths before it didn't even said we're coming into crow pose now, right? And I think it's semi related. It's that it's that part of my mind. This or anticipating what's coming. Next excited about what's coming. Next want to kind of get there. First, you know, And I don't know if you'll find a similar, you know, kind of correlation in the āsana practice, but the, the physical practice often does offer a reflection of some of our inner, you know, tendencies. So maybe there's something there, you know, if it's not Kind of rushing ahead or getting ahead of things, Maybe it's, you know, taking as slow or maybe it's some, some other aspect of awesome practice that kind of only you will be able to observe because I don't I can only speak for myself. In this case. Okay, walk the feet forward towards the hands. Utanasana. Separate the feet, bend the knees come into a deep squatting position, hands together at the center of the chest. Kind of interesting that 30 days sort of comes up as the as the sort of magical time for for changing things. Right? Any of a few of my friends who are sober now have said like the first 30 days is the hardest. And after you cross that 30 days it's like It gets progressively easier from that moment, right? So it's interesting that both Jaganath and it's like, like 30 days. It seems to be the magic number for change. Okay, bring the hands down, raise the hips up and fold forward. Bring the feet like halfway closer to together.

14:44

Arms behind the backlace, the fingers together into one fist. Stretching the arms away from the back. With your inhale, bend the knees, open the chest, and look forward. Exhale straighten, the legs to fold. Inhale, bend the knees, open the chest. Look forward. Exhale straighten, the legs to fold but inhale bending.

Exhale, extending. Inhale, bend look forward. Exhale, extend, and full. That really bring the hands on to the ways. Lift all the way up, right? To a standing position. And then reach the arms of overhead class the fingers together into one fist, inhaler breath, reach, the knuckles of to the ceiling.

As you exhale, bend to the left side? Inhale lift up to the center. Exhale bend, right side? Inhale center. Exhale left. Inhale center and exhale. Right side. Inhale lift up one more time. Each side, exhale left. Keep straightening the elbows. Inhale center, exhale, right side. That inhale lift all the way up and then release the arm feet and legs all the way together.

16:28

Preparing for sun salutations, surya namaskar, here we go. Inhale, reach the arms up overhead hands. Press together. Look upwards, exhale, fold forward. Hands to the floor beside the feet. Inhale look forward to prepare. Exhale hop. Step or walk back, chaturanga. The lower halfway down. Inhale upward facing, dog.

16:54

Exhale downward facing dog. Hold and breathe. Sorry, that was my fault. Inhale, exhale. I wanted my phone to have a little charge on it. Thanks to inhale. Exhale, three breathing. Fall and breathe out for inhale. Exhale, bend the knees. Look forward. Inhale, hopper step feet to hands. Exhale fold forward.

17:30

Inhale, stand up. Reach the arms up, overhead. Exhale, release arms. Inhale, reach up hands. Press together. Look up. Exhale fold forward. Hands to the earth. Inhale, halfway lift to prepare. Exhale, hopper step back, chuck that on God. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Breathe. And Breathe out one, inhale.

18:04

Exhale to inhale. Exhale, three breathing. Breathe out for inhale. Exhale bends in knees. Inhale hopper. Step feet to hands. Exhale fold forward. Inhale stand up. Reach the arms all the way up. Exhale release. The arms inhale reach up hands. Press together. Exhale fold forward, hands to the earth. Inhale, prepare look forward.

18:47

Exhale chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Breathing. Breathe out. Inhale. Exhale to breathe. Breathe out three, inhale. Exhale for breathing. Breathe out, bend to knees, inhale, hopper, step feet to hands. Exhale fold forward. Inhale, stand up. Reach the arms up, exhale arms alongside the body, one more, inhale, reach up.

19:38

Exhale, folding forward. Inhale. Prepare exhale chatturanga. Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward dog breathing. Breathe out one, inhale. Exhale to And read. Breathe out three, inhale. Exhale for breathing. Breathe out, bend the knees. Inhale, hopper step feet to hands. Exhale fold forward. Inhale, stand up. Reach the arms up, exhale release the arms.

Inhale hook thumbs. Reach arms up an arch back. Exhale bed knees, swing arms behind the back legs the hands together fold forward, inhale hands touch down right foot steps, back to lunge, look forward. Exhale downward facing dog. Inhale, playing exhale, chaturanga, inhale upward facing, dog. Exhale downward facing dog, inhale to plank, exhale, knees, chest, and chin.

To the floor. Inhale slide forward cobra, exhale tuck the toes, sit all the way back towards the feet and then extend the legs downward dog, inhale, right foot forward. Exhale, left foot next to right foot fold forward, inhale bed, knees, hooked, thumbs reach up arge back. Exhale, bend the knees, swingarms behind lace, the hands together and full inhale hands to the floor, step the left foot back.

21:37

Exhale downward facing dog, inhale plank Exhale, bend the elbows chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog, inhale, plank, exhale, knees, chest chin to the floor. Inhale, slide forward into cobra. Exhale, tuck the toes. Sit back towards the feet, and then extend the left inhale, left foot steps forward.

22:11

Exhale, right foot next to left foot fold. Inhale bending is hook thumbs reach up arch back. Exhale, stand up release the arms alongside the body inhale, deeply, bend, the knees. Reach the arms overhead with guitar. Exhale hands to the floor fold forward utanasana Inhale look forward to prepare. Exhale, hop, step or walk back.

22:40

Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Inhale, step the right foot forward. Turn the back heel down. Reach up, warrior one. Exhale hands to the floor, step back, and lower chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog, inhale, left foot forward. Reach up virabhadrasana one.

23:12

Exhale hands to the floor. Step back and lower inhale upward dog. Exhale downward dog one more time each side inhale, right foot steps forward, warrior one, place hands down, step back chatturanga, inhale move forward Exhale, go back, inhale left foot forward, warrior one. Exhale chatturanga.

23:46

Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog breathing. Breathe out one in here. Exhale to breathe and Breathe out three, inhale. Exhale for breathing. Breathe out, bend the knees. Look forward. Inhale hopper step feet to hands. Exhale fold forward, inhale deeply, bend, the knees, reach the arms up, utkatasana.

24:28

Exhale, stand up and release the arms. Turn to the right side and open the feet wide apart wide straddle stance hands on your waist, inhale, lift up the chest arch back. Exhale, fold all the way forward place. The hands onto the floor between the feet. Inhale a breath here.

24:50

Exhale, crown of head moves down in the direction of the floor. One breathing. And breathe out. In here. Exhale. Breathe. Breathe out. In here. And exhale. Good. Inhale lift ahead in the chest. Look forward, walk the hands a smidge more forwards of the wrists, or more under the shoulders and then where your hands are now set your left hand right in the middle of where your hands are good, right hand on your waist, keep the hips and the legs, the same, try not to shift the legs around as you turn the chest to the right side.

25:38

So, we should still be even between both feet and you might even need to lift the inner left thigh, a little to the left, just to keep the legs as even as possible. Now, notice if you push the left hand down really strongly into the floor, it will actually help you with the twists.

25:58

Yeah, I saw it happen. And then even squeeze the right tip of the elbow even more towards the window side of the room, squeeze the elbow. So feeling how the strength of the arms kind of helps you to rotate more. Would bring the right hand to the floor, where the left hand just came from and then started to turn to the left side, turn to the left.

26:24

So first organize the legs, see that the legs haven't shifted around in your ambition to twist, and then feel how the right hand pressing is straight down into the floor can help you twist. Squeeze the tip of the left elbow towards the back of the room. So feeling how the arms are helping to propel you deeper into your twists.

26:49

And bring bowls halves down to the floor, hands on your waist. Inhale lift all the way up, right to a standing position, exhale feet, and legs together. Turn to face the front step forward on the mat, inhale, bend the knees, reach the arms overhead, which gets awesome. Exhale hands to the floor, fold forward each and asana.

27:13

Inhale look forward. Exhale hop, step, or walk back chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing. inhale, step the right foot forward, left heel, down, reach up where your one Stay in your warrior one. Bend the front knee a little bit deeper. Face both shoulders, both armpits straight ahead as best you can and then lift the top of the chest and see we could lean the upper body back a little bit further than you. Bend into the front knee, a little bit deepe,r lift the top of the chest, belly button towards the spine, see if you could lean back just a little bit more. One more time. Bend the front knee lifts the chest, lean back a little bit more.

28:07

Inhale straighten the right leg. Keep both legs straight. Exhale open to the side preparing for triangle, reach all the way out to the right. Place right hand either on the right leg or the floor or a block left, arm reaches straight up. Good, both legs, straight one straight line with the arms. Try to spread open the top of the collar bones.

28:38

With your inhale, lift all the way upright To a standing position. Exhale, bend the right knee, warrior two, and hold. Now, most of us could take the feet a little bit farther apart forward, your two. And then let the hips kind of smooth down a little bit more into gravity both arms, reaching out with equal energy, and both directions.

29:07

And inhale straighten the right leg, exhale, bend the right knee, place the right hand out side of the right foot. Reach the left arm all the way over the left ear for extended side angle, right knee, presses against right arm. Keep turning the center of the chest towards the middle of the wall We're facing. Back foot presses down strong.

29:36

With your inhale, both hands to the floor. Exhale, start to straighten the front leg. Inhale, head and chest. Lift look forward. Exhale fold forward.

30:07

And with your inhale, bend the right knee, step right into a plank, exhale, chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Inhale step, the left foot forward virabhadrasana one, reach all the way up. stay here. Strong and straight back leg. Then the front knee a little bit more. Try to turn both arm pits to face straight ahead. Lifting the top of the chest belly button in towards the spine, lean back a little first. But again bend the front knees, lift the top of the chest, lean the chest back but the head doesn't have to go back.

30:53

Yeah. Or just preserve your neck a little bit and then one more time, then lift me back? Inhale, straight in the left leg. Exhale. Open to the side preparing for triangle. Reach all the way out towards the windows place. The left hand down right arm reaches, up, triangle. Trikonasana. with your inhale, lift all the way up, right?

31:32

Exhale. Bend the left. Knee very much in a two hole. But again, scoot the feet a little bit, wider, most of us, bend the front knee a little more. So the hips can move down into gravity good both arms reaching long and both directions. Nice. With your inhale, straighten the left leg, exhale?

32:00

Bend the left knee place, the left hand down outside of the left foot, reach the right arm, all the way over the right ear for extended side angle. Me too. Three good. Keep turning the chest. And inhale, touch both hands down. Exhale, start to straighten the front leg. Inhale look forward, lift head and chest. Exhale fold towards the left leg and breathe. You. Keep working towards straightening both legs.

32:55

Go to inhale, bend the left knee hands, to the floor plank. exhale, chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Then the knees and look forward, inhale, hop or step feet to hands. Exhale, fold forward, inhale deeply, bend, the knees, reach the arms up utkatasana. Exhale hands to prayer twists to the right side hook, the left upper arm across to the other side of the right leg, but push the hands together so strongly that the chest could move closer to the thumbs, thumbs closer to the chest. See that the knees stay inside by side together, you might have to pull the left. Knee back a little bit because the left knee gets a little ambitious wants to go forward. inhale, reach the arms up to the center. Exhale hands to prayer twist to the left side. But, and again, feeling how your strong strong arms are helping you to move into your twist here legs, stay steady. So, from the ways down legs, stay the same knees and feet even and then from the waist up, you're turning.

34:22

And with your inhale, reach up to the center. Exhale, hands down to fold forward. Inhale look forward to prepare. Exhale hop or Step back. Shut down. Inhale upward facing, dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Inhale, step the right foot forward between the hands but don't change the back foot. Keep the back heel, lifting up to the ceiling.

34:53

Reach both arms all the way up for high lunge. Good. So imagine that from the waste like from your belt line down, you're trying to keep the legs, the same, start to twist to the right side and open the arms out to shoulder height. So you might notice that the right knee tried to pull back in an effort to help you twist more bend, the right knee even more. So it's all the way over the right inkle, you might also notice that the left hip wants to turn forward. Again, it's just trying to be helpful but we don't need it now. So push the right hip back, left it back so that the hips are in line with one another. Okay. Now, grab with your hands, grab hold of the leg that it's closest to. So your front hand holds your front leg, your backhand holds your back legs Use your hands. Now to pull yourself deeper into your twist. So using the strength of the arms to deepen the twist. Now, could you find your strong abdominal twisting muscles so that you can stay in this deeper twist? Even as you remove the hands out to reach to the sides again? And then using those same strong, abdominal twisty muscles can you twist even more now even with out the help of your hands?

36:18

Inhale, reach the arms all the way up to the center. Exhale downward facing dog. We get to do the other. It so exciting. Inhale, step the left foot forward. Your no not warrior. One high lunge. Excuse me. Okay, so notice the legs they want to turn with you. Try not to let them turn with you, even as you turn to the left, open arms out your shoulder height, that's it. So, if you notice the left knee, pulled back a little bend, it more plunging it, over the ankle. If you notice the right hip come forward a bit, push it back. So that the front of the hips are in the same plane, compared to the front of the room now, hands, grab to hold of your opposite legs. So, front hand holds front leg backhand holds back leg, use the strength of your arms to turn yourself, more around into your twist, keep turning keep turning, keep turning. Now, find the muscles that you would need to use. To keep that deeper twist. Even, as you let go at the hands, reach the arms out to shoulder height. Again, using that same section of the abdominals, try to twist a little bit further enough. That inhale arms up high lunge. Exhale downward facing dog. All right. Inhale forward into plank. Exhale, lower all the way to the floor. So we've explored how the arms play a role in the twists and how the abdomen plays the role in the twist.

37:56

Now, we're going to also incorporate some awareness of the back body as it relates to the twist reach the arms…actually let's do this; Place the hands and either side of the chest. Reach the left arm out to the left on the floor and then pushing with your right hand, turn your chest to the right. You could turn your hips to. So this this variation we've we've done in almost every yoga class since the 80s. No. Okay, wait, we're familiar with this one. Yeah. And that turned to face the center, placed the left hand on the floor next to the chest. Reach, the right arm out on the floor, push with your left hand, turn your chest. So this is just to, well, it's helping us to open the shoulders, but it's also just a refresher for memories so that we can move into the next thing. Okay, come on, back to the center, reach, the left, arm out to the left again, right hand next to your chest.

39:12

But bring the left fingertips onto the floor so that you're lifting the wrist, forearm elbow. Even the shoulder on the left side lifts away from the floor. So the whole arm is lifting away except the fingertips and then try to keep a especially your left shoulder away from the floor as you twist to the right side again. So push the right hand into the floor turn but keep the left shoulder left. Elbow left wrist away from the floor. Shoulder up, shoulder knot, touching floor. I know and then turn to face the center switch, sides, right arm reaches out to the right, right? Fingertips off the floor, in particular, lift that shoulder elbow, wrist away from the floor and then go ahead. Turn notice how the right shoulder it wants to drop down to the floor, but you're resisting that you're resisting, that you're not going to let it happen. Even if you need to twist a little less. To make that happen. Okay, come back to the center. Third times the charm as they say. Reach the left, arm out to the left, right hand on the floor next to your chest. Okay. Start by coming up onto the fingertips again, so that you're right arm is off the floor. Except now lift your right fingertips. Even away from the floor. So your whole right arm, sorry, your whole left arm. My my fault your throat shoulder elbow. Even hand is like parallel to the floor. Now start to turn to the right by. Keep your arm away from the floor. Don't let any part of the left arm touch the floor. No part of the arm now. It's especially feel how you have to kind of squeeze.

40:57

The left shoulder blade in the right hip towards each other to make that happen. So there's this like diagonal twisting actions happening across the back. Okay, come back to the center left hand on the floor. Next to the left chest, right arm reaches out, you can start by coming up under the fingertips, get the shoulder away from the floor and then lift your entire hand off the floor. Try to keep don't let the right shoulder drop down. So even as you start to twist, keep lifting that shoulder up up up. So, twist to the left, turn to the left and can be down, but you got to keep the shoulder up. So notice there's this effect of like working diagonally across the back body. Are we feeling that at all or no left shoulder blade towards rapid short towards left shoulder blade? Okay, come back to the center hands on the floor, either side of your chest, inhale lift forward and up into upward facing dog. Exhale, go back downward facing. Step the right foot forward.

42:06

Warrior one. Exhaling straighten the right leg. Bring the right arm down alongside the body. Inhale, reach the left fingertips, up up towards the ceiling and then reach all the way across left hand, outside of right foot for rotated. Triangle, if it's tough to reach the floor, it would be good to have a block under your hand because we are going to use the arms to help twist. So, that first component, feel, how by pressing the left hand, down into the floor or the block that that we're using the strength of the arms to kind of deepen. The twists, then see, if you could find those same abdominal twisting muscles, like what we did in that, awful, awful, high lunge to help you twist.

42:53

And then last aspect the part that we don't often think about try to squeeze your right shoulder blade, more towards your left buttocks so that the back is also helping us with the twists. And then the right knee, both hands to the floor. Exhale lower the left knee down to inhale reach both arms up. Exhaling hands through prayer twists to the right, hooking, the left upper arm outside of the right leg even before, just keep the back knee down for a moment. Let's work on the twist first and then we'll come into the balance if you like so, use this strength of your hands pressing together, so the arm strength to help you twist and then find the abdominal twisting component. And then lastly, again, squeeze the right shoulder blade towards the left, shoulder blade to bring the back body also into it and then if you like, you could tuck the left toes under and lift the left knee up standing spinal twist. Could inhale both hands to the floor, cross the left, knee to the right side of the right foot and come to sit down for seated. Spinal twist left, arm reaches up. Twist to the right side. Here's the one where I don't know about you, but for me for many, many years I would just rely on the arm strength wrenching me around into my twist here, and then I'd be like, okay, good done, and then kind of like, let my thoughts like, space out a little bit, so, yes, the arm strength is part of it. The arms are helping us turn into it, but then, again, see if you could find a little bit of abdominal strength to add into the mix. And then, lastly, squeeze that right shoulder blade towards the left shoulder blades. So that the back body is all so helping in the twist, right? That that center of the back is sometimes the hardest part for us to be conscious of so we can't see it. We can barely touch it. It's like the most it's kind of a blind spot in the, in the physical body. Yeah. And then turn to face forward and unless we purposefully bring our attention to it.

45:21

Okay. Twist to the left. Stay there for an extra breath since we did so very much twisting on the right side. And then turn to face front. Swing that right leg all the way around behind you and step back downward facing. Inhale, step the left foot forward warrior one. Exhale, straighten the left leg. Bring the left arm down alongside the body, reach the right arm up to the ceiling. Exhale, reach, all the way across touch, either the floor or a block with the right hand, right? Arm reaches up. To good. So first using the strength of the arms to help you twist, then find some of that midsection action of across the abdominals. And then lastly, squeeze the left shoulder blade towards the right buttocks for the back is also part of our conscious awareness.

46:33

And the inhale, bend the left knee hands to the floor. Exhale touch the right knee down. Inhale arms reach up, get ready to twist. Exhale, hands, your prayer, twist to the left side. So keep the back knee down for just a moment. I'll give you the option in a second

Start by using your hands to help you twist incorporate some of that, midsection abdominal action. And then lastly find the back body part of the twist. And then optional if you want to lift the back knee up, go ahead. Got it.

47:21

Really, inhale, touch both hands down. Exhale, bring the right knee. All the way to the left. Side of the left foot, come to sit down. Inhale, right arm reaches up. Exhale, twist to the left side one. And again, too.

48:00

Turned to face forward calendar. Twists stay there for an extra breath. Or so, we did a lot of twisting Eternities front, swing the left leg all the way around behind. Exhale downward facing dog. Okay, what next, we're going to be moving into inversion practice, we're going to work on all three of the sort of active inversions handstand forum, stand headstand.

If you want to move to the wall, you are absolutely welcome to do that. Now,First up, handstand practice. So starting in a downward dog. Walking the feet forward towards the hands. Lift the left leg up. Bend the right knee, then swing that left leg up perhaps following with the right. I either stay there or if it didn't work the first time hop again.

That's, that's a funny thing about practice to is If you've been practicing for any length of time, you probably have realized that. Like, if you stop practicing for a little while, it takes a lot more of that effort, to push that boulder up that hippo. And I'm in a similar boat.

49:59

I kind of stopped doing handstand like in the pandemic and stuff. And so now I'm having to like, what feels like start all the way over from scratch, right? And so it feels like a much heavier lift than if I had just been doing a little bit all the time. It happens to with, with meditation practice. If you've ever kind of fallen off of a meditation practice, I'm sure. I'm the only one who has, but let me tell you from experience. It's much harder than to sit down and start over it. Five minutes at a time, then if I had just kind of kept with a maintenance level of meditation, right? It's that inertia, it's moving from Oh, going in the opposite direction. To changing course. Yeah. All right. Next up four arms. Stand pinchemyerasana. Same process start with the elbows on the floor. Fingers uncomfortably close to the wall. And practice lifting, one leg up. And then the other You could you can divide it up any which way you want.

51:20

If you want to take five hops on one side, five hops on the other like that.

Okay. And lastly ahead, lastly but not leastly headstand.

And hey, even if it has been a while, you know, this is that moment to apply a little bit of tapas to just kind of be like, okay, even if it feels like a heavy lift, let me just kind of approach it today.

Even if it doesn't like feel. The way it did before. We were talking a little bit about, I went to see the the ballet for the first time in like it's probably been 10 or 15 years since I've been to a ballet. And I also used to dance a little bit and watching those dancers float and fly around

I was like wow my body feels really out of shape for that movement, right. All of that because I haven't practiced that kind of movement, I've practiced downward dog and you know, being steady and grounded on my feet but like those, you know, leaps and bounds and stuff. I have a practice in a while.

53:39

So I felt completely in awe of how Far from that. Kind of practice. I felt in that moment.

Okay, if you need another couple of moments, for example, if you're taking a variation of course, take that few moments to really complete the variation especially if it has two sides to it. If you're slowly if you're already resting fine and then slowly make your way into child's pose.

Inhaling come forward into a plane. Exhale chatturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Inhale plank, exhale, knees, chest chin. Inhale, slide forward cobra and then release the forehead down to the floor arms behind, the back lace, the fingers together into one. It says, press the feet down, lift up the head, the chest and the arms for salabhasana.

And then slowly release on down.

56:32

Bend the knees, reach that catch, hold of the ankle. Inhale lift on up, head chest and knees. For down your arsenal.

And with your exhale slowly release on down.

Again, bend the knees, reach back catch, hold of the ankles, inhaling lift on up head chest knees.

57:27

And exhale release on down. Place the hands either side of the chest. Inhale lift forward and up into upward facing dog. Exhale, go back downward down. Lift high up onto the balls of the feet. Bend the knees look forward, past the hands and then hopper walk all the way through to sit down and lay down on the back.

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Bring the feet onto the floor. Lift the hips up. Interlock the hands behind the back into one fist.

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But we

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Reservate. The hands release the back down to the floor. Now, you can repeat the same shape we've just done, or if you want to move into full backbend or put on your us in a place, the hands of the floor out inside of the ears. With your inhale, go ahead and lift up.

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Thank you. I tend to the chest slowly release on down.

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Again, please the hands. Please defeat Inhaling lift on up second time.

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10 to the chests. Slowly release on down.

01:00:03

Third time, place to hands place defeat. And lift on up.

Into the chest slowly release down. I'm pretty sure I've literally told this anecdote, three Sundays in a row but gonna say it anyway, despite my being very repetitive. One time we were in class, with, with David life and Woodstock and someone asked him, why we do three wheels in Jivamukti.

What's the deal right? He says, oh, I get asked that all the time. And here's my answer. “The first one not quite enough. It's not really enough second one is just right, just enough. And the third one is just way too much,” right? And the the idea of behind it, or the way I took it in the moment was that like that. And in my personal experience, most of my inner negotiations happen between the second and third wheel where I have to really lower myself into doing it because every part of me wants to skip it, right? Hug the knees into the chest. But you know maybe it's at a different point in your practice, right?

If you're someone who really loves back bending practice. Maybe there's another part of the practice for you really have to kind of use that tapas. That inner will power to kind of convince yourself like no, you know.Bring the knees over to the left side. Sometimes it's even before the first wheel. That voice comes up, like ‘it's Sunday. i did it yesterday, I'll do them tomorrow.’

01:02:33

Bringing the knees up to the center and go the other way.

Bring the knees up to the center. Come on up to a seated position sit all the way upright. Straighten the legs forward out in front of you. Flex the feet set up tall and fold forward, pacchimottanasana seated forward fold. Lift all the way up, right to a seated position. Then the left knee into the chest, open the left knee to the side and fold over the right leg. Janusirsasana.

And lift all the way upright. Switch the legs. And fold other side.

01:05:43

Look all the way upright. Straighten both legs forward, bend both needs into the chest, open both knees out to the sides feet together, and go forward. baddhakonasana.

Lift all the way up, right to a seated position. Keep the shape of the legs the same but make your way onto your back.

01:06:35

So you can either stay like this in supta baddhakonasana, or you could come into shoulder stand salambha sarvangasana.

01:08:58

If you’re in shoulder stand, come into plow, halasana.

01:09:28

And then, if you're in plow slowly start to roll down out of it.

01:09:41

Shoulder standers come through matseyasana. Fish.

01:10:22

And then, if you're in the fish chin to the chest. Slowly, I'm down. Setting up for Shavasana.

01:19:38

Slowly start to deepen the breath.

Bring a little bit of moving into the body. take a Moment to move or Stretch any way you need.

01:20:06

. Then the knees into the chest. And roll all the way to the right hand side. Come on it to a seated position. perfect timing for meditation practice. But horns can sometimes like work in that way. Like, sometimes a sound can actually be a reminder, right?

If the, if the mind has wandered during meditation, you're deep in thought, or distraction of some kind, sometimes hearing a bell, or a sound, can be like a trigger to bring us back to the present. So, you know, Rather than a being a disturbance, it could be a help. depending how you look at it.

01:21:10

First steps, choose your seat second step be still. And even being still takes tapas. It takes a little bit of that inner will a little bit of that inner discipline. Even when the body or the mind is trying to convince you of Need to move. Use that tapas to kind of override that a little bit.

01:21:40

And then the most universal instruction is to focus on the breath. Now, if you have some mantra or some other meditation instructions, of course, you’re welcome to do that. But remember that idea of tapas being the, the willingness To move in a different direction, right? So Of course, thoughts will come distractions will come?It's not whether or not that will happen, it definitely will. But then the tapas part of it is pushing the mind. Back to the focus returning to the breath returning to the mantra at every opportunity.

01:29:10

OM. OM. OM.

Thank you also much for making time for practice and for all of your very, very hard work. Hope you have a wonderful rest of your day and rest of your week and we'll see you next time. If you have any questions about today's practice, let me know