Podcast #170 - Finding the Flow
Discover Jivamukti Yoga Podcast #170: Finding the Flow with Jessica Stickler, a dynamic yoga practice designed to help students cultivate strength, flexibility, balance, and mindful movement. This class explores hip-opening yoga poses and binding techniques, gradually building toward Bound Ardha Chandrasana (Bound Half Moon Pose). Using a yoga belt and block, Jessica Stickler guides practitioners through a sequence that encourages greater mobility, focus, stability, and connection to the breath. Whether you're looking to deepen your Jivamukti Yoga practice, improve hip flexibility, explore yoga binds, or challenge your balance, this class offers an opportunity to move with intention and find a deeper sense of flow. The episode also connects the physical practice with the Jivamukti Focus of the Month, providing a more holistic approach to yoga, movement, and mindfulness.
The Jivamukti Focus of the Month can be read here:
https://jivamuktiyoga.com/fotm/o%e1%b9%83-namo-naraya%e1%b9%87aya/
Playlist is here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2bC0sdyj1uz3XNGj9f2Cme?si=be02767bfb30493c
Follow Everywhere: @yogastickler
Podcast #170: Finding the Flow
Finding the Flow is Jivamukti Yoga Podcast #170 with Jessica Stickler. This class explores the relationship between breath, movement, concentration, and physical stability through a sequence focused on hip opening, yoga binds, and balance. The practice gradually builds toward Bound Ardha Chandrasana (Bound Half Moon Pose).
What is Jivamukti Yoga Podcast #170 about?
Jivamukti Yoga Podcast #170, Finding the Flow, is a yoga class led by Jessica Stickler that uses hip-opening movements and binding techniques to prepare the body and mind for Bound Ardha Chandrasana. The practice combines movement, breath awareness, balance, and focused attention in the Jivamukti Yoga tradition.
What yoga pose is explored in this class?
The featured pose in this class is Bound Ardha Chandrasana, or Bound Half Moon Pose. This challenging balancing posture combines standing-leg stability, hip mobility, spinal rotation, and a binding action. The preceding sequence helps practitioners progressively explore the mobility and concentration needed for the pose.
What props are needed for this Jivamukti Yoga class?
You will need a yoga belt and a yoga block for this practice. The props can provide support while exploring binds, hip-opening movements, and the balance required for Bound Ardha Chandrasana.
What can you explore through this practice?
This class offers an opportunity to explore:
Hip-opening yoga poses and greater hip mobility
Yoga binds and how to approach binding progressively
Balance and stability through Half Moon variations
Breath-connected movement and concentration
Bound Ardha Chandrasana as a peak pose
The connection between physical yoga practice and the Jivamukti Focus of the Month
Who is this yoga class for?
Finding the Flow is particularly useful for yoga practitioners who want to explore hip openers, binds, balancing poses, and Half Moon variations within a Jivamukti Yoga practice. Because Bound Ardha Chandrasana requires a combination of balance, mobility, strength, and concentration, practitioners should work within their own range of movement and use props as needed.
Finding the Flow through Jivamukti Yoga
The idea of “flow” in this practice goes beyond moving continuously from one yoga pose to another. The sequence connects movement, breath, concentration, and awareness while progressively preparing for a more challenging posture. In this sense, the practice invites students to experience flow as both a physical quality and a state of focused attention.
Practice note: Have a yoga belt and block available before beginning the class. Move gradually into binds and hip-opening positions, and modify or use additional support whenever needed.
Deep breath in. Let this first one go. Just recognizing like how easy it is to be in two places at once, like the mind can be in one place, the body in another place, like, just see if you can kind of bring it all together onto the mat, at least for the next 90 minutes or so.
Deep breath in. Let this second one go.
Deep breath in.
Maria Naya.
Yeah. A amongst other things, not a means water, so it's like. Evoking this, this feeling of the. Sort of infinite ocean of Consciousness, ocean of awareness. That feeling of? Like the flow of life getting into the flow of.
Listen first.
Oh no, no.
Oh, never.
Now this next part, this next part you'll most certainly recognize. So as soon as you do? As soon as you recognize this part, you go ahead and join right in.
Gently down the. Merrily merrily merrily. Merrily life is but a dream. Let's do that one again.
Gently down the. Merrily merrily merrily. Life is by the dream.
That we know it's a spiritual Mantra. As if you say om at the end, right? There are there are like beautiful teachings everywhere in life, right? Row, row, row, row your bones like, you know, we all have to. We all have to do our actions, right? We have to have to act in the world.
There's no way around it. The important thing is. Row your boat, right? I'm going to row my boat. I'm not going to try to row your boat. I wouldn't even know how to row your boat? I'm gonna row my boat, right? Uh, gently down the stream, right? Not fighting against it.
Not trying to go Upstream or sideways or whatever else, right? Not trying to walk it or fly it or swim it? You're rowing your boat? Gently down the stream merrily merrily merrily merrily merrily right as best we can, right? It's. It's tough out there. We were just talking about that stuff out there.
Uh, this book. This book is called flow, and it's um, it's about sort of the psychology of these experiences that I'm sure we've all had where we are sort of so immersed, both with our like attention, but also a sense of sort of our skills being challenged just enough to really keep our concentration and attention, and that there's sort of this inner like, reward, right.
There's this inner sort of deliciousness that happens when we encounter these experiences. Um, so I have a small bit to read about about these kinds of experiences. The idea is that you are so involved in what you're doing that you're not thinking of yourself as separate from the immediate activity.
You don't see yourself as separate from what you're doing. The Mystique of rock climbing is climbing. You get to the top of the Rock, and you're maybe you're glad it's over. But really, you wish it would go on forever. The justification of climbing is climbing. And the justification of poetry is writing.
You don't go in expecting to conquer anything except things in yourself. The act of writing justifies poetry and climbing is the same, recognizing that you are the flow and the purpose of flow is to keep on flowing, not to look for a peak or a Utopia, but to stay in the flow.
It is not a moving up, but a conscious flowing. You move up to keep the flow going. Like in a mountain. But there's no possible reason for climbing, except the climbing itself. It is self-communication. Right, uh. So, that is, in my opinion, one of the things that we're, uh.
That can be experienced in a yoga class in a Vinyasa class in particular. Is this sort of like merging of like attention and effort, that kind of makes other things at least Fall Away for a little while, and that the reward is in the doing of it, not necessarily in arriving at the end, or like checking it off the to-do list at the end of the day or something like that, right?
I mean, shavasana is wonderful and all. Don't worry, we'll get one. But, uh, the idea is is to be in it to be doing it that that is the reward itself, right? So, let's come forward onto hands and knees, and we'll press right back into a downward facing dog.
So, there's there's this sort of sweet spot. When talking about these flow experiences, there's this sweet spot between. Um, like being way too difficult, where you know it's, it's just struggle, and no flow, right? And then. The other side of the coin there, which can also. Become a challenge for advanced, more, more experienced practitioners.
Is that? When you become sort of more accustomed to? Uh, the movements and the and the different, uh, shapes that you can. You can, like, lose focus because you're so accustomed to them, right? So, there's this sweet spot in between those two experiences where it takes just enough of your effort and skill and attention and concentration.
Um, and not so much that it's like. Insurmountable, right? So, with your inhale, come on forward to a plank. Bring the shoulders forward over the wrists. As you exhale, it's fixed. Now, it's fine. Yeah, knees, chest and chin to the floor. Inhale sliding forward into Cobra. Exhale. Tuck the toes under move the seat all the way back to the feet and then extend the legs downward facing dog.
Good inhale. Come forward into a plank. Exhale lower halfway down chaturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Soften, the knees walk the feet forward towards the hands and fold forward over the legs. Yeah, let the head hang down. Arms hang down.
Okay, widen out the feet. Take the feet all the way out to the width of the mat or so. Bend the knees and come into a deep squatting position with the hands together. At the center of the chest, lift up tall through the upper body one, yes. Good stream.
And then bring the hands down to the floor, raise the hips up, and fold forward over the legs. Bring the feet and legs halfway closer together. Bring the arms behind the back and Lace the fingers together. Reach the arms away from the back as best you can inhale. Bend the knees, open the chest, and look forward.
Exhale. Straighten the legs and fold forward inhale. Bend the knees, open the chest, look forward. Exhale, straighten the legs, and fold forward inhale bending. Look forward! And exhaling extend to fold hands on your waist. Lift all the way upright to a standing position. Reach the arms up overhead. Interweave the hands together into one fist with your inhale.
Stretch the knuckles up to the ceiling. Look straight ahead. That's it. Exhale. Bend to the left side. Inhale lift up to the center. Exhale to the right side. Inhale Center exhale left side. Inhale Center. Exhale, right side. Inhale lift up to Center one more time each side. Exhale Bend.
So? So, you're turning the arms in opposite directions, going side to side. Another analogy just came to mind, which is that of music, right. The enjoyment of music is in. The time and space that it takes for the music to happen otherwise, uh, if not, then the best music would just be like all the notes collapse together, happening all at once.
And that would be weird. Okay. Let that go find your belt. Put your belt in your left hand. Belgian, your left hand, reach the left arm up. Take the left arm behind the back now, right. Arm reaches out. Turn your right shoulder in and down, so internal rotation of the arm to reach back and hold on to any other part of the belt here, and then start to walk your hands closer towards each other.
Oh, did I not say, I thought, I set one down next to you. Sorry, okay, lean your head back into your left upper arm a little bit. Tuck your tailbone under, so you're not flaring out behind you and then pull on the belt like you're trying to pull the hands apart from one another and then last things.
If your shoulders are very, very open, you could try to pull your hands away from your back a little bit. Don't worry, I can't do it either. Okay, reach the left arm up, right, arm down, and exaggerate. Reach equally in opposite directions. Oh yes, all right. Reach the right arm out to the right, right, arm, overhead.
Take the belt behind the back. Hold on to the belt with both hands. Good, and then, uh, walk the hands closer closer to one another. Push the back of your head into your upper arm, beautiful. Tuck the tailbone under three. Okay to release. Now, you're going to reach the right arm up, left arm down, reach like, exaggerate the reaching, like you're trying to touch floor and ceiling at the same time.
And then release the arms. Okay, put that belt to the side. Join the legs and the feet all the way together. So Vinyasa, even though it's the most overused yoga term in in the entire West, except for maybe the term you'll get self. That's a different discussion. Okay, um?
Uh, so Vinyasa actually does have a set of ingredients a set of ingredients that can potentially set us up for this, like flow experience as you as it's called in the book, right? So the first ingredient is intention, trying to hold your One Singular intention front of mind for the whole sequence.
The second is mulabunda pelvic floor lock, so lift the pelvic floor in and up. Even if you're not sure, just try something. And then, ooh, dry breath. So, ujai breath is a soft constriction of the vocal folds. There's a soft wispery sound on both the inhales and the exhales.
Those two work in conjunction with each other to create some intra-abdominal pressure. You don't have to memorize that term, just do it, and then gaze right the way that you're the way that you're seeing it. The way that you're looking and the way that you're seeing so eyes are soft.
Try not to, um, like, lower the eyes too much, or like, uh, diminish the eyelids too much, just half messed with the eyelids relaxed. Okay, now with your next inhale. Reach your arms all the way up overhead, hands pressed together, look up. Exhale, fold forward hands to the floor beside the feet.
Inhale. Look forward to prepare exhale, hop step, or walk back to chaturanga lower halfway down. Look a little forward. Inhale upward dog point, the feet exhale downward, facing dog deep breath in through the nose. Deep breath out. Try to keep all those things in tension mulabunda gaze. Uh, breath, all happening together, synchronizing three breathing.
Breathe out for! Inhale. Exhale, bend the knees, look forward. Inhale Hopper step feet to hands. Exhale to fold inhale, stand up, reach the arms all the way up, overhead exhale, release the arms. Another important factor for this flow experience is memory, being able to remember what you're doing ready.
Inhale reach the arms up. Exhale fold forward hands to the floor. Inhale lift head and chest look forward. Exhale hop step or walk back. Chaturanga inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog breathe! Breathe out, one! Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale three breathe in! Breathe out four inhale! Exhale, bend the knees, look forward.
Inhale Hopper, step feet to hands, exhale, fold forward, inhale, stand up, reach the arms up, overhead hands pressed together. Exhale release the arms. I hope you were memorizing the sequence. Because I'm just gonna be calling out the breath count. Now you try to match your breath and your movement to the breath count.
But don't worry, Seth is here to lead us on inhale. Reach the arms up overhead. Wait, no sorry. Put your arms down again. Put your arms down again. Here's what it's going to sound, like, I'm gonna say, inhale two, three, four exhale, don't do it yet. You're so excited!
I'm gonna say inhale two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four. The idea is to try to flow from point A to point B, not in like a static or staccato kind of way, but in a way that evokes that flowing sort of aspect, right? So, again, you're not going to hear me call out the individual, like, pose names.
So, you're gonna have to remember, or and, or follow along with what's happening. Everybody start with an exhale breath. Don't start yet. I'm just gonna count. Inhale two, three, four. Exhale. Two, three, begin. Inhale two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four, inhale, two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four, inhale, two, three, four, exhale two, three.
Stay here in two, three, four eggs, two, three. Let me. Breathing at least inhale? Exhale. Two, three, four, inhale two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four. Put your hands forward again, inhale. Exhale last breath inhale two, three, four exhale, bend the knees, three, four, inhale two. Four exhale two, three, four, inhale, stand up, reach up, three, four, exhale, release the arms.
Now you go on your own breath and movement. Go for it, you're counting inside. And trying to make your account match your breath and your movement, so there's never any sort of stopping or starting. Flowing, just like a mountain stream would flow down the side of the mountain. Flowing, like the ocean waves, right.
One wave pulls out the other wave pulls in five breaths. In that downward dog, you count them.
If you lose your place, don't worry, someone will remember.
Yeah, don't worry, everyone might be in slightly different timing. Don't worry. Aha! Now you've become your own yoga teacher. Too easy. Let's make it a little harder. Here's the sequence inhale. Bend the knees, reach the arms up, which katasana. Exhale hands to the floor. Fold forward uttanasana inhale. Look forward.
Exhale chaturanga inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog inhale right foot forward Warrior one? Exhale hands to the floor. Step back chaturanga all on one breath. Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward dog left side inhale left foot forward Warrior one reach all the way up. Exhale hands to the floor.
Step back and lower chaturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog stay here. Five breaths inhale. Exhale for one inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale three. Inhale. Exhale, four breathing. Breathe out, bend the knees, inhale Hopper, step feet to hands, continue the inhale, exhale, fold forward, inhale, bend the knees, reach the arms up.
Exhale, stand up, release the arms same sequence, inhale two, three, four exhale, two, three, four, inhale two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four, inhale two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four right foot, two, three, four, exhale, chaturanga, three, four, inhale forward, three, four, exhale, two, three, four, inhale, two, three, four, exhale, two, three, four, inhale, two, three, four, exhale.
Stay here for five inhale. Three, four. Exhale one. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale breathing to the count of four inside exhale three. Inhale good Barbara. Exhale for? Inhale. Exhale, bend the knees, inhale feet to hands. Exhale fold. Inhale, bend the knees, reach the arms up. Exhale, stand up, release the arms once more on your own.
You're breathing and moving and counting the breath, yes. Make a continuous flow. Not just like snapshot, snapshot, snapshot, but a continuous movement of body and breath and mind because your intention is front of mine still. Yeah.
Remember that downward dog has five breaths? Yeah.
When you finish your sequence stand in tadasana, wait for us in tadasana. Yeah.
And that's it, all right. Moving on for the time being separate, the feet a little bit apart, hands on your waist, inhale, lift up the chest and Arch back. Exhale, fold forward, reach down, grab hold of the big toes with the peace sign, fingers of the hands. Inhale a breath exhale.
Fold forward. Head goes down towards the feet. So, like, in a in like a Gene multi class or in a Vinyasa class. Of another type. It's a little imperfect because you don't always know the sequence that's coming, so you don't always know what's coming up. And so, the simultaneity of movement and breath can be a little imperfect, right?
But to the best of your ability for the rest of the practice. We're trying to kind of synchronize breath and movement together as best as possible with your inhale lift head and chest. Look forward. Slide the palms of the hands underneath the soles of the feet and exhale. Fold forward, head goes down, breathe.
Breathe out, one inhale. Exhale. Exhale three. Inhale. Exhale four. And exhale inhale, lift head, and chest. Look forward. Get your hands out from under there and separate the feet about mouth with distance apart or so bend the knees and again come into a deep squatting position with the hands together at the center of the chest reach the left arm in front of the left leg.
Press the left hand down. Start with your right hand on your left shoulder. Do this intentionally. Move your hand across your collarbones in order to open up your collarbones paws. When you get to the upper right pectoral pause there and actually pull that side of the chest back even more.
Give yourself a little bit more twist. Reach the right elbow tip up to the ceiling high and then reach the arm out last things. Let's do the other side come back through Center hands and prayer. Lift up through the sides of the waist. Reach the right arm in front of the right leg.
Left hand starts on the right shoulder, and as you move across, actually, you're not just petting your chest, right? You're not just petting yourself. Let your hand actually help you move the tissues and Bones. Yeah, that's it, okay, and then reach the elbow up and follow with the hand.
Okay, come back to the center hands together, lift up tall through the spine. Let's do one more each side, reach the left arm in front of the left leg. Right hand starts on right shoulders. Spread the top of the chest. Reach the arm out from there. And then come back to Center last times right arm in front of right leg.
Left hand helps to spread the top of the collarbones open up the pectorals, reach the arms up, yes, and then hands together. At the center, bring the hands to the floor, raise the hips up and fold forward, so that's that's one way, like. One way to keep the mind and concentration engaged for this sort of flow, State experience is to keep adding information.
So, let those little things like, inform, and change and shift your understanding of the practice as you go, otherwise it just becomes like, easy repetition, like going through the motions empty repetition. Okay. Take the feet halfway closer together. Uh, walk the hands forward Crow pose. Press the hands down into the floor, lift the hips up.
Knees to the backs of the upper arms shift the weight forward into the hands one.
Good for?
Good, and then hop stepper. Walk back to chaturanga lower halfway down. Inhale upward facing dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Inhale, step the right foot forward Warrior one. Exhale open the hips and arms to the side Warrior Two inhale, straighten the right leg, and then reach out to the right for triangle, Place right hand down left arm up.
So, just like we practiced in that squat, bring your left hand to your right shoulder reach across. Yeah, pull the collarbones open pause at your left chest, left upper chest, and pull that open more. Oh yeah, tip of the elbow reaches up to the ceiling and then extend out through the arm.
For with your inhale lift all the way upright to a standing position. Exhale bend the right knee inhale, reverse the Warrior, reach up and back one. Keep the right knee hovering over the right ankle. Sometimes it wants to kind of unbend and travel back with you. Yeah, too good.
Keep breathing for. A little bit more little little bit. Okay, good inhale straighten. Both legs reach the arms out to shoulder height. Exhale. Bend the right knee. Place the right hand outside of the right foot and reach the left arm all the way over the left ear for extended side angle, good one.
Spin the middle of the chest towards the middle of the wall. We're facing Bend just a little bit more. Yeah, to keep reaching the left fingertips like, you want to touch the window side of the room. With your inhale, both hands to the floor step right into a plank exhale chaturanga.
Inhale upward dog exhale downward facing dog inhale. Step the left foot forward Warrior, one reach all the way up. Exhale open hips and arms to the side inhale. Straighten the left leg. Exhale. Reach to the left for triangle. Place the left hand down right arm up. Bring the right hand across the front of the chest, move your collarbones, move the upper right part of the chest back, pull it back, yes, and then elbow up to the ceiling.
Stretch the arm. Good with your inhale lift all the way up right to a standing position. Exhale bend the left knee inhale, reverse the Warrior, reach up and back one. Two good Bend more and more. Three, yes. Four breathing. Breathe out, inhale, stand up, reach the arms out to shoulder height, exhale, bend the left knee, Place left hand outside of left foot, right arm, reaches overhead for extended side angle, breathe in.
Breathe, that one. Inhale. Good exhale. Inhale. Exhale three breathe in, lengthen the right arm even more for four. Breathe in. Breathe out, inhale both hands to the floor, step into your plank, exhale chaturanga. Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward facing dog inhale. Step the right foot forward Warrior one. Exhale open hips and arms to the side inhale.
Straighten the right leg. Reach to the right for triangle. Place right hand down, left arm up, this time. Take the left arm around, behind the back, and Tuck the left hand sort of into the top of the hip crease there, and then you can even use your hands to not only turn the top of the right thigh out, but imagine you're also trying to push the right thigh, bone, back, and down towards the left foot even more.
Is this, okay, this little breeze here? Okay, great. Just checking, okay. Now, strong legs reach your right arm alongside your right ear, like you're trying to reach towards the window's side of the room again, yeah, balancing, so use this your strong legs to support you underneath. Keep the arms the same inhale.
Stand all the way upright. Keep the arms the same exhale. Bend the right knee inhale, reverse the Warrior, reach up and back good. Too good. Yeah, three. You can even use this left hand to help deepen the right hip crease down four. Yes, like a little self assist. Okay, inhale.
Stand all the way up. Reach the arms out to shoulder height. We're going to kind of switch around the arms now. So, now, the left arm reaches up the right arm reaches behind. You can either clasp the hands or, again, use your belt to connect your hands together. Start with the armpits facing the open side of the room, so really flush to the white wall.
Now, bend the right knee and then lean the upper body out over the center of the right leg for, like, an extended side angle variation tip of left elbow reaching towards the window side of the room. Bend the front knee a little bit more if you dare strong and straight back leg.
Good inhale stand all the way up. Reach the arms out to shoulder height. Exhale bend the right knee, inhale hands to the floor, step into your plank, exhale chaturanga. Inhale upward dog exhale downward dog. Inhale left foot forward Warrior one. Exhale open hips and arms to the side inhale.
Straighten left leg exhale. Reach to the left for triangle left, hand down right arm up, one take the right arm around behind the back. Find the left hip crease, and then again, you can use your hand not only to turn the right thigh bone out a little, but also to kind of push the root of the thigh, back, and down deepening that hip crease.
Now, reach the left arm alongside the left ear, balancing here strong legs to keep trying to turn both shoulders open towards this side. Exactly three, four stretch long through that arm with your inhale stand all the way upright exhale Bend, left knee inhale, reverse Warrior, and again, you could use the back hand.
No, keep it there. Keep it there, your hand. Yes, to push your own thigh down four. Good inhale, stand up, reach the arms out to shoulder height. Now, we're going to switch the arms up again, so right, arm up, left arm behind the back, either connect the hands together.
You can use your. Your belt to help you bind. So, keep the armpits as flush to this wall as you can, even as you bend the left knee, even as you lean out over the center of the left leg. Try to keep the chest and armpits open to this side.
Yeah, and you can just look straight ahead at this side of the room. Yeah, four. Good tip of the elbow lengthening towards the. Windows? Yes. Okay with your inhale stand all the way up, straighten both legs, reach the arms out, exhale. Bend the left knee, inhale both hands to the floor plank.
Exhale chaturanga. Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward dog. Inhale. Step the right foot between the hands, but don't change the back foot now. As you exhale start to straighten out the front leg, don't change the feet. Inhale Bend, right knee look forward. Exhale straighten right leg to fold inhale Bend.
Exhale extend now! Inhale bend the right knee! Bring your right hand inside of your right foot and then walk the hands to the open side as you pivot your feet parallel to one another. Bend the left knee a little bit, but keep both feet flat on the floor for now.
Inhale to straighten exhale. Bend the right knee. Inhale straighten. Exhale Bend, left side. Inhale, straighten, exhale, Bend, right, side, stay there. See if you could bend the right knee just a little bit more deeply with both feet flat on the floor. Come up onto fingertips and walk the fingertips as far out away from the crown of your head as you possibly can.
Head can hang between the arms. That's it, good? And now, from here left, hand holds right ankle. Start to straighten right leg and turn and look under the right armpit. Yeah, the right fingertips can press sort of forward and down against the floor. Good release, both hands to the floor under the shoulders inhale.
Look forward. Exhale Bend, left knee. Inhale Center exhale Bend, right knee. Inhale Center exhale Bend, left stay there, reach the fingertips as far forward in front of the crown of the head as possible. Head hangs between the arms, fingertips pressing forward and down. Now, right hand holds left leg anywhere on the left leg start to straighten the leg and look underneath.
The left upper arm, one.
Good, all right, both hands to the floor under the shoulders. Bend the right knee. Turn the right foot, right, leg out, and frame your right foot with both hands. Start to straighten the right leg, this time. Go ahead and adjust the back foot in. Per part, switching us inhale lift head and chest look forward.
Exhale to fold forward one good two. Try to pull the right hip crease up and back a little bit more. Three, yeah, great. Four straight and more. Yeah, keep plugging this down. Yeah. With your inhale, look forward. Move the left hand across to the right side of the right foot and then reach the right arm up rotated triangle party, one good back heel, pressing down too good.
Three little more attention on the back foot four, yeah, really nice. Five with your inhale. Bend the right knee, both hands to the floor plank. Exhale chaturanga. Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward facing dog inhale. Step the left foot forward. Don't change the back foot. Exhale start to straighten the left leg.
Inhale bending! Look forward! Exhale straight into fold forward. Inhale Bend, left knee, look forward. Exhale, straighten, inhale, Bend, left knee, this time move left hand inside of left foot and walk both hands to the middle of the feet. As you parallel the feet to the open side hands under shoulders, you could even be up on fingertips.
Bend the right knee, this time Flex the left toes up towards the ceiling. Inhale. Come on, back to up to Center exhale, Bend, left knee, right, toes, Flex up towards the ceiling. Inhale Center exhale, right side. Inhale Center. Exhale left side. Remember, synchronizing movement and breath inhale Center. Exhale to the right.
Stay there. Stay there, right. Arm reaches in front of right leg. Press the right hand into the floor. Reach the left arm like you're reaching towards the windows and then optional. You could also explore binding the hands behind the back. If you would like to, yeah, nice crown of head reaching up away from the tailbone, open up the top of the chest.
Yes, awesome! Mama's great! Right hand down left arm reaches out both hands to the floor. Come back up onto both feet. Bend the left knee Flex, the right toes up to the ceiling. Inhale, come back to Center exhale, right side. Inhale to Center exhale left. Inhale Center. Exhale, right?
Inhale to Center last times. Go to the left side, stay there. Reach the left arm in front of the left leg, right arm reaches. Towards the back of the room at first, and then you can either stay there or bind the hands work with binding the hands. To yes, lift the chest.
Spread the chest if you had a free hand. Could you spread the top of the chest the way that we? We're practicing earlier. Good left hand down right arm reaches out both hands to the floor. Come back up onto both feet now. Okay, spin the left foot forward. Crawl the hands around to face the for the front of the mat and then start to straighten the left leg.
You can adjust the back foot in a little closer now. Inhaling and exhaling fold forward. Let the head hang down two good. Keep working to straighten that front leg, even if it's challenging. Three, yes. Five with your inhale lift head and chest. Look forward right hand across to the left side of the left foot.
Reach the left arm up, one yeah, rotated triangle. Two, that's it. Try to Anchor the back heel down really strong. Three, yes. Here we go. Yay! Both hands to the floor. Bend the left knee step into a plank. Exhale chaturanga. Inhale upward dog. Exhale downward facing dog. Bend the knees and look forward.
Inhale Hopper step feet to hands. Exhale to fold forward, inhale, bend the knees, reach the arms up chair pose. Exhale, stand up, and release the arms okay. So, we're going to turn to face the left side of the room, so turn to face the white wall. But before you do that.
Put your two blocks on the tallest setting on the back Edge on the long edge of the mat. That's now going to be behind you, yeah. And then, just make sure that. All right now. There's too many belts, I don't know what's going on, okay, and make sure your belt is within an Arm's Reach or so of your mat.
Step the feet wide apart wide straddle. Turn the left foot. Oh sorry, it's my first day step, the turn the right foot, oh my God. Turn the right foot out to the right. Bend the right knee. Place the right hand inside of right foot left arm reaches up. Everyone can take left arm behind the back for a half bind, or you can take the right arm underneath and make a full bind, either by connecting the hands together or by using your belt to lengthen your arms.
Hold the head in the chest back so that your head is hovering more over your right foot. If you had an imaginary third hand. Could you peel the top the left top of the chest open even more? Yes, and then slowly and mindfully start to extend the right leg, it does not have to fully straighten.
In fact, it's more important to have sort of continuous breathing, then whether the shape comes or not.
Bend the right knee. Place the right hand down, left arm up, inhale stand all the way up right. Straighten both legs, exhale, release the arms. Turn the left foot out right. Foot turns in at a little bit of an angle, so make sure the right toes are like angled inwards.
Inhale arms out to shoulder height, exhale. Bend the left knee inhale left hand to the inside of left foot, right arm, reaches up. Everybody right arm behind the back, and then you can either stay here in a sort of half bind. Or you can reach the left arm under the left leg.
Yeah, and you can always use your belt to help there. Yeah, good. Peel the front of the chest open. See if you can even peel the right shoulder right pectoral back a little bit more nice. Okay, slowly, and mindfully start to extend the left leg two, yes. Three. Okay, bending the left knee.
Place the left hand down reach the right arm up. Inhale to stand all the way up right, straighten both legs, exhale, release the arms, switch the feet, so turn the right foot out left foot in. Switch your feet. Reach down and grab a block with your right hand left hand on your waist.
Bend your right knee and then reach that block out as far forward as you can place it. As you lift the left leg up for artage and drastna. We're going to practice that transition again, so bend the right knee reach back with the left toes and step back up into your preparation.
And then bend the right knee. As you set that block onto the floor, lift the left leg up. One more time. Step back. And then step forward into a strong right leg. Flex the left foot. You could optionally take the left arm behind the back here and find the right hip crease right inner thigh.
If your hand is in the hip crease, you could also try to rotate that right thigh, a little more outwards, yes. Okay, carefully, mindfully bend the right knee. Step the left foot back where we came from. Stand up. Switch the feet around. Take a block in the left head now!
Right hand on your waist. Look where you're going at first. Bend the left knee and step that block forward as you lift off with the right lip two more times reach back with the right foot. Try to set it down exactly where it came from. Exhale. Step into an artichandrazna.
Good inhale. Step back. Exhale step into it. This time we stay option for the right arm to go behind the back to half bind three. Yeah, see if you could peel the top of the chest, open more and more four. Okay, bend the left knee step, the right foot back, stand all the way up.
And then release your arms. Parallel defeat Hoppers step the feet together. All right. You might as well have a look. For a moment. At the front of the room. So? You have options. You have options. So many options you could repeat artichandrasna with a half bind, the one we just did.
Yeah, otherwise, we're going to try to move into a full bind on it. So, we're going to start starting facing the same direction. We'll start with the right foot. And you're going to come right into your bind. So I'm going to bend my right knee. I'm going to reach back.
I'm either going to make a bind with the belt or connect the hands together and then watch how? Watch how I'm going to take a couple steps forward with the left foot. I'm going to push into the left toes and just take a little step forward, then I'm going to shift my weight over my right foot more, as that left foot starts to get lighter.
I can then kind of use my toes to help guide me into a balance and then start to straighten. Both legs into bound artichindrasana. Maybe we'll see what happens. Yeah, okay. So, yeah. You know? Things like that, too. It's like, even if it happens one day, maybe it doesn't happen the next day.
And you know, sometimes, sometimes handstand comes sometimes the next day. It doesn't. Sometimes the next day is, you know, so it changes all throughout. Uh, turn to face the sidewalk. Step the feet wide apart. Good. Have your belt handy if you know you're gonna need it, and then turn your right foot out.
Bend your right knee. Right hand inside of the right foot. Move right into your bind either half or full bind. Go for it. Good, and then look down. Take about a half a step forward with the left foot. Shift your weight over your right foot more and more, and as the left toes start to feel lighter.
See if you could tease the left foot away from the floor, perhaps. Aha, maybe lift the left leg parallel to the floor. That's Dimitri, give it another try. Yeah, too. Three.
Yeah.
Yeah.
If you need a few more seconds with it on this side, feel free to take a little extra time with it. No problem. When you're finished, we're going to start to get set up for the second side. So, stand up face the open side. Yeah, that's the right. Remember back to the quote from the book.
Remember, it's a it's about having the conversation with yourself, so notice what happens in the mind as we encounter some of these more challenging shapes? Okay, turn the left foot out. Bend the left knee. Left hand inside of the left foot right arm reaches up. Good, right. Arm goes behind the back.
You can either move into the full bind or keep your half bind there. Take a step forward with the right foot. Shift the weight over the left foot, yes, and then start to Tippy toe. The right toes off the floor.
Yeah, Dimitri. There it is. There it is. Okay, if you need a few more seconds with it, of course. Take a little extra time. No problem at all.
When you're finished? You? You could practice handstand a little bit of handstand. You could practice a little bit of forearm stand. You could practice headstand or any combination of those three. If you want a little wall space, there's plenty of room today, so I'm sure we can find you some wall space.
But in other words, for the next few minutes. You're on your own! Now, sometimes the hardest thing to do is to decide what to do, right? So, so if you need help with decision making, I can help. I'm a Taurus and a stickler. So, I'm very opinionated. Otherwise, if you're, you know, if you just want a suggestion, you're at a certain place in your inversion practice where you'd like an extra suggestion or a spot or something.
Let me know, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, just to bring it back to the climbing analogy, like. Um, you know, it's sort of. It's sort of about seeking out that perfect combination of like, effort, fullness, and effortlessness. And in that sweet spot, right? That's where we can kind of ha. As the book said, have that conversation with ourselves like, what's the inner process even as we're approaching some of the more difficult shapes?
All right, if you need a few more moments with your inversion practice, of course. Take all the time you need. When you're ready, make your way back to the middle. And make your way into a downward dog, but take a little extra time. Yeah. I know sometimes the teacher like calls you back to the middle.
Like, right, when you're you're like, oh, I've almost got it.
All right, come on into downward facing dog.
Good. Come on forward to a plank. Exhale lower all the way to the floor. Slide forward into Cobra and then release the forehead down to the floor. Arms alongside the body palms of hands facing up to the ceiling. Lift up head, chest, and legs.
Three.
Good with your exhale release on down. Bend both knees, reach back, catch hold of the ankles. Inhale, lift up head, chest, and knees. Don your Arsenal!
Your exhale release on down?
Again, bend both knees, reach back, catch hold of the ankles. Inhale, lift up head, chest, and knees down your Asana.
Good with your? Tail release on down. Go ahead and turn all the way over onto the back. Place the feet onto the floor, lift the hips up, interweave the hands behind the back into one fist.
Okay, separate the hands. Release the back down to the floor. You could continue with the same, otherwise we're going to move into orbit on your Asana. Place the hands on the floor either side of your ears with your inhale. Go ahead, lift up either of the two back bends, go for it one.
Chin to the chest slowly release down, keep the feet on the floor. Second time. Place the hands, place the feet. Inhale lift on up one?
And chin to the chest. Slowly release down, keep the feet on the floor last times. Place the hands, place the feet. Inhale, lift up third time.
And chin to the chest slowly come down.
Hug the knees into the chest.
Bring both knees over to the left side of the body as you look to the right to twist.
And bring the knees all the way up to the center and then go the other way knees over to the right side.
And bring the knees all the way up to the center, and then come on up to a seated position, sit upright. And straighten the legs forward out in front of you. Flex the feet, sit up tall, fold forward poshumo, tanasana seated forward fold. One, two.
Lived all the way upright to a seated position. Bend the right knee into the chest. Open the right knee out to the side and reach forward over the left leg. John you, sure, shasana.
Lift all the way up right. Switch the legs other side, John you. Sure, shastana.
I have lift all the way upright. Extend both legs out. Bend the right knee into the chest. Use your hands on the front of your region to pull your right heel even closer in towards the right sitting bone. As close in as you can then left, hand on the floor beside the left hip right arm reaches up.
Take the right arm all the way inside of the right leg and wrap it around the front of the right shin. You can either make a bind by connecting the hands, or you could again use your belt to connect the hands together. Folding forward forward for Mari chasana. Yeah.
Good. Flex, the left foot, press the left thigh down. That's it. Okay, lift all the way upright. Release the bind, switch the legs, so start by extending the right leg out. Bend the left knee and pull it in so super close to the left buttock. Reach the left arm up inhaling.
Exhaling. Reach forward to the inside of your leg. Wrap it around the front of the shin and then make a bind. Yes, good. Three. Yeah.
God lift all the way up right. Extend the left leg out. Bend the right knee into the chest again, this time. Step the right foot to the outside of the left leg. If you want to fold the bottom leg under, that's totally fine for, um, Artemati andrasana. Twist to the right.
Twist to the right side. You're right, so the white wall, yeah? See, it's harder than it looks.
Turn, face forward, switch up the legs, left leg over the top, twist towards the prop wall side of the room. Good. Four good all right, unwind, extend both legs forward, Bend both knees into the chest, open the knees out to the sides feet together, fold forward bada konasana bound angle one, yes.
Lift all the way upright to a seated position. Keep the shape of the legs the same, but lay down on your back. You could rest your hands on your abdomen or out to the sides if you have the room. Now, you're welcome to stay like this in soup tabadakunasana.
Or you could come up into shoulder stand or take legs up the wall. Whatever you need to do to sort of start to round out. And finish the end of your practice. Yeah.
But this is.
If you're in shoulder stand, start to come into plow halasana.
And then, from plows slowly start to roll down out of it.
Take fish Matsiasana crown of the head to the floor.
And then shin to chest. Slowly release down, setting up for and coming into shavasana.
I start to deepen the breath.
And you really need.
We already gather of the knees. Or to the right side. And slowly. Come on up to the seated position, and so we're going to be a very good eternity face stuff out of the room again, so that your feet for a comfortable meditation seat.
The contemporary yoga practitioners. To kind of work extra hard to. To train our attention. Her reasons. But like we, I'm sure we all have the experience of. Like being somewhere in nature, where you like, you're like, watching, like a mountain creek, and you can kind of. How to get?
Just so involved in, just like watching the flow of the creek that you're you and your attention and the creek like that experience all tends to kind of, like, emerge, or even watching like a campfire, right, that experience it just kind of watching the movement of the fire. When you touch it is just totally easefully captivated, right?
So? Think about meditation somewhat like that. The the breath is the standard for the creek or the fire, so the breath is the object of the attention. The idea is to sort of cultivate that. Um, relaxed, open, undivided attention. Okay, so. Any last suggestions to your seat go forehead?
Notice the breath. Feel the breath.
Attention is natural relaxed. I'm distracted.
Sean teaser attacks.
Thanks, everybody! Thanks so much for making time for your practice to for this wonderful opportunity to get to practice together. It's always better than practicing together in Iowa. Uh, thanks so much. I'm leading a retreat to Nepal, in, uh spring, if you're interested in going to Nepal listing some of the beautiful spiritual states that we have Window Valley.
It's really interesting the it's. It's this beautiful intersection of both the Buddhist traditions and the Hindu traditions, so you get to see kind of that overlap and Blended co-influence. It's really, really magical, so you're interested in that, make sure I have your Gmail send you some information about it, um, also.
The soup house band is playing their Sunday show ever. We're playing on Saturday, August twenty second, and it's five o'clock, and um, it's like a mashup of like rock and. God's sons and Mantra. So, um? You know, whatever that means to you, that's what we're doing. Um, so if you can make it, we'd love to see you.
And, uh, yeah, we're gonna rock out. Okay, and if you didn't get to check in with Kalia or myself on the way, and uh, just stop by the desk before you knees or make sure we got you in the roster? Thanks everybody! Is there something happening right now in this room?
Here is, uh, okay, I'm just gonna take place. Thanks. I'd like it to. I'm just gonna take a quick couple of photos, and then I'll be up after that fine. Oh, you rip it again. We got your bike. Okay, yeah, oh yeah, I realized, um.