Transcripts
1. Introduction : Welcome to Yoga with Sasha. Today we're practicing yoga as a moving meditation. For me, the most important aspect of yoga is its power to transform our consciousness. If we're mindful in our practice, it has the power to bring us fully into the present moment. To relax is deeply on to connect us to our highest potential. So getting something comfy and I was seeing you for this very special practice. No mistake.
2. Childs Pose, Puppy Pose and Forward Folds: so you can begin by making your way down to child's pose. Come down onto all fours, bring your knees about as wide as your chest apart and bring your hips down towards your heels. You can rest your forehead lightly upon the map, and if for any reason this poses too challenging for your body right now, then feel free to either place your head up on blocks or place a bolster or a cushion or rolled up blanket underneath your hips. Bring your one is to breath as you breathe in. See if you can really feel that ad traveling into your entire body and as you breathe out, letting it carry with it any tension, Stay with your breath. Tune into the movements that your breath makes in your body, especially the movements into the back of your body. Now the theme for today's session is moving meditation. So firstly, you can just observe how we are always moving. The breath is constantly creating movement in the body. We never still and within us there's always the movement of the heart beating the blood, circulating the various organs of your body, all doing their amazing individual jobs so movement is ready. Life Alston Meditation is seen to be something that you do sitting down cross legged, so something I'd like you to play with in today's session. It's just this idea of staying in that meditative space throughout this practice, feeling the subtle, subtle movements going on within you and using ordered the transitional movements between poses and imposes to really take you deeper into his state of meditation. But much of today's session it's simply the syllable ohm. So the old sound has three different aspects. Within it is good. Ah, and Oh, and, um, each one of these parts symbolizes a different aspect of creation. It symbolizes that everything is created. This is what they are suitable means everything is maintained for some time. This is what the oh suitable means and everything ends. Everything comes into completion. This is what the, um sellable means said to chant Home is to honor everything that has ever or will ever be created, maintained and complete it. So this is really everything. You can use this sound aligning with your breath so that when you breathe in, you're chanting the sound O and when you breathe out your chanting the sound. When you're ready, gently make your way up to all fours. Jenny, bring your arms towards the front edge of the mat. Make your way up to all fours. Bring your knees back into alignment with your hips and then you can walk your hands forward a little bit more. We're gonna come into puppy pose. So here we're looking toe. Have our hips at a right angle to the floor and to be draping your body down towards the mat, especially the heart center, the center of the chest down towards the mountain again. If it's accessible to you, you can like the rest your forehead upon the ground. Otherwise, feel free to use blocks. This is gonna bring deep, released through the shoulders. It's a beautiful back bend, but has the benefit of also being quite supported and really one that you can control how deep you go, depending on how hard you're pressing into your arms on whether or not you'd like to use blocks, the weight of the poses ready being taken by the ground so you can just focus on melting the heart space ever closer towards the mat with every exhalation, allowing your breath to align with the mantra. Making any little adjustments help make this even more comfortable for you, observing the sensations in your body, gradually releasing tension through the shoulders, allowing that gentle arch through your back, allowing your belly to completely fill with air with every inhalation and to completely empty with every exhalation. Keep letting gravity pull you ever deeper into this one. Gradually make your way back up to all fours and then come to sit back down with your legs in front. E. You can bring your left leg up towards the top of the right leg, taking a moment to align your spine, reaching your arms of overhead and energy. Exhale, bowing forwards. You can place your hands either side of your leg with every inhalation, finding a little bit of length through a spine on with every exhalation, releasing down a little bit lower. It can also create some beautiful de compression through the lower back. Just take some time hand. Allow yourself to move gently with your breath. May be moving your head a little bit, making sure that your neck it's super relaxed. Playing with this theme of allowing gravity to pull you ever closer to the ground. You can allow yourself to just ragdoll over that right leg. You don't need to focus on keeping your spine particularly straight there if you are able to bend from your hips than that's wonderful, but allowing everything to release and relaxed down again, Feeling very free to use props underneath your head or a bolster on top of your leg or just inside of your leg to lie your body down on top of can also be a really wonderful way to make this a little bit more gentle. You can also keep a little micro bend in your right knee. - Allow your mind to return back to your breathing and coordinating your breathing by mentally reciting the sellable. Oh, slowly, slowly walk your fingers back towards your body, coming back to an upright spine, this time placing your left leg in front of you and you can bend the right knee and slowly bring the right leg the foot towards the top of the left leg. Yeah, take a moment to set to yourself and then inhale lengthening through the spine. Exhale, folding over, allowing your fold to come gradually, so every exhortation could take a little bit farther down if you used a prop on the other side underneath. Either you're right, me or left knee and feel free tease it can hear was that I have read place blocks or bolster underneath your head. It also support yourself so you can relax even more deeply with this movie meditation. We explore the slight paradox off playing without edge, working with your comfort zone and the intensity that can happen when we hold poses for a longer time, as we doing in yoga and also really encouraging deep relaxation and deep release, - Feel free to make any movements that enable you to relax even deeper. Hand neck anywhere along your torso. - Way in relation. Gradually working your hands back towards your body, sitting up tool slowly bringing the right leg back down to meet the left leg. You can take a moment to jiggle your legs to bounce thumb. Bringing any movements enable you to feel more comfortable in. Now we're gonna make away into a forward fold, So if you have a pair of yoga blocks here and you'd like to use and to support your pose, then you can do so, placing them between your legs in such a way that you can rest your head upon them. You'll find that you're able to adjust in many different ways if you're using blocks. So if you're feeling more flexible as you go on through the pose, you can change the position of the blocks to suit you as you go along. You could also use a stack of books, wars and pillows here. But just if you like Teoh to place anything underneath your head or torso that can help to support you as you go through. So a pillow between your legs and your torso will also be really lovely. Variation here. There was some more than welcome to do this without props freed into it, knowing that you're doing one of the most relaxing yoga poses that there is in terms of its effect on the nervous system. Breathe into any muscles you can feel activating. And if you want to focus your mind staying with this moving meditation, then come back to the syllable Oh way when you're ready to come out the pose, I think gradually bringing himself back upright, you can move your props to one side if you're using them and take a moment here to just bring a little bit of movement back into the legs, readjusting your position so you can sit ready for a wide leg seated fold again. You may wish to bring your blocks you can place Monday ahead. To bring in your feet wide is why does is comfortable for you and bearing in mind that we really don't want to cause tension here, so there'll be an optimum width for you. It's absolutely fine if your legs aren't coming that far apart. You do what's comfortable for you. You may also find that just having your legs at this wide angle is more than enough of a stretch for you right now, said don't feel like you have to come forward if your body isn't ready to do so. If your body is ready to do so, then use your breath to gently allow you to fold ever deeper longer than you stay here. And as with all these poses, if it's becoming too intense than back off and if you're holding it for too long for your body, then come out the pose and come to any other pros. It feels good for you again bringing your winners, defeating your breath in the back of your body, remembering that your lungs a three dimensional. I'm really breathing into the space at the back and even the sides of the body. - If your mind is wandering, bring it back to your country, taking one more deep breath here when you're ready to come out the pose slowly, slowly lifting your body back up right if you've been in the forward fold. Variation. Once upright, you can place your hands underneath your knees and just gently bring a little bit of motion to unease and then bring them defeat a couple of inches closer together. Keep doing this. Just moving the knees. Bring the feet closer together, little by little feeling free to move any profits out of the way. First, make your way into a cross legged position we're going to do since seated capped cow breath variations. So as you inhale, arch your spine, lift your head up Muchas is comfortable for you and really feel that stretch during the shoulder blades towards each other at the back of the body and as you exhale. Bring your chin towards her chest. Curve the spine over, folding over the other way. Allow your belly to be concave, inhaling, lifting your head, arching your spine out and up. On exhaling chin comes the chest, curving the spine over and in flowing with your breath in your own speed. Waking up your spine, enjoying this moving meditation. Enduring this flow. Observing how your body feels as it moves between these poses, and if you want to make it a little bit more intense, you can even bring your hands behind your head. On the exhale. Drawing the elbows in towards the body is the spine curves over and as you inhale, lifting the heart reaching the elbow is behind you, lifting the head up towards the sky, exhaling and curving over inhaling and listing, Enjoying one more breath in this cat cow.
3. Pigeon Pose & Twists: on, then gradually making your way back through all fours. Only this time you can bring your right leg forwards. Aiming to bring your right knee behind your right hand on your left foot is close to behind your left hand. As feels comfortable for you, we're making our way into pigeon pose, so it might be that your front leg does not want to stay at a 90 degree angle, so that's absolutely fine. If the Foot wants to sit close to the hips, that's really fine. Over time, you may find that you'll be able to bring closer to your hand. It can also be really helpful to prop the pose here so you can place a block or a cushion or a bolster underneath your hips if they're lifted off the ground. But we'd like is that there's no gap between the hips on the ground. So really fill that space and you'll feel more supported in this pose, arching your spine here, drawing the shoulder blades towards the back of the body and really allowing this beautiful back bend. In addition to this deep stretch through the groin, things could be quiet, intense pose. So again recall the mantra. Come back to that own sound and if you like, you can fold forwards bringing your forehead down to the mat. How this feels allow your body to release as much as feels good for you, using any props that you need to making any adjustments that you need to using your breath to stay grounded and relaxed and true to yourself as you go through. Oh, uh, generally make your way back up by bringing your hands back towards your body and slowly, slowly bring your right leg behind. You could move any purpose to one side, and once you made your way back to floors, then you can tuck your toes under. Press down through your hands and make your way up into downward facing dog. You may wanna walk with the dog out, pressing down one foot at a time, really moving in any way that says good to you. And then when you're ready, bring your left knee towards the back of the left hand on the left foot towards the back of the right hand, allowing your right leg toe hang behind you and feeling free to prop your hips. Probab underneath the Obamas. If there's any gap there arches buying through your shoulders behind you allow your spine to become long, and as you breathe in, allow your breath to travel all the way down through the base of your spine. Beatings of the breath is entering your entire body, moving especially to any muscles that you can feel working in this position. Keeping that oh home sound going mentally, uh, lifting your heart and if you ready, then feeling free to make your way down onto your floor arms or even bring your head down towards the ground again. Remembering to probe. If you feel like you need to prop up your head under a pillow or some books or yoga blocks making it work for you, - keep releasing with your breath. Keep using yourself further into this, - taking one more deep breath. Okay, when you're ready to make your way out and slowly slowly, bring your hands back towards your body, straightening out. You can tuck your back toes under and then bring your left fit towards your right fit making your way back through all fours. Backed up to a downward facing dog can bring movement here, coordinate the movement with your breath, peddling your feet, finding as much length through your spine as you possibly can and easing the muscles in your hips and your hamstrings, releasing your head already seen your neck. When you're ready, come down through all fours and then roll over onto one side and until back way, you can bring your arms out at shoulder height. Bump your hips over to the left side, bring the team together. Then you could drop the knees to your right side. Jenny 10. Your head to your left side so we're now in a supine twists. You can also do cactus arms or the elbows bent. Have a variation was better for you. Aim to have both shoulder blades upon the ground. Came to breathe as deeply as you can tune into how your body feels in this exact moment in this position, peeling all the sensations, allowing the depth of your breath to deepen the twist to give you exactly in a stretch that's right for you right now. Use your mantra to keep your mind steady and keep your attention with your breath. Way, way. Take one or two more deep rats here to complete this side. When you're ready, bring your head back to send the first and then
4. Reclined Poses & Shavasana: just through the backs of your arms to lift your legs, bring your hips back to the center and then bob your hips over to the other side and drop your knees to your left and your head to your right, keeping the backs of the shoulders down upon the mutt. Don't worry if your knees don't want to come all the way down just like gravity. Bring you wherever you need to go way. Tune into the subtle movements inside your body. The movement of the breath, the movement of your heart, the movement of your skin guided by your breath, the movement of the muscles in your belly, your torso. Maybe the movement of your knees ever closer towards the ground with every exhalation. Release completely way Slowly Make your way back to center, lifting your head first, pressing through the backs of the arms. Lift your legs, bring your hits back to the center and then bring your feet wider than hip distance apart. Drop your knees together. Allow your arms to come down by your sides and enjoy being with a neutral spine. From here, you can bring your legs into the air at a 90 degree angle. And then, if you wish, gradually draw your legs towards your body. So you're welcome to use a strap here if you like, but you're also just very welcome to use your hands gently placing them. Find your carbs behind your ankles, maybe behind your knees and gradually drawing your legs in towards your body. Your legs can be bent here. They don't have to be straight. In fact, it could be a really great thing to keep a little micro bend in the knees and just with every exhalation, see if you can guide your legs a little bit closer towards your body, listening to what's comfortable for you. Listening talk works for you but gradually allowing the weight of your legs to bring them ever closer towards your body as you breathe out. Gioia sacrum through the love of space of your spine, even closer towards the mat, staying grounded through throughout your back, staying grounded throughout your hips. - You may wish to move your feet rotating your ankles a little bit here. We're making any other movements that feel good to you. Keep adjusting this pose and make it relevant for where you're at right Now I want to hold onto a big toes. Well, the outside I just of your feet take another one or two breaths here, thin when you're ready to come out, bring your legs back up to 90 degree angle and then let your legs melt back down towards your chest. But this time, with her knees completely bent, you can place your hands and your knees and stop bringing the knees and nice big circles feeling the stretch through your hips, being sure to shift the direction. But you've done three or four in one direction. Bring them in the other direction. They were coming to the end of this session, so I invite you here to take a blanket or something warm and cozy and place it over yourself often when we do yin yoga, the body temperature can really drop, so giving yourself this this moment to be a little bit more warm and cozy can be a really lovely weight in the session. Once you've put your socks on or your blanket or your jumper, whatever feels cozy to you, then you can lie down in your HSA Bosna. Maybe that you want to lie down with legs all the way down on the ground in traditional Shiva Sena. Or it might be that you prefer to keep your knees bent, have your feet map with the part and drop your knees together. This could be a slightly gentler variation and can be soothing for the lower back. If there's any sensitivity there, ever bring your awareness back to your breast chanting, sellable, own mentally. Has he inhale dome mentally as he exhales, allowing your body to integrate all the work that you've done in this session? Relax, fully way practice meditation. We really just practicing, focusing our intention on one single point. The mind will want to take us into many different avenues into many different thoughts. So the practice here is just to sit with the one thought with one intention to set that out and to stay with it. So you may wish for your intention to be to simply follow the breath to follow the Aarhus. It starts outside your body, travels in through your nostrils down the back of your throat and all the way into your lungs, and then again to follow the path of the Oeiras, it leaves your lungs comes back out the back of your throat and all the way out through your nose, back into you're surrounding. Maybe that you want to add to this focus mentally reciting the sound O. I have a feeling the vibration of that. Maybe you have another meditation practice that you love and that really served you so used this time for that. But when the mind wonders and it will wonder, just bring it back to your focus point and realize that this is the practice of meditation , that this is part of it, that the mind wonders. But by noticing that and bringing it back to your focal point, that is meditating, nothing else needs to happen.
5. Final Thoughts...: take your last few breaths in this practice, allowing your body to release and relax completely, and then slowly, slowly bring some movement back into your body. May be moving your wrists, and your uncle's having a stretch in any way that feels good for you and then gently gently rolling over onto one side. Take a moment toe. Honor yourself. Forgiving yourself. This practice today Giving yourself This time I invite you to think of three things that you appreciate in your life, big or small, and then gradually make your way back to sitting. If you have a Nintendo shin that you're working with this practice, then bring it to mind again. Otherwise bringing the theme of this session of moving meditation and see if you can keep this moving meditation theme into wherever the day and ex takes you knowing that the practice doesn't have to end just because you're leaving your yoga mat. I thank you so much for sharing this time with me today. I hope that you feel deeply, deeply relaxed, and I'm sending you my love and thanks as you go, forwards now must stay
Sacha Heath, www.yogawithsacha.com
