what's up guys welcome to the number 7
or 10 days of a challenge today's
practice it's all about forward folding
so if you always wanted to touch your
toes with your hands this practice is
going to do just that
I remember when I begun practicing yoga
that I couldn't even reach my shins with
my hands just because my hamstrings were
way way too tight and if that's your
case I promise you that your hamstring
is one of those muscles that stretch
super super rapidly and easily so if you
right now you're touching your shin by
the end of this practice you'll see that
you'll get like maybe like an inch or
two or even more closer to your feet but
if you keep doing this practice and all
the practices that are going to do in
the future I promise you that you're
going to be touching your toes in no
time
however there is that famous any yoga
that says it's not about reaching your
toes with your hands but it's about what
you'll learn on your way down that
couldn't be farther away from the truth
because it really doesn't matter how you
look doing yoga or heart flexible you
are in this precise moment in time the
only thing that matters is that you're
showing up into your mat you're showing
up at your practices and you're doing
the best that you can
so a couple things about forward folding
for folding is the complete opposite of
back bending so our spine can go in many
directions but the two main ones that we
have is flexion and extension flexion
would be for folding an extension would
be back bending of course your spine can
move in many directions such as slight
flexion side rotation but the two main
ones are for flexion and backward
extension so as I said yesterday when
we're doing back bending were practicing
openness and we're practicing courage
and now in the other hand
we practice forward holy we're
practicing more of a surrendering type
of mindset so we're talking about
surrendering it's definitely not about a
community poverty but instead about
setting things the way they are in this
precise moment so for this practice I
really wanted to focus on surrendering
in accepting yourself as you are right
now your practice whether you touch your
toes for not it doesn't really matter
please surrender every pose that we're
going to go through and just let the
emotions and it does any pain a'right
watch for what it is that's all I have
to say all right guys let's begin this
time standing up close your eyes and
bring your hands to your heart center
begin to bring your attention to your
breath activating your aie breath small
construction on the back of the throat
making an S sound when you inhale in an
H sound when you exhale
begin scanning your physical body
from the tip of your toes to the top of
your head on the next inhale open your
eyes raise all the way up hands together
excel or fall since this is the first
forward fall of the practice you can
keep a slightly bent on your knees grab
both elbows with your hands and start
rocking side to side peeling your
hamstrings opening up slowly let your
way come down well you feel your spine
getting along and long towards the
ground
release your hands and bring your arms
around your legs maybe to the back of
your calf or the back of your feet use
the strength of your arms to push you a
little deeper into the fall on the next
inhale plant your hands on the floor and
leave your chest then exhale plant your
hands a step or float to the back of
your mat inhale upward-facing and excel
to the first downward-facing dog of the
practice press firmly into your hands
lick in between your knees begin bending
one knee at a time so you can focus
exclusively on each one of your legs
[Music]
we're gonna stay a couple more breath in
this pose try to make each inhale longer
as well as your excel on the next inhale
bring your left leg up towards the sky
and exhale bring your knee towards your
nose plant your foot the back foot is
gonna twist multi-degree both legs are
straight triangle pose all with your
back straight then inhale live a little
higher and accel full a little deeper
you can now begin to round your spine
and rest your hands over your shin to
help you with the balance if you're
finding really hard to balance on this
pose maybe try a wider stand on your
feet keep your attention on your
breathing or your opening up your left
hand swing
this is without a doubt one of my
favorite poses to get really deep into
the hamstrings only next inhale lift
your chest and walk the back foot
towards the front foot exhale fall we're
going a hole here for a couple breath
[Music]
begin to feel how different it feels
your left leg from your right leg now
and try to find or create harmony in
between both sides inhale lift all the
way up and exhale bring your hands to
heart center inhale back up
raise high look at your thumbs and excel
for take a deep inhale and leave your
chest plant your hands and step or float
back inhale upward-facing and exhale
downward-facing
we're gonna be taking five deep long
breath in this pose if you feel your
shoulders getting tired remember that
you can always go to Child's Pose
at any time in your practice on the next
inhale bring your right leg up towards
the sky
connect your knee to your chest plant
your foot and your back foot is 45
degree
inhale raise up and exhale fall keeping
your back flat in the next inhale leave
your chest a little higher and fall a
little deeper rounding your spine this
time grab your shin around or maybe get
your hands to the floor
find your space and explore to find that
place where you feel the stretch is not
too painful that you cannot hold the
pose finding that edge on every pose is
one of the most important aspects of
your practice on the next inhale if your
chest and walk both feet together we're
going to keep a wider Styne this time
exhale fall and grab both elbows with
your hands start rocking up and down
without being too hard on yourself let's
go for ten more together ten nine eight
seven six five four three two release
down
grab the big toes with your fingers
inhale your chest up and fall bringing
your chest closer to your knees you can
give a slide the band if you don't reach
the floor
and they slowly begin to extend your
legs even if you reach the floor bend
your knees get a deeper fall and then
extend to a much deeper a stretch on the
next inhale lift your chest up and
exhale release your hands down to the
floor or to your shins inhale rise all
the way up
an excel bring your hands to your heart
center inhale rise back up an excel fall
completely inhale halfway lift exhale
plant your hands a step or float to the
back of your mat inhale upward-facing an
excel Child's Pose
let's take a moment here Rock side to
side peel your low back standing
releasing all that tension that we tend
to carry in that area
begin to slow down your breathing as we
move closer to the end of our practice
slowly come back up and move to a
comfortable seated position we're gonna
open our legs about ninety degree if
you're unable to see it in this position
you can place a cushion below your sit
bones then you're going to inhale and
leave your chest as much as possible
then just to a slightly fall keeping
your back flat whenever we're folding
we're trying to get as deep as we can
with our back straight then after and
only after is when we start around in
our spine we wouldn't just compress
everything together but the same as we
did yesterday on back bending you try to
keep our spine long so we keep it
healthy we can also get deeper into the
pose start rocking side to side explore
your space and explore your pose inhale
if your chest a little higher an excell
fall a little deeper I know how hard
this position can be especially if you
have never done it before and I know
also that it can be really frustrating
if you are basically unable to even sit
but trust me if you are consistent with
your practice your body will open up
faster than you think
[Music]
we're gonna be holding this for about a
minute more or so if you freaked out
when I saved one minute
what your thoughts and watch what part
of yourself is resisting or maybe you
want to deep too fast and you just want
to get out of the pose if that's the
case don't just give up and go back to a
seated position we just take a step back
and find a place where it feels relaxing
but challenging at the same time keep
making those inhale longer and those
excel even longer than the inhale
surrender into the pose and just watch
Promotions your thoughts all the
physical sensations that you feel always
check with yourself are you being here
now or are you thinking about the future
when the practice is going to end or
what did you do yesterday what went
wrong but when write and make a
conscious effort to be here and only
here inhale and slowly walk your hands
closer to you feel the relief on your
legs and all the sensations in your hips
your hamstrings bring both legs together
inhale if your chest and excel fall with
a flat back
ground your seat bones to the floor and
send those hips back so you feel a
deeper stretch inhale raise your chest a
little higher and fall a little deeper
whenever you feel ready start rounding
your spine without compressing but
instead filling every vertebra that you
have extending getting longer longer you
can rest your hands on the floor when
your shins and resist the temptation to
just grab your feet for the sake of
grabbing them whichever your place is
that it's the perfect place to be
for you right now we're gonna be holding
this pose for about one minute more so
make sure you're in a comfortable place
every time you feel your body you know a
little more open it might be a time for
gaining a little deeper into the pose if
you pay attention carefully and you
listen to your body you'll know when it
is time to go a little deeper and when
it is time to take a step back as I said
on the beginning of the practice for
folding can teach you it's really
surrendering and letting your body speak
to you the hamstrings is one of those
muscles that stretches really fast but
you also need to be careful because it
can be easily be over stretch that's why
for folding will teach you to be patient
and compassionate with yourself
in the next inhale lift your chest and
slowly walk your hands closer to you
bend your right leg and bring your left
knee across raise your right hand
towards the sky and exhale twist towards
your left looking at your left shoulder
use your elbows to push your knee and
get a little deeper into the twist
after all that folding forward there is
no better option to end your practice
and with a twist now will reset your
spine and bring your mind back to
equilibrium release your hand and your
legs bring the opposite knee on top
inhale your left arm towards the sky and
exhale twist to your right
looking at your right shoulder
[Music]
slowly release and today we're going to
finish up the practice on a seated
position this is my preferred method of
meditation when I finish my practice
just because when you are sitting you're
a little bit more aware and just overall
awake while your mind and body enters
into a state of meditation of course
this can be way more challenging to your
mind and also to your body
the reason I'm choosing to be seated
today is because since we work on our
hamstrings and our hips our body feels
open and we can sit down more
comfortably please feel free to stay
here for as long as you can thank you
for showing up today and allowing me to
share my practice with you I wish you
all a beautiful and peaceful rest of the
day namaste
[Music]