- Hi everyone, 
welcome to Center.

It's Day 27.

We only have four more
practices of this journey.

You are here.

Let's finish strong.

Today is a yin practice
that hopefully

will be a little 
slice of heaven.

And if not, that's part of the
journey and I can't wait for

you to discover
and see what happens.

If you have a pillow, bring it,
but if not, no worries,

this is a no-propsian
session so everybody's covered.

Let's get started.

(light music)

Alright, my cozy partners,

we're going to 
begin in a seat today.

You can sit on your pillow
if you brought it to practice.

If you don't have any props,
this is designed to be done

without props so it's just
kind of extra if you have it,

great. If not, no worries.

We're gonna start in Sukhasana.

Just sit up nice and tall.

Close your eyes.

Relax your shoulders.

Your hands can rest
wherever you choose.

So you get to make that choice.

Hands in your lap, 
hands on the knees,

hands at your heart space.

Maybe one hand on the belly,
one hand on your heart.

And it is not easy to come into

the seat of meditation

and to stillness but 
with every opportunity

to show up here on the mat, 
we've been kind of practicing

what it feels like,

what the path is to show up.

Just start to observe your
breath and notice how you feel.

In today's practice, 
we'll be doing less poses

but breathing all 
the way through,

holding the shapes longer,

inviting slower, smoother,
more conscious breaths.

This may reveal just how

creative your monkey mind is

today and just know that
that is part of the deal.

It's part of the practice.

At the very least, you'll
get a nice yummy stretch.

Hopefully you feel centered
and cared for by the end.

We've been moving a lot, so
this practice reminds us that,

yes, the movement can
be centering but so can the

stillness and the breath.

So you come as you are and you
find your practice after that,

find what serves best.

Or, as I like to say, 
find what feels good.

Take a couple more
breaths here in Sukhasana.

Find the Sukha of Sukhasana,
the ease, here.

And then as we transition,
you can, of course, look at me

as much as you need but you
can also stay focused on just

however you're feeling
the current sensation today.

So in a yin practice, 
we move slowly,

almost like 
water in transitions.

We touched on this a 
little bit yesterday, I think,

kind of finding a
softness, a sweetness.

So just keep that in mind,
how you move matters.

As you extend 
your right leg out long

and you're gonna turn

to look past your 
right knee, right ankle.

And I adjusted my pillow
to lift the hips up here.

Then you can inhale in, 
maybe reach the arms

all the way up and overhead.

And as you exhale,
you're gonna fold forward.

Big stretch here, Janusirsasan.

When you get here, you might
find that it will feel good to

bring your pillow between 
your leg and your head.

Otherwise allow the
head to relax and bow in.

You can take a 
couple breaths here.

Finding just some 
small little adjustments.

And then we'll try to come
into a place of stillness where

only the breath 
is moving us here.

The jaw is relaxed.

So is the skin of the forehead.

You shouldn't feel
any pain in the hamstring.

If you do, bend that
knee a little bit more.

And then that's it, we're here.

Listen to your breath.

There will come a time, if it
hasn't maybe happened already,

where your mind will start to
wander and you'll want to come

out of the pose.

I lovingly invite you to stay.

Stay if you can.

Feeling the evolution of this
posture, whatever that means

to you, you'll find out.

And I'll guide us out of
the posture when it's time.

Gently, ever so slightly,
press into your right heel.

Draw your core muscles
in a bit to slowly roll up.

And we'll take it
to the other side.

Right heel in, left leg out.

Reaching the arms up as
you breathe in and finding

your head toward the knee.

Relaxing the
weight of the head over.

Bending that knee as
generously as you need to.

Find the stretch and then
reconnect with the breath.

Softening through the jaw.

Relaxing through the 
skin of the forehead.

When you get fidgety and want 
to come out of the posture,

when you feel like you've 
hit your appropriate edge,

again, I lovingly invite
you to see what happens

if we stay with the sensation.

Stay present
and surrender more.

Gently press out
with your left heel.

Engage from center
and roll slowly up.

Now we're going to
take both legs out wide.

And you can use your 
pillow in front of you here

if you brought one, 
if not, no worries.

You can still do this.

We're just gonna 
take the arms forward,

forearms to the earth or

the pillow or maybe 
fingertips reached out.

Just take a breath here 
and then with each exhale,

soften inward, relaxing the
weight of the head down.

Eventually finding 
your shape today.

Knees can be
bent here, no problem.

Hips can be lifted
up on your blanket.

Breathe.

And then stay with it.

Bring your breath,

back to the 
sensations in your body.

And then slowly bring your
hands back to the earth

and we'll transition back up,

head over heart, 
heart over pelvis.

And we'll bend one knee,
then the other

and come forward onto all fours.

Drop the belly, open the chest,
look forward, stay here.

You can close your eyes.

Breathe.

And then take it up

navel to spine, chin to chest.

Rounding through and stay
here for a couple breaths.

Then walk the knees wide, 
bring the spine back to neutral.

Keep the left hand where it is.

Inhale, reach the right arm up.

Exhale, thread the needle,
bring it down and under.

We're gonna come to rest on the
right ear and right shoulder.

And then today 
extend your left arm out

so you can relax.

Keeping this connection 
of the left palm to earth

and then right arm 
can extend as well.

We're gonna breathe 
here slowly, steadily.

Knees are wide.

Belly can be soft here
as you breathe in and out.

Stay with it.

Notice the
sensations in your body.

Notice what changes as
you continue to breathe.

Take one more
cycle of breath here.

And then slowly use your palms
on the earth to bring it back

to center and we'll
take it to the other side.

If you find you need 
to pad your knees here

since you're staying 
a little bit longer,

go ahead and do that now.

When you're ready, inhale,

reach the left fingertips 
all the way up.

Find that expansion and
then exhale, thread the needle.

Arms out long today.

Tailbone tilting
towards the sky, belly soft.

Breathe.

Surrender.

Right palm
connected to the earth.

Take one more breath.

And then press into the
palms to slowly come back.

Walk the knees underneath
the hip points and then slowly

slide down to your belly.

Bring the elbows underneath
the shoulders here.

Coming into Sphinx Pose.

Spread the palms wide.

Press into the tops of the feet.
Press into the pubic bone.

Lift up out of the shoulders
here as you open the chest.

Find that extension
through the crown of the head.

Tuck the chin so you feel that
length in the back of the head.

Press the palms firmly.

And then close your
eyes or soften your gaze.

Breathing here 
in the Sphinx posture.

Skin of the face soft.

You can see this line
from the crown to the tail.

Your beautiful 
truly amazing spine

that lives at the center.

Picture the spine here as
you maintain this extension.

Breathe.

Stay for four more breaths.

You got this.

Then slowly bat
your eyelashes open.

If you brought a pillow, 
ooh, sorry Benji,

you can bring it now 
right in front of your face.

Then everyone shift over towards
the left side of your mat.

And you're gonna turn
around and come to lie down.

Hug the knees into
the chest slowly, sweetly.

And relax your head, 
relax your shoulders.

Keep drawing the shins 
in towards your body.

Soften through the feet.

Relax the jaw.

Soften the skin
of the forehead.

Now slowly, sweetly
bring your feet to the mat.

Lift your hips, take them over
towards the left side of your

mat and then hug the knees
back in and take them over to

the right for a Reclined Twist.

Option to take your hands 
to the left ribcage here

or take the arms out wide.

Find what feels good
and breathe here deeply.

Stay in it for one 
more breath cycle in

and out.

And slowly bring
it back to center.

Lift the hips, 
take them to the right

and allow the knees 
to fall to the left.

Last posture.

Stay with your breath.

Trust this practice 
is as valuable

as any one you've done before,

if not more valuable.

May this session remind
all of us that

harder, faster, stronger 
isn't always the option.

Your home practice is an
opportunity to show up,

to listen and 
respond truthfully.

Responding to the question,

what do I need today?

Slowly melt it back to center.

You can bring the
feet as wide as the mat.

Knees can fall into touch

or feel free to extend 
the legs out long.

Take a deep breath in and
as you exhale slowly bring the

palms together and
up towards the forehead.

Amazing. 
You're amazing.

In fact, how about the
invitation here to quietly

whisper, "I'm amazing."

Hasta mañana.

I look forward to it.

(light music)