Welcome to Foundations
Arms, Shoulders, Neck and Head
By the time you reach this fourth sequence, you’ve already explored the legs, hips and pelvis, and torso—building from the ground up. Each of those areas holds their own deep stories in the body. Now we arrive at the arms, shoulders, neck, and head—regions that often carry the weight of responsibility, expression, protection, and mental pressure.
The arms and shoulders can become overused while being subtly disconnected from the rest of the body. The neck and jaw are places where we often grip unconsciously. And the head is not only a mental center but a somatic space, influencing and influenced by everything beneath it. This sequence helps bring those upper structures back into relationship with the ground, with the spine, and with the breath—creating freedom and integration from fingertips to crown.
Session 1: Hands, Arms, and Neck Integration
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 2.
These postures begin to connect the strength of the hands and arms with the openness of the shoulders and the support of the ground. The fascia across the arms, shoulders, and chest often holds the imprint of urgency, reaching, and bracing. These shapes give space for the arms to reconnect with the spine and heart center.
Stand facing the wall with your hands shoulder-width apart, arms extended. Step your feet back until your body forms a 90-degree angle at the hips. Press firmly into the wall with your hands and into the floor with your feet, allowing your chest and head to release through the shoulders.
As you soften the spine and neck, feel how the fascial lines from the palms to the armpits and into the heart begin to awaken. Let the arms become channels for breath and ease.
Variation: Bring forearms to the wall with palms flat. Use a block between the hands if available, or simply press the forearms and palms into the wall. Let your head and torso rest through the shoulders.
Vajrasana Forearm Stretch (Fingers Facing Forward)
Sit in Vajrasana. Place your hands on the floor beside your knees, fingertips pointing away from you. Gently lean your weight forward, stretching the inner wrists and forearms.
Feel the length from the heel of the hand through the inner elbow into the shoulder girdle. These lines are often overworked and under-recognized. Let sensation arise slowly and allow tension to surface and soften.
Vajrasana Forearm Stretch (Fingers Facing Backward)
From Vajrasana, place your hands on the floor again, but this time with fingertips pointing toward your knees. Gently lean back, stretching the tops of the forearms.
This posture opens the dorsal arm line, supporting the unwinding of gripping patterns in the outer shoulders and the pathway into the upper back.
Sukhasana Neck Release
Sit cross-legged. Place your right hand over the left side of your head and gently draw your right ear toward your right shoulder. Let the left arm relax. Switch sides. Then interlace your fingers behind your head and gently guide your chin toward your chest.
Each position creates space through the cervical spine and into the base of the skull. Invite the jaw to soften, the tongue to rest, and the eyes to drop inward. Let the head feel heavy in your hands—like a fruit ripening on the vine.
Session 1: Hips and Pelvis Series
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 2.
Session 1 begins the Hips and Pelvis Series by creating a stable, grounded foundation for deeper opening. These postures invite you to center your awareness in the pelvic bowl, soften your inner landscape, and make space for sensation.
Posture 1: Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Begin seated with both legs extended straight in front of you... [etc. You can paste full text here]
Session 2: Spine, Neck, and Shoulder Rest & Rotation
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 3.
These postures emphasize release and rest, allowing the spine and upper body to unwind from habitual holding. They support the fluidity of cerebrospinal movement, and help soften the fascia around the occiput, throat, and shoulder blades.
From Vajrasana, fold forward and bring your forehead to the floor. Arms can extend back alongside your legs or forward along the floor. Let the neck and upper spine soften.
Allow the back of the skull to yield. Let the breath move between the shoulders and into the back heart space. Feel how the release of the head uncoils tension from the tailbone upward.
Makarasana (Crocodile Pose) – Arms by Side
Lie on your belly with arms resting alongside your torso, palms near the pelvis. Rest your head on one cheek, then the other, and then on your chin.
This pose grounds the nervous system while decompressing the front of the throat. Let the jaw hang loosely. Invite the deep fascia beneath the collarbones to soften with each exhale.
Makarasana (Crocodile Pose) – Arms Extended
From a prone position, extend your arms forward with palms down. Allow the head and chest to settle toward the earth.
This variation elongates the arm lines into the side body and outer hip. Imagine breath traveling from your palms to your heart. Let the skin between the shoulder blades widen.
Anantasana (Side-Lying Pose)
Lie on your side with your bottom arm stretched out and your head supported by that hand or arm. Legs are long and stacked. Rest and breathe here. Repeat on the other side.
This position resets the body’s lateral lines and gives the upper shoulder space to fall into gravity. Notice how your breath moves differently when your spine is held from the side.
Return to Makarasana
Lie back on your belly in Crocodile Pose. Press the palms gently into the floor and allow the shoulders and neck to settle once more.
Feel the echo of the previous movements. Rest in the quiet spaciousness that follows release.
Session 1: Hips and Pelvis Series
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 2.
Session 1 begins the Hips and Pelvis Series by creating a stable, grounded foundation for deeper opening. These postures invite you to center your awareness in the pelvic bowl, soften your inner landscape, and make space for sensation.
Posture 1: Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Begin seated with both legs extended straight in front of you... [etc. You can paste full text here]
Session 3: Shoulder Opening and Arm Strength
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 4.
These postures begin to build strength and awareness across the chest, shoulders, and arms, while releasing tension from the back and neck. The fascia of the shoulder girdle is complex and deeply expressive. Moving with presence here can create profound spaciousness.
Lie on your belly, placing your forearms on the floor under your shoulders. Press into the ground, gently lifting the chest and lengthening the spine through the crown of the head.
Feel the collarbones float as the sternum lifts. Keep the eyes soft and the back of the neck long.
Bhujangasana – Interlaced Fingers
Begin with your forehead on the floor and your hands interlaced beneath your shoulders, elbows wide. On an inhale, press into your hands, straighten your arms, and lift your chest.
This version activates deeper lines of support. Let your arms lift you while your spine explores length and strength.
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Dog)
Come to hands and knees, then lift your hips up and back into Downward-Facing Dog. Press evenly through your palms and let the head relax between the arms.
Let the fascia of the upper back broaden. Let the face relax. Imagine the space between your ears expanding.
Kapotasana Twist (Twisted Pigeon Pose)
From Downward Dog, bring your right knee forward into Pigeon Pose. Twist by bringing your left arm across your chest and down onto the floor. Left elbow connects to the mat. Stack your hands or bring both forearms to the floor. Repeat on the other side.
This spiral accesses deep shoulder and jaw patterns. Soften through the mouth and throat. Allow what’s been unsaid to melt away.
Session 1: Hips and Pelvis Series
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 2.
Session 1 begins the Hips and Pelvis Series by creating a stable, grounded foundation for deeper opening. These postures invite you to center your awareness in the pelvic bowl, soften your inner landscape, and make space for sensation.
Posture 1: Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Begin seated with both legs extended straight in front of you... [etc. You can paste full text here]
Session 4: Shoulder Binds and Lateral Release
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 5.
Focused on twisting, this practice explores the body’s natural spiraling lines through a progression of seated postures. Each twist awakens circulation and hydrates the fascia along the spine, ribs, and deep core.
This upright seated twist wrings out the spine and abdomen while strengthening the supportive core muscles and lengthening the back body. The compression and release of this twist stimulate circulation through the organs and along the fascial lines that spiral through the torso. As you root through the sitting bones and rotate from the belly upward, the fascia is encouraged to hydrate, unwind, and regain its elasticity. Practice on both sides to balance the structure and restore fluidity in the body's natural spiraling intelligence.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose) – Right & Left
A deeper, rooted twist that integrates the lower body with the spinal axis. This posture stabilizes the pelvis while inviting a grounded rotation through the mid and upper spine. The fascia along the side body and ribcage is lengthened and awakened through the breath. With each inhale, you create lift and space; with each exhale, you explore the spiraling twist. This movement nourishes the tissue's responsiveness and reinforces the torso’s structural support from within.
Bharadvajasana (Bharadvaja’s Twist) – Right & Left
A more gentle, meditative twist that still deeply tones and refines the tissues of the torso. Bharadvajasana enhances spinal mobility and cultivates supple strength in the obliques and diaphragm. The twist spirals through the ribcage and thoracic spine, encouraging the fascia to open in subtle but profound ways. Practicing both sides builds resiliency in the fascial web that supports posture, breath, and emotional balance.
Session 1: Hips and Pelvis Series
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 2.
Session 1 begins the Hips and Pelvis Series by creating a stable, grounded foundation for deeper opening. These postures invite you to center your awareness in the pelvic bowl, soften your inner landscape, and make space for sensation.
Posture 1: Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Begin seated with both legs extended straight in front of you... [etc. You can paste full text here]
Session 5: Inversions and Cranial-Spinal Integration
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer.
These postures reset the relationship between the head, spine, and body, using inversion and compression to clarify and calm the nervous system. They touch the most subtle fascia and shift the internal orientation of mind and perception.
Sit with your legs extended wide and spine upright. Walk your hands forward along the floor and lengthen the torso as you fold.
Let the breath ripple from pelvis to crown. Allow your throat and jaw to yield downward.
Sirsasana (Headstand – Supported)
From a kneeling position, interlace the fingers and place the crown of the head lightly on the floor. Walk the feet toward your head, keeping the knees straight if possible. Stay here to strengthen the neck and shoulders. Only lift into full Headstand if your body is ready.
Feel how gravity meets your spine from above. Let your breath rise from the crown to the heels. Soften the scalp.
Halasana (Plow Pose)
From lying on your back, bring your legs overhead until the toes touch the floor behind you. Support your back with your hands or rest your arms along the ground.
Let the weight of your legs invite the base of the skull to release. Feel the breath moving along the spine.
Karnapidasana (Ear Pressure Pose)
From Halasana, bend your knees toward the floor beside your ears. Arms can stay extended or wrap around your legs. Soften the jaw and turn inward.
Let the ears close. Let the eyes turn toward the heart. Rest in the silence of your own internal rhythm.
Session 1: Hips and Pelvis Series
Reminder: Practice this session 2–3 times per week for 1–2 weeks or longer before moving on to Session 2.
Session 1 begins the Hips and Pelvis Series by creating a stable, grounded foundation for deeper opening. These postures invite you to center your awareness in the pelvic bowl, soften your inner landscape, and make space for sensation.
Posture 1: Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
Begin seated with both legs extended straight in front of you... [etc. You can paste full text here]
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