Hi,
Alok here,
Sharing a shorter sequence that you can do either at the beginning of your day or if you've been sitting a lot.
This is a great way to just mobilize your body,
Get things moving,
And targets all the areas of the body.
So we start just by standing and bouncing on the knees,
Shaking the arms.
So I'd like to do this,
As I said,
Either in the morning or if you've been sitting.
And then if you like,
You can start to lift the heels off the ground,
Giving a little more shake.
And if you feel like even jumping a little bit off the floor,
That'll really get things moving.
So when we do this,
This is activating the lymph in our body,
All the synovial fluid,
Getting everything going.
And then we'll just pause here,
Soft knees,
Bring one hand on top of the other,
Just under your belly button.
Take a pause and breathe into your belly,
Setting any intention for the short practice to just be present with your breath,
Listening to your body as your real teacher here.
Nice,
And then bringing the arms wide,
Again,
Soft knees,
But bring the feet a little wider,
And then we'll just window the arms,
And we're tapping these little marma points on the body.
So just under the collarbone here is the lung point,
So you can feel that,
It's a letting go and a grief point.
Then the back,
We're just targeting this area in the low back where the kidney is,
So tapping out that point.
So you can start to move the head as well as you do this.
Just a great way to start your day.
And then we'll do crisscross arms,
Switching which arm is on top,
Just feeling how this opens the shoulders and the chest,
Breathing deep.
Next is the golf swing,
So lifting all the way up to the ceiling and looking with your head and your eyes towards the ceiling as you move side to side.
Really feel how this opens the shoulder joints.
And then the last one,
Bringing your feet a little closer,
Is just the arms up and down.
Again,
We're opening that armpit chest area where the lymph flows.
Nice,
Shake it out.
We'll come to the top of your mat,
Just finding your standing position,
Palms face forward.
Inhale,
Arms out to the sides,
All the way up.
Looking up,
Slight back bend,
And then fold forward,
Soften the knees,
Tuck the belly as you fold all the way down.
Nice,
Come up halfway with the hands just below the knees,
Straighten the arms and flatten out your back.
Take a couple breaths here to really traction the spine.
Keep the back of your neck long as you look down.
Feel how you can really extend through the crown of the head here,
Creating a flat back.
One more breath here,
And then release,
And we'll just bring the fingertips to the floor and we'll step back one head at a time onto your knees,
Finding all fours,
Just wag your tail.
Nice,
And then walk the knees back.
We'll come down to the forearms here,
Palms come together,
And lift the prayer hands up toward the ceiling as you let the forehead come down between the elbows.
We call this praying mantis.
Again,
You can shake out your tail.
If you can,
Get the forehead down between the elbows,
Press the elbows down,
Feel that stretch in your armpit chest.
Nice deep breath here,
And then slowly release.
Coming onto the fingertips,
Start to lift the armpit chest,
The elbows.
Again,
If you can keep the forehead down,
Wag your tail.
Nice stretch again through that underarm,
And then release the palms down.
Then slowly come up to hands and knees,
But the hands are way in front of the shoulders.
Then come forward to a modified up dog.
Roll the shoulders back,
Lift through the gaze.
Exhale,
Hips back toward the heels,
Sliding the hands back.
We'll do that again,
Coming up with a rounded spine.
Then as you come through middle,
Let the hips drop,
Open the heart,
Lift through the chest.
Nice,
Exhale,
Back.
Beautiful.
This time we'll tuck the toes under and lift up into our downward facing dog.
Pedal out the heels.
Let the head be heavy.
Nice deep breath,
And then let out a sigh.
Beautiful.
From here,
Soften both knees,
Bring the hips back,
Look forward.
Just step the right foot up between the hands.
Big step forward.
Let the left knee come down to the mat.
You can always pad the knee here if you need to,
Or folding the mat.
Coming up into our crescent lunge.
You can lift the arms,
Find that extension.
Then grab that left wrist,
A little side bend over to the right.
Bending that elbow,
You can get a little bit more into that tricep stretch.
Then press the head into the forearm.
Feel that opening.
Nice deep breath here,
All the way down.
Feel that stretch in the psoas and hip flexor.
Beautiful.
Release,
Hand or fist on the floor.
Right arm reaches toward the sky,
And then reach back in a big circle with that right arm.
Two more like that.
Just mobilizing the shoulder joints.
Then go the other direction.
Then bring the hand behind the head.
Open that elbow toward the sky.
Then exhale,
Bring that elbow toward the knee,
Or maybe even toward the foot,
If you can reach inside that foot.
Nice.
Inhale,
Open.
You can always walk your right foot out to make more room there.
Exhale,
Elbow toward the foot or the floor.
Nice.
Two more.
Inhale,
Open.
Exhale.
Last one.
Exhale.
Beautiful.
From here,
Hands either side of that front foot.
Move the foot to the center of the mat.
Then we'll slide back.
Walk your fingertips back,
Flexing that foot.
Lift through the heart here.
Inhale.
Then exhale,
Dive forward.
Feel that stretch.
Pressing that right heel down into the mat.
Your knee can be bent here,
But just feeling how you can engage that hamstring as you press down through that right heel.
Two more full breaths here,
Stretching out the hamstring.
Some of you can sit all the way back like this.
Getting deeper into that stretch.
Then softly bending that right knee.
Step back.
Both knees together.
Wag your tail.
This time we'll bend the elbows.
Bring the chest all the way to the mat.
Nice deep release here.
Inhale.
Let out some sound.
Then just using the back muscles.
See if you can curl up in a baby cobra.
Keep the back of the neck long.
Just lifting a little bit here.
We're not really using our hands.
Just feeling how much you can use your upper spine to mobilize here.
Lift.
One more breath,
Maybe a little higher.
Then exhale,
Release.
Press into the hands and knees.
Come up.
Tuck your toes under.
Then lift back to downward facing dog.
Pedal out the heels.
Again,
Deep breath here.
Exhale.
Ah.
Nice.
We'll lift that left foot.
Step it all the way forward between the hands.
Right knee down.
Scoot it back.
It's a nice wide stance here.
Pad that knee if you need.
Reaching up.
Grab the right wrist.
Side bend over to the left.
You can always stay here if you want more.
Bending that elbow,
Bring that forearm behind your head.
Press the head into that forearm,
Opening the armpit chest.
Stretching the tricep.
One more breath here.
Right hand comes to the mat.
Left arm reaches up.
Then big circles.
Lubricating that shoulder joint.
Other direction.
Beautiful.
Then bring the hand behind the head.
You can heel toe that left foot out a little bit so you have room.
Inhale.
Open the heart and chest.
Then bring that elbow inside,
Maybe touching the floor.
Inhale.
Open.
Exhale.
Curl it in.
Two more.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Beautiful.
Slowly reach.
Heel toe the foot back to the center of the mat.
Frame that front foot.
Then walk the hands back as you lift the toes.
Again,
Coming into your stretch,
You can keep that knee soft.
Inhale.
Lift the heart.
Then curl it in.
Maybe you're coming all the way back.
I like to keep my toes tucked to get a nice stretch on the bottom of my foot.
That might be too much for you.
Just finding where your stretch is today.
You can be up here doing this stretch.
Full deep breath as you press that heel,
That left heel down.
Really feel that engagement as you stretch.
One more deep breath here.
Beautiful.
Rebending that left knee.
Match the knees back.
Wag your tail.
Beautiful.
We'll come down to belly.
This time we'll bring the arms to either side.
We'll reach the arms.
Lift the back of the heart.
Keep the neck long.
And if it feels good,
Squeeze the legs.
Maybe the legs just lift a little bit off the floor.
Just feel that full engagement of the back of your spine.
One more deep breath.
Everything lifting higher.
And exhale,
Release.
Beautiful.
Hands next to the chest.
Squeeze the elbows in.
Coming up.
Hands and knees sitting back.
Child's pose.
Take a break.
Deep breath in.
Ah.
Beautiful.
From here,
Come back to the hands and knees.
Tuck the toes.
Downward facing dog.
Paddle it out.
Bend both knees deeply here.
You can bring them wide so your hips go all the way back.
Look forward and step or hop so your feet come outside the hands.
Nice.
Nice wide stance into this malasana or ape pose.
Bring the backs of the hands together here.
Curl the chin down.
Inhale.
Exhale.
And then next,
Inhale.
Lift the heels.
Open the arms wide.
Nice.
Exhale.
Reaching forward.
Backs of the hands.
Inhale.
Open.
One more time.
Reaching forward.
And then bring your hands back if you need to and have a seat.
Nice.
From here,
Just wag your knees side to side.
And then we'll find our way down to the mat.
Use your core strength as you slowly roll your spine down.
Beautiful.
From here,
We'll bring the left ankle on top of the right knee and come into this figure four.
So you can either grab the back of your hamstring or the shin,
If you can reach that.
Flex your left foot.
That keeps the knee safe as you pull your knee closer,
Your right knee closer.
You can even use that left elbow to push the inner thigh away.
Nice deep breath here.
Feeling stretch in your hip.
Really use the breath here in each exhale to help release whatever you're feeling in that hip joint.
One more breath here.
Release the right foot down.
Keep the left ankle on the right knee,
Hands by your side.
Then start to peel the spine off the floor,
Lifting the hips up in this one-legged bridge.
Feel that strength in your right glute.
Strengthening the back here.
One more deep breath.
And then softly roll the spine slowly back to the mat.
Once the pelvis reaches the mat,
We'll just let that whole structure go to the left.
So keep that left ankle on the right knee and just let it come into a twist.
Your arms can come out to the sides now.
And then letting that right foot kind of slide down,
You might feel the stretch on the top of your hip flexor psoas.
Again,
Really great stretch if you've been sitting a lot.
Nice deep breath wherever you're feeling that.
Let it go.
One more inhale here.
And then slowly come back to center.
Cross the knees now and then just let the knees fall to the right.
Try to keep that left shoulder grounded and you can turn your head to the left if you want to bring your right hand onto that left thigh just to help increase the stretch here in this twist.
Nice deep breath here.
Let out some sound.
Sound vibration always helps.
Unwinding as you uncross the knees.
Beautiful.
We'll go to the other side.
Right ankle on top of your left thigh.
Flex the foot and then draw that left knee towards you.
Finding your stretch today.
Again,
It can be behind the hamstring or the shin.
And then you can use your right elbow to gently press that right thigh away.
Breathe into it.
Let's all take an inhale together.
Let out some sound.
Always encourage sound to help with the release.
It's creating a vibration within our body.
True sound healing is making our voice our healing sound.
One more deep breath here.
And then release left foot to the floor.
Keep that whole structure there as you just release both knees toward the right.
Stretching the top of your left hip.
The hip flexor,
Psoas.
Deep breath into that wherever you're feeling it.
Let it go with your exhale.
Slowly coming back.
Cross the knees.
And let the knees fall to the left.
Now open up that right arm and keep that right shoulder grounded.
Even turn the head to the right here.
Your left hand can gently guide the knee.
Deep breath.
Wherever you're feeling the stretch.
Create more spaciousness with your breath.
One more inhale.
Slowly come back.
Uncross the knees.
Bring your knees in.
Give yourself a nice hug.
Gratitude for spending this time to focus on opening,
Strengthening and bringing more flexibility into your joints and muscles.
And then from here you can bring your feet together knees wide.
Arms come by your side.
Palms face up.
Take as long as you need here to rest.
Just integrate this short little movement sequence knowing that at any point you can find this mobility in your body by these simple exercises to help open,
Release stress,
Let go of tension through simple movements.
I hope you have a beautiful day.
Take as long as you need here.
Namaste.
