30 min YOGA for Strength: Chest, Back & Abs

Strengthen your core and open your heart in this 30 minute yoga class for strength; designed to build functional stability in the chest, back, and abs while fostering a deep sense of inner power and balance.

Transcript

Hello, Welcome to Briya Yoga. I'm your yoga teacher Briyana. Bring your hands together in front of your heart, Close your eyes and take a few long breaths. Set an intention for your practice today. Take a couple deep ujjayi breaths in and out through your nose. Roll onto your back, Draw your knees into your chest, Gently rock from side to side. Draw your right leg into your chest, Extend your left leg and circle your right ankle in one direction and reverse it. Inhale, Lift your head and shoulders off the mat, Lift your left leg off your mat. You're welcome to cradle your head in your hands or reach your arms by your sides. Breathe here, Inhale and extend your right leg up towards the sky. Exhale and sit up a little bit taller. Inhale to lower, Exhale to lift any amount. Inhale lower, Exhale to lift. Inhale to lower, Exhaling to lift. Inhale lower, Exhale to lift and hold. Lift your left leg as well for boat pose. You can straighten or bend your knees. Lift your chest, Draw your shoulder blades down and slowly extend all the way onto your back. Draw your left knee into your chest. Start to circle your left ankle in one direction, Then the other direction. Draw on your knee, Lift your right leg, Head and shoulders off the ground. Reach your fingertips forward or cradle your head in your hands. Draw your belly in as you breathe here. Extend your left leg up towards the sky, Exhale and lift up any amount. Inhale to lower down, Exhale to lift. Inhale to lower, Exhale lift up. Keep your chest lifted. Inhale lower, Exhale lift. Inhale lower, Exhale lift up. Take both legs up with your knees straight or bent. Extend through your spine, Draw your belly in. Breathe. Cross your ankles and roll forward. Make your way to table. Inhale, Bring your chest forward, Lift your chin and tailbone. As you exhale, Press away from the floor, Rounding your back. Inhale forward. Exhale, Lift and round through your upper back, Press away from the ground. Inhale, Bring your chest through the gates of your arms. Draw your shoulder blades lightly down. Exhale, Round your back, Chin towards chest. Inhale, Gliding your chest through. Exhale, Lift and round through your upper back. Exhale, Pressing away, Rounding your back. Walk your hands forward a little bit and take your hips back to your heels. Straighten your arms, Spread your fingers wide. Come up onto your knees and tuck your toes to press up into down dog. Your arms are shoulder distance apart and your feet are hips width. Bicycle your legs, Bending one knee then the other to warm up your hamstrings and calf muscles. Make sure your fingers are spread nice and wide as you press down into the base of all your fingers. Lift your forearms, Inhale into plank pose, Top of a push-up. Bring your heart forward without letting your head drop. Continue reaching the crown of your head forward and lift the backs of your knees. Where your right arm was, Put your right elbow down and your left elbow where your left hand was, Coming into dolphin plank. Continue lifting up from the ground. Now right hand down, Left hand down to come back up to plank. Keep reaching your tailbone towards your heels, Lifting the backs of your knees up and drawing your belly in. Right elbow down, Left elbow down. Back into dolphin plank. Breathe. Continue extending the crown of your head forward. Come back up to plank and into chaturanga. Inhale, Upward facing dog or cobra. Exhale into downward facing dog. Stretch back, Lengthen your spine, Spin your inner thighs back and firm your leg muscles. Inhale, Back into plank pose. Lift through your belly, Lift away from the ground, Backs of your knees lifting up. Take your right forearm down and your left forearm down into dolphin plank. Right hand, Left hand, Press back into plank and roll onto the pinky toe side of your right foot. Lift your left arm up, Stack your feet on top of each other. You can always take your bottom knee down if you need to. Stack your hips, Take your left hand to your side and then back to the ground. Lower into chaturanga. Press back into plank and go to your left side. Try stacking your hips right on top of one another. You can always take your bottom knee down for more support if you need it. Spin your inner elbow a little bit towards the front of your mat. Right hand down, Back to plank, Chaturanga. Shoulders no lower than elbows. Inhaling, Upward dog or cobra. Exhaling, Down dog. Stretch back, Get nice and long through your spine. Keep your arms and your ears in the same line as you stretch way back. Draw your ribs and belly in. Look forward, Step or hop your feet to your hands. Inhale, Lengthen. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale, Reach all the way up to the sky. Exhale, Dasamasthiti. Inhale, Circle your arms up. Exhale and fold forward, Hinging from your hips. Inhale to lengthen your spine and look up. Exhale and clasp your hands behind your back and start to fold forward any amount to stretch out your shoulders. If your knees are bent, You can keep some weight in your heels, But if your legs are straight, Firm your quadricep muscles and shift your weight a little bit forward. Bring your hands back to your lower back. Drop your hips, Come into chair pose, Utkatasana. Drop your tailbone down, Lift your frontal hip points up. Weight into your heels, Fold forward into uttanasana. Inhale, Lengthen. Exhale, Step or float back. Move into chaturanga. Inhaling into up dog or cobra. Exhaling into downward facing dog. Right leg up on your inhale. As you exhale, Step it through by your right hand. Stay on the ball of your back foot and come into crescent pose, Ashtachandrasana. Draw your belly and ribs in. Draw your tailbone down. Exhale your hands to the ground and swing your right leg up towards the sky as you come onto your forearms. Then drop your right leg and now you are in dolphin pose. Your forearms are on the floor. Try to get your elbows no wider than your shoulders. Make your way back to down dog, Either by pressing off of your forearms, Or come to child's pose first and lift up from there. Inhaling your left leg up, Step it by your left hand. And reach into crescent pose. Pull your left hip back, Your right hip is coming forward. Drop your tailbone down. Make sure your knee is over your ankle and get length here. Swing your left leg up and come onto your forearms at the same time. Lift your leg from your inner thigh. Set it down and press right up into down dog or take child's pose first. Right leg up, Inhale. Exhale, Step it up. Inhale, Come all the way up into crescent pose. Take your right arm over your left arm and start to lean back just a little bit. Try and get this back bend in your upper back. Continue lengthening your lower back. Exhale your hands down, Chaturanga. Inhale into up dog or cobra, Back to plank. Chaturanga again and make your way into down dog. Left leg up, Inhale. Step it through, Exhale. Coming into crescent, Left arm over right and lift up through your elbows. As you lift up, Try to look up a little bit and widen across your collarbones slightly as you lean back. Release your arms, Inhale up, Exhale plank. Chaturanga, Press into up dog or cobra. Exhale back into downward facing dog. Come to plank. Take your feet together and roll onto the pinky toe side of your right foot. And if you want to, You can lift your left leg off the floor. Back to plank pose. And roll onto the pinky toe side of your left foot. Reach your right arm up and maybe add your right leg. Come into plank. Chaturanga. Chaturanga again into up dog. Exhale into down dog. Right leg up, Inhale. Exhale, Step it through. This time, Back foot flat. Line up your front heel to the arch of your back foot and come into warrior two. Reaching your arms out. Drop your left arm and reverse your warrior. As you exhale, Re-bend into your right knee a little bit. Nice side stretch here. Then straighten your right leg on your inhale. Reverse triangle pose. On your next inhale, Come up. Interlace your fingers behind your back. Open your chest as you inhale. On your exhale, Bend your right knee over your ankle. Take your hands and wrap them around behind your back onto the top of your right thigh. You're opening your chest again, Squeezing your shoulder blades toward each other. Your gaze can be straight ahead of you. You don't have to look over that front shoulder. Release and set up for triangle. Shift your hips back and lean forward, Getting some length. Take your right hand down, Left arm up. Your shoulders are in line. Exhale, Reach your left arm forward in line with your ear. Sweep it down. Take it behind your back and take your right hand behind your back. Interlace your fingers or hook your thumbs together. Widen your collarbones, Opening your chest, Squeezing your shoulder blades a little toward each other. Bend your front knee. Take your hands to the ground. Lower down into chaturanga. Inhale to up dog. Exhale back into downward facing dog. Left leg up on your inhale. Exhale, Step it through, Back foot flat. Line up your front heel and back arch into warrior two. Make sure your left knee is over your ankle and it points right over your second toe. Gaze over your fingertips. Continue your nice steady breath in and out through your nose. Drop your right arm to reverse. Exhale, Bend your left knee a little bit deeper, Stretching your side. Straighten your left leg for reverse triangle. Bigger side stretch. Come on up. Inhale, Interlace your fingers. Wrap them behind your back and rest them on top of your left thigh. Bend your knee over your ankle again. And this will widen your chest, Your collarbones, And bring your shoulder blades a little toward each other so you can get a good shoulder stretch and chest opener. Straighten your front leg. Shift your hips back. Take your left hand down to your shin, Foot, Or floor. Reach your right arm up and stretch through your right fingertips. Exhale, Your right arm in line with your right ear, Stretching out a little bit more. Take a breath in. Exhale, Take your right hand behind you, Take your left hand behind you. Interlace your fingers or hook your thumbs. Squeeze your shoulder blades toward each other, Rolling your top shoulder back. Try to keep your torso right over your front thigh. Press into the base of your big toe of your left foot. Release it there. Step back into Plank and Chaturanga. Again, Chaturanga. Into Up Dog. Big breath in Up Dog. And then exhale into Down Dog. Lift your right leg up and step it through. Come on up into Crescent Pose. Exhale, Open your chest like you're scraping your elbows toward the back of the wall. Inhale to reach. Exhale, Squeeze your shoulder blades, Open your chest. Inhale, Arms reaching up. Exhale, Opening up your chest. Inhale, Arms up. And exhale again, Opening up your chest. Really get it nice and open. Inhale, Your arms reach like you're moving through water. Exhale, Open your shoulders. And then make a big circle with your arms and take your hands down through your Vinyasa. The nice thing about practicing with these videos is you can take an extra Chaturanga or you can push the pause button and rest. Inhale, Left leg up. Exhale, Spring it forward. Stay on the ball of your back foot. Come on up into High Lunge, Dropping your tailbone. Then exhale, Scrape your elbows toward the back wall. Inhale, Reach your arms up. Exhale, Open your chest like you're moving through water. Inhale, Your arms reaching up. Exhale, Open your chest. Your shoulder blades move toward each other. Reach up as you inhale. And again, Exhale, Opening your chest. Inhale, Reaching up. Exhale, Expand through your chest and then reach your arms down. Make a big circle. Exhale, Chaturanga. Inhale, Upward Dog or Cobra. Exhale, Chaturanga. Again, Lift your hips in Downward Facing Dog. Take a few breaths here. Rest if you want to rest. Come into Plank. Lower all the way down to the ground. Bring your hands right by your sides with your palms facing your legs. Press all ten of your toenails into the earth. And then inhale, Lift your chest. Keep your toes pressing down. Opening your chest, Widen across your collarbones. Reach your fingers back. Reach your tailbone back. And release down. Rest. You can take your forehead down or you can take one ear down or the other. Same thing again and this time you're going to add your legs. Lift your chest. Add your legs. Spin your inner thighs up toward the sky. Keep the back of your neck long. You can even look a little bit more forward. Exhale and lower down to rest. Continue to reach your tailbone toward your heels and interlace your fingers behind your back. Inhale, Lift everything up. Keep the back of your neck long. Lifting your hip points up toward your lower ribs. And continue reaching your tailbone toward your heels. Your inner thighs are spinning up and you're opening up your chest. And release it down. Take a little rest here. Come back. Interlace your fingers with the other pinky on top this time. The funny interlace. Lift everything up again. Bring your chest forward. Try to breathe more into your chest as opposed to into your belly. And lengthen out as much as you can. Lift your shoulder heads up. Release. Rest. Arms by your ears. We're going to lift everything up. Exhale, Bend your elbows, Pull them back. Inhale, Reach your arms forward again. Exhale, Pull your elbows back. Inhale to reach. Exhale like you're moving through mud. Inhale to extend. Exhale, Pull back. Inhale, Reach forward. Exhale and reach back for the feet and lift into Dhanurasana. If that's too much, Stay with Shalabhasana with your arms by your ears. Lift up and press your feet back. Lift your belly. Try to keep your knees no wider than your hips. Slowly release down and rest a moment. Your heart is probably pumping right now. That's what happens when we do chest openers and backbends. Hands by your ribcage. Inhale to up dog or cobra pose. Exhale, Down dog. Step or hop lightly to your knees and sit up on your knees. Take your hands to your lower back and try to extend and lengthen your lower back with your hands. Press your thighs forward slightly. Rolling your shoulders back, Lean back any amount. Imagine there's a string attached to your chest and it's lifting you up towards the sky. Let your head go back any amount. To come up, Squeeze your legs. Come up both shoulders at the same time. Same thing, Press your hips down. Lean back any amount. Maybe reach for your feet, Maybe not. Imagine that string attached to your chest and it's pulling you up. You can let your head go back. Breathe into your chest. Get long. Squeeze your legs, Come on up and then come down into a child's pose and rest here. Giving your back a nice little stretch to lengthen it out. Come back up and make your way into downward facing dog. Either hold it there or come forward to plank. Lower chaturanga on the exhale. Inhale, Up dog. Extra chaturanga or not and then back into downward facing dog. Look up, Step or hop and sit right down. Extend your legs forward then bend your right knee. Right arm inside your thigh on the inside. Wrap it around, Hook it around your right leg. Take your left hand behind and exhale. If you can clasp your hands together behind your back, Go ahead. Or grab your shirt and pull your left toes back. Roll your right shoulder back. So your right shoulder is lifting up toward the sky. Inhale, Come on up. Right hand behind you, Left arm up, Inhale. Exhale, Twist, Take it across. Every time you inhale, See if you can lengthen up a little taller. And as you exhale, Roll your right shoulder back and maybe twist a little bit deeper. Make sure your left ankle is flexed. Come back to center, Bend your left leg. Take your left arm inside, Reach forward, Wrap it around. Inhale to lengthen your spine. Roll your right shoulder back as you exhale. Come forward. If you can't clasp your hands, Maybe you're not even close, It does not matter. Just go as deeply as you comfortably can and never going past your edge and causing pain. That's important. Inhale your head up. Exhale and release. Left hand behind your back, Right arm up tall, Inhale. Exhale, Hook it across and twist. Every time you inhale, Sit up nice and tall. And whenever you exhale, Roll your left shoulder back. Widen across your collarbones, Expand through your chest. Pull your right toes back, Flexing your ankle. Inhale your head to center. Exhale to unwind. Reach both of your arms up, Inhale. Exhale, Hinge from your hips, Forward. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale to extend. It never matters how deep you get into any of the poses. This forward fold, Maybe you don't come forward very much, It doesn't really matter. Yoga is not about the poses. Inhale, Head up. Exhale to release. And then take your hands right next to your hips, Or maybe a little bit underneath them, And come into fish pose. Matsyasana. Press into your elbows, Your forearms. Lift your chest. Breathe into your throat. Your head may or may not touch the floor. One more nice chest expansion. Slowly bend your knees, Roll yourself up. Your fingertips are facing front. Lift up into reverse table, Another chest and shoulder opener. Take your right ankle above your left knee. Set yourself down and walk yourself as close as you can comfortably to your legs. You might also take your forearms down and rest a little bit. You're getting a hip stretch here. So close your eyes, Take a few breaths in your hip stretch. Keep flexing your right ankle as you're here. Slowly release. Setting up for reverse table again. Inhale, Lift up, Up, Up. Let your head go back any amount. Keep lifting your hips, Reaching your tailbone towards the backs of your knees, And then left ankle above right knee. Set yourself down and walk yourself a little bit closer to your legs if you can. Inhale, Sit up tall. Exhale here. Or again, You can come down to your forearms. Or you don't have to be as close to the legs. The further away, The less stretch you'll feel. Come on down to your back and hug your knees in. Rock a little here, Side to side. One more little rock and then we'll make our way into Shavasana. Extend your legs out. Let your body relax. Bring your arms to your sides. Face your palms up to the sky and close your eyes. Allow yourself to sink right down into the floor and we'll rest here for a couple of minutes. Quiet mind, Quiet body, Shavasana. Start making movements to reawaken your body. Move your fingers, Toes, Your hands. Move your feet, Bend your knees. Roll yourself off to your right side just for a moment and press up with your left hand. Making your way back into a seated position. Sit up tall and bring your hands together at heart center with your palms touching. Anjane Mudra. Bring your hands to your forehead to remind you to have clear and loving thoughts. Your hands to your heart center reminding you to have clear and loving intentions. And your hands to your mouth reminding you to have clear and loving communication. Sending out all this beautiful energy to all beings everywhere. Namaste. Thank you so much for joining me today. This practice is dedicated to the memory of my yoga teacher, Leslie Fightmaster.