Hi there and welcome to your morning yoga practice.
This is a great practice to do when you know that you want to enter your day feeling energized yet calm and focused.
We'll begin lying on our backs.
Straighten your legs.
Arms are down by your sides.
Bring your attention to your breath.
Bend your right knee.
Bring the sole of your right foot to the floor.
On your next exhale,
Bring your right knee towards your chest and hug it in with your hands.
You can place your hands either on top of your shin or behind your thigh,
Whichever allows your shoulders to be most relaxed.
Begin to make circles with your ankle.
Change the direction of your circles.
Then be still.
Hug your knee in a little bit closer.
Bring your right foot back down to the mat.
Straighten your right leg.
Bend your left knee.
And on your next exhale,
Bring your left knee into your chest.
Rest your hands on top of your shin or behind your thigh.
Once again,
Make circles with your ankle.
Change the direction of your circles.
Be still.
Hug your knee in closer.
Bring your left foot down to the mat.
Straighten your left leg.
Once again,
Bend your right knee and pull it into your chest.
Then switch and bend your left knee and pull it into your chest.
Continue alternating,
Bending your right knee and hugging it in.
Then bending your left knee and hugging it in at your own pace.
Make this your last round.
Hug both knees in.
Round up to bring your head towards your knees.
And then release everything back down to the mat.
Straighten your legs.
Reach your arms up overhead.
Backs of your hands are on the floor.
With your hands and your feet still on the floor,
Slide your hands to the right and slide your feet to the right.
So you're making like a banana shape on the floor.
Your head may also shift a bit to the right.
Breathe deeply here.
Bring everything back through center.
Then over to the left.
Come back through center.
Bend your knees.
Hug them in.
Round your spine.
Bring your head to your knees.
Release everything back down to the mat.
Place your hands on the mat down by your hips.
Palms down.
Your feet are about hips width apart and your knees are just about over your heels.
On your next inhale,
Lift your hips.
And as you exhale,
Lower your hips.
And inhale sends your hips up.
Exhale sends your hips down.
Continue inhaling and lifting.
Exhaling and lowering.
Letting your breath set your pace.
Make this your final round.
Draw your knees into your chest.
You know the drill by now.
Round up and bring your forehead towards your knees.
Release everything back down.
Straighten your legs.
Allow your legs to separate.
So they're about hips width,
Actually about mats width apart.
Reach your arms up overhead.
They're also in this V-shape.
Stretch as far as you can.
Your hands are moving as far as they can away from your midsection.
Your feet are doing the same.
And bend your knees.
Roll over to one side.
And then press yourself up.
Come to a comfortable cross-legged position.
Does not matter which foot is in front.
And place your hands onto your knees.
Begin to make circles with your torso around your legs,
Around your hips.
Make them as large as you can.
Really exaggerate this movement.
And make circles in the other direction.
Come back to center.
Circle your shoulders back.
And then allow your shoulders to rest in a neutral position.
Relaxed away from your ears.
Begin to make circles with your neck.
Take your time.
Change directions.
Bring your head back up through center.
In a neutral position.
Then make your way onto your hands and your knees.
Your shoulders are over your wrists.
Your hips are over your knees.
And your knees are hips width apart.
On your inhale,
Arch your spine.
Shift your hips back.
Then as you exhale,
Round your spine.
And shift forward.
Again,
Inhale to arch.
And shift back.
Exhale,
Round.
Rock forward.
Continue waving through your spine.
At your own pace.
Come back to a neutral position.
Bring your knees back.
Bend your elbows and lower down to the mat.
If lying on your chest is not comfortable,
You can slide your elbows forward so that they are underneath your shoulders.
And you can bring your shoulders up.
Wherever you land,
Once you're comfortably there,
Bend your right knee.
And reach back with your right hand to draw your heel in towards your bottom.
Release your foot.
Then,
We'll do this on the left side.
So bend your left knee.
Reach your left hand back.
And pull your left heel towards your bottom.
Release your foot.
Walk your hands back if you had slid them forward.
And place your hands underneath your shoulders.
Straighten your elbows.
So that you make your way back onto your hands and your knees.
Walk your hands forward.
And lower your forehead down to the mat.
Hips remain high.
They might track back just a bit to create some balance.
Breathe here.
Press firmly into your palms.
And walk your hands back.
So they're just about underneath your shoulders.
Maybe slightly in front of them.
Curl your toes under.
Lift your knees.
Send your torso back to your thighs.
Then send your hips up high.
Straightening your legs as much as feels good to you.
You can bend and straighten one leg and then the other.
Maybe you shift your hips from side to side.
Take a moment to explore different types of movement.
To explore your body.
Straighten your legs.
Then walk your hands back towards your feet.
Bending your knees as you travel back as much as you need to.
Draw your chin into your chest.
Interlace your fingers.
And place your interlaced fingers behind your head.
Allow the weight of your hands to lengthen your neck.
Breathe here.
And walk your hands back to your thighs.
Bend your knees.
Fully roll up to standing.
Take your elbows as wide as you can.
Maybe you look up.
Maybe you arch back.
Come back up through neutral.
Release your hands down by your sides.
And then begin to twist from side to side.
Begin to make your circles or your twists smaller and smaller.
And then slower and slower.
Until eventually you're standing still.
We'll end with a variation of breath of joy.
To do it,
We'll inhale.
We'll reach our arms forward as if we were reaching out for a hug.
And then exhale.
Bring our arms out to shoulder height in a T-shape.
And then on your next inhale,
You sweep your arms up overhead.
And you exhale to hinge forward at the hips.
And swing your arms behind you.
Inhale to come back up to standing.
Reach forward.
Exhale.
Bring your arms out to T.
Inhale.
Reach up.
Exhale.
Forward fold.
Arms swing behind you.
Do that about three more times at your own pace.
On your final round,
Hang out in your forward fold.
And I'll meet you there.
Reach forward.
Cross one elbow over the other.
Bend your arms and give yourself a hug.
Give yourself a good squeeze.
Thank yourself for showing up.
Thank you so much for practicing with me.
I hope that you have an amazing day.
