Rooted Recovery: Slow Mobility For Healing

A short and grounding, practice designed to expand your range of motion through slow, intentional transitions. Entirely seated and low to the ground, we focus on nourishing the joints and expanding flexibility without the pressure of standing poses. Whether you are recovering from an injury or simply need to ground your energy, this session offers a safe space to breathe, move, and unfold at your own pace.

Transcript

Coming to your back,

Your arms by your side,

Palms facing up,

Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels comfortable.

Just beginning to arrive here,

Taking a few moments to settle,

Letting go of your day so far,

And just bring your awareness to your breath.

Just notice how your breath feels without trying to change it.

Notice if it feels fast or slow,

Deep or shallow.

Notice if you're breathing through your nose or your mouth,

If you fill up your chest or all the way down to your belly,

Noticing the quality of your breath.

And as you breathe here,

Just bring your awareness to your body,

Scanning your body from the crown of your head all the way down,

Down your torso,

Your arms,

Fingertips,

Down your legs,

Your feet,

Your toes.

Just notice if there's any part of your body that's maybe a little tight or sore that may need a little bit more love during practice and throughout the day.

If anything I say during practice doesn't feel right for you,

Please don't do it.

Just come out of the pose and take a resting posture that works for you.

You can come to your back,

You can come to a seat,

To child's pose,

Whatever feels right.

And then join us when you feel ready.

Taking a few cleansing breaths here together,

Take a deep breath in through your nose,

And then open your mouth and slowly and quietly sigh it out,

Let it go.

Let's do two more like that.

Deep breath in through your nose,

Sigh it out through your mouth,

Let it go.

And one more deep inhale,

And sigh it out completely,

Let it go,

Let your body be heavy and soft and grounded on the mat.

And then continue breathing deeply in and out of your nose if that feels comfortable for you.

And if Ujjayi breath is part of your practice,

You can start to bring a constriction to the back of your throat and come to your Ujjayi breath,

Starting to warm up your body from the inside,

Breathing deeply.

And then slowly start to bend one knee and then the other,

Bringing your feet to the mat,

Gently rocking your knees from side to side,

Just noticing how this feels in your lower back,

In your hips,

Trying to keep your shoulders grounded,

Just gently rocking your knees from side to side.

Stay here or if you like,

You can hug your knees into your chest and just grabbing the backs of your thighs or your shins,

You can gently rock from side to side,

Massaging your lower back.

You can make circles with your knees in one direction and then the other.

Just notice how your body feels.

And then keeping your right knee in,

Extend your left leg long on the mat,

Flex your foot and bring your heel down on the mat,

Press it away from you,

So you're pressing your left leg down and pulling your right knee towards your body.

See if you can ground your shoulders and pull your shoulders down your back away from your ears.

Back of your neck is long,

So slight tuck of the chin and you're pulling your right knee in.

Just notice where your knee wants to go,

Maybe it wants to come towards your chest,

Maybe towards the outside of your body and you can move it around a little bit,

Just noticing what feels right for you.

And then with every inhale,

You press your left leg down.

With every exhale,

Maybe pull your right knee in just a little bit more.

Flexing your feet,

Softening your jaw,

Your forehead,

Your belly.

Take a deep breath in and a long breath out.

One more inhale.

Bring your left hand to the outside of your knee and we're going to cross the leg across the body towards the left side,

Coming into a twist and just be really gentle on this first twist and see if you can ground your right shoulder and maybe turn your head towards the right side.

Your right arm can be extended towards the right,

Palm faces up or down,

Whatever feels right in your shoulder and just breathe into this twist.

Take a deep breath in,

Exhale all the air out.

Slowly come back to center and hug both knees into your chest again,

Just gently rocking from side to side,

Noticing how your body feels.

Maybe making circles with your knees in one direction and then the other.

And then moving to the second side.

So holding on to your left knee,

Extend your right leg long,

Flex your foot,

Press your right heel away and your right leg to the mat.

And then just notice where your left knee wants to go.

Maybe it wants to go towards the outside of your body or maybe towards your chest.

Every inhale,

You press your right leg down,

Right heel away and you pull your left knee closer with your exhale.

Breathing deeply in and out of your nose.

Back of the neck long,

Shoulders soft,

Away from your ears.

Deep breath in,

Long breath out.

Moving to our twist,

So right hand to the outside of your knee,

You can extend the left arm towards the left side and then starting to cross your left knee to the right.

Right knee towards the right side.

See if you can ground your left shoulder,

Maybe turn your head towards the left side if that feels good.

Just notice how this twist feels on this side,

Being really gentle with your body.

We're still warming up.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale,

All the air out.

One more deep breath in,

Long breath out.

Slowly come back to center,

Hug both knees into your chest and just gently rocking from side to side,

Maybe making circles with your knees,

Good.

And then we're going to make our way to a seat.

So you can roll onto your left side in a fetal position and just roll up to a comfortable seat,

Coming to whatever seated position feels right in your body.

So you can come cross leg or come seated on your shins,

Wherever you are.

First,

See if you can sit a little bit taller.

Inhale,

Roll your shoulders up towards your ears and then down your back.

Good.

Two more like that.

Inhale,

Shoulders up towards your ears and then as you exhale,

Roll them back and down.

One more,

Inhale.

Let your hands rest gently somewhere on your lap or on your legs.

Open up your heart,

Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long.

Soften your gaze or close your eyes.

And again,

Just bring your attention to your body.

Notice how your body feels.

Notice if there's any part of your body that you can soften.

With every inhale,

Your spine gets longer.

With every exhale,

Soften your shoulders,

Your jaw,

Your forehead.

Good.

Inhale,

Reach your arms all the way up.

Palms touch overhead.

Exhale,

Bring your hands to your heart center.

Two more like that.

Inhale,

Reach your arms all the way up.

Exhale,

Hands to your heart center.

Last one.

Inhale,

Reach up.

Exhale,

Hands to your heart.

Good.

From here,

Bring your left hand to the left side.

Just bringing your fingertips on the mat.

And you're just going to bring your right ear towards your right shoulder.

Just feeling the stretch on the left side of your neck.

And you can maybe tuck your chin in just a little bit,

Moving the feeling towards the back of your neck.

Good.

Just notice how this feels.

Make sure there's no pain or discomfort.

If you want a little bit more,

You can start to walk your fingertips back a little bit.

And if it doesn't feel right,

Just come back.

Good.

You can stay here or maybe bring your right hand to your left temple.

Make sure you're not pulling.

Just bring a little weight on your head.

Again,

Just being really mindful of how this feels in your body.

Not pulling or forcing anything.

Take a deep breath in.

Long breath out.

Bring your right hand back down from here.

Walk your left fingertips towards the left.

Inhale,

Reach your right arm all the way up and over.

And lean towards the left side.

So feeling the stretch on the right side of your body.

See if you can ground both hips.

And if it feels good,

You can walk your left hand more towards the left side.

Good.

You can look up or you can look down if that feels better in your neck.

Next,

Inhale,

Come all the way up.

And then moving to the second side.

So right fingertips on the right side on the mat.

And then just tilt your head towards the left side.

So bringing your left ear towards your shoulder.

And you can tuck your chin just a little bit.

Just noticing what feels right in your neck.

If you want a little bit more,

You can start to walk your right fingertips towards the back.

This side may feel different.

So it doesn't have to look the same.

Stay here.

Or if you want a little weight on your head,

You can bring your left hand on the right side of your head.

Good.

Slowly letting that go.

Come back to center.

Walk your right hand towards the right side.

Inhale,

Reach your left arm all the way up and over towards the right side.

Feeling the stretch on the left side of your body.

See if you can ground your hips.

You can always walk your right hand more towards the right side.

Take a deep breath in.

Long breath out.

Slowly come back to center.

And just pause here.

Inhale,

Roll your shoulders up towards your ears.

And down your back.

Let it go.

From here,

Left hand behind you.

Tense your fingers and use your arm to sit a little bit taller.

We're coming into a twist.

So right hand to the outside of your left knee.

Inhale,

Your spine gets long.

And then as you exhale,

Twist from your belly.

Good.

Inhale,

Sit a little bit taller.

Exhale,

Twist just a little bit more.

You can tuck your chin.

Look over your left shoulder.

Inhale to sit tall.

Exhale to twist.

Next,

Inhale.

Slowly come back to center and switch sides.

So right hand behind you.

Tense your fingers.

So you can use your arm to sit tall.

Left hand to the outside of your right knee.

Inhale,

Sit a little bit taller.

Exhale,

Twist from the belly.

Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long.

Inhale to sit tall.

Exhale to twist.

Inhale,

Spine gets long.

Exhale,

Twist just a little bit more.

Slowly come back to center.

And then we're going to make our way to our hands and knees coming to a tabletop position.

So you can pat your knees.

Make sure your knees are right under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders.

Spread your fingers wide.

See if you can pull your shoulders away from your ears.

Good.

Pull your belly towards your spine.

You're looking straight down.

So the back of your neck is long.

Tabletop pose.

Moving through some Cat-Cows with our breath.

So as you inhale,

Drop your belly.

Open up your heart.

Look up to Cow Pose.

As you exhale,

Round your back.

Tuck your tail.

Cat Pose.

Inhale,

Drop your belly.

Open up your heart.

Look up.

Exhale,

Round your back.

Tuck your tail.

Look down.

Two more like that.

Inhale to Cow.

Good.

Slowly come back to center.

From here,

Extend your right leg back and keeping your toes tucked to start,

You're just going to rock back and forth a few times.

Just to get a feel for where you're going.

So just notice how this feels in the back of your leg,

In your right ankle,

In your wrists.

And then come back to center.

You can stay here,

Or if you like,

You can flex your foot and lift your heel up just to the level of your hips.

So don't go too high.

Your heel is just at the level of your hips.

Good.

Again,

Stay here.

Or if you like,

You can press your right hand down to the mat and extend your left arm forward.

Your thumb is facing up.

And then see if you can pull your shoulder away from your ear.

Good.

Pull your belly towards your spine.

Balancing table.

Stay here.

Or if you like,

Moving with our breath.

Inhale,

Pull your fingertips forward.

Right heel moves back.

As you exhale,

You're going to round your back.

Your knee and elbow meet under your body.

Inhale to reach.

Get long.

Exhale,

Round your back.

Knee and elbow under your body.

Inhale to reach.

Exhale to round your back.

Good.

Inhale,

Reach.

Get long.

And then as you exhale,

Slowly bring everything back down to the mat.

Coming to Tabletop Pose.

Good.

Moving through one round of Cat-Cows.

Inhale,

Drop your belly.

Open up your heart.

Look up.

Exhale to round your back.

Tuck your tail.

Look down.

Good.

Come back to tabletop.

And then from here,

Just sit back on your heels.

And then rolling your wrists.

And then when you're ready,

Coming back to table.

Spread your fingers wide.

Wrists under your shoulders.

Knees right underneath your hips.

And then from here,

Extending the left leg back this time.

And keeping your toes on the mat to start.

Just gonna rock back and forth a few times.

Again,

Just noticing how this feels on this side.

The back of your leg.

In your ankle.

In your wrists.

When you're ready,

Come back to center.

You can stay here.

Or flex your foot.

Lift your heel up just to the level of your hips.

Good.

So your toes are pointing straight down.

You can stay here.

Or press your left palm down.

And extend your right arm forward.

Some faces up.

And then pull your shoulder away from your ear.

Belly to spine.

Looking straight down.

You can stay in stillness.

Or if you like,

Inhale to reach.

Get long.

Exhale,

Round your back.

Knee and elbow under your body.

Inhale to reach.

Exhale,

Round your back.

Inhale,

Reach.

Exhale,

Round your back.

Good.

Inhale,

Reach.

Get long.

And then exhale,

Come back to tabletop.

Bring your knees as wide as the mat.

Big toes together.

And then push your hips back towards your heels.

Extend your arms forward.

You can rest your forehead either on the mat.

Or on a block.

And it may feel good to rock your head from side to side.

Just massaging your forehead.

Good.

Child's pose.

If this doesn't feel right in your shoulders,

You can always bring your arms back.

You can bend your elbows.

And bring your palms together behind your neck.

Breathing deeply in and out of your nose.

Just noticing how your body feels now.

If your breath is different from when we started.

Maybe your body is a little bit warmer.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale all the air out.

Now slowly come on to your hands.

Your hands and knees.

Keeping your knees wide.

Big toes together.

We're going to come to thread the needle.

So starting on the right side.

So spread your left fingertips on the mat.

Press your left palm down.

And then as you inhale,

Reach your right arm all the way up towards the side.

And then as you exhale,

Cross it underneath the left arm.

And bring your right shoulder to the mat.

Good.

We're going to move with our breath.

So inhale.

Reach your right arm all the way up.

And then exhale.

Cross it under your body.

One more like that.

Inhale.

Reach it all the way up towards the side.

Maybe look up towards your thumb.

And then exhale.

Cross it under your body.

We're going to pause here for a few breaths.

Your right shoulder is on the mat.

And your right palm is facing up.

Left hand can stay in front of you.

You can reach your arm forward.

Breathing here,

Just notice how your body feels.

Notice if your breath changes.

Notice where you feel a pose.

And see if you can soften with your exhale.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale all the air out.

Let it go.

Good.

Slowly bring your left palm on the mat if it's not there already.

And then as you inhale,

You're going to reach your right arm all the way up.

And then come back to hands and knees.

And just adjust your stance if you need to.

Again,

Your wrists under your shoulders.

And your knees are wide.

Big toes together.

Moving to the second side.

So as you inhale,

Press your right palm down.

Reach your left arm all the way up towards the ceiling.

And then exhale.

Cross it under your body.

Bring your left shoulder to the mat.

Good.

Moving with our breath.

Inhale to reach up.

Stack your shoulders.

Maybe look up towards your thumb.

And then exhale.

Cross it under your body.

Good.

One more like that.

Inhale.

And pause here.

Left shoulder on the mat.

And this side may feel different.

You can always reach your right arm forward.

You can bring your right hand to your lower back.

Palm faces up.

Just noticing how this feels in your left shoulder,

Your neck.

Make sure there's no pain or discomfort.

Breathing deeply in and out of your nose.

And letting go of anything that you don't need to hold on to.

Good.

Bring your right hand on the mat if it's not there already.

Inhale.

Reach your left arm all the way up.

And then exhale.

Bring your hand down.

Good.

Adjust your feet so your knees are right underneath your hips.

Then we're going to come to a lunge.

So step your right foot forward.

You can help your foot move forward with your hand.

Make sure your ankle is right underneath your knee.

And then you can walk your left foot back a little bit.

Just feeling the stretch on the left thigh.

You can keep your toes tucked if that feels better.

Or you can come to the top of the left foot.

Just being mindful of how this feels.

Making sure there's no pain in your knee.

You can stay here with your fingertips or hands on the mat.

You can bring your hands on blocks if you want to use them.

Or you can bring your hands on top of your right thigh.

Just coming to this low lunge.

Making sure you're not pushing your knee past your ankle.

So your knee is stacked right over your ankle.

Good.

Shoulders over your hips.

Down your back.

Pull your belly towards your spine.

You can stay here.

Or if you like,

You can reach your arms all the way up.

Maybe look up if that feels good.

Again,

Soften your shoulders,

Soften your belly,

Your jaw,

Your forehead.

Take a deep breath in.

And then as you exhale,

You're going to lean forward and reach your arms back.

Good.

Moving with our breath.

Inhale to reach up.

Exhale.

Lean forward.

Arms go back.

One more.

Inhale.

And exhale.

Reach your arms all the way back.

Palms face down.

Good.

Inhale.

Come all the way back up.

And then exhale.

Hands down either side of the front foot.

You're going to plant your left palm and come into a twist.

You can bring your right hand on your right thigh.

You can reach it all the way up,

Stacking your shoulders.

If it feels good,

You can look up towards your right thumb.

And your right knee wants to move away from your body.

See if you can pull it towards you so your knee is still over your ankle.

If it feels good,

You can tuck the back toes and start to lift the back knee off the mat.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale.

All the air out.

One more.

Inhale.

And exhale.

Slowly bring your hands down either side of the front foot.

And we're going to step it back to tabletop.

Good.

Right away to the second side.

So step left foot forward.

Your knee over your ankle.

And again,

You can just walk the right knee back a little bit if that feels good.

Make sure your knee is right over your ankle.

You can keep the back toes tucked if that feels better.

Stay here on your fingertips.

You can bring your palms to the mat or to blocks.

You can bring your hands to the top of your left thigh.

Shoulders down your back.

You can stay here or if you like,

Start to reach your arms all the way up.

Maybe look up towards your thumbs if that feels good.

Wherever you are,

Soften your shoulders.

Take a deep breath in.

And then moving with our breath,

As you exhale,

Lean forward.

Arms go back.

Palms down.

Inhale to reach up.

Exhale.

Lean forward.

Last one.

Inhale.

Good.

Inhale.

Reach all the way up.

And then exhale.

Hands down either side of the front foot.

Plant the right palm down on the mat.

And we're coming to our twist.

So your left hand can come to your thigh or you can reach it all the way up.

Good.

Stacking your shoulders.

Maybe look up towards your thumb.

If it feels good,

You can tuck the toes and lift the back knee up.

Good.

You can look up or down.

Whatever feels better in your neck here.

Deep breath in.

And exhale.

Slowly come back down.

Step it back.

Tabletop.

Bring your knees wide.

Big toes together.

Child's pose.

Breathing deeply.

Letting that go.

Slowly.

Making your way to your back.

And when you get there,

Hug your knees.

Maybe it feels good to lift your head and your shoulders and bring your nose to your knees.

Just curling up into a tight little ball.

Maybe rocking from side to side.

Good.

And then when you're ready,

Shavasana.

You can grab any props,

Layers,

Anything you need to get comfortable.

You can bring a bolster or a rolled up blanket under your knees to ground your lower back.

You can bring a pillow under your head.

Let your feet fall out.

Arms away from your body.

Palms face up.

Fingers are soft,

Gently curled in.

Soften your belly.

Open up your heart.

Shoulders down your back away from your ears.

Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long.

Soften your jaw.

Let your tongue fall away from the roof of your mouth.

Soften the muscles of the face.

Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good.

Soften your forehead.

Take a deep breath in through your nose.

And as you exhale through the mouth,

Let it all go.

Let your body be heavy on the mat.

And let your body breathe naturally and take in the effects of your practice.

Take a deep breath in.

And a long breath out.

One more like that.

Deep inhale.

Full and complete exhale.

Slowly start to bring some movement back to your body.

Wiggling your fingers,

Your toes.

Maybe circling your wrists,

Your ankles.

Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side.

When you're ready,

Bend one knee and then the other.

Slowly roll on to your right side in a fetal position,

Using your bottom arm as a pillow.

Fetal pose after corpse pose reminds us that after every ending,

There's a new beginning.

Slowly make your way up to a comfortable seat.

Sitting with your spine tall,

Your neck straight,

Chin parallel to the mat.

Soften your gaze or close your eyes.

Inhale,

Reach your arms all the way up.

Palms touch overhead.

And exhale,

Bring your hands to your heart center.

And bow your head to your hands.

Thank yourself for coming to your mat today.

For spending this time for yourself and for your practice.

Thumbs to your third eye,

The space between your eyebrows.

May your thoughts be kind.

Thumbs to your lips.

May your words be caring.

Thumbs to your heart center.

May your heart be filled with love and gratitude.

Thank you for practicing with me today.

Namaste.