Goddess Warrior Flow

A guided vinyasa flow for building strength and opening the body. This standing practice generates heat through grounding, powerful shapes while creating length through the hips, side body, and chest. You'll finish feeling strong, open, and settled in your body.
Good for all levels. If you practice with a block, have one nearby.

Transcript

Finding your seats on the mat. Sitting with your spine tall. Your neck straight to in parallel to the mat. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good. Start to arrive here Feeling the ground under you. Allowing your mat to support you. And really letting go of anything you're holding on to that you can soften and let go of. Allow your hands to rest gently somewhere on your legs or on your lap. You can roll your shoulders down your back. Open up your heart. And bring your awareness to your breath. Just notice how your breath feels today. Notice if it's fast or slow, Deep or shallow. Then taking a few cleansing breaths here together. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth and slowly and quietly let it go through the mouth. Two more, Just like that. Deep inhale through your nose. Exhale slowly through the mouth. Last one, Deep breath in. And quietly side, I'll let it go. Now continue breathing deeply in and out of your nose if that feels good for you. And as you breathe here, Bring your awareness to your body. Just notice how your body feels. 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 just be mindful of that. As we move in and out of the poses. Just being really mindful. If something doesn't feel right for you, Please don't do it. Come out of the pose. And just take a resting posture that works for you. And then join back when you're ready. Bring your hands by your side, Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up, Palms touch overhead. As you exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center and bow your head to your hands. And think of one thing that you're grateful for today. Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. Exhale, Hands to your heart. One more inhale. And exhale From here, Slowly start to come onto your hands and knees. So coming to a tabletop position. Finding your hands and knees spread your fingers wide wrists under your shoulders knees right underneath your hips And see if you can pull your belly towards your spine. You're looking straight down so the back of your neck is long. And then moving through some cat-cows here. As you inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. As you exhale, Round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Inhale drop your belly open up your heart look up cow pose Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Cat pose. One more like that. Inhale. And exhale. Good. Come back to tabletop and then extend the right leg back, Keeping the toes on the mat to start. Just rock back and forth a few times, Noticing how this feels in your right ankle, The back of your leg. In your shoulders, In your wrists. Good, You can stay here or if you like, Flex your foot, Lift your heel up just to the level of your hip. Your toes are pointing straight down. Again, You can stay here or if you like, You can press the right palm down and extend the left arm forward, Thumb faces up. So opposite arm reaches forward. Good. Inhale. Press your heel away. Reach your fingertips forward. As you exhale, Round your back and bring your elbow and your knee under your body. Inhale to reach, Get long. Exhale to round your back. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Inhale, Reach, Get long. And then exhale, Bring everything back down, Coming to tabletop position. Then sit back on your heels. Start to roll your wrists. Making circles in one direction and then the other. And then coming back to tabletop. So again, Spread your fingers wide, Wrists under shoulders, Knees underneath your hips. And then from here, Drop your belly, Inhale, Cow pose. Exhale, Round your back, Cat pose. Inhale to cow. Exhale to cat. One more inhale and exhale come back to your hands and knees and then from here extend the left leg back keeping the toes on the mat Just start to rock back and forth a few times, Again noticing how this feels. In your left ankle, In the back of your leg. In your wrist. And your shoulders. Good. You can stay here, Or if you like, Flex your foot, Lift your heel up just to the level of your hips. Your toes are pointing straight down. And again, Stay here. Extend the opposite arm forward, Thumb faces up. Pull your shoulder away from your ear. Good. Balancing table. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. And then next inhale, Reach your fingertips forward, Heel reaches back. As you exhale, Round your back, Knee and elbow under your body. Inhale reach get long. Exhale to round your back. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Inhale, Reach, Get long. And exhale, Come back to tabletop position. Bring your knees as wide as the mat. Big toes together. Push your hips back towards your heels. Child's Pose. Keeping this child's pose active, So pressing your palms, Your fingers on the mat, Your elbows are probably lifted off the mat, Shoulders down your back away from your ears, And you're actively pushing your hips back towards your heels. They're not necessarily touching or even close, But you're pushing your hips back. Let your forehead rest either on the mat or on a block. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. And then inhale, Feel your body expand. As you exhale, See if you can soften and get really heavy towards the mat. Deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. And from here slowly come back to your hands and knees. Walk your hands forward, Tuck your toes under, Push your hips up and back. Downward facing dog. First down dog of our practice. Maybe bend one knee and then the other. Just noticing how your body feels here. Pushing your hips up towards the ceiling. You can have your knees bent a lot. Your heels are moving towards the mat, Not necessarily touching. You can walk your feet wider or closer. Again, I'm coming to stillness, Just pausing here for a few breaths. Let your head be heavy Maybe nod your head yes, Shake your head no. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the way around okay next inhale lift your heels And exhale, Drop them down towards the mat. Two more like that. Inhale, Lift your heels. And exhale, Drop them down. One more inhale And exhale. Good. Next, Inhale. Lift your heels. Bend your knees. Look forward. And then exhale. Slowly make your way to the top of the mat, Coming to a forward fold at the top of the mat. Good. Feet are hip-distance apart or wider, If that feels good. And bend your knees a lot. Allow your belly to rest on your thighs. Allowing your shoulders and your head to be heavy. Your fingertips can stay on the mat. You can bring your hands to blocks if that feels good. You can grab opposite elbows. And then wherever you are, Start to bend one knee. And then the other just rocking from side to side. So bend one knee, Straighten the other leg. And then do the opposite, Just rocking gently from side to side. Again, Just feeling the stretch in the back. Of your leg. And this should feel like a really good release in your back, In your lower back. Your entire spine and your shoulders. Come back to center. And then maybe nod your head yes, Shake your head no. Bring your hands to your shins. Inhale, Halfway lift. And exhale, Fold forward. Two more just like that. Inhale, Halfway lift. Exhale to fold forward. Last one, Inhale. And exhale Okay, Next inhale, Come all the way up, Reach up, Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center. Good. Bring your hands by your side. Press the four corners of your feet down on the mat. Maybe you lift your toes. Just notice how that feels. And then gently bring your toes back down on the mat. Pressing your feet down. Pull your belly towards your spine. Open up your heart, Roll your shoulders down your back. Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels comfortable. Just pause here feeling tall, Grounded, Supported, Strong. Inhale, Reach all the way up, Palms touch overhead. Exhale, Hands to your heart. Good. Inhale. Reach up. Exhale this time fold forward over your thighs Hands to your shins, Halfway lift. Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Good. Inhale. Come all the way up. Reach up. Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Hands to your heart center. Good. Adding on to that. Inhale, Reach. Exhale, Fold forward. And see your shins halfway lift as you inhale. Fold forward, Exhale, Plant your palms and step it back to a high plank. So your knees can be up or you can drop your knees down. Wherever you are, Your toes are tucked, Your shoulders right over your wrists. Press your palms down. Spread your fingers wide. Take a deep breath and pull your belly towards your spine as you exhale. One more inhale and then exhale drop your knees if they're lifted and lower all the way down to your belly. Good, Bring the tops of the feet. The tops of the feet down on the mat press your feet down and then bring your hands right under your shoulders so spreading your fingers wide tuck your elbows towards your body and then as you inhale see if you can press your feet down and without bringing too much weight on your hands start to come to a back bend so you may not come too high And then exhale, Lower down. Good. Keeping your hands soft on the mat, Not pressing down too hard. Inhale to lift. And exhale to lower. Good. Inhale to back bend. And exhale to lower down. Good. Next, Inhale, Tuck your toes, Push up, Table or plank. And then as you exhale, Come to downward facing dog. Pushing your hips up towards the ceiling Your spine is long. Your head is heavy. Bending your knees as much as you need Take a deep breath in. Open your mouth. Sigh it out. Let it go. Good. Inhale. Lift your heels up. Bend your knees. And then exhale. Drop your heels. Good. Two more. Inhale. And exhale, Drop your heels towards the mat. One more like that. Inhale. And exhale. Good. Next, Inhale, Lift your heels, Bend your knees, Look forward. And exhale, Slowly make your way to the top of the mat, Coming to a forward fold. Hands to your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Good. Next inhale, Come all the way up. Reach up, Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Hands to your heart center. Inhale, Retuck. Exhale, Hands to your heart center. Good. Inhale reach all the way up. Exhale fold forward over your thighs. Bring your hands to your shins. Halfway lift. Inhale. Fold forward. That's your palm Step it back to plank. Your knees can be up or you can drop your knees down. Good. Wherever you are, Pull your belly towards your spine. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good. One more inhale. And then as you exhale, Drop your knees. Come all the way down to your belly. Press the tops of the feet down. Tuck your elbows into your body. Inhale to back bend. Exhale to lower. Two more like that, Inhale baby cobra. Exhale to lower down. Last one, Inhale. And exhale. Good. Next, Inhale, Tuck your toes, Push your hips up, Sorry, To tabletop or plank. And then exhale to downward facing dog. Good. Pausing here in down dog, You can stay in stillness, Bending your knees a lot, Or you can walk your dog here, Whatever feels right in your body. Good. Take a deep breath in. Long breath. From here slowly start to walk your hands back towards your feet So coming to a forward fold at the back of your mat this time You're just gonna heel toe heel toe your feet mat distance apart Maybe you allow your toes to fall out off the mat From here, You can come to a squat. So you can come halfway, Maybe bring your elbows onto your thighs. Malasana is part of your practice. You can come to your yogic squat. So coming all the way down, Maybe bringing your palms together, Pressing your elbows towards your knees. And just make sure there's no pain in your knees. So your heels may be lifted here. And if they are, You can bring maybe a folded up blanket or a pillow under your heels. Or if your heels are down, Make sure your knees are comfortable. No pain here. This is A very difficult pose for a lot of us. And so just being really mindful and going as deep as it feels good in our body. And then wherever you are, See if you can soften your shoulders, Soften your jaw. And soften your forehead. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Slowly bring your hands down start to lift your hips up coming back to your forward fold and then heel toe heel toe your feet together Bring your hands to your shins. Inhale, Halfway lift. Exhale, Fold forward. Good. Next inhale. Come all the way up. Reach up. Palms touch overhead. And exhale. Bring your hands to your heart center. Good. Hands to your hips. And you're going to step forward with your left foot. We're just coming to a wide leg stance here. Bringing your toes out heels in. So hands can stay on your hips. And then spread your arms coming to a star shape here. Good. Spread your fingers, Spread your arms, Shoulders soft down your back. But see if you can reach and take up space here. Take a deep breath in. Open up your heart. And exhale to hold. Good. Take a deep breath in. And then exhale. Bring your hands to your heart and to your hips. And then from here, We're going to come to goddess pose. So again, Adjusting your feet if you need to. We want our knees to move towards our toes. When you bend your knees, You want to make sure your knees are moving towards your toes. So you may need to adjust your feet, Making sure there's no pain in your knees. Again, Hands can stay on your hips. You can bring your hands to your heart or you can come to cactus arms. Good. Spread your fingers wide. Open up your heart. Take a deep breath in. Exhale sit down a little bit more now moving with our back inhale to stand up straighten your legs reach your arms up And then exhale, Come back to goddess. Good. Inhale. Stand up. Reach. Maybe you look up. And exhale, Goddess Pose. Good. One more like that. Inhale. And exhale good from here bring your hands to your heart center and then start to straighten your legs you can start by bringing your hands to your hips and we're going to get ready for warrior two so adjust your feet so your left foot is pointing to the short edge of the mat and your right foot is either parallel to the short edge or it's on a slight angle and your toes are pointing forward a little bit. So wherever you are, You have a heel to arch alignment. Heel of the left foot aligned with the arch of the right. And then see if you can turn your shoulders towards the long edge of the mat. Start by having your hands on your hips and start to bend the left knee. So you may want to adjust your stance a little bit. This is probably going to be wider than what you think you can do. You want to make sure your knee isn't going past your ankle. So if it is, You can just adjust your feet. And then look inside your knee. You should be able to see your big toe. If you can't, Move your knee towards your pinky toe side. Good. And shoulders right over your hips. So you can stay here with your hands on your hips or reach your arms front and back. Warrior II. Good. Look over your left fingertip. Soften your gaze. Back leg straight and strong. Think about pressing the outer edge of the right foot to the mat. Make sure your back arm isn't falling out. Your arms are parallel to the mat. Bend your left knee a lot. Good. Now moving with our breath again. As you inhale, Start to straighten your left knee. Reach your arms up, Palms together. And then exhale back to warrior two. Two more like that. Inhale. And warrior two. One more inhale. And warrior two good from here bring your right hand to the back leg and as you inhale reach your left arm up and back coming to peaceful warrior in it. You can look down towards your right foot you can look up if that feels good in your neck good wherever you are bend your left knee a lot take a deep breath in And a long breath out. Good. Come back to warrior two and then start to straighten the front knee. Good. From here, We're moving into Triangle Pose. So maybe you adjust your stance, Walk the back foot in a little bit so you have a shorter stance than Warrior II. From here, Reach your left fingertips forward, Your hips move back. When you can't reach anymore, Bring your hand down either on your shin. You can bring your hand on a block on the inside or outside of your left foot. Your right hand can stay on your hip or you can reach it all the way up. Back leg straight and strong, Pressing your foot down. You can have a slight bend in the front knee if you need to. Being really mindful of how this feels. Your left leg, Hamstring Wherever you are, Stack your shoulders. Maybe look up towards your right thumb. Trikonasana Triangle Pose. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale. Slowly come all the way up. And then from here, You're going to pivot your toes so your toes are pointing to the long edge of the mat. And then maybe widen your stance a little bit. Good. Again, Bring your toes out heels and getting ready for Goddess. So adjusting your stance if you need to. Hands can stay on your hips. As you bend your knees, Sit down into. Your squats. Good. Check your knees. Make sure they're moving towards your toes. Stay here or you can come to cactus arms, Palms facing forward. Open up your heart. Good. Deep breath in. Exhale, Maybe sit down a little bit more. Now moving with our breath. Inhale, Reach. Straighten your legs, Maybe look up. Exhale back to goddess. Two more like that. Inhale. And goddess pose. One more. And exhale good pausing here for a breath or two Deep breath in. Long breath. Good. Bring your hands to your heart. Straighten your knees. We're going to move to Warrior II on the second side. So adjust your feet. Your right foot is pointing to the short edge of the mat. Left foot is either parallel to the short edge or on a slight angle forward. You have a heel to arch alignment. Good. Turn your shoulders to face the long edge and then when you're ready you can start to bend your right knee. Good. Again, Adjust your feet if you need to. Make sure your knee isn't going past your ankle and make sure when you're looking inside you can see your big toe. If not, Just open up your knee a little bit more. Get stay here or you can. Reach your arms front and back. Gaze soft over your right fingertips. Breathing deeply in and out of your nose. Your shoulders are right over your hips. And arms parallel to the mat. Now moving with our breath, Inhale, Straighten your knee, Reach your arms up, Maybe look up. And exhale, Warrior two. Two more like that. Inhale. And warrior two. Good, Last one. And warrior two. Good. Bring your left hand on your left leg. As you inhale, Reach your right arm up and back. Good peaceful warrior you can look back towards your left foot you can look up if that feels good in your neck Front knee still bent, Back leg straight and strong. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Slowly come back to warrior two. And then you're going to start to straighten the front knee. Good. Heel toe, Heel toe, The back foot in. Getting ready for. . . Triangle pose so as you inhale reach your right fingertips forward hips move back when you can't reach anymore Let your hand rest somewhere on your leg on a block. Maybe it comes all the way down to the mat Good. Wherever you are, Stack your shoulders. You can reach your left arm up if that feels good. You can look up towards your thumb. Trikonasana Triangle Pose. Back leg straight and strong. You can have a slight bend in the front knee. Good. Breathing deeply in and out of your nose. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Slowly come all the way back up bring your hands to your hips then come back face your toes towards the long edge of the mat this time bring your heels out and toes in so your pigeon toe it a little bit so your toes are in heels are out and you may want to have a wider stance here You can keep your hands on your hips. As you inhale, Open up your heart, Shoulders down your back. And as you exhale, Hinge from the hips and lean forward. Good. So you can have a slight bend in your knees and you can stay halfway. So maybe it feels good to bring a block and just bring your hands on a block and stay halfway. Or maybe bring your hands down on the mat. And fold all the way down. And for this pose, It actually feels better if you have your feet wider on the mat. It may feel a little bit easier you can walk your hands back between your feet. Wherever you are, Let your head be heavy. See if you can bring your weight closer to your toes a little bit. Just try it out. Being really mindful of how this feels in your hamstrings. Making sure there's no pain or discomfort. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale good from here slowly start to walk your hands towards your left foot And then pivot your foot to face forward. Just coming into a lunge. So hands either side of the left foot. Back knee is lifted. And then drop. Your right knee down. Good. Coming to a low lunge and then step it back to tabletop position. If you didn't follow that, That's okay. Just come to tabletop however you can. Then bring your knees as wide as the mat. Big toes together. Push your hips back. Towards your heels, Coming to child's pose. Good. Allow your forehead to rest on something. Your arms can reach forward or you can reach them back if that feels better. Knees can be wide or together. Just finding. A child's pose here that is restful. After all of those standing poses. Just allowing the mat to support you and let go of. Trying to be strong. Let go of. Trying just be here. Allow yourself to feel supported. Come back to your breath. Soften your gaze, Your jaw, Your forehead. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale. Head slowly. Come onto your hands and knees. Walk your knees forward. Cross your ankles and then come to a seat. So sitting cross leg, If that feels good with your spine tall, You can sit on top of a folded up blanket, A block, A pillow, Just to tilt your hips forward a little bit so you can sit tall. From here we're going to come to seated twists. So starting with your right hand, Bring your right hand behind you. And you can bring your fingertips on the mat, Just tenting your fingers. And use your arm to sit a little bit taller. Bring your left hand to the outside of your right knee. As you inhale, Sit tall. Exhale, Twist from your belly. Good. So you can have a slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long and if it feels good you're looking over your right shoulder. With every inhale your spine gets long. With every exhale, You twist a little bit more. Breathing deeply in and out of your nose. Slowly come back to center and just pause at center for breath or two before moving to the second side Good. When you're ready, Left hand behind you. Tent your fingers and use your arm to sit a little bit taller. Right hand to the outside of your left knee. Good. Inhale to sit tall. Exhale to twist from the belly. You can look over your left shoulder if that feels good. With every inhale your spine gets long. With every exhale you twist just a little bit more. Slowly come back to center and then from here extend your legs long We're going to come to a seated forward fold. Flex your feet a lot. You're pressing your heels away. C'est tall Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. And then exhale, Hinge from the hips and lean forward. So as you lean forward, You may bring a slight bend in your knees. That's okay. As long as you feel the pose in the back, You feel a stretch in the back of your legs, You're doing the pose. So don't worry about your legs being straight. You're trying to keep your spine long. And think about moving the crown of your head towards your toes. So instead of thinking about bringing your forehead to your legs, Think about the crown of your head reaching forward towards your toes. Good. Inhale, Spine gets long. Exhale, Maybe lean a little bit closer to your legs. You can grab whatever is accessible, Your shins, Your ankles. Your feet, Your toes, Maybe you have a strap. Around your feet. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale Slowly start to come all the way up. We'll see. And bring your feet to the mat. Bend your knees and just walk your feet close to you, Giving yourself a hug. Maybe bring your forehead to your knees. And just pause here for a breath or two, Thanking your body for everything it does for you. On and off the mat. Feeling thankful and grateful for your health. Your breath. And for your body. Slowly start to come to your back. So making your way to your back. Move your props away if you need. Then bring your knees into your chest. Just giving yourself a hug, Maybe gently rocking from side to side. Maybe making circles with your knees in one direction and then the other. Good. And then bring your feet to the mat. We're going to come into bridge pose. So you can use a prop here and come to a supported bridge. And I'll show you that. But if you want to move into bridge. Just make sure you're looking straight up so you're not moving your head from side to side when you're in the pose. Walk your feet as close to you as you can or you want. And maybe if you reach with your fingers, You can graze your heels. Your palms on the mat. And then as you inhale, Start to lift your hips up. Your knees move forward, Make sure your thighs are parallel so your knees aren't falling out. Just lifting your hips up. And then when you get there, You can roll your shoulders under, Maybe bringing your arms under you, Maybe clasping your fingertips if that feels good. If you want to move into supported bridge, You can bring a block just under your hips, Making sure the block isn't under your spine. And it can be at any height that feels good. So you can try medium or even high if that feels good. Again, Being really mindful, Not turning your head from side to side, Sure your neck, Your shoulders. Are really comfortable and supported and safe. Just pausing here for a few breaths, Feeling your belly rise as you breathe in. And fall as you breathe out. You can soften your gaze, Soften your jaw. Breathing deeply and then whenever you've had enough, You can remove your block or just gently lower all the way down. Just pausing here. So resist the urge to hug your knees in. And just pause with your lower back rested on the mat. You can bring your hands somewhere on your body, Maybe on your belly, Your right hand on your belly, Left hand on your heart. And just feel your body expand as you breathe in. And soften as you breathe out. Good. Bring your feet mat distance apart. Your arms to a T. And then just gently rock your knees from side to side. Good. And as you do this, You can turn your head towards the opposite side. Just moving really slowly with your breath. If you like, You can pause on one side for a few breaths, Coming to a twist. Or you can just move if that's what your body needs. Keep going for a few more breaths here And then when you're ready, Coming back to center, Hug your knees into your chest. Good. You can bring your forehead to your knees, Curling up into a tight little wall. You can rock from side to side. Now we're going to get ready for our final posture, Shavasana. So if there's any other posture that your body needs before that, Take that now. And then finding your way into your final resting pose. Shavasana. You can. . . Bring a bolster under your knees. You can extend your legs long. You can have your knees bent. You can bring a pillow or a folded up blanket on your head if that feels good. Wherever you are, Arms by your side, Palms face up, Fingers gently curled in. Let your hips and your shoulders be heavy and grounded. Your head gently resting. Soften your jaw. Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of the mouth. Soften the muscles of the face. Soften your eyelids and close your eyes. And then slowly scan your body from the crown of your head all the way down to your toes. And just notice if there's any part of your body that you're holding on to that you can soften and let go of. Just a little bit more. Allow your body to breathe naturally and take in the effects of your practice. You Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more, Just like that. Deep inhale. And full and complete exhale let it go and slowly start to bring some movement back to your body. Moving your fingers, Your toes. Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side. When you're ready, Bend one knee and then the other. Roll onto your right side in the 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. Good. When you're ready, 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. Bring your hands by your side. Inhale, Reach all the way up. Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Hands to your heart center and bow your head to your hands. And thank yourself for coming to your mat today, For spending this time for yourself, 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. And thumbs to your heart center, May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.