Grounded and Strong — Warrior Flow

Warriors demand something from you, stability underfoot, length in the spine, power through the legs, and this class delivers a sequence that builds exactly that. We move through Warrior I, II, and III linked by breath, with enough time in each shape to feel the pose rather than just pass through it.
This is a flow class with a backbone. Expect clear alignment cues, transitions that make sense in your body, and a consistent rhythm from warm-up through cool-down. No prior experience needed, though familiarity with basic standing poses will help you settle in faster.
Good for: building leg strength, improving hip stability, and finding focus on days when you need to land in your body.

Transcript

Finding your seat, Sitting tall. Neck straight, Chin parallel to the mat. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good. And just bring your hands somewhere on your legs or on your lap. Soften your shoulders down your back. And start to bring your awareness to your breath, Noticing. How your breath feels today. If it's fast or slow, Deep or shallow. Quiet or loud. Then take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth and slowly quietly sigh it out. Let it go. Two more just like that. Deep inhale through your nose. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. And last one deep inhale And exhale, Let it go through the mouth. And continue breathing deeply in and out of your nose if that feels good. And bring your awareness to your body. Just notice. How your body feels today. 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. Just being mindful of that. Anything I say during practice doesn't feel right for you. Please don't do it Always listening to your body. And doing what feels right. Bring your hands by your side. As you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center. Bow your head to your hands. And think of one thing that you're grateful for this morning. Inhale, Reach up. Exhale hands to your heart. One more inhale. And exhale. Good. From here, We're coming into a twist. Left hand behind you. Tent your fingers. Use your arm to sit a little bit taller. Right hand to the outside of your knee. Inhale to sit tall. Then exhale, Twist from your belly. Good, With every inhale spying gets long. With every exhale you twist a little bit more. Maybe look over your left shoulder. Maybe tuck your chin just a little bit to lengthen your neck. Deep breath in. And exhale, Twist. Slowly come back to center and switch sides. Tent your right fingers behind you. Use your arm to sit tall. Left hand to the outside of your knee. Inhale to sit taller. Exhale, Twist from your belly. Good inhale sit tall. And exhale to twist. Look over. Your right shoulder if that feels good. Deep breath in, Sit a little bit taller. And exhale, Twist a little bit more. Good. And then come back to center. Bring your hands on your knees or somewhere on your leg if that feels good. Now we're just going to start making circles with our upper body. So just choose one direction. Start to make circles. You can move your shoulders forward. Any movement that feels good starting to make big circles with Your upper body, You can round your back as you move back. And open up your heart forward as you move forward to it. It's really exaggerating. Movements here. And then switching sides, Rotating the opposite direction. Good. Rounding your back as you move back. And then come back to a seat and then from here just drop your chin towards your chest so feeling this lengthening of your neck Making sure there's no pain. Just feeling your head. Get heavy. And feeling the stretch in the back of your neck. It. And then moving towards the opposite direction. So think about moving your nose towards the ceiling. Chin lifts up. Then shoulders down your back. So make sure your shoulders aren't creeping up. So feel this nice stretch in the front of your neck. Good, And then moving slowly between these two. So slowly bring your chin back to your chest. And then make a line with your nose towards the ceiling. Feel the stripes in the front of your neck. One more. Inhale. And lift your head up, Look up. Then come back to center slowly drop your right ear towards your right shoulder again keeping your shoulders down Feeling the stretch on the left side of your neck. If you want a little bit more you can bring your left fingertips on the mat by your side. Just walk them back just a little bit. You can drop your chin a little bit. And then lift it up, Just moving really slowly and mindfully, Noticing the stretch. On the left side of your neck. Then come back to center and switching sides so drop the left ear towards the left shoulder again softening your shoulders down your back And if you want a little bit more, You can bring your right fingertips on the map by your side or just walk them back a little bit. Again maybe dropping your chin, Lifting it up. Feeling the stretch on the right side of your neck. And slowly come back to center. We're just going to roll onto our hands and knees coming to a tabletop position. So finding tabletop. Spread your fingers wide, Wrists under your shoulders, Knees right underneath your hips. You can keep your toes tucked or come to the tops of the feet. Looking straight down so the back of your neck is long. Pull your belly towards your spine. Tabletop pose. Moving through some cat-cows. Inhale to drop your belly. Open up your heart. Look up. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. Exhale, Round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. One more. Inhale to cow pose. And exhale to cat. Good. Come back to center. Bring your knees as wide as the mat. Big toes together. Push your hips back towards your heels. Coming to Child's Pose. So keeping Child's Pose active. So spreading your fingers wide. Pressing your hands and fingertips to the mat. Elbows are lifted. But see if you can soften your shoulders and allow your forehead to rest. Either on the mat or on a block. Actively pressing your hips back towards your heels. They're not necessarily touching. They're just moving back. Lengthen your spine with the next inhale. And then exhale, Push yourself back a little bit more. Good. Inhale. Feel your body expand. And exhale, See if you can melt a little bit closer towards the mat. And slowly come onto your hands and knees. Tabletop position. Walk your hands forward. Tuck your toes under. Push your hips up and back. Downward facing dog. Good. First down dog of the practice. It may feel good to bend one knee and then the other. Walking your dog, Maybe rocking your hips from side to side. Maybe walking your feet wider and closer. Good. Then come to stillness. So bend your knees a lot. Let your head hang heavy. Maybe nod your head yes. Shake your head no. Actively pushing your hips up towards your ceiling. And your heels down towards the mat. Again, They're not um necessarily touching the mat but just moving down good take a deep breath in Open your mouth, Sigh it out. One more like that. Inhale. And exhale, Sigh it out. From here, Slowly walk your hands back. Towards your feet, Coming to a forward fold at the back of your mat. So here, Bend your knees a lot. You can walk your feet hip distance apart or wider if you need to and just hang over your legs. Bringing your belly onto your thighs. Your fingertips can stay on the mat. You can bring your hands on blocks. You can grab opposite elbows. You can stay in stillness or maybe start to bend one knee and then the other just gently. Um rocking from side to side so here Upper body is hanging forward, Allowing gravity to pull your head down. Maybe you nod your head yes, Shake your head no. You should feel a really good release in your upper back. And lower back. See if you can bring your weight maybe closer to the front of your feet. And then move it back, Good. Bring your hands to your shins. Inhale. Lengthen your spine. Halfway lift. Exhale, Fold forward over your thighs. Two more like that. Inhale, Halfway lift. Exhale to fold. One more inhale. And exhale. Okay, Next inhale, Come all the way up, Reach out, Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Hands to your heart center. Good. Standing tall in mountain pose at the back of your mat. So grounding your feet down. Maybe lift your toes up. Just notice how that feels in the bottom of your feet. And then holding on to that feeling. Slowly bring your toes back down. Inhale. Roll your shoulders up towards your ears. Down your back. Open up your heart. Good. Pull your belly towards your spine, Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long. Pausing here. Good. Inhale to reach up. Exhale, Hands to your heart. Inhale, Reach up. Exhale 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. Inhale, Reach. Exhale forward. Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale good from here you're just going to heel toe heel toe your feet mat distance apart and allow your toes to spill off the mat so just having your toes out and your heels in we're going to come into a squat So you can start to bend your knees and you may stay halfway here and bring your elbows onto your thighs if this is enough. If yogic squat is part of your practice, You can go into malasana. So just sitting all the way down and maybe bringing your palms together to heart center and pushing your knees away with your elbows. Just make sure there's no pain in your knees, In your ankles. And then wherever you are, Whether in Malasana or halfway, Think about lengthening your spine. Think about your spine getting longer. And your shoulders getting soft. Good. Deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good. One more inhale. And then as you exhale, You're going to start to straighten your legs, Coming to a forward fold. Heel toe, Heel toe your feet back in, Coming to hip distance. Pass your shins halfway lift. And exhale to fold. Good. Inhale. Come all the way up. Reach up. Palms touch overhead. And exhale. Hands to your heart center. Good. Bring your hands to your hips. And from here, Step the right foot forward. Step the left foot forward. And we're getting ready for warrior one. So left foot forward, Toes pointing towards. The top of your mat right foot is on a slight angle pointing towards the top right corner of the mat and then with your hands on your hips think about moving your right hip forward left hip back And make sure your right heel is down on the mat. If it's not, If it's lifting, Just adjust your feet, Walk your foot a little bit closer so you can ground your back heel. Good. Your shoulders are facing the short edge of the mat. From here, Start to bend your left knee. And then as you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up, Warrior one. Good. Shoulders are right over your hips. And the front knee is right over your ankle. So make sure it's not moving past your ankle. Right knee is stacked over your ankle. Good. And then again, Think about moving the right hip forward, Left hip back. Pull your belly towards your spine. Good. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Good. It may feel good to look up. Maybe come to a gentle back bend here. Being really mindful of how this feels in your lower back. Back leg is straight and strong. Think about pressing the outer edge of your right foot to the mat. Deep breath in. As you exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center. Good. From here, Start to straighten the front knee and we're moving into pyramid pose. So inhale, Open up your heart, Maybe come to a back bend, Look up. As you exhale, Hinging from the hips, Lean forward. Good. You can keep your hands at heart center. You can bring your hands to your hips. Or you can bring your hands all the way down, Folding over your left leg. And as you fold forward, You may notice that you need to bend your knee a little bit. That's okay. Wherever you are, Think about moving the right hip forward, Left hip back. So hands can come to the mat. They can come to blocks. You can grab your left ankle, Your shin. Now with every inhale, Think about your spine getting longer. With every exhale, Think about folding over your left leg. Back leg is still straight and strong, Pressing. The right foot to the mat. Inhale, Lengthen your spine. And exhale, Fold forward over your leg. Good. Slowly, Come all the way up. Bring your hands to your hips. And then bend your knee coming to warrior one again. Deep breath in. And long breath out good from here bring your hands behind you interlace your fingers and then push your knuckles down your back leg If this doesn't feel good in your shoulders you can always bring your hands to your back, Grab opposite elbows. Good. Wherever you are, Inhale, Open up your heart. As you exhale, Hinge from the hips, Lean forward, And you're bringing your left shoulder towards the inside of your left knee, Coming to Humble Warrior. Good, Let your head hang heavy. Think about moving the left hip back, Right hip forward. Good. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Good, One more inhale and exhale slowly let go of the clasp of your hand bring your hands to either side of the front foot and then pivot onto the back toes so coming into a lunge with the back knee lifted You may need to adjust your feet walking the back foot back a little bit, But check your front knee. Make sure it's still over your ankle. Plant your right palm. We're coming into a twist. So as you inhale, Twist towards the left side, Left hand to your hip, Or you can reach it all the way up. Stacking your shoulders. You can look up towards your thumb if that feels good in your neck. Check your front knee. It wants to move away from you. See if you can bring it towards your body. Deep breath in. Long breath. Good. One more inhale. And exhale hands down either side of the thin foot. From here, You're going to drop the back heel. This time getting ready for warrior two. So you have a heel to arch alignment. Back foot is either parallel to the short edge of the mat or is on a slight angle facing forward. Now when you're ready, You're going to windmill your arms all the way up coming to warrior two. Good. Adjust your stance if you need to. You can walk your feet further apart. And then check your front knee. You should be able to see your big toe inside your knee. If not, Just move your knee towards your pinky toe side. Good. Arms reach front and back. Your gaze is soft. Over your left fingertip. Good, Moving with our breath. As you inhale, Straighten your knee, Reach your arms all the way up. And then exhale warrior two Good. Inhale to reach up. Exhale, Warrior II. One more. And exhale. Good. From here, Right hand to the right knee, Right leg. And then as you inhale, Reach the left arm up and back. Coming to peaceful warrior here. Good. Deep breath in. And long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale. Good. Slowly start to straighten the front knee. Good. Keep reaching your left fingertips back. And then from here, Bring your arms parallel to the mat. Reach your left fingertips forward, Hips move back. And then coming to Trikonasana triangle pose. Good. Stack your shoulders. Look up towards your thumb if that feels good. Front leg is straight, But you can have a slight bend in the knee. Be really mindful of how this feels in your hamstring. Make sure you're not pressing your knee back with your hand. Your left hand can be on your shin, On your ankle, All the way to the mat or on a block. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Good. One more inhale. And exhale hands down either side of the front foot and then from here you're just going to walk your hands forward pivoting your left toes towards the long edge of the mat And coming to a forward fold, Wide leg forward fold. So make sure your heels are out, Toes are in. Inhale lengthen your spine. And exhale hinge from the hip. Get it so you may stay here halfway that's okay you can have your hands on block If you want a little bit more you can start to walk your hands back between your feet. Letting your head hang heavy. Maybe experimenting with bringing your weight forward towards. . . Your toes. Bend your knees as much as you need. Deep breath in. And long breath out. Okay, One more inhale. And exhale. Good. Walk your hands forward. If they're not there already, Inhale, Halfway lift. And exhale, Slowly bring your hands to your hips. Come all the way up to standing. Good. From here, We're going to pivot the right toes towards the back edge of the mat. And then adjust your feet, Getting ready for warrior one on this side. See if I can remember all of that on this side now. So right foot pointing towards the short edge of the mat. Left foot pointing towards the top left corner of the mat on the side. And then think about moving the right hip back, Left hip forward. You can keep your hands on your hips and then start to bend the front knee. Your feet if you need to. Make sure your knee isn't going past your ankle. So if it is, Just adjust your feet, Walking your feet wider apart. And then from here, Shoulders facing the short edge of the mat. Inhale, Reach all the way up, Warrior one. Shoulders stacked right over your hip. Belly to spine. Maybe look up and come to an easy back bend here. Good. Back foot is pressing down, Back leg straight and strong. Deep breath in. And exhale, Hands to your heart center. Start to straighten the front knee. And then maybe adjust your feet, Walking your feet a little bit closer, Getting ready for Pyramid Pose. You can start with your hands on your hips or at heart center. Inhale, Open up your heart, Maybe look up. Exhale, Hinge from the hips. Lean forward. Good, You can stay halfway, Bring your hands to a block. You can bring your hands all the way down or somewhere on your right leg. Wherever you are, Think about moving the right hip back, Left hip forward. Your right knee is straight, But you can have a slight bend depending on how this feels in your right hamstring. Back leg straight and strong, Pressing the left heel down. With every inhale your spine gets long. With every exhale, You lean a little bit closer to your right leg. Good deep breath in. And long breath out. From here, Slowly come all the way up. Bring your hands to your hips. And then we're gonna bend the front knee and coming back to warrior one. So reach your arms all the way up. Good. Deep breath in. As you exhale, Bring your hands behind you. Interlace your fingers and see if you can cast them the opposite direction. So the thumb that feels weird is on the top now. Get your shoulders rolled down your back. Deep breath in here. And then as you exhale, Hinge from the hips, Lean forward, Bringing your right shoulder to the inside of your right knee. Get. You can let your head hang heavy. Now think about moving the right hip back again. Good deep breath in. Long breath out, Humble warrior. Good. One more inhale. And then exhale slowly. Let go of the clasp of your hands. Bring your hands to either side of your right foot. And then pivot onto the back toes. Good. You can walk your back foot back a little bit. Coming into your lunge. Check the front knee. Make sure it's right over your ankle. And then coming up to our twist. So plant the left palm down. As you inhale, Twist towards the right side. Reaching your right arm all the way up. Good. Stacking your shoulders. Maybe look up towards your thumb if that feels good. Check the front knee. Make sure it's still over your ankle and moving towards your body. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more like that. And exhale all the air out. Good. Slowly bring your hands down. Hands either side of the front foot. And then we're going to drop the back heel. So getting ready for warrior two on this side. Adjust your feet first. You have a heel to arch alignment. Front knee is bent when you're ready. You're going to windmill your arms all the way up. Warrior two on the second side good check the front knee make sure it's over your ankle and if you look inside you should be able to see your big toe Okay, Soft. Over your right fingertips, Palms facing down, Shoulders down your back. Good. Now moving with our breath. As you inhale, Straighten your knee, Reach your arms up. Exhale, Warrior two. Inhale to reach out. Exhale, Warrior two. One more inhale. And exhale good left hand to the left leg inhale reach all the way up and back with your right hand peaceful warrior front knee still bent back leg straight and strong think about pressing the outer edge of the left foot to the mat Good, Slowly start to straighten the front knee and then reach your right fingertips back a little bit more. And then slowly moving into Trikonasana. So maybe adjust your feet walking the back foot in a little bit. Reach your right fingertips forward when you can't reach anymore. Drop your hand down somewhere on your leg, Maybe on a block on the inside or outside of your foot. Good. Both legs are straight but you can have a slight bend in the front knee if you need to, In the right knee. Good. Left hand can stay on your hip or you can reach it all the way up. Stacking your shoulders. Maybe look up towards your thumb if that feels good. Deep breath in. Long breath. Good, One more inhale. And exhale. This time slowly come all the way up. Bring your hands to your hips, Pivot your feet so they're facing the long edge of the mat. And then heels out, Toes in. We're coming to our back bend again. So you can keep your hands on your hips. You can bring your hands to your heart. Or you can bring your hands behind you. Interlace your fingers. And then roll your shoulders down your back. Inhale to open up your heart. And then exhale, Hinge from the hips, Lean forward. You can stay halfway and you can go all the way down, Letting your head hang heavy. Your knuckles moving up towards the ceiling. If you widen your stance here this is a little bit easier. Bending your knees as much as you need, Making sure there's no pain. In the back of your legs, In your lower back. Your shoulders. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale and exhale. Get slowly. Let go of your hands. Bring your hands down and then walk your hands towards your left foot. Pivot your foot towards the short edge of the mat. Coming back to your lunge with your left foot forward. Plant your palms. Step it back to plank. And then push back, Downward facing dog. Bend your knees a lot. Pausing here in down dog, Notice how this down dog feels compared to the first one. Deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth, Sigh it out, Let it go. Good. Slowly walk your hands back. Towards your feet, Coming to a forward fold at the back of your mat. Hands to your chins. Halfway lift. Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Inhale, Come all the way up. Reach up. Palms touch. Overhead. And exhale, Hands to heart center. Get signing tall and mountain. At the back of your mat. Notice your breath. Notice how your body feels. Notice. Your mind, Your thoughts. Inhale, Reach all the way up. Exhale, Hands to your heart. Inhale to reach out. Exhale, Fold forward over your thigh. Enhance your shins. Halfway lift. Inhale. Fold forward. Exhale. Good. Heel toe. Heel toe your feet. Mat distance apart and then allow your toes to fall out we're going to come back to our squat so if you want you can come halfway bring your elbows on your thighs and stay here if you want to come all the way down to yogic squat you can Bring your palms together and elbows pressing your knees out again making sure there's no pain Anywhere in your knees your lower back If your heels are lifted, You can bring a folded up blanket or you can roll up your mat under your heels just to bring the ground up to you. Over time your body will open up. And you can bring your heels all the way down. Good inhale, Lengthen your spine. And exhale to soften. If you're in Malasana, Slowly bring your hands behind you. Come to a seat. If you're. . . In the halfway squat, You can come all the way down, Coming to a seat with your legs extended long. Just sitting here, Flex your feet. Sitting tall. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. From here bring your hands by your side bend your knees bring your feet mat distance apart and then gently windshield wiper your knees from side to side Good. And then make your way all the way down. To your back. Good. Hug your knees into your chest. And gently rocking from side to side, Massaging your back. Maybe making circles with your knees in one direction. And then the other. And bring your feet down. On the mat, Keeping your knees bent, Bring your hands to rest gently somewhere on your body. With your next inhale feel your body expand. With the next exhale, See if you can soften and let go of something you're holding on to. Good, Getting ready for a twist. So you can bring your hands, Arms to a T. Palms face down if that helps ground your shoulders. And then if you want to bend across your legs, Cross the left leg over the right. Lift your hips up towards the left side and let your knees fall towards the right side. So if crossing your legs doesn't feel good, You can just stack your knees and let your knees fall towards the right. Good. If it feels good in your neck, You can turn your head towards the left side. Wherever you are, See if you can really ground your shoulders on the mat. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good. And just breathe here. And slowly come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed and just pause here. Maybe lift your hips up and ground your lower back and just notice how this feels. Then moving on to the second side cross your right leg over the left lift your hips up towards the right side Let your knees fall towards the left. Maybe on this side, Crossing your legs doesn't feel good. So you can stack your knees and allow them to fall towards the left. Maybe turn your head to the right side. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Slowly come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed. Bring your feet down. And then bring the soles of the feet together and let your knees fall out So here, It may feel good to bring blocks or pillows or any props under your thighs to just allow your legs to rest on something if they're not reaching the ground. And bring your hands. On your body so either on your belly you can bring your right hand to your belly left hand to your heart And just pause here in Supte Baddha Konasana. Recline butterfly, Ground your shoulders, Soften your gaze, Close your eyes. And then notice if as we're coming towards the end of our practice. As we're slowing down We're getting quiet. If your mind is starting to wander. Notice if you're starting to think about the rest of your day, Your to-do list. And if you are. . . Know that that's completely normal. And see if you can allow yourself to be here in this moment for a few more minutes. With your breath. Follow the next inhale as it enters your nostrils. Fills your body up, Feel your hands rise with your body expanding. And then feel the air move out of your body. Notice if. Air moving out of your nostrils a little bit warmer than when it went in. One more inhale like that deep breath in Long breath out. We're going to get ready for Shavasana. You may choose to. . . Stay here for Shavasana and Sukta Panakanasana. Or you may Feel the need to make adjustments or get more comfortable. So grab anything you need, Any props, Layers. Make any adjustments to get really comfortable and settled. Let your hips, Your shoulders be heavy. Bring your hands by your side, Palms face up, Fingers gently curled in. Soften your jaw. Allow the tongue to fall away from the roof of the mouth. Soften the muscles of the face. Highlights. Allow your eyes to close gently. Then scan your body from the crown of your head all the way down to your fingers and your toes. Notice if there's any part of your body that you can soften and let go of. Just a little bit more. Then allow your body to rest here and breathe naturally and take in the effects of your practice. You Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more like that, Deep inhale full and complete exhale let it go Slowly start to bring some movement back to your body. Wiggling your fingers and your toes. Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side. And when you're ready, Bend one knee and then the other. And then roll onto your right side in the fetal position. Using your bottom arm as a pillow. When you're ready, Slowly push yourself up to a comfortable seat, Sitting with your spine tall, Your neck straight, Chin parallel to the mat. Right where we started Sitting tall. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good. Bring your hands by your side inhale reach all the way up palms touch overhead And exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center, 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.