Low and Slow — A Gentle Floor Flow

This 45-minute class is mostly low to the ground, with gentle movement that's accessible whether you're new to yoga or just want to take it easy. We'll flow through floor-based shapes that open the hips, soften the spine, and let the body unwind at an unhurried pace. A bolster and blocks are helpful if you have them, but not required.

Transcript

Finding a comfortable seat on your mat. Sitting tall. Find straight. Chin parallel to the mat. Allow your shoulders to roll down your back and your hands to rest. Somewhere gently on your legs or on your lap. And soften your gaze. At a spot in front of you or close your eyes if that feels comfortable. And begin to arrive here. Allowing any thoughts. Two. Stay aside for now. And starting to bring your awareness to your breath. Just noticing how your breath feels. Without trying to change it. Just noticing. If you're breathing fast or slow, Deep or shallow. If you're breathing through your nose or your mouth or both. Your breath is quiet or loud. Just noticing. Taking a few cleansing breaths here together, Take a deep breath in through your nose. And then open your mouth and slowly, Quietly sigh it out, Let it go. Two more just like that, Deep inhale through your nose. And exhale slowly through the mouth. Let it go. Last one, Deep breath in. And exhale through the mouth, Sigh it out quietly, Slowly. Let it go. And then continue breathing deeply in and out of your nose if that feels comfortable for you. And as you breathe here, Bring your awareness to your body. Just noticing 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 being mindful of that. 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. Bring your hands by your side, Inhale, Reach all the way up, Palms touch overhead. As you exhale, Bring your hands to your heart and bow your head to your hands. And just think of one thing that you're grateful for today. Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. Exhale, Bring your hands to your heart. One more inhale. And exhale. Good. Left hand by your side. Inhale, Reach all the way up with your right hand and reach your right fingertips towards the left side and see if you can ground your hips. And feel the stretch from your right hip all the way to your right fingertips. Soften your shoulders, Deep breath in. As you exhale, Maybe lean a little bit back. Good, Next inhale, Come all the way up and switch sides. So right hand by your side. As you inhale, Reach your left arm up and over to the right. Grounding your hip. Feeling the stretch on the left side of your body. Breathing deeply. And as you exhale, Maybe lean a little bit more. Good, Slowly come all the way back up. And then pause at center. Inhale, Reach your shoulders up towards your ears. And then exhale, Let them drop down your back. Two more, Inhale. And exhale, Shoulders down your back. One more. And exhale. Good. Coming to a twist. Left hand behind you. Tent your fingers and use your arm. To sit a little bit taller. Bring your right hand to the outside of your left leg. As you inhale, Sit tall. And as you exhale, Twist from your belly. Good so you can look over your left shoulder if that feels good in your neck You can tuck your chin a little bit to lengthen your neck. Inhale to sit tall. Exhale to twist. Slowly come back to center, Switch sides. Right hand behind you, Tent your fingers. Use your arms to sit a little bit taller. Bring your left hand to the outside of your right leg. Inhale to sit taller and exhale twist. You can look over your right shoulder if that feels good in your neck. You can slightly tuck your chin a little bit. Inhale. To sit tall. And exhale, Twist just a little bit more. Good, Slowly come back to center and then pause here. Slowly come to your hands and knees tabletop position moving really slowly, Gently, Mindfully. Spread your fingers wide. Your wrists on your shoulders, Knees right underneath your hips. You can come to the tops of the feet or you can tuck your toes if that feels better in your knees. Looking straight down so the back of your neck is long, Pull your belly towards your spine. Tabletop pose. Good, Moving with our breath, As you inhale, 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 to round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Good, Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up, Cow pose. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Cat pose. Two more just like that, Inhale. And exhale. Last one, Inhale. And exhale. Okay come back to center from here extend your right leg long keeping your toes on the mat to start to start to rock back and forth a few times I have. Just flexing and pointing your foot. That feeling. . . This stretch in your ankle, The back of your right leg. Maybe in your wrists, In your shoulders. Just moving really slowly, Mindfully. Good, Come back to center. And then from here, You can stay here or you can flex your foot and lift your heel up just to the level of your hip. Your toes pointing straight down. Again, Stay here, Or if you like, You can extend the left arm forward, Pressing your right palm down, And then pull your left shoulder away from your ear. Good. Balancing table. Pull your belly towards your spine. You're still looking straight down. Reach your heel back, Your fingertips forward. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. You can stay here or if you like you can start to bend the right knee. Then maybe reach back with your left arm and grab your foot. If this isn't accessible for you, That's completely okay. It's the same balancing table. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. Exhale slowly bring everything back down coming to tabletop position Good from here bring your knees as wide as the mat big toes together Push your hips back towards your heels coming to child's pose Keep reaching your arms forward. Allow your head to rest. Forehead either on the mat or on a block. Good. Feeling the stretch on the sides of your body. And allowing your hips to really move back towards your heels. They're not necessarily touching. On your next inhale, Feel your body expand. And then as you exhale, See if you can soften and let go and melt a little bit closer to the mat. Deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. And slowly come back to tabletop. Knees under your hips, Wrists under your shoulders, Spread your fingers wide. As you inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up, Cow pose. Exhale to round your back. Tuck your tail, Cat pose. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart. Exhale to round your back, Touch your tail. One more inhale. And exhale, Round your back. Okay, Come back to tabletop. And then from here, Extend the left leg back, Keeping the toes on the mat to start. And start to rock back and forth. A few times just moving really slowly and gently noticing how this feels in your ankle in the back of your left leg, In your shoulders, In your wrists. Good, Then coming back to center, And then you can stay here with your toes on the mat, Or if you like, You can flex your foot, Lift your heel up just to the level of your hip. Good. Again, Stay here or press your left palm down, Extend your right arm forward and then pull your shoulder away from your ear. Balancing table, Belly to spine, Looking straight down. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Good, Stay here, Or if you like, Start to bend the left knee, And then reach back with your left hand and grab your foot. Good, So this side may feel different. And you may be able to reach your foot or not. Breathing deeply, Balancing here. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Slowly let go of your foot if you're holding it bring everything back down coming to tabletop position Good walk your knees as wide as the mat big toes together And then push your hips back towards your heels coming to child's pose keeping your child's pose active So pressing your fingers on the mat. Your elbows are probably lifted, But allow your head and your shoulders to be heavy and soft. Shoulders away from your ears. Forehead resting on the mat or on a block. Actively pushing your hips back towards your heels. Deep breath in. Exhale, All the air out. Okay, From here, Start to walk your hands towards the right side of the mat. Maybe your hands fall off the mat. Maybe you bring your left palm on top of the right. Coming into the stretch on the left side of your body. And then see if you can press your hands down and push your hips back, Especially your left hip moving towards your heels. Good. Allow your head to rest. Again, On the mat or on a block. Shoulders soft. Deep breath in. Exhale soften and let go Slowly start to walk your hands back to center and all the way towards the left side. Maybe bringing your right hand over the left. Again, Allowing your head to be heavy, Shoulders away from your ears, And then actively pushing your hips back towards your heels. Feeling the stretch on the right side of your body. Good, Slowly come back to center. And then from here, You're gonna cross the left arm under the right. So staying in child's pose, Crossing the left arm under the right. And maybe you need to lift your hips up a little bit for this. And then bringing your left shoulder, Left side of the head on the mat. So this should feel really good in your shoulder. So if there's any pain or discomfort, Just come back to child's pose or try to lift your hips up a little bit. This may feel a little bit better. Good, You can keep your right arm extended in front. You can bring your hand to your lower back, Palm facing up, Or you can bring your right palm on top of the left and just gently press it away from you. Good. Again this should feel really good. New shoulder. Make sure there's no pain or discomfort, Especially in your neck. Deep breath in. Exhale, Soften and let go. It slowly come back to center and we're just going to switch sides from here so starting from child's pose crossing your right arm under the left Get it. Bringing your right shoulder on the mat, Maybe lifting your hips up just a little bit. You can stay here with your left hand in front of you. You can bring your left hand on your lower back, Palm faces up. Or you can bring your left palm on top of the right and just gently press it away. Yeah, Deepening the stretch in your shoulder. Breathing deeply. Good, Slowly bring your hands back to center, Coming to child's pose. And slowly push up to tabletop. Knees under your hips, Wrists under your shoulders, Walk your hands forward, Tuck your toes under, And push your hips up and back, Downward facing dog. Good, So first downward dog of our practice. You may choose to stay in stillness or maybe bend one knee and then the other, Walking your dog. Good. Spreading your fingers wide, Shoulders away from your ears, Letting your head be heavy. And then coming to stillness, You can bend your knees a lot. Pushing your hips up towards the ceiling, Allowing your spine to be long. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good, One more inhale. And exhale. And from here, Start to walk your feet forward and wider on the mat. So maybe your feet come back distance apart. So you're in a shorter downward dog and your heels are touching the mat. So walk your feet as close to your hands as you need to bring your heels down. And you can have your knees bent as much as you need or start to straighten your legs. Just noticing how this feels in the back of your legs. Good. Keeping your spine long, Your head heavy. Palms pressing down on the mat, Shoulders away from your ears. Good. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good, Slowly walk your hands back towards your feet. So you're in a wide leg forward fold. And then from here, Start to bring your toes out so your toes may spill off the mat. We're going to come into a squat from here. So you're going to start to bend your knees and maybe you stay halfway, Bringing your elbows on your thighs. If this is enough, You can stay here. If you want to go into Malasana, Your yogic squat, You can start to come to your squat, Maybe bringing your palms together, Hands at heart center. Pressing your knees out with your elbows and just making sure that your knees are are moving towards your toes. So you may want to adjust your feet if you need to make sure your knees are moving the same way as your toes. Making sure there's no pain, Especially in your knees, In your ankles. If your heels are lifted, You may want to fold up your mat or bring a blanket under your heels just to bring the ground up to you. Good, Wherever you are, Lengthen your spine with the next inhale. And soften anything you don't need to hold on to. Let go as you exhale. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Good, One more inhale. And exhale slowly wherever you are set to come back to your forward fold and walk your feet close together so heel toe heel toe your feet together coming to a forward fold bring your hands to your shins halfway lift inhale Fold forward as you exhale. Good, Two more like that. Hands to your shins, Halfway lift. Inhale, Lengthen your spine. And then exhale to fold forward, Bend your knees a lot. Good. One more inhale. And exhale, Fold forward over your thighs. Good, Bring your hands to the mat. Walk your hands forward, Walk your feet back, Coming back to downward facing dog. Good, Bend your knees a lot, Push your hips up towards the ceiling. Deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good. Bring your knees back down on the mat. Coming back to tabletop position. From here, Step the right foot forward. So coming into a low lunge. So left knee is on the mat. You can keep the top of the foot on the mat or tuck your toes if that feels better in your knees. You may want to pad your knees, Bringing a blanket or folding up your mat. Good, So check your front knee, Make sure it's right over your ankle. You can stay here with your hands on either side of your foot. You can bring your hands to two blocks on either side of the foot. You can bring your hands on top of your thigh. Or if you like, As you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. Good, And then soften your shoulders down your back. Pull your belly towards your spine. Shoulders stacked right over your hips if your arms are raised. Good. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale, Bring your hands down either side of the front foot. Now moving with our breath, As you inhale, You're going to pull your hips back, Straighten the front knee. Flex your foot so your toes are pointing up, And then lean towards your leg. Exhale to come back to your lunge. Good, Two more like that. Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your legs. Flex your foot, Lean forward. Exhale, Back to your lunge. Last one, Inhale. And exhale. Good. Bring your left palm on the mat, And we're gonna come into a twist. So you can keep the back knee on the mat, Or if you like, Touch your toes, And then lift your knee up, Then twist towards the right side. Good, So right hand can stay on your hip. Or you can reach it all the way up, Stacking your shoulders. And then check the front knee. Your knee wants to move away from your body. See if you can move it towards you. Maybe look up towards your thumb if that feels good. If your back knee is lifted, Press your left heel back. Good, Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good. One more inhale. Exhale hands down either side of the front foot drop the back knee and then from here you're going to heel toe heel toe the right foot towards the left side so we're going to come into pigeon pose you're going to drop the right knee coming into pigeon So try to keep your right foot flexed to protect your knee. And you can tuck the back toes, Walk your knee back a little bit. So if Pigeon Pose is not part of your practice, You can come to your back and take figure four. If you have a block or a block, A pillow, You can bring your prop under your right hip just so you can allow your thigh and your hip to rest on something so you don't have to hold yourself up. Good. Staying up, Bring your hands off the mat. Tense your fingers. Good. Lengthen your spine as you inhale. Then as you exhale, Start to bend your elbows towards the sides and lean forward. Inhale to come all the way up. Exhale to bend your elbows and lean forward. One more like that, Inhale. And exhale, Lean forward. Good. Inhale, Come all the way up. And then you can stay here, Or if you like, You can walk your hands forward, Coming to your version of pigeon pose. So you can come to your elbows, You can reach your arms forward, Come all the way down. You can bring your forehead down on the mat or on a block. Whatever pigeon pose looks like for you, You can take that. Good. And as you breathe here, Just notice where you feel the pose. And see if you can visualize your breath moving to that area in your body. And as you exhale, Softening and letting go. Notice if there's any part of your body that you're holding on to that you can soften and let go of. Maybe. . . It's your jaw, Maybe it's your forehead. Maybe you notice that you're pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth or your teeth. See if you can solve and then let go. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Good, You can stay here, Or if you like, You can come back up and start to bend the back knee. Maybe reach back with the left arm and grab your foot with your hand. Get. You can stay here or maybe you bring your right elbow all the way down. Good, Feeling this stretch. And your quad. Deep breath in. Long breath out. And then slowly start to let go of your foot if you're holding on to it. Start to bring your hands to the mat. Coming all the way up. And then from here, Coming out of the pose, So moving into tabletop. Moving you into down dog if that's what your body needs Or bringing your knees as wide as the mat pushing your hips back towards your heels coming to child's pose So just taking any movements that Feels right in your body Taking a few breaths, Noticing how your body feels different on the right side and the left side. Just noticing it. And slowly, Wherever you are, Make your way to tabletop position. Wrists under your shoulders, Knees underneath your hips. And then from here, Stepping the left foot forward, Coming into a lunge on the second side. Good, So adjust your feet as much as you need. So you can pat the back knee, You can keep the toes tucked or come to the top of the foot. Check the front knee, Make sure it's over your ankle. You can keep your fingertips on the mat, Bring your hands to blocks on either side of the foot. You can bring your hands on top of your left thigh. Or if you like, As you inhale, Reach your arms up and then soften your shoulders down. Shoulders right over your hips pull your belly towards your spine Breathing here. Deep breath in. And as you exhale, Hands to either side of your foot. Good, Moving with our breath. Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your legs, Flex your foot, Lean towards your leg. And then as you exhale, Back to your lunge. Two more, Just like that. Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your leg, Flex your foot, Lean forward. And exhale, Move back to your lunge. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Moving to our twist. So if you want to lift your knee, Tuck the back toes, Plant your right palm, And then lift your knee up. As you twist towards the left side. Get left hand on your hip or you can reach it all the way up, Stacking your shoulders and then check the front knee. And pull it towards your body. Make sure your knee is still over your ankle. You can look up towards your thumb if that feels good. Breathing deeply. Deep breath in. As you exhale, Slowly bring everything back down. And then start to walk your foot, Heel toe, Heel toe your foot towards the right side, Coming to pigeon pose on the second side. So again, If this doesn't feel right on this side, You can come to your back and take figure four. If you have a prop, You can bring it under your left hip. Just so you can allow your hip to rest on something. You can tuck the back toes and walk your knee back a little bit. And then when you find the right place for your legs, Bring your hands off the mat, Tend to your fingers, Inhale to lengthen your spine, Open up your heart. And then as you exhale, Bend your elbows to the side and lean forward. Inhale, Slowly come all the way up. Exhale to lean forward, Bend your elbows. One more inhale. And exhale, Lean forward. Inhale, Come all the way back up and then you can stay here or if you like you can start to bring your elbows down, Walk your hands forward, Bring your forehead down. Whatever pigeon pose. Looks like for you on this side and don't worry if it doesn't look like the first side. Um This side will probably feel very different. So just listening to your body and doing what feels good. Noticing where you feel the pose, Making sure it's not pain or discomfort. And see if you can send your next inhale to that area in your body. And then soften and let go with the next exhale. Notice any thoughts, Emotions. Feelings coming up for you. And as you notice them, Just see if you can allow yourself to come back to your breath. Letting everything else Move away for now. You can stay here or if you like you can start to bend the back knee and grab your foot with your right hand. Yet. And again, This side may feel different. So just because you did this on the first side, Doesn't mean it is accessible on the second side. So if you try it and it doesn't feel right, Come back. Where you were before. Get. If you're holding onto your foot, Slowly let it go. Wherever you are bring your hands to the mat slowly come all the way up And move out of your pose. And you're just gonna come to a seat. So maybe rolling onto your left hip. And come to a seat. Cross legs. Or you can come to kneeling if that feels good and just pause in a seat for a breath or two, Softening your shoulders, Lengthening your spine. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good. From here, Bring your hands behind you, Feet flat on the mat, Knees bent. Bring your feet as wide as the mat and just gently windshield wiper your knees from side to side. Get moving really slowly and mindfully. And then come back to center feet. Close, Walk your feet close to your body, Hug your knees in, Maybe bring your forehead to your knees and just thank your body for everything it does for you. For all the poses on and off the mat. And slowly start to make your way to your back. You can bring your knees in with you, Hug your knees in, Maybe gently rocking from side to side. Massaging your lower back, Maybe making circles with your knees. In one direction and then the other. Then bring your feet flat on the mat, Knees bent and we're going to come into a twist. So you can bring your arms to a T or to cactus. And if you want to cross your legs, You can 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 right, You can just stack your knees and allow your knees to fall towards the right. See if you can ground your shoulders wherever you are. See if you can let your shoulders be heavy on the mat. And if it feels good in your neck, You can turn your head towards the left side, So opposite side of your knees. Soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good. And just breathe into this twist. Slowly start to come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed. We're going to move on to the second side so crossing the right leg over the left Lift your hips up towards the right side and let your knees fall towards the left. And if crossing your legs doesn't feel right, You can allow your knees to stack and fall to the left. Shoulders heavy if it feels good turn your head to the right side Breathing into this twist. Slowly start to come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed and just pause at center. With your feet flat on the mat so you can bring your hands somewhere on your body. Shoulders heavy Soften your gaze or close your eyes. With your next inhale, Feel your belly, Body expand. And as you exhale, Soften everything. Feel your hands fall. As you empty, Empty, Empty all the air out. Okay, Now getting ready for our final posture, Shavasana. So taking anything else your body needs here before. Your final resting pose, Maybe you want to hug your knees in one last time. Maybe you want to come together. Happy baby. Or raise your legs up, Maybe coming to. . . And easy inversion. Anything else your body needs. Or if you're ready for Shavasana, Just starting to grab any props, Any layers, Anything you need to get really comfortable and settled. In corpse pose. Allowing your feet, Your toes to soften, Your legs and your hips to be heavy. Your spine long. And support it on your mat. Shoulders heavy and grounded, Arms by your side, Palms face up, Fingers gently curled in. Allow your head to rest on the mat or on a pillow. Soften your jaw. Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of your mouth. Soften the muscles of the face, Your eyelids. Gently closing your eyes. Scan your body from your head all the way down to your fingers and your toes. Just notice if there's any part of your body that you can soften and let go of just a little bit more. Allow your body to rest here and breathe naturally. 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, Let it go. And slowly start to bring some movement back to your body, Moving your fingers, Your toes, Your wrists, Your ankles. Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side. And when you're ready, Bend one knee and then the other, Rolling onto your right side. In a fetal position using your bottom arm as a pillow. And then slowly start to push yourself 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 if that feels good. Good. 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 and bow your head to your hands. And 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. And down to your heart center. May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.