Low To The Ground: Full Body Mobility

A 34-minute full body mobility practice, all of it low to the ground. Floor based from start to finish, no standing, no rushing.
You'll hear my cat, Maloos, around minute 30. She purrs right into the mic like she's teaching Ujjayi breath. Then she tries to bite it. She's also why we end seated instead of in Savasana. There was no lying down happening with her around.
Suitable for all levels. Props are optional but welcome: a bolster or pillow, a couple of blocks, and a blanket.
Move slowly, stay with your own pace, and never push into sharp pain.

Transcript

Come to tabletop. Finding. Your hands and knees, So spread your fingers wide. Wrists under your shoulders, Knees right underneath your hips. Thank you. Your toes or top of the feet. Looking straight down, Back of the neck long, Pull your belly towards your spine. And take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth, Sigh it out, Let it go. Good, Now moving through some cat cows, Inhale. Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. Exhale, Round your back, Tuck your tail, Lift it up. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down, Move slowly. Inhale to cow pose. And exhale to cat. Now bring your knees as wide as the mat, Big toes together, And push your hips towards your heels, Coming to Child's Pose. So finding a gentle Child's Pose here, You can allow your forehead to rest on the mat or on a block. You can stack your hands and bring your forehead to your hands. Wherever you are, Allow your elbows to just rest on the mat. Your hips are moving towards your heels. They're not necessarily touching. Just allow your shoulders to soften. Take a deep breath in through your nose, Feel your body expand. And then as you exhale, See if you can soften anything else in your body. Good. Now bring your awareness to your body. Slowly scan 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 It may be a little tight or sore. That may need a little bit more love during practice and just be 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. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Okay, Now slowly start to come forward onto your hands and knees, Drop your belly, Open up your heart. Exhale to round your back, Move to child's pose. Inhale, Come forward, Drop your belly, Open up your heart. Exhale, Round your back, Child's pose. And one more inhale. And exhale. And. . . Pausing in child's pose, Keeping this child's pose active. So activating your arms, Pressing your fingers to the mat, The palms of the hands, Pressing down, Pushing your hips back. So your elbows are probably lifted. And then see if you can pull your shoulders down your back away from your ears. Again, Allowing your head to gently rest either on the mat or on a block. Take a deep breath in. Exhale, Push your hips back just a little bit more. Slowly come forward to your hands and knees, Back to tabletop, Bring your knees under your hips, And then inhale to drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Two more like that inhale drop your belly open up your heart look up Exhale, Round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Inhale to cow. And exhale to catch. Come back to tabletop and then from here. Extend the right leg back, Keeping the toes tucked, Just rock back and forth a few times, Noticing how that feels in your ankle, The back of your leg. In your wrists and your shoulders. And then come back to center and you're going to just drag your right toes towards the left side. Your toes come off the mat. You can look over your left shoulder towards your toes, Feeling the stretch on the right side of your body. Good, Take a deep breath in. Exhale, Come back to center. You can stay here with your toes tucked or you can flex your foot, Lift your heel up to the level of your hips, Toes pointing straight down. Take a deep breath in. And then you can extend the left arm forward, Your thumb faces up, Pull your shoulder away from your ear, Balancing table. Deep inhale. And exhale. Good bring your left hand down if it's lifted and then you're going to bring the right foot forward coming to a lunge. So coming to a low lunge, Check your front knee, Make sure it's right over your ankle. And you can pat the back knee if you need to have a blanket or fold up your mat. So coming to your lunge, Your fingers can stay on the mat on either side of your foot. You can use your blocks. On either side of your foot and bring your hands onto your blocks on any height. You can bring your hands on top of your thigh if that feels good. Or if you like, Inhale to reach your arms all the way up and then soften your shoulders down your back. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And then exhale, Bring your hands down either side of the front foot. From here, Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your legs, Flex your foot, And lean forward, Feeling the stretch in the back of your leg so you can have a slight bend in your knee. Good, Come forward. Knee over your ankle. Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your leg, Lean forward. Exhale to come back to your lunge good one more like that inhale and exhale. From here, Start to heel toe, Heel toe. Your foot towards the edge of the mat and you can allow your toes to spill off the mat. And. You can bring your right hand to your right thigh and just gently press it away. So being mindful of how this feels in your knee, Your knee should be pointing towards your toes. And then coming to a twist like this, So you can push your knee away, Stack your shoulders, You can look over your right shoulder if that feels good. It's coming into a twist, Noticing where you feel this. Thanks. You can stay here or if you like you can start to bend the back knee, Pointing your toes up. Maybe you reach back and grab the outer edge of your left foot. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. It slowly let go of your foot if you're holding on to it bring your foot down bring your hand down and then we're coming into lizard pose so you can keep your foot where it is and then maybe come down to your elbows you can bring your elbows to a block or a pillow a bolster just leaning forward or you can say on your head. With your hands. Inside of your right foot. Good, So coming to your variation of. . . Lizard pose. Back knee can be down or if you like, You can tuck the toes and start to lift your knee up, Pressing your heel away. Moment. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale drop your knee. Come to your hands if your elbows are down. And then you're going to step your right foot back, Coming to your tabletop. And slowly starting to bend your elbows, Come all the way down to your belly. Alright. Now bring your hands off the mat, Tent your fingers, So your elbows are pointing up, Press the tops of the feet down to the mat, So much so that your knees start to lift up. Good, As you inhale, Lift. Your chest up, Coming to a back bend. Just come as high as it feels good. And exhale to lower down. Good, Inhale to lift, This time hold here. As you exhale, Drop your left shoulder and look over the right shoulder. Inhale, Come back up. Exhale, Drop your right shoulder, Look over the left. Good. Inhale, Come back up. Exhale to lower down to your belly. Good, Bring your hands under your shoulders, Push yourself up to tabletop. And swap your knees under your hips, Wrist under your shoulders, Spread your fingers wide. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart, Look up. Exhale, Round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Inhale to cow pose. Exhale to cat. One more like that, Inhale. And exhale. Good, Come back to center. Extend the left leg back this time, Keeping the toes on the mat, Just rocking back and forth a few times, Noticing how that feels. In your ankle, In your wrist. In the back of your leg and your shoulders. Good. And then from here, You're gonna slowly drag your toes to the right side, And maybe look over your right shoulder, Looking at your toes, Feeling the stretch on the left side of your body. Slowly come back to center and you can stay here with your toes on the mat or flex your foot Lifting your heel up just the level of your hips toes pointing down Stay here or if you like you can extend the opposite arm forward some faces up pull your shoulder away from your ear coming to position Balancing table looking straight down and breathing deeply. Good, Bring your head down and then step the left foot forward coming to a lunge. So starting off with your knee right over your ankle and just adjusting so your back knee is comfortable, Making sure to pad your knee if you need to. And you can stay here with your hands either side of your foot. You can bring your hands to blocks on any height on your thigh, If that feels good. Or maybe you start to. . . Raise your arms overhead, Soften your shoulders, Down your back, And just breathe here. Taking deep, Long breaths in and out of your nose. Good, Slowly bring your hands down, Either side of your foot, And then moving with our breath, Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your legs, Flex your foot, Lean forward. And then exhale, Come to your lunge. Two more, Inhale. And exhale. Last one, Inhale. Exhale back to your lunge. Good. And then start to heel toe, Heel toe your foot towards the edge of the mat, Maybe allowing your toes to fall out and making sure your knee is moving towards your toes. So hands are inside. Your left foot. And then we're coming into a twist. So you can start to bring your left hand on top of your thigh. Just gently press it away. And start to stack your shoulders. Right hand can be on the mat or on a block if you want to lift it a little bit. Breathing deeply, Feeling the stretch. And twisting a little bit more with every exhale. You can stay here, Or if you like, Start to bend. The back knee pointing your toes and maybe reach back and grab the outer edge of your right foot. Good, Wherever you are, Shoulders are stacked. You can look over. Your left shoulder. Take a deep breath in. Long breath. Good, Slowly let go of your foot, Bringing your foot down, Bring your hands to the inside of your foot, And then coming to lizard pose. So you can bring your elbows all the way down to the mat. You can bring your elbows on. A block or a pillow. You can keep the back knee down or tuck your toes and lift the back knee up. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Good slowly bring the back knee down if it's lifted hands on the mat And then step the foot back to tabletop. Good, Inhale here, And then as you exhale, Slowly come all the way down to your belly. Good, Hands off the mat, Tense your fingers, Elbows up, Press the tops of the feet down to the mat, And then inhale to backbend. Tail to lower. Good, Inhale, Back bend, Hold. As you exhale, Drop the right shoulder, Look left shoulder, Look over the right shoulder. Inhale, Come back up. Drop the right shoulder, Look over the left. Good, Inhale, Come back. Slowly come all the way down to your belly, Stack your hands and bring your forehead to your hands. And you can just pause here. And maybe rock your hips from side to side. Maybe bend your knees and windshield wiper your knees from side to side. Cute. And then from here, We're going to start to bend. The right knee and just bring your knee on the mat to the level of your hips. So we're coming to this hip opener. This should feel really good. In your hips, So you can adjust your knee to go as high or as low as it feels good. You're on the inner edge of your right foot. You can turn your head to the right or to the left. You can keep your head on your hands or you can come up to your elbows if this feels good, If you want a little bit more. You can come up to your elbows. Just noticing how this feels in your body making sure it's really comfortable yet. Take a deep breath in. A long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale. From here, Slowly come down and bring your foot back or bring your leg back to center, Bringing your forehead to the tops of your hands. And we're going to extend the left arm to the left, Just to the level of your shoulder. So your palm is facing down. And then bring your right hand by your side. You're going to bend the right knee, Point your toes up, And you're just going to roll onto your left shoulder. Maybe bringing your right foot behind the left leg. Left arm is extended. Palm is facing down. You're rolling onto your shoulder so this should really feel good in your shoulder if there's any kind of pain or discomfort. And especially sharp pain. Please come out. You're using your right hand in front of you. To help you stay up or you can bring your hand behind you. To your lower back. Wherever you are, You're trying to open up your heart to the right side. Just notice how this is affecting your breath. As you can tell, It's hard for me to talk here. It does affect your breathing a little bit. Good. Breathing deeply in and out of your nose. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Slowly bring your hand in front of you if it's not there already roll on to your belly and bring everything back to center, Stack your hands. Forehead on your hands. Good, Moving to the second side. So bending the left knee and just bringing your knee on the mat to the side, Just to the level of your hips, If that feels good. Good, So you can stay with your forehead on your hands or you can come onto your elbows and just know that this side will probably feel different. So making sure there's no pain, Especially in your lower back. You can adjust your knee and move it higher or lower depending on how it feels. And just breathe here. Get slowly start to Bring everything back down. Bring your leg back to center. And you're gonna bend the left knee, Point your toes up, Extend the right arm towards the right side, Your palm faces down. And then using your left hand, You're just gonna roll onto your right shoulder. So again, Making sure this feels good in your shoulder. You can bring your left foot to the mat. On the outside of your right leg. Left hand can stay in front of you to help you stay up or you can bring your hand to your lower back. Good, Wherever you are, Stacking your shoulders, Making sure your neck. Is comfortable, Your head is resting on something. Breathing deeply in and out of your nose. Just noticing how this is affecting your breath. Slowly bring your hand in front of you if it's not there already and roll onto your belly bringing everything back to center Sack your hands and bring your forehead onto your hands. Good. You can maybe rock your hips from side to side. Good. Then from here we're going to come into sphinx pose so finding sphinx pose your um Forearms or elbows are under your shoulders. Your forearms are parallel, Palms face down. Spread your fingers wide and then see if you can pull your shoulders down, Your back away from your ears. Make sure your neck and your head are neutral so you're not looking up or down. You're just holding it in a place where it feels comfortable. So in this pose, You can walk your feet wide or apart on the mat. And this is And a little bit easier on your lower back, Or you can walk your feet closer. So just decide where. It feels right for your lower back. And just pause there, Taking deep, Long breaths in and out of your nose. Good. Your shoulders are going to start to creep up towards your ears. See if you can Keep your shoulders down, Pressing your arms and your elbows to the mat. Breathing into your lower back here. If you want a little bit more, You can start to bend your knees. And bring your big toes together and point your toes up. If this is too much, Just come back to where you were before. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Bring your toes down if you're lifted, Bring your feet down, And then slowly turn your head to the right, Look over your right shoulder. And then slowly bring your head back to center and turn your head to the left. Look over your left. Slowly come back to center and come all the way down to your belly. And then we're going to turn. Really gracefully onto your back. So come to your back. Finding a reclined position with your knees bent, Feet flat on the mat. And just pause here for a moment. A breath or two, Your hands can be by your side or somewhere on your body, Resting on your belly or your ribs. One hand on your belly, One hand on your heart. Just feeling your mat under your spine. Feeling your back. Held and supported. See if you can let go of anything you're holding on to. And then feel your next inhale as it fills your body up. And then soften and let go with the next exhale. Keeping the. . . Left foot on the mat, Your knee bent. You're going to bring your right knee into your chest, Just hugging your knee in. Stay here or you can start to straighten your leg, Grabbing the back of your thigh. You can stay here or start to walk your hands up. Leg lifting your shoulders and your head off the mat but wherever you are see if you can bring your shoulders away from your ears so shoulders are still soft You can have a slight bend in your right knee. You can point or flex your foot, Just noticing what feels good in your body. Take a deep breath in. And then slowly bring everything back down. Bring your knee down, Bring your foot back down on the mat. And then hug your left knee in this time. And bring your knee close to your chest. Meow! Stay here or if you like you can start to straighten your leg, Grabbing the back of your thigh. Can point and flex your foot. Whatever feels good. In your ankle. Again, Stay here or start to. . . Drop your hands up your leg, Lifting your shoulders and your head off the mat. Shoulders soft, Away from your ears. Taking deep, Long breaths in and out of your nose. Slowly bring your foot down, Knees bent. We're going to come into a twist, So if you want to cross your legs, Left leg first. Left leg over the right, Lift your hips up to the left, And let your knees fall toward the right side. Good, Coming into a twist. If crossing your legs doesn't feel good, You can just allow your knees to stack and fall to the right. Arms can be. Extended. To either side in a T. You can come to cactus arms if that feels good. You can extend your arms overhead. Wherever you are, Make sure your shoulders are grounded. You can turn your head to the left side if that feels good in your neck. And then soften your gaze or close your eyes, Soften your jaw. And just breathe into this twice. Slowly start to come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed. And then move to the second side, So right leg over the left. Lift your hips up to the right and drop your knees to the left side. Or stack your knees and let them fall to the left side. You can turn your head to the opposite side of your knee. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just breathe here. Thank you. That's great. All right, Slowly come back to center. And cross your legs, Bring your feet flat on the mat. Good. And then slowly make your way to a seat. We're going to close in a seated meditation. So sitting with your spine tall. Your neck straight, Your chin parallel to the mat. You can sit cross-legged or come to kneeling, Whatever feels more comfortable for you. And if being seated doesn't feel good, You can be on your back in Shavasana. Wherever you are. Allow your arms to rest gently, Shoulders down your back, Away from your ears. Feel your hips heavy on from there. Soften your jaw, Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of the mouth. Soften the muscles of the face. Your eyelids, Allowing your eyes to gently close. And then scanning from the crown of 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 just a little bit more. Allow your body to breathe naturally and take in the effects of your breath. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath. One more like that, Deep inhale. Full and complete exhale, Let it go. Slowly start to bring some movement to your body. Let's see. Making circles with your upper body a little bit, Moving your shoulders. Forward and side. Simply turning your head from side to side. Bring your hands by your sides. Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up, Palms touch overhead. As you 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. And your thumbs to your lips. May your words be caring. In your fondest dear heart center, May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.