Morning Flow To Start Your Day Strong

Start your day with intention. This 50-minute vinyasa flow is built to wake up your body, steady your breath, and set a clear, energized tone for whatever's ahead.

We'll move through sun salutations, standing poses, and gentle backbends, linking each movement to your breath so the practice feels like one continuous wave. Expect to build a little heat, open through the hips and shoulders where mornings tend to feel stiff, and finish grounded and awake rather than wired.

Suitable for all levels. Grab a couple of props if you like them, a couple of blocks maybe a bolster, but really, all you need is a mat and your breath.

See you there!

Transcript

Bring your hands somewhere on your body, Either on your belly. Or one hand on your belly, One hand at your heart. Soften your gaze or close your eyes and just start to. . . Become aware of your breath. Just noticing how it feels. Noticing the quality of your breath. If it's fast or slow, Deep or shallow. Without trying to change it, See if you can feel your breath in your body. Maybe you can feel your belly expand. With your inhale. And soften as you exhale. Maybe you can feel the air flowing in and out of your nostrils. Just noticing it. Now take a deep breath in through your nose. And open your mouth, Sigh it out. Two more like that. Deep inhale through your nose. And sigh it out through your mouth. Let it go. Last one, Deep breath in. And exhale through the mouth, Let it go. Now continue breathing deeply in and out of your nose if that feels good. And bring your awareness to your body, Just noticing. How your body feels today. Scanning from the crown of your head all the way down to your toes. Noticing 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. Come out of the pose and take a resting posture that works for you. Good, Slowly start to hug your knees into your chest. And gently rock from side to side. Feeling that mat under your body, Massaging your lower back. And then holding the right knee in, You're gonna extend the left leg long, Bringing your leg to the mat, Pressing your heel away. So your toes are pointing up and you're pressing your left leg down and pulling your right knee towards your body. Just notice where your knee wants to go, Maybe towards your chest, Maybe towards the outside of your body. This feeling. Feeling your body for the first few seconds. Postures. With every exhale, See if you can pull your knee a little bit closer to you. Yet. Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, See if you can soften your shoulders towards the mat. You can stay here or if you like start to straighten your leg extending your Heel towards the ceiling flex your right foot. So both of your feet are flat and grab the back of your thigh so you can have a slight bend in your knee. That feels better and see if you can pull your leg a little bit closer to your body with your exhale. Stay here. Or if you like, You can start to walk your hands up your leg, Grabbing your shin or your ankle, Lifting your shoulders off the mat, But allowing your shoulders to fall away from your ears. So letting your shoulders still be soft. Good. Stay here. Or if you like, You can start to lift the left heel off the mat. So just hovering your heel off the mat. Good, Pull your belly towards your spine, Engaging your core. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Slowly hug your knee into your chest coming all the way down And then we're coming into a twist. So left hand to the outside of your right leg. You can extend your right arm to the side and cross your knee. Towards the left side coming into an easy supine twist again. Just really being mindful of how this feels in your body Not pushing or forcing anything, Allowing your right shoulder to be soft and grounded. Maybe turn your head towards the right side if that feels good. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good, Slowly come back to center. Hug both knees into your chest again, Just gently rocking from side to side. And then moving to the second side. So keeping your left knee in, Extend the right leg long. Flex your foot, Pressing your heel away. Good. Pressing the right leg to the mat. And then pull your left knee. Your body. Notice what this side feels like. Maybe on this side your knee wants to move towards your heart center, Maybe towards the outside of your body. It. Allowing your shoulders to be soft and heavy. With every exhale, See if you can pull your knee a little bit closer to you. You can stay here or if you like, Start to straighten your leg, Flex the left foot, Lifting your heel up towards the ceiling. You can have a slight bend in your knee, Just grabbing the back of your thigh. Still pressing the right leg to the mat. Stay here or starting to lift your head and your shoulders off the mat. You can walk your hands up your leg and grab your shin or your ankle. And again, Softening your shoulders away from your ears. Good. Stay here or if you like start to lift the right heel off the mat. Engaging your core, Pull your belly towards your spine. Deep breath in. Long breath out. Good, Slowly come all the way down, Bend your knee, Hug your knee in, Coming to our twist. Right hand to the outside of your knee, Extend the left arm to the left, Cross your knee to the right. Good, Allowing your left shoulder to be heavy and grounded. Maybe turn your head to the left if that feels good. Breathing deeply. Slowly come back to center, Hug both knees into your chest, And again, Just gently rocking from side to side. And then come back to center, Moving with our breath. So as you inhale, You're gonna pull your knees in towards your chest. And open your knees up to the side. So right knee towards the right, Left knee towards the left. And then move them back away from you as you exhale. And bring them close together. Good, Inhale, Knees move towards you and open up. Exhale, Knees move away and close. Continue like that with your own breath. Just making circles with your knees. Good. And then next time your knees are together and away from you, You're going to switch sides. So inhale to open up your chest. Towards the side, Bring them close to you. And close. Forget. Again, Moving with our breath, So this switching the circles in the opposite direction. And hug your knees in. And lean, Turn onto your left side. In a fetal position, Using your bottom arm as a pillow, Just pause here for a breath or two. Noticing how this feels. Noticing how your body feels after those first few movements. When you're ready, Push yourself up. To a tabletop position. So coming to tabletop. Knees under your hips, Wrists under your shoulders. Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long and you're looking straight down. And then pull your belly towards your spine. So tabletop pose, Spread your fingers wide. You can keep your toes tucked or come to the tops of the feet. Now moving through some Cat-Cows. 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, Cow pose. Exhale to round your back, Tuck your tail, Cat pose. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, From here, Extend the right leg back, Keeping the toes on the mat, Just start to rock back and forth. A few times noticing. How this feels in your ankle. In the back of your leg, In your wrists and your shoulders. You're looking straight down still. You can stay here in stillness, Or if you like, Flex your foot, Lift your heel up just to the level of your hip. So your toes are pointing down. Again, Stay here or you can extend the opposite arm forward thumb faces up and then pull your shoulder away from your ear Good, Balancing table, Take a deep breath in. And a long breath. One more inhale. And exhale. Good, Slowly bring everything back down. And then sit back on your heels and just make circles. With your wrists in one direction and then the other. You can interlace your fingers and make circles. With your wrists, Again, In one direction, And then the other. Good, And then come back to tabletop. And when you're ready, Extend the left leg back, Keeping the toes on the mat to start. Just start to walk back and forth. Again, Just noticing. How this feels in the back of your leg and your ankle. In your wrists and your shoulders. And then you can stay here or flex your foot, Lift your heel up just to the level of your hips. Tools pointing down. If you like, You can extend the opposite arm forward, Thumb faces up, And then pull your shoulder away from your ear. Balancing table, Breathing deeply, Looking straight down. Now take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Just slowly bring everything back down. Bring your knees as wide as the mat, Big toes together, And then push your hips back towards your heels. Good, Coming to child's pose. Extending your arms forward, Bring your forehead down. Either on the mat or on a block. Allowing your shoulders to be soft, Down your back. And you're actively pushing your hips back towards your heels. They're not necessarily touching or even close. But that's the way they're headed. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good. Tend to your fingers. Start to walk your fingers towards the right side. And then you can soften your head. Bring your forehead down, Again, Either on the mat or on a block. Keeping your fingers tented and then pushing your hips back actively. Feeling the stretch on the left side of your body. And then slowly walk your hands back to center and all the way towards the left side this time. And then when you're ready, Bring your forehead down. Allow your head to be heavy, Shoulders soft. Feeling the stretch on the right side of your body. Good, Slowly come back to center. And pause in Child's Pose. Good, Slowly push up. To tabletop. Tuck your toes under and push your hips up and back, Downward facing dog. So first downward dog of our practice. Maybe bend one knee and then the other, Walking your dog. Rocking your hips from side to side. Or you can stay in stillness if that feels better. Kitty button. And a long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale. Next, Inhale, Lift your heels, Bend your knees, Look forward. As you exhale, Slowly make your way to the top of the mat, Coming to a forward fold. Pausing here in forward fold, Your feet can be hip distance apart or wider. Fingertips can stay on the mat. They can come to block so you can grab opposite elbows allowing your head to and your shoulders to be heavy. And feeling this release in your back. Bending your knees as much as you need, Letting gravity. Pull your spine in. In the opposite direction that it's used to. Feeling your spine decompress and release. Take a deep breath in. And exhale, Let it go. Bring your 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, Bring your hands to your heart center. Good pausing and Mountain pose at the top of your mat and your feet can be a distance apart or wider and see if you can press the four corners of your feet down on the mat. Maybe lifting your toes, Noticing how that feels in the bottom of your feet, And then gently bringing your toes back down. Inhale to roll your shoulders up towards your ears. And then down your back as you exhale. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Inhale, Reach all the way up. And exhale, Hands to your heart center. Inhale through each eye. Exhale, Bring your hands to your heart. One more inhale. Exhale, Pause here, Bow your head to your hands, And think of one thing you're grateful for today. And he'll reach up. Exhale, Fold forward over your thighs. Bring your hands to your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Plant your palms and step it back. To plank. So your knees can be up or you can drop your knees down. Wherever you are, Shoulders over your wrists. And your toes are tucked and pressing your heels back. Pull your belly towards your spine. You're looking straight down. Take a deep breath in. And then as you exhale, Knees, Chest, Chin, Come all the way down to your belly. Bring your hands off the mat, Tent your fingers so your elbows are pointing up. And press the tops of the feet down so much so that your knees start to lift up. Inhale to backbend. Exhale to lower. Two more like that, Inhale. And exhale. Last one. And exhale to lower it down. Good plant your palm and your shoulders. Pull your elbows towards your body. Good. Tuck your toes. Push up to table or plank. And as you exhale, Move to downward facing dog. Stay in stillness or walk your dog if you need to. Good, Breathing deeply. Take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. Good, Next inhale, Lift your heels, Bend your knees and look forward. As you exhale, Bring step forward to the top of the mat, Forward fold. Can sushins halfway lift? Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Inhale, Come all the way up, Reach up, Palms touch overhead. And exhale, Hands to your heart center. There, Pausing again in Mountain, Noticing your breath. And how to reach up. Exhale to fold. Halfway lift as you inhale. Fold forward as you exhale, Plant your palms, Step it back to plank. Knees can be up or down, Deep breath in. Exhale, Drop your knees, Your chest, And your chin. Come all the way down to your belly. Hands off the mat, Tense your fingers, Elbows up, Press the tops of the feet down, Inhale to backbend. Exhale to lower. Two more, Inhale. And exhale. Last one. And lower down. Hands on the mat, Elbows towards the body, Tuck your toes, Push up table or plank, And exhale downward facing dog. Deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. Pause here. Three deep, Long breaths in and out of your nose. Good next inhale lift your heels bend your knees look forward exhale make your way to the top of the mat forward fold. Transfer your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale. Falls forward, Exhale. Inhale come all the way up reach up palms touch overhead And exhale as you heart. Again, Pausing your mountain. Noticing your breath. Noticing your body. Inhale, Reach up. Exhale, Fold forward. Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward, Exhale, Plant your palms, Step it back to plank. Good, Knees up or down, Press your heels away, Shoulders right over your wrists, Take a deep breath in. Exhale, Hold here. Now one more inhale. And exhale, Drop your knees, Your chest, Your chin, All the way down to your belly. Hands off the mat, Hands to your fingers, Elbows up, Press the tops of the feet down, Inhale to lift. Exhale to lower. Inhale, Backbend. Exhale, Lower it down. Good, Inhale, Lift up. Exhale, Lower all the way down. Plant your palms, Tuck your toes. Elbows right next to your body. As you inhale, Push up. Table or plank and exhale. Downward facing dog. Next inhale lift your right heel all the way up and then you can bend your knee and stack your hips Three-legged dog. Press your palms down. Pushing your right knee up. Take a deep breath in. As you exhale, Step the right foot forward, Top of the mat, Drop the back knee, Coming into a low lunge. So adjust your feet. Front knee right over your ankle. Your back toes can be tucked if that feels better in your knee. Or you can bring something to pat the knee. You can stay here with your fingertips on the mat, Your hands on blocks, You can bring your hands on top of your thigh. If you like you can start to reach your arms all the way up Good, Soften your shoulders, Pull your belly towards your spine. Breathing deeply. Take a deep breath in. And exhale hands down either side of the front foot now moving with our breath as you inhale Pull your hips back, Straighten the right leg, Flex your foot, Lean forward towards the left. Good, As you exhale, Come back to your lunge. Two more like that. Inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your leg, Flex your foot, Lean forward. And exhale, Back to your lunge. Last one, Inhale. And exhale. Good from here you're going to heel toe heel toe the right foot towards the right side Maybe your toes spill off the mat, Both hands to the inside of your leg. And we're going to come to a twist. So from here, You can bring your right hand to the right thigh, Just gently pressing it away. Stack your shoulders, Come to a twist, Making sure there's no pain in your knee. If your knee is moving towards your toes, Probably feels better. Opening up. Maybe look up if that feels good. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Slowly come back to center. Heel toe, Heel toe your foot. To the center, Hands either side of the front foot. And then tuck the back toes. And you're just going to lift your knee up. So coming to a lunge with the back knee up and then drop the back heel. So we're going to get ready for warrior one. So adjust your feet before you come up. So you have either a heel to heel alignment or your feet are on two train tracks. Back foot is pointing to the top left corner of the mat. And then bend the front knee when you're ready. Pull the right hip back and come all the way up. So warrior one, You can adjust your stance again. Feet can be closer or wider apart. Wherever you are. Shoulders right over your hips pull your belly towards your spine pull the right hip back left hip forward Good hands can stay on your hips. They can come to your heart or you can reach your arms all the way up Warrior 1. Front knee is bent, Make sure it's not going past your ankle, If it is. Just means you need a wider stand. Good. Pressing the back foot to the mat. Back leg straight and strong. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Good, One more inhale. As you exhale, Bring your hands to your heart and start to straighten the front knee. Good, Getting ready for pyramid pose. So maybe adjust your stance again, Walking your feet a little bit closer, But back foot is still pointing to the top left corner of the mat. Pull the right hip back, Left hip forward. Inhale to open up your heart. Maybe look up if that feels good. And then as you exhale, Hinge from the hips and lean forward. And as you lean forward, You may bring a slight bend in the right knee. Good, You can stay halfway, You can bring your hands to block. Somewhere on your leg, As long as you're not pressing your knee back. And then lean forward towards the front leg. Think about moving the right hip back, The left hip forward, And leaning forward. Good. Breathing here. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the way around. Bring your fingers on the mat just in front of the right foot. And start to lean forward, Coming to the back toes. So we're getting ready for standing splits. You can stay here. With the left toes on the mat or you can start to hover your foot or maybe lift it all the way up. Walk your hands towards the right foot if that feels good you can grab your heel with or your ankle with one hand maybe both Trying out your balance. Good, Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the way around. Good, One more inhale. And then as you exhale, Fingertips on the mat, Set the left foot beside the right, Coming to a forward fold. At the top of the mat. Hand 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, Bring your hands to your heart. Standing tall in Mountain at the top of the mat, Pressing both feet down. Just noticing if you feel a difference between. Your right leg and the left. Inhale to reach up. Exhale, Fold forward. Halfway lift as you inhale. Fold forward, Plant your palms. Back to high plank. Knees can be up or down. Take a deep breath in. And then exhale, Make your way to downward facing dog. It. Deep breath in and out of your nose. Next inhale, Lift the left heel all the way up. Maybe bend your knees, Stack your hips. Breathing here. Deep breath in. Exhale step it forward top of the mat. Now you can drop the back knee. Coming to your low lunge. You can adjust your feet, Making sure. Front knee is still over your ankle And then stay here with your fingertips on the mat, Your hands on blocks. Your hands on your thigh. Or you can reach your arms all the way up. And then soften your shoulders. Belly to spine, Shoulders right over your head. Feeling the stretch. On top of your right thigh and your hips. Deep breath in. And exhale, Hands down, Either side of the front foot. Moving with our breath, As you inhale, Pull your hips back, Straighten your legs, Flex your foot, Lean forward. And exhale, Back to your lunge. Inhale, Pull your hips back, Flex your foot, Lean forward. And then exhale. To your lunge. One more inhale. And exhale. From here, Heel toe, Heel toe, Your foot towards the left side, Bring both hands to the inside, Of your leg, Maybe your left toes spill off the mat. Make sure your knee is moving towards your toes and we're going to come to our twist. So bringing the left hand on top of your thigh, I'm just going to gently press your left leg away and stack your shoulders. Good, Slowly come back to center, Walk your foot to the center of the mat, Hands either side. Of your foot, And then tuck the back toes, Lift your knee up. And then drop the heel, Getting ready for warrior one on the second side. So adjust your stance first. Make sure the back foot is pointing to the top right corner of the mat. Then when you're ready, Bend the front knee. Pull the left hip back and start to come up. Good, Starting off with your hands on your hips. Adjust your stance if you need to back leg straight and strong pressing the back foot back heel outer edge of your right foot to the mat And then front knee is back. Make sure your knee isn't going past your ankle. Then think about moving the left hip back, Right hip forward. Good. Stay here, Hands on the hips, Hands to heart, Or reach all the way up. Coming to warrior one. Shoulders over hips. Soften your jaw, Your forehead. Soften your gaze and your shoulders. Deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale, Hands to your heart, Start to straighten the front knee, Getting ready for pyramid pose. So maybe adjust your stance, Walking your feet a little bit closer. Back leg still straight, Back foot pressing down. Now think about moving the left hip back, Right hip forward. As you inhale, Open up your heart. As you exhale, Hinging from the hips, Lean forward. Good. You can stay halfway, Hands on block. Hands somewhere on your leg except your knee. And then lean forward towards the left leg. With every inhale, Your spine gets long. With every exhale, Think about moving the left hip back and leaning forward. From here, Bring your fingertips on the mat. And we're just gonna get ready to come to standing splits. So you can come to the back toes. And stay here. You can start to hover your toes off the mat or start to lift your heel up. Maybe walk your hands back and grab. Shin or ankle with one hand, Maybe both. And if your balance is off, That's okay. Take a deep breath in. And then as you exhale, Right foot beside the left. 4-fold top of the mat. And see your shins halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale good inhale come all the way up reach up palms touch overhead And exhale, Bring your hands to your heart. Inhale to reach. Exhale, Fold forward. And see your shins halfway lift, Inhale. Fold, Fold, Plant your palms. Step it back to plank. Drop your knees. Walk your knees forward. Cross your ankles. And come to A seat. Extending your legs forward. You can sit maybe on top of a pillow or a folded up blanket just to tilt your hips forward a little bit so you can sit tall. Good, Just sitting tall, Legs straight, Feet flexed, Pressing your heels out. Good, Just sitting tall here. You can stay here or you can start to walk your hands forward. As you move forward towards your legs, Maybe you start to bend your knees a little bit. You can grab. Somewhere on your legs. Or your feet. With every inhale, Your spine gets long. With every exhale, You lean a little bit closer to your legs. Slowly start to come all the way up. And from here, Bring the soles of the feet together. Sitting in butterfly, But just moving your heels away from you. So you're creating a diamond shape with your legs And you're gonna sit tall, Grab your ankles or your toes or your feet. Just sit tall here. You can start to lean forward. It may feel good to bring your hands under your legs. And grab the outer edges of your feet, Just leaning forward. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale, Maybe move your head a little bit closer to your feet. Slowly, Start to come out of the pose, Come to a seat, Hands to the outside of your knees, Close your knees up like a book, And then walk your feet towards you. And hug your knees in. Maybe bring your forehead to your knees. And 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. Coming to your back with your knees bent, Feet flat on the mat, Knees pointing up. From here, We're going to move into bridge pose. So walking your feet as close to you as it feels good. Maybe if you reach with your fingers, You can graze your heels. Good. And when you move into this pose just make sure you're not turning your head from side to side you want to look straight up With your next inhale, You're going to start to lift your hips up, Keeping your legs parallel. Lifting your hips up, Maybe roll your shoulders under. You can keep your hands on the mat or maybe clasp your hands under your body, Interlacing your fingers. Good. So your chest is moving towards your chin. And your chin is moving towards the ceiling. Breathing here. Feeling your belly rise with every inhale. And soften with every exhale. You can stay here or maybe you start to come onto your toes. Lifting your hips up a little bit more. Making sure your knees are not moving away from each other. Your knees are moving forward, Your thighs parallel. Good, Making sure there's no pain or discomfort in your neck, Your shoulders. Good, Inhale, Lift a little bit up. Exhale, Hold here. Good, One more inhale. And exhale slowly, Drop your heels. If they're lifted and slowly bring everything back down. And then pause here with your spine flat on the mat, Your hips and your lower back grounded, And resist the urge to hug your knees in. You can gently maybe rock your knees from side to side. Letting that tension move out of your lower back. Good, Next time your knees fall to the right, Just allow them to fall there. You can open up your hands or reach your arms overhead. Good, Coming into an easy twist here. And then come back to center and move to the second side. Slowly come back to center. And now hug your knees into your chest. Gently rocking from side to side. If happy baby is part of your practice, You can grab the outer edges of your feet. Opening up your knees. If this doesn't feel good, You can always grab the backs of your thighs. You can stay in stillness or you can make any movement that feels good. Maybe extending one leg, Bending the other, Rocking from side to side. And then when you're ready, Shavasana. Finding your resting posture. Grabbing any props or layers you need to get really comfortable and grounded in your final resting posture. Your knees can be bent, You can bring a bolster on your knees. And just extend your legs long, Allowing your feet to fall outward. Grounding your hips and your shoulders. Letting your arms to rest gently by your side, Palms up, Fingers curled in. Soften your jaw, Let the tongue fall away from the roof of the mouth. Soften the muscles of the face, Your forehead, And your eyelids, Letting your eyes close. And 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 just a little bit more to get comfortable here. Allow your body to rest. And breathe naturally. And take in the effects of your practice. Take a deep breath in. And a long wrap up. One more, Just like that, Deep inhale. Full and complete exhale, Let it go. Slowly start to bring some movement back to your body. Moving your fingers, Your toes, Your wrists, And your ankles. Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side. When you're ready, Bend one knee and then the other, Rolling 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. Keeping your eyes closed, Slowly push yourself up to a comfortable seat. Sitting with your spine tall. Your neck straight, Chin parallel to the mat. Bring your hands by your side. As you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. Palms touch overhead. And exhale to 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 and for your practice. Bring your thumbs to your third eye, The space between your eyebrows. May your thoughts be kind. Thumbs to your lips. May your words be caring. Thumbs to your heart center. May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.