Open And Steady: A Full Body Slow Flow

A 44 minute slow flow to move through the whole body, with extra attention through the shoulders and chest. The pace stays unhurried so you have time to settle into each shape and stay with your breath.

Suitable for all levels. Props are optional but welcome if you have them: a bolster or pillow, a couple of blocks, and a blanket.

Move slowly, listen to your body, and never push into sharp pain.

Music: Meditation Handpan Choir Ambient, Heavenly Peace by BreakzStudios.

Transcript

Finding a comfortable seat. On your mark. Sitting with your spine tall, Your neck straight, Chin parallel to the mat. Start to soften your gaze or close your eyes if that feels good. You Soften the muscles with the face, Your jaw. Allow your shoulders to fall down your back, Away from your ears. Let your arms be heavy and your hands rest gently somewhere on your legs, On your lap. And then feel your hips heavy on the ground. And imagine your spine growing tall. From your mat all the way up to the crown of your head. Beginning to arrive here. Bring your awareness to the areas of your body that are touching your mat. You feel grounded. Supporting. You're here. I've already done the hard part. And start to bring your awareness to your breath. Notice the quality of the breath this morning and today. See how your breath feels, If it's fast or slow, Deep or shallow, Quiet or loud. Without trying to change it, Just notice. Follow the next inhale into your body. And then follow it back out. Taking three cleansing breaths here together, Take a deep breath in through your nose. Then open your mouth and slowly and quietly let it go. More like that, Deep inhale through your nose. Exhale quietly through the mouth, Sigh it out. Now we'll breathe in. Exhale, Sigh and let it go. Now bringing your awareness to your body, Scan from the crown of your head all the way down to your fingers and your toes, All the way back up. And just 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 and attention during practice. Just being mindful that anything I say during practice doesn't feel right for you. Please don't do it. Come out of the pose and just take a resting posture that works for you. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out, Good. Good, 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 and bow your head to your hands. And think of one thing that you are grateful for today. Good. Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. And then as you exhale, Bend your elbows and come to W arms. So your palms are facing forward. You're pulling your shoulder blades back, Making W shapes with your arms. Good. Inhale to reach up. Exhale, Dab with your arms. Inhale, Reach up. Exhale bend your elbows good from here bring your right arm under the left and you're either going to come to eagle arms or you're going to grab opposite elbows and wherever you are you're going to lift your elbows up just to the level of your shoulders. Crossing your arms, Then coming to eagle arms, Maybe bringing the palms of your hands together, Feeling the stretch in your shoulders. Or you can grab opposite elbows. Good. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Again. Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up, Palms touch overhead. Exhale, W arms. Two more like that. Inhale to reach out. Exhale, Bend your elbows. One more inhale. And bend your elbows. Good, This time bring your left arm under the right and coming to eagle arms. Or grabbing opposite elbows. And this side may feel different, So just notice how it feels in your shoulders, Feeling this stretch. And your shoulder blades. See if you can lift your elbows up just a little bit more. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out good uncross your arms and bring your hands by your side as you inhale reach your right arm all the way over to the left feeling the stretch on the right side of your body. See if you can press your right hip down. Deep breath in. Exhale, Maybe lean a little bit more. Come back to centre, Switch sides. Inhale to reach your left arm all the way towards the right. Feeling the stretch on the left side of your body. Pressing your hips down. Take a deep breath in. Exhaling a little bit more. Come back to center, Coming to a twist. Left hand behind you. Tense your fingers. Use your arm to sit tall. Bring your right hand to the outside of your left leg. Inhale, Sit a little bit taller. Exhale to twist from the belly. You can tuck the chin if that feels good in your neck. Maybe look over your left shoulder. With every inhale, Sit a little bit taller. With every exhale, Twist just a little bit more. Come back to center, Switch sides. Right hand behind you. Tense your fingers. Use your arm to sit tall. Bring your left hand to the outside of your right leg. Inhale, Sit tall. Exhale, Twist from the belly. Maybe tuck your chin, Maybe look over your right shoulder. Deep breath in. Exhale to twist. Slowly come back to center and then making your way to your hands and knees coming to tabletop pose So finding your hands and knees wrist under shoulders knees right underneath your hips Keep your toes tucked or come to the tops of the feet. Spread your fingers wide, Looking straight down so the back of your neck is long. Keep moving through some Cat-Cows. 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 catch. Just one more inhale. And exhale. Good, Slowly walk your hands forward, Tuck your toes under, Push your hips up and back, Downward facing dog. Or sound dog of our practice. Maybe bend one knee and then the other walking your dog, Just noticing how this pose feels in your body. In the backs of your legs, In your shoulders. Let your head be heavy. And then you can come to stillness. Bending your knees a lot, Pushing your hips up towards the ceiling. Maybe nod your head yes, Shake your head no. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out good next inhale lift your heels bend your knees look forward between your hands and then as you exhale slowly step to the top of the mat coming to a forward fold Good. Pausing here, Forward fold. Feet hip distance apart or wider if that feels good. And bend your knees a lot so you have soft knees allowing your belly to rest on your thighs hands can stay on the mat on blocks you can grab opposite elbows if that feels good Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good. Bring your hands to your shins. As you inhale, Lengthen your spine halfway lifting. Exhale to fold forward over the head. Inhale, Halfway lift. Exhale to fold. One more like that. Inhale. And exhale. Good, Inhale, Come all the way up, Reach up, Palms touch overhead. Bring your hands to your heart as you exhale. Good. Pausing in mountain pose at the top of your mat. So your feet are hip distance apart. You can bring them wider or closer. Wherever you are, Feel the four corners of your feet on the mat. Maybe lift your toes up and just notice how that feels. And then slowly bring them back down. Soften your shoulders, Down your back, Open up your heart. Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long. Popping your gaze at a spot in front of you, Close your eyes. And just come back to your breath. Next, Inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. Exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center. Inhale to reach up. Exhale, Drop your right arm and reach your left arm. Let's start again. Drop your left arm, Reach your right fingertips towards the left side. Good. So coming to our crescent shape. Feeling the stretch on the right side of your body. See if you can press your right foot down just a little bit more. Soften your shoulders. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Good. Inhale, Come back to centre, Reach both arms up and then drop the right, Reach your left fingertips towards the right side. Good. Coming to the crescent shape on the second side. Healing. The stretch on the left side of your body. Inhale to reach all the way up and then as you exhale fold forward over your thighs. Bring your hands to your shins, Halfway lifted. Fold forward as you exhale. Plant your palms. Step the right leg back. Coming to a lunge. And keeping the back knee lifted, You're going to drop the back heel. So getting ready for a warrior one pose on this side. 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 on your mat. Back foot is on a slight angle pointing to the top right corner of the mat and then bend the front knee. Your front knee is right over your ankle. When you're ready, You're going to start to come up. So you can bring your hands to your hips. To start. Think about moving your right hip forward, Your left hip back. Shoulders facing the short edge of your mat. Stay here with your hands on your hips. You can bring your hands to your heart or you can reach your arms all the way up. Get your shoulders packed right over your hips and then soften them down your back. Warrior One. Back leg straight and strong pressing the back heel and the outer edge of your right foot to the mat and then just check the front knee make sure it's not going past your ankle, See if you can just stack it right over. So you can adjust your stance a little bit if you need. Pull your belly towards your spine, Take a deep breath in, And then as you exhale, Bend your elbows, Come to W arms, Good. Slight back bend if that feels good, Palms are facing forward, Inhale to reach up and Exhale, W arms. One more like that, Inhale. And exhale. Good inhale to reach all the way up and then exhale bring your hands to either side of the front foot and You're gonna step it back to plank. So in plank pose your shoulders are over your wrists You can always drop your knees and your knees are just behind your hips So your knees are up or down, Depending on what feels right for you. Wherever you are, Pull your belly towards your spine. You're looking straight down. Good, Take a deep breath in. And then exhale to lower. Bend your elbows lower all the way down or chaturanga, Halfway. Good, As you inhale, Come to your back bend, Upward dog or cobra. And then exhale, Make your way to downward facing dog. Good. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out good. You can walk your dog or you can keep your knees bent and stay in stillness Just come to your breath breathing deeply in and out of your nose pushing your hips up towards your head and towards the ceiling. Take a deep breath in. Open your mouth, Sigh it out. Next inhale, Lift your heels, Bend your knees, Look forward. As you exhale, Slowly make your way to the top of the mat. Forward fold. Hands to your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Inhale, Come all the way up. Reach up, Palms touch overhead. Exhale, Bring your hands to your heart. Inhale to reach up Drop your left arm, Reach your right fingertips to the left. Inhale, Come back to center. Drop the right arm, Reach your left fingertips to the right. Inhale, Come all the way back up. And then exhale, Fold forward over your sides. Bring your hands to your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward exhale good fingers down on the mat step the left leg back this time keeping the knee up you're going to drop the back heel getting ready for warrior one on the second side so adjust your feet first friendly bend over your ankle. Back foot is pointing to the top left corner of the mat and your feet are on two train tracks on your mat or if you like you can bring a heel to heel alignment with your feet. Good and then when you're ready you're going to start to lift up Good. Start with your hands on your hips and think about moving the right hip back, Left hip forward. Good. So here, You may want to adjust your stance a little bit, Walking your feet closer or further apart. Wherever you are, Back heel is pressing down and the outer edge of your left foot is pressing down to the mat. Good. Shoulders are not facing the short edges of the mat. And then stay here or bring your hands to your heart or reach all the way up. Coming to Warrior 1. On the second side. Soften your shoulders, Down your back, Pull your belly towards your spine. Okay, Take a deep breath in, And then exhale, Bend your elbows, W arms. Inhale, Reach up. Exhale, Bend your elbows, Maybe slight back bend. Inhale to reach all the way up. And exhale, Bend your elbows. Good. Inhale, Reach all the way up. And exhale, Hands either side of the front foot, Pivot onto the back toes, And then step it back to plank. So knees up or down. Wherever you are, Shoulders over. Your rest. Belly to spine. Looking straight down. Good, Take a deep breath in here, And then exhale, Lower down, Either halfway or all the way to the belly. Inhale, Upward dog or cobra, Your back bend. And then exhale, Move to downward facing dog. Pausing here for a few breaths, Noticing how you feel. You can stay in stillness or walk your dog if that feels good. Yeah. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Next inhale, Lift your heels, Bend your knees, Look forward between your hands. Exhale, Slowly step to the top of the mat, Fold, Fold. And see your shins halfway lift, Inhale. Hold forward as you exhale. Again, As you inhale, Bend your knees and sit down into your chair. Utkatasana, Chair pose. Take a deep breath in. Exhale, Sit down a little bit lower. One more inhale. And exhale. Inhale here, And then as you exhale, Bend your elbows, W arms. Inhale to reach up, Exhale fold forward over your thighs. Hands to your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale, Fold forward as you exhale. Good, Plant your palms, Step it back to plank. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Good one more inhale and then exhale lower down halfway or all the way Inhale. To your backbend, Upward dog or cobra. As you exhale, Make your way to downward facing dog. Good, Take a deep breath in. Long breath in. And slowly walk your hands back towards your feet. Coming to a forward fold at the back of your mat this time. Good. Bring your hands to your center, Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale. Good. Inhale, Come all the way up. Reach up, Palms touch overhead. Exhale, Hands to your heart center. Good bring your hands to your hips and then we're going to step forward with the left foot coming to a warrior one stance again. So finding warrior one with the left foot forward, Right leg back and check your feet. Make sure the alignment is right. So back foot pointing to the top right corner of the mat. Your left foot is pointing forward and then start to bend the front knee. Make sure it's right over your ankle. So if it's going past your ankle, You need to adjust your stance a little bit. Maybe walking your feet wider apart. Good, And then think about moving the left hip back, Right hip forward, Shoulders facing the short edge of the mat. When you're ready, Inhale, Reach your arms up, Warrior one. Good, Take a deep breath in, Long breath out. Good, Inhale here, Exhale, Bend your elbows, Come to W arms. Good. Breathing here, Opening up your heart. And then from here, Bring your left arm under the right coming to eagle arm. So crossing the left arm under the right, You can bring your palms together or you can grab your elbow and your shoulders. Opposite shoulders. Wherever you are, Lift your elbows up and down. You're still in a warrior one stance. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out good from here slowly start to pivot onto the back toes so you're in a lunge and you're just going to start to lean forward And then bring your right leg, Cross it over the left, And we're gonna come to Eagle Pose. Good, So you're bending your knees a lot, Right leg over the left, And you can bring your toes behind your foot, Or you can bring your toes on the mat to help you balance. Good, So Eagle Pose. Left arm under the right right leg, Or if it's a left. Take a deep breath in. Exhale, Sit down a little bit more, Lift your elbows, Good. And then when you're ready, Uncross your legs and your arms, Sit down into your chair, Utkatasana. Good, Deep breath in. Exhale, Sit down a little bit lower. One more inhale. And exhale like that. Deep breath in, Fold forward all the way back. And see your sense halfway lift with me now. Fold forward as you exhale. Inhale come all the way up reach up palms touch overhead and exhale bring your hands to your heart center good bring your hands to your hips and so you're standing hopefully close to the middle of the mat if you're not there just up there and then we're gonna move to the second side. So stepping forward with the right foot this time. And so I'm going to face the camera for this. Stepping forward with the right foot, Back foot is pointing to the top left corner of the mat. Getting ready for warrior one on the second side. So bend your right knee. And then with your hands on your hips, Think about moving the right hip back, Left hip forward. So adjust your stance if you need. Make sure the front knee is still over your ankle so you can walk your feet wider apart if you need. Good, Shoulders facing the short edge of the mat. When you're ready, Where you want. Good, Back heel is pressing down. Good. Think about moving the right hip back, Left hip forward. Deep breath in. Exhale, Bend your elbows, Come to W arms. Good. Open up your heart. Breathing here. When you're ready, Right arm under the left, Come to eagle arms or you can grab opposite shoulders and lift your elbows up. So eagle arms, Take a deep breath in. A long breath out good you can slowly start to lean forward and come to the back to the back toes and then when you're ready lift your left leg and cross it over the right you can hook the left toes behind the right leg or you can bring your toes down on the mat just to help you balance. So we're in eagle pose. Think about lifting your elbows up, Feeling the stretch in your shoulders, And then sitting your hips down a little bit more. Good, Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale, Good. Unwind everything. Reach your arms up and then sit down into your chair. Utkatasana, Chair pose. Good, Take a deep breath in. Exhale sit down a little bit more one more inhale exhale fold forward over your thighs bring your hands to your sins 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 hearts pause, And mountain pose. So you should be somewhere close to the top of the mat. And at the top of your mat. And mountain pose. We can be together or keep distance apart. Soften your shoulders down your back. Take a deep breath in through your nose. And then open your mouth, Sigh it out, Let all of that go. That's a little short. We're done. Come back to your breath. Inhale, Reach all the way up. Exhale to bring your hands to your heart. And be able to reach out to you. Exhale drop the left arm reach your right head towards the left side coming to the stretch on the right side of the body. Inhale, Reach all the way back up, Switch sides. Right arm down reach your left fingertips to the right deep breath in healthier. Inhale, Come all the way back up. Reach up, Palms touch overhead. As you exhale, Fold forward, Fold forward. Bring your hands to your shins, Halfway lift, Inhale. Fold forward as you exhale plant your palms and step it back to plank Good. Knees up or down. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good, Inhale here. Exhale, Drop your knees. And lower all the way down to your belly. Good, Stack your hands, Bring your forehead down onto your hands and just gently shake your hips from side to side, Letting go of any tension in your lower back. It. Start to bend the right knee just on the mat, Bringing your knee up to the level of your hips. So you're on the inner edge of the right foot, If that feels good, And you can have your your forehead on your hands or you can come to your elbows. This should feel really good in your hips and in your lower back. So if you have any pain or discomfort anywhere, You can just come back to put your legs along and your forehead resting on your hands. And breathing here. And slowly come back to center. Come all the way down if you're on your elbows and then extend the right arm towards the right side. Your palm is facing down and your arm is just extended from your shoulder. Bend your left knee, Point your toes up and you're just going to slowly roll onto your right shoulder. Good, Bringing your left foot behind the right leg. You can use your left hand in front of you to help you stay up, Or you can bring your hand behind you, Your palm facing out. Good. Notice how this pose affects your breath. See if you can deepen your inhales. And lengthen your exhales. Good, Slowly come back to center, Moving really mindfully. We're going to switch sides, So bend your left knee and on the mat just bring it to the level of your hips or lower. You're on the inner edge of your left foot. You can stay with your forehead on your hands or you can come onto your elbows if that feels better. Make sure that this feels really comfortable. In your lower back especially. Deep long breaths in and out of your nose. Slowly come down. And you're gonna extend the left arm to the left palm faces down your arm is just extended from your shoulder Bend your right knee point your toes up and you're just gonna roll yourself over onto the left shoulder, Bringing your right foot to the outside. I am on the inside of my. . . To the outside of your left leg. I'm mixing up my left and right today. Good. Right hand can stay in front of you or you can bring your hand behind behind you just on your lower back. Oh. Breathe deeply. When you're ready, Slowly come back to center. And push yourself up to tabletop. Walk your knees forward, Cross your ankles. Will come to a cease. To extend your legs forward and for this one you can sit on a folded up blanket or a pillow just so you can tilt your hips forward a little bit and that will help you lengthen your spine as you're seated. Flex your feet. Press your thighs down good. You can bring your hands by your sides on the mat or on blocks sitting here. Just tuck up the chin, Back of the neck long. Good. As you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up. And then exhale, Start to hinge from the hips and lean forward. And as you lean forward, You may want to bring a slight bend in your knees. You want to keep your spine long. So your knees can be bent as much as you need, Being really mindful of how this feels in the backs of your legs. And then grabbing whatever feels accessible, So your shins, Your calves, Your ankles. Your feet, Your toes, You can have a strap around your feet, Grab the strap. It. With every inhale, Think about lengthening your spine. With every exhale maybe lean a little bit closer to your legs And instead of thinking about bringing your forehead to your knees, Think about lengthening your spine and sending the crown of your head towards your toes. Deep breath in. And exhale to fold. One more inhale. And exhale. And slowly start to all the way up to a seat. And then bend your knees, Bringing the soles of the feet to the mat. Walk your feet close to you. Give yourself a hug. Good, Bring your forehead to your knees. And thank your body for everything it does for you. Holding you moving you and healing you. For all the poses on and off the mat. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. And slowly start to make your way to your back. So come to lying down on your back. With your feet flat on the mat, Your knees bent. Good. Bring your arms to a T or you can come to cactus arms. So bending your elbows just like we did W arms, Your palms are facing up. And then see if you can really ground your shoulders. And then we're gonna come into a twist. So if you want to cross your legs, You can cross the left leg over the right. Lift your hips up to the left and let your knees fall to the right side. And if crossing your legs doesn't feel good, You can stack your knees and let them fall towards the right side. Wherever you are, Make sure your shoulders are still glued to the mat. You can look up or you can turn your head to the left side if that feels good in your neck. Take a deep breath in. Take a long breath out. Slowly start to come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed. And switch sides. So right leg over the left, Lift your hips up to the right, Let your knees fall to the left side. Or stack your knees and let them fall to the left. You can turn your head to the right side, Soften your gaze. Soften your jaw, Your forehead. And breathe into this twist. Slowly start to come back to center. Uncross your legs if they're crossed. Hug your knees into your chest. Grabbing your shins or the backs of your thighs, You can gently rock from side to side. You can make circles with your knees in one direction. The other. You can come to happy baby pose if that's in your practice. Slowly we're going to make our way to Shavasana. Layers or props. Anything you need. To get really comfortable in your final resting posture. Bring a bolster under your knees or have your knees bent. Flat on the mat. Wherever you are, Allowing your hips. To really feel heavy and settled on the mat. Feeling your spine. Supported by the ground. Your shoulders. Happy and grounded. Arms by your side, Palms face up, Fingers gently pointed. Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long. Soften your jaw, Part your teeth, Allow your tongue to fall away from your mouth. Soften the muscles of the face and your eyelids, Allowing your eyes to turn. And then scanning from the crown of your head all the way down, Down your face. Your shoulders and your arms, Your chest, Your torso. Your ribs. Bye. Wrap them in. Pelvis, Your hips, All the way down your legs, Your feet. Notice if there's any part of your body that you can soften and let go of 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. A long breath out. One more like that. Deep inhale. Full and complete exhale, Let it go. Slowly start to bring some movements 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. Roll onto your right side. In the fetal position, Using your bottom arm as a pillow. Fetal pose after corpse pose reminds us that after every ending, There's a new beginning. Slowly start to push yourself up to a comfortable seat. Sitting with your spine tall, Your neck straight, Your chin parallel to the mat. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Your hands by your side as you inhale. Reach your arms all the way up, Up steps, Overhead. Exhale to bring your hands to your heart, Bow your head to your head. And thank yourself for coming to your mat today. Of spending this time for yourself and for your practice. Thumbs to your third eye, The space between your eyebrows. May your thoughts be kind. Thanks for watching and see you next time! Comes to your heart center. May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.