Open Up | Heart & Shoulder Flow | 35 Min

In this 35-minute practice, Dagmar guides you through a gentle yet powerful sequence dedicated to opening the shoulders and heart — creating space, ease, and expansion in the upper body.

Filmed outdoors in Ibiza, this class invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and release the tension we so often carry in the chest and shoulders.

Suitable for levels one and two, with modifications offered throughout, this practice is perfect for anyone who spends long hours at a desk, needs to unwind after a long day, or simply wants to create more openness and freedom in the upper body.

Leave your mat feeling lighter, more open, and reconnected to your heart.

Transcript

Welcome to your practice. Please find a comfortable seat and take the next few moments to arrive on your mat and in your body. Feel your breath, Feel your sensations on your skin. Maybe you can even feel your heartbeat. Our practice today will take us into the core and the heart. Both are beautifully supporting each other. Now please take your hands together in front of your heart. We find strength to manifest our dreams in the core. We also turn to the core to connect to our truth and to digest life's experiences. When we feel strong in our core. We can more easily trust. The shoulders are the wings of the heart. Begin to deepen your breathing. And feel the expansion in your chest. Now slowly begin to open the eyes. And reach your arms forward, Palms together. Open as you inhale, Exhale, Round your back. Open the arms as you inhale, Exhale to close. Continue for a few more times like cat-cow. Opening the back side. Of the palms together. Now reach your hands forward and just open and close your fingers. You can go as fast or as slow as you like. And then begin to open the arms out to the side. And slowly bringing the hands together again. And one more time, Arms out to the side. Now circle your wrist. In both directions to warm up the joints, Warm up the wrists. And then release and shake out your hands. Hands onto your shoulders, Begin to make shoulder rolls. And then switch direction. A little warm up for the shoulders. Release. And then lift your right arm over your head. Keep your right sit bone rooting down and lengthen the right side of your body. Reach through the fingertips, Breathe deeply. Inhale to come back up. And switch to the other side reaching the left fingertips away from you, Stretching the left side of your body. Back up and as you exhale fold forward. Slowly release, Come onto your hands and knees. As you inhale, Arching your back. As you exhale, Round cat-cow. Inhaling, Arching. Exhaling to round. Inhaling arching. Exhaling back into child's pose. We start to flow, Inhaling arching. Exhale lift up into downward facing dog. Inhale, Drop your knees, Arching, Looking up. Exhaling back, Child's pose. Inhaling to come back up arching Exhaling tuck your toes. Downward facing dog. Breathing, Bend the knees, Stretch your back nice and long. Face is soft. Slowly walk your feet forward between your hands and just hang here. Shake out your arms, Take a hold of your elbows, Swing a little bit side to side, Release your head. Shake it out yes and no. And then come all the way up to stand. Keep your hip distance apart, Take your arms out to the side. And we do a little Kundalini flow here as fast as you like. Twist to the left and then to the right. This is a nice warm up for the upper body. And then release your arms and just swing your arms. That's the long arms. This is for the lower back. Very good. And then release. Inhale, Float the arms all the way up. Take a hold of your left wrist, Press into your left foot, Stretch. Breathe into the left side again. Inhale to come up, Take your right wrist and stretch all the way to the right side. Big breath. Inhale to come up, Exhale to release. Take a big breath in. Exhale, Soften. And then inhale, Lift the arms over your head. As you exhale, Long back fold forward. Uttanasana. Inhale, Halfway up. Exhale, Fold deeply. Inhale, Lifting halfway, Exhale to fold. Take more time and hair lengthen. Beautiful. Press into your feet, Inhale, Come all the way up. Exhale, Hands in Namaste. We start our sun salutation. Inhale to come up. Exhale, Long back. Fold forward and down. Inhale to lengthen. As you exhale, Walk or step back. Come forward into plank pose. Lower your knees, Chest, Chin. Come forward onto your belly. Roll the shoulders up and back. Lift your palms. Release as you exhale, Tuck your toes, Downward facing dog. Breathe here. You can always have your knees slightly bent if you need to. Really press your fingertips and knuckles into the floor. Your face is soft. Last breath. And then walk a step forward. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale to fold. Press into your feet. Inhale, Float the arms over your head. Exhale, Hands in. Namaste. Inhale, Lift the arms all the way up. As you exhale, Fold deeply. Inhale, Come onto your fingertips as you exhale, Walk or step back. Forward into plank pose, Lower down, Knees, Chest, Chin. Inhaling, Shoulders rolling back, Lift your hands. Exhale, Press your palms down. Downward facing dog. Again, Stay here for 3-5 breaths. Face is soft. Shoulders relaxed. Gently rotating the arms out. Very good. And then from here bend the knees, Walk step or jump forward. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale to fold. Press into your feet, Inhale, Arms lift over your head, Exhale, Namaste. Inhale, Lift the arms. Just enjoying the flow of your breath. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale, Walk or step your feet back, Come forward. And lower down all the way onto the floor. Bring your fingertips back. A little bit more out, Roll the shoulders up and back and then press into the fingertips to open your chest nice and wide into a big cobra. Breathe here, Keep your toes pressing down. Last brush. And then release. Very good. Place your hands next to your chest. Come back. Downward facing dog. Breathing deeply, Maybe exhaling through the mouth. Releasing any tension. And then walking and stepping forward. Inhale, Lengthen. As you exhale, Fold deeply. Inhale, Lift the arms over your head. Exhale, Hands to your heart. In here lifting up. Exhale to fold. Inhale, Lengthen. Left foot steps back. Root down into your feet. Swing your arms up. And we take a nice flow here. As you exhale, Come forward. Bring the arms next to your body. Inhale, Lift the arms back up. Exhale to fold. Inhale, Lifting up. Nice and easy. Exhale to fold. Last time, Inhale to come all the way up. Exhale to fold. Stay here. So find the length, Reach through the back here. And reach the shoulders away from your ears. Strong legs, Inhale lift the arms up. Now bend your left elbow and with your right hand lift the elbow all the way up and back into half archer. And if you like and if your shoulders feel open, You can bring your right arm around and touch your fingertips together. Sink a little bit deeper into the legs and breathe. Slowly release, Reach your arms up. And then place your hands step back. Forward and move through vinyasa. As you exhale, Come into downward facing dog. Very good. Great. And then lift your left foot up, Place it between your hands. Press into your feet to lift your arms up. Other side, We flow again. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale, Swing your arms next to your body. Inhale, Lift. Exhale, Lengthen. Inhaling, Arms reach up, Exhale to fold. Last time, Inhale. Keep the length as you exhale reach your fingertips back as if somebody is pulling on them Reach your heart forward. And then with your next inhale float your arms up, This time bend your right elbow. And either stay here in half archer or if it's available to you, Take your left arm all the way around and meet your fingertips behind your back. Strong legs. Breathe. Release, Inhale float the arms up, Exhale step back. Inhale to come forward into plank pose. Exhale, Lower down, Chaturanga. And then come back into downward facing dog. Drop your knees to the floor, Come onto your elbows. Now we're going to do a very nice strengthener for the core and actually the whole body. So walk your toes back underneath your heels, Draw the belly in and up, Bring your ribcage back. Feel your core active and breathe. Soften your shoulders. Stay here. Super strong legs. And then release and come back into child's pose. Take a nice breath. And come back up. Reach your fingertips forward and come into Anahata Asana. Beautiful heart openness, Stay on the fingertips and either bring your forehead to the floor or for a deeper stretch your shin. And then slowly release. Place your hands and find downward facing dog. Slowly walk your feet forward. On the inhaler again, Lengthen. On the X here, Fold back down. Inhale, Take the arms all the way up. Exhale, Hands and Namaste. Inhale, Lift the arms. Exhale to fold. Inhale to lengthen, Left foot steps back, Ground your heel, Float the arms up for warrior 2. Inhale, Exhale, Right elbow onto the knee, Left arm over your head. Inhaling again, Proud warrior. Exhale, Elbow to knee. And again, Last time in here. Exhale, Elbow to knee. Stay here. And then take your left arm behind your back. And see if you can come into a half bind. Again, If your shoulders feel open, You have the opportunity to come into the full bind, But this is up to you. Always check in with your body first. Scoop your right hip under. Breathe to open the chest. Very, Very nice. And then slowly release. Step back. Move through the vinyasa of your choice. And you know you can always skip a vinyasa if you need a moment of rest. Take a big breath in, Exhale through the mouth. Inhale, Lift your left leg up. Root your right heel down and take it into warrior 2 on the other side. We do the flow, Inhaling proud warrior, Exhale elbow to knee, Find the length. Inhale to come back up, Exhale elbow to knee. Inhaling, Proud warrior. Amen. Axia, Reach through the fingertips. Then come back up and we do the twist so you're going to bring your right arm behind. Maybe your hand will come onto your left thigh. Left fingertips can be inside the foot or if you like to go for the full bind, Bring your left arm underneath your thigh. And then meet your hands behind your back and your arm is reaching against the leg. Creating a resistance for opening. Very good, Strong back foot. Slowly release, Step back. And forward move through the vinyasa of your choice And then this time as you come back into downward dog. Allow yourself a moment in child's pose. Keep your hands active. And then turn your palms to face up. And completely release. Take a few really, Really big breaths into your back body, Creating space. When you're ready, Come back into downward dog and we're going to take it into side plank pose. Feet come together, Engage your legs. Roll onto the outer edge of your right foot, Press into your right hand, Take your left arm up, Maybe over your head. Really engage your core, Draw the belly in, Breathe. Very, Very good. Find the length. And then release. Back into downward dog, Stretch out. And get ready for the other side. In here to come forward. And this time press into your left hand, Fingertips and knuckles, Squeeze your legs together, Draw the belly back. Maybe extend the arm over your head for a nice line of energy. Face is soft. Very, Very good. Last breath. And then release. And come back into downward facing dog. And once again, For a moment into child's pose. Turn your palms to face up. Releasing the wrists and then come all the way onto your belly. Bring your right arm forward. Lift your right leg and your left leg one more inch back. And then lift your right arm and your left leg, Finding the diagonal stretch in your back. Breathe. Neck is long. Chest lifts. And the next here, Release, Turn your head to one side, Wiggle your hips. Other side. Left arm comes forward, Right palm faces down. Inhale to lift the right leg and the left arm. Keep your neck long. Breathe. And then. . . Slowly release, Turn your head to the other side, Wiggle your hips. This time take both arms forward and as you inhale lift both legs, Both arms. Really beautiful strengthener for your back. Keep your neck long. Belly is active. Breathe here. And then release, Make a pillow with your hands, Wiggle your hips and just take a moment to rest. So we're going to take it into bow pose and the shoulders should be nice and open now. So bend your knees, Take a hold of your anchors, Flex your feet, Roll the shoulders all the way up and back. Keeping the sides of your body long and then take it into Dhanurasana. Maybe rock a little bit back and forth, Massaging your organs. Really good. Slowly release and again head to the side, Wiggle your hips, Rest. And then come back onto your hands and knees and please fold the front of your mat two times, Making a little padding for your knees. I'm going to take it into a camel pose, Ustrasana. Very important for our back bands that we lift the belly and we're not squeezing the buttocks together. And that we get the length from the side body. So roll the shoulders up and back, Lift your right arm up. Toes are tucked and lift your left arm up. And now lift from your chest, Maybe let your head fall back. If that's too much, You can keep your shin to your chest. Breathing all the way up into your chest. Beautiful chest and heart opener. And then press into your toes, Come back and just sit on your heels, Right palm into your left palm, Close your eyes and breathe. Come up again, Second time. If you like to go deeper, You can have your feet flat. Otherwise, Keep your toes tucked, Hands onto your waist. Again remember to lengthen the side body. And then when you're ready. Reach your hips forward, Lift from your heart, Breathe deeply. Very nice. And then come all the way up. Exhale, Sit back. Come into child's pose, Releasing your shoulders. Big, Big, Big breath. Slowly release, Unfold your mat. And now please come to lie on your back. And hug the knees into your chest. Rocking a little bit back and forth, Releasing any tension from your back. Take your arms out to the side. And let your knees drop to the left and your head to the right. Big breath into your lower back, Kidneys. Inhale to come back up. Exhale, Let your knees fall to the right. Over your left shoulder. And breathe deeply. And come back to the middle. And bring your arms inside your knees, Hands to the outside of your feet for happy baby pose. Releasing any tension, Rocking side to side When you're ready, Rock yourself all the way up to sit. Open your feet nice and wide, A little bit wider than your hips. Take your left arm underneath your left leg. Creating a resistance, Open your right arm to the sky. Stay here or if you feel open, Go for the bind behind your back. Very important the shoulder lifts up and back. And your left arm is rotating back against the leg. Big, Big breath. Good. Slowly release. Other side. Take your right arm underneath the right leg. Rotate the arm back creating resistance. Open from your left arm. Stay here or go for the bind. Big, Big breath. And release. Straighten your legs, Shake them out. And then place your right foot outside of your left knee. And then bring your left foot outside of your right hip. Sitting nice and tall, Right fingertips behind, Left arm floats up I'm going to take it into a nice easy twist. Elbows pressing down into the knee, Spine is long, Face is soft, Lean your head back. In the twist from your organs. Every exhale move a little deeper. Next inhale release and the next here counter twist. Release and switch legs. Left foot outside of your right knee. Lengthen, Sit tall, Left fingertips behind your back, Reach your right arm up, Create length. On the exhale, Please twist. And then go a little bit deeper with each exhale. Very good. One more big, Big breath. Release and swing your hands over to the right, Counter-twist. Release. Come back to the middle. Straighten your legs, Shake them out. And swing your legs behind. And find Virasana. Please feel free to sit on a block or a pillow. You want to be comfortable, We do a short round of Nadi Shodhana, Alternate nostril breathing. And please feel free with more practice to extend. The practice. First two fingers go inside. You're going to block your right nostril with your thumb and your left nostril with your ring finger. We're inhaling, Blocking the right, Inhaling through the left. Close and hold. Open the right, Exhaling through the right. Inhaling through the right, Close and hold. Open the left exhaling left. Inhaling through the left, Close and hold. Exhale, Open the right. And then continue in your own rhythm. I recommend a count of four for each inhalation and exhalation. Few more rounds. And this is a beautiful practice to extend and maybe do five minutes every day. Independent of your yoga practice. Release your right hand back onto your thighs. Take a moment here to feel the effects of the breathing practice. And then open your eyes, Come forward and release your legs in front of you. Shake them out. And please place your right foot inside your left leg for Janu Sirsasana. Inhale lifting the arms, Keep the length as you exhale fold forward. You can hold on to your shin, Your ankle, Maybe your foot. Most important, Draw the belly in and up with each exhale. And don't force anything, So soften. Into the pose with your breathing. And then release. Straighten both legs, Shake them out. And then please place your left foot inside your right thigh. Inhale, Float the arms up and exhale to lengthen. Slowly deepen with each breathing. Belly is lifting in and up to protect the back. Last breath. And then release. Place your feet in front of you, Your hands behind, Fingertips pointing towards your feet. Two options, You could bend your knees coming into tabletop. Knees above your ankles. Or you could do the same with your legs straight. A little bit more advanced, Bringing your big toes towards the floor. Poor Votanasana. You choose. Slowly release, Come back to sit. Take the flesh out from underneath you. Inhale, Lift the arms all the way long. Exhale, Paschimottanasana. Inhale coming back up, Exhale hands to your heart. Inhale to lengthen, Exhale fold. Last time, Inhale coming up, Exhale leaning back. Inhale lifting up. Exhale to fold. This time we stay. Take the lengths from your back. Lifting in and up. And fold deeply. If your hamstrings feel tight you can always have a little bend in the knees. Big, Big breath. And then release. Shake out your legs and then please bring the soles of your feet together a little further in front for Tara Asana, Star Pose. So as you fold forward, Your forehead would be. . . Ideally touching to the heels, Arms go underneath onto the tops of the feet. Biggest breath you can imagine into the back of your shoulders, The back of your heart. Nice breath. Release. Shake out your legs and find a comfortable seat. Or meditation. Closing the eyes. Rest your palms, Maybe palms facing down or palms facing up. Is a little bit more uplifting. Lift the shoulders, Let them roll back. And then face completely soft, Bring your awareness to your belly and just feel how your navel pulsates in and out. Connection to your core. And then draw a line from your belly to your heart and feel the space that you've created in your heart. Breathe here. Every time your mind takes you on a journey, Just gently come back to your breath. Young. As you release keep your eyes closed and just find your way onto your back. To rest in Shavasana. Once you lie on your back, Roll your head from side to side. Arms are facing up. Press into the back of your head to draw the shoulder blades a little closer together, Creating a nice space on the back of your heart. And with your next exhale release and enjoy Shavasana. Begin to deepen your breathing, Wiggling your fingers and your toes. And then stretching your arms over your head for a good long stretch. Slowly bending the knees, Gently rocking back and forth. And then coming to lie on your right side for a moment. Keep your eyes closed. And then when you're ready, Slowly find your way back up into a nice comfortable seat. Keep the eyes closed for a few moments. Sitting nice and tall, Just scan your body again and notice anything that may have opened or shifted from your practice. Feel the connection in your core, The space in your heart. And then please take your hands together in front of your heart for a moment of gratitude. Way of practice today. Maybe chant a silent Aum. And the next here gently pulled forward. Thank you for your practice. Namaste.