Hi yogis,
Welcome to today's feel good yoga practice.
One block for today's class.
If you don't have a block,
You can improvise with a cushion.
And when you're ready,
We'll start on all fours,
Coming into a tabletop position for me.
Moving into our puppy pose,
Keep the hips up nice and high but reach the arms out in front.
Have the hands as wide as the mat.
Keeping the palms and elbows lifted.
Just those fingertips on the floor.
Gently squeeze your shoulder blades up towards the hips.
And take a deep spacious in-breath.
Into the upper body.
Take a little pause.
And then haul around the exhalation.
And let's do another one of those.
Inhale smoothly.
Deeply.
And pause.
And harring out the breath.
Well done yogis,
Let's slide forward now into a forearm plank.
Tucking those toes under,
Reaching the heels back.
Rounding the upper back and shoulders.
And gently pressing the feet away from one another.
Keeping the jaw relaxed.
Let's lower those hips down to the mat.
Coming into a superman cobra,
Reach your hands out in front,
Palms and elbows still lifted,
And try and drag those hands back towards your hips.
You should feel the muscles along your spine engage.
It should feel quite nice.
Of tractioning or the spine.
And let's take the hands underneath the shoulders,
Pressing up.
Inhale,
Little back bend.
As you exhale,
Tuck the tailbone under,
Sit back towards child's pose.
Then follow the inhalation back to tabletop,
Little back bend,
Tuck the toes under.
And exhale downward facing dog.
Move the hips up and back.
You might like to give those legs a little walk.
As you bend one knee,
Drop the hip and straighten the other leg.
And then slowly change sides.
Let's walk those hands back towards the feet.
And when you get there,
Either take a ragdoll,
Hold the elbows,
Let the upper body hang as you give in to gravity.
You might like to take a little sway from side to side.
Option two,
If your knees and hips permit,
Lower down into a yogi squat.
Hands can come to press.
Take one more breath into the lower back.
As you inhale,
Press to stand.
Well done,
Let's step up to the top of the mat.
Bringing those feet hip width apart.
Half sun salute with slight variation.
Let's inhale cactus arms.
Exhale forward fold,
Stack the palms on your lower back.
As you inhale,
Come halfway up,
Look forward.
Little lift in the elbows.
Exhale to fold,
Belly to thighs.
Chair pose as you inhale,
Knees bend,
Arms lift.
And press to stand,
Hips forward,
Hands down.
Let's go again,
Inhale.
Exhale.
Inhale,
Halfway.
Exhale to fold.
Chair Poe and press to stand.
And moving through a flow now,
Let's inhale,
Arms up again,
Cactus arms.
Food fall.
Half lip.
Bow down,
Step your left leg back.
High lunge.
Have the feet hip width apart,
Press into both feet as you sweep the arms up.
Little cactus psalms,
Let's inhale here.
And as you exhale,
Lower the left knee down,
Half pyramid pose.
Sweep the arms back,
Point the right toes to the ceiling.
And then sweep the arms forward,
High lunge.
As you exhale,
Twist,
Turn to the right.
Inhale to center.
Exhale and twist.
Lower down this time,
Left hand to the floor or the block,
Right arm up to the ceiling.
Strong and straight in your back leg,
So you're stretching them out.
Option one,
Stay here.
Option two,
Left knee down,
Take a hold of the foot.
If you have the foot,
Release it.
Frame the right foot,
High lunge and then step up to the top of the mat.
Inhale halfway.
Salad fold.
Hands to calves,
Take a little grip.
Chair pose,
Arms lift,
Knees bend.
And press to stamp.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Halfway.
Fourfold.
Right leg back,
Lunge.
Sweep the arms up.
Cactus Alms.
Lower the right knee down.
Half pyramid pose,
Hips back,
Arms back.
Sweep the arms forward,
Return to your high lunge.
And exhale and twist.
Inhale to center.
Twist again.
All the way down this time.
Either stay there or right knee to the floor,
Collect the foot.
And release the foot,
Frame the left.
Rock back and step up to the top of the mat.
Inhale,
Halfway.
Exhale to fold,
Take a hold of the calves.
Try and slide those hands up towards the hips.
Chair pose.
And press to stand.
Few choices with the next posture.
Option one,
Chair pose.
Option two,
Left ankle,
Right knee,
One legged chair.
Option three,
Eagle pose,
Cross the leg over.
Now you can use your block if you need to for support,
Otherwise wrap the foot around the calf muscle.
So when you're ready.
Position the block if you need it.
Either chair pose,
One-legged chair or eagle.
Now,
If you're an eagle,
We're squeezing the thighs together.
Tucking the tailbone under just a little.
Arms can come out.
As you exhale,
Cross the right arm on top of the left.
Either take hands to the shoulders or you can bind once or twice.
Gently pressing the forearms and the legs together.
And unravel,
Step the left leg back.
Hands to hips.
Take those feet about hip width apart,
Warrior one legs with a nice wide stance,
45 degree angle on the back foot and press into both feet as though you're stretching them out.
When you're ready.
Inhale,
Arms out.
Exhale,
Arms forward,
Round the spine.
Inhale,
Arms up,
Warrior one.
Exhale to twist,
Wrap the hands around the waist,
Look back.
Right arm up as you inhale,
Lean back.
And then return to the start handstand.
Let's do that one more time,
Inhale.
Exhale.
Arms up.
Twist,
Keep the right knee open,
Don't let it fall in.
Side bend.
And return to the start.
Stepping up to the top of the mat,
See if you can lift up that left knee if you need to touch down is fine.
And then return to your eagle pose.
Or your one-legged chair.
Or two-legged chair.
And unravel.
Half sun salute,
Inhale,
Cactus arms.
Exhale,
Forward fold.
Halfway up.
Exhale and fold,
Hands to calves,
Take a little grip.
Chair pose.
And press distant.
Let's practice that on the other side when you're ready.
Right leg,
Pressing forearms and legs together.
And then unravel,
Step back.
Wide-legged warrior one leg,
So hip width apart,
45 degree angle on the back foot or you can always make it a high lunge.
When you're ready.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Thumbs up?
Twist.
Side bend.
Return to the start.
Follow your breath.
Stepping up to the top off the mat.
Taking your eagle pose,
Your one-legged chair or two-legged chair.
And unravel.
Inhale,
Cactus arms.
Exhale,
Forward fold.
Half lip.
Bow down,
Take those calves one last time.
Little tractioning as you try to slide the hands up.
Tucking your chin.
Breathe into the bath.
Downward facing dog.
Sending your chest towards your thighs.
Broadening the shoulders.
Gently pressing the heels of the palms in just a little.
Let's lower those knees down.
Charles Poe You might like to rest the hands next to the feet,
Palms facing up.
Let the shoulders relax.
Lifting on up with your next inhalation.
Let's come down onto the forearms again,
This time dolphin pose.
Tuck the toes under as you lift up the hips.
Firming down through the arms.
And sending your armpits towards your thighs.
Step those feet back as you lower into a forearm plank,
Tucking the tailbone under.
Pressing the back of the heart up towards the ceiling.
And then relax down,
Soften those hips.
Let's lower down,
Bring your hands underneath your shoulders,
Elbows pointing back to the feet,
Heels of the palms turning in a little.
Tuck the tailbone under.
As you inhale gently lift the chest.
Squeeze the heels of the palms in.
And exhale,
Lower down.
Inhale to come up.
Fanning through the palms.
Exhale to lower.
Last time coming up.
This time as you come down,
Crocodile pose,
Make a pillow with your hands.
Relax the back.
Maybe walk out the legs,
Alternating heel to bottom.
And when you're ready,
Rolling yourself over onto your back.
Taking the hands next to the hips,
Palms facing down.
Press down on your way through the feet and as you inhale,
Lift the hips.
Move the sternum towards the chin.
Then lift up the heels and exhale slowly feed the spine back down,
One vertebrae at a time.
And again,
Inhale,
Pressing up.
Heels lifting,
Exhale,
Lower down.
Last time coming up,
This time we'll stay for an extra few breaths.
Either keep the palms as they are,
You can turn them up,
Maybe interlace the hands under the back,
Keeping the arms straight if you can and tucking the shoulders under.
Firm down through the feet.
The head.
The shoulder.
Soften the jaw.
Smooth out the breath.
Let's lift the heels,
Release the palms and feed the spine down one vertebrae at a time.
Take a hold of the knees.
Exhale,
Hug it in.
Inhale,
Straighten the arm.
Next time you inhale,
Reach the feet up towards the ceiling,
Hands can rest on the outer legs or maybe you can pistol grip the big toes.
As you inhale,
Take the legs out nice and wide.
And then we'll exhale back together.
Inhale wide.
And coming back together.
Cross the left leg over the right,
Bend the knees,
Squeeze the thighs together,
Lift head and shoulders off the mat.
And then lower it down.
Move the hips just a little,
Maybe a centimetre to the left.
If you'd like your prop.
Bring it over to support the legs as you twist.
Knees over to the right.
Softening around the hip.
For the thigh.
Nobody.
And bring those legs back to centre.
Uncrossing the legs,
Feet up towards the ceiling once again.
Either hands to the outer legs or maybe pistol grips.
Inhale,
Y.
Exhale together.
And this time right leg crossing over the left.
Thighs squeezing,
Head and shoulders lifting.
And then lower down,
Move into your twist.
Make sure the body moves.
With the pulse of the breath.
And bring those legs back to center.
Uncrossing the legs.
Just before we sleep.
Into Shavasana.
We'll practice our three laying spinal bandhas.
So your chin lock,
Jalandhara Bandha,
Tuck in your chin and lengthen the back of your neck.
We'll dorsal flex the feet.
Mula bandha at our base,
Ladies can lift gently through the pelvic floor,
Gents perineal muscle,
And uddiyana bandha happens around the navel and the diaphragm.
We hollow out our belly and draw everything up and in.
We're going to hold the out-breath retention.
So we're only engaging Uddiyana Bandha when there's no breath in the body.
When you're ready.
Interlace the fingers,
Turn the palms down.
As you inhale,
Float the arms above the head.
Then exhale through the mouth.
Hold the out-breath retention,
Engage Mungo Bandha.
Your base and then make a pond with your belly.
Draw your belly up and in towards the ribs.
Gently,
Don't over strain.
And then when you need to inhale,
Relax the belly.
And then inhale smoothly.
As you exhale,
Float the arms back down.
Relaxing hands and feet.
If you'd like to practice round two,
Dorsal flex the feet,
Interlace the fingers,
Palms down.
Inhale.
Exhale through the mouth.
Bone at your base,
Make a pond with your belly.
Hollow the belly.
And imprint the upper back onto the mat.
Peel everything gently,
Stitch together.
Then relax the belly,
Inhale.
And exhale,
Slowly lower the arms down.
Take a breath to relax.
Third and final round,
Flex the feet,
Interlace the fingers,
Palms down.
And hi.
Exhale.
Find out your base.
Feel the diaphragm pressing up and in.
Relax the belly,
Welcome the breath.
And exhale,
Arms down.
For relaxing hands and feet.
Making any last final adjustments before you slip into Shavasana.
Softening the forehead.
The tongue and jaw.
Letting go of any holding.
In the mouth.
In the body.
Allowing the muscles to soften their grip.
As you give in to gravity.
And allowing your mind to soften its grip.
On attachments to outcomes.
Let's gently slip.
Below the movement of thought.
To that peaceful presence.
You
