Hi,
I'm Asa.
Let's do some yoga.
We'll begin in child's pose.
So take your time coming onto hands and knees.
Step your knees wide,
Big toes to touch.
Send your hips back towards your heels and reach your hands up high on your mat.
Slowly lower your chest and your head towards your mat.
Take a few deep breaths.
If you'd like,
You can rest your forehead on stacked palms or on stacked fists,
Or even a block if you've got it.
And we'll spend a few breaths here kind of welcoming yourself to your yoga practice today.
And one more full cycle of breath here.
Good.
On an inhale,
Gently press yourself back up.
And we'll come to a cross-legged position on the mat.
Once you get there,
Rest your hands on your lap.
Sit up tall through the crown of your head.
Relax your shoulders down.
And on an inhale,
Draw your arms out to the side and overhead,
Maybe the gaze comes up.
And exhale,
Arms out to the side and down.
Once more,
Inhale,
Arms out and up.
This time on the exhale,
We're gonna twist over towards the right,
Floating your left hand down to your right knee and your right hand somewhere back behind you.
Take the next inhale to lift and lengthen through your spine.
And then exhale to maybe twist a little bit deeper.
Inhale,
Back up to center.
And wait for the exhale to twist over towards the left.
On your next inhale,
Lift up through the crown of your head.
And exhale to twist just a little bit deeper.
Inhale to unwind,
Bringing both arms back up and overhead.
And then exhale,
Arms out to the side and down.
Next,
Let's make our way to a tabletop position and set up for downward facing dog.
So bringing the hands to the top of the mat,
Fingers spread nice and wide.
Step your knees back a few inches,
Tuck your toes,
Take a deep breath in here.
And on your exhale,
Send your hips back and up to downward facing dog.
Once you get here,
Feel free to pedal your feet,
Sway your hips,
Or nod your head yes and no.
On your next inhale,
Lift your right leg back and up for a three-legged dog.
And wait for the exhale to bring your right foot up towards the top of your mat.
And lower your left knee down,
Setting up for a low lunge.
You can stay nice and low here with the hands on the mat or on blocks,
Or option to float your hands up,
Resting them on top of your thigh.
You could also bring your hands to heart center or even inhale them up towards the sky.
Take a deep breath in here.
And on your exhale,
Slowly float your hands back down to the mat,
Lift your back knee,
And step it back to downward facing dog.
On your next inhale,
Float the left leg back and up,
Three-legged dog.
And then exhale,
Step your left foot up towards the top of the mat,
Lower your back knee,
And set up for a low lunge here on the other side,
Choosing whatever position you'd like for your hands and your arms.
One more deep breath here.
And on your exhale,
Float your hands back down to the mat,
Lift your back knee,
And step your back foot up towards the top of the mat to meet your left.
Step your feet about hip-width distance apart,
Bend your knees deeply.
Allow your head to hang.
Maybe grabbing ahold of opposite elbows and spending just a little while longer here in the standing forward bend,
Uttanasana.
Feel free to sway here from side to side if you'd like.
You can nod your head yes and no.
And remember to breathe deeply here.
On your next inhale,
Release your arms,
Bring your gaze straight below your face,
Bend your knees,
And slowly rise up one vertebra at a time.
Go really slow here.
And once you get up to standing,
You can draw your shoulders up,
Back,
And down.
And then,
Setting up for tadasana,
Mountain pose.
Lift up through the crown of your head.
Open your heart towards the sky.
And next,
We'll flow through a couple of half sun salutations.
Inhale,
Arms out and overhead.
And exhale,
Bend your knees,
Fold forward with a flat back,
Coming to a standing forward bend.
Inhale,
Halfway lift.
So slide your hands up to your shins or to your thighs,
Reaching through the crown of your head,
Nice,
Strong core to support a flat back.
And exhale,
Fold.
Bend your knees,
Inhale,
Rise all the way up,
Arms out to the side and overhead,
Palms tucked.
And exhale,
Hands to heart center.
And again,
Inhale,
Arms out and up.
Exhale,
Bend your knees,
Slowly fold forward.
Inhale,
Half lift.
Exhale,
Fold.
Bend your knees,
Inhale,
Rise all the way up.
And exhale,
Hands to heart center.
Now,
Let's make our way through a couple of sun salutations.
Inhale,
Arms out and overhead.
And exhale,
Fold.
Inhale,
Halfway lift.
Exhale,
Fold.
Plant your hands,
Step your right foot,
And then your left foot back,
Coming into a plank position,
Either with the knees lifted or down on the mat.
And wait for an exhale to slowly lower all the way down to the mat,
Keeping your elbows in the ground.
Elbows hugged closely in towards your body.
When you get there,
Untuck your toes and wait for an inhale to lift your chest and lift your gaze,
Coming into a baby cobra.
Exhale to lower.
And on an inhale,
Tuck your toes,
Press up and send your hips back to downward facing dog.
We'll stay here for five breaths.
And you're welcome to come into any movement here that feels nice,
Or to just hold this pretty still.
Press down into all four corners of the palms.
Gently grip the mat with the pads of your fingers.
And take one more breath here.
On your next inhale,
Look towards the top of the mat,
Step your left foot up,
And then your right foot back.
Right,
And fold.
Bend your knees,
Inhale,
Rise all the way up.
And exhale,
Hands to heart center.
Inhale,
Arms out and overhead.
Exhale,
Fold.
Inhale,
Flat back.
Exhale,
Fold.
Plant your hands,
Step the left foot back,
And then the right,
Coming into a plank position.
Knees up or down.
Wait for an exhale to slowly lower all the way down.
Untuck the toes.
Inhale,
Lift up baby cobra.
And exhale,
Lower.
Inhale,
Tuck the toes,
Lift your hips,
Back and up to downward facing dog.
And again,
Five breaths here.
Breathing in and out through your nose if you can.
And listening to the sound of your breath.
Reach your tailbone up towards the sky.
And if you can,
Draw your ears right alongside your biceps.
One more full cycle of breath here.
And on your next inhale,
Look towards the top of the mat,
And step your right foot up,
And then your left,
Coming into a forward fold.
Bend your knees.
Inhale,
Rise all the way up.
And exhale,
Hands to heart center.
Let's continue.
Inhale,
Arms out and overhead.
And exhale,
Fold.
Inhale,
Halfway lift.
Exhale,
Fold.
Plant your hands,
Just the right foot back,
And then the left,
To plank.
Or knee plank.
Exhale to lower.
Inhale to lift,
Either baby cobra,
Or you can push in a little bit higher for a full cobra.
Exhale to lower.
And on your inhale,
Make your way back to downward facing dog.
This time we'll inhale,
Sweep the right leg back and up,
Three-legged dog.
On the exhale,
Step the right foot up towards the top of the mat.
Spin the back heel down.
And we're gonna transition into a warrior two.
So the front knee is bent.
When you're ready,
Inhale,
Cartwheel your arms forward and up,
And make any adjustments that you might need to while you're here.
So the right toes are facing towards the short edge,
The top of your mat.
The knee is right over your ankle.
The back foot is about parallel to the back edge of the mat,
But just turn in slightly.
The hips,
The chest,
All open to the side of the mat.
Arms out to a T.
The gaze is over the right fingertips.
We'll stay here for a few breaths.
Now on your next inhale,
Flip your front palm and reach your hand up towards the sky as you straighten in your front leg.
Finding a nice stretch in the side body.
And on the exhale,
Keep your lower body just where it is.
We're gonna make our way into a triangle pose.
So tip your arms forward and down,
Bringing your right hand either towards your shin,
To a block,
To your thigh.
And the left arm can reach up towards the sky or it can rest on your hip.
Gaze down towards the mat,
Out to the side,
Or overhead.
Keep your core nice and strong here to support you in this pose.
Legs are strongly activated.
We'll take one more breath here.
And on the exhale,
Pivot on your back foot and bring both hands back down onto the mat.
Step your right foot back to Downward-Facing Dog.
Inhale,
Left leg back and up,
Three-Legged Dog.
And exhale,
Step the left foot forward.
Spin the back heel down.
Turn the opposite direction.
And then we're going to cartwheel the arms forward and up,
Coming into our Warrior II here on the left side.
So the front knee is over the ankle,
Back foot turned in just slightly,
Shoulders over hips,
Arms out to a T,
And gaze right over those front middle fingers.
Few breaths here.
Feel that strength in your lower back.
Feel that strength in your lower body.
Draw your shoulder blades towards each other.
On an inhale,
Flip to your front palm.
And as you reach your front arm up,
Straighten your front leg.
And on the exhale,
We're going to come into Triangle Pose.
So lower body stays the same.
Reach your fingertips forward as you come down into your Triangle Pose.
So again,
You can rest your top hand on your hip or reach it up to the sky.
Gaze down,
Out to the side,
Or overhead.
One more breath here.
And on your exhale,
Bend in your knee,
Pivot on your back foot.
As you spin,
Bring your hands to the mat and step back to Downward-Facing Dog.
On an inhale,
Lift your heels,
Shift your weight forward,
Bringing your shoulders over your wrists,
For a plank.
Lower the knees if you'd like.
And on an exhale,
Lower all the way down.
Inhale,
Cobra or Baby Cobra.
And exhale to lower.
Tuck your toes,
Inhale,
Back and up to Downward-Facing Dog.
From here,
We'll inhale,
Send the right leg back and up,
Three-Legged Dog.
On the exhale,
Step it through to the top of the mat.
Step your back foot forward just a few inches,
Shorten the stance slightly,
Sitting up for Warrior I.
Front knee is bent.
And on an inhale,
Slowly rise up,
Bringing your hands to your hips.
The back foot,
The back toes are pointing towards the top left corner of the mat.
Hips are facing forward.
You can keep your hands on your hips if you like.
Or inhale,
Reach your arms forward and up.
Press into the outside edge of your back foot.
Lengthen your tailbone down.
One more breath here.
On your exhale,
If your hands are up,
Bring them back to your hips and straighten your front leg.
From here,
Take a deep breath in.
And with that flat back,
Strong core,
We're gonna hinge at the hips.
And you can either stop where you feel a nice stretch in the back of your right leg,
Your hamstrings,
Your right glute.
Or if you'd like to come all the way down,
You can bring your fingers to the mat or to blocks,
Coming into this intense side stretch.
Parsvottanasana.
Take a couple of breaths here.
And on your next inhale,
Bend in your front knee,
Plant your hands,
Step it back to Downward-Facing Dog.
Inhale,
Left side.
Reach the left leg back and up,
Three-Legged Dog.
And exhale,
Bend the knee.
Step the left foot up to the top of the mat.
Step your right foot up a little bit.
Bend in the front knee and use an inhale to rise all the way up.
Start with the hands on the hips.
The front knee is over the mat.
The front knee is over the front ankle.
Hips facing forward.
Back toes pointing towards the top right corner of the mat.
Relax your shoulders down.
Lengthen your tailbone down.
And float the arms forward and up on an inhale if you'd like.
One more deep breath here.
And on your exhale,
If arms are up,
Float them back down to your hips,
Straighten your front leg.
Inhale to lengthen through the crown of your head.
And on an exhale,
Hinge at the hips,
Nice flat back.
Stop when you feel a good stretch in the back of your left leg and your left glute,
Or go all the way forward down to the mat or to blocks.
Feeling a nice intense stretch on the back of the left leg and the left glute.
One more deep breath here.
And on your exhale,
Bend into your knee,
Plant your hands and step it back to Downward Facing Dog.
Inhale,
Lift your heels,
Shift your weight forward,
Shoulders over wrists into plank.
And on an exhale,
Lower all the way down.
Untuck the toes.
Inhale,
Cobra or Baby Cobra.
And exhale to lower.
Tuck your toes.
Inhale,
Push it back and up.
To Downward Facing Dog,
Last Down Dog of the class.
On your next inhale,
Look towards the top of the mat and step all the way up.
Standing Forward Bend.
Bend your knees,
Inhale,
Rise all the way up,
Arms out and overhead.
And exhale,
Hands to heart center.
Let's do a little bit of balancing next.
So Tree Pose,
Vrikshasana.
Come to a standing position with the feet about hip-width distance apart.
Start to shift your weight over into your right foot.
Find a stationary spot on the ground or somewhere in front of you.
And when you're ready,
On an inhale,
Lift your left foot off the mat,
Open your knee out to the side,
And either touch your toes down,
Forming like a kickstand,
Or option to bring your foot and place it right next to your calf.
Or you can reach down,
Grab your foot,
And place it on the inside of your thigh.
Whatever feels right for you today.
Find your focal point,
Your drishti.
You can keep your hands by your side,
On your hips.
Heart center,
You can grab a hold of the wall or a piece of furniture to help.
If you feel pretty stable,
You might even flow your arms out and up,
Grow your branches of your tree.
Relax your shoulders,
Relax your jaw,
And remember to breathe.
Feel that strength in your standing foot,
All the little micro-movements that your muscles are making to balance.
Let's take one more breath here.
And on your exhale,
Slowly unwind if you can.
And then shake it out on that standing foot.
Let's do the other side still.
Feet hip width.
Shift your weight over into the left foot.
Find your focal point.
Then on an inhale,
Lift your right foot up,
Open the knee out to the side,
And either come into that kickstand,
Foot on the calf,
Or foot on your thigh.
Push your foot and your leg towards each other.
It's as if you're hugging your body towards your midline.
And again,
Hands wherever you'd like to place them.
Spend a couple of breaths here.
Breathe,
Smile maybe.
If you fall out of it,
Just know that's part of the practice.
Make your way back into it,
No sweat.
One more breath here.
And then exhale,
Slowly release if you can.
And shake it out on the other side.
All right,
Let's make our way down to the mat.
You can come down any way you'd like,
Or if you'd like to join me in sliding down,
Slide down the imaginary wall.
This is from my first teacher,
Cal.
You're gonna stand at the top of the mat,
Feet hip-width distance apart.
Lift your heels up off the mat so you're balancing on your toes and the balls of your feet.
Float your arms in front of you,
Reaching through your fingers.
And on an exhale,
Slowly slide down,
Or bend your knees,
And imagine you're sliding your back down an imaginary wall.
You might hear a little snap,
Crackle,
Pop in your ankles and feet.
And once you get down to the mat,
Slowly make your way all the way onto your back.
A little bridge pose,
So knees are bent.
Slide your heels close enough to where your fingers can just gently brush the back of your heels.
Take a deep breath in.
And on an exhale,
Push your feet into the mat to lift your hips for a bridge pose.
Press your hands and your arms into the ground.
You might even kind of scoot your shoulder blades a little more underneath your upper back.
Lift your hips higher if you can.
Push your feet into the ground.
Couple more breaths here,
Maybe lifting a little bit higher.
One more deep breath in.
And then on your exhale,
Slowly lower your hips down.
Hug your knees into your chest.
Maybe rock from side to side.
Then we'll come into happy baby.
So bringing the soles of the feet to face up towards the sky,
Grab the outside of your feet or your ankles,
Kind of drawing your knees towards your armpits.
Nice hip opener here.
You can stay as still or you can rock from side to side.
One more deep breath here.
And on your exhale,
Release your feet.
Hug your knees in once more,
A little sway from side to side.
Release your feet to the mat.
Then extend your legs flat on the mat all the way.
For a brief Shavasana.
Arms by the side.
Take up some space here.
It's okay if the hands fall off the mat.
Palms up.
Let your feet fall out to the side.
Release any holding in your body.
Allow your body to totally relax into the mat.
Close your eyes if you'd like.
And take three deep,
Mindful breaths.
See if you can stay present throughout the next three breaths.
And after that third exhale,
Invite some subtle movement to your fingers and toes.
Start to rock your arms and legs gently.
Bend your knees,
Hug your legs in towards your chest.
And roll over onto one side.
And gently and slowly press yourself back up to a comfortable seated position.
Once you get there,
Relax your hands on your lap.
Relax your shoulders down.
Close your eyes.
Inhale,
Arms out to the side and overhead,
Palms touch.
And exhale,
Hands to heart center.
Thank you so much for practicing with me today.
The light in me sees and honors the light in each of you.
Namaste.
