Solar Plexus Chakra Vinyasa Flow For Purpose

Join Ali for a light-hearted vinyasa flow focusing on balancing the solar plexus chakra to feel more joyful and powerful, and to reconnect to your sense of purpose. We will start with a short solar plexus chakra awareness meditation, followed by a gentle yoga flow to shift stuck energy around. Some experience with vinyasa flow is helpful because there are no visual cues but this practice is intended for all levels. Listen to your body and modify poses when needed.

Transcript

Hey there,

Welcome back to my chakra flow series.

This will be a short vinyasa flow practice focusing on the solar plexus chakra,

So the center of the body.

Go ahead and find a comfortable seated position and I'll meet you there.

So let's talk about the solar plexus chakra for a moment.

This is really where we hold our personal power.

This chakra is related to self-confidence,

Passion,

And motivation.

So if you are feeling like you have low self-esteem,

You're unmotivated to take action,

Or if you're suffering with some imposter syndrome or is kind of stuck in that comparison mode,

You might wanna be focusing on your solar plexus chakra,

Which is what we will be doing today.

The color associated with this chakra is yellow,

So think about brightness,

Sunshine,

Joy,

Bliss,

Those kinds of things.

That's what we're gonna bring into this playful practice today.

So drop into a seat for a moment.

We'll find some stillness.

You can close your eyes or look down.

Rest your hands in your lap,

Ground your seat,

Lengthen your spine,

Let your shoulders soften.

Feel your breath here and just start to observe if you are feeling connected to your solar plexus chakra,

Your personal power,

Your self-confidence,

Or if you might feel like there could be a block there if you have low self-esteem,

If you've been comparing yourself to others,

Feeling kind of low energy or stuck,

Uninspired.

And that's okay if those things come up,

Just observe.

Bring it back to your breath.

Just start to open up to the idea of letting some of that go today as we shift that energy around.

Let's take a deep breath in.

Open your mouth,

Let it go.

Blink your eyes open.

Roll your shoulders up,

Back,

And down a couple of times.

And take a simple twist.

Bring your left hand behind you,

Right hand across the body,

Twisting to your right.

Keep grounding through your seat,

Twisting from the low belly,

And switch it up,

Take the other side.

Let's come back through center and come to hands and knees position.

So stack your shoulders over your wrists,

Hips over your knees,

And we'll get some movement into the center of the body.

Cow pose,

Drop your belly down,

Lift your chest up,

Inhale.

As you exhale,

Take cat pose,

Round your spine,

Chin to chest.

One more of those,

Inhale,

Lengthen,

Feel the opening up through the center.

Exhale,

Round,

Press into your palms.

To a neutral spine now,

Curl your toes underneath you.

Pause here,

Hover your knees off the mat,

Starting to wake up the core.

To support us through this practice,

Press your hands down and apart.

As you engage through the center of your body,

Take another breath in.

Downward dog on your breath out,

Lift your hips up and back,

Pedal out your heels,

And just feel whatever shows up in this first downward dog of practice.

And let's ripple it forward to a high plank position.

Again,

Charging up through the core,

Press into your palms,

Engage through the center,

Take another breath in.

Knees to the mat,

Slow with control,

Lower all the way as you exhale.

Cobra pose,

Peel your chest up,

Take an inhale.

Press back to a wide knee child's pose.

As you exhale,

Hips to heels,

Forehead to the mat,

Let your forehead rock side to side.

Rise back up to hands and knees,

Knees under your hips.

This time,

Send your left arm forward,

Palm faces in,

Send your right heel back.

Strong through the core again,

Shoulder and hip are level with the other side.

Take an inhale.

As you exhale,

Slowly round your spine,

Bring your elbow to knee under the center body.

Again,

Inhale,

Lengthen,

Take your time.

Exhale,

Round elbow to knee.

One more time,

Inhale,

Lengthen.

This time,

As you exhale,

Plant your left hand.

Joy pose,

Slide your left shin off the mat,

Roll to the inner edge of your right foot.

Reach your right arm out and overhead as we open up the front and side body with your breath.

Back through center to hands and knees,

Curl your toes under,

Downward facing dog,

Press it up and back.

High plank on your inhale.

Knees down,

Lower all the way,

Exhale.

Cobra pose,

Breath in.

Child's pose,

Breath out.

Rock the forehead side to side.

Rise back up,

Let's take the other side.

Right arm forward,

Left heel back.

Firm through your belly,

Lengthen the spine,

Inhale.

Slow and steady,

Elbow to knee,

Exhale.

Again,

Inhale,

Get long,

Lift your chest.

Exhale,

Elbow to knee.

One more time,

Inhale,

Lengthen.

Bring your right hand down,

Right foot off the mat,

Inner edge of your left foot.

Reach the left arm up and overhead,

Sweet stretch.

Opening up the body,

Breathe.

Look down,

Plant your hand back to hands and knees,

Curl your toes,

Downward facing dog.

Deep breath in.

Big breath out.

High plank on your inhale.

Through the knees or chaturanga halfway down,

Exhale.

Cobra or upward facing dog,

The hips and thighs lift.

Curl your toes,

Downward facing dog.

Lift your heels,

Bend your knees,

Look forward.

Two big steps,

Top of your mat,

Halfway lift,

Inhale.

Big fold as you exhale.

Root to rise,

Inhale,

Reach your arms up.

Hands to heart as you exhale.

Mountain pose,

Arms by your side,

Just land for a moment and breathe.

Feel the soles of your feet supporting you,

Standing tall in your power with a slight lift through your chest.

Center,

Solar plexus,

Belly is firm.

Knee chair pose,

Reach forward and up,

Sit your hips back and down.

Firing up the legs here,

Shift your hips further back,

Get soft in your toes,

Take a breath in.

Hands meet your heart,

Lengthen forward.

As you exhale,

Twist to your right,

Left elbow outside the right knee.

Breathing here,

Press your arm and leg together where they connect.

Feel the center,

Strong,

Lift your left foot off the mat.

Step that foot back,

You're in a twisted lunge.

However you need to get there is good.

Lift through your back heel,

Hug your thighs in to support you along with the strength through the center of your body.

Using that support and strength,

Let's rise through to a high lunge.

Reach your arms up through center,

Inhale.

Stay here,

Deepen the lunge as you exhale.

Another breath in,

Warrior two on your breath out,

Pivot your back toes,

Bend into your front knee.

Reach a little further back with your left fingertips.

Flip your front palm up,

Reverse your warrior,

Reach up and back,

Inhale.

Stay straight in your front knee as you exhale.

Triangle pose,

Reach forward first here,

Breath in.

Right hand down,

Left hand up on your breath out.

If you happen to have a block,

Maybe the bottom hand comes to block outside or inside your leg.

So landing for a moment to feel the opening across the front of the body,

Especially the center.

And the twist as you draw your top shoulder back,

Maybe your eyes up.

Ground into your feet,

Let's rise it back.

Take your warrior two,

Bend your knee.

Inhale,

Reverse your warrior.

Circle your hands to the mat as you exhale.

Step it back to a high plank,

Full breath in,

Flow it out.

Exhale,

Bend your elbows.

Cobra or up dog breath in,

Downward dog breath out.

Land and breathe.

Feet together,

Lift your heels,

Bend your knees,

Step or a little hop,

Top of your mat,

Halfway lift.

Inhale,

Fold,

Exhale.

Root to rise,

Inhale,

Sweep your arms up.

Hands meet your heart,

Exhale.

Mountain pose,

Arms by your side,

Feel whatever shows up.

Tapping back into your power with your breath.

Chair pose,

Reach forward and up,

Sit low.

Knit the ribcage in,

Shift the hips back.

Hands to your heart,

Lengthen forward,

Inhale.

Twist to your left as you exhale.

Landing here first,

One step at a time,

Roll the heart open and top shoulder back.

Hug your arm and leg together where they connect,

Float your right foot up and step it back for your lunge.

Thighs draw inward as you feel the power from the center of your body.

Breathe,

Let's rise it up through center,

High lunge.

Reach your arms up,

Inhale.

Stay here,

Soften your shoulders as you exhale.

Another breath in,

Draw the ribs in.

Warrior II breath out.

Press your front knee outward as you anchor your back foot down.

Lengthening through your arms,

Flip your front palm up,

Inhale,

Reverse your warrior.

Straighten your front knee,

Exhale.

Triangle pose,

Reach forward,

Get long.

Front hand down,

Back hand up.

Try to get light on your front hand so you're maintaining the connection from the center of your body supporting you.

Nice,

Bend your front knee,

Rise it back to warrior II.

Reverse your warrior,

Inhale.

Hands to the mat as you exhale.

Step it back,

High plank,

Full breath in.

Flow it out,

Bend your elbows,

Breath out.

Cobra or up dog,

Inhale.

Downward dog as you exhale,

Take three breaths right here.

Pressing into your heels,

Rolling your inner thighs back.

Feet together,

Bend your knees.

Look forward,

Lift your heels,

Step or float to the top,

Halfway lift.

Exhale to fold.

Root to rise,

Inhale,

Sweep up.

Hands connect at your heart.

Once again,

Arms by your side.

Ground through your feet and feel your power.

Okay,

Let's reach the arms up again here.

Just the left arm lowers down for dancer's pose.

Bend that knee,

Catch the inside of your left foot or ankle.

Steady your eyes straight ahead.

And with your breath,

Guiding you,

Start to kick back as you lift your heart.

Kick back and up,

Watching out for plants.

Kick back and up for three,

Two,

And one.

And one,

Slowly releasing that back to mountain pose.

Feel all the feels,

Find stillness,

Be with it.

Both arms reach up,

Inhale.

Other side,

Right arm comes down.

As you exhale,

Catch the inner foot.

Knees come toward one another,

One step at a time.

Look forward,

Steady the gaze,

Start to kick back first.

And then kick up as you lift your heart,

Feeling the strength pouring out from the center of your body.

Keep kicking,

Keep lifting,

Soften your jaw and breathe for three,

Two,

One.

Slowly release that mountain pose one more time.

Place one hand on your belly,

Place one hand on your chest and just breathe.

Okay,

Arms by your side.

Share pose one last time.

Bend your knees,

Reach your arms forward and up.

This time we're going nice and low.

Keep lowering,

Keep lowering,

Keep lowering.

Come into boat pose,

Lift your shins up,

Reach forward.

You can catch your legs if you need that support today.

Draw your shoulders back,

Lift through your chest.

Feel again the support from the center.

Stay here or let's play,

Lowering halfway down.

If you have the space,

Inhale.

Press it back up as you exhale.

Two more,

Inhale,

Lengthen.

Exhale,

Press.

Last one,

Inhale,

Exhale.

This time,

Rock back and forward.

Real last chair pose.

Use your hands if you need to.

Find your way back up to your chair just for a breath in.

Standing tall on your breath out,

Mountain pose.

Arms reach up,

Inhale.

Slow dive forward as you exhale.

Halfway lift,

Breath in.

Pledge your hands,

Step to plank and pause on your breath out.

Full inhale here.

Slowly with resistance,

Lower all the way to your belly as you exhale.

Locust pose,

Reach your arms back.

Straight back or interlace your fingers.

Pull your big toes toward one another.

Peel the chest up,

Peel the legs up.

Kick back and up.

Stay here or move into floor bow.

Bend your knees,

Reach back.

This time,

Catching your outer feet or ankles.

Kicking back and up like we did in dancer's pose for three,

Two,

One.

Slowly let that go.

Arms by your side.

Just bring your left cheek down to the mat.

Deep breaths into the back body.

And switch it up,

Other side.

Hands under your shoulders.

Press back to downward dog,

Slowing it down to stretch it out now.

For pigeon pose,

Bring your right knee to your right wrist.

Toes toward the left wrist.

You can stay upright if you'd like.

Otherwise,

Crawling your hands forward to lower your chest and forehead down.

Bringing your forehead to your hands or a block or the floor.

Just a few breaths here.

Soften your shoulders.

And press into your hands.

Keep your front leg where it is and just swing your back leg around to meet it.

So your right sole of your foot is to your left inner thigh.

We're gonna come into a side stretch here.

Left hand to the left big toe or shin.

Reach your right arm out and up overhead.

I like to go hand behind my head here.

Gently pressing my head back into my hand to stretch the right side body.

Rising back up,

Just shift of face.

Your extended left leg,

Reach both arms up.

Fold over your leg,

Belly towards your thigh,

Maybe catching your foot.

Back to center,

Hands to your mat.

Step it back,

Final downward dog of the practice.

Pigeon on the other side.

Left knee to left wrist.

Toes to the right.

Again,

Same options.

You can stay up or hinge forward and make it more passive.

And keeping your front leg where you are,

Swing your back leg around so the sole of your foot meets your inner thigh.

Right hand to big toe or shin.

Left arm rises up overhead or hand to back of the head.

Stretch your side body.

Shift to face your right leg.

Both arms up,

Long spine,

Belly towards your thigh.

Catch your foot or shin and bring it right back to center.

And let's lay right down onto your back.

Hug both thighs into your belly.

As you arrive,

Take a little rock and roll side to side,

Maybe rolling in circles to massage your low back.

Now just move through a twist here.

Cactus your elbows out to the side.

Drop your knees side to side a couple of times.

Once you're centered,

Give your legs one more squeeze.

And let's drop it right into final Shavasana.

Extend your legs out,

Arms by your sides.

Wrap your shoulder blades underneath you.

Give yourself this time and space to allow the physical asana,

The physical practice,

To integrate as you land here in stillness with your breath.

Shifting back to a state of awareness in case you lost that through the movement.

Just observe any feelings,

Emotions,

Sensations that are coming to the surface.

Observe your sense of personal power,

Of self-confidence,

Of motivation to fully show up for yourself,

Allowing that ripple effect to move outward to your loved ones and those around you.

And stay here in this shape as long as it serves you.

If you'd like to finish off,

Back up in a seat.

Take whatever little movements feel intuitive to you in the moment,

Maybe a big stretch.

When you're ready,

Roll through one side and I'll meet you back in a seated position.

I wanna thank you for having the courage to show up and find peace within.

Namaste.

Reviews

I think this is my favourite yet, at least, today it served me very well. Challenging but definitely centering. Also felt perfect for winter solstice.