Flow & Release: All Levels Vinyasa And Yin (20 Min)

Join Ali for this balanced Flow/Yin practice, designed to give your body exactly what it needs: movement to wake up the circulation and stillness to let everything settle. We will move through an all-levels vinyasa warm-up to get the blood pumping, followed by a deeply supportive yin portion to release and relax. This is a well-rounded practice, as the flow builds heat and energy, and the yin gives you the space to melt into it. All levels are welcome. Move at your own pace during the vinyasa section and let gravity do the work in the yin holds. By the end of these 20 minutes, you'll feel both energized and at ease, open in the body and quiet in the mind.

Transcript

Hey friends, I'm Allie and today we'll be moving through an express full body flow and yin practice. So we'll be moving our body with our breath and then slowing it right down for a really well-balanced practice for the entire body. So when you're ready, We'll start out in a seated position on your mat. In your comfortable seat, Just taking a moment to get grounded before the movement begins. So hands can rest in your lap, Lengthen your spine, Let your shoulders drop back away from your ears. Soften your eyes ahead or close them. And start to shift your awareness to your breath. Honoring your body today, Skip whatever doesn't feel good to you, Modify whenever you need to. Let's take a deep breath in. Open your mouth, Let something go. And walk your hands forward. Let's come to a hands and knees position on your mat. Spread your fingers nice and wide. Feet and knees are about hip distance. Take an inhale for cow pose. Drop your belly down. Peel your heart up. As you exhale, Round your spine, Cat pose, Chin to chest. Back to a neutral spine. Curl your toes underneath you. Press your hips up and back downward facing dog. Lengthen out the back of your body. As you stretch the legs and press into the heels. Ripple it forward to a high plank position. Starting to warm up and create some heat here. Knees can be on the mat to modify. Center of the body super strong. Take a full breath in. Bring your knees down, Exhale with control, Lower all the way, Belly, Chest, Chin. Cobra pose on your inhale, A little peel up with the chest. Bring your chin back to the mat as you exhale. One more of those peeling the chest up, Breath in. Lower your chin down, Breath out. For real, One more time. Inhale, Cobra. Exhale, Press through the knees to your downward dog. Hips up and back. Take a wonderful inhale. Big exhale. Reach your right leg back and up behind you on your breath in. Look forward. Step between your hands for a low lunge. As you breathe out, Back knee drops down. Let's keep the left hand on the mat. Maybe you tent the fingers. Reach your right arm up to twist the heart open, Looking up to your right fingertips. Couple of breaths here as you soften into your hips. And lengthen across the chest. Release that plant your hand, Straighten out your front leg. Round your spine like a cat pose. Maybe pull the toes toward you. Come back through to your lunge. Curl the back toes under and press it back. High plank. Full inhale here. Through the knees or Chaturanga halfway down, Exhale. Cobra or upward facing dog, The hips and thighs lift. Curl your toes downward facing dog. Left leg rises up and back as you breathe in. Step forward between your hands, Back knee down, Breath out. Right hand stays, Let's lift the left arm up, Open the chest, Open the heart. Eyes can look up as you soften into your hips. Plant your hands, Straighten out the front leg. Toes pulled towards you around your spine. Back to your lunge. Curl your toes under, Hands planted, High plank. Breath in. Let's flow it out. Breath out, Lower down. Up dog! Or cobra! You do you! Meeting back in your downward facing dog. Deep breath in. Big breath out. Lift your heels, Bend your knees, Step each foot top of the mat. Halfway lift as you inhale. Big old fold belly to thighs, Exhale. Chair pose, Sit your hips down, Extend through your arms. Knitting the rib cage in. Shift your hips back. And get light in your toes. Take a breath in here, Interlace fingers behind you. And then fold again, Straighten the legs, Hands overhead for your breath out. Let it go. Release your grip, Lift halfway, Palms to shins. Plant your hands, Step your left foot way far back, This time for a high lunge. Legs are active, Left hand stays though. Pausing here, Heart forward and then just twist open again, Right arm rises up. Staying super strong in the legs as you create that space again, Open through the chest and shoulder. Look down to your mat, Plant your hand, Bend your knee, Step forward, Top of your mat, Halfway lift, Breath in. Fold on your breath out. Feet together, Chair pose, Sit low, Reach through the arms. Let's get a little bit lower here, Reach back, Interlace opposite grip. Lengthen your heart and let it go to fold. Release your grip, Halfway lift, Get really long in your spine. Plant your hands right foot steps back. For the active lunge, Again, Keep your right fingertips down, Reach your left arm up. Try to get light in the bottom hand if you can so the body is doing the work to support you here. Look down to the mat, Plant your hands, Bend the knees, Step it forward, Top of the mat, Halfway lift. Exhale to fold. Chair pose again, Sit low, Reach through the arms. This time we're going way far down. Bring the thighs parallel to your mat. And let's go all the way down for Navasana, Bowed pose. One more for the core. Feet can stay on the mat or lift them up, Shins parallel. Peel up through your chest, Draw your shoulders back and breathe. And slowly lower all the way down to lay on your back. Maybe hug the thighs and take a little squeeze here, Rock side to side. Land your feet on the mat for bridge pose. Lunge your feet on the mat for bridge pose. Feet and knees hip distance. Really anchor down through the soles of your feet. Back of the head is on your mat. Lift your hips up. You can press your palms flat down or interlace fingers underneath you. Press the sides of your hands down. Press, Press, Press through the feet as you rise up with the hips, Belly, And ribs. And slowly descend back down onto your mat. Let's take reclined cobbler's pose or butterfly pose. Soles of the feet together, Knees fall open. Hands on your belly for more grounding, Or if you want to stretch the upper body, Bend your elbows, Arms out to the sides. As we start to slow down, Just take a moment to observe what is happening, What has shifted. Through the movement and breath. Reach toward your outer knees, Gently guide your legs back together. Let's take figure four shape, Cross your right ankle over your left thigh. So we're slowing down, We're going to shift to make this a more relaxed, More chilled practice for the yin portion. So I will suggest that you keep your left foot on the mat, Maybe this right hand of yours gently, Gently Presses into the right inner thigh if you need a bit more in this shape. You should feel some opening in your outer right hip. If you don't, Feel free to grab the back of your left leg, Bring it closer in. And from here, Wrap your top leg all the way around the bottom leg. Shift your hips to the right. And let your legs fall over to the left for a spinal twist. You can always unravel the legs if that feels better for you today. Eyes travel over to the right. Unravel your legs, Shift it right back to center, Take a little Shavasana in the middle. Into the other side, Figure four, Cross your left ankle over your right thigh. Finding your version of the shape that works for you, Maybe fingertips gently pressing. Into the left thigh. And let's shift into the twist. Hips to the left, Wrap your top leg around. Drop your legs to the right. Shift right back through center, Take any last little movement. Or shift if you need it, Maybe hug the thighs into the belly. And we'll bring it into your final shape, Shavasana. Just give yourself permission to really soften into this juicy stillness. As you drop the back of the body into the floor or ground beneath you. Being present and aware with any sensations and thoughts. That come and go along with your breath. Observing how the whole body feels in this moment. Without attaching. So any outcome. Or any experience. Just simply breathe. And as always, I encourage you to linger in this shape as long as it serves you today. If you want to finish off the practice in a seat where we started, Start to invite some movement back into your body to wake up. Physical body up, Stretch whatever way your body craves. When you're ready, Roll through one side and I'll meet you back in a comfortable seat. And once again, I want to thank you for having the courage to show up and find peace within. I'll see you next time. Namaste.