Hey lovely,
I'm Ali and today I'm sharing a gentle hatha yoga practice to help you feel more grounded and at peace.
So think of this practice as not as fast as a flow,
Not as gentle as a yin,
But somewhere in the middle.
If you're able to grab a block for practice,
Grab that.
All good if you don't have anything around,
You can totally do this without.
If you are new to me,
Welcome.
I'm an international yoga and meditation teacher,
Retreat leader,
And yoga teacher mentor.
I'm here in Mexico.
We've got a little bit of jungle for you.
You might even hear the ocean waves in the background.
Go ahead and get comfortable in a seat and I will meet you there.
So feel free to prop yourself up onto your block if you have one today.
Sitting cross-legged or back on your heels,
Whatever is your jam.
And we're going to just start by grounding the body and finding our breath.
So find a tall seat.
You can close your eyes or soften them.
Let your hands rest comfortably in your lap.
Settling into the short practice,
Kind of releasing whatever has come up for you so far today.
Whether this is a morning practice to help get you grounded for your day or you're just taking a little reset at any point.
It's all good.
You just want to meet yourself right here where you are.
Start to become aware of your breath.
Feeling the ebb and flow.
The inhale and exhale.
We always want to continue coming back to that through this practice,
No matter what shows up.
Feel free to modify anything if it doesn't feel right for you.
Let's take a deep breath in right here.
Open your mouth.
Let it go.
Move into a little side stretch,
Bringing your left fingertips down to the floor or your yoga mat just behind your leg.
Reach your right arm up and over to the left.
You might extend the left fingertips a little further.
You could also bring the top hand behind your head if that's easier on the shoulder.
Really grounding the full seat into your block or your mat.
So take a few deep breaths.
Bring it back through center,
Other side,
Right fingertips down,
Reach the left arm up and over.
Stretching the side body.
Take a few breaths down toward your left lung,
Left ribcage.
Bring it back to center.
Let's come through to hands and knees position.
You can slide your block toward the top left of your mat.
Starting with just one hair cow pose,
Drop the belly down,
Peel the chest up.
Couples round your spine,
Chin to chest.
Curl your toes under.
Take a downward dog.
Big ol' stretch out for the back body.
Pedal your heels.
Press into your palms.
And let's walk the feet up to the top of your mat to meet your hands.
And just come into a passive fold.
Really bend your knees as much as you need to here.
Maybe the fingertips stay on the mat or on your thighs for more support or just dangle here.
Softening into the shoulders,
Neck.
Releasing the head.
Bring your feet together.
And we'll come right into chair pose.
Legs together.
Extend your arms forward and up,
Starting to create a little heat in the body.
Strength in the legs.
Really shift your bum back.
And get light in your toes.
Face stays soft as you breathe.
Take one more breath in.
Let that go.
Take a fold again as you exhale,
Head heavy.
Halfway lift,
Inhale.
Plant your hands and step your left foot toward the back of your mat for a lunge.
As you breathe out.
So you can grab your block under your left hand.
Or just place your hand on the mat,
Taking a twist open,
Reach your right arm up,
Look over your right shoulder.
We'll take a few breaths here.
So the legs are still strong.
Hug the thighs inward.
As you gently rotate your right hip back,
And stretch up through your top fingertips.
Letting that go.
Both hands to your mat.
Step it back again to your downward dog.
Pedal of the heels.
Maybe feeling a little more awake now.
Walk your feet to the top of your mat.
Here we go.
For one more chair pose,
Feet together.
Sit your hips low,
Reach through the arms.
Little shorter this time so find your edge that place where you can hold it,
You feel the challenge,
You might not be able to stay here forever.
Just stay here a moment longer.
Try interlacing your fingers behind you.
Stretch the chest up as you inhale.
And a big old fold as you exhale,
Hands rise overhead as we stretch up into the chest and shoulders.
Release your grip to lift halfway.
Breath in.
Flanch your hands and step your right foot back on your breath out to twist on the other side.
Right hand stays down.
Left arm rises up.
Lots of space in the chest.
As you rotate the top shoulder back,
Get really high with your back heel.
And hug your left hip back as well.
Most importantly,
Breathe.
Bring it back down.
Plant your hands.
Downward dog.
Step back.
Stretch it out.
Lift the heels and walk forward again.
Halfway lift,
Breath in.
Fold as you breathe out.
Keep your knees bent.
Let's rise all the way up.
Reach up to the sky.
Inhale.
Hands to your heart as you exhale.
Land for a moment Mountain Pose,
So arms can come down by your sides.
Shoulders soften,
Spine is tall.
Feel the grounding through your feet.
Reconnect to your breath.
We'll come in to.
.
.
An awakening back bend here.
I like to interlace my fingers behind my head for a bit of support,
So I offer that option.
Elbows nice and wide.
Soften your knees a bit so the legs are active.
Start to look up and lift up out of your hips.
Finding a shape where you're still able to breathe,
It might get a little shorter or sharper.
It's all good.
Just make sure that breath is still there.
Invigorating the nervous system.
Take one more inhale and let's rise it back up.
Breath out to land,
Mountain pose.
Feel that rebound.
That ripple effect from your backbend.
Next breath in,
Reach your arms up overhead.
On your breath out,
Wrap your right arm underneath your left foot,
Eagle arms.
You can grab opposite shoulders or wrists.
Bend your knees,
Eagle pose,
Right leg rises up and over your left leg.
So squeeze your limbs together where they meet.
Elbows and knees pointing forward.
Press your bottom arm into your top arm.
Maybe enough so elbows come up to shoulder height.
See if you can sit a little bit lower.
With that strength,
You cultivate it already in your legs.
Let's let it go.
Let's release the arms and the right knee up.
Both feet on the mat,
Hands to your heart as you exhale.
Into the other side,
Inhale,
Arms,
Reach up.
Exhale,
Left arm wraps under your right.
Bend your knees,
Float the left leg up,
No rush.
Wrap it over your right.
See if you can really lengthen through the spine here.
So you squeeze your legs and feel the grounding in your bottom foot.
Soften your jaw and breathe.
Sit a little lower.
You got it.
One swoop,
Focusing on the balance,
Release,
Reach up.
Feet to the mat,
Hands to your heart.
Arms by your side.
One more pose on our feet.
Tree pose,
Hands to your hips.
And then turn your right knee out to the side.
Place that foot inside your left leg.
Wherever it meets today is all good.
Find what works for you.
Hands to heart.
Stay here or reach your arms up,
Out,
Or behind you,
Whatever's calling to you.
Keep your eyes steady ahead of you.
As you press your foot and leg together.
Slowly,
Hands to your heart,
Knee forward.
Release your foot back down.
Give the feet a little shake out,
Maybe a little crack through the ankles.
Other side,
Hands to hips,
Left knee turns out,
Foot to your inner leg.
Hands to heart.
Stay or grow your tree.
Whatever's calling to you.
Hands to heart,
Knee forward.
Release your foot back down.
Reach your arms up again at the top of your mat.
Inhale.
Slow dive forward,
Exhale.
Halfway lift,
Breath in.
Plant your hands now,
Step back to a high plank pose,
Breath out.
Pausing here for a moment,
Let's hold this option,
Knees on the mat.
Or stay as you are,
Charging up the center of the body.
Press your hands down and apart.
Really firm through the belly.
Keep breathing.
This is our detour down.
To the mat.
So as slowly as you can with so much control,
Maybe through the knees,
You lower all the way down onto your belly.
Full locus pose,
Reach back,
Interlace your fingers again,
Or just stretch the arms straight back.
Big toes toward each other.
Peel your chest up.
Peel your legs up.
Strengthening the spine.
So we roll the inner thighs up.
And lift through the heart.
Stay right here or come into floor,
Bow,
Bend your knees,
Reach back,
Catch your.
.
.
Outer feet or your ankles.
Biggest final back bend.
Kick your feet back and up.
Keep breathing.
Lift the chest for three.
To One.
Very nice.
Slowly lower it down.
Bring one cheek to your mat.
Arms down by your sides.
Switch it up,
Other cheek down.
Come back through,
Hands and knees.
Curl your toes,
Downward dog.
We're moving into pigeon pose next.
Right leg back and up.
Ascended through knee to wrist,
Toes toward the left.
This might be where that block comes in handy again.
You can stay upright.
Or start to hinge forward.
Block might support your right hip or your chest or forehead.
Try to support your forehead with something if you're.
.
.
Making it a more passive shape like I am.
Slow deep breaths here.
Really great for the nervous system.
Press into your hands,
Lift your chest,
And we'll just swing around.
So your left leg.
.
.
Comes right out onto a diagonal.
Coming into a spinal twist,
Right foot crosses over your left knee,
Right hand back.
Try tenting the back fingertips,
Reach your left arm up.
And twist to your right.
Bring it back through center,
A little counter twist if you're craving that.
Swing your legs through one more downward dog.
I'll meet you there.
Pigeon left side.
Send your left leg back.
Bring it through knee to wrist.
Remember this side does not need to match the first side.
I've been doing yoga for over 20 years.
And it doesn't match for me.
But again,
If you were upright on the first side,
You might wanna stick with that here.
If you dropped forward.
Find that passive option and support your forehead.
Last time,
Press into your hands,
Lift back up,
Lean into your left hip.
Swing your right leg around for your spinal twist.
Left foot crosses over.
Left hand back tall spine reach up Twist to your left.
Bring it back through center,
Counter twist if you need that.
Both legs out in front of you.
For one more,
Forward fold,
Nice tall spine,
Reach your arms up.
Hinge forward on your exhale.
You can stay active with a long spine or just let it go,
Allowing your head to get heavier toward your shins.
Take a couple of deep breaths really into the back of the heart space.
Roll your hands back to your hips as you roll your spine back up.
And we'll come into final shavasana.
If you need any last shift or movement,
Feel free to take it as always.
Otherwise,
I'll meet you on your back.
So just take up as much space as you can here.
Settling into this final shape of practice.
Start to get curious with anything that has shifted over that short period of time.
Physically,
Mentally.
Maybe in the breath.
Give yourself permission to just fully be right here in this moment.
A little while longer.
Observing a heaviness in the back of your heels.
Sinking downward in the back of your hips.
Your arms dropping into your mat.
As if they're under sandbags.
Feel the weight of the shoulder blades in the back of your head.
Feeling fully supported in this moment and present.
This is your shape to stay in as long as it suits you today.
If you'd like to finish off the practice back in a seat,
You can meet me there by slowly waking up your body,
Roll the wrists and ankles.
Take whatever stretch feels good in the moment.
Roll through one side of your body and I'll meet you back in a seat.
I want to thank you for having the courage to show up and find peace within.
I'll see you next time.
Namaste.
