Hi,
I'm Annie.
Welcome to your short flow with a focus on being curious,
With movement,
With a thought swirling in your brain,
With everything that's about to happen.
Exploring that movement with curiosity means being open to approaching your yoga practice with a beginner's mind.
Flowing through as if you're experiencing everything for the first time,
Noticing every inch of movement.
Every breath that comes in and out of your body.
Every inch of space that you can create from head to toe in 360 around your body.
So we'll focus on noticing any monologues,
Any inner dialogues that come up during that movement practice,
And see what we can do about escorting them out and away as you take the next 10 to 15 minutes to just focus on flowing,
On breathing,
On connecting to your body and mind,
Without judgment,
Only with curiosity.
So if you're ready for that,
We'll start in a child's pose.
So as you come forward to tabletop,
Take your knees wider than your hips,
Toes to touch,
Tops of your feet Send your hips back.
Reach your arms forward and slowly settle into your child's pose.
If you can,
And you've got the range of motion to take your forehead down to touch your ground,
Your mat,
Maybe a towel or your sweatshirt.
Go there and notice that sensation of your forehead making that connection.
If it feels good,
You might even rock your forehead left to right.
And while you stay here and hang out.
See if you can focus on one thing.
On escorting any judgment,
Any thoughts,
Any expectations,
Any stresses or worries.
Away from your mind,
Away from your body,
As you just allow yourself.
A moment to be curious.
Can you set a brief,
Gentle,
Really compassionate intention for that?
I will be curious.
Rock your forehead left to right as you visualize.
I am curious between your eyebrows as a word,
As a phrase,
As a feeling.
As a movement,
Soak it in.
Then hold center.
Lift your chest a little bit.
Come up onto your fingertips and walk your hands over to the right.
Flip your right palm up.
High five it with the left.
Take your right ear to your right bicep and use your right hand to pull the left hand over to the right.
Your hips are still back and low into that child's pose.
You're just feeling that stretch,
That opening,
That shift of energy,
Especially on that left side of your body.
Be curious in how this feels different than when your arms were reaching forward.
Lift your head under that clasp,
Walk yourself through center,
And all the way to the left side of your space.
Left palm up,
High five it with the right,
Left ear,
Left bicep,
Left hand pulls the right hand to the left,
Same idea.
This time be curious in how this feels different than that first side.
Is it stickier?
Is it more open?
Sides are always different,
But approach that with curiosity instead of judgment.
Back under fingertips,
Lift your chest,
Come to center,
And then shift your weight forward.
It might feel a little sticky in the hips after all that time in child's pose,
So give yourself a second,
Maybe wiggle the hips a little bit.
When you land in tabletop,
Hands under shoulders,
Knees under hips,
Drop your belly,
Lift your gaze,
Inhale,
Look up,
And find your cow pose.
Exhale,
Drop your chin to your chest,
Round and hollow out into your cat.
And then keep that going.
Nice fluid movement,
Inhale,
Look up.
Nice deep exhalation as you hollow out and empty the lungs.
Keep that going.
Be curious about how this feels.
If there's anything that you might add to it.
Maybe it's a pause for a wrist circle.
Maybe it's a little shift of the hips while you go forward and back.
Add it.
Be curious in what would feel good.
Flex the feet,
Point the toes,
Anything else you want to add.
Do one more in each direction.
Biggest range of motion yet.
And then as you hold neutral right in between those cat-cow shapes,
Take the right ball of your foot back.
Shift your weight forward and back,
And again,
Be curious in where this sensation arrives.
Back of the leg,
Maybe even a little bit in your wrists as you shift forward and back,
Shoulders,
Core engaged.
Hold that right foot back,
Pivot and open up.
So left toes to the left,
Right arm sweeps up to your gate pose.
Big breath in,
Reach up,
Up,
Up,
Imagining your opening,
Soaking in all that good energy.
On the exhale,
Close it right back to tabletop.
Same thing other side,
Left ball of the foot goes back,
Shift your weight forward and back.
Anything different you wanna do,
Maybe you spread out the fingers a little more,
Maybe even add a wrist stretch,
Fingertips side to side.
And then when you're ready.
You'll pivot that back foot,
Lift the left arm this time,
Your gate pose.
It's like your supported side plank.
Feel that grounded sensation as you reach up,
Up,
Up.
One more inhale.
On the exhale,
Come back to tabletop.
Re-establish where you are.
Hands under shoulders,
Knees under hips.
Engage through the core,
Find your neutral spine.
When you are ready,
Curl your toes,
Lift your knees an inch at a time as you send your hips up and back to your downward facing dog.
From there,
Pedal it out a little bit.
Bend the knees side to side.
Press the heels down.
See how that feels.
Settle into your downward facing dog.
Be curious.
Play around a little bit.
Maybe it's a press of the heels,
A bend of the knees.
Maybe you shift your hips side to side.
Do a couple of things that maybe you haven't done before.
Maybe you even shift forward to plank,
Kick up and back,
Downward facing dog.
Enjoy the experience of just doing something new.
Be curious.
If it doesn't work for you,
Don't do it again.
When you're ready,
Keep the left foot where it is,
Slide the right foot forward,
Right between the palms.
Pivot and plant that back foot,
Left arm sweeps over your ear as you land in your warrior two.
Notice the sensations.
What lights up first?
Maybe it's your thigh.
Maybe your shoulders feel tension.
Experience from the inside out.
Flip the right palm,
Reverse your warrior.
Keep the right knee where it is as you extend your side angle,
Reach to the right,
Right forearm,
Right thigh,
Left arm over your ear,
Or any other variation.
Maybe you take the left palm down,
See how that feels.
If it doesn't feel good,
Go back to the forearm.
Maybe you take the back of the left palm and wrap it behind you.
You might even be able to touch the top of your right thigh if you go for it.
Squeeze the left shoulder and look up.
Whatever variation that feels good for you is the right thing to do here.
Take one more inhale when you're ready.
On the exhale cartwheel right back down to the mat.
Drop that left knee.
On an inhale,
Look up,
Arch your back.
On an exhale,
Walk your hands back,
Straighten over that right leg.
And then do that again.
Inhale,
Slow motion forward look up,
Arch your back.
Exhale,
Slow motion walk back around your spine.
Be curious.
Every inch of movement has some information to tell you.
Can you make micro adjustments that can sometimes make a huge difference in the way your body feels?
Next time you walk back to that half split,
Stay there.
Take your toes right to left and notice how every inch of that movement changes the sensation from the inner thigh to the outer thigh,
From your shin to your calf.
Take a big breath in.
On your exhale,
That right leg,
Right ankle is gonna slide to the left.
Slide your right knee forward.
And fold into your pigeon.
You might come to forearms.
You might even stay on your palms.
If you can,
You might stack the backs of your palms and rest your head.
But wherever you land in your pigeon is the right place.
Take big breaths in and out and be curious.
Maybe you need to add a little movement side to side,
Front and back.
Maybe you need to press up and come down to see how that feels.
Enjoy this pigeon and release some energy through your hips.
Wherever you are,
Take one more inhale.
On your exhale,
Press up to your palms if you're not already there.
Curl the left toes,
Right foot joins the left.
Downward facing dog,
Stay.
Find a moment of stillness.
See if you can quiet every inch of your body,
Even if there's a little shake through your shoulders or through your legs.
Notice the difference between the sides.
And then we'll attempt.
To even it out.
So from your downward facing dog,
Take your left foot forward and through.
Pivot and plant the right foot,
Right arm sweeps over your ear,
Land in your warrior two,
Sink low.
Inhale,
Sweep up and back,
Reverse your warrior.
Exhale,
Extended side angle.
Now there's no rule saying you can't do something different on this side.
So if you approach this side with more curiosity,
Maybe it's a bind.
Maybe you reach both arms forward and overhead.
Maybe you feel like you need a little bit more stability and you use that left forearm.
It's up to you.
Wherever you are,
Take one more inhale.
On your exhale,
Palms come down.
Drop that back knee.
Inhale on fingertips,
Look up,
Arch your back.
Exhale,
Walk yourself back.
Straighten over that left leg.
Do that again,
Exploring every inch of that movement with curiosity.
Big inhales as you open your chest and your heart.
Big exhales as you round hollow out and go inside for a sec.
Do one more in each direction.
And then last time you move through that,
You'll stay in your half splits.
Again,
Flex that foot.
Take the toes left to right.
And if a straight leg isn't for you,
A little bend in the knee is totally fine.
If you've got some props to lift you up a little higher,
That can also help.
Two blocks or two books are great.
Then hold center,
Drag that left ankle to the right.
Slide the left knee forward and settle into your version.
Of a pigeon.
A figure four is also a great option if for some reason one or both knees isn't into pigeon,
Totally normal.
Breathe into your hip opening stretch.
Take a big inhale.
Melt the shoulders away from the ears any thoughts that are circling in your brain,
Especially if they approach judgment release away clear your heart,
Clear your mind,
Be open to the freedom.
Of curiosity.
Ask yourself.
Any of those invading thoughts that approach something like judgment,
Is that serving you?
Are those thoughts helpful to you?
Chances are,
Probably not.
Just thank them for showing up.
And escorted them away.
When you're ready,
Press up to your palms.
If you're not already there,
Curl your back toes.
Left foot joins the right for your final.
Still,
Downward facing dog.
Hips are high,
Heels are low,
Shoulders are on.
Take one more inhale.
Exhale,
Drop to the knee.
Cross your ankles and roll backwards.
Just take a seat.
With your legs in front of you,
Hands below your thighs,
Round yourself down to your back,
However you get there.
This is the right way.
Draw your knees into your chest and just rock a little side to side.
Massage that low back.
Send your body the message,
You made it down to your mat.
Few final gentle stretches just to allow all the curiosity All that good hard work to soak in.
When you're ready,
Legs to tabletop,
Right thigh on top of the left thigh,
Hips travel to the right,
Legs drop to the left,
Arms open either to T or to goalpost.
Or whatever feels good.
Drop that right shoulder away from your ear and as heavy as you can down to the mat.
Let your gaze become hazy or your eyes are maybe already closed.
Every inhale,
Fill up with curiosity.
Every exhale it's just a gentle Compassionate release.
Of anything you might've told yourself over the last 10 or 12 minutes that's not gonna serve you moving forward.
Bringing out that energy from your spine.
Bring yourself back center.
Legs back to tabletop.
Cross the left thigh on the right.
Hips travel to the left.
Legs drop to the right.
Same thing or something different with the upper body.
Big inhale,
Fill up with good energy.
Big exhale.
Gently escort anything that's in the opposite direction away.
As you come through center,
Bring your knees into your chest.
This time,
You're just gonna gently rock and roll upright.
However you get there is the right way.
Find an easy seat,
Cross-legged or otherwise,
Arms long by your sides for two final big deep breaths.
On an inhale,
Sweep your arms all the way up to the ceiling,
Fill up your lungs,
Open your mouth.
All the way out.
Last big inhale,
Gather up all that awesome energy you just created for your day,
Capture it with curiosity.
And draw that down to your chest,
To your heart to seal it all in.
Thank you for joining me.
I'll see you again soon.
