30 Minute Balance Flow

In this 30-minute yoga class you will be challenged to work primarily on your balance, but also a little bit on your upper body with backbend postures and your heart chakra. This class is suitable for all levels and all you need is a yoga mat.

Transcript

Welcome to BALA Yoga. My name is Karla and today I'm going to guide you through an opening class. It means that we're going to open up a little bit of the upper body, A little bit off the front of your body, And most importantly, We're also going to play with balancing. It's always important to have balance on the mat, Off the mat, And that's what I really emphasize, Not only in this class, But in general. If you want to hop along, Come with me and let's practice. Today's practice, We're gonna start it all the way seated. So make yourself comfortable on a seated position. Rest your hands into your legs, Palms can face down. Our palms can face up. Allow your eyes to close if it's comfortable for you. Just roll up your shoulders for a moment. You're practicing this early in the morning. Checking how you're feeling with your back with your neck. Perhaps you move the head side to side. And you slowly start to bring stillness to your practice. Lengthen the spine by reaching the crown of your head towards the sky. Checking in with your breath. Checking in with the sounds around you. Deep inhale through your nose. And a deep exhale through your mouth. Big inhale. And a bigger exhale. Find a round, Full breath in. In a full breath out. And start to create a rhythmic breath. Slow and steady. Just notice how the mind behaves. How the body behaves. Today's practice, The intention is. Open to receive. For whatever reason in your life, Personal, Professional. And you can create a mantra with that, I am open to receive. I am open to receive. Click your chin towards your chest, Bring your hands towards your heart, And have a great practice. Bring your hands by your sides, Take a deep inhale, Circle your hands high. Exhale, Lower the right hand down, Reach your left arm over. Try to bend the bottom elbow so you flare up the left ribs towards the side. Feel the expansion. Push the ground firmly and you can also rest your top hand all the way behind your head. Take an inhale, Send your arms to the sky. Exhaling towards the left side with your right arm over. Make any variation with the top hand that you need. Bend your bottom elbow. Try to keep the sits bones down on the ground. The final two. Push the ground, Inhale, Send your hands high. Exhale, Twist towards the left side. Take your right arm across the leg. Gaze over the right shoulder. Squeeze your glutes, Reach the crown of your head towards the ceiling. Notice the length on your spine. Take a big inhale, Send your hands back and up. Exhale, Twist towards the right side of your space. Look over to your left shoulder. Keeping integrity of your spine, Reach the crown up. Final three rounds. Next inhale, Rise back to center. Exhale, Bow forward. Reach your hands forward. They can also rest into your legs if you need. Tuck your chin slightly in. Try to roll the shoulders back and away from your ears. Press yourself up and slowly transition to your hands and knees. Rest the tops of your feet down. Take a big inhale, Lower the belly, Chin goes up, Tailbone up for your cow pose. Exhale, Push the ground, Round your spine, Bring your chin to your chest, Catch. Inhale, Belly down, Chin up, Tailbone up. Exhale, Push the earth around your upper back. Inhale to your cow, Broaden to your collarbone, Shoulders away from your ears. Exhale to your cat, Round your upper back, Duck the chin in. One more round. Inhale to open. Exhale, Push the ground. Inhale, Return to a neutral spine and tuck your toes. Exhale, Downward facing dog. Send your hips up and back. Pedal your feet, Bend your knees if you need that. Notice if you can feel this posture more towards your legs rather than shoulders. If you do need to feel more on the hamstrings, Lift your heels, Bend your knees, Guide your armpits towards your thighs, Push the mat forward and away from you. Looking between your legs. Shoulders are away from your ear. Take an inhale, Look forward. Exhale, Walk towards the top of your mat. Take an inhale, Lengthen halfway, Lift, Lengthen your spine. Egg fill to forward fold. Take an inhale, Rise all the way up, Send your palms towards the sky. Exhale, Bring your hands to your heart center. Notice your feet on a hip width, Feet are solid on the ground, Rooted in your mountain. Take a big inhale, Send your arms all the way up. Exhale, Bend your knees and forward fold. Inhale, Lengthen your legs, Lengthen your spine. Hands can be on thighs, Shin, Or ground. Exhale, Fold, Plant your hands down, Step back, Downward facing dog. Inhale, Send the body forward, Plank pose. Exhale, Lower the knees down. Keep the shoulders over the wrists. Rest the feet. Inhale. Exhale, Bend your elbows towards the ribs, Lower belly, Chest and chin all the way down. Inhale, Lift your chest for a baby cobra. Peel the heart. Exhale to lower. Slide your thumbs to your lower ribs. Inhale, Up dog. Peel the heart, Push to your thighs and knees away from the mat. Exhale, Downward facing dog. Take a breath in, Look forward. Exhale, Walk towards the top. Inhale, Lengthen halfway, Lift. Exhale to forward fold. Big breath in, Rise, Reach. Exhale, Connect your hands. Inhale, Send your arms all the way up. Exhale, Bend your knees and fold. Inhale lengthen halfway. Exhale, Plant your hands, Step back, Plank. Vinyasa, High to low plank or downward plank. Down Dog. Take an inhale, Reach your right leg high. Exhale, Step forward, Low lunge, Rest your left knee down. Inhale, Reach your hands high towards the ceiling. Exhale, Clasp your fingers behind your back. Rest the back foot down. Squeeze your shoulder blades in towards each other. Open the chest. Pinch your shoulder blades in. Steady breath. Steady mind. Notice if the front foot can still be pushing the ground so you're not sinking the hips way too forward. There's nothing wrong with that, But just try to keep that strength into the front leg. Front hamstring. Take an inhale, Reach your hands up. Exhale, Bump your hips back, Half split. Lower the hands down to match. Again, You can bring fists if you needed to. Try to keep the spine tall and long and if you need blocks or books can be underneath your hands. Three more rounds. Big inhale, Re-bend your front knee and reach up. Exhale, Tuck your back toes. Lift the back knee, High crossing. Big inhale. Exhale, Clasp your fingers all the way up. Take a breath in, Reach your fingers all the way high. Gaze towards the sky. Exhale, Push the back of your knee towards the back. Take a full inhale. Exhale, Pivot and open to your warrior two. Front knee still bent, Back foot goes to the shorter edge of your mat. Notice if you need to adjust the back hand towards the back of your mat. Shoulders over the hips. Lengthen the front leg, Take a big inhale, Flip your front palm up, Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach. Exhale, You can look down towards the mat. Think about reaching the top fingers towards the back so you really expand the left side body. Or right side body. To Yin and Yang warrior 2. Exhale, Cartwheel your hands down, Keep into your lunge. Left palm staying here, Reach your right arm high. Exhale, Guide your right hand behind you, Lower the back knee, Horizon lunge. Push firmly through the bottom hand. Send your hips a little higher. Notice the opening on the left hip. Inhale, Reach your right arm up. Exhale, Lower both hands down. Guide your right knee down. Big inhale. Exhale, Tuck your toes, Downward facing dog. Breath in, Send your left leg high. Breath out, Step forward, Low lunge, Rest your right knee down. Inhale, Send your hands high. Exhale, Clasp your fingers behind your back. Rest the back foot, Squeeze the shoulder blades in. If you need an extra challenge, Close your eyes. Ask yourself, Where do you feel that sensation in your body? Notice your left hip. Check your right one. Relax your hands, Inhale your reach up. Exhale to your half split, Bump your hips back, Lower the hands down. There's the opening towards your. . . Left calf. And try to press the right hip forward so you really feel the sensation on your left side. Big inhale, Re-bend your front knee and reach up. Exhale, Tuck the toes if you're not there yet. Palms can touch. Press the front foot, Lift the back knee, High crescent. Back of your right knee presses towards the back of your space. Notice the front knee if you still need that lunge. Balance, Challenge, Gaze up. Full inhale. Exhale, Pivot and open. Warrior II. Readjust. Again, Notice the shoulders if you need to reach the back hand towards the back. Flip your front palm, Inhale, Lengthen the front leg. Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach. Exhale, You can look down towards your back foot. Think about reaching with your hand rather than your head. Big inhale, Tick tock your arms, Warrior two. Exhale, Cartwheel both hands down. Step back, Downward facing dog. Take an inhale, Send your right leg high. Take an exhale, Step forward, High crescent lunge, Back to its lift, Inhale, You reach. Exhale, Clasp your fingers behind your back. Press your palms together, Shine your heart. Expand through the front. Strength towards the back. Rest firmly through the right foot. Release the hands. Inhale, Rise to the front. Send your left knee up. Exhale, Figure four, Left ankle on the right thigh. Bring the hands in towards your heart center. I'm going to turn towards the front so you can see a little better. Press firmly through the right heel. Bend your right knee slightly. Notice the opening on the left side. Take a deep inhale, Exhale, Guide your left hand towards the left foot and you reach the right hand back. Slow and steady each whisk. Glue your palms together, Big inhale, Rise back up, Last knee lift. Exhale, You forward fold. Take an inhale and then halfway. Exhale, Step back, Down Dog. Inhale, Send your left leg high. Exhale, Step forward, High crescent. Inherit your both hands to the ceiling. Exhale, Guide your hands behind you. Inhale, Shine your heart. Exhale, Press the back of your right knee. Release the hands, Inhale, Rise back forward. Exhale, Figure four, Right ankle on the left thigh. Notice if you can press the right knee towards the right side. Hands can be on your heart. Try to look at something that is not moving. Stare at a point in your space. Bend your left knee slightly. Deep inhale. Exhale, Guide your right knee towards the right foot, Twist towards the left. Think about pressing the back of your right hand towards the sole of your right foot. The final two. Hands come together, Big inhale rise back to center and reach up. Exhale to forward fold. Inhale and then halfway lift. Exhale, Step back, Downward facing dog. Take an inhale, Look forward. Exhale, Walk or jump towards the top. Inhale lengthen halfway. Exhale to fold it in. Breath in, Rise, Circle your hands to the sky. Breath out, Reconnect palms into your heart. Close your eyes for a moment. Notice what is present. Notice your heartbeat. Check in with your breath. Blink your eyes open if you're not there yet and step back with your right foot. Pivot the back one to the shorter edge. Open your arms horizontally. Inhale, Lengthen up. Exhale, Reach your left arm forward and down to your thigh. Reach the right fingers high towards the ceiling. And slide the bottom hand slowly towards the knee or shin. Roll the shoulders back. And reach up and down at the same time. Three more rounds. Solid on your foot, Squeeze the heels in. Glutes are engaged. Inhale, Rise back. Exhale, Guide the left toes in, Right toes out. Inhale to lengthen up. Exhale, Reach your right hand forward, Take Takha down and up. Shoulders are away and back. Top hip, It's all the way behind, It's not falling forward. How's your breath? Squeeze the heels in, Inhale, Rise back up. Exhale, Right toes come in. Bring your hands towards your hips. Take a full inhale. Exhale, Press the hips back, Reach the torso forward. Try to go halfway for now. Slide the hands towards the thighs. Gaze down towards the ground. Think about trusting the toes here. Spread them wide. Hands can slide towards the knees. Avoid collapsing the shoulders first. Try to bump the hips back so shoulders are away. Fine as long. Notice the hamstrings, Calves. Squeeze your glutes, Take an inhale, Rise back up. Exhale, Guide your heels in, Toes out. Big inhale, Send your hands high, Star pose. Exhale, Roll the shoulders once again back, Press the palms forward. Think about reaching towards the stars as you open your hands. Really wide. Connect your hands, Big inhale, Bend your knees. Exhale, Sit low into your goddess. Palms can come into your heart center. Notice the knees opening up rather than closing in. It doesn't matter if you go low or high. Try to focus, Just keep the spine lengthened. So this allows you to maintain the knees open. Can stain stillness. You can gently rock side to side. Take a big inhale back to your star. Exhale, Jump to the top of your mat. Begin hair reach up. Exhale, Tiny back bend, Cactus your arms, Press your hips forward. Inhale all the way up. I exhale to forward fold. Take an inhale and bend halfway. Exhale, Plant your hands, Knees and shins down. Come back into a seated posture. Take a big inhale, Reach both arms high towards the ceiling. Exhale, Twist towards the left side of the space. Take an inhale, Come back to center. Exhale, Twist towards the right side. Big inhale, Rise forward. Exhale, Bow forward. Notice any difference from the beginning and now. Stillness or movement, You decide how to stay. Rise all the way up with the torso. Connect the soles of your feet together. And you can hug either the foot, Shin, Ankle. And you can gently rock side to side. Tuck the chin slightly in. And you can slowly bring the forehead towards the foot. They don't have to touch. Just notice the opening towards the back of your body. Rise back to center. Find your way back into a seated comfortable. You can maintain the feet together if you want. We're going to finish this class with a breath technique and I'll guide you through that. This breath work is called Nadi Shodhana and it consists on alternate nostrils. We're basically going to alternate the breathing into both nostrils, Okay? Take your right thumb and you're going to plug the right nostril and the right ring finger is going to plug the left one. So you're basically going to alternate like that. The index finger and the middle finger can be placed in between your eyebrows as well. Take a deep inhale through both nostrils. Plug the right one and exhale through your left. Inhale on the left. Plug it and exhale on the right. Inhale on the right. Plug it and exhale on the left. Inhale on the left. Plug it in and exhale on the right. Inhale on the right. Plug it in and exhale on the left. Final round, Big inhale. Plug the left and exhale on the right. Inhale on the right. Plug it and exhale on the left. Relax your hands, Big breath in. And a bigger breath out. I hope you enjoy your practice. Have a great one. Namaste.