Yoga For Gentle Strength & Stability | All Levels

Build lower-body strength, improve stability, and feel more centered through this dynamic yoga practice. In this all-levels practice, Brenda Carey guides you through breath-centered movement, standing postures, and hip-opening stretches to cultivate balance, flexibility, and strength.

Transcript

So for this practice, We are still going to be embodying the grounding energy to help balance Vata, But a little bit more dynamic or active practice. So we're going to start standing. Feet are going to be wider than hip width apart. Toes out, Heels in. It is going to be focusing on the lower body. Soft bend in the knees, Just so they're not locked out. We're going to begin with some really dynamic breathing. So let's roll the shoulders back and down first. Big exhale. Close the eyes down just for a moment and I want you to draw awareness to the soles of your feet. And even notice when you take out the visual focus how your feet and ankles have to move a little bit to stay balanced and centered. And I would love for you to use that as an intention or a mantra throughout class. That I am centered. I am centered. And then blink the eyes open. We're gonna inhale, Sweep the arms out and up. Exhale we're going to push the arms down as if you were pushing through water as you bend the knees touch the tops of the knees and inhale, Sweep it back up. Flip the palms, Push down as if through water, Bend the knees, Tailbone draws down. Few more times. Kind of coordinate breath with movement. Exhale on the down. Inhale on the rise. Axel? Inhale. This time we're going to speed it up just a little bit. So exhale down. Inhale up. Exhale down. Inhale up. A few more times at your pace. If you want to go a little bit more swiftly, Feel free. If you want to slow it down, Do what feels best for you. Really focus in on this wider stance, Warming up the legs. But also embracing some of that air energy with the arms. Couple more times. Big letter X with the body, Arms come out, Toes are out. Remember you deserve to take up space. Breathe it in. Exhale, Bend the knees, Place the hands onto the thighs, Coming into a gentle twist. Dip the left shoulder down so you look over the right. Inhale through center. Opposite side. Right shoulder dips down. Look over the left. Couple more times each side. Inhale through center and twist. Inhale. Twist to the other side. One more time each side. Final type. Inhale, Rising on up, Big letter X with the body. Goddess squat, Bend the knees, Cactus the arms. We're going to hold here. Maybe you shift a little bit from side to side. Knees are going to track towards your second and third toe, Just so the knees don't sickle inward. Use that inner thigh and pelvic floor strength. Draw the tailbone down. Feeling that nice energizing feeling in the thighs. Couple more breaths. Inhale, Big letter X, Sweep it up. This time, Depending on your knee health, You're going to bend into that right knee. And I'll switch it over to the other side. Option to stay right here. Option to take it a little bit deeper. Maybe you bend down, Touch the ground, Flip the opposite toes. Inhale over to the other side. Then switching out from side to side again, Getting that lower body energy really energized for embodying this idea of I am strong and grounded. One more time each side. And then we're going to come through the center, Parallel the feet, Wide stance, Toes pointing toward the front of the room. Exhale, Fold forward. Let the head and neck release. Maybe give the head a shake out if needed. Loosen up any tension. Around the forehead of the eyes by blinking the eyes? Maybe open the mouth, Move the chin side to side. One more deep breath. Exhale it out. And from here, We're gonna spin to the right side. So coming into a runner's lunge with the right foot forward, Left foot back. Option to have blocks underneath the hands to rise up the floor. Inhale, Bring the gaze and your heart forward. Exhale, Straighten the front leg, Fold into that front leg. And again, Moving at your own breath pace, Inhale, Bend the front knee, Runner's lunge, Gaze comes forward. Exhale, Fold it in. Do this a couple more times at your own breath pace, But allow the breath to start and initiate the movement. On the inhale, Bring the gaze forward. Nice long spine, Bring the back knee down to the ground. Getting into that left hip flexor. Different options here, You could keep the hands on the ground or blocks, Hands could come up to the top thigh if you'd prefer, Or arms could reach up overhead. One more deep breath. On the exhale, Hands laying down. Tuck the back toes if they're not already and pick up this back knee. We're going to spin it back to center. So to your left. If you're using blocks, Bring the blocks with. Parallel the feet. Inhale, Tall spine, Half lift. Exhale, Forward fold. So again, You're in this wide-legged forward fold. Take one more deep breath. On the inhale, Rise a bit back up. This time we're going to spin to the left. So coming to the runner's lunge with the left foot in front. Back toes are tucked. Bring the heart and the gaze forward. Lengthen the spine. And then exhale, Straighten that front leg, Fold it in. Inhale, Bend into the front knee, Runner's lunge. Exhale, Straighten the front leg, Fold it in. A couple more times at your own pace might be different than mine. Just really opening up the hips and the hamstrings. So good for grounding the energy. Especially when we get caught up in our heads a lot. Come back into that runner's lunge, Bring the gaze forward, Back knee comes down. Opening up the right hip flexor. So hands could stay on the ground or on blocks, Same options as before. Maybe they come to the front thigh, Or maybe you choose to lift the arms up, Roll the shoulders back and down. Find that one spot to settle the gaze. Stay for the inhale. Exhale, Floats the hands down. Tuck the back toes if they're not already and pick up that back knee. Spinning back to the center, So back to your right. You could take the blocks with you if you'd like. One more forward fold, Parallel the feet first. Inhale to a half lift. Exhale, Fold it in. Inhale to a half lift. From here we're going to heel toe the feet in just slightly wider. Then hip-width apart, Settling into a yogi squat. Bend the knees deeply. Depending on your knee health, Maybe the forearms come onto the thighs, Or maybe you sink down. Block could be used underneath the seat if you would like. Press the palms together. Spine is nice and tall. Just a couple deep breaths here. Remembering I am centered. Focusing on one spot in front of you. One more breath. On the exhale, Coming onto your seat. Finding either a cross-legged position or you could bring the legs out in front if you would prefer. We're going to seal our practice with some gentle thymus tapping. So at the thymus, It's right at the center of the collarbone, Right underneath that bony notch. You're going to, With tips of fingers or with a light fist, Just gently tap the thymus gland. And repeating as a mantra, I am centered. When we do this, Our thymus gland is associated with our endocrine system balancing our hormones, Also giving us a little bit of an immune boost. And so often we become sick or we just don't feel like ourselves when our immune system is dysregulated. So when we say the mantra of I am centered, We are reminding our whole energetic immune system that we are in a place of calm and ease. We are resilient. Remembering that I am centered. If there's any other affirmation, You would like to tap in. You can say it to yourself or say it out loud, Breathing it in. Exhale out. And then bringing palms of the hands together, Thumbs press into the heart space. It has been my honor to guide you through this energy healing yoga practice. Namaste.