Energizing Yoga Flow: 30 Day Challenge Day 3

We'll start this practice with Kapalabhati (Skull Shining Breath) to awaken the body and clear the mind, then transition into an energizing, breath-led flow. We’ll build warmth with active cat/cow, move through dynamic crescent lunges, and explore the strength and steadiness of Warrior II. This short practice is designed to boost energy, connect movement with breath and leave you feeling grounded and refreshed. No props needed.

Transcript

Hey everyone and welcome to day three of our 30 day yoga challenge. My name is Candice and today's practice is an energizing flow. So you don't need any specific props but if you know you like to have some handy you can set them beside you just in case you need them. But we are going to get started in a comfortable seated position whatever that looks like for you today. So for today's practice, We are going to start with a pranayama called kapalabhati. Sometimes it's called breath of fire. So what Kapalabhati is, Is just a pumping of the navel in and up causing a forceful exhalation followed by an involuntary inhalation. So you're pumping the air out. And then the relaxation of your navel pulls the breath back in the body. So it's just you can go as fast or as slow as you want to. It can look like. Or it can be a little faster. Whatever pace works for you today. But I will say, If you are prone to getting lightheaded, If you might be pregnant or on your cycle, This pranayama generates a lot of heat. It is energizing, But it can also create that dizziness, Lightheaded feeling. And also it generates heat in the navel, So you don't really want to be creating more heat than you already have in your body. So if it's not working for you today, Just equal inhale, Equal exhale works just fine. So getting comfortable in your seat and you want to soften the belly. And sometimes I like to take my hand there just to kind of feel the navel soften. We can close the eyes down. And just breathe. Naturally right now. For these first few breaths, Just tune in. Notice. The natural pace of breath that you have right now. Noticing without judgment. Without the need to change anything. And if you want to take one hand to your belly. Or just keep your hands rested wherever is comfortable. We're going to take a full breath in. Inhale. Deeply fill the lungs. Feel the belly expand into your hand if it's there. Pause at the top, Exhale completely. I'm gonna take a sharp half inhalation and you can start to pump the belly. Three, Two, One, And relax. Exhale completely. Inhale. Side out, Exhale. Let's take one more round. Sharp half inhalation. And pump the belly. Three, Two, One. Exhale completely. Inhale full. Pause at the top. Exhale. Let it go. Notice how you feel. Notice any sensations in the body. In the mind. Returning to a pace of breath that feels. . . Sustainable for you. Equal inhale, Equal exhale. Next, In breath, Roll the shoulders back. Lift the heart. Lift your chin. Exhale, Chin tucks, Round the shoulders forward, Spine rounds. Just a few rounds of these seated cat and cow movements. One more cycle. And come on up to center. Releasing your seat. Coming forward into a tabletop position. Finding your wrist. Stacked underneath your shoulders, Fingers spread wide, Knees somewhere underneath your hips. You can rock the hips from side to side a few times. Maybe you want to find some circles through the hips so we can come back towards the heels up. Around. Syncing your movements with your breath. Maybe you inhale, Come forward. Exhale, Come back. Pause going the opposite direction. And coming back to center. Planting firmly through the hands. Firmly through the knees. As you inhale, We're going to drop the navel, Lift the heart, Lift your gaze. We're also going to curl our heels up towards our glutes. As you exhale, Toes tuck, Round the spine, Press firmly into the hands. Can you hover the knees as you round, Pulling the navel in, Dropping the head? Inhale, Drop the knees, Drop the navel, Lift your heart, Lift your heels. Exhale, Toes tuck. Press firmly into the hands around. Can you lift the knees to hover? Drop the knees. Inhale, Come through. Lift the heels. Let's take a couple more rounds. Exhale, Toes tuck. Round. Pull the navel in. Maybe hover the knees. Last one here. Exhale, Toes tuck, Round, Knees hover, Pause. Take an inhale. Keep the knees hovering. If they are, Can you straighten the spine back to neutral? And as you exhale, Lift the hips, Come up to a downward facing dog. If you need to walk the hands forward a little bit to make it your own. Rock the hips from side to side. Find your downward facing dog. Soften the knees if you need to. Roll the sits bones up towards the skies. The thigh bones press back. Head and the neck soft. As you inhale, Lift the heels, Tuck the chin round and roll forward towards a plank position. As you exhale, Soften the knees, Glide the hips up and back, Downward facing dog. Inhale, Chin tucks round and roll forward. Exhale, Soften the knees, Glide back. Pausing in your downward dog, Take a full breath in. Full breath out. Next, Inhale, Round, Roll forward to your plank. Pause here keep pressing through the hands drop the knees lower to the belly Hands beside the ribs. Inhale, Roll back low cobra. Lift the heart, Lift your gaze. Exhale, Lower down, Tuck the toes, Glide the hips up and back, Downward facing dog. Shift the weight into the left foot. Inhale, Take the right leg up and back. Exhale, Curl the knee in towards the chest. Keep pressing through the palms. Step the right foot between the hands. Drop the back knee down. Coming up to your low lunge, Maybe you take the hands up to the thigh for this first one. Maybe the arms come up overhead. Full breath in. Exhale, Sink into the hips, But still squeezing in through the inner thighs. As you exhale, Take the hands down, Pull back, Ardha Hanumanasana, Half split. Keep pulling the right toes back towards you, Pulling the right hip back in space as you lift your heart. Exhale, Fold. Next, Inhale, Come forward. Walk the hands forward. Re-bend into that front knee. Lift your heart. Exhale, Pull back. Ardha Hanumanasana. Inhale, Come forward. Exhale, Curl back. Inhale. Exhale back. Inhale, Come forward. Tuck the back toes under. Lift the knee. Energize through that back leg. Rise up. High lunge. Sweep the arms up overhead. Sinking down. Firming through the outer thighs. Inhale, Reach tall through the fingertips, Rise up. Exhale, Sweep the arms forward, Down, And back as you hover over that front leg. Keep pulling the navel in. Inhale, Rise. Exhale come through if you're finding you're very wobbly here you might heal to the right foot out to the right a little bit more just to create more space underneath of you creating more stability keep moving with your breath Last one here. Exhale, Come forward. Hover here. Can you hover over that front leg? Keep the arms back, Energizing through the arms, Energizing through the crown of the head, Reaching forward. Inhale to rise. Exhale, Open up, Warrior two. Lining up, Heel to arch. Soften the arms out beside you. Soften the shoulders, Gaze down the right fingertips. Flipping both palms up. Inhale, Sweep the arms up as you straighten the front leg. Exhale, Warrior two. Inhale, Rise. Warrior II, Exhale. Inhale. With your breath. Sink down, Warrior two, Pause. Flip the right palm up. Reverse your warrior. Slide the left hand down the back of the left leg. Reach the right arm up towards the sky and back. One more breath in here. As you exhale, Right elbow comes towards your right thigh. Reach the left arm up and over, Ensuring that you're not just dumping the weight into the leg. Can you energize? How light can you become in this right arm? Can you become so light? That you strengthen through the side body, Maybe take the right arm up by the ear. Steady breath one more here. Inhale, Come back up, Warrior two. Exhale, Windmill the hands down. Plant the palms, Frame the foot, Step back to a plank. Keep pressing through the palms. Drop the knees if you want to, Or if you want, Lower down Chaturanga halfway. Inhale cobra or upward facing dog exhale downward facing dog come up and back Take a full breath in. Full breath out. Shift the weight into the right foot. Inhale, Left leg reaches up and back. Exhale, Left foot steps between the hands. Drop the back knee down. You can stay here. Climb your hand up to your thigh. Maybe take the arms up. As you exhale, You can gently sink down into the hips, But you're not fully dumping your weight down, Right? You want to keep energizing through the inner thighs. Keep a slight lift through the pelvic floor. As you exhale, Take the hands down. If they came up, Pull that left leg towards straight. Pull the left toes back. Towards you in how to find length. And exhale, Fold here for a breath or two. I always say pull this front leg towards straight because mine is never straight. I have quite tight hamstrings, So if your knee stays bent or even if you need some blocks here to elevate the floor a little bit, That does make it a bit more accessible. This can be quite intense. One more breath here. And we'll flow. Inhale. Re-bend into that front knee. Sink into the hip. Exhale, Pull back, Half split. Inhale, Rock forward. Exhale, Pull back. A couple more here. Inhale, Rock forward, Tuck the back toes under, Energize through that back leg as you lift it up, Ride the breath up, High lunge. If you need to heel toe the left foot out to the left a bit more, It does create a bit more space underneath of you, Makes you a little bit more stable. Reach up through the fingertips, Keep pulling the navel in, Take a breath in. Exhale, Sweep the arms forward, Down and back as you hover over that front thigh. Inhale to rise. Exhale, Come forward. Inhale, Rise. Exhale. Last one. Inhale, Rise. Exhale, Come forward, Energizing the arms back, Energizing the crown of the head forward as you pull the navel in. Keep hovering over that front leg. And inhale, Rise back up. Exhale, Warrior two, Drop the back heel, Line up the front heel with the arch of the back foot. Sink into the hips, Soften the shoulders, Strong through the arm. Flipping both palms up, Inhale, Sweep the arms up, Straighten the front leg. Exhale, Warrior two. Inhale rise up Warrior II, Exhale. Moving with your breath. Last one here. Exhale warrior two and pause. Flip that left palm towards the sky, Reverse your warrior, Lean up and back with the top arm. Right arm slides down the back of the leg. But again, How light can you become? You're not dumping your weight back. Strong through the side body. One more breath in. Exhale side angle left elbow towards your knee or thigh right arm up and over How light can you become in that left arm? Strong through the side body. Maybe you stay here or maybe you take that left arm up beside your ear. Steady breath. Soften your jaw if you're clenching. Take one more breath. Inhale, Rise back up, Warrior two. Exhale, Windmill those hands down, Framing the top foot. Step that left foot back to your plank. Pause here. Keep pressing through the palms. Drop the knees if you want to or keep them lifted. Keep squeezing the inner thighs together, Energizing here. On your next exhale, You can drop the knees or keep them up, Lower down all the way to the belly. Hands are beside the ribs but we're going to take them out a little bit, Tent the fingertips. As you inhale, Press into the fingertips, Roll up. Keep drawing the shoulder heads back as you lift your heart, Lift your gaze. Exhale, Meltdown. Inhale, Come up. Exhale lower. Inhale. Last one, Exhale, Melting all the way down. You stock the forearms in front of your face, Resting the forehead down, Taking the legs a little wider. Take a few breaths here, Feeling the belly pressing into the mat. Feel the breath moving into the back body. And when you're ready, Slide the hands back beside the ribs, Press into the palms, Bring the big toes to touch, Knees wide sink down into a child's pose. Forehead comes down towards the mat. Soften the shoulders, The elbows, The palms. Feel the head and the neck become heavy. And on your next inhale, Walk the hands in towards the body. As you press yourself up to a seat, Swing the legs out to one side and swing the legs out in front of you. You can soften the knees. As you straighten the legs you might keep the knees a little bit bent. Sitting up tall as you inhale, Reaching the arms up, Pressing up through the fingertips, Stretch up here. Exhale, Hinging at the hips first, Rounding forward over the leg. Hands can rest on your shins, Your mats, Maybe your feet, If you can get there. Next inhale, Rise up. Bring the soles of the feet together. Let the knees fall open. Grabbing onto your ankles or feet. As you inhale sit up tall feel the knees become heavy beside you if this is great for you you can stay here Or if it feels good for you, You might fold forward, Hinging at the hips, Find a little round to the spine, Maybe keep the hands on the feet, Or you can even walk the hands out in front of you. And inhale. Come on up find a comfortable seat i'm going to turn and face you Just ending with a simple twist. Take the left hand behind you. Sit up tall. Take your right hand to left knee. As you exhale twisting from the torso Gazing back over the left shoulder, Maybe you close the eyes. And next exhale, Come on back to center. Left hand comes to right knee, Right fingertips behind you. Inhale to lengthen up. Exhale, Twisting from the torso, Gazing back over the right shoulder. On your next exhalation come on back to center rest the hands on your knees We're together in your lap, Closing the eyes down. Allow the breath to return to its natural pace. Feel the muscles in the face soften, Jaw softens, Shoulders relax. If you would like to stay here for a few moments just to breathe or if you want to lie down for a shavasana or even continue with your movement practice, Whatever. Feels good for you right now. I encourage you to stay for as long as you need. Or if you're ready to move on to the remainder of your day, We can take the hands to your heart center and blink the eyes open. And thank you so much once again for joining me on your mat. And we'll see you again tomorrow.

Reviews

Thank you 🙏🏼 Loving theses shower yoga practices each morning. 💕