Yoga Flow: Twists: 30 Day Challenge Day 6

Let’s get twisty! In this practice, we’ll explore a mix of passive and active twists designed to gently wring out tension and create space through the spine. Twisting postures can help improve spinal mobility, support healthy digestion and bring a refreshing sense of release to the body. Move slowly, breathe deeply and enjoy the reset. No props needed.

Transcript

Hey, Everyone, And welcome to day six of our 30-Day Yoga Challenge. My name is Candice, And today's practice is all about spinal twists. So we'll be moving through some passive, Relaxing twists, As well as some active twists. You don't need any specific props unless you have some that you love. Just grab them and make sure they're nearby, But we are going to get started on our backs. So lie down whenever you're ready. And as you lie down, Just get comfortable. Curl the knees in towards the chest. Just give yourself a little squeeze here, Up the arms, Around the legs, Or just grab onto the knees, Closing the eyes down, Slowing the breath down, Getting connected to the breath as you start to rock from side to side through the knees. Maybe you start to make some circles with the knees in whichever direction. Just feeling a little massage on the lower back, The hips. If you're making circles, You can take those circles the opposite direction. Coming back to center, Extending the arms out to the sides, We're going to stack the knees over the hips. Take the shins parallel to the floor, Pulling the navel in, Activating. Feel the activation through the core just to keep the legs where they are right now. Take a breath in, And as you exhale, Drop the knees over to the left, Not quite to the floor. Inhale, Back up to center. Exhale, Drop the knees over to the right, Not quite all the way to the floor. Inhale back up to center. Exhale to the left. Inhale back up. Exhale to the right. Inhale, Come back up. From there, Slide the hips a little bit over to the right to create a bit of space. Exhale, Drop the knees all the way over to the left. In your twist, Feel free to shift around, Get comfortable. Maybe take the left hand to the outer right thigh. You can keep your gaze up, Or maybe you take your gaze down your right arm. Close the eyes or soften the gaze. Breathing deep into the belly. One more breath here. On your next exhalation, Slowly guiding the knees back up to center, Go ahead and slide the hips a little over to the left as you drop your knees over to the right. Again, Shift around, Get comfortable in your twist, Gazing to the left or up at the ceiling or sky or whatever you're looking at. Calm, Smooth, Even, And deep, Continuous breaths. One more breath here, And exhale. Release your twist, Guiding the knees back up to center. Curl the knees in towards the chest. Give yourself one more little squeeze, Then we can grab on behind the thighs, Start to rock up and down the spine. Tap the toes, Come back. Let's go a few times up and down the spine, And then we'll come up, Cross the ankles, Come all the way through into a tabletop position. Find your wrists under the shoulders, Knees underneath the hips. Shift the weight into the left hand. We'll inhale, Sweep the right arm out and up. Exhale, Thread the right arm all the way under the left side, Rest the shoulder, Rest your head down. You can keep the left hand planted where it is. Maybe you walk the fingertips forward. Sometimes I like to tent my fingertips and kind of press into my left hand, Revolve my chest a little bit more. There's also the option to take the left hand up and behind the back. And next, Exhale, Return that left hand back under the shoulder if it moved. Go ahead and press yourself back up, Planting the right hand firmly down, Moving into side two. Shift the weight into the right hand, Inhale, Take the left arm out and up. Exhale, Thread the left arm underneath the right side, Resting the shoulder, Resting the head down, And doing whatever you want to do with that right arm, Climbing it forward or bringing it up and behind the back. One more breath here. And when you're ready, If that right hand moved in any way, Go ahead and bring it back underneath the shoulder, Pressing yourself back up to a tabletop. Inhale, Drop the navel, Lift your heart, Lift your gaze, Just moving through a couple of cat-cow movements here, Feel the movement up and down the spine. Inhales come through, Heart lifts, Chin lifts, Exhale to press into the mat, Drop the head around the spine. One more cycle. And then we'll come back to center, Bring the big toes to touch, Knees wide, Sink down into a child's pose just for a moment, Soften the elbows, Rest the forehead down. And we'll inhale, Look up, Shift the weight into the hands, Lift the hips, Tuck the toes, Lift the hips up and back to your downward-facing dog, Pedaling through the feet, Moving the hips from side to side, Moving around in any way that feels good for you right now. Settling into stillness with your exhalation, Feel the heels working down towards the mat though they may not touch, Rolling the sitz bones up towards the sky, Pressing through the palms, Shift the weight into the left foot, Inhale, Take the right leg straight up and back, Exhale, Curl the right knee in towards left elbow, So draw it across the body, Inhale, Take the right leg straight up and back, Exhale, Bring the knee towards your right elbow, Towards the outside of the right elbow, Let's plant the foot to the outside of the right hand, Wiggle the left toes back, Drop the back knee, Turn the right toes out to the right a little bit, Open the knee out to the side, Sink into the hips for a lizard pose. From here, Shift the weight into the left hand, Take the right hand just to start, Let's rest it on your right knee or thigh, Roll the right shoulder back in space, Keep pressing into the left palm, Keep the shoulder moving away from the ear, Take your gaze back or up. If you want to stay there, That's great. If you want, You can extend the right arm straight back behind you, Maybe bend the left knee and try to catch your foot. If you do not have the space for that, Just stay where you are. There's no right or wrong, No pose is better than the other, It's just whatever your body is feeling today, Whatever your limits are, Just honor that. If you ever notice that you're kind of holding your breath or clenching your jaw, That's usually your body's sign that you're going too far into it, And I find even this thigh stretch can be quite intense, So just tuning into your body and the signals it's sending you right now. And then exhale, We can release. Turn the torso to the front of the mat, Plant the right foot firmly onto the mat, Tuck the back toes under, Press into the palms, Lift the back knee, Step right back into a downward facing dog. Pedal the feet, Move the hips side to side. Settling into stillness, Shift the weight into the right foot, Inhale, Take the left leg straight up and back. Exhale, Shift forward towards a plank pose, Draw the left knee across the body towards right elbow. Inhale, Take the leg straight up and back. Exhale, Bring the knee towards left elbow, Towards the outside, And then we'll step the foot to the outside of left hand. Maybe wiggle the right toes back as you drop the back knee down. Turn the left toes out a little bit, Roll to the pinky edge of left foot, Sink into the hips. Shift the weight into the right hand, Press firmly into the right hand as you take your left hand to your left knee, Roll the left shoulder back. And if it's there for you today, Maybe take the left arm back, Maybe you bend the right knee and try to catch your foot. Soften the jaw, The tongue, The forehead. And exhale, Release your twist, Turn to the front of the mat, Plant the left foot firmly on the mat. This time, We'll tuck the back toes under, Shift the weight into the left foot, Shift forward, Step up to a Malasana, A low squat, Just for a moment. If you're down here and your heels are really lifted and your spine is really rounded, Try to drop your heels but lift your hips more to a hover. It'll make it quite a bit more active, But at least your spine is active and long here. Take the hands to heart center, Take one more breath. And exhale, Straighten the legs, Turn the toes forward, Forward fold. Take a full breath in, Full breath out. Bend the knees deeply, Tuck the chin as you inhale, Slowly roll all the way to the top of the mat. Step the feet about hips distance apart. Standing tall, We'll sweep the arms up overhead. As you exhale, Sweep the left arm forward, Down and back as you sweep the right arm forward, Twisting open to the left. Inhale, Sweep the arms up. Exhale, Sweep the right arm forward, Down and back as you twist open to the right. Inhale, Come up. Exhale, Uttanasana, Forward fold. Inhale, Lift up halfway. As you exhale, Plant the palms, We'll step back into a plank pose. Drop the knees, Lower chest and chin to the mat. Inhale, Untuck the toes, Roll up, Cobra pose, Press into the palms, Draw the shoulder heads back. Tuck the toes, Exhale, Downward facing dog. Shift the weight into the left foot. Inhale, Take the right leg straight up and back. Exhale, Curl the right knee in towards the chest, Step the foot between the hands, Maybe wiggle the toes forward to help it out. Drop the back knee down. Keep that left hand planted. Take the right hand either just to your lower back, Roll the chest open to the right, Look up or down, Whatever feels better for the neck. If it feels okay, Maybe take the right arm up into the air. From there, Curling the back toes under, Staying in your twist, Lift the back knee, Activate, Energize through that back leg. From here, Can you pop up onto the left fingertips? How light can you become here in your twist? Can you activate through the side body? Imagine someone grabbing that top arm and pulling you up, Staying in that twist. Can you stand up into a standing twisted crescent lunge? If you wobble, Just come back into it. Just gazing wherever allows you to stay balanced, Finding one point to focus on. From here, Wrap the right hand behind the back, Reach the left arm up, Reverse your crescent lunge. Open up, Turn the chest forward now. From here, Take both arms up, Reaching up through the fingertips. As you exhale, Take the hands to heart center. Take a breath in, Lengthen up through the crown of the head. As you exhale, Twist the torso to the right, Activating through the obliques, And then take the left elbow to your right knee or thigh, Pressing your elbow into the knee or thigh, Pressing the palms together to revolve the chest. From there, Take a look down. Spread through the toes of the right foot. Start to lean your weight forward into the right foot. Can you take a little hop back in with that left foot? Wiggle it back in towards the right foot, Slowly inching it all the way up to the top of the mat into your chair twist. It might not be graceful. That's totally fine. It doesn't have to be. It shouldn't be. Learning new things, Doing new movements, It's almost never graceful. One more breath. Inhale. Stand up. Come out of your chair pose. Reach the arms up. Exhale, Hands to heart center. Reset. Spread through the toes. Take the hands down beside you. Inhale. Sweep the arms up. Exhale. Sweep the left arm forward, Down, And back. Open up. Twist to the left. Inhale. Rise. Exhale. Sweep the right arm forward, Down, And back. Open up your twist to the right. Inhale. Rise up. Reach up through the fingertips. Exhale. Uttanasana. Forward fold. Inhale. Lift up halfway. As you exhale, Plant the palms. Step back to your plank. You can drop the knees, Lower chest, And chin to the mat, Or you can move through chaturanga if you want to. Untuck the toes. Roll up cobra or upward facing dog. Tuck the toes. Exhale, Up and back, Downward facing dog. Shift the weight into the right foot. Inhale. Take the left leg straight up and back. Exhale. Curl the left knee in towards the chest. Step the foot between the hands. Drop the back knee down. Keep that right hand planted. Take the left hand just to your low back to start. Roll the left shoulder back in space, Gazing down or up. Maybe take that left arm out. From here, Looking down, Can you tuck the back toes under, Staying in your twist, Lifting the back knee, Energizing through that back leg? If your hand is on your low back, Can you now take it up into the air? From there, Can you pop up onto the right fingertips? How light can you become on that bottom hand? Imagine someone's taking that top hand, Grabbing you and pulling you up so you stand up, Staying in that twist for your standing twisted crescent lunge, And just taking your gaze wherever helps you keep your balance. Find one point to focus on. From there, Take the left arm, Wrap it behind the back. Flip the right palm up, Reverse crescent lunge. Turn the chest forward. Lean up and back. Next, Inhale. Take both arms up, Reaching up through the fingertips. As you exhale, Take the hands to heart center. Inhale. Lengthen up through the crown of the head, Squeezing into the inner thighs, Firming the outer hips. As you exhale, Use your core to twist your torso to the left. From there, Take your right elbow towards your left knee or thigh, Pressing your elbow into your knee or thigh, Pressing the palms together to revolve your twist to your depth, Knowing your edge, Honoring your body. From there, Look down. Spread through the toes of the left foot. How light can you become in that back leg? Can you shift your weight forward and either slowly inch your way up or maybe just take one big step up to that chair twist? If you wobble, Just come back into it, Firming through the outer hips. Next, Inhale. Release your twist. Straighten the legs. Sweep the arms up. Exhale. Hands to heart center. Spread through the toes. Release the hands down beside you. Inhale. Let's sweep the arms up. Exhale. Cactus the arms. Open the chest. Lift the heart. Lift your gaze. Press the hips forward. Inhale. Sweep the arms up once again. Exhale. Uttanasana. Forward fold. Heel to the feet, About mat's distance apart, Maybe a little bit wider. Can you bend deeply into that left knee? Take the left hand just in the middle of your mat, Like you're looking at your hand, Either palm flat or pop up onto the fingertips. Keep bending deeply into the left knee. Right hand comes to your low back. Inhale. Lengthen through the spine. Reach the crown of the head forward. Exhale. Twist your torso to the right. Gazing down at the floor or up at the ceiling, Depending on how that feels on your neck. Right hand can stay on your low back or maybe take the right arm up. If you're looking up, Go ahead and look down. Next, Exhale. Release. Come back to center. Right hand comes down to the mat, Bending the right knee. Left hand comes to your lower back. Inhale. Lengthen the crown of the head forward. Lengthen the spine. Exhale. Twisting the torso to the left. Gazing up or down. Maybe take that left arm up. Next, Exhale. Folding down. Let the head, Neck, And shoulders be soft. Maybe sway from side to side. From here, Bring the heel up. Exhale. Heels in. Toes out. Sink down into your Malasana. Low squat. Take the hands to heart center. Inhale. Lengthen here. As you exhale, Take the right hand down in front of you. Take the left arm up. Open up. Next, Exhale. Take the left hand down. Right arm up. Twist open to the right. And exhale. Right hand comes down. Lean back until you take a seated pose. Feet crossing your legs. Sitting comfortable. Taking the left hand behind you. Sit up tall. Take right hand to left knee. Inhale. Lengthen up. Sit up tall. Exhale. Move into your twist. Gazing over the left shoulder. Well, Inhale. Sweep the left arm up, Staying in your twist. Flip the palm forward. As you exhale, A little side bend over towards right knee, Staying in your twist. Inhale. Come back up. Exhale. Move back into your twist. Take one more breath. Gazing over left shoulder. Exhale. Come back to center. Switching sides. Right hand comes behind you. Left hand comes to right knee. As you inhale, Lengthen up. Sit up tall. Exhale. Moving into your twist. Gazing over the right shoulder. Inhale. Sweep the right arm up. Flip the palm forward. Exhale. Side bend towards your left knee. Gazing up. And we'll inhale. Come back up. Exhale. Move back into your twist. Right hand lands behind you. Next, Exhale. Come on back to center. Rest your hands on your knees, Closing the eyes. Take a full breath in. Exhale. Release through the mouth. Sigh it out. Let's take one more like that. Inhale through the nose. Let it out. Sigh. Inhale. Sweep the arms up overhead, Joining the palms together over top. Exhale. Take the hands to heart center, Closing your practice. Feel free to stay here as long as you need or as long as you have time for. If you want to lie down on your back, Take Shavasana or add another practice in. Just feeling proud of your body. Proud of yourself, As always, For showing up, Giving yourself the space on your mat. Honoring however you feel from day to day. Knowing that the practice, Your practice, Is always changing. It fluctuates depending on how you feel, Depending on the season of your life. So always honoring your practice, Your body, Wherever you are. Go ahead and take a deep breath in. Exhale. Let it out.