Core Yoga & Yoga Nidra

Beginner Yoga practice focusing on abdominal and core work using balance and plank poses. We use breath and movement to bring body and mind into harmony.
The practice ends with a Nidra for deep relaxation.

Transcript

Welcome to day number 12 for 30 days of yoga and yoga nidra. So today we will be using again two blocks while we focus on our core, On our apps. So let's get the fire started. So come onto your mat, Position your two blocks somewhere in front of your mat, And then. . . Slowly. But surely come into your Tadasana Mountain Pose. Grounding the feet into the mat, Lifting through the crown of your head. Take a deep breath in. And a deep breath out. There might be a sigh coming out of your mouth or your nose. Depending where you are right now, Then inhale. Lift the shoulders up. Back. And down, Bend. Inhale, Lift the arms overhead. And exhale, Release, Bend the knee. Inhale, Arms come overhead and exhale, Bend knees all the way forward into forward fold. Nice. Come into tabletop, Hands on block. Or just below your knees. And exhale, Release into forward fold. Inhale, Bend the knees, Hands up. Flat on the ground, Stepping back into playing pose. And this first round we'll simply bend knees. Shift the weight forward a little and exhale. Elbows narrow, Close to your ribcage, Into Chaturanga. Lift into Cobra and then exhale, Release. Inhale onto knees and exhale, Downward facing dog. Walk on the spot. Breezing your ankles. And then stay hip width apart. Inhale, Lift onto toe bones. Exhale, Press into the heels. Inhale, Bend knees, Look forward. Announce. Tighten the core a little, Navel coming in as you walk forward rounding the back. Into forward fold, Navel still pulled in, Inhale into tabletop. Here we are, Exhale, Release back down. Inhale, Bend knees. Exhale, Pull the navel in, Rounding and lifting all the way into standing. Tadasana. Nice. Inhale, Lift the arms overhead. Exhale, Bend knees and roll forward into forward fold. Lengthen the whole back line from your toes, Over heels, Hamstrings, The back. The neck, The crown of the head all the way to your eyebrows. Then inhale, Bend knees, Hands flat on the ground. Stepping back into plank. And we'll stay here. And if this is too much, Simply come into all fours, Knees underneath your hips, Hands underneath your shoulder, And then climb onto the toe mounds. And here we go into Cat-Cow. Inhale. Chest reaches forward, Exhale, Navel comes in, Tightening the core. Inhale, Forward. Lift the chest and exhale, Rounding the back. So this could be here and plank, Same thing, Plank pose, Pushing the chest out a little and exhale, Rounding the whole body, Almost as if you were Letting a camel or an elephant walk underneath your body. Inhale, Back into plank. Exhale, Navel comes in, Rounding the back. Here goes the elephant. And inhale, Come back. Or this could be here. So half plank. Exhale, Rounding as much as you can. Inhale, Into the most beautiful half plank you know. Exhale, Rounding. And inhale lengthening Let's try two more times. Your variation, Either simple cat-cow on knees, Half plank, Exhale, Or here in normal or full plank. Inhale. So yes, We know by now This is a core sequence. Then inhale, Lower the knees, Exhale, Welcoming the floor. Inhale, Lifting into cobra. Exhale, Lower down. Inhale, Press up, Elbows narrow. And back into downward facing dog, Big exhale. Walk it on the spot. Inhale, Lift onto toe bones. Exhale, Release, Nice. Then bend knees a lot, Look forward and pull the navel in, Walk it forward, Rounding the back. At some point we might. Pop a little here. At some point, Then inhale. Into your tabletop. Exhale, Release. Inhale, Bend knees a lot and exhale, Roll up into standing. Inhale, Lifting the arms overhead, Relax the arms. Exhale, Shoulders drop. Inhale up onto your toe mounts. And exhale, Heels drop. Inhale up onto your toe mounts. Exhale, Knees drop. This is the core. Pose to. So whenever balance. Is in play. Whenever we have something to do with balance, Our core needs to work. If that's balancing on one hand, One foot, Balancing on toes. Or balancing on just or two feet or one foot. Well, We've learned balancing on the two feet a long time ago. That was one of our first things to learn. Balancing in gravity. Last time, Lowering the heels. Inhale, Lengthen once more. Exhale, Bend knees into forward fold. Nice, Relax the back. Maybe you were a little tense, That's fine. Your body learns to stay relaxed. Each time a little more. I'm sorry. Inhale into tabletop. Exhale, Release. Inhale, Bend knees a lot. Hands flat on the ground. And then stepping back into your plank pose. So again, You can be in all fours, You can be in half plank or you can be in plank when we now lift the right hand, Tap the opposite shoulder and then release back down. Try the other side, Lifting the left side and release. Just breathe normally, This is. An intense pose, You might even start breathing through the mouth. That is all fine. You might lower the knees at some point. That is totally fine. Keep breathing. And keep tapping your shoulder. And adjust the intensity so that you can keep going. Nice, Good job. One more time, Right. One more time, Left. And then everyone, Knees on the ground. Shift the weight forward. Exhale, Chest to the floor. Nice. Inhale, Lift the chest. Exhale, Release down. Inhale, Lifting over knees and all fours back into exhale. And downward facing dog. Inhale, Lifting onto toe mounds. Exhale, Releasing into heels. Then inhale, Bend knees a lot. Exhale, Imagine to hop. Maybe jump a little? Hands walk towards the hands. Feet walk towards the hands. Inhale, Tabletop. Exhale, Release. Inhale, Bend knees. Exhale, Roll up into standing. Inhale, Arms overhead. Attention. Exhale, Knee comes up. Arms swing back. Inhale, Change sides. Exhale, Left knee comes up. Arm swing back, Pull the navel in, Support your whole body with your core action. So the navel pulls in. And you are narrowing your hip points. Giving your body the stability it needs for this balance. And deep hip. And core pose. And one more dynamic. Then we stay with the right knee up. Right knee stays up, Nice. You can either grab your knee, Or if that big toe is available to you. Then grab your right toe from the heel. Inside. And now this is getting interesting and wobbly and that is all fine. So you might just stay here using that left arm onto the side for balance. Or you might try. Too. Lift that leg a little, Maybe. Wherever you are. Is totally fine and we're still balancing, We're still working the core. Big inhale, Try through the nose. And exhale through the nose, Bend the knee first. Then step the right foot back into lunge pose. Low lunge here. If you want to have it really comfy, Bring your blocks in, Hands onto blocks, Inhale, Lower the hips, Lifting the chest, Exhale, Rounding the back, Pulling the core in, Navel pulls in, And the front leg stretches just a little to make that rounding of the back easier. Exhale, Inhale, Chest comes out, You And exhale, Navel pulls in. Now if you want to make this more of a stretch for your hips, You can lower onto the sides of the block. Or even fully get rid of the blocks, If that is available to you. Exhale, Grounding, Loving the hands on the floor and inhale, Lifting the chest. So wherever you are That is perfect. It's just perfect. Inhaling, Exhaling, Rounding last time. Inhale. And exhale, Rounding the back. Nice. Come back down into lunge. Step back into plank. Knees come down, Don't worry. Shift the weight forward, Exhale. Inhale, Lifting the chest. Exhale, Lower back down. Inhale, Up over all fours back into exhale and downward facing dog. Inhale, Lifting onto toe mounds. Exhale, Lowering on the heels. Then bend knees a lot, Look forward, Navel comes in. Hop it forward. Walk the feet towards the hands. Inhale, Tabletop. Exhale, Release. Then bend knees. And exhale, Roll up into standing. Nice. Inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Left knee is coming up. Inhale, Lift both arms. Exhale, Right knee comes up. Inhale, Arms overhead, Lengthen. Exhale, Balance and strength. Inhale, Lift the arms. Exhale, Right leg lifts. Inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Knee comes. Inhale. Now exhale, Last time the right knee. And here we go. Lifting the left knee. And here we stand. Onto our right foot, Pressing the right heel, Outer arch, Big toe mount into the ground. Standing your ground then. Maybe grab the knee. Still keeping the chest lifted. That's two. Fall forward. So lift this. Fierce and strong and tall. And if that is available to you, The left hand comes through the inside, Grabbing that left toe. Maybe that's it. Right hand come, Come out to the side. For balance. Keep the chest lifted. And I'll try, Whatever is. . . In it for you today. To lengthen that foot forward. Maybe, Maybe not. This is still just a balanced pose in the core pose. And we're strengthening the right hip, So it doesn't matter too much what that left leg is doing, Don't worry. Deep breath in through the nose. And out through the nose. Then bend. The knee, I have the wall here next to me to help me and step back into low lunge. Get settled into low lunge and use that same variation as you did before, Maybe starting on the blocks, Deep inhale, Lowering the hips, Lifting the chest, Exhale, Engaging that front leg a little and rounding the back. And that could be it. Inhale, Stretching, Lowering the hips. Exhale, Lengthening, Engaging, And rounding the back. Or we could be here. Inhale, Exhale. Navel comes in, Still working that core. Inhale, Chest lift. And exhale back as rounding. Inhale length. Exhale, Rounding. Nice. Inhale, Lengthening. Maybe if you hear And this is your variation for that pose. Inhale length, Two more times. And exhale, Rounding the back. Nice. Stay here and lower lunge. Getting the blocks a little out of the way. Hands flat on the ground. Stepping back into plank. We're not done yet. Simply bend the right knee. Come on to the knee, Left knee down, Right foot out, Left foot down. Now left knee in, Right knee in, Left foot out, Right foot out. One more time. Right knee comes down, Left knee, Right foot, Left foot, Left knee in, Right knee in, Left left leg out, Stay in plank, Both knees down, Shift the weight forward, Lower it down on the floor. And here we are, And here we stay. Lengthen both arms in front of you. Shabbat shalom. Opposite of both, Strengthening the whole back line, So lifting both legs up. And we stay here. Chest stays down. Just lengthen both arms, Your fingertips stay on the floor, You're even pulling yourself forward just a little. As a counterweight to both legs. Deep breath in as the legs stay up in the air. Deep breath out. Maybe lift. Just a little higher. One more deep breath in. And out, Lower the legs. Then inhale, Lifting both arms off the floor. Thumbs pointing towards the ceiling. And those legs stay on the floor for now. Inhaling through the nose. Out and the arms stay up. The forehead is lifted. And the chest is just a tiny bit off the ground. One more deep inhale. And exhale, Lower, Then both come up at the same time. Inhale up. Exhale to stay. Keep breathing through the nose if that is still available to you, Else yes. I am also breathing through the mouth now. Last big inhale, You can do this. And exhale, Release. Let's release the lower back. Inhale, Press up into all fours. Exhale, Open the knees. And press back into child's pose. Nice, So lengthen the arms forward and try to release the hips back all the way to your heels. As much as you can, You can swing your back. Left and right getting that sense of letting go. Letting the mat, The floor, The earth. Carry you where you can. Let go of all tension. So we still have one more pose to do before we can settle into final resting pose. And so slowly and gently climb back up. Onto the hands. And then swing your feet. Around, So come into sitting. And the opposite of Shalabhasana, If you paid attention. That is the boat pose so grab the back. Of your thighs, Lean back, Chest is up. And we try to Let go of the hands. Palms flat towards the sky, Shoulders down and back. And this is enough. And there's the chorus. A little tired right now, Just stay here else you can lift both feet. Maybe lifting. The lower leg still lifting through the chest. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. In and lengthen once more and exhale, Release. Just hug your knees. Lean onto your legs, Nice. Let's go and roll back onto the floor. And while we're here, Grab one block. And put the block in between your legs, Your thighs, Then roll back. Feet parallel, Close to the hips. Now press your block together and lift the heels while pressing against the block. Inhale, Lower. And exhale, Lift, Pressing against your block. Inhale, Lower. Exhale, Lift and press. Inhaler Exhale once more. Now stay here. Keep pressing against the block. You might want to climb onto the back of your shoulders. And interlace all fingers. Keep the hips up. They might lower down a little. So pressing. The thighs into the blocks. Pushing the hips up. Last, Last intense pose, I promise. And then slowly lower down. Keep your block. You don't want to drop it uncontrolled. Then grab your block. Put it to the side. And we're going to end our practice. Slowly with half bridge. So feet above your hips if you feel like shaking. Your legs do so if you feel like not moving at all do so. Just get the blood back flowing. Into your body. This is helping your heart. Hump the blood. Back into the heart and the lungs. So this is called an inversion. We are inverting the body. And so the heart doesn't need to work as hard. Any more to fight? Against gravity. So we're slowly coming into. Final resting pose now. And you can stay here if you want to and half bridge. As long as you like or come with me. Hug the knees one more time, Rounding the back. Yes, One more time contracting the apps. And then lengthen one leg after the other. Keep your arms alongside your body, Palms facing up and settle into Shavasana. Close your eyes. And take a few moments to settle. Into this state of stillness. Use a few deep breaths. To gently Calm your body. Guiding your prana. Your life energy through every cell. Of your body. Deepen your breath through your nose. As you feel your abdomen rise. And release any tension as you exhale slowly. Through your nose. Allow the breath. To anchor you. In the present moment. So that you are body can relax but your mind stays awake. And use a few moments to scan and look into your body. Notice. Any sensation in your body after this? Core. Focused yoga practice. Well, We brought fire into our fire. Solar plexus. Observe any areas of warmth. Or strength. And allow your body to soften now. In order to let the energy feel. And flowed freely. Through your body. Imagine a radiant light. Glowing at your solar plexus. The center of your core strength. With each breath, Feel this light and warmth expanding. Giving your core radiating vitality. Sense a connection between. Your core strength. And the grounding energy of the earth beneath you. Feel the radiating vitality. Connecting you. With the energy of the earth. Visualize yourself lying. In a serene meadow. Surrounded by vibrant greenery and flowers. Feel the strength of the earth beneath you. Supporting and nurturing you. Imagine the sunlight streaming through the leaves. Warming your body. As you inhale. Sense the energy of the natural world. Entering your being. As you exhale. Release any tension into the earth. Feeling a profound connection with nature. Then expand your awareness. Beyond the meadow. Reaching out. Into the vastness. Of the universe. Envision a starry sky. Above you. In the meadow. With each breath. Draw in the cosmic energy. Allowing it to mingle. With the earth grounding energy. Within you. Feel a sense of oneness. With the universe. The union of your inner self. With the expansive energy of the cosmos. Allow the imagery of nature. And the Universe. Stay with you. As you return to your physical body. Feel the gentle rise and fall. Of your chest with each breath. Embrace the sense of union. With your surroundings. A harmonious connection with both nature. And the cosmos. And when you're ready, Gently begin. To bring the awareness back. To the here and now. Your yoga practice on the mat. And slowly. Start by moving your hands and feet. Opening your eyes, Looking around you. Um. . . Shavasana is also called. The corpse pose as we are completely immobile lying on the back. But I'd like to call in the reboot. As we can now decide what we want to Take with us. As we get off the mat and back into our day. So roll on to the side. And maybe there's something you want to keep here. On the mat that will stay on the mat. Something you want to explicitly take with you. And so with that in mind. . . Press up slowly into sitting. Get a prop. Under your hips if you want to for cross-legged seat. And still with your intention in mind. Take a deep inhale. Drawing the hands into prayer. Join the two thumbs with your forehead. With your chin. And with your chest. Thank you so much for joining. Have a wonderful day and I'll see you all tomorrow.