Yoga For Better Mobility & Yoga Nidra

Welcome to this soothing and invigorating beginner yoga class, designed to help you improve flexibility, build strength, and find balance through a series of standing twists, Twisted Warrior poses, and twists on all fours. Whether you're new to yoga or just looking to refine your practice, this class is perfect for you.

Our practice ends with a long Savasana using Yoga Nidra techniques for deep relaxation.

Transcript

So today's class is all about twists. And let me tell you something about breathing and twists. So physiologically, When we breathe in, Our body builds more tension in our muscles. That's just a fact. And when you breathe out, Our body reduces the tension of our muscles. So when we twist. We need the space. And also the relaxation of our muscles and joints. In order to be able to rotate. That means. When we rotate or twist. We exhale. And when we come back to center or middle, Then inhale. Same with any stretch, Forward fold. The stretching, The relaxation always goes with the exhale. While when we need strength. Empower. We usually inhale to create more tension in our bodies. Let's go. So let's start standing. At the front of your mat, Feet parallel. Stack your Ankles, Knees. Hips and shoulders. And then roll your shoulders back and down just to find some ease in your shoulder girdle. Then inhale deeply through the nose, Raise the arms overhead, Extend. And exhale. Slowing down the breathing. Release. Repeat, Inhale, Arms. Overhead, Rotate the arms open. And release. Close the arms. Back down. Inhale deeply through the nose. And exhale. Through the nose. Pressing your feet into the ground. Really feeling the floor supporting you here. Then take one deep inhale, Raise the arms over hand, Make two fists. And then exhale, Draw the arms back. Inhale, Arms over head. Exhale, Draw the elbows back. Inhale, Release. Exhale, Fists. Elbows back. Inhale. Exhale, Fist. If you want to, You can inhale through the nose here, Exhale through the mouth. Breathing exercises here. Then repeat but turn twist to the right on the exhale and then turn to the left on the next. Inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Twist. Inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Twist. Inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Twist. Use your mouth for the exhale if you want to. Just for this one. Inhale and exhale, Release. This should feel really, Really good by now. Get a few more in. Maybe rotating just a little more. And then release and with your next exhale come into that first forward fold. Letting the upper body fold on the thigh. Then inhale, Extend forehead forward, Sitting bones backward. And then exhale, Release back into forward fold. Inhale again, Come into tabletop. Hands on block or just below the knee. Or shin if you. If that is available to you. And then step back on your next inhale into plank. Big exhale draw the navel in. Inhale, Knee come down. Exhale, Chest on the floor, Chaturanga. Inhale your version of a cobra. Exhale, Lower back down. Inhale onto all fours. Flipping the toes and then exhale into downward facing dog. Inhale, Mount. Onto the toes and exhale pressing into the heels. Then inhale, Bend the knees, Look forward and step your feet towards your hands and back into forward fold. Lift on the inhale into tabletop. And then exhale, Release. Everything back down. Again, Inhale into tabletop. And exhale, Letting everything go and fold. Inhale, Bend knees, Exhale, Roll up into standing. Big inhale, Arms overhead and exhale, Release, Pressing the hands. And feet into the floor. And inhale, Lift. Exhale, Forward fold. Next, Inhale, Come into tabletop and exhale, Release and fold. Inhale, Hands flat, Bend the knees, Step back into plank. Plank pose. Exhale, Navel draws in. And then inhale, Shift forward a little, Bend knees if you need to. And press down Chaturanga. On the floor. Inhale cobra or your version of it. Exhale release. Inhale, Come back up onto all fours and exhale, Press back and down dog. Inhale onto your toes. Exhale, Release. Close your feet, Inhale, Lift the right leg. Exhale, Step it forward. Into offers. Lunge position here. Inhale, Hands on thigh. Lifting the chest, Finding your balance. And then big inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Make fists, Draw the elbows back. Inhale through the nose, Arms overhead. Exhale, Maybe open your mouth and draw the arms back. Big breathing here. Inhale, Arms overhead. And exhale, Elbows draw back. Keep your balance. And stay low in your lunge position. Then with the next exhale, Arms come back down on the floor, Stepping back into plank. Inhale, Shift the weight forward just a little, Maybe knees come down. And exhale, Chaturanga. Inhale little cobra or your version of a cobra. Exhale, Release. Inhale, Come back up onto all fours. And exhale. Press into your downward facing dog. Inhale onto the toes. And exhale, Release. Then stepping the feet together, Left leg lifts, Exhale, Navel pulls in. Stepping forward into lunge, Left foot forward this time, Then he'll come up. Hands on thigh, Lifting the chest, Radiating the heart forward. Again, Deep breathing, Inhale, Arms overhead. Exhale, Make fists and draw the elbows back. Nice! Find a purpose for this strong breathing. Exercise here in lunge pose. Creating strength, Resilience. Stamina Focus. Keep breathing in and deep breath out. Wonderful. On the next exhale, Hands come down on the floor, Stepping back into plank, Navel pulls in. And then inhale, Knees come down, Shifting the weight forward a little and Chaturanga, Chest on the floor. Inhale, Lift the chest up. Exhale release. Inhale onto all fours. Exhale into down dog. Wonderful. Mound onto toes. Inhale. Exhale release and stretch the calves. Inhale, Bend knees a lot, Look forward. And then walk it forward. Forward fold the upper body. And inhale, Lengthen from the crown of your head to your tailbone. Exhale release. Inhale, Tabletop. Whatever is available to you. And exhale, Release. Then bend knees, Inhale, Exhale, Navel comes in, Rolling up into standing. Arms draw overhead and release. Then inhale, Sit back into chair. Just let the arms come up on the inhale. And the hands join the knees on the exhale. Keep your knees bent. Hips draw back and down. And then bring both hands onto the side of your right knee. The outside of your right knee and then open that right arm up. On the exhale, And inhale, Come back to centre. Exhale, Twist. Inhale back to center. Exhale, Rotate, Maybe gaze towards your hand, Towards the sky. Exhale, Rotate And I'll stay here, Keep breathing. See if you can twist just a little more on the exhale. And on the inhale, Bend the knees just a little further. Exhale twist a little more Inhale, Bend a little more. Exhale, Twist a little. And. . . Inhale, Come back to center. Wonderful. Release, Stand up. On the inhale, Exhale into forward fold. The knees and the legs are warm. Inhale into tabletop. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Bend knees, Hands flat, Stepping back into a plank. Navel draws in strong core. Inhale, Knees bend down on the mat if you want to. Chaturanga, Elbows tight. Inhale of the chest. Exhale, Lower the chest. Inhale, Lift on knees. Exhale, Push back and down dog. And lift onto toes on the inhale. Release into the stretch on the exhale. Stepping with feet together, Right leg lifts. And exhale, Stepping forward into lunge. Inhale, Hands on thigh. Then on your next inhale, Raise the arms overhead. And stay here for a while. Open the chest on the inhale, Try lifting. Your collarbone just a little more on the inhale. And bend your knee further on the exhale, Opening that hip. Stretching deep into that hip flexor. Then come down into low lunge, Left hand stays on the side of your right foot. Now inhale. Loosen that right hand and exhale. Twists towards the right side. So see if you can keep your chest close to your right knee. Inhale, Center. Exhale, Open and twist. Inhale back to center, Maybe bend the elbow. Exhale, Open and twist. Now stay in the exhale, Stay in the twist. Inhale, Strengthen. Stability and exhale, Rotate a little more. Inhale stability and strength. Exhale, Twist a little more and then come back to center. Find your middle. Come back into. Aside. Straddle stretch. So walk your hands slowly towards the middle. And come into a tabletop in that. Wide straddle position. Your feet are parallel. Just inhale, Open into table. And exhale, Release into that wide forward fold. Inhale into tabletop. And exhale releasing into forward fold. Make sure to press Your feet into the ground. Now we're gonna rotate. So keep your hips stable. Now one hand grabs the middle, The floor. Exhale, Rotate and open. Inhale, Change side. Exhale, Rotate and open. Inhale, One hand in the middle. Exhale the other one to the sky. You can use a block if you want to. That's easier. All depends on. The length and proportions of your arms and legs. And then exhale, Twist. Inhale, Come back to centre. Remember to press your feet into the ground, Keeping your hips parallel, Square to the ground, And slowly walking your hands back forward. And we're coming back into plank pose on our mat. Then inhale, Knees down, Chaturanga, Elbows tight. Inhale lifting the chest off the ground, Exhale lowering the chest. Inhale lift onto knees. Exhale, Press into stretch. Inhale, Come onto toes. Exhale release into heel. And step your feet together. Inhale, Lift the left leg. Exhale, Bend knee, Stepping forward into lunge. Same thing on the left side. So first come into high lunge here, High cat. I think I didn't even notice while I was recording that she came with it. Then inhale, Arms overhead. Radiate the chest forward, Open that heart, Open the gaze. Let the light into your eyes. And radiate strength. And resilience here. Then hands down back on the mat, Right hand stays next to your left foot. And take a deep inhale in the center and exhale rotate the left arm reaches towards the sky. Inhale back to center. Exhale, Reach the arm all the way up into the sky. So with each rotation you can see if you can ease a little more into that hip opener. That hip flexor stretch. Deep into the groin. And whatever is available to you, Stay here in that twist. Left arm up, Right hand down on the ground. You can even use your block here for your ground hand. Keep exhaling and rotating. And on the inhale create stability. Exhale, Twist a little more. And inhale, Creating strength. Through the floor. And come back to center. Walk your feet, Your hands, Sorry, Towards the middle. Again, Come into that straddle pose. And come back into tabletop, Upper body parallel to the floor, And exhale, Release. Inhale, Lifting. And exhale, Release. Inhale, Lengthen that whole spine, Press your sitting bones back. And exhale, Fold. Then again, Twist. Have one block in the center if you want to and then change sides and exhale and twist. So this should feel really good in the lower body, In the lower back. We're stretching actively. The lumbar region. We're not just cranking and forcing a stretch. But we're doing it with control. And with the purpose to strengthen while we stretch. So inhale back to center. And exhale, Open and rotate. Inhale back to center. Exhale, Open and rotate. Then release and fold back into that straddle stretch. And walk your hands slowly back forwards, Stepping your feet back into plank, Pulling the navel in, Creating some core strength here. Then blend these. Elbows tight, Chaturanga, Chest on the floor. Inhale, Lift the chest. Exhale, Lower the chest. Inhale, Lift on knees. And exhale, Press into down dog. Inhale, Lift on toes. And exhale, Stretch into heel. Wonderful and safe. Inhale, Bend knees a lot. Walk it forward. Into forward fold, Release the head and the neck back down. Inhale, Stretch forward into tabletop. And exhale, Release. Back down. Then bend knees, Coming into chair. We're having another side to do here, So remember. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Hands join knees. Inhale, Arms come up. Lengthen the upper body, Open the heart. And exhale, Hands join knees. So let's join our hands next to our left knee, So on the outside of our left knee. Take a deep inhale and on the exhale rotate to that left side and open. And inhale, Bend knees a little further. Exhale, Rotate. Inhale create strength. Exhale, Rotate. Inhale, Create fire. Exhale in, Twist. Inhale we're staying now with each exhale see if you can rotate a little more If you can twist a little more. And with each inhale, See if you can create a little more fire in those legs. Wonderful. And big inhale, Stand up. And exhale, Release. All we want to do now is get Closer to the floor, So exhale and bend forward into fold. Inhale, Table. And exhale, Fold. Inhale bend knees, Hands flat, Stepping into plank. Navel in, Strong core. Inhale, Bend knees. Exhale, Chest to the floor. Inhale, Chest up. Exhale chest comes down. And with staying here on the ground, Just Enjoying having our body flat on the floor. Now make sure your hip joint, Your hip bones are protected because now you're lifting on the exhale your right entire leg on the inhale release. And exhale, Lift. The left entire leg and inhale release. Exhale, Right leg comes up. Inhale, Release. So lift from the hips. And lengthen that leg and lift all the way from your belly button. Try that. You feel as if you are lifting your leg. From the belly button. We're lengthening through this OS. Through the hip flexor. And release those legs. Arms turn. Come onto your fingertips, Lengthen the arms, And then stretch the arms forward. Reaching. While you're keeping the chest on the ground and your legs on the ground. So just lift your head a little bit. And lift the arms, The hands. Thumbs up! Keep breathing. Fire in the upper back. We've already created fire almost everywhere and then released it. Hands underneath your shoulders for pushing up. And back into a nicely deserved rest. Child's pose. So relax your forehead on the ground. Relax your chest on your knees. You can open the knees wide to create some space if you want to. Breathing deeply and then on the next inhale coming up onto all fours. We're repeating the rotation but this time we're staying on our knees. Careful this time we're doing a. . . Big rotation, We're inverting the breathing. Come into a big inhale, Open to the side and then exhale, Fold and shoot the right hand underneath your left hand. Arm then inhale up and open and exhale shoot the arm underneath your armpit then stay here in that rotation Lean onto your shoulder. Let your head rest on the ground. And pressing your hands. Your left hand into the mat for stability. See if with each exhale you can come a little deeper into that. Rotation. Try to breathe slowly. We're already in our cool down phase here. Then take one last inhale. And release the hand back down. Then straight away change side, Shift your weight onto your right hand. You can keep that elbow bent at all times if that is something that you need. Then big inhale. Lift the left hand up to the sky or ceiling and exhale. Push the left hand underneath your right armpit. Big inhale, Open, And exhale. Rotation towards that left side, That right side, Sorry. Then stay here, Stay in that twist. Little bit of an inversion so that left hand stays on the ground. Side of your head on the floor. And your left, Your right hand. Is supporting that twist maybe by pushing a little into the ground and rotating Then shoulder back even further. Bam. Loosen and come back into center. Take one. Big inhale, Lifting that left hand overhead. Almost forgot that one here. And then release the hand back down to the floor. And yes, We're eager to press back into sitting. As we're slowly moving towards the floor. So come into seated, Grab the backs of your knees. And then inhale, Lengthen that upper body. Lift the chest, Lean back into boat. Then let your hands off your knees, Palms facing up towards the sky. Make sure you don't contract in your shoulders. And then lift maybe those feet off the ground, Whatever is available to you. Strengthen your core and then release and finally roll back into lying on your back. So we're coming into bridge. Bend your knees, Move your feet towards your hips then. Inhale, Lift the hips and exhale, Release the hips back down. Make sure your arms are resting, Your shoulder girdle is relaxed. Inhale, Lifting the hips. And exhale releasing. Check all the way into your neck. And head and make sure that you're Upper girdle. Neck and head are fully at ease and relax. And stay up into bridge, Interlace all fingers. And extend thumb and index finger. If you want to. Climb onto the backs of your shoulders. Really enjoying that slight backbend here. Little bit of a activation backbend. Activate the nervous system so we just slightly getting that Nervous system back up. To then lower down. And release. So hug the knees. Rolling from side to side. And then let's enjoy and dive into that last pose, That half shoulder bridge. And blissful rejuvenating. Pose. So let the blood come into your upper body. Feet above your hips. Legs are relaxed. So let all tension Float. Auto. Your legs. Breathe deeply, Remember to breathe through the nose. Five seconds in. And five seconds breathing out. Calming your nervous system in preparation of Awa. Final resting pose. And then slowly bend the knees, Hug your knees in one. Last. Time. Stretch the left leg out. And then the right. Then let's bring this practice to rest. A blissful close. As we Stretch out. Into Shavasana. Close your eyes. As you begin to slide. Into this final resting pose. Let your body melt. Into the support of your mat. Releasing any need to adjust to gravity. Stretch your legs out. Gently separating them. And place your arms alongside your upper body. With your hands alongside your hips. Turn your palms upwards. Find the position. That offers complete comfort. And ease. Make sure your head, Neck and shoulders are completely relaxed. Take a moment to Bring your intention. For this practice to mind. Perhaps you had something special in mind. For your yoga practice today. A purpose, Or intention. Whisper your intention quietly to yourself. And repeat it. Three times. Now let your imagination take you on a journey. Envision yourself strolling through a forest. At the break of dawn. Where the early light bothers the trees and the forest floor. Enough soothing. Red, Violet hue. Breathe in the pure. Earthy scent. That fills the air as your hands Gently brush against the tender leaves of young trees. You venture deeper into the forest. The ground becomes soft and plush. Each step cautioned with utmost gentleness. You veer off the beaten path. Entering a denser jungle-like area. With the colors of birds. Fills the air. The gentle breath rustles the leaves. Your steps take you even deeper. Into the heart of the forest. Your hands trace the branches. And the tree trunks you pass. As you connect, With the natural world around you. Ahead, A clearing emerges. Growing, Writer. As you approach. The radiance emanates from a temple. It's in a light streaming from the windows. Creating a warm glow. That surrounds it. Inside the temple. The sacred sound of OM. Resonates in the air. Filling the space. With a rhythmic hum You move toward the temple. And enter. Greeted by the soothing scent of sandalwood. The walls are adorned. With sacred images. And a person dressed in an orange robe. Sits in lotus position. Gazing at you with a gentle gaze. Welcoming expression. You settle down across the room. Meeting the serene gaze. A profound sense of peace and connectedness washes all over you. Well, The chant of OM. Continues to resonate. You feel a deep breath. Unifying connection. With all living beings. And an overwhelming sense. Of being entirely present. With yourself. As you sit in the temple. Bathed in the beautiful ambience. You allow the mantra OM. To wash over you. The resonance of the sound becomes a bridge. Between you and the person in the orange robe. In this shared silence. You sense a deep understanding. Connection. That transcends words. You feel the unity that binds all living beings. And the serenity that comes from being. Fully present. With yourself. Moments pass. And you find yourself enveloped. In a profound stillness. The world outside the temple. With its bustling worries and distractions. Feels distant. And unimportant. The temple's inner light seems to grow brighter. Illuminating not only the space around you, But also the inner recesses of your own heart. And mind. As the feeling of connection deepens. A sense of Gratitude. And contentment. Wells up within you. You realize that this moment this inner sanctuary. Is a reflection of the peace and wholeness. That reside within you. At all times. Waiting to be acknowledged. And embrace. You take a deep inhale. And with the exhale you release your intention. Allowing it to float away like a fragile leaf carried by the breeze. In the midst of this sacred space. You let go of any burdens. Tensions. Or distractions. That you carried with you. Now gently begin to bring your awareness back. To your physical body. The support of your mat. And the sensation of your breath. Feel the rise and fall of your chest. And your belly button. The expansion. And the release of your ribcage. And the enduring support of the Earth. As you slowly transition back to the present moment. Remember the tranquility and unity. You experienced. In the temple. When you're ready, Open your eyes. Bring the peace and connectedness. With you into the world. Allowing it to guide your actions. And interactions with others. Then slowly find movement in your arms and legs. Wibble and wobble, Maybe hug your knee in again. Then either roll onto your side and push yourself up, Or grab one knee. And roll yourself up into sitting. You can use a block or pillow to sit on. Just find yourself back. And gravity. Can adjust. Your body. With any twists. Stretch. Or bend you like. Just to find an easy seated position. And let's The eyes open. And the light. Come into your eyes. Then come into centre. And take one big inhale through the nose, Draw the arms overhead, Join hands in prayer. Connect both thumbs with your forehead. Your chin and your heart center. Thank you very much for joining and have a wonderful day.