Welcome,
I'm Carolyn,
And I'm happy to be here.
To share a morning mobility practice with you.
Or this could be a way to help you unravel after a long day.
Just grab a cushion or a pillow.
Something to put underneath your seat.
Sitting comfortably.
On top of the cushion,
Either cross-legged or just have your legs stretched out straight in front of you.
Let's get right into it.
Leaning your head over to the right.
Take a long breath in your nose.
And a slow breath out your mouth.
Because we're going for mobility today rather than really deep stretches.
What I believe is a more sustainable way to take care of your body.
We'll start to roll our chin down to our chest.
Enjoy a nice full breath there.
And just easing into the neck by slowly rolling your head over to the other side.
And invite in full deep breaths throughout this entire practice.
Adding in breath really can be the nectar of the practice.
It can help.
Just attune and attend to your nervous system.
In a more intentional way.
So continue taking these little half circles of chin down to chest and over to one side.
Perhaps exhaling out the mouth every single time.
To invite in a little more space.
Little more of a cathartic feel.
That's it.
One more time.
And then as you bring your head back up through center.
Start walking your left fingers over to the left.
And reach your right arm up and over into a side bend.
Anchor your sitting bones firmly on the ground.
Inhale brings you up,
Switching sides.
Root your left seat,
Take more breath into the left side.
Gently coming up.
And so again,
We're just kind of going side to side.
At your very own pace.
And in a pace that allows you to be present with your body to notice.
Maybe what your body's holding on to right now.
Yet moving at a pace that also allows you to meet whatever is coming up with so much breath.
So no need to rush.
Be aware of your neck muscles.
I'm just going side to side once more.
Gently coming up.
With a nice long lifted spine.
If you are sitting cross-legged,
Why don't you switch the cross?
That were.
.
.
Just not only feeding our habitual patterns,
Right,
We're going in non-habitual ways as well.
Take your arms up into a bent cactus shape with your palms facing forward.
And keep your front ribs knitting in,
But draw your elbows back.
Take a slow breath all the way up into your chest muscles.
And now start to round,
Working your elbows to touch if possible,
Palms touch,
Lean back and look down.
And then let's open it up again.
Lift your chest,
Take your elbows wide.
And then start to round,
Compressing your chest to help open your back,
Tuck your chin down.
Continue moving like that.
So when we're thinking about mobility,
We're thinking about repeating.
Gentle movements.
Opening up a little more with every round.
But really focusing on breath,
Breath guiding the way.
That's it,
Take two more like this.
Undulating your spine.
And connecting to your shoulders,
Really do.
Some good work with the shoulders today.
Come on up,
Rest your hands on your thighs or your knees.
Option to close down your eyelids.
Take a sweeping inhalation throughout your whole body,
Gathering up anything that's lingering,
Anything that you'd like to give some care to as you inhale.
And imagine that you're really releasing it.
You're setting it free as you exhale.
We're making more space with this practice.
Your breath supports you.
One more full inhale.
Long exhale.
Simply here to make space.
Let's come on to our hands and knees.
You can set that cushion aside.
We'll bring it in later.
On hands and knees,
Of course,
Be on your fists if your wrists are feeling sensitive.
All fours,
Arching and rounding your spine.
Arching and rounding.
So chest draws forward and then you tuck your tailbone,
Gaze towards your knees.
Keep doing that.
In a way that.
Supports mobility.
Rather than vying for the deepest expression.
Just easing in.
With each round,
Easing in with each breath you take.
Offering breath to your low back,
Breath to your neck.
Breath all along your spinal column.
Come to a neutral spine with chest forward.
Your knees stay where they are.
Just your hands walk over to the right a little bit or a little more.
Your hands to the right.
Some Cat-Cows.
Chest forward and then round.
Look towards your right knee.
Chest forward and round two more times.
There's absolutely no hurry.
Gently hands go to center and over to the other side.
For three or four of these off-center cat cows.
So important to try things differently.
Different variations.
And staying curious about what shows up in your body when you explore different ways of doing things,
Right?
How can you keep your breath steady and full?
Take care to come back to center with your hands.
Now hands walk closer towards each other so that your thumbs touch.
And step your right foot outside your right hand.
Either fingertips are on the floor.
Or fists are on the floor,
Or flat hands.
I'll leave it up to you,
But we'll keep our hands down.
And we'll propel our chest forward.
Pretty deep lunge in your front knee.
And then start to shift back.
Your fingers can stay where they are or they walk back a little bit with you.
Flip up on your front heel for more hamstrings,
Inner thigh.
And then bend your leg,
Plant your foot.
And again,
We're just pulsing.
Curious about how your body's doing here.
What feels mobile,
What feels a little bit locked.
Curious about everything.
I'm curious about making your breath even deeper.
Let's go back and forth one more time.
Doesn't have to be perfect,
Just here to practice.
Bend your front leg and walk your foot back inside your hand.
With your back leg straight,
Step forward all the way up to the front of your mat with both feet.
Feet separated about hips distance apart from each other.
Unlock your knees,
Shake your head no.
Two breaths,
Folding down your legs.
Really feeling the weight of your head hanging.
Bend your knees a couple more inches,
Tucking your chin,
Roll up slowly,
Slowly,
Bone by bone.
And when you're up at the top,
Inhale,
Squeeze your shoulders up.
Squeezing up anything that's feeling really compressed.
Big let go.
Shoulders drop down.
One more like that.
Inhale,
Squeeze.
And tangibly releasing the tightness.
Bring your arms up into that cactus bend again.
With your elbows.
Just gently pulling back,
Take a full inhale.
Now bend your knees a couple inches,
Gather your forearms to touch if possible,
Elbows into belly button,
Rounding in your own way.
Straighten your legs,
Bring your bent arms wide,
Open chest.
Exhale round with your knees bent,
Look down.
One more time.
Opening.
Wide across the chest.
Exhale.
Contract across your chest so your back feels open and rounded on purpose and then come all the way up reach your arms inhale Forward fold.
Shake your head no.
Notice the four corners of both feet pressing firmly into the mat.
Now left foot steps all the way back.
Lower your back left knee down.
Option to put some padding under your back knee if you wish.
Bring your hands up on your front thigh,
Hands on hips.
Just take a second to get steady here.
Weight in your front foot.
Shoulders back over hips,
Front ribs knit in.
Arms go all the way up with your palms forward.
Let's lift higher,
Inhale.
On your exhale,
Cactus your arms.
Elbows might come a little lower if that helps just tap into something in your pectorals.
Two more inhale up Slow exhale.
Or as slow as your exhale is.
Moving with breath,
One more.
Reach all the way up.
Take right fingers around your left wrist.
Gentle side bend,
Pulling your arm up and over.
And you'll notice that I mention gentleness often.
This practice is offering balance to all the work,
All the effort you do out in the world or in other fitness endeavors.
This is the balance,
Right?
So keep it sweet,
Keep it gentle.
Keep it filled and infused with breath.
One more.
Lower your hands down.
And come back.
Into downward facing dog.
Just for a few breaths.
With your hips nice and high,
Look at your toes so that you can pedal your heels side to side.
And give your calf muscles some care.
Pedaling on purpose,
Slowly.
Actively pushing through your hands,
Strong straight arms for two more breaths.
Bring your knees down onto the mat now.
Cat cows.
Chest forward.
Here we are repeating.
Round as you exhale.
It's an opportunity for you to observe as you cat-cow here,
Anything.
That is shifting,
Maybe in your low back,
There's a bit more space.
Maybe in your mind's ability to focus.
Maybe there's a change there.
You're more present with your body.
With a long spine,
Take both hands over to the right.
Two cat cows to this site.
Come to center and go over to the left now.
Focusing on breath.
Bring your hands back to center.
And as you walk your hands closer towards each other,
Now you'll step your left foot outside your left hand.
Just help it up there however you can,
Hands down on the floor or fingertips on the floor.
And we'll just explore some pulses starting with chest forward.
Outer shoulders draw back,
Big breath.
Tip your pelvis back and dig up onto your heel as your toes flex up to the sky,
Perhaps folding slightly.
And then bend.
Pull back.
Move through these two postures on your own a couple more times.
Finding a little more fluidity.
Through the breath and through your hips.
Even if it doesn't feel that way.
Things are shifting,
There is mobility increasing.
Flexibility is increasing physically and mentally just by being here.
Now walk your front foot inside your left hand,
So foot is between hands,
With your back knee off the ground,
Step all the way forward.
Feet separated a little bit.
Fold down.
Power of your legs.
Be sure to bend your knees a few more inches.
Let's round up,
Arms dangle down as you roll up.
Whenever you reach the top.
Squeeze your shoulders fiercely up as you inhale.
Big let go.
Arms in the cactus shape.
Pull,
Coax your elbows back and wide out left to right.
As you bend your knees one or two inches,
We'll round.
And stay rounded,
Tuck your chin.
See what it's like to swim your forearm side to side with care.
Come all the way up to stand,
Arms go way up as you breathe in.
And as you breathe out,
Forward fold.
Seeing what wants to let go with a nice slow exhale.
From your fold,
Step your right foot back and tap your back right knee down.
Option to put your knee on padding.
Rise up with your hands upon your front thigh,
Hands on your hips.
Nice,
Long,
Tall spine lifting up out of your pelvis.
Reach your arms up,
Palms facing forward.
Stretching higher as you inhale.
Bend your arms as though forearms are on a wall behind you,
Exhaling.
Do two more with your breath.
This is your practice,
Your time to be with your body and with your breath.
Noticing spaciousness.
Noticing everything.
We'll meet with our arms up.
Wrap your left fingers around your right wrist,
Little side bend up and over to the left.
As though your back knee could pull forward,
But it won't move.
Try pulling back knee forward and breathe into this whole arc in the right side of your body.
Lower your hands to the floor.
Come back onto hands and knees with me.
And from here,
Lower your forearms down.
Now walk your elbows as close together as you can get them.
Flip your palms to face up.
This is so nice for our lats and for our low back.
So with your elbows as close together as possible,
Palms face up.
Your knees might go back just an inch or so.
We're going to round the spine.
So keep that active angry cat spine rounding.
And just rock your hips back and forward half an inch or an inch very slowly.
While tucking your tailbone,
Cinching front ribs up.
Pull back and forward.
Elbows are grounded,
Unmoving.
Two more breaths.
Now as you come forward,
Take your elbows about shoulder distance apart,
A little bit wider.
Knees go back more.
This is heart pose,
So.
Allow your forehead to come back and down towards the floor.
Totally okay if your forehead is an inch off the ground.
Hips go back.
Deep breathing all around your armpits.
Gently come on up.
And let's lay down on our backs.
You might have that cushion handy.
And start by lying down on our backs.
Feet flat on the ground.
Cross your right ankle over your left knee,
Figure four,
Remaining like that,
Or pick up your bottom foot and interlace your hands behind your left hamstrings.
Welcome to put the cushion under the back of your head.
Welcome to close your eyes if that feels interesting,
If that feels soothing for you.
Aware of your neck muscles,
Your jaw muscles.
Option to tip your legs to the left an inch and to the right an inch.
With slowness.
Taking three or four more breaths.
As though your lungs go all the way down into that hip.
Just flush your breath down there.
And we'll switch sides,
Lowering your feet,
Take your other ankle on top.
Whatever variation you just took on the other sides.
Option for your legs to tip side to side,
Like you're kind of rocking on your low back left to right.
And thoughts may arise,
Emotions may arise.
If you maintain deep,
Slow breathing.
You're offering a signal of safety to your body.
Deep slow breathing.
Symbolizes that you can handle it.
You can be with whatever thoughts arise.
You can be with whatever's happening in your head.
It'll pass.
Keep breathing deeply.
Lower your feet to the floor.
Now I'll recommend that we have the cushion.
Put it between your knees and take your knees right up into your chest.
With your knees really close to your chest,
Take those knees all the way over to the right for a twist.
Reach your left arm over to the left.
Option to take your right hand on top of your left knee.
Either look up or look away from your knees.
And keep returning to these full mindful breaths.
Notice with every mindful breath how present and awake you feel.
With every mindful breath.
Your body is unraveling into the twist.
Let the twist come as you breathe deeply.
You may have parts that are bracing,
That are feeling stuck.
Offer your breath to those places.
We'll gently come back up to center.
With your knees right up into your chest and to the other side.
Right arm opens out to the right.
Allow your shoulder blades to imprint down into the mat.
And allow your breath to do the work.
Stay focused.
Stay right here with every breath you take.
Something in your body softening or letting go with every exhale.
And take care,
Gently come back up.
And now I'll suggest that we take the soles of our feet together and our knees wide open into a reclined butterfly.
If you have any kind of knee or groin pain,
Simply stretch your legs straight down instead.
Just thinking about surrendering any tightness.
That's coming up around your hips,
In the belly,
Letting go.
And you have the option to join me for a couple of easy breath holds.
If you'd like to join me through this guided breath work,
Slowly exhale now.
All through the notes.
Let's inhale three.
One,
Hold,
Three,
Hold.
Too.
Exhale 3 times.
Again,
Inhale three.
One,
Hold at the top.
Three.
Exhale,
Three.
Inhale,
Three.
One,
Holding full.
Body is relaxed as you hold.
Exhale three.
One last round.
Inhale,
Three.
One,
Hold.
Exhale three times.
Return to your natural breath.
Option to extend your legs out straight.
You can take refuge knowing that The work is integrating now.
This balancing work you've done for your body.
To invite in more mobility.
And to help unravel.
Whatever's been lost.
Whatever's been festering.
Your body knows what to do with all this breath you've offered it.
All the mindful efforts.
Fully surrendering now.
Could have hands somewhere on the body,
Just symbolizing care to your body.
Or an inner thank you.
Dear body,
Thank you.
If you'd like to remain here for longer,
Please rest.
If you're going to get up and continue on with whatever's next for you.
And I wish you well.
I'll leave you here.
It was such a pleasure.
Blessing,
Such a pleasure to share my favorite practice with you.
And I hope to see you again soon.
