Welcome to this mindful stretch class.
This flow is perfect to be practiced when you're feeling stressed and you want to get out of your mind and into your body or when your body simply craves a quick and gentle stretch.
We'll start in a comfortable seated position,
Whatever that might look like for you.
Feel free to use any props,
Blocks,
Blankets,
Whatever you need to make yourself a little bit more comfortable.
Just take a moment to root down through your sit bones,
Rise up through.
Your spine,
Crown of your head,
And relax your shoulders.
Keep a soft downward gaze.
And start by becoming aware of the breath.
Breathe in through the nose.
Softly out through the mouth.
Two more like this.
Inhale deeply through the nose.
Gently out through the mouth.
Inhale.
And with this exhale close your eyes if you feel comfortable doing so.
And return your breath to its natural rhythm.
Take a moment to notice your breath.
Notice how your body feels right now.
If you notice any area of tension or discomfort.
Can you try?
To soften.
Can you try to release and relax?
Those parts.
As you focus on the gentle rise and fall of the breath.
If your mind and body feel restless,
Just know that it's okay.
Focus on your breath.
Try to slow down.
Take one more breath here.
Open mouth,
Softly exhale.
Than in your own time.
Open up your eyes.
And return your head back three seconds.
Now take a moment to feel this feeling,
Feel yourself a little bit more connected and grounded.
Bring your arms in front,
Make two fists and start by circling the hands and wrists in one direction.
One more breath in.
And breath.
And then circle the wrists in the opposite direction.
Breath in.
And breath out.
Then open up your hands,
Spread the fingers nice and wide,
Inhale.
As you exhale send the fingers to point down,
Draw the shoulders back.
One more time,
Inhale,
Send your fingers up,
Stretch the bottom of your wrists and forearms.
And as you exhale,
Point the fingers down,
Stretch the top of the forearms and the ribs.
Then when you're ready,
Just release,
Shake your hands,
Take a moment to extend your right leg in front and keep your left knee.
Sit on both of your sit bones as you inhale,
Rise up through the crown of your head.
And as you exhale,
Simply fold over the leg any amount for you to feel a good stretch at the back of your leg.
Relax your right foot.
Bring the chin towards the chest if you like.
The goal is not to reach for the foot.
The goal is to feel a nice,
Gentle stretch in your body.
Two breaths.
One more breath in.
And breath out.
Bring yourself back up through center and this time bring your legs into a V shape.
And then from here,
Just take a moment to circle your chest around in one direction.
And then also in the opposite direction.
Just notice whatever feeling and sensation arise.
Then come back through center.
Place your right hand either on the leg or on the inside of the leg.
Inhale to reach her left arm up.
And as you exhale,
Side bend towards your right leg.
Keep the chest open towards the sky.
Take a breath in.
And a breath out.
As you inhale,
Come up through center.
Place your left hand behind you.
Open the chest.
Inhale.
And then as you exhale,
Lift your hips and sweep your opposite arm back.
One breath in.
One breath out.
Now as you inhale,
Release your hips to the ground.
Place your right hand arm over the leg.
Lift your opposite.
And as you exhale,
Side bend.
Maybe this time you're going a little bit deeper.
Breath in.
Breath out.
As you inhale,
Lift up,
Place the left hand behind you.
As you exhale,
Lift your hips,
Sweep your opposite arm back,
Open the chest,
Back,
Back.
Breath in.
Breath out.
Then when you're ready,
Release your hips down to the ground,
Switch your legs,
Extend your left and bend your right keep your leg just right in front of you Inhale to rise.
And as you exhale,
Fold over the leg any amount.
Taking a moment to breathe.
One more breath in.
And out.
And when you're ready,
Come back up through center.
Place your legs into a V shape and start to circle your chest around.
Notice any sensation in the head.
Circle it also in the opposite direction.
And then come back through center,
Place your left hand either on the leg or on the inside.
As you inhale,
Lift your right arm.
As you exhale,
Side bend towards your left leg,
Keeping the chest nice and open.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Then as you inhale,
Come back through center.
Place your right hand behind you this time.
And as you exhale,
Lift your hips and sweep your opposite arm back.
Breath in.
Breath.
Inhale,
Lower the hips.
Left hand over the leg,
Lift your right,
Inhale.
As you exhale side bend,
Maybe this time you can go a little bit deeper.
One breath in,
Feel the side of your body lengthening.
Breath out.
Inhale,
Lift up through center,
Right hand behind.
Exhale,
Lift the hips,
Open up the body.
Breath in.
And breath out.
And whenever you're ready,
Place your hips back on the mat.
Bend both of your knees and take a moment to roll your wrists around in one direction.
And then also in the opposite direction.
Then when you're ready,
Meet me to a tabletop position on your hands and knees.
Spread your hands nice and wide,
Hands shoulder distance apart,
Knees hip distance apart.
We'll go through a few cacao,
Sit as you inhale,
Arch the spine,
Look up.
As you exhale round,
Bring the chin towards the chest.
A few more here,
Following the rhythm of your breath.
Inhale to broaden the collarbone.
Exhale to push the ground away.
Round.
Two more.
Warming up the spine.
And adding any extra movement that feels good for you,
Maybe side to side,
Forward and backward in a wave-like motion.
Just do whatever feels good for your body right now.
On your next inhale,
Arch the spine,
Cow pose.
And then as you exhale come back to a neutral spine.
Now when you're ready,
Shift your weight onto your left hand as you inhale,
Lift your right Out open to the side.
As you exhale,
Sweep your right arm underneath the chest and across to the other side.
Two more times as you inhale open your body.
As you exhale thread the arm in.
Last one,
Inhale to lift.
And as you exhale,
Thread.
And this time you can rest your right shoulder to the mat and you can extend your left arm towards the front.
Of the map.
Draw the shoulders back and away from the ears.
We'll take two breaths.
Then return your left hand in front of your face as you inhale left your right hand up towards the sky And as you exhale,
Return back to a tabletop position.
Now let's do the same on the other side.
So as you inhale,
Lift your left arm up into a twist.
As you exhale thread the arm underneath and across.
Two more in your thoracic rotation Excellent,
Fred.
Last one,
Inhale to open.
Exhale to thread and this time rest the left shoulder down extend your right arm towards the front Two breaths.
Bring your right hand in front of your face as you inhale,
Left hand open.
As you exhale,
Back to a tabletop position.
This time,
Work your hands slightly forward,
Tuck your toes under.
As you inhale,
Lift up your knees,
Hover your knees actually.
And as you exhale,
Push up and back into our very first downward facing dog.
Just take a moment here.
Keep your knees fully bent.
Inhale.
And as you exhale,
Start to bend and extend one knee at a time.
Become aware of the points of contact.
Have your body with the ground,
Be in your hands and see.
Inhale.
As you exhale,
Push the ground away through your hands.
Inhale,
Lengthen the spine.
Exhale,
Send the chest back towards your thigh.
We have two more breaths here.
Feel free to keep moving your legs.
Or just stay still in one position.
Inhale.
Lift your hips a little higher.
Exhale.
Now as you inhale,
Bend the knees,
Look at your hands.
And as you exhale,
Take as many steps as you need to get to the front of the mat.
Your hands can come off the ground.
As your inhale,
Come halfway up to a flat back.
Draw the belly in.
Send your shoulders back.
As you exhale forward fold knees can be bent hands can be on your legs one more inhale come halfway up to a flap back Exhale to fall.
Now as you inhale,
Come halfway up one last time.
As you exhale,
Fully bend the knees and find a sit on the mat or just come down however you can.
Just take a moment to come back to a cross-legged seat or just a comfortable position.
As you inhale,
Rise up through the crown of your head.
And now as you exhale,
Twist towards the left,
Right hand over your left knee,
Left hand behind you.
Inhale to rise up.
Exhale to twist.
Look back.
Two words over your left shoulder.
One more breath in.
And now as you exhale,
Keep your twist,
But turn your gaze over your right shoulder.
Counter twist in the hand.
You and you.
And now as you exhale,
Release the twist,
Come back to the center.
Inhale,
Rise up through center.
And this time as you exhale,
Twist towards the right,
Left hand over the right knee,
Right hand behind you.
Inner to lengthen.
Exhale to twist,
Look over your right shoulder.
Keep the twist in your spine.
Inhale.
As you exhale,
Turn your gaze towards the left,
Counter twist in.
Breathe in.
And as you breathe out,
Release your twist,
Come back through center,
Just take a moment to roll the shoulders back.
And roll the shoulders forward And find your comfortable position.
Whatever it is,
Just right where we started.
Place your hands on the knees or the left.
And just take a moment now to notice how your body feels.
Keep a soft downward gaze or close your eyes.
Find your breath.
Tune in with the natural rhythm of the breath.
And take these last few moments.
To notice how your body Feels.
How your mind feels.
Notice how much of a difference.
A gentle stretch can have on how your whole self feels.
Let's close the class.
By sharing two deep breaths.
Bring your hands in prayer or on your chest.
Deeply breathing through the nose.
Slowly breathe out through the mouth.
One more.
Inhale deeply.
Exhale softly.
Open your eyes whenever you're ready.
Thank you so much for practicing with me and for taking the time for yourself.
See you next time.
