25 Minute Morning Yoga

Begin your day feeling centered and revitalized with this short 25-minute audio-led yoga practice. Suitable for complete beginners to more experienced practitioners, you'll be led through opening stretches, joint mobilizing asanas, sun salutations, breath work, and relaxation to begin your day calm and clear.

Transcript

Good morning,

My name is Ali Foden and I'm so excited that you're here with me this morning for this 25-minute energizing,

Revitalizing and centering yoga practice.

For this time you might need a yoga mat if you have one.

Other than that you just need somewhere to move around,

Comfortable clothes and as quiet a space as you can find in your home this morning.

If you feel like you need to pause the recording to grab anything,

Take a moment to do that now.

We'll begin this practice seated at the top of your yoga mat.

You're welcome to sit on a cushion if that's more comfortable for you.

Sitting with your legs crossed or your legs straight,

See if you can feel that support and groundedness between your hips and the floor.

With that feeling of groundedness you can then lengthen your spine up from that space so you feel a bit of a lift between your ribcage and your hips.

Shoulders down and relaxed away from your ears.

Lengthen through the back of the neck,

Soften your jaw,

Soften your tongue and relax your hands wherever they're comfortable for now.

You might want to place them on your belly to help connect with your breath more deeply.

Just to arrive here at the beginning of your practice this morning we'll start by connecting to the breath.

So once again either with your hands by your sides or on your belly,

Start to notice that natural ebb and flow,

The rise and fall of the breath in your body.

Breathing in and out through your nose as best you can,

Not trying to force your breath to be as deep as it can be but rather allow your body to breathe itself and just watch the breath as it is.

This is also a great opportunity to perhaps set an intention for your practice or an intention for the day.

How do you want today to be?

How do you want your yoga practice to be?

And then once you're ready we'll begin with our movements.

Just starting by inhaling and reaching your arms up overhead.

So as you ground through your hips you really lengthen your arms up high.

We'll come into a side body stretch.

So as you exhale place your right hand down next to your right hip and then reach your left arm up and over,

Grounding through your left hip as you reach through your left hand,

Feeling that side body stretch all across the side of the left side of the torso.

Then as you inhale reach your arms up towards the centre again.

Exhale we'll come down to the other side.

So place your left hand on the mat right next to your left hip and then reach your right arm up overhead over to the left side.

Again you feel that grounded sensation at your right hip as you reach through your right hand,

Opening through the right side of the body.

On your next inhale reach your arms all the way up to the centre once again.

As you exhale you can allow your hands to guide themselves down and then slowly transition yourself into all fours or our tabletop position.

So in tabletop you're on your hands and knees.

Your shoulders,

Your elbows,

Your wrists stuck on top of each other in alignment.

See if you can spread your fingers wide and your knees will be directly underneath your hips.

We'll begin to move through some cat and cow stretches which arches and rounds the spine to really bring the blood through the spine and mobilise that spine after a sleeping state straight all night.

So as you inhale lift your tailbone and open your chest.

You'll feel your navel drop down toward this floor and look up towards the ceiling.

As you exhale round your spine.

So you're going to tuck your tailbone under,

Draw your navel toward your spine,

Round your shoulders forwards and tuck your chin in towards your chest.

Inhale once again arch the spine,

Lifting the tailbone,

Opening through your chest.

As you exhale round your spine,

Tuck your tailbone under,

Tuck your chin in towards your chest,

Rounding the spine and drawing your navel toward your spine.

Take a couple more rounds of that exercise on your own.

Inhaling as you arch,

Opening up the front of the body,

Exhaling as you round.

You might feel a deep stretch across the back of the body,

Maybe between the shoulder blades.

Inhale to arch,

Exhale to round.

On your next inhale come back to a neutral spine and we'll come into a lunge with your right foot in between your hands.

So you can use your right hand to help your right foot step forwards if needed.

Right knees over your right ankle,

Your left knee is on the ground behind you and then lift your hands off the floor so you're coming to sit up in your lunge position with that right foot forward and left knee back.

Tuck your hips underneath,

See if you can feel that stretch across the left thigh,

The front of the left thigh or the front of the left hip.

If you'd like to go deeper into that stretch just inhale your arms up and above your head and as you reach your arms up see if you can once again lift your ribcage up and out from your hips.

As you exhale lower your hands down coming back to either side of that right foot and then gently make your way back onto all fours so stepping the right knee back.

Before we transition to the other side then just check in for a moment and notice if and how you feel any different right to left.

When you're ready we'll step the left foot in between your hands,

Coming into that lunge on the left side.

Left foot in between your hands,

Left knee over left ankle and once you're ready squeeze your inner thighs,

Lift your shoulders up so you come to almost sit up straight and then reach your arms up and above your head.

Again lengthening through the torso,

Lengthening through the sides of your waist as you do that.

Crescent lunge or what we call in yoga Anjaneyasana.

Again feeling into the stretch on the front of the right hip this time.

This is a great posture for any of you that suffer from back pain.

As you exhale bring your hands back down to the mat either side of your left foot and then when you're ready just step the left foot back.

Coming back onto all fours and again before you transition to the next postures take a moment to feel into your hips,

Notice how they're feeling after that stretch.

Once you're ready tuck your toes under or lift the hips up and back into a down-facing dog position.

So in our down-facing dog your hands will be shoulder distance apart,

Your hips and ankles are in alignment so your ankles are hip distance apart.

Your knees don't have to be straight,

You can bend your knees quite a lot in this posture,

Really reaching the hips back and if the backs of your legs are feeling a little bit stiff this morning you can start to pedal through your feet.

So just bend and straighten one leg at a time,

Slowly reaching one ankle toward the ground at a time.

Your ankles don't need to hit the ground.

So in down-facing dog we're aiming toward there being one straight line between your hands and your hips.

So if you feel that you can really push the hips back a little more,

Lengthening through the back of the body and then slowly finding some stillness in that down-facing dog if you are still pedaling your feet and then start to walk your feet forwards towards your hands towards the top of your mat.

You can keep your knees as bent as they need to be.

Once you reach the top of your mat take a moment just to hang there in what we call a ragdoll position.

So your knees are generously bent,

Hip distance apart and then just take hold of both elbows with your hands and fully relax your upper body over the support of your bent knees,

Your lower body.

Then on your next inhale slowly keeping your knees bent roll up to standing one vertebra at a time.

Really take your time with this keeping those knees bent and once you're up just allowing your body to settle here in Tadasana or mountain pose.

Feet still rest around hip distance apart.

Feel the grounded feeling at your feet now and then your body lengthen up from that anchor.

Hips stack over your ankles more or less.

Ribs stacking over your hips.

Shoulders over your hips.

Lengthen through the back of your neck.

We'll begin to move through a flowing sequence of postures called a Surya Namaskar or Sun Salutation.

It strengthens and lengthens each muscle of the body and it involves moving and breathing at the same time.

So we'll begin by inhaling and reaching your arms up overhead all the way up towards the sky.

Look up towards your thumbs.

Your hands can be apart or together.

As you exhale bend forward hinging from your hips.

You're welcome to bend your knees and plant your hands down to the ground or find your shins.

As you inhale bring your hands to your shins and look forwards flattening your back parallel to the floor.

Then as you exhale slowly make your way down to either all fours or to a plank position.

So bringing your hands down to the mat first.

Then stepping your feet back finding that hands and knees position or with your legs straight finding a plank position.

Shoulders over your wrists either way.

On your next exhale come down to the ground.

So you can either just bend your elbows straight coming through what we call Chaturanga Dandasana or you can bend your knees to the ground and then bend your elbows.

Coming down knees chest and chin.

Flattening your body down to the ground.

Laying on your stomach with your hands underneath your shoulders.

On your next inhale come up to a baby Cobra position.

If anybody has low back pain or tension be very mindful with this posture.

So inhale just lift your head and shoulders up off the floor.

Keeping your elbows in tight towards your body and pressing the tops of your feet into your mat.

As you exhale lower your head down and then you can push yourself back either to down facing dog or if you'd rather come into a child's pose take that instead.

For those wanting to take child's pose you bend your knees sit your hips back toward your heels and just reach your arms forwards.

Otherwise take your down facing dog and we'll take five breaths in either option you've taken.

Child's pose or down facing dog.

Breathing into the sides of the ribs keeping your gaze,

Your eyes focused towards one point.

If you're in down facing dog maybe somewhere in between your feet.

If you're in child's pose you're welcome to close your eyes.

Just having that focus of your gaze or closing of your eyes really helps the mind to find its focal point to find some calm.

Then on your next inhale we'll make our way back to the top of the mat.

So walking your feet back to the top of the mat in between your hands.

Once you're at the top of the mat bring your hands to your shins so your back is parallel to the floor just look forwards coming up halfway.

As you exhale fold forwards.

You're welcome to bend your knees as much as you need.

Inhale ground through your feet as you reach your arms all the way up towards the sky.

Look up towards your thumbs and as you exhale bring your hands down by your side back to Tadasana,

Back to mountain pose.

We'll move through a couple of standing postures.

So first start by bringing your feet hip distance apart.

Bring your hands to your hips.

As you inhale ground through your big toes as you lift up through your chest really lengthening the whole body.

Exhale make your way into a forward fold.

So just bringing your hands down to your thighs,

Your shins,

Your ankles or to your toes.

You're welcome to bend your knees as much as you need to.

Let's just take five breaths here.

Not worrying too much about what your posture looks like.

Rather tuning into what it feels like.

Feel that lengthening,

Feel that opening,

Feel that awareness within your body.

It's not about how near or far your hands are to the floor.

Rather tuning into that inner experience.

As you inhale just look up.

Exhale bring your hands to your hips and then inhale come all the way back up to standing.

We're going to transition to a squat posture now to open up the hips and the lower back.

So again with your feet hip distance or perhaps a little bit wider than that.

You might also want to angle your toes out 45 degrees each side.

Simply bend your knees so you're squatting down.

Your heels don't have to meet the floor.

Your heels can be slightly up off the floor.

Your shoulders come to the inside of your knees.

Bring your hands into a prayer position and then press outward with your upper arms into your knees as you squeeze your knees in toward each other.

That feeling of friction or tension between your knees and your upper arms and allows your spine to lengthen just a little bit more.

Again opening up through the lower back,

Opening up through the hips.

This also provides a lot of space and brings the blood towards the digestive organ so it actually helps to better our digestion in the morning.

Take one more breath here and then once you're ready simply sit down where you are.

So bring your upper body out from in between your knees.

Sit down where you are and then come to lay down.

Laying flat on your mat we'll come into a gentle bridge pose just to open up through the front of the body and bring some strength into your lower back.

So bending your knees so your feet are flat on the floor just behind your hips.

Your hands are either side of your hips.

Feel your big toes strongly press into the mat.

As you do that you might feel your legs start to awaken.

Feel that strength in your legs before you do anything.

See if you can maintain that strength as you slowly inhale and lift your hips up off the floor.

Pressing the mat away with your feet and with your hands as you lift your hips up off the floor.

Of course if anybody has back pain or back injuries be very mindful with this and if you feel any pinching in your lower back just gently ease off the posture.

Taking three more breaths here.

Pressing the floor away with your feet and your hands.

Feeling that strength in your legs.

On your next exhale gently lower your hips down.

Hug your knees in towards your chest.

Maybe rock gently from side to side.

We'll come into a supine twist now.

So bringing your arms out to the side in a t-shape.

On your next exhale allow your knees to come over toward the floor on the right side of your body.

You could use your right hand to guide them down if you like.

Then either look up towards the ceiling or look over your left shoulder.

Breathe into it.

See if you can surrender your body into the ground.

Two more breaths here.

As you inhale bring your knees back to centre.

Bring your knees back to your chest.

Then as you exhale allow your knees to come toward the floor on the left side of your body.

Again you can use your left hand to guide them down.

Take your gaze up toward the ceiling or maybe over your right shoulder.

Turning the head to the right.

Two more breaths here.

As you inhale hug your knees back toward your chest.

Coming back to centre.

Then stretching your legs out into Shavasana.

Our final resting posture for a moment here.

So your feet are a bit wider than your hips.

Legs are straight.

Arms away from your body with your palms of your hands facing up.

If you have any low back pinching in this posture then by all means place your feet flat on the floor and bend your knees.

Otherwise keeping your legs straight.

Soften your shoulders away from your ears.

Tuck your chin in just slightly and close your eyes.

Taking just a minute or so here to allow your body to really absorb the effects of our yoga practice today.

Allowing your body to absorb and prepare ahead of today.

You're welcome to stay here for as long as you have time to.

Allowing your body to really sink into the ground.

If you are ready to move on with your day then gently start to wake up the body.

Maybe deepening the breath or moving your hands and feet.

Perhaps rocking your head from side to side.

If you'd like to take a full body stretch.

So just stretch your arms up overhead.

Stretch your body head to toe.

And when you're ready roll onto one side and in your own time,

Taking your time,

Push yourself up to a seat.

Thank you so much for sharing your practice with me this morning.

I hope that you found it energizing to start your day.

Take a moment to feel grateful toward yourself for carving out this short time to awaken your body and center your mind this morning.

And set that intention just to carry a little bit of this clarity into the rest of your day.

Enjoy the rest of your day and take care.

Reviews

A little bit of everything here. A lovely practice this morning - thank you 🪷

A lovely gentle guided practice when you want someone to lead your yoga routine. 💕

Hello beautiful 🌺🎈🌺🎈🌺Thank you so much for the wonderfully yoga session 🌺🎈I’m feeling sweet awake and grounded 🗺️have a blessed day 🕉️Namaste