Hi,
Welcome back to another class with me.
My name is Gabriella and for today we have an upper body flow for when you're feeling some tension in your neck,
Upper back,
And shoulders.
So all you need is the mat and yourself.
So let's get started in a nice seated position of your choice.
Moving the fleshy part of the skin out of the way.
And gently close your eyes,
Settling into this moment right here and right now.
A lot of times we store stress and tension in our back.
So let's use this time to emotionally let that go to energetically release any tension Before we begin the physical aspect.
Gently find your breath let that be your anchor through this practice today Find your inhales.
And let go with your exhales.
Keep breathing deep.
Slowly begin to deepen your breath.
Come back to the body.
Bring your right hand over to your left knee and your left hand over to your right knee From here beginning some seeded cat cows.
Inhale as you pull your chest and your gaze up.
And exhale as you curve your spine back down and send your gaze beneath.
Keep flowing at your own time and at your own pace.
Using this to simply warm up the spine and get in towards the body.
And then when you're ready,
Bring the opposite hand over the other.
Stacking the arms a little bit differently here helps us find a deeper stretch in the shoulders.
Come back to your center,
Grounding the palms of your hands on your knees.
Begin to make circles with your spine and your shoulders.
Even rock into the sides of your hips if that feels good for you.
We just want to get a good flowing rotation of the spine here.
And gently switch directions.
Warming up the spine is not only great for back stretches,
But also for regulation of the nervous system.
So continue to breathe deep,
Creating a sense of a full release.
As you begin to slow the pace down of your circles,
Come back to that comfortable seated position and rock your neck from side to side.
Dropping your right ear to right shoulder.
Left ear to left shoulder And notice here if your shoulders are scrunching up.
Allow them to be light,
Not bringing them closer to your ears,
But letting them fall naturally.
Gently begin now sending your gaze up.
And then back down Come back to your center.
Inhale,
Bring your right arm up.
And exhale as you draw your right ear down to your right shoulder and using your hand for a little added support.
You can play around with your left hand deciding where it feels best for you.
That can be behind your back.
Out wide.
Or maybe in front of you.
Notice how it changes.
How the stretch differs depending on that left hand.
And continue to breathe deeply here as you let go of the tension living in your body.
Moving very gently here find your neck center Drop your right arm down.
And begin flowing on the opposite side.
Notice and accept any differences on this side compared to the last Find your breath in your lower belly.
Let it be your guide and your compass for this moment.
Mindfully bring your neck back to center.
From here,
Just opening up through the shoulders,
Bringing your hands on top of each shoulder and rolling them back.
Switching directions now rolling your shoulders forward Keep moving with your breath.
Begin to send your hands out in front of you,
Interlacing the fingers.
Go ahead and place them behind the back of your head.
And let your neck fall forward.
If this is a little bit too extreme,
That is more than okay.
You can gently tilt the neck down and remove your hands.
Remember to listen and respect your body's needs and wishes.
Slowly begin to remove your hands from the back of your neck.
And bring your neck back to center.
And move it in whichever way feels good for you in this moment.
You might want to jump into some neck rolls or stay still.
Yogi's choice.
We're gonna make our way onto all fours.
Get there however feels best for you.
Keep your wrists under your shoulders and knees hip width apart as you inhale,
Reaching your right arm up.
Exhale,
Send it through.
Inhale back up Exhale back through.
Inhale,
Reach up.
And on this next exhale release all the way down dropping the right cheek down towards the mat.
Rest here for the next few moments.
Making our way into criss-cross arms.
Bring that left hand down.
And we're going to walk it in front of the right arm.
You can drop down onto your chin or your forehead,
Whichever is comfortable for you.
Breathe deep here.
Let go of anything and everything that you're holding on to.
In your shoulders,
In your upper back.
Maybe let out a sigh or an audible exhale.
With your next cycle of breath,
Slide your way into a puppy pose,
Extending your arms out long.
And sinking your chest down while keeping your hips raised.
Take note of any emotions that show themselves.
This will guide you towards any healing that needs to happen on an emotional level.
The mind and the body are so deeply connected.
So be fully here.
With your body.
Energetically and emotionally.
Good job.
Now mindfully slide your way back onto all fours and begin that cycle on the opposite side as you inhale,
Reaching the left arm up.
And exhale thread it under your right continue this flow you're doing great and on your next one settle down onto the mat finding any comfort or freedom with that right hand With each exhale,
Sink a little bit deeper into this pose.
Keep connecting to the rise and the fall of your chest.
Slowly make your way into crisscross arms,
Dragging that right arm across over your left.
Find any comfort or transitions here with your head and your neck.
And make sure to listen to your body noticing if you need to get out of the pose slightly or maybe go into it deeper Keep turning your attention inward and all your answers will show themselves.
As you begin to make your way out of this pose we're going to come down onto our bellies.
As you make your way on down send that left arm long and straight out keeping your right elbow bent.
Send your right heel over to your right glute.
And on your exhale,
Send it over your left leg.
So this one can be a little tricky,
So if you need to look at the screen for an example,
Please do so.
If you want to go deeper into this pose,
You can send your right arm back to meet the left,
But I find my comfort here.
Slowly begin to make your way back to your center.
We're going to switch sides so tucking that left elbow in sending the right arm out long into the side bring your left heel to your left glute and on your exhale send it over your right leg notice any differences here on this side compared to the last Don't feel the need to force or change anything.
Accept it as it is.
Surrender to this pose and keep letting go.
Moving with your breath,
Roll back to center.
Can gently press up for up dog here if that feels good for you and then we're gonna end in a child's pose so this can be with your knees together and your arms behind you or maybe your big toes touching and your knees wide and your arms in front Allow your eyes to gently close here.
Release any tension living in your forehead.
Or down your face.
Connect with that breath.
Maybe feeling it on your knees.
Use this time here to allow the stress to melt off of your back.
Flowing out of your body.
Giving it to the universe.
And allowing it to be transformed.
If you would like to continue the meditation,
You can pause the video here now.
If not,
You can press your way back up smoothly and gently to a seated pose.
Thank you so much for choosing yourself today.
Keep letting that tension go.
I'm forever grateful.
