Welcome back to another class with me my name is gabriella and for today we have a nice gentle post run yoga flow and stretch i know you've just worked really hard but before getting into any stagnant stretches let's get into a tabletop pose and begin our cat cows inhaling as we drop the belly down and send the gaze up and exhaling as we curve the back,
Sending the gaze down.
Such a beautiful gift to your body that after a run you slow your nervous system down and get into some gentle mindful movement bring your spine now back to center and look over one shoulder and the other as you rock your hips side to side adding in some more gentle movement Continue to move with your breath here.
Find your center curl your toes under and begin to lean back giving a nice gentle stretch of your toes since they just worked so hard on your run And let your body decide here how deep of a stretch you go into.
Maybe you lift your knees off of the mat or maybe you keep them down.
Just continue listening to your body and breathing through.
Keep connecting with your inhales and your exhales.
Let the tension go with each exhale.
Begin to work your way back to tabletop pose and you can begin patting your feet on the mat.
As you release the tension in your feet,
Release it from your body with a long sigh out.
As you allow your feet to settle,
Step your right foot out,
Then your left for plank pose,
And then shift back for downward facing dog.
Begin to walk your dog out,
Leaning into one foot and then the other for a beautiful stretch of the calves.
On your next inhale,
I invite you to send your right leg up towards the sky.
And on the exhale,
Step it through.
Drop that left knee.
And bring your hands to the top of your right thigh for a beautiful hip flexor stretch.
Really connect deep to the breath here.
Continuing to slow the nervous system down.
And being present with the body.
You can choose to rest here or if you're looking for a chest opener,
You can intertwine your fingers behind your back and open up.
Wherever you are,
Bring the outside of your right foot to the edge of the mat and plant your hands inside of that right foot.
Twist as you open up,
Sending your right arm towards the sky.
Continue to find your breath.
And exhale,
Bring it back to center,
Resting here in a lizard pose.
Each time you connect deeper to your exhales,
You're adding a layer of release for your body,
For your mind,
And for your soul.
Go ahead now and shift your weight back,
Taking your right heel into the mat.
Straightening that right leg.
Feeling that deep release through your hamstring remain here or walk your hands over to the right side of your body for a little twist the choice is yours Begin to come back to your center,
Bringing that right sole of the foot back down to the ground and then sending it back so that you're in tabletop pose.
Curl your toes under.
Lift your hips high.
Inhale as you lift your left leg up.
And exhale as you step it through,
Coming in to the same cycle on the other side.
Really lean into this stretch and release here.
And again,
Same as last side,
You have the option to interlace your fingers behind your back for an additional back bend.
Continue to listen to your body.
And flow with your own personal needs.
Make your way back to your center,
Walking the outside of your left foot to the edge of the mat.
And on your inhale,
Lifting your left arm up towards the sky for a gentle twist.
And on your exhale,
Make your way back to center as you settle in to lizard pose.
As you make your way into that beautiful hamstring stretch,
Sink your hips back,
Digging the left heel into the mat,
Having the option to walk your hands to the outside of your left leg if you'd like a twist.
Continue breathing deep.
Continue to let go.
Begin to drop the sole of your left foot back onto the mat,
Bringing your hands towards the inside.
Curl your right toes under and step them up for a yogi squat.
This is a beautiful stretch for your groin.
I know you worked so hard on your run.
And you need to treat your body with extra care right now.
If you need or would like to put your hands on the ground for added support,
Please feel free to do so.
Begin to drop your hands behind your back as you settle down in a comfortable seat with your legs extended long.
Inhale as you reach your arms up towards the sky.
Beautiful spinal stretch and exhale as you fold over.
You might end at your toes,
Ankles,
Shins.
Wherever you end up today is where you are meant to be.
Moving with your breath,
Crawl your way back up to center.
Tuck that left knee in and keep that right leg extended long but more on an angle.
We're gonna reach that left arm overhead over to your right foot.
And then to deepen that stretch,
Bring that right hand over to the left knee.
You should feel this deep in your back,
So continue to breathe to let go as much as you can.
You're doing great.
Keep finding your inhales and exhales.
As you begin to make your way back up to center,
We're gently just going to switch sides,
Tucking that right knee in and sending that left leg out long.
Begin to reach that right arm overhead towards your left foot as you twist that left arm over to your right knee.
Keep breathing deep into your lower back.
And let go of tension anywhere else in your body.
If you feel yourself tensing up through your chest or your neck.
Bring your awareness to that and let it go.
Crawl your way back up to center and bring your feet mat width apart.
From here to continue that lower back stretch,
We're just going to reach through in between our legs.
Exhale deep here as you let the tension melt away.
And for this next pose,
Get there however your body allows to.
For me,
I began bending my right knee.
And slowly lowering down.
You don't want your back to be lifting off of the mat.
So just release until wherever you feel comfortable.
You should be feeling this stretch in your quad.
For another layer of connection,
Bring your hands to your lower belly,
Feeling the rise and fall.
We're slowly going to begin to switch sides.
So extending that right leg out long and bringing that left leg back.
If you need to adjust or maybe this side is a little bit looser or tighter,
Please feel free to do so.
There are so many differences that live within our bodies.
So listen to this side as if it is brand new.
Bring your hands to your lower belly and continue to slow your nervous system down.
Going on runs really amps up the adrenaline in the body so take this time to feel light to close your eyes.
And to be gentle with yourself.
As you begin to make your way out of this pose,
Plant both soles of the feet on the mat with your knees bent and begin to rock your back and your hips side to side.
That may have been a little intense for your lower back,
So we just want to rotate.
Whichever way feels good.
Then we can fall into some windshield wiper legs if that feels best for you.
I am only your guide here,
So listen to your own body.
Extend that right leg out long as you pull your left knee into your chest giving it a nice rock and gentle hug.
And then when you're ready,
You can send your left arm out wide and exhale as you drop that left leg over your right for a gentle spinal twist.
As you breathe deep here,
You're connecting and nourishing your internal organs.
So continue to find your breath.
Slowly release back to center and hug your right knee into your chest,
Giving that same gentle hug.
And then in your own time you can enter your spinal twist on this side.
Continue to move with the breath.
Bring that right leg back to center.
And reach your arms up overhead for one final beautiful stretch.
Find length in your body before resting in meditation.
If you were only here for the stretch,
You can end the video now.
But I invite you to stay here for a gentle meditation of connecting with your body.
With gratitude and appreciation.
As you close your eyes,
Allow your breath to settle.
Taking a big inhale in.
And exhale it out.
Let it go.
Find a moment of gratitude for your body.
Saying thank you to your body for its capabilities of allowing you to move,
To run,
To breathe.
And to stretch.
Your body is powerful,
Sacred and strong.
Allow the next few moments of calm to wash over you.
When you feel ready,
You can bring the soles of the feet back onto the mat and gently rock over to one side.
In your own time,
Press your way up to a seated pose.
As we end this session here.
Thank you so much for moving your body and for joining me today.
I am very thankful.
