8-Minute Opening Flow

A little bit of Yoga helps to open and warm your body before getting into a moderate to high impact workout. Here is an 8-minute power flow that you can use before your workout or when you get up first thing in the morning and want to reconnect and wake the body up! This flow includes sun salutation.

Please remember to be compassionate to your body as you move through the poses.

Transcript

Hey guys, Let's open and warm with our sun salutations. So you want to get your shoulders warmed up. You can alternate your roles, Whether you're going back and forth, Slowly connecting to your breathing, Feeling your spine getting longer, Hint of a smile on your face because you have so much to be grateful for. You're gonna roll your shoulders away from your ears. You're gonna take your right hand, Reach for the outside of the left thigh and go into a spinal twist. You're coming over to the other side and you're doing the same thing. We are rolling our shoulders back, Looking behind us, Coming right back to center. Inhale, Bringing our hands up to the sky. Exhale, Reaching forward, Gentle forward fold, Shaking our head yes and no. Inhale, Reaching our hands up. Exhale, Bringing our right hand down. Inhale, Back to center. Exhale, Left hand down. We're just opening the body up. Inhale, Bringing our hands up to the sky. Exhale, Interlacing our fingers behind us. And we're gonna do that one more time. Inhale to the sky. Exhale, Right down to the ground. Inhale to the sky. Exhale, Right hand coming down, Other hand coming over. Inhale to center. Exhale, We're going over to the other side. Inhale, Both hands up. Exhale, Interlace your fingers, Rolling shoulders back and lift your chest up. We should be really warm now. So we can go right into the main stage, Which is our sun salutations. So you wanna make sure that you roll your ankles out. You wanna pad your knees if necessary. And we're sliding into our child's pose. Rocking from side to side. All of this is important to just warm every joint, Every muscle. Inhale, We're sliding the hips forward for our cobra. Exhale, Pushing back for our child's pose. Inhale, Coming back for our cobra, Rolling our shoulders back. Exhale, Pushing our hips as close to our heels for our child's pose. We're doing this again. Appreciating our flow and going into our hands and knees. Inhale, Dropping your belly button down, Rolling your shoulders back. And exhale, Tucking your tailbone under, Going into your cat pose. Inhale, Dropping your belly button down. Exhale, Tucking your tailbone under. Going back and forth, Opening up. And on our first exhale, We're going into our downward dog. We're rocking our knees here. So we're bending one knee. Exhale, Straightening the other, Pressing through our hands, Eyes to the thighs. Appreciating every crick and crack as we roll our shoulders back. Scoop our hips up. And we're gonna slowly walk our feet to our hands. Nice and easy. Use your bent knee as you do that. Inhale to flat back. Exhale, Forward fold, Bending your knees, Relaxing your neck and jaw. Pressing through the feet, You're gonna hug your elbows and rock from side to side. Again, Using every opportunity to open your core. Inhale, We're coming all the way to our tall mountain. If it feels good to open up and give me a gentle hyperextension, That's great. Exhale, Forward fold. Inhale, Flat back. Hands on the mat. Exhale, Stepping our feet out to the top of our pushup. Our shoulders are away from our ears. And if this feels too intense, You can either go on your knees or your forearms. So I like to spice things up in our sun salutations. So we're going to do shoulder taps. Two shoulders equals one. So I'm looking for five shoulder taps. Pulling your belly button in. Thighs are pressing against your bone. Your thigh bone, You're gonna lower down. Inhale, Cobra, Pressing the hip down. Pressing through the mat, Exhale, Downward dog. If you'd like to go into your child's pose or your hands and knees, You can. But you're here for five beautiful breaths. You are doing so great. You're gonna walk your feet to your hands. Pressing through the feet, Inhale, Flat back. Exhale, Forward fold. Inhale, Lifting up, Welcoming the day. Exhale, Forward fold. Stepping out to the top of our pushup. And we're gonna get the legs involved. Remember, We're trying to open everything up. So we're gonna go into our toe taps. So you have two options here. You can either tap out or you can go right into your plank jacks. So you're lowering down. Inhale, Cobra, Exhale, Downward dog. Pull your belly button into your spine. Pressing through the heels here. You're gonna slowly walk your feet to your hands. Inhale, Flat back. We're warming up now. Exhale, Forward fold. Inhale, Reaching your hands up to the sky. Open up there. Exhale, Forward fold. Relax your neck and your jaw. Feel your hands release and relax. You're gonna reach your arms around the back of your thighs. Slight bend in the knees because we're gonna feel this in the back of our thighs and in our lower back. Inhale, Flat back. Exhale, Stepping to the top of our pushup. Lower that butt. Shoulders away from our ears. We're going right into a pushup. Now remember guys, You can just do this on your knees. I'm looking for five of them. Roll your shoulders back. Press through your toes. Press through your entire hand. Inhale, Cobra. Exhale, Downward dog or child's pose or your hands and knees. Now we're gonna really open up here. You wanna take your right hand and you're reaching for the outside of your left shin. Now, I usually prefer for you to walk your feet in if it's the first time that you've done that opening. And you're gonna do the same thing, Reaching your right hand to the outside of your left shin. And you're going to pull that shin towards your head and allow your eyes, Your face to go right out underneath your arm. So you're gonna do that on the other side. Step back into your downward dog. It's an amazing stretch. Inhale onto your tippy toes, Sliding to the top of your pushup. Exhale, Sliding to your downward dog. And you're gonna walk your feet to your hands. Inhale, Flat back. Exhale, Forward fold, Bending at the knees. Inhale, Coming all the way up for your tall mountain onto your tippy toes and exhale. Let it all go, Let it all down. Inhale, Coming up again onto your tippy toes. We're getting everything involved. Exhale, Hands to heart center. Namaste.