20-Minute Gentle Yoga For Motivation And Inspiration

Finding inspiration and motivation on a daily basis can be challenging.

They say action creates motivation and not the other way around! So join me for this gentle vinyasa flow, with accessible options, designed to motivate and inspire you.

For this creative yoga flow, you can use two blocks for support, but you don't need anything other than yourself; come as you are.

Transcript

Hello friend and welcome.

I'm Laia and today's class is designed to help you get in a state of flow.

What do I mean by flow?

I mean the state of creativity,

A state of being able to do the things that you want to do.

I don't know where I read this quote but it's one of the ones that I really try to remind myself of the most when I feel like I do want to do things,

I have things to do and yet I feel a little bit stuck.

The quote is action creates motivation and not the other way around.

That's what we're going to be doing here.

We're going to start to move the body in order to get the energy to start to flow so that then everything starts to fall into place even if it's just for a little while.

This is an accessible practice meaning that I will be offering you different options and different variations for the postures.

The idea is that you choose what works for you in the moment.

There is no need for you to do more or less than you want to do.

There is no need for you to achieve any certain posture or anything at all.

The idea is just to be present with your body and do what feels good.

I would also invite you to either play some music or maybe light some incense or just make the environment even more inviting and inducive to this flow of energy.

I have two blocks and a blanket as well as a yoga mat that I like to practice with.

If you have any of these props they might be useful for your practice but they're absolutely not necessary.

So as long as you have your precious self you can do this practice.

So start to bring yourself to a child's pose and we'll get started.

Bring your big toes together and separate your knees allowing your hips to go back toward the heels.

They don't necessarily need to touch.

You could even bring a blanket between your heels and your sitting bones and your forehead can rest on your block or the ground and your arms could rest back toward your feet if you wanted to or extend forwards.

But just give yourself a moment to wiggle a little side to side and eventually bring yourself to stillness.

We do three breaths to arrive into the practice.

So inhale deeply in through your nose.

Out through your mouth.

In through your nose filling up your lungs.

Out through your mouth emptying your lungs completely.

One more deep breath and let it expand into your back body.

Exhale softening toward the earth even if it's just one percent more.

Start to move your hips gently from side to side staying connected to the rhythm of your breath.

Maybe your forehead starts to move also from side to side massaging from temple to temple.

And start to really notice your physical body just as it is.

This gentle motion from side to side.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Stretch your arms forwards if they're not already there and move your blocks out of the way to find a little more space.

And you could keep your forehead on the floor as you continue to move side to side or if you want to on your inhalation lift your elbows,

Lift your chest,

Lift your head and on the exhale pulse back down.

Two more times.

Inhale pulse up.

Exhale pulse down.

One more.

Inhale to pulse up.

Exhale to ground on down.

Bring your hands toward your knees.

Lift your chest up.

Draw your knees gently toward one another.

Feel free to sit on a block if you want.

Inhale take your elbows back.

Now circle your arms out to the sides and all the way up uniting your palms overhead.

And on the exhalation draw your hands through the midline and all the way down.

Two more times like that.

Inhale allow your elbows to go a little bit back as you take your arms out and up.

Exhale unite your palms in front of your heart.

One more just like that.

Inhale.

Exhale bring your hands to the floor.

Shift your weight forward.

Find your tabletop position.

Bringing your knees about hip distance apart and bringing your hands underneath your shoulders.

Perhaps you tuck your toes under if you want to start a stretch through the soles of the feet.

And on your inhalation let your tailbone lift.

Dip your belly.

Look forward or up.

Exhale round your back and gaze down.

Inhale arc and open.

Exhale to round.

One more.

Inhale.

Bring your spine to neutral.

Walk your hands toward your knees.

This time you could lean back toward the heels again or maybe lift up.

Inhale take your arms out and up.

Palms come together.

Exhale draw your hands in front of your heart.

One more time.

Inhale circle your arms out and up.

Exhale bring your hands in front of your heart.

Lower your hands to the ground.

Shift your weight forward and then slowly lower down toward your abdomen bringing your hands underneath your shoulders.

Allow your elbows to press back toward the sides of the ribcage and as you inhale lift your chest opening up the front body.

Exhale slowly lower back down.

Exhale slowly lower back down.

Inhale wave your spine up to cobra.

Exhale lower down.

One more.

Inhale.

Inhale press back up.

Exhale shift back.

Big toes together.

Knees wide.

Child's pose.

Find length through your spine.

Deep breath in.

Let go.

Allow your knees to remain wide and as you inhale press yourself up.

Lift your toes off the floor but keep them together and allow your hips to surrender forward as you open up for the front body.

And as you exhale again draw the belly button toward the spine.

Send your hips back and find your toes pose again.

Two more times.

Inhale ripple forward.

Lift your toes and your hips forward and down.

Open up through the front body.

Exhale take it back to child's pose.

Last one.

Inhale.

Bring your hands toward your knees.

Draw your knees toward one another.

Inhale lift away from your heels.

Take your arms out and up.

Exhale bring your hands to your hips.

Ground onto your ground onto your left leg.

Send your right foot forward.

It may take you a moment to find your balance here.

Draw your right hip back and your left hip forward and find your low lunge.

You can stay or as you inhale arms to the sides and all the way up.

Palms unite.

Exhale draw your hands in front of your heart.

Bring them to the inside of your right foot and walk your right foot out a little bit.

Keep your right toes pointing forward.

Keep your fingertips pointing forward or if you'd rather you could use your blocks underneath your hands here to find a little bit more space.

Inhale.

Exhale.

One more.

Breathe in and breathe out.

If you have your blocks under your hands you can move them to the sides.

Inhale take your right leg behind you.

Exhale bring your right knee behind your left.

Take your feet wide and send your hips back toward the center.

So notice that your hips may want to go to the left.

See if you can bring them right between the heels.

For some people maybe you take your sitting bones all the way down to the floor.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Slowly shift your weight forward and cross your knees.

Send your right leg behind you.

Inhale.

Exhale lower your right knee next to your left.

Move your hips side to side.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Take your hands off the floor.

Bring them out and up as you lift your torso.

Inhale.

Arms rise.

Exhale.

Bring your hands to your hips again.

This time ground onto your left or your right leg rather and take your left foot forwards.

Planting your left foot firmly on the floor.

Send your hips forward.

Keep your chest lifted.

Finding your Anjaneyasana,

Low lunge.

And maybe on your next inhalation your arms lift out and up.

And on your next exhalation both hands come to the inner side of your left foot.

Heel to your left foot out a bit.

Stay on your fingertips or use your blocks,

Whatever you rather.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

One more.

Inhale.

And exhale.

Send your left leg behind you as you breathe in.

And as you breathe out,

Cross your left knee behind your right,

Realigned.

So you take your feet wider and then allow your hips to go back toward your heels as little as much as you want.

Sitting between the heels if you choose to take your sitting bones all the way down.

And taking a couple more breaths.

Noticing and taking a couple more breaths.

Noticing the sensation in the hips.

One more inhale.

And exhale.

Shift your weight forwards and cross your knees.

Find a tabletop position and move your hips side to side or do any movement here that will release any extra tension.

And then on your inhalation shift your weight forward and on your exhalation lower to your abdomen with your hands underneath your shoulders once again.

Inhale.

Lift your chest for your cobra.

And this time stay up and let your hips move side to side as you gaze over opposite shoulders.

Letting this be a movement that doesn't need to look like anything in particular.

Just see if you can let it feel somewhat pleasant.

One more breath.

Inhale.

And as you exhale,

Stop at the middle.

Lift your chest a bit more.

Deep breath in.

Exhale.

Take your hips back.

Stay in tabletop or if you want to tuck your toes.

Lift your hips up and back and find a downward dog.

Take a deep breath in.

Open your mouth and release.

One more inhale.

And exhale.

Look toward the top of your mat whether your knees are down or lifted and take as many steps as you want to to get there.

If you have your blocks this is a great place to bring your blocks underneath your hands at whatever height you want and then that may allow your spine to get a little bit longer.

Breathe in and as you breathe out bend your knees.

Let your torso rest toward the thighs and relax your head.

Shake your head yes and no and yes and no.

Press through your feet.

Rise up.

Inhale.

Take your arms out and up.

Unite your palms overhead as you take your gaze up.

Exhale.

Draw your hands to the midline.

Soften your knees and relax all the way back down as your hands rest on your blocks or the ground.

Inhale.

Lift your chest halfway.

Plant your right foot firmly on the floor.

Frame it with your blocks or your hands and then step your left foot all the way back.

Take a moment here to find stability and choose if you want to keep your left knee on the floor or if you want to lift it.

Whether your knee is down or up on your inhalation lift your torso and maybe lift your arms up as well.

One more breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Lower your hands back down to the support and take one step or several steps forward until both feet are parallel at the front of the mat.

Blocks or hands in front of your feet.

Inhale.

Flat back.

Exhale.

Fold.

Rise up.

Take both arms up.

Stretch out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Uttanasana.

Fold forward again.

Hands to the support.

Head relaxes down.

Inhale.

Lengthen your spine.

Exhale.

Frame your left foot.

Step your right foot back.

Take a moment to find the stability.

Whether the knee lowers or not it's absolutely up to you.

And on your inhalation lift your torso.

Maybe lift your arms as well.

One more breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Frame your left foot.

Step your right foot forward.

Top of the mat.

Inhale.

Flat back.

Exhale.

Fold.

Rise up.

Stretch up.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Fold again.

Notice how you feel as you lengthen your spine.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Take your hands to the floor.

Step both feet back.

Find a plank.

You could absolutely lower your knees here and do a knee plank.

Breathe in.

And as you breathe out lower down slowly in one piece.

Exhale.

Frame your left foot.

Step your right foot forward.

One piece.

Point your toes back.

Inhale.

Lift your chest for your cobra.

Exhale.

Big toes together.

Knees wide.

Balasana.

Child's pose.

Inhale deeply.

Exhale completely.

One more breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Press into your palms.

Keep your knees on the ground.

And again inhale.

Ripple your spine forward.

Lift your toes.

Hips forward.

Chest up.

Gaze up.

Exhale back to child's pose.

One more inhale.

Flowing forward.

Opening the front body.

Perhaps you imagine that your feet and your head touch for whatever reason.

Maybe they even do.

Who knows?

And as you exhale back to your child's pose.

Bring your hands toward your knees.

Draw your knees toward one another.

Inhale.

Lift away from your heels.

Take your arms out and up.

Exhale.

Bring your hands to your hips.

Step your right foot forward.

Press down into your right foot.

Now you could choose here to pivot your left foot to the right and open your arms.

Or you could choose to lift your left knee off the floor and pivot your left heel to the ground and then open your arms to warrior two.

They're just different variations of the same pose.

So choose the one that you want.

Inhale.

Maybe you extend your front leg and reach your arms up.

Exhale.

Bend your front leg and lower your arms.

One more inhale.

And exhale.

Take your hands to the floor.

Square your hips again.

Right leg comes to meet your left.

Take your hands off the floor.

Take them out to the sides and up.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Hands to your hips.

This time left foot steps forward.

Maybe you lift your foot or your knee rather and you turn your foot.

Or maybe you keep your knee on the ground and simply turn your foot,

Opening your arms out to the sides.

Inhale to stretch your front leg and your arms.

Exhale to bend into your warrior two variation.

Whichever one you chose.

Inhale to stretch.

Exhale to bend.

Inhale to stretch.

Exhale to bend.

Cartwheel your hands down.

Take your left leg next to your right.

Take your arms all the way out and up.

Breathe in.

And as you breathe out this time sit on your heels and take your left hand toward your right knee and your right hand behind you for a twist.

Breathe.

Back through center.

Take your arms up.

Inhale and on your exhalation twist toward the left.

One more breath here.

Come back through center.

Bring yourself to tabletop or to downward dog.

It's up to you.

I'll do the first side on tabletop and the second one in downward dog.

Inhale.

Take your right leg behind you.

Turn your toes to the right.

Bend your knee.

Open through your hip for a moment.

Exhale.

Circle your right knee in.

Bring your right knee to your right wrist and your right shin diagonally in front of you.

And extend your left leg behind you if you want to,

Keeping the top of your foot to the floor.

Or maybe surrender your right hip to the floor and bring your left inner thigh next to you.

So either deer pose or if you choose,

Leg behind you for pigeon.

Bring your hands a little wider than your hips or wider than the mat.

You could even bring them to your blocks.

Inhale and on your exhalation lead with your heart.

Fold forward.

Head down.

Inhale.

Rise up.

Exhale.

Wave down.

Inhale.

Come up.

And exhale.

This time come down and stay down.

Maybe you take blocks in front of you to let your elbows rest down or your forehead rest down.

Observe this moment as it is.

One more breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Lift yourself back up if you went forward.

If your left knee is on the side,

Bring it behind you.

Right leg behind you as well and either find your tabletop again or your downward facing dog.

Inhale.

This time lift your left leg.

Turn your toes to the side.

Bend your knee,

Opening through the hip for a moment.

And on your exhalation circle your left knee toward your left wrist.

Shin diagonally in front of you.

And either bring your right knee to the side or extend your right leg behind you.

Bring your hands wider than your mat,

Coming to your fingertips.

Roll your shoulders and your elbows wide.

Inhale.

And on your exhalation wave down.

Inhale to lift up.

Exhale to come down.

One more.

Breathe in.

And as you breathe out,

Come down and stay.

Breathe.

And as you breathe out,

Come down and stay.

A couple more breaths here,

Allowing your mind to return every time it wanders.

And then slowly lift yourself up.

Take your left hip to the floor.

Bring your right leg around and into your chest.

Let yourself rock a little bit side to side.

Giving yourself a squeeze with love and compassion and kindness.

And then lift your head up and start to extend your left leg out and keep your right foot in the middle.

So keep your right knee bent.

And you can stay here on your inhalation.

Open your arms out.

And on your exhalation,

Take your right arm over your left.

Give yourself a hug again.

Or if you rather,

Bring the backs of your hands toward one another or the palms of the hands toward one another.

Take tiny circles with your elbows or move side to side or remain still.

Breathe.

And slowly release your arms.

Take them wide to the sides.

Right hand behind your right hip.

Left arm overhead.

Lift your hips up and forward if you want to.

Inhale.

And exhale,

Come down.

Draw your left leg in.

Extend your right leg out.

Take a moment to ground into your sitting bones.

Open your arms wide.

Inhale.

Exhale.

This time left arm over right.

Hands to your shoulders.

Or if you rather,

Find eagle arms.

Noticing the difference between keeping your elbows up or down.

The difference between movement or stillness.

Choosing what serves you,

What gets you in that sense of flow,

What's starting to feel like motivation,

Like moving forward.

Release your arms.

Take them out.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Take your left hand behind your hip.

Right arm overhead.

Maybe lift your hips up and over.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Bring it all back down.

Give yourself a hug.

Give yourself a little rock.

Give yourself a little kiss.

And from here,

Come into a comfortable seated position for a little bit of meditation as we end this practice.

You can rest your hands on your lap or your knees.

Maybe bring one hand to your abdomen and one hand to your heart.

Soften your gaze or close your eyes.

And notice that you have everything that you need to do the thing that you need to do.

You took the time to show up,

To move,

To connect,

To become aware of how you feel and what you need.

So how will you use this energy,

This creation,

Forward into what serves you for the rest of your day?

Take a deep breath in and let go.

Once you feel ready,

You can open your eyes.

And I hope that you have found a little bit of the motivation that you felt that you were lacking,

Not because of anything in particular,

But just because you took the energy that you needed to do the thing that you needed to do.

That you were lacking,

Not because of anything in particular,

But just because you took the action,

Because you took the first move forward.

And that will always get you a little bit closer to being motivated to doing the things that you have to do.

So I look forward to practicing with you again soon.

Until then,

Be well.

Reviews

Thank you for holding this space so that I could connect with myself. Your spirit is beautiful and your presence is so calming.