Offering Prenatal Yoga Practice

This guided pratice is an invitation to offer yourself the permission to slow down and nourish the body and the mind. We also practice the sacred 10 Mindful Movements. These practices are blossoming out of the need to keep everyone safe during the COVID19 outbreak. I am honored to offer the gift of connecting through yoga and meditation with mamas. I hope mothers find this time as a sacred space to connect with themselves and with the baby. Please ensure a doctor's consent to practice.

Transcript

Hey,

Mama,

Thanks for choosing a time that feels best of service for you to practice yoga together.

Now take your time to find a comfortable and supportive way to practice on your mat.

Feel free to use any props like blankets,

Bolsters,

Pillows,

Or blocks to support your practice today.

Let's begin.

So finding your way into a comfortable standing posture to begin this practice.

You can stand with your feet hips distance apart or maybe a bit further apart,

Whatever feels relaxed and supportive.

Go ahead and notice if feeling into this standing posture with your eyes opened or closed would be most of service.

Closing our eyes when we're standing can shift the balance,

Especially as the body is evolving and changing every day.

Be gentle with whatever is showing up for you in this moment.

Let your palms be open by your sides.

Let your shoulders roll down and away from the ears.

And so we're going to start with 10 mindful movements as an offering.

These are mindful movements led by Thich Nhat Hanh.

And they're slow and meant to be nourishing.

So notice the pace as we move and see if you can set an intention or an offering for yourself as you move.

And maybe just thinking that offering might be being present.

An offering might be staying connected.

An offering might be feeling open to receiving.

And so with your palms down by your side,

Just begin to inhale them up halfway.

So palms are reaching.

Our fingers are reaching forward.

Palms facing down and then on an exhale,

Bring the palms down.

Inhale reaching them up halfway.

Exhale palms come down.

Inhale reach palms halfway.

Exhale palms come down.

Inhale palms halfway up.

Exhale palms come down.

Take a breath.

Let it go.

Then go ahead this time and inhale,

Reach your palms all the way up to sky.

Exhale them all the way back down.

Inhale up.

Exhale palms come down.

Inhale reach the palms up to sky.

Exhale palms come down.

Inhale reach up.

Exhale palms come down.

Take a breath in.

Exhale out.

Go ahead and take your palms right on top of your shoulders.

So elbows are nice and wide.

Take a breath in.

Exhale open the palms reaching out to T.

Inhale touching your shoulders.

Exhale open the palms to T.

Inhale touch the shoulders.

Exhale open the palms to T.

Inhale touch the shoulders.

Exhale open the palms to T.

Go ahead and bring the palms back down by the sides.

And bring palms together pointing down towards the floor.

So just from mountain pose,

Palms come together.

Fingers reach towards the floor.

And then we'll inhale reach our palms up and around the sky.

Bring palms together and just like you're slicing something,

Slicing a piece of cake maybe in front of you,

Down and forward palms facing the floor.

And then leaving your palms there,

Inhale reach the palms back up to sky.

Palms together.

Exhale palms open to the sides.

Come down and around and palms touch down together,

Fingers swinging down.

Inhale reach palms open and around and up.

Exhale palms slice down in front of you.

Inhale palms up and around up to sky.

And then exhale palms come down and around.

Inhale palms come up and around the sky.

Exhale palms slice down in front of you.

Inhale palms reach back up to sky together.

Exhale palms down and around and open.

One more round.

Inhale reach the palms up and around to sky.

Exhale palms touch,

Slicing down right in front of you.

Inhale reach the palms back up to sky together.

Exhale palms open down and around by your sides.

Go ahead and bring your hands to your hips.

And we're just going to start to move the heart parallel-ish towards the floor.

So we're not folding forward,

Just leaning forward.

And then start to take the heart in a circle over to the right.

Take a breath in,

Lean the heart up and then exhale rounding back down over to the left back through center.

And then inhale open to the left,

Standing up.

Exhale rounding the heart down.

Inhale over to the right,

Standing the heart up.

Exhale dip the left shoulder,

Rounding down in front.

Inhale to the left.

Exhale rounding over to the right.

Inhale to the right.

Exhale dipping down to the left.

Inhale over to the left.

Exhale rounding dipping down to the right.

One more.

Inhale to the right.

Exhale dipping down to the left.

Inhale over to the left and up.

Exhale rounding dipping down.

And this time coming back up into Mountain.

Maybe just sway your hips for a moment from side to side or in a few circles.

Now usually in the mindful movements we do forward fold.

This time we'll do kind of a bend and a fold.

And you'll have a few options.

So we're going to inhale,

Reach our palms up to sky.

Exhale you can squat and let your palms come down by your sides.

Take a breath in,

Reach up.

And if the squat doesn't feel just exhale let the palms come down by your sides.

So either standing up reaching up to the sky.

Exhale swing the palms down.

Bend the knees,

Squat.

Inhale reach up.

Exhale let the palms come down.

Squat or just letting the palms come down.

Inhale come on up.

Exhale come on down.

Come up nice and slowly.

Inhale and just bringing the feet together.

We're doing like little plies.

So soles of the feet or heels might be a little bit wider apart not quite touching depending on how the knees and hips are feeling.

So do what's going to feel best for your body right now.

And we'll take a breath in bending the knees.

Exhale press up.

Inhale dip.

Exhale press up.

Inhale dip.

Exhale press up.

Inhale dip.

Exhale press up.

Inhale dip.

Exhale press up.

And then go ahead and shift the weight into your left foot.

Go ahead and bend the right knee and take the foot out like you're pointing your toes forward.

Take a breath in here.

Exhale out.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Go ahead and drop that right foot changing sides.

Lift the left knee.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Inhale reach.

Exhale bend.

Placing both feet down.

And then this time we're going with that right foot or toes we're going to shift into our left foot.

Take our right foot out to the side so toes might still be on your mat or on the floor.

Take a breath in and it's like on the exhale that foot goes out or on the inhale I'm sorry the foot goes out to the right and then on the exhale we're just drawing a half circle back behind us.

And then bringing the foot forward next to the right or to the left.

Inhale the foot open to the right.

Exhale draw that half circle behind you.

Drop the right foot next to the left.

Inhale open to the right.

Exhale back behind you.

Dropping that foot.

Inhale to the right.

Exhale draw a half circle coming on both feet and changing sides.

So this time shifting the weight into your right foot.

Your left foot is going to slide over and open to the left.

Left toes can still be on the mat.

And just drawing a half circle back behind you.

And take a breath in.

Exhale for that circle.

Take a breath in.

Exhale for that circle.

Take a breath in open to the left.

Exhale back behind you.

Inhale open to the left.

Exhale back behind you.

Go ahead and drop both feet.

And then stepping forward with your right foot just in a lunge.

And we're just going to lean in and out of this lunge with the breath.

And go ahead and bend that right knee.

Reach your right arm up towards the ceiling.

Palm is open to receiving.

Take a breath in.

Exhale lean out of this lunge.

Lengthen that right leg.

Palms come together.

Inhale reach the right palm.

Lean in.

Exhale palms touch.

Come together.

Inhale reach right arm up.

Exhale palms touch.

One more inhale reach palm up.

Exhale palms touch.

And just stepping back with that right foot next to left.

We'll change sides.

So stepping the left foot forward for that lunge.

Left knee bends.

Left arm's going to lift.

Just set up this lunge.

Take a breath in.

Exhale lean out.

Palms touch.

Lengthen that left leg.

Inhale reach up.

Lean in.

Left palm comes to right.

Left leg straightens.

Exhale.

Inhale lean in.

Exhale palms touch.

Inhale lean in.

Exhale palms touch together.

Standing back up into mountain.

Palms hang by your sides.

Take a breath in through your nose.

And exhale out through the mouth.

Standing tall.

Maybe bringing a half smile to your face.

Exploring what it's like to slow the body down.

We're offering ourself a sense of space to restore.

A sense of space to connect.

Bringing yourself this gift of being present with not only yourself but baby as well.

And so staying in mountain for a moment.

And just sway gently from side to side.

And maybe gently coming back through center and swaying just slightly forward and backwards.

Knowing that having a soft gaze or the eyes open may be of service or just holding a wall if you're near one.

Not a big motion just a slight shift.

And coming back through center.

And bring the feet closer together.

And we'll step our left foot back behind us.

We're going to find warrior one.

So pivot and plant the left foot.

Go ahead and bend into that right knee.

Allow yourself to settle in here.

So if you feel like you've stepped too far back,

Go ahead and adjust.

Or if you need to step that left foot out to the left,

Do that.

Create space for your hips,

For belly.

This might change again day to day.

Breathing into both feet to support yourself.

Bring your hands either to hips or reaching them up towards the sky.

And if the arms are reaching up,

Let the shoulders be soft.

Maybe a slight bend in the elbows or a big bend in the elbows to open up through the heart space.

Take some breaths here.

Nourishing,

Breathing in through your nose and out through your nose.

Go ahead and bring the palms back to your hips,

If not already.

And gently turn the heart up towards the sky.

And we're just going to start to dip our heart down on the inside of that right thigh.

And so it's not really bending,

It's more shifting and leaning forward with our heart.

We want to keep our spine nice and long.

Keep space for babies so we're not crunching down in any way.

We're just leaning and shifting in.

It might shift your balance,

So be okay with that,

Letting your hands be on guard.

Find your breath.

And if you feel like you do have the space to really lean into the space between your thighs,

You're welcome to walk your hands out onto blocks or walk them out if they touch the floor with your spine still nice and long.

Go ahead and press through your feet and come back up,

Hands to hips,

Warrior one.

And gently pressing into that right foot,

Slide the left foot up by the right foot back into mountain pose.

Stand nice and tall.

Take a breath in through your nose.

Let it go throughout your mouth.

Go ahead and bring your arms up and around to sky,

Reaching up,

Finding length.

Exhale,

Palms touch down to heart center.

Doing that again,

Breathing the arms up and around.

Palms touch heart center.

One more time,

Inhale,

Reach up and around to sky.

Exhale,

Palms touch,

Come to heart center.

Bringing your left hand to baby and right palm out as if you're holding a tray or something.

Take a breath in,

Letting it go.

Being open to offering and being open to receiving.

Go ahead and bring hands back to your hips,

This time shifting the weight into your left foot and stepping the right foot back behind you,

Pivot and plant.

Finding warrior one once again but on the left side.

Left knee is bent,

Right foot is planted and rooted down to the outer edge of that right foot.

It's almost like you're peeling the mat a little bit longer.

Allow your hips the space.

You're not stuck once you get in a posture.

Feel free to move and shift.

Make sure you can still see your left toes,

That left knee isn't tracking way over the toes.

We want the knee in line with the heel and the ankle.

Hands can come to heart,

To sky or they can stay on the hips.

Passing into your feet,

Find your foundation.

Gently bringing the hands to the hips and we're going to find that hinging from the hips on the inside of the thighs,

Dipping down,

Reaching the heart forward,

Create space in the belly.

Don't fold in,

Don't hinge at the hips completely,

Just hinging a bit and leaning forward.

Think of this more as a lean than a fold or a reach than a fold.

If you are wanting to go deeper in this,

Bring some blocks out further in between your legs to reach your palms down on so your spine can still be nice and long.

Let your head go.

Don't hold extra tension in your neck.

Go ahead and slowly start to come up,

Meeting back up in warrior one.

Shifting away into your left foot,

Dragging and stepping the right foot next to left,

Mountain pose.

Inhale reach the arms,

This time up in front of you to sky,

Maybe reaching just a bit further,

Lifting the heart up.

Exhale palms touch down to heart center.

This time bringing your right palm to baby,

Left palm as if you were holding a serving tray or offering something in front of you.

Being open to offering and being open to receiving.

And then go ahead and bring both palms,

Reach them up and around to sky.

Exhale we're going to start to bend the knees and come all the way down into a low squat.

So palms might be down on the floor for balance.

You might be flat on your feet,

You might be balancing on the balls of your feet or hands might be at heart center.

Breathing into this.

Letting your tailbone drop and soften.

And then go ahead and bring your palms behind you for balance,

Sitting back on your mat and bring the soles of your feet together.

So we're in that Baddha Konasana or butterfly pose.

You can hold the bottoms of your feet and maybe just massaging the feet a little bit with your hands.

Going along the arch of your foot with your thumbs,

Maybe one at a time or maybe at the same time.

Do this a few times.

Maybe going more towards the heel with your thumbs,

Maybe the inside of your heel or the center.

Maybe walking the thumbs up towards your toes,

The bones of your toes,

The ball of your feet.

Just kind of tracing the bones with your thumbs.

Just showing your feet some love.

Then give your feet one more nice squeeze with both of your hands and palms.

And then bringing your palms back by your hips,

Draw the knees up towards the ceiling and gently move the knees from side to side.

Just like we're rinsing the hips out.

Then go ahead and come back into a neutral pose with knees pointed up and then find a cross-legged posture that feels of service to you.

So if cross-legged doesn't feel great,

Then maybe sitting back on the heels.

And maybe just bringing your hands on your shins or on your knees to really intentionally create a nice long spine so we're not lowering or holding excess weight in our low back.

We're almost like lifting out of it.

Let the shoulders roll down and away from the ears.

And we'll just find a gentle twist from the heart space,

So bringing the right palm behind you for balance,

Left hand's gonna cross over to the right knee and just turn the heart open.

Maybe turning the chin to the right,

Maybe turning it back over that right shoulder.

Just a gentle twist.

And then inhale back through center.

Exhale opening to the left,

Just twisting through the heart space.

We don't do any deep twists in prenatal yoga.

Twisting signals the body's time to meaning expel.

So really we just do very gentle opening.

It's about nourishing baby and creating space for baby to grow healthy and be ready to join us in this world safely.

Inhale back through center.

Go ahead and reach the palms back behind you.

We're gonna find that reverse table.

So unwind the feet if they will cross or swing them out in front.

Feet are planted,

Knees point towards the ceiling.

Lift the hips,

Chin can come to heart or chin can look up towards the ceiling.

If it feels great on the neck to let the head weight hang,

Go ahead and do that.

Take a breath in through your nose.

Exhale sigh out through the mouth.

Finally drawing the chin back towards the heart,

Lowering the hips back down.

Let the legs go out nice and long.

Next,

Nice tall spine.

Maybe move the fleshy parts out from your sit bones.

Shoulders down and away from the ears and just bringing your palms right by your hips,

Hovering above your mat.

So elbows might be bent or your arms might be able to lengthen without touching the floor and the mat.

Shoulders again relaxing down and away from the ears and toes are flexing.

So this is staff pose and it looks quite simple but we're engaging our whole front side of the body by being able to sit up nice and tall,

Engaging our hip flexors at our core.

Just take a few deep breaths here.

Go ahead and take a deep breath in through your nose.

Exhale sigh out through the mouth.

Let the palms come down by your hips and then bring your legs nice and wide into a wide legged V pose.

And taking your right arm and just travel down with your right hand,

That right leg.

Let the heart stay open,

Let belly stay open and left hand is going to reach up to sky.

Baby left hand,

Her arm reaches back behind the base of the skull so you're kind of pressing your head into your hand and your hand into your head as leverage.

So our heart is not turning over our right leg,

It's staying up and open so baby has plenty of space.

If your neck feels uncomfortable,

Try just turning the head down towards the right shoulder or maybe up towards the sky.

Keep breathing.

And then inhale,

Come on up,

Reach the palms up towards the ceiling,

Changing sides,

Left hand travels down the leg,

Right hand this time reaches up and over the right ear,

Heart stays open.

It's like you're smelling your armpit in this.

Maybe your right hand comes behind your skull,

Head against hand,

Hand against head.

Inhale back through center,

Reach the palms up to sky.

Exhale palms touch,

Heart center.

Let's go ahead and make our way into cat and cow.

So tabletop first,

Sliding the legs together,

Maybe bending the knees and swinging them back behind you.

And tabletop,

Just starting to move through cat and cow,

Lifting the heart on an inhale,

Dropping belly,

Exhale rounding the spine.

Head weight hangs,

Inhale lifting,

Exhale rounding,

Inhale lifting,

Exhale rounding,

Exhale lifting,

Exhale rounding.

Coming back through tabletop,

Go ahead and just walk the hands over to the right slightly and almost like your knees stay put but you're just shifting your hips over to the left.

And maybe walk your hands slightly out further as they travel to the right.

So maybe over and up would be a good cue for where your hand should be.

Still rooted on the floor.

Just kind of opening through the left side of the body.

Maybe sway the hips a little bit from side to side or front to back.

I like to think of this like flossing through our side body.

Coming back to neutral tabletop and changing sides.

So walking your hands first over to the left,

Kind of pressing your hips,

Pressing your right ribs out to the right and maybe slightly walking the hands forward.

Lengthening through the right side of the body.

Breathing into any stickiness.

Coming back through center into tabletop.

Let's go ahead and tuck our toes under,

Walk our hands back by our knees so we're getting a nice stretch through the feet.

And if this feels like too much you can always walk your hands out further in front to support more of you on your hands and equal the weight out or you can walk your hands back closer to your knees or up on your thighs or knees if you want more of a stretch or need more of a stretch.

Knowing that more is not always better.

It's just more.

Get what feels best for your body and baby.

Go ahead and walk your hands back out.

Untuck the toes.

We're going to find our way into downward facing dog.

So planting the palms,

Retuck the toes,

Lift the hips.

Downward facing dog.

Maybe swaying the hips side to side.

Let the head weight hang.

Really pressing through your palms,

Feeling the strength of your body to create length throughout your whole backside of the body.

Step your feet together ish and take your right foot up to sky three and dog.

Try and even out your hips here.

It might be tempting to just bring that right leg all the way up as high as it can go.

Lower it down so the right hip is even with the left.

You're really working with strength here.

And then go ahead and drag that right foot down and shin forward.

Heading into pigeon pose on the right.

So drop the right knee down.

Chin is parallel ish.

Hips are all different.

So don't force anything here.

You're always welcome to bring a pillow or blanket underneath that right hip if it's far off the mat just for added support.

You can bring a bolster or blocks in front of you to melt your head down on or rest your arms and forearms down on.

Either way,

Keep space for baby.

So keep the spine long.

Not placing any weight on baby with the belly.

Press here if there's somewhere that you can let go of any small muscle that you feel tension in that you can give permission to soften and release.

And gently starting to walk your hands back up out of this,

We're going to find our way back into downward facing dog.

So tucking the left toes under and sliding the right foot up next to left.

Downward dog.

Paddle the feet out.

Sway the hips.

Go ahead and take your left foot up to sky,

Three limb dog.

See if you can even out the hips.

Maybe flexing the right foot.

Soften into that right heel.

Doesn't have to touch the mat.

It can be way up off the mat.

Just soften.

Press through your palms.

Create some length.

On an exhale,

Draw the right knee down,

Left shin forward.

Right knee is going to come down.

Right shin is going to come down.

Untap the toes.

And leaning into that left hip.

Finding pigeon and setting up any props underneath that left hip if it's off the mat.

If that hip is right on the mat,

Then just settling in.

Starting to lean your heart forward.

Maybe bringing a bolster blocks underneath to set arms down on or head down on.

Keep the spine nice and long.

Keep belly away from bearing any weight.

Keep the spine nice and long.

See if you can take a full breath in through your nose.

Exhale sign out.

And gently coming out of this,

Finding your way into downward dog.

Once again,

Tucking the right toes,

Sliding the left foot back behind you to meet the right.

Lifting the hips.

Head weight hangs.

Lift your heels up nice and high.

Inhale.

Exhale,

Melt the heels down,

Put a soft bend in the knees.

Still in downward dog.

Go ahead and shift forward.

Gently find your way into tabletop.

Just sitting back on your heels if that feels okay.

Tops of the feet touching the mat.

And just bringing your palms facing up to sky,

Resting down on your legs.

And the practice of offering,

Especially in more Buddhist cultures,

But the practice of offering with a sacred purpose.

I was once training with a former Buddhist monk and we were instructed to just hand each other a pen initially.

And when I handed it to him,

I handed it just like you would in a normal day,

Someone asking for a pen.

And he received it.

And when he took the time to offer the pen back to me,

He placed it in both palms,

Palms face up and gifting it to me.

It was such a simple and profound shift in how we can treat anything that we're offering or receiving just by opening up both palms,

Leaning in,

Reaching out.

It might be physically or just right now during these times of physical distancing,

More of a metaphor,

But how can we offer a gift to ourselves?

What are we offering to others during this time?

And already you're nourishing and nurturing one of the greatest gifts,

New life,

Rebirth,

Love.

Go ahead and just finding a comfortable way to rest,

Whether that's on your back with the props underneath you to create a nice cushy incline or if it's on your sides using bolsters to kind of hug or in between your knees,

It might be seated.

Make your way there.

Snuggle in creating a nest.

Letting the eyes gently fall shut or you're welcome to leave your eyes open and just admire the space that you're in no matter what that space looks like right now.

The shelter that you're in during this time.

Whether it's indoors or outdoors.

Go ahead and take a deep breath in through your nose.

Exhale,

Sigh out through your mouth.

Do that again.

Breathe in through your nose.

Exhale,

Sigh out through your mouth.

Just finding rest in Shavasana.

Nothing you need to do or be in this moment.

Allowing yourself to receive the gift of rest.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

Namah Shivaya.

And slowly just beginning to move your feet.

Maybe wiggling the toes.

Wiggling the fingers.

Rolling the wrists.

Wiggling the ankles,

Flexing the feet.

Allowing yourself the time to take any stretch or stretches that would bring the body back.

And finding a comfortable way to sit.

Once again bring your palms right on your lap.

Palms open.

Facing the sky.

Feeling the weight of your hands resting down on your knees.

Lengthening the spine,

Maybe drawing the heart up a bit,

Drawing the chin up.

And take a deep breath again in through your nose.

Exhale,

Sigh out through the mouth.

Just bringing the palms now together at the heart and start to rub the palms together.

Feeling that friction and heat.

Maybe doing this just a bit faster.

Really feeling that heat and that connection.

Keep breathing with this.

And keep going.

And when I say bring your palms to belly,

Bring them to belly but don't touch belly.

Don't touch baby.

Just let the palms hover around belly.

Take a breath.

Exhale out.

Bring palms right around belly.

Feeling that sense of connection even without the physical touch of your hands.

Maybe just moving the palms slightly around the belly.

Feeling in this state of physical distancing,

It doesn't have to be social distancing.

The energy that we hold in our hands or in our hearts can be felt without the physical touch.

Nurture yourself.

Nurture your connection with baby.

Nurture those that you love even if you're not with them.

Take a deep breath again in through your nose.

Exhale out.

Bringing hands back together at heart center.

From my heart to yours,

Offering you peace,

Offering you love.

Namaste.