Hey there my name is Lisa and welcome to your sacred space and your sunrise,
Sacred sunrise yoga flow.
So I think especially if you're a beginner and you're just beginning your yoga journey,
I think it's really beautiful to start in the morning.
So for this practice we will be focusing on sun salutations but this practice is meant to get you focused with an intention in your body and kind of finding that mind-body-spirit alignment.
So with that my friends let's go ahead and come to your comfortable seated position,
Whatever that is for you today.
It could be one leg out,
It could be both legs out,
It could be lying down even,
Whatever it is that calls to come on in.
And let's begin with breath work.
Feel free to take a nice big deep inhale into the belly,
Exhale,
Sigh out,
Release,
Let go.
Last big deep breath in,
Allowing yourself to just be here recognizing you are exactly where you are meant to be.
Breathing freely and thinking of an intention you wish to set for the day ahead.
And with that intention in mind let us go ahead take a nice big deep breath in,
Exhale,
Sigh out,
And feel free to gently float the eyes open if you have them closed.
Let's go ahead and begin with some somatic gentle movement.
So maybe we begin to send shoulders up towards the ears back down and forward.
So just kind of tuning on into how am I feeling this morning?
Emotionally,
Physically,
How did I wake up?
How did I wake up?
How do I feel?
Maybe tight,
Maybe hyped for the day ahead.
I know in the during this time when this is being recorded we have a blizzard currently outside so I see all the neighbors trying to trying to mitigate the damage of the blizzard.
But it also kind of allows me to feel a bit tight in the hips and the shoulders.
So maybe we begin to send the heart forward side back.
Maybe we trace gentle circles with the nose releasing the neck.
Maybe we send the arms up in a morning stretch.
But this is your time to move in a way that your body needs you to move.
And the way your body needs for you to acknowledge where it's at in this present moment.
It's also a good way to just move at your own pace.
I love doing this first thing in the morning.
Moving at our own pace,
Stretching and moving and feeling things out for two more breath cycles.
Inhaling and exhale.
And last big deep breath in and exhale.
Sigh out,
Release.
Finishing up your creative movement whenever you're ready.
From here see if you can go ahead and lock thumbs like you're creating almost like eagle hands.
Thumbs are locked or maybe butterfly or moth.
And then go ahead of reaching the hands on up.
We're gently gonna guide the right thumb to gently pull left thumb up and over.
Feeling a nice stretch on the left side of the body.
And I just realized I'm supposed to be mirror imaging.
So it could be your right side is your- my right side is your left side or your left side is your right side.
But it doesn't matter.
Whichever way we go,
We go.
Taking a nice big deep inhale back through center and then exhale bring it up and over.
We ain't winning any awards.
I ain't winning any awards for perfect mirror imaging.
I just- it's a practice.
And when you are ready slowly bring it back to center.
And let's twist to your right.
You're sending the left hand to the right knee.
Right hand behind you.
Inhale lengthen and exhale twist.
I used to have such- talk about you know beginners and sacred sunrise in the beginning of the day.
It's never too late to learn something new to begin again.
And when I began my yoga journey left- I already have a hard time with left and right.
But I realized that it's okay to admit like guys I have a problem with left and right.
Inhale the arms up and exhale twist to the opposite side.
And we begin or I began to learn that it wasn't just me who had a problem with left and right.
Inhale lengthen from tailbone to the crown of the head.
Exhale to twist drawing the navel on in.
A lot of the times we think it's just us like we're the problem right?
We're the odd man out.
But in reality it's- it's a lot of us are struggling with the same thing.
Some of us may be better at hiding it than others.
Some of us not having the energy to hide it anymore like me.
I'm like look my left and rights are a little- that practice is a little bit of a challenge for me.
Just honoring that energy as you begin your journey.
I'm taking a nice big deep inhale coming back through center.
Exhale bringing hands to prayer thumbs connecting to the heart again.
Connecting back to your intention.
My intention is to just have fun for this.
Really happy to be here with you guys.
It's a joy and an honor.
And from here let's go ahead and come on to the hands and knees for a tabletop position.
Grounding down through the fingertips.
Shoulders over the wrists hips over the knees.
If you can gently see my yoga mat you'll see that there are these beautiful markings and lines and hopefully it'll help guide you to recognize okay shoulders over wrists hips over the knees.
Pressing the floor away.
Taking a nice big deep inhale.
Tilt the pelvis forward and down.
Send the belly down towards the yoga mat.
Roll the gaze forward and up.
As we gently- it's like we're sending the hands towards the back of the yoga mat.
And exhale bringing the tops of the feet to the floor.
Rounding in the upper back.
Chin comes towards the chest.
And inhaling.
We're exhaling.
Just kind of allowing yourself to breathe as we send the belly on down.
Opening up in the heart space.
Rounding in upper back.
Chin comes towards the chest.
And again maybe we incorporate a little bit more of that somatic movement.
Maybe we send the heart over the right wrist or over the left.
Maybe we trace circles with the hips.
Allowing ourselves to be here.
Maybe it feels a little bit better.
Sometimes what I like to do is I like to trace a circle with my head and then it's like my whole head to tailbone is just in circular motion.
And I like to take it in the opposite direction.
It's up to you.
Your choice.
If anything doesn't feel good or is painful or you feel a little twinge,
You can back out.
You don't have to do it.
It's all invitational.
Last big deep breath here and exhale.
Let's find a downward facing dog.
So grounding down through the fingertips.
Curling the toes under.
Pressing into the hands and feet.
Lifting the hips up nice and high in an inverted V shape.
Hugging the inner thighs and towards one another.
Spreading shoulder blades nice and wide.
So we use our core to send the sit bones on up as we reach the heels of the feet on down.
Let's pedal out the legs.
Bending through one leg.
Reaching through opposite heel.
I'm very into ritual and integrating ritual into wellness,
Mindfulness practices,
A little bit of sacred folk magic,
Earth magic.
This is all about the Sun.
That fire.
The hardest thing is to wake up on for example like today a cold blizzard day and then be like I don't see no Sun.
I don't see no Sun so I don't feel the Sun in me.
So it's kind of inviting the energy of an internal hearth,
An internal sunlight.
As we walk our dog for two more breaths we may feel a gentle warmth or maybe an intense warmth in the lower body.
Last big deep breath in and on an exhale gaze between the hands.
Slowly walk the feet towards the hands.
Coming into forward fold at the front of the yoga mat.
Swaying from side to side.
Maybe taking a hold of opposite wrist forms or elbows.
So this again is a sequence I love to do.
It's meant to be short,
Simple,
Quick in the morning.
So from here sway that yes,
Sway that no.
Release the arms down.
Release judgment,
Criticism.
We're just beginning our day.
We don't need to come at each other or come at ourselves so hard.
Rounding down through all four corners of the feet and gently begin to stack your vertebrae on top of the legs and slowly coming to rise all the way up to standing.
Again rolling shoulders up towards the ears,
Back down and forward.
I love doing this first thing in the morning.
So let's play with the sequence a little bit more dynamic and fluid.
Inhale,
Sweeping arms out to the side,
Reaching fingertips on up in Urdhva Hastasana.
Saluting that sun.
Thanking the sun.
This is your moment.
This is your day.
Inhale,
Maybe a gentle baby back bend and then exhale,
Fold forward into Uttanasana.
Forward fold.
Taking a nice big deep inhale,
Sliding the hands onto the shins.
Creating a nice flat back so we have our shoulders in alignment with our hips,
Our head in alignment with our back,
Our spine and then go ahead release into forward fold and step the left foot on back.
Bring the left knee on down.
Make sure the knees are hip distance apart and the knees are in alignment with the ankles.
From here,
Inhale,
Sweeping the fingertips forward and up.
Reaching fingertips up nice and high.
Inhale and exhale.
Swim the hands on down to frame the right foot.
Step back into your plank pose.
Pressing the floor away.
Breathe.
Hold here.
Inhale and exhale.
Drawing the nail on in.
Hugging ribcage on in.
Feeling that sit bone heel connection.
Last big deep breath in and exhale.
Release the knees on down.
Okay,
This is a challenging one so we just lower belly and chest slowly down onto the yoga mat and go ahead bring the tops of the feet to the floor.
Slide the elbows underneath the shoulders for a sphinx pose and sway from side to side.
Favorite way to just wake up the body.
Take a nice big deep inhale and exhale.
So from here,
Sliding the hands to frame the heart space,
Hugging the elbows in towards one another,
Pressing the tops of the feet into the earth and then go ahead.
We're gonna curl toes under,
Press up and back,
Finding our downward dog head again.
Pedaling out the legs.
Breathing.
Take a nice big deep breath in and exhale.
Last big deep inhale and exhale.
Gaze between the hands.
This time we're gonna send the right foot to center.
We're gonna sweep the left foot up nice and high and just opening up in that hip,
Bending that left knee,
Tracing circles with the knee and see if we can step the left foot in between the hands or take a hold of that left foot and help it on forward.
Knee over ankle.
Knees in alignment with the hips.
Release the right knee on down.
Yeah,
Let's keep the toes curled under,
The back toes curled under for a little more support and inhale.
Sweeping the fingertips all the way on up and on exhale,
Go ahead and release the fingertips all the way on down to frame that left foot.
Step the right foot to meet the left in forward fold.
Inhale,
Rise to salute the Sun,
Bending up and over to the right,
Bending up and over to the left.
Inhale,
Back through center.
Exhale,
Last time opposite side.
Swim the hands all the way on down into forward fold.
Now we're getting into the groove.
Inhale,
Slide the hands towards the knees for a flat back or maybe you can come up onto fingertips or if you have access to a block,
You can place hands onto the block as well.
That might feel really good or fingertips,
Whatever works.
And then go ahead and release.
Exhale,
Uttanasana.
This time step the right foot on back.
Bring the right knee on down to the yoga mat.
Inhale to sweep the fingertips forward and up,
Bending on into the left knee.
Inhaling an Anjaneyasana,
That low lunge and exhale to fold on forward.
Step back.
Plank pose.
We're gonna hold here for two breaths.
Press the floor away.
You got this.
You can always bring the knees on down if you need to.
Inhaling and exhale.
Last big deep inhale and exhale.
Bring the knees and the belly on down and slowly slide into Cobra.
Hopefully we're feeling nice and awake.
Take a nice big deep breath here and exhale.
From here,
Can we maybe slide the hands to frame the heart and maybe interlace fingers behind you,
Opening up in the chest.
I know.
Take a nice big deep breath here.
Exhale,
Release.
Bring the hands to frame the heart.
Taking a break for just a moment,
Releasing the forehead on down.
You have this.
We are 90% done.
Take a nice big deep breath in.
Exhale,
Press up and back.
Downward-facing dog.
Beautiful.
Send the left foot to the center and then sweep the right foot up nice and high,
As high as it can go,
Bending the right knee and tracing circles with that right knee.
When you already use that momentum over the bent knee to step the right foot in between the hands.
Help it forward if you need to.
Knee comes over the ankle,
Releasing that left knee on down,
Making sure the knees are in alignment with each other.
Inhale to rise in Anjaneyasana and inhale,
Exhale,
Release the hands on down to frame that right foot.
Step the left foot to meet the right and forward fold.
From here,
Inhale to rise all the way on up.
Exhale to release as Lalita comes.
Princess Lalita comes to join us.
Just taking a moment here to rest in your intention and all that you do and all that you are.
And before we run to the day before the kids,
The pets,
The work,
The emails,
The text messages,
The phone calls,
The social media responses and all these things that really call to us,
Before we go into it,
Can we just root down through the feet,
Root into our intention.
What was our intention again that we set for ourselves?
For me it was just having fun.
Now for those of you who could end it here,
You could end the video here,
But if you wish to join me in Shavasana,
Feel free to inhale the arms on up,
Exhale to fold on forward.
Come to gently bend the knees and lie on down.
We'll take Shavasana with our kitty.
Hello.
Please be careful with your tail.
And just allowing ourselves to be here.
Feeling the rise and fall of our chest,
The expansion and softening of our belly.
Knowing that we have everything we need.
That we are exactly where we're meant to be.
That when the world gets busy and chaotic,
Just like a snowstorm or any storm,
We have the internal Sun,
The abyss,
The intention,
And the warmth of movement that you did for yourself today.
You should be incredibly proud of yourself,
Because movement is not easy and yet here you are.
So just taking a moment to really reside,
To rest,
To feed off that pride,
Like sunlight itself.
Taking a moment to really acknowledge all that you do.
And again,
You can stay here for as long as you wish,
But if you wish to close the practice with me,
You can feel free to roll onto your side and press on up to your comfortable seated position.
But again,
Feel free to stay here for as long as you wish.
I thank you so,
So much for joining me in this practice and for joining little Lalita in this practice as well.
And I look forward to practicing with you again.
Have an amazing rest of your day,
My friends.
Om Shanti Shanti Peace.
Namaste.
