Hi,
My name is Shalaka.
This is a short beginner-friendly flow.
I encourage you to modify the practice wherever you need but also leave room for curiosity and challenge and hope you get something out of this flow.
So join me on the mat.
We're gonna begin laying down.
Keep your knees bent,
Feet on the mat.
Create some space for your neck.
Keep your head pressed back into the mat.
One hand on the belly,
One hand on your chest.
Take a couple of moments to settle in.
Notice your breath.
Moving in through your nostrils,
Out through your nostrils.
Keep your lips sealed.
You might notice your belly rising and falling with your breath.
Your chest might stay more or less stable.
Take this time to slow down your inhale,
Slow down your exhale.
Allow your shoulders to settle.
Feel the connection of your feet with the mat.
One more breath in,
One more breath out.
Release your arms by your side,
Palms facing down.
Bring your feet slightly closer so you can touch your heels.
Press your palms into the mat,
Your feet into the mat.
Squeeze your glutes together.
Lift your hips up.
Take a deep breath in.
Exhale,
Lower your hips down.
Inhale,
Lift your hips up.
Squeeze your glutes together.
Exhale to lower down.
Inhale up.
Keep pressing into your feet.
Feel your core engage at the top.
Exhale down.
Two more on your own.
Start to feel that activation in your hamstrings,
Your glutes,
Your core.
Keep your shoulders broad.
Maybe one more on your own.
Release down.
You can knock your knees side to side if you felt any lower back tension.
Hug both knees into your chest.
Gently rock from side to side.
Let your knees drop over to your left side.
Extend your right arm to the right.
Find that long breath.
Feel your right rib cage expand.
Use it to feel a deeper stretch.
Come back to center.
Hug your knees in.
Bring it over to the other side.
Come back to center.
Plant your feet back.
Lift your hips up.
Come into bridge.
This time we hold.
Keep your feet active.
Press into all your toes.
Maybe you come on to the tops of your shoulders.
Interlace your fingers underneath.
Press into your big toe.
Hollow your belly out with your exhale.
Keep squeezing your glutes.
Release down.
Bring your knees in.
Roll over to one side.
Push yourself up.
Come into a seated posture.
Anything you feel comfortable where you can stay for a few breaths.
Find a tall spine.
Shoulders over your hips.
Head over your shoulders.
Deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Grab your left wrist.
Exhale,
Lean to the right.
Inhale,
Come back to center and switch sides.
Inhale to center.
Exhale,
Plant your hands onto your mat.
Come into a table top.
Hips over your knees.
Shoulders over your wrists.
Spread your fingers as wide as you can.
Grip your mat with your fingertips.
Press your palms into the mat.
Most beginners find bearing weight on their wrists to be challenging.
So we'll begin with some wrist warm up exercises.
Feel your fingers touching the mat.
Lift the heels of your palm up.
Exhale to release down.
Inhale,
Lift it up.
Exhale,
Release down.
Just continue on your own.
You might start to feel your forearms active and engaged.
Take it at your own pace.
You can go as fast as you like,
As slow as you like.
Do your best to maintain that connection.
Fingers to the mat.
Feel that heat build up.
Then send your hips back to your heels.
Take child's pose.
Release your shoulders,
Your neck.
Inhale,
Come up.
Arms reach up.
Interlace your fingers together.
Turn your palms up.
Exhale,
Bring your arms in front of you.
Round your spine.
Press your hands away.
Draw your belly in.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Inhale all the way up.
Exhale,
Bring your arms behind you.
Interlace your fingers.
Send your knuckles back open through your chest.
Lift your chest up.
Broaden your shoulders.
Deep breath in.
Fill up your chest.
Exhale,
Release.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Join your palms together.
Exhale,
Hands to the mat.
Find your table top.
As you press into your mat,
Soften your elbows and hug your forearms in.
Keep your arms active.
Inhale,
Lengthen your spine.
Exhale,
Draw your belly in.
Deep breath in.
Drop your belly.
Lift your chest up.
Exhale,
Round your spine.
Inhale,
Up.
Cow pose.
Exhale,
Round.
Cat pose.
Inhale,
Up.
Cow.
Exhale,
Round.
Cat pose.
Lengthen through your upper back,
Your neck.
Release to neutral spine.
Tuck your toes.
Press your hips up and back.
Find your downward facing dog.
Keep your fingers wide.
Elbows soft.
Gaze at your feet.
You can keep a generous bend in your knees.
You don't have to try and reach your heels towards the mat.
As long as you feel that stretch in your hamstrings,
Your lower back.
Actively press your mat away.
Then walk your feet all the way to the front of your mat.
Come into forward fold.
Release your head.
Bend your knees generously.
Take a deep breath in.
Deep breath out.
Inhale,
Press your feet into the mat.
Straighten your legs.
Halfway lift.
Exhale,
Fold forward.
Inhale,
Rise all the way up.
Join your palms together.
Exhale,
Hands to heart.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Join your palms.
Exhale,
Fold forward.
Bend halfway up.
Your back is flat,
Parallel to the mat.
Exhale,
Release and fold.
Inhale,
Rise.
Exhale,
Hands to heart.
We'll do that once more.
Inhale,
Up.
Exhale,
Hinge at your hips.
Fold forward.
Inhale,
Halfway up.
Exhale,
Fold.
Inhale,
Lengthen.
Reach up.
Use your fingers.
Exhale,
Hands to heart.
Soften your face.
Broaden your shoulders.
Draw your ribcage in.
You might feel your abdominals engage.
Press your feet actively into the mat.
Spread your toes wide.
Squeeze your glutes together.
Lengthen your neck.
Exhale,
Set your gaze steady.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Exhale,
Fold forward.
Lift up halfway.
Inhale.
Exhale,
Step your right foot back.
Lower your right knee down.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Low lunge.
Press your front foot into the mat.
Imagine you're trying to drag it back towards you.
If you need to pad your knee,
You can fold your mat.
See if it helps you.
Try to stay active in your lunge.
Your front leg is active.
You're lengthening through your spine.
Your neck is still long.
You aren't trying to gaze up.
You're just looking right ahead.
One more breath.
Exhale,
Release your hands to the mat.
Plant your hands.
Bring your foot back.
Knees onto the mat.
Come into a supported plank.
Keep pressing your mat away.
Brace your core.
One more breath in.
One more breath out.
Bend at your elbows.
Lower down to your belly.
Inhale to lift your chest up.
Exhale,
Release down.
Inhale,
Lift your chest up.
Gaze at the mat.
Hug your elbows in.
Exhale,
Release down.
Inhale,
Up.
Exhale,
Down.
Tuck your toes.
Press your hips up and back.
Find your down dog.
Soft bend at your knees.
Inhale,
Right leg reaches up.
Step it through.
Lower your back knee down.
Low lunge on the other side.
Inhale,
Rise.
Find a steady lunge.
Press your front foot into the mat.
Drag your front heel back.
Enjoy the length created in the front of your left hip.
Hopefully it feels good.
Pad your knee if you need to.
One more breath in.
And one more breath out.
Release your hands to the mat.
Step your back foot forward.
Find your forward fold.
Release your head.
Inhale,
Halfway up.
Exhale,
Fold.
Inhale,
Press your feet.
Rise.
Exhale,
Close it in.
Hands to heart.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Lengthen.
Fold forward.
Exhale.
Halfway up.
Step your left foot back.
Low lunge.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Exhale,
Straighten your front leg.
Feel that hamstring stretch just for a moment.
Inhale,
Shift forward.
Arms reach up.
Exhale to straighten.
Half splits.
Inhale,
Shift forward.
One more.
Exhale,
Draw your belly in.
Inhale,
Shift forward.
Plant your hands.
Exhale,
Step your foot back.
You can come into a full plank or keep it supported.
Whatever you prefer.
Keep your core engaged.
Arms active.
Soft bend at your elbows.
Your breath is steady.
Long.
Create space for your breath.
Keep your fingertips active.
Press into the mat.
Bend your elbows.
Lower down to your mat.
Lift your chest up.
Broaden your shoulders.
Squeeze your shoulder blades in.
Hug your elbows in.
Exhale,
Release down.
Inhale,
Lift your chest up.
Gaze to the right.
Feel that twist.
Center.
Deep breath in.
Exhale to the left.
Inhale,
Center.
Exhale,
Find your down dog.
Once you feel steady,
With your inhale,
Left foot reaches up.
Step it through.
Lower your back knee down.
Find your low lunge on the other side.
Feel that length in your right hip.
Exhale,
Straighten to half splits.
Inhale,
Shift forward.
Press into your left foot.
Rise.
Exhale,
Draw your belly in.
Feel that hamstring stretch.
Inhale,
Send your energy into your breath.
Reach.
Exhale,
Straighten.
Enjoy your hamstring stretch.
Inhale,
Shift forward.
Pick up your back foot.
Step it forward.
Take a breath in.
Release your head.
Inhale,
Rise all the way up.
Exhale,
Hands to heart.
Inhale,
Arms reach up.
Exhale,
Fold.
Halfway up.
Exhale,
Plant your hands.
Step your feet back to plank.
You can modify if you need to by lowering your knees down.
Keep it active either way.
This is your challenge.
Just make sure you're breathing through whatever option you picked.
Then bend your elbows lower down to your mat.
Lift your chest up.
Arms reach back.
Activate your upper back.
Squeeze your shoulder blades in.
Gaze is at the ground.
Press the belly in.
Steady your breath.
Release all the way down.
Rest your head for a moment.
Tuck your toes.
Find your down dog.
Inhale,
Right leg up.
Step it through.
Come into runner's lunge.
Gaze forward on your inhale.
Straighten your front leg on your exhale.
Inhale,
Gaze forward.
Exhale,
Straighten your front leg.
Inhale,
Gaze forward.
Exhale,
Left hand to the mat.
Right arm up.
Create some length,
Some energy.
Reach your fingertips up.
Release your right hand to the mat.
Step your right foot to plank.
Bend your elbows lower down to the mat.
Inhale up.
Exhale to down dog.
Take a breath in and breath out.
Inhale,
Left foot up.
Step it through.
Come into runner's lunge.
Take your time.
Feel steady in your runner's lunge.
Gaze forward,
Inhale.
Straighten your front leg.
Exhale.
Inhale,
Gaze forward.
Exhale to straighten.
Inhale,
Gaze forward.
Exhale,
Feel that hamstring stretch.
Inhale to gaze forward.
Exhale,
Right hand to the mat.
Left arm up.
Feel that twist in your body.
Keep your back leg active.
Release down to the mat.
This time,
Lower all the way down to your belly.
Take your time.
Rest your forehead onto your forearms.
Let all that energy settle.
Extend your left arm to the left.
Plant your right hand by your rib cage,
Left ear on the mat.
Bend your right knee and bring your foot behind you.
Feel that stretch across your shoulder,
Your hip,
And switch sides.
Come back to center.
Press back up into tabletop.
Inhale,
Right arm reaches up.
Thread the needle.
Right arm under your left shoulder,
Right ear to the mat.
Extend your left arm to the top of the mat.
Breathe into your right side.
Feel that rib cage expand.
Your shoulders feel the stretch.
And return to center.
Come back to your tabletop.
We'll switch sides.
Inhale,
Left arm up.
Exhale,
Extend it towards the other side.
Thread the needle.
Let your breath do all the work here as you soften into the mat.
Come back to center.
Send your hips down to the mat.
Your feet extend in front of you.
Stay here for a breath.
Lengthen your spine.
You can support with your hands.
Maybe you walk your hands forward if that feels inviting to you.
Maybe you grab your feet,
Your shins.
Find a place where you feel like there's a bit of a challenge,
But there's a bit of ease.
Then come out of it to lay down on your mat.
So we're back where we started,
Feet on the mat.
Bring your left ankle to your right thigh.
Hug your right knee in.
Actively press your left knee away from you.
Then let your right knee drop over to the right side.
Arms extend.
You can gaze to the left.
Breathe into your left side,
Your left hip.
And we'll switch sides.
Come back to center.
Right ankle to your left thigh.
Hug it in.
Feel that stretch.
You can actively press your right knee away so you feel a deep stretch in your right outer hip.
Imagine you're trying to send your breath to your right hip.
Notice if that has any effect on the stretch.
Whether your muscles start to ease.
Soften into it.
Let your knee drop over to your left.
Extend your arms.
Gaze to the right.
Allow your shoulders to feel relaxed.
Let your breath do all the work.
Release any expectations from your mind.
Just be present on your mat.
Come back to center.
Extend your legs onto the mat.
Arms by your side,
Palms face up.
Ground down through your shoulders.
Press your head back.
Allow your hips to settle.
Let your feet fall open.
Connect with your breath.
Soften the muscles around your eyes.
Let your forehead relax.
Your cheeks,
Your jaw,
The back of your neck,
Shoulders,
Arms.
Scan your back,
Upper and lower.
Release any tension.
Notice the front of your hips.
Soften it.
Your thighs relax.
Your sides,
Your shins.
Your feet,
Your fingers and toes.
Just take a moment to release anything else you're holding onto,
Physical or mental.
Let go of any weight from your mind,
From your body.
Be present in this moment.
Savor this moment of silence.
You're welcome to stay for as long as you like in your shavasana,
In your corpse pose,
Staying with your breath,
Or you can end this practice here.
Thank you for joining me.
Hope to see you again on the mat.
