Namaste,
Welcome beautiful souls.
Glad you're here for this yoga for leg and hip power.
My name is Monika.
I'm so glad you found your way here.
We will be working on the legs and hips.
Gentle opening,
Gentle mobilization,
Gentle strengthening.
And we do most of the movements in a seated position Also a few lying on our back.
So if you have a yoga mat.
That would be great.
And if you have a yoga belt or something similar that would be useful for today's session.
I invite you to take a comfortable seat.
Gently close your eyes.
Take a moment to arrive.
In this moment.
Connect with your body.
Connecting with your breath.
If you like,
You can place a hand on your chest.
Just feel the gentle movement of your chest with every inhale.
And every exhale.
No need to change the breath.
Just noticing.
Now allow your breath to gently deepen.
Maybe flow down to your belly.
No fours.
Just invitation.
Bring your awareness to your hips and your legs.
Sensing where your legs are touching the mat or your chair.
Feeling the stability of Mother Earth.
Beautiful.
Gently bring your awareness.
Do your hands.
Bring the palms of your hands together in front of your heart's face.
We start with three om together.
Take a soft,
Deep inhale for all.
And allow the sound to vibrate through your whole being.
Beautiful.
Let's set an intention for today's class.
The intention I offer is I build strength without force.
Power can arise from softness.
Repeat.
This intention.
Or your own intention for yourself.
I build strength without force.
Power can arise from softness.
One more time.
I build strength without force.
Power can arise from softness.
Beautiful.
Slowly lower your hands and place your hands on your knees or on your thighs.
And start making circles with your hips.
You can keep your eyes closed if you wish.
Bring your awareness to your sit bones.
To your hip.
To your hip joint.
Feeling how this gentle movement starts to mobilize.
Your hips.
The hip joints,
The tiny muscles.
The bigger muscles.
The ligament.
Allow your breath to flow freely.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your face and keep circling with your hips,
Gently warming up your body.
Then reverse.
Notice whether one side feels different than the other.
Without judgment.
It's completely normal that it feels different.
Stay in your body with your awareness.
Sensing your hip bones.
Circling on your cushion or on your mat Now if you are sitting cross-legged you can change the leg so that the other foot is on top or in front.
And then start circling with your hips again.
Just sensing.
How this feels.
Relax your shoulders.
Relax your face.
Relax your breath.
Staying connected to your hips.
Allowing any tension to release.
Reverse again.
Beautiful.
Now from here you can bring the soles of your feet together.
Can hold your toes or your feet and then start moving your knees up and down.
Make sure you sit upright.
Shoulders relax.
Find your own comfortable rhythm to bring your knees up and down.
Now I invite you to try out a variation.
Instead of making the movement from your knee.
You start pushing the soles of your feet together.
Pulsing pushing the soles of your feet together,
Yeah,
And the knees move as well,
But you're using other muscles.
A tiny movement.
And if you wish,
You can do the same with your hands at the same time or you can just keep your arms and hands relaxed.
Allow your breath.
To flow,
No holding of the breath.
We continue for about half a minute.
A tiny movement.
But often with muscles that we don't use that often.
Beautiful now you can hold your knees from the outside and you press your hands against the knees so you lift the knees and at the same time you can press the knees down into your hands Hold that for two or three deep breaths.
Now we change the position.
We do the opposite.
So bring your hands.
The inside of your knee.
You're pressing down with your hand.
And the movement from the legs is pressing against the hands again.
Take two or three deep breaths here.
Feel this nice gentle stretch.
And then let go.
From here you can come onto all fours.
Use a blanket under your knees.
If your knees need some padding or use.
.
.
Tomats as I do.
Then from here you can bring your left leg out and start circling with your hips again.
You can feel a nice stretch into your left leg as well.
And if you wish you can bend.
You need.
.
.
Gently stretching and mobilizing.
Reverse.
Beautiful.
Then bring your left leg in.
The right leg out Again with the straight leg first,
Gently circling with the hips.
And then exploring how this feels when you bend your right knee Gently mobilizing those muscles and ligaments and joints.
Reverse.
Very good then from here you can bring your right foot to your right hand And if you have blocks,
You can also use blocks.
Or you just place your hands on your mat.
Then from here,
You can slowly come up.
Close your hips.
Tilt your pelvis and then Slowly,
With the exhale,
Move your hips forward so that you feel a nice opening in your left hip flexor.
Inhaling,
Moving back,
Release.
Exhaling,
Activating your glutes and gently pushing your hips forward.
Inhaling release.
Exhaling,
Activating your glutes.
Moving your hips forward and if you wish you can bring your hands in front of your heart.
Close your eyes.
Inhaling release,
Moving back.
Let me do two more.
Exhaling slowly moving forward Gentle stretch in your left hip flexor.
Inhaling release,
Moving back.
Exhaling squeeze moving forward.
Gently stretching,
Lengthening your left hip flexor.
Allowing the hips to open.
And stay here for a breath or two.
Inhaling,
Gently expanding.
Exhaling release.
Inhaling,
Expanding,
Lengthening.
Exhaling release.
Beautiful.
Bring your hands down onto your mat again.
The inside of your right foot.
Bring your right foot back.
And the left foot to your left hand Then again find your comfortable position either with the hands on the blocks or on the map.
Or slowly come out.
Close your hips.
Tilt your pelvis.
Then also on this side with the exhale activating your glute.
Moving your hips forward into a gentle stretch of your right hip flexor.
Inhaling moving back.
Exhaling,
Activating the glutes.
Opening the right hip flexor.
Inhaling,
Moving back and release.
Exhaling opening your right hip flexor Inhaling release.
If you wish take your hands in front of your heart.
Exhaling,
Moving your hips forward,
Stretching your right hip flexor.
Inhaling,
Moving back,
Release.
One more time,
Exhaling,
Moving your hips forward,
Glutes active,
Opening your right hip flexor.
Stay here for two or three breaths.
Inhaling,
Expanding.
Exhaling release.
Inhaling,
Expanding,
Lengthening.
Exhaling,
Release.
One more breath here,
Inhaling,
Lengthening.
Exhaling release.
Beautiful.
Bring your hands onto your blocks or your mat.
Step up.
Your right foot to the left come into a gentle forward bend Your knees gently bend,
But your legs still active.
So gently pushing into your heel.
Let's stay here for a few breaths.
Gently stretching your legs Allow your inhale to flow to your sick bones.
Gently expanding with the inhale and releasing any tension with the exhale.
Inhaling expanding your lower back your lower belly your pelvic floor Exhaling,
Release.
One more deep breath here,
Inhaling,
Expanding.
Exhaling release Beautiful.
With your next inhale,
Bend your knees.
Slowly come up.
And come into a wise dance for goddess pose.
You can place your hands at your hips or in front of your heart.
And with your next exhale,
Slowly sit down,
Knees to the side.
You decide how far you sit down.
Inhaling here and then with the exhale,
Push into your feet.
Draw your legs together and come up.
Inhaling.
In your own comfortable pace,
The exhale slowly sitting down.
Knees to the side.
Inhaling.
Exhaling,
Push into your feet and draw your feet together,
Coming up.
Relax.
Inhale.
With your next exhale,
Slowly sit down.
Inhaling.
Exhaling push into your feet draw your legs together and come up Do two more like this.
Exhaling slowly sit down.
Inhaling.
Exhaling slowly come up.
One more round like this.
Exhaling slowly sit down.
Inhaling and then with the exhale slowly come up Beautiful.
If you wish,
Shake out your legs.
Take a moment.
To recover.
Or gently close your eyes and feel into your legs and your body.
Slowly preparing for the second round.
Whenever you're ready.
And slowly sit down with the exhale.
This time we stay here.
Lifting one heel.
Place it back onto your mat.
Lift the other heel.
Place it back onto your mind.
Lift both heels.
Bring your heels back onto the mat.
And with your next exhale,
Push into your feet.
Draw your legs together and come up.
Take as many breaths here as you wish.
Whenever you're ready.
Slowly sit down.
Lift one heel.
Lift the other heel.
Lift both heels.
Bring your heels back onto your mat.
And come back up.
We do three more.
Slowly sit down,
Knees to the side.
Lift the heel.
Lift the other heel.
Maybe both heels.
And then slowly come up.
When you're ready,
Slowly sit down.
Lift the heel.
Lift the other heel.
Lift both heels,
Shoulders relax.
Bring your heels back onto the mat.
Push into your feet.
Draw your legs together.
Come up.
Take a short break.
One more round.
When you're ready,
Slowly sit down,
Knees to the side.
Lift one heel place it back onto the mat lift the other heel Slowly place it back onto the mat.
And lift both heels stay here for a breath Slowly bring your heels back onto your mat.
And with your next exhale,
Push into your feet and come back up.
Well done.
Walk your feet together.
If you wish,
Shake out your legs or just take a moment in Tadasana.
Close your eyes.
Feel into your legs.
Bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
Feel your strength.
Such a.
.
.
Slow movement I built strength without force.
Power can arise from softness.
With your next inhale Slowly bring your hands to your knees.
Bend your knees and come down onto your mat.
And here.
.
.
If you have a yoga belt,
You can use your yoga belt.
I just demonstrate what we are going to do.
Or if you don't have a belt but you have a wall nearby That's also helpful.
So we come onto our back And then bring your yoga belt to your feet and then open your leg.
And grab your belt with your hands.
And then you can relax into this opening of your leg.
Without holding.
And if you don't have.
.
.
A belt but you have a wall nearby.
You can do that.
Coming close to your wall.
And then bring your legs.
And from here,
Lean your legs against the wall and open your legs as wide as it is comfortable for you.
And just allow yourself to relax into this pose.
I let you set up your pose.
If you don't have a wall.
And you don't have a belt,
But you have blocks.
You could also come into supine butterfly.
Let me just demonstrate.
You can use your blog.
Under your legs.
So that you can relax your legs open.
You can bring the soles of your feet together.
And then relax your legs,
Open.
And if you don't have blocks,
No wall,
No belt.
You can just come into Spine Butterfly Pose.
Without any problem.
So allow your legs to relax.
And also relax.
Your lower back.
You can close your eyes.
We stay here for about three minutes.
Really allow the muscles to relax and open.
Allow your breath to flow to your belly.
Gently expanding with the inhale.
Relaxing with the exhale.
Inhaling gently expanding Exhaling release.
If you like working with your chakras,
You can bring your awareness just below your navel to the svadhisthana chakra.
Visualize a bright orange light.
Allowing it.
To expand And if you like to work with Bicha mantras for the chakras.
I invite you to chant the Bicha Mantra Vam.
Gently inhaling.
Awareness to your Swadhisthana Chakra.
Chanting warm with the exhale,
Allowing your lips to vibrate and your whole body to relax.
Inhaling gently expanding you Mmm.
Hmm.
One more breath here.
Beautiful.
Slowly bring your legs together.
Bend your knees.
Draw your knees in towards your chest and then gently rock from side to side.
Take your time to wake up your body again.
And then from here,
Roll onto one side.
Take your time.
Whenever you're ready,
Push your hand into the mat and come up into a comfortable seat.
Find your way into a comfortable position.
Your spine upright.
Shoulders relax.
Your eyes gently close.
Hands on your knees.
Palms facing up.
Dumb and indexinger touch.
Take a moment to connect with your breath and your body again.
Where in your body can you feel your breath?
How do you feel now?
I build strength without force.
Power can arise from softness.
Bring your awareness to the palms of your hands.
And really slowly bring your palms to gather in front of your heart.
Take a moment of gratitude.
Gratitude for yourself.
That you've taken this time to practice yoga today.
Let's close with one Om and three Shanti for peace.
Take a soft,
Deep inhale for all.
You Sean D.
Shanti.
Shanti.
Peace in your heart.
Peace in your mind.
Peace.
In your world.
Namaste.
