Yoga For Joy

This 20-minute gentle flow is perfect for anyone looking to shift their state and find inner joy. We start with breathwork, and flow through a series of postures to move energy and open the heart.

If you are looking to feel more joy, join me in this class to help shift your heart to one of gratitude, openness, and happiness.

Great for beginner to intermediate yogis.

Transcript

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for joining me for this joyful yoga flow. Let's get started in a seated position with your hands on your knees. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in and out, Feeling the breath coming in and out of the nose. Breathing deeply into the belly. Releasing any tension or stress you may be holding on to. And we're going to get started with some fire breaths. So lift your arms up and then bend your arms like a goalpost. You're going to inhale through your nose on the inhale when you lift your arms up and then exhale and bend your arms and forcefully exhale through the nose. Keep this going for about 40 breaths. And slowly bring your hands down and then bring your hands to your heart. Spend a few moments just focusing on some things that have brought you deep joy and happiness. It can be today or any time in the past. We're just putting our attention on the feeling of joy. It's really that simple. It can be so easy to get caught up in past or future things that have not happened and we forget that we have access to joy at any time. And it's free! Who told you it wasn't okay to feel happy? Just become aware and open to the belief that it's safe to be happy and give yourself this time to feel joy. Joy is actually something that comes from within and nothing external can take that away from you. So allow yourself to experience and feel this joy as we move through class today. Begin to inhale your arms all the way up towards the sky and on an exhale you're going to slowly twist over to your left. And inhale lift the arms up and exhale twist to your right. Inhale lift the arms back up and exhale twist to your left. Inhale lift your arms up and exhale twist. Inhale lift your arms up and slowly lower your hands down to your knees. And then begin to make your way into a seated cat cow. So you're going to inhale and pull the chest forward and exhale round through the upper and the lower back. Inhale pulling the chest forward lifting the chin up and exhale rounding. Just doing this a few rounds going with your own breath. Inhaling lifting the chin and the chest up and exhale rounding. Coming back to center you're just going to bend your knees and take your feet together. Sitting up nice and straight you can bring your heels closer or farther away from your body whichever feels comfortable. Inhaling lifting your arms up and exhale grabbing for your feet maybe wiggling your hips from side to side to loosen and open them up a little bit. Keeping that smile on your face and slowly begin to fold forward. You can hold on to your feet or release your arms to the ground and just enjoy this stretch in the back of your spine and opening up your hips. And gently begin to push yourself all the way back up. You're going to take your arms behind you with your fingers pointing towards your hips, Bend your knees and just begin to windshield wiper your knees from side to side. Feeling the hips slowly beginning to open up a little bit more before we begin class today. And come back to center cross your knees and come on to your hands and your knees. Coming into a tabletop position maybe wiggle the hips around a little bit and going into cat cows. So inhaling lifting the chin and the chest up and exhaling rounding through the upper and lower back. So doing a couple rounds of this with your own breath your own movements that feel really good for you. Coming back to that breath and that inner state of joy just enjoying the sensations that you're feeling in your body. You're going to lift your left arm up and start to bring your arm in circles going back behind you feeling the shoulders starting to open up and reversing direction bringing the arm forward and loosening up that shoulder. Release that left hand down and reach the right arm up and start to rotate that arm back taking big circles with your arm and reversing directions bringing it forward and feeling that shoulder begin to loosen up. Release your hand down coming into tabletop and just move the hips from side to side coming into dancing lion. Just moving in any way that feels good. Tuck your toes under lift your hips up and back into downward facing dog. Take a few moments here to bend the knees push away from the ground moving your hips from side to side. Just feel the whole body opening up. If you're finding a stretch that feels a little bit tight in one area just take a pause and breathe a little bit deeper there. And begin to walk your feet and your hands to the center of your mat and inhale halfway lift and exhale deeply bend your knees and relax your head and your neck down. Maybe pedaling your knees out a little bit here grabbing opposite elbows and swinging from side to side. Just finding that stretch that feels really good in your body. You can keep your knees bent the whole time maybe straighten one leg and then the other. And release your hands to the ground and inhale lift your arms all the way up towards the sky. Exhale hands to heart center. And inhale lift your arms all the way up. Grab your wrist and reach over to your right feeling that nice side body stretch. And inhale back to center exhale switch your grip and then stretch over to your left. Inhaling back to center take a little back bend hands to heart. Inhale lift your arms all the way up and back. And exhale fold forward bending your knees relaxing your head. Inhale halfway lift and exhale walk your hands forward and your feet back coming into plank. On an exhale lower all the way down to your mat. Untuck your toes and bring your hands a little bit wider out. And inhale lift the chest up and exhale lower. Inhale lift the chin and the chest up and exhale lower. One more time inhale lift up coming up onto those fingertips and exhale lower down. Bring your hands next to your chest. Tuck your toes under and push up and back into your downward facing dog. Bending the knees feeling that nice stretch in the backs of your legs. And just widen your stance a little bit you're going to take your right hand and reach for the opposite ankle on that left leg. Looking underneath that right arm feeling that nice deep stretch in the side body. Release the hand and this time take your left arm and reach for that right leg that right ankle feeling the deep stretch here. And release your left hand down back to down dog. Bring your feet together and look to the top of your mat. Slowly walk your feet up to the top and inhale halfway lift exhale fold forward. Inhale lift your arms all the way up towards the sky. Take a back bend here and exhale hands to heart center. Bring your feet together and inhale lift your arms all the way up towards the sky. Sink your hips down coming into chair pose. And finding your breath here finding that inner spark. Maybe sinking the hips a little bit lower feeling that burn. Start to lift the left leg up and back. Planting that back foot down coming into crescent lunge. Reaching the arms high up towards the sky. Giving thanks to your body for being here and being in this position. Giving thanks for all of the wonderful things in your life. And feeling that joy exhale open up into your warrior two. Sinking deep into that front leg relax your shoulders from your ears. Keeping that smile on your face and coming back to your breath. You're going to straighten both of your legs and point both of your toes facing forward. Reach your arms up and out into star pose. Opening to receiving all the joy and goodness in life. And then move your feet so your toes are kind of pointing inward like a pigeon pose. And then take your hands to your hips lower the head down. You can release your hands down to the ground if that feels good for you. You can lift halfway up here and exhale lower down. If you want like to go into skandhasana just bend that left knee and straighten the right. And then changing the different directions into the other leg. So maybe going back and forth here feeling that stretch in the inner thighs and the hips. Whatever feels comfortable for you. Coming back into that wide-legged forward fold. And inhale lift up and walk your hands forward coming into a low lunge. Drop your back knee lift your arms up to the sky and take a deep back bend here. And release your hands down lift that back knee up off the ground. And twist open raising that right arm up towards the sky twisting to your left. Release that right hand down step your right leg back into plank. And lower down chaturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. And exhale downward facing dog. Taking a moment here to catch your breath. Maybe moving the shoulders and the hips around. Look to the top of your mat walk your feet all the way up. And lift your arms all the way up towards the sky. Take a back bend and hands to heart center. Bring your feet together sink the hips down and the arms up into chair pose. Lifting the arms up and relaxing the shoulders from the ears. Sinking a little bit deeper. And then lift the right leg up and back coming into your crescent lunge high on those back toes. Really lift those arms up towards the sky. And exhale release your shoulders away from your ears. Feeling really strong in this crescent lunge pose. Feeling the burn in the front leg. And feeling that fire within that joy that resides within. And slowly open up into your warrior two. With your left toes facing forward and your back foot at a 90 degree angle. Sinking those hips nice and low relaxing the shoulders from the ears. And then begin to straighten that left leg. And I'll turn around here so my butt isn't facing you guys. Keeping your toes facing forward lift your arms up and out coming into star pose. And then reach for your hands behind your back clasp them together. And start to open up the chest and drop down to the ground. This is too much you can grab a towel or something nearby. And just allow your head and your neck to relax here. Feeling that deep stretch in the front of your shoulders and the backs of the legs. Finding your breath here. Finding joy and gratitude for your body and being in the stretch right here right now. And slowly begin to release your hands down to the ground. And walk your hands down to the floor. Forward into a lunge pose. Untucking those back toes. Dropping your knee down and lifting the arms up and back into this nice deep stretch. Release your hands down. Lift your back knee up off the ground. And twist open to your left. Reaching that left arm up towards the sky. And slowly exhale releasing that left hand down. Stepping that left leg back into plank pose. On an exhale lower down chaturanga. Inhale upward facing dog. And exhale downward facing dog. Slowly lower your knees down to the ground. Apart with your feet together. Drop your hips onto your heels. Coming into child's pose. Relaxing your forehead to the earth. Extending your arms forward. And allow yourself to rest and receive in this pose. Coming back to your breath. Coming back to that inner joy. Slowly begin to make your way up. Coming into tabletop. We're going to come into camel pose. So coming onto your shins. And bring your arms by your side. Just roll your shoulders a few times. And then take your hands to your lower back. With your fingers pointing down. Lifting your chest and your chin up and back. Pushing the hips forward. Slightly squeezing the glutes. And bringing the elbows together. Finding deep long breaths here. And gently come all the way back up. And sink your hips back onto your heels. Hands on your knees. Closing your eyes. Just take a moment here. Finding a deep breath. We're going to go into that one more time. So come back up onto your shins. Bring your hands to your lower back. Bringing the elbows together. Lifting the chin and the chest up. As you push your hips forward. Gently squeezing your glutes. Maybe reaching for your heels. For a deeper pose. And then slowly begin to make your way out. Bringing your hands to your lower back. Sinking your hips onto your heels. And we're just going to make our way into a seated position with our knees together. With our hands on our knees. Take a moment here. Finding your breath. Coming back to that inner stillness. And then we're just going to end class in a standing position. We're just going to shake it out a little bit. So whatever that looks like to you. Moving the fingers and toes. And maybe just moving the arms from side to side. Feeling the opening of that spine. Lifting nice and tall. Putting that smile pack on your face. Coming back to that inner place of happiness. For yourself. Shaking the hands out. Maybe jumping up and down. Releasing any energy that feels a little bit lower. And finding that happiness. And that little pep in your step. Lift your arms all the way up towards the sky. And exhale. Place your hands on your heart. Give gratitude and thanks for your body. Enjoy the feeling of joy permeating through your body. And then we're just going to take a moment to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. And then we're going to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. And then we're going to take a deep breath in And then we're going to take a deep breath in and a deep breath out. And then we're going to take a deep breath in