A Gentle Yoga Practice For Beginners

Grab your yoga mat and join me to discover the JOY in this simple and accessible session. Designed for beginners to feel comfortable, confident, and at ease with mindful transitions and gentle movements, this calming sequence is perfect for easing into your practice at your own pace. Adjust the time spent in each pose to find what feels right for YOU. Enjoy the calming, supportive flow that nurtures the mind, body, and spirit.

**music provided by: musicofwisdom

Transcript

Hello.

Welcome,

Everyone.

I'm so glad you're here today.

I've created this yoga session as a beginner friendly class.

I'd like to start by reminding you that yoga is for everyone.

You don't need to be flexible.

You don't need to be strong.

Experience to benefit from yoga.

Yoga is about meeting yourself exactly where you are.

Physically,

Mentally,

And emotionally.

And it's also about moving with kindness and curiosity.

Throughout this practice,

Try to focus your breath,

Listen to your body,

And know that it's perfectly okay to take breaks,

To take modifications,

To listen to your first and most important teacher,

Yourself.

Remember,

This is your practice.

And every movement,

No matter how small,

Is a step forward to greater balance and a better well-being.

Let's begin.

When you feel ready,

Make yourself comfortable.

Whether you're seated or lying down,

Cross your legs at the ankles.

Bring your palms by your side,

Facing down if you're wanting to feel more grounded.

Or facing up if you're looking to feel more open and ready to receive.

And then gently bring your eyes to a close if that feels safe in your body.

Maybe a soft gaze.

Find what feels good.

Again,

This is your practice.

When you feel comfortable,

Take a deep breath in through your nose.

Feel the air come up from your belly,

Through your ribcage,

Through the top of your chest.

Hold a moment,

And then open your mouth and exhale.

Empty,

Empty,

Empty.

Let something go.

Take these first few moments to really settle into your body.

Bring all of your attention to your inner landscape.

How do you feel?

How is your inner world?

There's nothing to do.

There's nothing to change.

There's nothing to fix.

Just simply observe.

Become the watcher.

This session was designed to build flexibility,

Build strength,

To create more mindfulness.

It includes a mix of foundational postures,

Some breath work,

And some gentle transitions.

When you feel comfortable,

Make your way to your hands and knees.

Come up onto all fours in a tabletop position with your wrists under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.

Then take a deep inhale,

Arching your back and lifting your chest.

That's your cow pose.

Then exhale,

Round your spine like an angry cat,

Pushing the mat away from you,

Tucking your chin.

That's your cat pose.

Inhale,

Lengthen,

Gaze forward,

Pressing the mat away from you.

And exhale,

Round.

One more,

Inhale,

Lengthen,

Gaze forward,

Draping your belly towards the mat.

And exhale,

Press the mat,

Push it away from you,

Rounding your spine.

Do a few more of those cat-cows on your own,

Warming up the spine.

Tuning into your breath,

Checking in on your breathing.

How are you breathing?

Is your breath and steady?

Or is it more shallow and choppy?

Check in.

If it's shallow and choppy,

Slow yourself down.

Pressing into the mat,

Breathing in and out.

And then press into your palms,

Lift your hips up and back,

Coming into a downward-facing dog.

You're looking like an inverted V-shape at this point.

Keep your hands spread wide and your feet hips-width apart,

Pressing the heels towards the mat.

Lengthen through your spine and take several deep,

Steady breaths in your first downward-facing dog,

Warming up the hamstrings,

Releasing tension in your lower back.

Take a deep breath in through your nose,

Hold it at the top,

And gently exhale the breath out of your wide-open dog,

Finding your center.

At the end of your next exhale,

From your downward-facing dog,

Lower your knees to the mat.

Bring your big toes to touch.

Your knees will splay out wide apart on your mat.

And then stick your heels back towards your hips,

Or your hips back towards your heels.

Placing your forehead on the mat,

Lengthen your arms out long in front of you into a child's pose.

Breathe in through your nose,

Big breath in,

Fill up.

The air comes up,

Up through your ribcage,

Through the top of your chest.

Hold it and let it circulate through your heart space,

Cleansing,

Nourishing.

And then open your mouth and exhale,

Empty,

Empty,

Empty,

Empty,

Ribcage through the top of your chest.

And exhale,

Chest,

Ribcage.

Take a few more breaths in child's pose here on your own,

Reminding your nervous system that you are safe in this space,

That you are supported,

You are protected.

And it's safe to surrender and let go of anything that you may be holding that is no longer serving you in this moment.

Make your way out of your child's pose and come up to a comfortable seated position on your mat.

Cross your legs at the ankles,

Relax your shoulders,

Relax your jaws.

Soften.

And then slowly roll your head in a circular motion.

First go clockwise,

And then counterclockwise.

Allowing the neck and shoulders to relax.

Observe your natural breath.

Keep taking the neck rolls,

In a circular motion,

Clockwise.

It's a really great place to settle into stillness.

Settle into your body.

Comfortable and ready.

There's always the invitation to stay exactly as you are if that is serving you.

If that feels really good and you need more in that posture,

Take it.

Trust yourself.

But if you're ready to do some sun salutations and connect a little deeper to yourself.

Connecting breath with movement.

Slowly,

Gently,

Mindfully come up to a standing position at the top of your mat.

And we'll start in Mountain Pose,

Tadasana.

Standing at the top of your mat,

Pressing your feet into your mat,

Arms by your side,

Fingers splayed out wide.

Take a big inhale in through your nose.

Reach your arms up high overhead.

And then exhale,

Fold your body forward.

Inhale,

Halfway lift,

Flat back.

Exhale,

Step or jump back into a Plank Pose.

Pushing back into your heels.

And then slowly lower halfway down to Chaturanga.

Inhale,

Press into Upward Facing Dog by tucking the toes and piking your hips back.

And then exhale.

Press into your heels,

Pushing the mat away.

Take five steady breaths here in your Downward Facing Dog.

End of your next exhale.

Lower your knees to the mat gently and slowly.

And come back into Child's Pose for a brief rest.

Bring your big toes to touch.

Spread the knees out wide.

Place your forehead on the mat.

Your arms are stretched out long in front of you.

And your breath is steady and natural.

When you feel ready,

If you feel ready,

Again,

There's the invitation to stay as you are.

If that feels like the best thing that you've done in this session,

Stay.

Trust your body.

Trust your intuition.

Listen to you first before you listen to me.

But if you feel ready to continue moving forward and connecting breath with movement,

Come to a Tabletop Position.

All force pressing your palms into the mat.

And then step your right foot between your hands.

Keeping your left knee on the mat.

Inhale,

Raise your arms high up overhead and sink into your hips,

Feeling the stretch in the hip flexors.

This is a low lunge position.

Again,

Hold five steady breaths.

There's something about five breaths that sends a message to your nervous system that it's safe.

End of an exhale.

Step your right leg back.

Step your left leg forward.

Sink your hips back.

At the end of your next exhale,

Neutral tabletop.

And then tuck your toes and pipe your hips back,

Pressing your palms into the mat for that inverted shade,

Downward facing dog.

Pedal in and out of the heels,

Walking your dog,

Warming up the hamstrings even more.

From downward facing dog,

Step your right foot forward.

Inhale,

Sweep your arms up overhead.

Gaze up,

Look up.

Dial your left heel down.

Deep bend in your right knee.

It's a warrior one.

Gaze up.

Deep,

Steady breath,

Making sure that your knee is stacked over your ankle and the torso is tall.

Gaze is up through your fingertips.

Your palms could be facing inwards.

Holding breaths for five.

At the end of your next exhale,

Step your right foot back.

Settle back into downward facing dog.

And then lower to a high plank.

Elbows splayed out.

Low plank.

And then roll to the tops of your feet.

Lift your heart high for an upward facing dog.

And then tuck your toes and pipe your hips back.

You're back in downward facing dog.

Step your left foot forward.

Bend your left knee.

Sweep your arms high up overhead.

Dial your right heel down.

It's warrior one on the other side.

Deep knee,

Making sure knees over the ankle.

You can see the big gaze is up through your fingertips.

Palms are facing inward.

And then open your hips and shoulders to face the long edge side of your mat.

And then extend your arms parallel to the floor.

Palms are facing down.

And you're gazing over your front hand.

Holding for five breaths here in Virabhadrasana two,

Warrior two.

Into the back knee.

Dial the right foot down and you're bending into the left knee on the other side.

Sweeping the arms out wide.

Gazing through your left fingertips.

Now from warrior two,

Make your way back to the top of the mat.

Bring your feet hips width apart,

Standing at the top of the mat.

Back in mountain pose,

Tadasana.

Sit with your legs extended straight in front of you.

Reaching for your feet or your shins.

Don't overstretch.

Keep your back long.

Keep your spine long.

And hold in the seated foot.

Extending your arms out to a wide T.

Holding this Supta Mariachanas.

And then inhale.

Draw your knees back through center.

And drop both towards the left,

The other side.

Supine twist on the other side.

Keeping the arms out.

Bring your palms towards the side.

Facing up if you're open and ready to receive.

Or facing down if you're looking to feel even more grounded.

And take these next few minutes to fully surrender.

Just focusing on your natural breath and allowing your body to integrate the benefits of the practice.

Press into your top hand and come back into a seated position.

Keeping your palms at heart center.

Take another deep breath in through your nose.

Hold at the top.

Open your mouth.

And exhale.

Empty,

Empty,

Empty.

Always have that accessible to you.

I hope this practice leaves you a little kinder,

A little softer,

A little bit more peaceful,

A bit more joyful.

And from my heart to yours,

With so much love,

Together we bow and we say,

Have a fantastic rest of your day.

And I hope to see you again soon.

Until next time,

Much love.

This is Petrina.