Hi,
This is Petrina,
I've designed this 20-minute beginner-friendly yoga session that focuses on balancing strength,
Flexibility,
And relaxation while making you comfortable and at ease.
Let's get started in Mountain Pose,
Tadasana.
Stand tall at the top of your mat,
Feet hips-width apart,
Shoulders are relaxed,
Arms are by your side,
And then take a deep breath in through your nose,
Hold at the top,
Open your mouth and exhale everything out,
Feeling your feet grounding into the mat beneath you.
Ground down through all four corners of your feet,
Pressing deeply into the mat.
Connecting to yourself,
Taking these first few moments to connect deeper to your inner world,
Check in on yourself.
Disconnect from the external,
From the outer world,
And focus on what's happening on your inner landscape.
There's no need to change or fix,
Just simply observe.
Take a deep inhale in through your nose,
And then slowly bend your knees,
Sink your hips back as if you were sitting in a chair,
And then reach your arms up by your ears,
Palms facing each other,
Keeping your core actively engaged,
Utkatasana,
Chair Pose.
Focus on your breath,
Deep inhale in through your nose,
And a deep exhale out of your mouth.
Inhale through your nose,
And exhale out of your mouth,
Empty,
Letting something go.
Big inhale in through your nose,
Hold it at the top for a moment,
And this time seal your lips and gently let the air flow back out through your nose.
That is your Ujjayi breath.
Let it support you through this posture.
See if you can sink your hips just a little bit lower,
Keeping your arms up by your ears,
Focusing on your breath,
Using it as your anchor,
Nourishing your body with oxygen,
Supporting yourself from the inside.
And then slowly exhale,
And come back up to standing in Mountain Pose,
Arms by your side.
Take a big inhale in through your nose,
And exhale back into Chair Pose,
Sinking your hips,
Sweeping your arms up by your ears,
Keeping your core engaged,
Pressing the knees into each other,
Feeling into your feet,
Supporting you on the mat,
Focusing on your breath.
And then exhale,
And bring your hands to heart center,
And then twist over to your right,
Hooking your left elbow outside your right knee,
Keeping your knees tightly aligned,
Pressing into each other,
Using your breath to support you through the twist.
Inhale,
Come back through center,
And then we'll take it on the other side.
Twist over to your left,
Hooking your right elbow over your left knee.
Again,
Focusing on your ujjayi breath,
In through your nose,
And out through your mouth.
Inhale,
Come back through center,
And then forward fold.
Exhale,
Straighten your legs,
Hinge at your hips,
And let your head hang heavy,
Folding your body forward.
Inhale,
It's a half lift of the spine.
Lengthen your spine,
Hands come just below your kneecap on your shins,
Gaze is forward,
The spine is long.
And breathe in through your nose,
And out through your mouth.
Big breath in through your nose,
Hold it at the top,
And exhale out of your mouth,
Letting something go that is not serving you.
Bigger,
Deeper inhale through your nose,
And this time seal your lips,
And let the air flow gently out of your nose.
And then exhale,
Fold your body in half all the way down,
Fold forward,
Grabbing opposite elbows,
Rocking your body from side to side,
Releasing your low back.
Exhale,
Plant your palms,
Step back into a high plank,
Pressing into your palms,
Pressing your heels towards the floor,
Lifting your hips,
Ensuring that your back is straight,
The shoulders are stacked over your wrist,
Core is engaged,
And your body is in a straight line,
Pressing into your heels,
Using your breath to support you through this posture.
Again,
The breath provides oxygen,
Provides an anchor to nourish your cells,
Your muscles.
Never forget the breath.
Yoga is a breathing practice.
And then exhale,
Lower down,
Press into your palms,
Big inhale,
Lift your heart,
Press your palms for an upward-facing dog.
Untuck your toes,
Press into your hands,
Lifting the chest forward and up for an upward-facing dog.
Maybe the thighs slightly come off the ground,
And it's okay if they don't.
Trust your body to do what it's capable of doing.
And then exhale,
Lift your hips high,
Press your heels forward towards the floor,
And then lengthen your spine,
Lowering your head for a downward-facing dog.
Breathe in through your nose and out of your mouth.
In through your nose,
Exhale,
Empty out of your wide open mouth,
In your downward-facing dog,
Warming up the hamstrings.
They are one of the biggest muscle groups in the body.
It takes a lot of work to warm up your hamstrings.
Pedal in and out of your downward-facing dog.
And then as you're ready,
Step your right foot forward,
Pivot your back heel down about 45 degrees.
Inhale,
Rise your arms up overhead,
Hips are squared,
Gaze is up through your fingertips.
It's Warrior One on your right side.
Gaze up,
Breath is steady and full and energetic.
Two more breaths here in your Warrior One.
And then exhale,
Press your palms towards the mat,
Step back,
Lower down to a plank,
Roll onto the tops of your feet,
Lifting your heart for an upward-facing dog,
And then tucking your toes and piking your hips back up to downward-facing dog.
When you feel ready,
Step your left foot forward,
Dial your right heel down 45 degrees,
Arms come up overhead,
Gaze is up,
Look up,
Warrior One on your left side.
Gazing through your fingertips.
And then exhale,
Plant your palms,
Frame out your front foot,
Step your left foot back,
Lower down to low plank,
Come all the way down,
Lift your heart high up for an upward-facing dog,
Pressing into the tops of your feet,
And then tuck your toes and pike your hips to downward-facing dog.
Take two deep,
Steady breaths here.
On your next exhale,
Step your right foot forward,
Dial your left heel down,
Bend into that right knee and seat the arms high up overhead.
It's edges of your mat,
Gaze over your front fingertips,
Keep that bend in your front knee,
And keep the knees stacked over the ankle.
Warrior Two on your right side.
Now flip your front palm and reverse your warrior,
Lift your right arm over your head,
Taking your left arm,
Maybe wrap it around your back or maybe lower it down on the leg,
Reversing your warrior,
Feeling the stretch in the side body.
And then windmill your arms down,
Frame out your front foot,
Step step back,
High to low plank,
Pressing into the tops of your feet,
Lifting your heart high,
Upward-facing dog,
And then tucking your toes and piking your hips back to downward-facing dog.
You keep stacking on your left side.
When you feel ready,
Step your left foot forward,
Deep bend in your left knee,
Sweep your arms up overhead,
Keeping that back right heel dialed down to 45-degree angle.
Warrior One on the left.
Deep,
Steady breathing,
And open your arms wide to the long edges of your mat,
Keeping the bend in the front knee,
Deep,
Steady breathing.
Warrior Two.
Steady breaths,
Making sure that the knees stacked over the ankle.
And then flip your front palm,
Raise it up overhead,
Reversing your warrior,
Taking your right arm around your back or maybe lowering it down anywhere along your leg.
Breathe,
Feeling the stretch along your side body.
And then exhale,
Frame out the front foot,
Step back into a high plank,
Lower down,
Lift your heart,
Upward-facing dog,
Tuck your toes and pike your hips to downward-facing dog.
And as you feel ready,
Come all the way down onto your belly.
Use your hands to make a pillow under your head,
Focusing on your breath,
And then slowly draw your right knee up towards your right elbow.
Or half frog.
Slowing the energy in the body,
Creating calm,
Creating peace,
Ease,
Comfort.
When you feel ready,
Extend your right leg long,
Letting the sensation subside.
And then we create balance on the other side.
Draw your left knee up towards your left elbow,
Taking half frog on your left side.
Focusing on your natural breath.
Just observe,
Just be the watcher.
Creating calm and ease in your nervous system.
Sending a message to your subconscious that you're safe.
You're supported.
You're at peace.
And then slowly re-lengthen your left leg long.
And notice the fresh flow of oxygen,
And let those sensations subside.
And then slowly and mindfully,
With integrity,
Roll onto your back.
Take your time.
When you get there,
Hug knees to chest,
Pouring love into yourself.
Filling yourself with love and compassion and kindness.
And when you feel ready,
Drop your knees to one side,
Right or left,
Whatever feels right in your body in this moment.
Taking a supine twist,
Opening your spine,
Rinsing it out,
Removing toxins,
Creating fresh new energy,
Releasing negative energy,
Releasing tension,
Creating ease.
And then inhale and slowly bring your legs back through center.
Take another hug.
Science has now proven that the human body needs eight hugs per day to remain vital and happy and at peace.
And when you feel ready,
Slowly drop your knees over to the other side.
Breathing deeply here.
Letting the energy create balance in your body.
And then when you feel ready,
Inhale back through center.
One more hug from you to you,
Connecting to your beautiful body.
And then slowly extend the legs long.
Take up space.
Relax your arms by your side.
Maybe one hand on the heart,
Maybe one on the belly,
Maybe both on your heart.
Do what feels good in your beautiful body.
Keeping your eyes closed or at a soft gaze,
Whatever feels safest for you.
Take a deep breath in through your nose and a deep exhale out of your mouth as you settle into Shavasana for a few minutes of rest to let your practice integrate into your being.
Let it settle into every single cell.
Let it take hold.
Shavasana.
Take as long as you need to rest.
I hope this practice leaves you feeling a little kinder,
A little lighter,
More at peace,
More joyful.
Continue practicing yoga.
Continue meditating.
And as always,
From my heart to yours,
With so much love,
Namaste.
Thank you for sharing your practice with me.
This is Petrina.
Until we meet again,
I'll see you soon.
