Morning Energy Flow - Sun Salutations & Breathwork (34-Min)

A complete morning practice to energize your body and center your mind. This session begins with diaphragmatic breathing and warm-up movements, then flows through multiple rounds of sun salutations with warrior variations. We close with a calming cooldown and inner awareness.

Perfect for building strength, improving flexibility, and starting your day with focus and vitality. Suitable for intermediate practitioners or beginners ready to progress their practice.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this sun salutation flow. In just a moment, We'll begin moving our body. But before we do that, We want to find some stillness. So stand up tall, Relax your arms, Close your eyes. We want to begin to establish a nice yogic breath. So breathe smoothly and evenly through your nose. Nice relaxed breath. And as you exhale, Allow your body to soften. Notice how it feels to be still. And it's a stillness that arises from a relaxed effort. So you're just relaxing as you stand here, Connecting to the breath. This yogic process is a journey inward. So through the movement, We connect more deeply to that inner reality, That inner radiance, The vibrancy. So as we start to move, I encourage you to move at the rhythm of your own breath. Might be faster, Might be slower than my instruction. Take a few more breaths. Really have your awareness on the breath, On the inhalation and the exhalation. You can rub your palms together. Cover the eyes and slowly open the eyes. Relax the hands. Let's come to the front of the mat. We're going to start with half salutations. Just start to weight things up a little bit. These half sun salutations. So with your breath, As you inhale, Sweep your arms out and up and overhead. Exhale, Slightly bend the knees, Fold forward at the hips, And look back toward your navel. Inhale halfway, Lengthen through the crown of your head. And exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise up, Nice flat back. As you stand back up, Reach your arms up. Exhale, Hands together at the heart. And repeat. Inhale, Arms up. So your movement lasts the length of your breath. Exhale, Fold forward. Look back toward your navel. Inhale, Halfway lift, Lengthening through the spine. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise, Nice flat back. Extending all the way up, Reaching up. Exhale, Hands to the heart. And again, You're moving with your breath. Inhale, Sweep the arms. Exhale, Fold forward. Look back toward your navel. Inhale, Nice long spine. Reach through the crown of the head. And exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise, Flat back. Extend all the way up. Exhale, Hands to the heart. Good, Relax the hands. Now we're going to move into a classical sun salutation. So move with your breath. Inhale, Sweep the arms and look up. Exhale, Fold forward. All the way down, Uttanasana. Inhale, Halfway, Lengthen through the crown. Exhale, Plant your hand. Step your right foot back, Lower the back knee. Inhale, Rise, Arms come up. Hands come down, Step back, Plank pose. Take an extra breath here. Inhale. And then exhale, Lower down, Knees, Chest, And chin. Inhale, Cobra. Or upward dog. Exhale, Your hips up and back, Downward dog. Stay here and breathe. Take a few breaths. It might feel nice to slightly bend the knees. You want to try to get some length in your spinal column here. Ground through your hands. Breathe through your nose. Good. At the bottom of this next exhalation, Look forward. Right foot steps forward, Back knee comes down. Inhale, Arms come up. Exhale, Hands come down, Step your back foot forward. Forward bend. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise. Nice flat back. All the way up. Extend up. Exhale, Hands to the heart. Pause for a moment so you know where we're going. See if you can make your movement even more subtle, Even more connected to your breath. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Left foot this time. Step back, Lower the back knee. Inhale, Arms come up. Exhale, Hands come down. Step back to plank. Let's take an extra breath. Inhale. Exhale, Knees, Chest and chin. And then inhale, Back bend. Either cobra or upward dog. Tops of the feet are down. Exhale, Tuck your toes. Lift your hips. Downward dog. Breathe here. Again, Looking for length in the spine. So, Totally fine to bend the knees as you press through the hands, Creating length all through the spinal column as you breathe. Good. Bottom of your neck. Exhale, Look forward. Left foot's going to step forward. Back knee comes down. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Frame that front foot. Step forward, Forward bend. Inhale, Halfway. And exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise up and extend up. Exhale, Hands to the heart. Good. Let's go again. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Right foot steps back. Lower the back knee. Inhale, Rise up. Hips come forward. Reach up. Exhale, Step back to plank. Take an extra breath. Inhale. Exhale, Maybe you lower down through chaturanga or knees, Chest, And chin. Inhale, Either cobra or upward dog. And then exhale, Downward dog. Stay here and breathe. If you need to swap out child's pose, Feel free to take child's pose in place of downward dog. Spine is long. Body's relaxed. Breath is relaxed. Good. At the bottom of this exhalation, You're going to look forward. Right foot steps forward. Back knee comes down. Hips keep coming forward. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Release the hand. Step forward. Inhale, Halfway. Nice long spine. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise all the way up. Exhale, Hands to the heart. Good. We've got one more round of this classical variation. Move with your breath. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale, Long spine, Halfway. Exhale, Left foot steps back. Lower the back knee. Keep bringing those hips forward. As you inhale, Arms come up. Exhale, Plant the hand. Step back. Take an extra breath. Inhale. Exhale, Either knees, Chest, And chin or chaturanga. Elbows close to the body. Inhale through your backbend. Exhale, Your hips up and back. Downward dog. Check in with the hands. You're spread through the fingers. Palms are grounded down. As your hips lift, Your spine lengthens. Breathe here. Good. Next exhalation, We're going to look forward. Left foot steps forward. Back knee comes down. Inhale, Arms come up. Exhale, Release the hand. Step forward. Inhale, Rise. Nice long spine. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, All the way up. Extend up. Rise up. Exhale, Hands together at the heart. Good. Pause here. Relax the shoulders. Let's take a few breaths. If the mind has wandered away, Just invite it back very friendly, Very gently. Notice the breath in the body. Notice where the body moves when you breathe. We're going to move into sun salutation A. So building some heat, Building some strength, Continuing to move. With your breath, Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Halfway. Lengthen. Exhale, Step back in one breath. Lower yourself down. Inhale, Through your backbend. And exhale, Your hips up and back. Downward dog. Good. From here, We're going to stay here and breathe. I want you to bring your awareness to your navel, So your low abdomen. As you exhale, Draw your navel center back toward your spine. And as you inhale, You relax. Exhale, Navel draws in. Inhale, Relax. And just do that a few times. Nice activation at this power center of the body. Good. Bottom of your exhale, Look forward, Walk, Step, Or hop forward. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise. Flat back, All the way up. Exhale, Hands to the heart. Keep going. Keep moving with your breath. Inhale, Arms up. Exhale, Fold forward. Uttanasana. Inhale, Halfway. And then one long exhale. Hands come down, Feet step back. Lower yourself down. Inhale, Through your backbend. Cobra or upward dog. Exhale, Downward dog. Hands are steady. Spine is long. Awareness at the navel. As you exhale, You draw your navel toward your spine. As you inhale, You relax. Good. Bottom of the exhale, You look forward, Walk, Step, Or hop forward to the front of your mat. Inhale, Halfway. And exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise. Nice flat back. Exhale, Hands to the heart. Keep going. Let's go one more round. Sun salutation A. Arms up on the inhale. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Step back. Lower yourself down. Inhale, Through your backbend. And exhale, Hips up and back. Downward dog. We've been here many times before. Awareness at the navel. Engage on the exhale. Relax on the inhale. Good. Bottom of this exhale, We're going to look forward, Walk, Step, Or hop to the front of your mat. Inhale, Halfway. And exhale, Fold. Inhale, Rise up. Arms come up and overhead. Exhale, Hands at the heart. Very good. Let's pause for a moment, Coming back to mountain pose, Tadasana. Relax the shoulders. Really relax your whole body. Make any adjustments that you need. Awareness goes back inward. And as if you're observing somebody else, Just begin to notice how you feel. Check in with the body and the breath. Notice if the mind is content and present, Or perhaps it's busy doing something else. If it has wandered, You can very gently and in a very friendly way, Bring the mind back to the breath. Notice the breath in the body. We're going to move through one more set of sun salutation. And this will be our hardest set. We're moving through sun salutation B. Surya Namaskar. Do your breaths to stay with your breath. You can take breaks, Pause when you need to. But let this be an inward experience just as much as an outer experience. So the focus is inward. Allow your body to move with your breath. So back to the front of our mat. Okay, We're going to inhale, Sit the hips back, Bend the knees, Arms come up. We're going to take a few breaths here. I want you to check in with the lower back. And I want you to slightly tuck the tailbone so you create some length through your lower spine. And anytime we're here, We're going to try to do that as well. All right, So you got to notice the breath. Nice long low back. Exhale, Fold forward. Inhale, Halfway lift, Lengthen through the crown. And then exhale, Plant your hands, Step your feet back, Lower yourself down. Inhale, Backbend, Cobra or upward dog. Exhale, Downward dog. Start to step your foot forward. As you inhale, Back foot comes down, Warrior one. Exhale, Hands come down, Step back, Lower down. Flow through a vinyasa. Inhale, Backbend. Exhale, Hips up and back. Still while you're exhaling, Left foot comes forward. Inhale, Arms come up. Exhale, Back down. Release down. Inhale, Backbend. Exhale, Downward dog. Good. If you need to take child's pose, Feel free. Let's stay with that navel activation, Really tapping into our personal power. On the exhale, You engage and draw the navel in. On the inhale, You soften and relax. Good. Bottom of the exhale, Look forward. Walk, Step or hop to the front of your mat. Inhale, Halfway. And exhale, Full. Inhale, Bend the knees, Sit the hips back, Arms come overhead. Take a few extra breaths here. Navel draws in as your low back lengthens. Inhale, Rise. And exhale, Relax the arms. Just pause for a moment. Good. So, More physically demanding than the other two rounds. See where you might need to make adjustments. Stay with your own power. Allow your breath to carry you through. Inhale, Sit the hips back, Bend the knees. Exhale, Fold forward, Release down. Inhale, Spine nice and low. Exhale, Hands come down, Step back, Lower down. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Hips up and back. Good. Right foot forward, Left foot comes down as you inhale, Warrior one. Exhale, Release back down, Flow through a vinyasa. Inhale for your backbend. Exhale, Hips up and back. Good. Inhale, Left foot forward, Right foot down, Arms up. Exhale, Flow back down. One breath to come down. Inhale for backbend. Exhale, Downward dog. Really good. Spine is long. Work at the navel. As you exhale, You draw that low belly in. As you inhale, You relax. Just like that. Exhale, Engage. Inhale, Relax. Bottom of this exhale, We're going to look forward, Walk, Step, Or hop forward. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Full. Inhale, Bend the knees, Sit the hips back, Arms overhead. Exhale, Hands come together at the heart. Very good. Take a few breaths. We've got just one more. So really dig deep. Let's go for it. Move with your breath. Inhale, Bend the knees, Sit the hips back, Arms overhead. Exhale, Fold forward, Uttanasana. Inhale, Ardha uttanasana, Halfway. Exhale, Hands down, Step back. Lower down, Nice and smooth. Inhale, Backbend. Exhale, Downward dog. Right foot steps forward. Inhale, Back foot down, Warrior one. Exhale, Hands come down, Step back, Flow through a vinyasa. Inhale, Backbend. Exhale, Downward dog. Left foot forward as you inhale, Back foot comes down, Virabhadrasana one. Exhale, Release back down. Inhale, Backbend. And exhale, Downward dog. Very good. Let's clear the breath. So inhale through the nose, And then open the mouth, Release fully. And again, Inhale through the nose, Open the mouth, And one more. Good, Look forward, Walk. Step or hop. Inhale, Halfway. Exhale, Fold. Inhale, Bend the knees, Sit the hips back, Arms overhead. Exhale, Hands together at the heart. Very good, Stay here. Awareness inward, You can keep hands, Palms together, You can relax arms by the side. Whoever feels comfortable for you. Take a few relaxed breaths here. Allowing your physical body to soften. And starting to tune into the non-physical. Perhaps you have a greater awareness of your inner reality. Just notice. Each breath getting a little bit more relaxed. The bulk of the physical work is done, So nicely done. Okay, Allow the eyes to open. Let's just do a few more gentle movements. Fingertips onto the shoulders, And then we're just going to begin to circle and rotate here. And it can feel nice to get your legs involved, Bending the knees. Good, Let that evolve a little bit. If you've got the space, Start to sweep your arms forward and back. Again, Your lower body finds its own rhythm. Nice little movement here. Everything's relaxed. Arms are moving from the shoulder joint. Good, And then start to cross the arms, Alternating your top arm each time you come across. As you extend back, Really open through your chest. Breathe deeply through your nose here. Good, And then you've got your feet nice and wide. Let's come into a spinal twist. So we've done a lot of forward bends and back bends, But we want to create balance. So come into this twisting motion. As you twist, You lift up your opposite heel, And you can use your elbows to lead the movement. Nice spinal twist. The yogis say we're only as old as our spine. So we want to stay vibrant. Let's care for our spine. If this feels good and you want to add a little bit more, You can extend one arm behind you. Just make sure you've got enough room. So as you open up, Your arm extends. You can get a little bit more into the chest, A little bit of a deeper twist. And then we're going to continue to twist, But we're just going to relax the arms. So completely relaxed. Keep twisting here. Just allowing the hands to naturally land on the body. And a lot of these movements are actually working on the subtle body. In yoga, We talk about the prana maya kosha, The pranic body, The subtle body. And this prana, This flow of energy, This life force, Can get stuck at the places of the joints. So these movements are in service of prana. The very life force, The pulsation of life, Animating our body, Animating our mind. We want that prana to flow freely. Good. Come back to center. Start to get into the wrists and the ankles. Again, More. It's physical, Yes, But also really in service of prana. Good. You can clasp the hands, Rotate at the wrist some more. Good. And then start to shake out the legs. So one leg at a time. Really shake. Just alternate from side to side. Give yourself permission to be perhaps looking a little bit strange. Maybe you've got some people or animals in your space. They might start looking at you a little bit funny. But here we are really doing ourselves a huge service. Allowing our life force, Our pranic energy to flow. So shake the legs. And then start to shake the wrists and the arms. And come into these little hops, These little pulsations. Shoulders are relaxed. And again, Just go for it. If it's your first time, It might seem a little bit strange. I promise if you practice this more, You'll come to love this practice. Waking up the body. Waking up the mind. Releasing tension in the physical body. And creating flow in the energy body, The subtle body. This can turn into a little bit more of a dance if you want to. Good. And eventually find center. Just stabilize yourself. Just like we started. Find a comfortable stance. Close your eyes. And begin to tune into the subtle. The subtle. Can you feel that gentle hum of energy? That flow of prana? Your body's relaxed. Your breath starts to become effortless. And take a few more moments here to notice your experience. Allow the breath to fill the space of the body. If you'd like, You can bring left hand to your heart, Right hand to your abdomen. Enjoy these moments of stillness. If you'd like, You can bring your hands to prayer. Hands together at heart center. Gently bowing the head to the floor. Honoring the sacredness of this moment. The sacredness of this life. This incredible human journey. Offer gratitude for this moment and your life and anything else specific. Feel free to bring that into your awareness. May the light of this practice shine brightly in your mind and body. And may you share that light with all those that you interact with. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti. Namaste. You can rub your palms. Warm up your hands. Cover your eyes. And then open your eyes and relax your hands. Thank you so very much for joining. Hope to see you again soon.