Welcome.
This is a quick but energizing movement practice that you can do if you're short on time.
Before we begin,
Let's do a quick little check-in.
So I'd like to ask you,
What feels good about being right here,
Right now?
Take a moment to feel into that answer.
Maybe take a cycle of breath.
And then when you feel ready,
Let's start to come to a standing position.
So we'll start with a little Qigong exercise called knocking on the door of life.
So this is a great way to stimulate energy through the body.
There's a little focus on our kidney area,
Which is considered to be the batteries of the body.
So it holds our life force.
So this is a great place to stimulate if you're feeling a little low on energy.
So bring your feet about hip distance.
A little bend to your knees.
You want to keep your body nice and soft.
And what we want to focus on is we're going to start to find a sway.
So we kind of turn side to side.
And as you do this,
The legs stay soft,
There's a bend to the knees,
And then you start to find a swing with your arms.
You really want to focus on bringing the arms to hit the front of the torso and the back of the torso,
Especially the back where our kidneys reside.
So take some time here.
If it feels good,
You can close your eyes down.
You can move as fast or as slow as you like.
I like to start slow and then just start to pick the pace up.
But once again,
You just check in,
Notice what feels good for you today.
Slow steady breaths.
And then start to slow it down.
Come to a standing position,
Maybe close your eyes down.
Take a moment to feel the subtle energies that might be moving through your body.
Take a slow breath in.
And then a slow breath out.
And then take closed fist and we're just going to start to tap the back.
So the low back area just stimulating that kidney chi area.
Just moving up and down,
Circulating the energy within this space.
And then slowly release.
Once again,
Give yourself a moment just to connect to your breath.
Now from here.
We're just going to take a couple of standing spinal waves.
So a little bend of the knees,
Keep your chin tucked.
And it starts to roll your spine all the way down.
And then once you reach the bottom,
Keep the bend of the knees,
Keep your chin tucked,
Roll your spine all the way up,
Crown of the head lifts.
Let's take two more like this.
Tuck the chin,
Keep the knees bent,
Hinge at your hips as you roll all the way down,
Nice and controlled.
Lessons slowly begin to rise.
Once more.
And then from here.
Journey towards a downward facing dog.
As you come to your downward facing dog,
You might like to pedal through your feet,
Bending one knee,
Lifting one heel.
Taking a moment to find a place of stillness.
Now from here,
Lift both of your heels.
Bend your knees generously,
Take your eye gaze between your thumbs and then start to drop both of your heels over to the right side of your mat.
You want to stay on the balls of your feet so your heels are lifting.
You want to push your hands down and forward and then imagine that your sit bones are drawing towards your heels.
As you inhale,
Come through center and then take it to the other side.
Inhale through center,
Lift your heels,
Drop them to the right.
Keep the heels lifted,
Bend both of your knees generously.
Keep your eye gaze looking forward.
Inhale through center.
And then take it to the left side.
Slowly come back.
Start to lower your knees onto the mat,
Keep your toes tucked.
And then sit all the way back onto your heels.
Bring your hands onto your thighs,
Close your eyes.
Slow steady breaths as you feel into the energy that's moving through the soles of your feet.
Gently come forward.
Bring your hands down onto the mat.
We're going to find a few rounds of our waving cat cow.
So as you feel ready,
Sink your belly down,
Lift your heart to the sky.
As you excel.
Start to round,
Shifting your weight slightly forward.
As you exhale,
Sink your belly and then start to glide your hips all the way back towards your heels.
As you inhale,
Keep your chin tucked,
Roll the shoulder blades forward.
Slightly over the wrists,
And then as you exhale,
Sink your belly down,
Glide all the way back towards your heels.
Take a few rounds moving at your own pace,
Connecting to your own breath.
Come back to a neutral spine.
Keep your left toes tucked and your right leg back.
Bring the toes onto the mat.
And then just start to rock your weight back and forth.
Now take your right foot and then cross it over.
Towards the left side of your mat.
So a little side body stretch here.
You can stay here or you can find a little bit of movement.
Come back towards your tabletop.
Other side,
So extend your left leg back,
Keep the toes tucked.
The leg is straight behind you,
Just start with a little bit of rocking back and forth.
Cross your left foot over towards the right side of your mat.
Little stretch to the left side body.
Once again,
If you want to invite a little bit of movement,
If that feels okay for your hands and your knees,
Then you can.
Start to find your tabletop once again.
Bring your hands slightly forward and then we'll journey towards our downward facing dog.
Take a slow breath in.
And then a slow breath out.
Inhale,
Float your right leg high.
Come high onto the ball of your left foot,
Knee to nose,
Step your foot towards the top of the mat and then lower your back knee down.
Inhale your arms up towards the sky to find your low lunge.
Activate through your toes,
So grip them into the mat,
Magnetise your feet towards one another and start to grow through the crown of your head and your fingertips.
Slow steady breath.
Circle your hands back down towards the mat,
And then step back towards your downward facing dog.
Inhale,
Left leg high.
Come high onto the ball of your right foot.
Draw your knee in towards your chest and then step your foot forward.
Lower your back knee down,
Draw your arms to the sky,
Find your low lunge.
Once again,
Activate through your feet,
Magnetize them towards one another.
Lengthen the crown of your head and send energy out through your fingertips.
Circle your hands down towards the mat.
And then from here,
Step forward towards a forward fold.
Feet hip distance or a little bit wider,
Generous bend of your knees,
Drop the crown of your head towards the mat.
Now as you find your next inhale,
Keep a little bend of your knees.
You're going to cactus your arms.
You're going to lift your heart.
You're going to draw your tailbone back.
Finding a slot back.
As you exhale,
Ride your breath down as you melt.
Two more like this with the breath.
Inhale cactus the arms,
Lift your heart,
Draw your tailbone back.
Excel to fold.
Last one in half.
And then exhale to fall.
On your next in-breath,
Start to roll your spine up to the sky.
Let your arms float all the way up.
Your eye gaze will follow.
And then as you exhale,
Bring your hands to prayer.
And then slowly release them down by your side.
Take a slow breath in.
And then a slow breath out.
As you inhale,
Float your arms up.
As you exhale,
Bring your hands to the press.
Start to draw your right knee in towards your chest.
Keep your eye gaze focused on a single point.
And then for a count of three,
Step your foot to the back of the mat for three.
Plant the ball of your foot,
Send your arms up to the sky,
Find your high lunge.
Bring a little micro bend to your back knee and then magnetize your right hip forward as you pull your left hip back.
As you find your next inhale,
Open your arms out nice and wide,
Puff your heart to the sky.
As you exhale,
Sweep your arms forward.
As you inhale,
Open your arms,
Puff your heart to the sky.
Exhale,
Ride your breath forward.
Last one,
Inhale.
Exhale,
Bring your arms forward.
Palms touch,
Lean your weight forward.
Steady,
Even breath.
Feel the energy moving through your left leg.
And then start to step forward,
Knees bent,
Arms to the sky chair pose.
Slowly release forward fold.
Inhale to rise,
Send your arms to the sky.
And then exhale,
Hands to prayer in front of your heart.
Take a slow breath in.
And then a slow breath out.
As you inhale,
Float your arms up.
Exhale,
Hands to purr in front of your heart.
Inhale,
Left knee towards your chest.
Slow step to the back of your mat for a count of three.
Two.
One,
Inhale arms to the sky for your high lunge,
Micro bend your back knee,
Magnetize your left hip forward,
Right hip back.
Ground down and root in with a steady breath.
As you find your next inhale,
Open your arms wide,
Lift your heart to the sky.
As you exhale,
Reach your arms forward.
Inhale,
Open your arms wide,
Lift your heart to the sky.
Exhale,
Reach your arms forward.
Last one,
Inhale.
And exhale,
Bring your arms forward.
Keep leaning forward,
Palms are touching.
Activate through your right leg,
Feel the energy moving through you.
Keep shifting forward,
Feet together,
Knees bent,
Arms to the sky,
Chair pose.
As you exhale forward fold.
As you inhale,
Start to roll your spine to the sky,
Arms float up.
And then exhale,
Hands to breath.
Take a slow breath in.
Slow breath out.
I'm just going to change my standing position.
So from here,
What you're going to do is you're going to start to step your right leg.
Behind you at an angle,
So towards the left side.
You're gonna bend into your front knee,
Inhale your left arm to the sky.
Reach onto your left arm and then start to pull over to the right side.
So a little side body stretch here.
Release your arms,
Lean your chest forward,
Sweep your arms back.
As you inhale,
Draw your right knee up towards your chest.
Flex your right ankle,
Cross it above your left knee,
Hands into prayer,
Start to bend into your standing leg as you sink your hips low.
Inhale to rise.
Right foot comes down,
Arms come down by your side.
Step your left foot to the back corner of your mat,
So on the right side.
Try not to hit anything.
Inhale your left arm up.
Grab onto your right wrist and you're going to lean to the left side.
Arm sweep back,
Chest sweeps forward.
Slowly start to rise.
Cross your left ankle above your right knee,
Hands to prayer.
Bend into your standing leg.
Inhale,
Arms come up,
Left foot comes down.
We'll take it once more on each side.
Right foot steps back to the left corner of your mat.
Grab onto your right wrist,
Lean to the left.
Release your arms,
Sweep them back as you lean your chest forward.
Slowly start to rise.
Bring your right ankle above your left knee.
Bend into your standing leg,
Hands to press.
Begin to rise,
Last side.
Left foot steps back to the right corner of your mat.
Grab onto your right wrist,
Lean to the left.
Lean your chest forward,
Sweep your arms back.
Inhale to rise.
Hence the prayer,
Left ankle above your right knee,
Sink down.
You know,
To rise.
Except close down your eyes and bring your arms down by your side.
Take a slow breath in.
And then a slow breath out.
And then to finish off our practice,
We're going to end with a few rounds of our breath of joy.
So in your standing position,
Bring a little bend to your knees.
So this is a three-part inhale and then an exhale through your mouth,
And we integrate a little bit of movement.
So I'll demonstrate how this looks.
Inhale through your nose,
Your arms come up.
Inhale again.
Out to the side inhale again arms come up and then as you exhale little bend of your knees you release the breath through your mouth.
And then inhale,
We come back up and we repeat.
So when you're ready,
Inhale,
Arms come up.
Exhales through the mouth.
Forward fold.
Last round.
Arms come up.
Exhale,
Arms down by your side.
Close down your eyes.
Take a moment to feel into the subtle sensations that might be moving through your body.
Any sort of tingling or buzzing.
A sense of energy or charge moving through you.
Notice how we've just started to really stimulate this life force.
And now I want you to ask yourself again.
What is good about being right here,
Right now?
Start to slow your breath right down.
Take a slow breath in.
Find a gentle pause at the top of your breath.
As you hold,
See if you can relax your shoulders,
Relax your jaw,
Lean into the breath retention.
And then exhale,
Let it go with the sound.
One more like this,
Nice slow deep breath in.
Holes at the top.
And then let it go with the sound.
And then when you feel ready,
You can start to open your eyes.
Bring your hands to prayer.
I just want to say thank you so much for joining me for this short movement practice.
I hope you feel more energized and more within your body.
Let me know how you're feeling.
Let me know what feels good about being right here,
Right now.
And I hope to see you soon.
