Come to a comfortable seated position in a chair or on the floor.
If you're seated on the floor,
You might choose to have a block to either side.
Once you're comfortable,
Close your eyes or soften the gaze.
And just take the next few cycles of breath to settle.
Settle into the space that you're in.
Allow distractions to flow through.
Just feel yourself breathing.
Rooting down through the sitting bones.
And extend up through the crown of the head.
As you hold this posture,
Soft in the skin,
Soft in the edges.
And see if you can feel your abdomen move as you breathe.
The inhale navel drops forward.
Then the exhale navel pulls back.
You inhale.
Suspend the breath at the top.
Drop the mouth open.
Let it go.
And the breath returns to moving in and out of the nose.
The next time that you inhale,
Extend up a little bit more through the crown of the head.
And exhale,
Drop your chin to chest.
And gently rock your head side to side.
And if for any reason this doesn't feel good,
You can bring your head back up to neutral.
Keep the chin parallel to the floor and look left to right instead.
When that feels complete,
We rest our head in neutral.
Chin again parallel to the floor.
Take an easy breath in through the nose.
Drop the mouth open.
Let the breath leave without pushing it out.
Just let the body empty.
Next inhale.
Float the shoulders up to the ears.
Exhale them back and down.
Do this a few more times.
Match your breath with movement.
Inhale up.
Exhale back and down.
And reverse direction.
Draw the shoulder blades toward each other on the back.
Inhale up.
Exhale forward and down.
A few more in the same direction.
And then to reset,
Inhale up,
Back,
And down.
Taking a side stretch to the right.
Right hand to the floor.
If you're seated on the floor,
Maybe to the armchair.
Left hand to the hip or up overhead.
And if the bottom elbow bends,
Have it bend in towards the body.
Inhale.
Float you up.
Exhale.
Release the arm down.
Inhale.
Lengthen the spine.
And then exhale over to the other side.
And take the variation on this side that feels comfortable for this side.
Inhale.
Float you up.
Exhale.
Release both arms down alongside the body.
Shoulder shrugs.
Squeeze them up towards the ears and then let them drop.
Two more.
Hands land to the thighs or knees.
Palms down.
Inhale.
Tilt the pelvis forward.
Lift the heart,
The gaze.
Exhale.
Tuck the tailbone around the spine.
Chin drops toward chest.
Inhale.
Heart lifts.
Gaze lifts.
Exhale.
Round through the whole spine.
Try to keep your shoulders stacked over the hips as you continue.
One more breath cycle.
Next inhale brings you to neutral.
Let the breath go.
Now if you're seated in a cross-legged position,
Go ahead and change the cross of the legs.
Readjust on your sitting bones.
If you've shifted,
Sitting up tall,
Exhale.
Drop chin to chest.
And again,
Gently rock the head side to side or look left to right.
And next time that the head is in center,
Bring the head back up to neutral.
Let the breath go.
Shoulder rolls.
Inhale up.
Exhale back and down.
A few more.
And then reverse direction.
Bring them toward each other on the back body.
Float them up.
Exhale forward and down.
And reverse once to reset.
Up,
Back,
And down.
Good.
Side stretch to the left.
Left hand to the floor,
To a block.
Maybe two.
Then arm rest.
And right hand to the hip or up overhead.
If you want to go a little bit further,
Top hand rests underneath the head.
And then gaze,
Heart,
Elbow point upwards.
Inhale floats you up.
And then exhale over to the other side.
And take the variation on this side that feels comfortable for this side.
Inhale floats you up.
Exhale,
Release the arms down.
Shoulder shrugs.
Squeeze up.
Let them drop.
Two more.
Good.
Hands line to the thighs or knees.
Palms down.
Seated Cat-Cows.
Inhale,
Tilt the pelvis forward.
Lift the heart.
The gaze.
Exhale,
Tuck the tailbone around the spine.
Chin to chest.
A few more.
Your pace.
Your breath.
And the next time that you inhale,
Bring yourself back to neutral.
Release the breath.
And then bring the soles of the feet together.
If you're seated on the floor and drop the knees open.
Butterfly.
Hands can land to the base of the knees or at the ankles.
Draw the shoulders back.
Settle into your breath.
And from here,
Palms come together at the heart space.
Interlace the fingers and as you exhale,
Press the palms forward.
Keep the shoulders drawn back and shoulders stacked over the hips.
Stay here or next inhale brings the arms up towards the ceiling.
With your upcoming exhale,
Release the hands.
Cactus the arms.
Drop the tailbone.
Lift the heart.
Inhale.
Float the palms up together at midline.
Release down through midline.
Release the breath.
And then interlace the fingers again.
Lift them on top.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Press the palms forward.
Pause here.
Release the breath.
Stay here or inhale.
Reach the arms up overhead.
With your upcoming exhale,
Release the arms into cactus.
Drop the tailbone.
Lift the heart.
Inhale.
Palms touch overhead.
Release down through midline to the heart space.
And then to the lap.
Take a breath.
And side stretch for the neck.
Let your right ear drop down towards the right shoulder.
And if you want to go a little further,
Reach your left arm out,
Extending out through the fingertips.
At about a 45 degree angle on the extended arm so you find the stretch in the top of the shoulder.
And then nod your head yes at this angle.
And that feels complete.
Hand returns to the lap.
Inhale.
The head up to neutral.
Let the breath go.
Other side.
Drop the left ear towards the left shoulder.
Maybe the right arm reaches out,
Extending out through the fingertips.
And again,
Find the right height so you feel the stretch in the top of the shoulder.
And then nod your head yes at this angle.
And then hand returns to the lap.
Inhale.
The head up to neutral.
Let the breath go.
Roll the shoulders up,
Back,
And down.
You can keep the legs in butterfly,
Maybe grabbing blocks to support the outer edges of the legs,
Depending on how high up you're seated if you're on the ground.
Or you can return to a cross-legged position.
Hands rest on the thighs or knees.
Sitting up tall,
Eyes can close.
And taking a few minutes here in meditation,
Or if available,
Laying down.
Once you're comfortable,
Easy breath in through the nose.
Let it go.
