Whole Body Warm-Up

(ocean waves lapping) Hi, welcome to your practice. We're gonna do a whole body warm up today. Coming over, starting in all fours, plant the hands below the shoulders, knees below the hips. We'll start with a few rounds of Cat-Cow action so, dropping the belly, letting the head lift. It's probably an inhale and then with an exhale you'll start to round the spine, lowering the head.

Keep moving like that with your breath, your own pace. Inhale, you arch. Exhale, you round. One more, just like that. Inhale, arching the spine.

Exhale, rounding through the spine. Then we'll take a few breaths, little bit more creative movement. So here you might start to shift side to side with the spine, roll the hips around, roll the neck around, anything goes. We'll start greeting the body, saying hello. Tucking the toes and playing with Child's Pose or maybe even coming down onto the belly.

Like, "Good morning." "Hello body, how are you doing?" The next breath you'll pause here, all fours, neutral spine. Take your right hand, reach it out. Left foot, reach it out. Find some breath here and this is a place where you can stay and work. Otherwise, inhale, you reach out.

Exhale, draw elbow knee together. Inhale, reach out. Exhale, draw elbow knee together. Inhale, reach out. Exhale, draw in together.

Here, inhale, pause, reaching both ends. Again, you can stay here, just like this. Otherwise, thumb up like you're hitchhiking, reach back, finding pinky edge of the foot. Press the foot into the hand. The torso's allowed to spin and open.

Release that down. Inhale, arch the spine. Exhale, round the spine. Neutral, and then left hand forward, right foot back. Pause here, just working this can be enough.

Otherwise, moving on. Inhale, reach out. Exhale, elbow knee draw together. Inhale, reaching. Exhale, moving in.

Inhale, reaching out. Exhale, drawing in. Reaching out. Drawing in. Here, pause on the reach out.

Again, thumb up, reaching back. See if you can find pinky edge so to keep the external rotation in the shoulder and then push the foot into the hand and allow the chest to spin. Release both down. Inhale, arch the spine. Exhale, round the spine.

Come back to neutral, tuck the toes, lift the hips, Downward-Facing Dog. Take a second here, wag the tail, bend into the knees, walking the dog. I like that expression. (chuckles) A few moments greeting your Downward Dog. And then with the next inhale, shift forward, Plank Pose. Exhale, lower all the way down to the belly.

Take the hands slightly back, shrug the shoulders up, down, and back, press the feet into the ground. Inhale, lift, Cobra. Exhale, soften. Inhale, lift, Cobra. Exhale, soften.

Last one, maybe a little bit bigger. Inhale, lift. Exhale, soften. Lift yourself up towards all fours, tucking the toes, Downward-Facing Dog. Gaze can come forward and start to walk your feet towards your hands.

You can always take big steps, little steps, or even hop, if you'd like to. And then we'll pause here in our Uttanasana, Forward Fold. Shaking the head out, yes, no. A few breaths here. And from here, slowly rounding, rolling all the way on up towards Upward Salute.

On the inhale, arms will come out overhead, exhale, hands come to the heart. We'll start with Surya Namaskar Hatha variation. Inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, fold on down. Inhale, there's extension through the spine, fingertips or hands to the shins.

Exhale, hands ground, right leg moves back nice and long. Lower the knee, release the toe. Inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, hands come down. Step back on the inhale.

Exhale, lower knees, chest and chin, Ashtanga Namaskara. Inhale, pull forward, Bhujangasana, Cobra. Exhale, Downward-Facing Dog. Right leg comes high, inhale. Step through, AnjaneyÄ쳌sana, lowering the back knee and then inhale, arms come on up.

Exhaling, move down. Inhale to step forward, extending through the spine. Exhale to fold. Inhale rises up, Upward Salute. Exhale, hands to the heart.

Same thing, left side. Inhale, arms up. Exhale, fold on down. Inhale, extension through the spine, fingertips or hands to the shins. Exhale, left leg back, lower knee, release the toe, arms up on the inhale.

Exhale, the hands come down, stepping back, Plank Pose. Lower knees, chest, and chin. Inhale, to pull forward, Cobra. Exhale to move back Downward Dog. Left leg is high on they inhale.

Exhale to step through, lowering the knee. Inhale, arms up. With the breath, they move down. Stepping forward on your inhale, extending through the spine. Exhale to fold.

Inhale to rise on up. Exhale, hands to the heart. Take a few rounds of Surya Namaskar A. Inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, all the way down.

Inhale, extension through the spine. Exhale, hands ground. So you can step back Plank Pose or you hop back Chaturanga. Upward-Facing Dog. Mmmm.

And then Downward-Facing Dog with the exhale. You can always modify that and come to the belly and take Cobra. Take a few breaths in your Downward Dog, finding, reconnecting, breathing, body. Big inhales, long exhales. And you take the gaze forward on the inhale.

Exhale, we'll bend into the knees and hop, step, or jump. Inhale when you get there. Exhale to fold. Inhale to rise on up. Upward Salute.

Exhale, hands to the heart. One more time. Inhale, arms rise on up. Exhale, all the way down. Inhale, extension through the spine.

Again, you can move back, Plank or hopping Chaturanga, bending into the elbows. Inhale into Upward-Facing Dog. Exhale into your Downward-Facing Dog. Few breaths here. Big, full inhale.

Long exhale. Reconnect to the ground with your hands and your feet, wag the tail, or you can bend into the knees. You can also stay still. The next inhale, you'll look forward. Exhale, bend the knees.

Stepping or hopping, inhale when you get there. Exhale to fold. Inhale to rise on up, Upward Salute. Exhale, hands to the heart. Breath here, reconnect, plug the thumbs into the sternum, press the sternum forward.

Let the eyes close for a moment, ground through the feet, rise up through the crown of the head. And inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, fold on down. Inhale, extension through the spine. Exhale, ground the hands again.

You can step, hop, walk yourself back so you can do Plank or Chaturanga. You can lower down to the belly, take Cobra or Upward-Facing Dog. Downward-Facing Dog on the exhale, we'll all meet there. Take an inhale, lift the right leg up high. Exhale, step through, Low Lunge.

Soften the belly down, let the gaze come forward, inhale. Exhale, fold over, wide Parsvottanasana or Pyramid. Two more like that. Inhale, bend into knee, gaze comes forward. Exhale, we fold.

Rebend into the knee, inhale, gaze comes forward. Exhale, fold. Here as you bend into the knee with the inhale, the exhale's nice open twist, left hand's down, right arm rises on up. And then one move, lowering the knee, swinging the arms on up, AnjaneyÄ쳌sana. Exhale, hands come down.

One move, step back, bend the elbows, Chaturanga. Upward-Facing Dog. Downward-Facing Dog. Few breaths here. Reconnecting.

On the next inhale, lift the left leg high. Exhale, step through, Low Lunge. Soften the belly, gaze comes forward. Exhale, fold, Parsvottanasana. Inhale, rebend into the knee, gaze comes forward.

Exhale, folding. Rebend into the knee, gaze comes forward, last time. Exhale, folding. Here as you bend into the knee, it's the open twist. Right hand's down, left arm rises on up.

And then lowering the knee, swinging both arms high, AnjaneyÄ쳌sana. Big breath here. Exhale, hands come down. Tuck the back toe, lift the back knee. One move, bend the elbows as you step, Upward-Facing Dog.

Downward-Facing Dog. Full breath here. Adding on from here, inhale, take the right leg nice and high. Exhale, step through, Low Lunge. Just one of these.

Press down through the belly, take the gaze forward. And then exhale, fold. Rebend into the knee for the open twist. Left hand down, right arm up. Lowering the knee, swing the arms up, AnjaneyÄ쳌sana.

So here you can always bring the hands down to the ground for support. Otherwise, it's tucking the back toe, lifting the back knee, coming to High Lunge. Find a breath here and then take the hands to the heart. Collect some energy into that front foot. Lean slightly forward, and then come up for your Virabhadrasana III, Warrior III.

We'll land back, Warrior I. So grounding that back heel, hips stay forward, inhale. Breath here, you might interlace the fingers. Vira Mudra, like the nice full bend in that front knee. Heart opens.

Nice big expansive shape. And then again, we'll take the hands to the heart. Energy towards that front foot, lift up through the back heel. This back leg's gonna come all the way up, knee to chest. Woo-ooh! Maybe.

Woo-ooh! (chuckles) all right, balance here. Take the hands around the front of the knee, lift up, open the chest. And then we'll move back, transitioning to Warrior III, only for a moment to open the hips and find Ardha CandrÄ쳌sana, so those right fingers will still come down, the left hand starts to lift up, Half Moon. Strong bend into the standing leg, send it long, Peaceful Warrior. Big inhale.

Exhale, Side Angle, elbow to knee or deeper if you'd like. Arm goes over the ear. And a few breaths here, reaching through both ends, foot and fingers. Inhale, Peaceful Warrior. Exhale, straighten the front leg, Triangle Pose.

Same thing, few breaths here. Big inhale, long exhale. Inhale, rebend into the knee, Peaceful Warrior. Exhale, spiral the hands on down, Low Lunge. Lower the back knee down, release that back toe, take the hands to the top of the knee.

Reach your left hand nice and high, inhale. Exhale, take the twist outside the leg line. Press the palms together. Here, gaze can stay down at that front foot, can also rotate back behind you. Can stay just like this or you can tuck the back toe, lift the back knee.

Again, gaze can be down or it can start to work behind you. We'll all take our gaze down, hands down. The back knee's still down, tuck the back toe, lift the back knee so you're in a Low Lunge. Move that left hand slightly forward so that the palms a little more in line with the big toes. And then, stepping back, stacking the feet, Side Plank.

Option, take that top foot, Tree Pose. Pressing the two together. Keep it, option, Tree Pose Plank Pose. Tree Pose Chaturanga Pose. Tree Pose Upward-Facing Dog Pose. (chuckles) Tree Pose Downward-Facing Dog Pose.

(sighing) Regular Downward-Facing Dog Pose. (chuckles) Big inhale, long exhale, full breathing here, reconnecting. Last side, take that left leg nice and high, inhale. Exhale, step through, Low Lunge. Soften the belly, gaze comes forward, that's an inhale. Exhale that wide Parsvottanasana.

Inhale, rebend into the knee. Exhale, open twist. Right hand down, left arm rises on up. We lower the back knee down, swing the arms on up, AnjaneyÄ쳌sana. A breath here, opening through the hips, opening through the heart.

So again, you might bring the hands down for balance. Otherwise, keep them lifted, tuck the back toe, lift the back knee, High Lunge. Hands come to the heart. Collect the energy, front foot. All right, lean forward.

Lift up, Warrior III. We land it back in Warrior I so grounding through that back heel, arms rise on up. Here, strong bend into the front knee, open heart. Interlace the fingers, Vira Mudra. The gaze lift.

Find the belly. Big expansive shape. And exhale, hands come to the heart again. Lift up through that back heel, energy in towards that front foot, back knee to chest, one move! Yay! You did it! (laughs) Pause here, take the hands around the front of the knee and it's like squeezing in to open through the heart. Maybe the gaze can start to lift.

Breath here. This moves into our Half Moon so we start to send the leg back just a mini-visit into Warrior III, into that left hand comes down to the ground, right arm reaches on up, hips open. A breath here, Half Moon, Ardha CandrÄ쳌sana. Rebend into the knee, Peaceful Warrior as you send it back nice and long. Big inhale.

Exhale, Side Angle, elbow to knee, or deeper if you'd like. Top arm goes over the ear. Reach through the fingers. Reach through the pinky edge of that back foot, opening the side body. Inhale, rise back up, Peaceful Warrior.

Exhale, Triangle Pose, straightening the front leg. Come on over. A few breaths here. Sweet shape. Next inhale, back through Peaceful, reaching back with that left arm.

Exhale, spiral the hands on down, framing the front foot. Lower your back knee, release the back toe, take the hands on up to the top of the knee. Reach your right hand nice and high, inhale, and then exhale, take the twist outside the knee. Right, you can take a second, like move flesh around. Get yourself in there, press the palms together.

All right, press the leg and the elbow together. Make a relationship. Gaze can stay down in that front foot. Can also start to work back. Few breaths here.

Or, if you'd like to tuck the back toe, lift the back knee, breathe here. Same thing, gaze can stay at that front foot or start to work back. Wherever you are, we'll all bring our hands down to the ground. Lift up through that back knee so you're in a Low Lunge. Right hand shifts forward slightly, right?

So that the palms in line with the big toe and then step on back, stacking the hips, Side Plank. Other side. Option here, your Tree, Tree, Tree, right? Take that top foot, connect it, press the thigh into the foot. Make the connection happen.

And then keep it. Tree Pose Plank Pose. Tree Pose Chaturanga Pose. Tree Pose Upward-Facing Dog Pose. (laughing) And then Tree Pose Downward-Facing Dog Pose. And then release the foot down.

Take a big, full inhale. Long exhale here. Shift yourself forward. Lower the knees down. Child's Pose.

Breathing here. Take a nice big, full inhale here, long exhale. We'll slowly start to walk our hands back, sitting up on the heels, coming into Rock Pose, bringing the hands to the heart. So adjust myself, so you can see me a little bit better. Big full inhale here.

Long exhale. We'll inhale, both arms come on up and then exhale, let the right hand come off to the side and then let your hips move to the left. So right over to the right, hips to the left so you're actually leaning and then the arm goes over the ear. Rise on up, both hands come to center overhead. Hips return to center, hands at the heart.

We'll do that other side. Inhale, both arms up. Exhale, left hand comes down, hips move to the right, side bend over to the left. Another breath here. Rise back up, hips center, arms overhead.

Exhale, hands to the heart. Take the arms out to the side, inhale. And then exhale, right over left, eagling the arms on up. Reach up and away and then down and in. And then, center.

Reach both arms out, left over right, up and away, down and in, and then, center. Release the arms out, inhale both arms up, exhale, hands to the heart. Fingertips come behind you, facing your body. Draw the elbows together, open through the heart. Your gaze can stay forward.

This is a great place to work, right? Or you might release the head back. You might lift the hips up. Mindful of how the knees are feeling. Any place for stopping.

Slowly come back up, hands back to the heart. And three breaths here, inhaling arms overhead. Exhale, maybe out through the mouth, hands come back to the heart. And two more times. Inhale, arms come on up.

Exhale, hands to the heart, letting go. Last one, inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, hands to the heart. Let the eyes close here, connecting the thumbs to the sternum. Notice your breath, notice your heart.

Bowing the head on in. May you recognize your wholeness, your fullness, your perfection. Thank you for sharing your practice with me today. Namaste.