Awaken Your Spine

(surf coming in) Hi, welcome back. This is Awaking Your Spine. We're gonna warm up our body and enliven our spine. So, today we'll start in Child's Pose. Shifting the hands forward, let the head settle down.

And, the hips go back towards the heels and relax the neck. Take a few breaths here. Then, start to enliven through the arm line. Reaching finger tips forward, the elbows can come off your mat. And, at the same time reaching back through the hips towards the heels.

Getting this nice, long opening, through the side body. Next breath, you'll start to lift the head up and inch your fingertips on over towards the right side. Try and keep the belly low towards the thighs and then settle the head back, and releasing. Reach extra strong with the left finger tips draw the right hand back by the shoulder line. Tent up the hand, elbow points up, press down and turn the gaze towards your right.

Breath here, and then release, moving back through center, full inhale, full exhale. And next inhale again, the head lifts, walking the hands over towards the left this time. Soften the head, and draw your left hand back, tent up the finger tips, elbow points up. Press down through the left, reach with the right, and then turn the gaze over towards the left. Breath here, release and move back towards the center.

Full inhale, full exhale, softening the head. And so from here, we'll lift the head up and we'll start moving over towards the left. So again, walking the finger tips over you'll bring the knees together. And then, take your right elbow and place it outside the leg line. Start to press in nice and strong and you can place the right hand down.

And then, the left hand walks over. And, what happens is sometimes this left shoulder pops up and you try and square it towards the floor. Breathe here. If you're able to you might be able to reach back the right hand and find the heel. If not, otherwise the floor is fine.

A breath here, working the side body. And then, we come up and release, pause in center, and the over towards the right side. So again, finger tips walk over, left elbow to left leg line, pressing the two together, hands comes to the floor. Right hand walks over, drop that right shoulder, squaring towards the floor, a breathe here. Release, moving back towards center here and then come on up towards all fours.

With your next inhale press down through the hands, the knees. Lift the gaze. And then exhale, rounding through the spine. Moving through like this, with your breath and so we can stay in this traditional cat, cow motion inhale, arching the spine, exhale rounding. Or, you can start to move around in any way that feels comfortable.

So, you know, wagging the tail, tucking the toes, shifting around, and you're sort of like greeting your hips and your shoulders and your spine. Saying hello, and checking out anywhere that's sticky, staying there if you need to. It doesn't have to look like anything aligned or traditional. Right, really just this freedom of movement to explore, say hello and waking it up. And, you can add whatever feels okay here.

The next breath or two we'll pause through neutral spine. And then, you're gonna take your right hand out towards the side, lift it up nice and big, and then threading underneath the left, lowering the head on down. Your left hand'll walk over head, press the fingertips into the ground, elbow points up, maybe twisting a little bit more. The right hand it's like reaching for a friend. (sighs) Big breath here.

As we come back, use modified side plank, up, up and away so the right hand reaches up, left shin kickstands out, right leg reaches. Move back. Arm can go over the ear. Then we come back all fours, inhale arch the spine. Exhale, round the spine.

Neutral, left hand comes out and then up, and then all the way under, threading the needle. Pushing those right fingertips down, elbow points up. And again, reaching with the left. Then, coming to the modified side plank. Right hand down, right shin kicks out and left leg straightens, lifting up, maybe over the ear.

Breath here. And then, back towards all fours. Inhale, arch the spine. Exhale, round. Tuck in the toes, you come into Downward Facing Dog.

Taking a few breaths here, wagging the tail. And then, with the inhale you'll shift forward, Plank Pose. Hold here for a breath, push back through the heels, long through the crown of the head. Lower the knees down, exhale all the way valley. So, for me here shrug the shoulders up towards the ears, roll them down and back.

Take the feet extra wide and really engage the tops of the feet so that you can feel the knee caps slip up off the ground. Press strong into the hands, press strong into the feet. Lift the heart with an inhale. And gaze comes up and then exhale soften on down. Do that two more times, shoulders roll down and back, elbows draw in, feet and hands engaged, lifting up, inhale.

Exhale all the way down. Last time, shoulders, feet, hands, inhale maybe a little bit higher, gaze lifts. Exhale, soften. From here you'll shift yourself back all fours, or Child's. And then, come into Downward Facing Dog, lifting the knees and the hips.

And, take a second here, wag the tail. Walk the legs out, soften the heart through. And then, take your gaze forward and start to take some steps towards the front of your space to come to a forward fold. You can bend into the knees. Soften and release the head.

Taking a few more breaths here, bending the knees, shaking the head out, yes and no. Yes, I need to take opposite elbows and like even do a little bit of a bounce. You can like bend the knees a lot then even let the belly come towards the thighs. Anyway, it doesn't have to look super pretty. You can be wide.

And then, you can add in straighter legs trying to keep that nice fold, releasing the head. Your next inhale or so you'll start to round, roll yourself up again. There's a nice, soft bend into the knees. Eventually, the head lifts and the arms come on up overhead, that's an inhale. And then, the exhale brings the hands to the heart.

Take a full inhale here, a long exhale. Start Hatha Surya Namaskar inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, fold through your center line, soft bend into the knees, third eye, heart, lotus feet. Inhale, extend through the spine, press the hands into the shins, your finger tips to the floor. Exhale, hands ground, stepping right leg back nice and long, lower the back knee, release the back toe and inhale, both arms come on up.

Exhale, draw the elbows out wide, as if they would touch behind you, pull the chest through, inhale, reach arms up. Exhale, drawing wide, elbows bend. Inhale, reach back up, exhale drawing wide. Inhale, reach back up, exhale, hands down. Tucking the back toe, lifting the back knee, step back, plank.

Exhale, lower knees, chest, chin, Ashtanga Namaskara, inhale, pull through, releasing the toes, Bhujangasana, Cobra. Exhale, Downward Facing Dog. Inhale, right leg comes high, step through, Anjaneyasana, lowering the back knee. Inhale and arms come on up. Exhale, cactus arms again, elbows draw out.

Inhale, reach the hands back up. Exhale, bending elbows, drawing out, pulling chest through. Last one, inhale, reach up. Exhale, elbows draw wide, inhale reach up. Exhale, hands come down, tucking the back toe, lifting back knee, step forward.

On the inhale, extend through the spine. Exhale, fold and release. Inhale, rise on up, upward salute, arms overhead. Exhale, hands to heart. Same thing, little bit different, left side.

Inhale, arms come on up. Exhale, folding on down. Inhale, extension through the spine. Exhale, hands ground, left leg back nice and long. Lower the back knee, release the back toe, inhale, arms come on up.

Here, take the left finger tips down towards the side and then reach that right arm over a little side then. Come on up, right fingertips down, left arm over. Come on up, exhale, hands come down, step back, plank pose. Lower the knees, chest, and chin Ashtanga Namaskar. Inhale, pull forward, Cobra.

Exhale, back, Downward Dog. Left leg comes high, step through, Anjaneyasana, lower the back knee, release the back toe, inhale, arms come on up. Your right finger tips come down, side bending over towards the right. Inhale, come back up. Left finger tips come down.

Exhale, and over towards the left. Bring it on up. Exhale, hands come down to the ground, stepping forward on an inhale, extending through the spine. Exhale, fold. Inhale to rise on up, upwards salute, and then exhale, hands come to the heart.

Take a few breaths here, reconnecting to the feet. Stand tall through the spine. Hands can plug into the heart. Here inhale, arms come on up over head. Interlace the fingers, take Vira mudra, reach up, tip the gaze up.

Then, as you exhale side bend on over towards the right. Reach with the bottom arm pulling that left hand, gentle encouragement. Inhale, rise back up center. Exhale, other side. Again, gentle encouragement, bottom hand engages with the top.

Inhale, come back up. Exhale, fold all the way down. Inhale, extension through the spine. Exhale, ground the hands. So here, you can step back plank.

Right, and move to Chaturanga, or you can ground the hands, hop back, bending the elbows, Chaturanga. Upward Facing Dog with inhale. Hands and feet, Downward Facing Dog on the exhale. And breathe here, reconnecting. And, take the right leg nice and high, inhale Step through, Virabjadrasana One, Warrior One.

Front knee is bent, back heel ground, inhale both arms come on up. Vira mudra with the arms, nice strong bend to that front knee. Let your best friend sit on your thigh. And, then take the hands to the heart, collect the energy in towards that front foot. Lift up the back heel, step forward, Virabhadrasana Three.

Tick Tock it forward, drawing that left knee up towards the chest. A modified Moonrise, the right hand comes to the knee, the left arm reaches back. Then you come back through center, slowly back, high lunge, the back heel's lifted, arms come on up. Take your right hand down to your hip. Lift the left arm, getting length through that side body, nice big open inhale here.

And then exhale, elbow comes outside the leg, right? Palms come together, revolve side angle. And then, this releases all the way, Peaceful Warrior, so grounding through that back heel. Inhale, right arm comes up. Exhale, move through center.

Inhale, reach both arms up, gaze up as well, and then soften into the knees as you fold on down, Prasarita. Release the head, yes, no, and a few breaths. Here, you can take a hold of the feet, that can feel yummy. You can bend the knees, walk the hands through. Take the finger tips out underneath the shoulders, stand through the spine.

And then, walk around towards the front of your mat, towards the right, bending into that front knee, low lunge. Here collect the energy into the hands, draw that right knee in towards the chest, and then take it out underneath the left arm. Lower the hips all the way down here. Release that back toe, and then come on down onto your elbows, this is Brigid's Cross. So, you can stay just like this, it might be enough, mindful of how your back feels.

All right, some engagement through the feet, but you don't have to be like kicking anybody. And, it's just like mm, nice, sweet, engagement. Maybe you have more space, you might come on down all the way. A few breaths here, so it's like Revolved Triangle, but on the ground. Come back up, press into the hands, tuck the back toe, draw that right knee back into the chest.

Inhale, take it nice and long, reach up, look forward, where you're going. Exhale, three legged Chaturanga, both feet are down, Upward Facing Dog, and then Downward Facing Dog. A few breaths here. Gaze comes forward on the inhale, exhale, bend into the knees, stepping right leg, and then left leg. Inhale when you get there, exhale to fold.

Rise on up, all the way upwards, salute. Ah, exhale, hands come to the heart. Inhale, both hands come on up. Interlace the fingers, reach up. Side bend left side.

Inhale, center. Exhale, right. Inhale, center. Exhale, fold all the way down. Inhale, extension through the spine, finger tips or hands to the shins.

Exhale, fold again, plank or Chaturanga, lowering down if you didn't already. Upward Facing Dog, or it can be belly in Cobra. Exhale, Downward Facing Dog. Take a second here, walk the feet in just slightly. Your right hand is gonna come to left leg with the finger tips on the outside.

Bend into that right elbow, take the gaze out underneath the shoulder. Release. Left hand, right leg, finger tips on the outside, pressing down, pulling, gaze underneath the shoulder. Release. Left leg comes high, inhale, step through, Virabhadrasana One.

Rounding through the back heel, arms come on up. Exhale, hands to the heart. Collect the energy in towards your front foot, Virabhadrasana Three, Warrior Three. To Tick Tock forward all the way, that modified Moonrise. Left hand to the knee, right hand reaches back.

High lunge, moving the leg back, back heel is lifted, left knee is bent. Inhale, both arms come on up. Left hand to the hip, right hand nice and high. Lengthen through the side body and then exhale, revolved side angle. Palms come together, pressing.

Moving all the way out to Peaceful Warrior, grounding through the back heel. Inhale, left arm high. Exhale, move through center, parallel the toes. Inhale, reach both arms up. Exhale, fold, releasing the head.

Again, any arm variation here that feels nice. Might even stay for extra breaths, recollect. Then, when you're ready taking finger tips out underneath the shoulders, walk back around towards the left, find your low lunge. Ground into the hands, draw the left knee in towards the chest, and then out underneath the right arm. Lower the hips all the way on down, engagement through the legs, press into the hands.

And then, exhale, come on down onto the elbows. Breathe here. And stay just like this, again mindful of the lower back, some engagement through the leg line. You can come all the way down onto the belly, onto the forehead. And, we rise back up.

Tuck the back toe, draw that left knee in towards the chest, inhale, reach up tall. Look for it, look where you're going. Lower down, three legged Chaturanga, Upward Facing Dog. Downward Facing Dog. Shifting yourself forward, lower the knees, now find Child's Pose, extending the hands forward, taking a few breaths here.

Full inhale, long exhale. And, two more times, inhale nice and deep, exhaling on down. Last one. And, we'll slowly start to walk our hands towards our knees. You can bring the knees together, bring in the hands towards the heart, Rock Pose.

Reaching the arms on up, inhale, arms overhead. Exhale, hands come to the heart. Inhale, reaching the arms on up. Exhale, hands come to the heart. Last time, inhale arms come on up.

Exhale, hands come to the heart. Here's your practice, enjoy the rest of your day. Thank you, Namaste.