Day 1: Top of the Mat

(wave crashes) Hello and welcome to day one. Congratulations, I think the hardest part sometimes of starting our practice is making it onto our mat. So, first goal accomplished. So as the old proverb goes, "the journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step". So let's start our 14 day journey by stepping to the top of the mat, starting our practice.

So start by grounding, bringing one hand to the heart, one to the belly. Connecting with the beat of our heart, connecting with the rhythm of our breath. Taking a little extra length in both the inhale and the exhale. Next exhale just letting the hands (exhales) fall down to the side. Setting the blueprint for a practice on an inhale, take the arms up, moving through, just the arms of a Sun Salutation.

Exhale, take up a lot of space, let the hands draw down by your sides. Your inhale, let the breath initiate the movement. Your exhale arms coming down by the sides, shoulders soft. Three more, inhale. Exhale, if you'd like on the inhale you can start to let the gaze start to drip up towards the fingers.

Exhale. Two more, in, and ex. Last one, inhale. Exhale, hands down by the side, pause. Feeling sensations.

This time as we inhale we're gonna take it through a half Sun Salutation. Exhale, folding forward, heart comes forward, legs long. Inhale, come up half way, let the hands slide up the shins, and then exhale, fold forward. Strong in the feet, strong base to inhale, rise up long through the spine, and exhale, let the hands come right back down by the sides. Inhale, arms come up, long, tall, exhale, folding forward.

Inhale, hands slide up the shins, exhale, fold in. Inhale, rise all the way up, exhale, arms back by the sides. We're gonna do two more just like this. Inhale, arms come up. Exhale, folding forward, maybe a little bend through the knees.

Inhale, halfway hands can come up the shins, exhale, folding in. Inhale, rise all the way up. Your exhale hands come down by the sides. Last one, inhale. Exhale, folding forward.

Inhale halfway, exhale full. (mumbles) the feet, inhale, come all the way back up. Exhale, arms back down by the sides. Feeling any tingles, any sensations. This time moving through again, this half Sun Salutation we'll add lunges.

Exhale, arms come down, folding forward. Inhale, come up halfway, heart shines forward. Take the right foot back, feet hip distance apart, bring the heart forward, and on an inhale draw the heart forward. Exhale, round the spine, belly button draws in just a bit. Inhale, bring the heart forward, draw the left hip back.

Good, exhale, round it in. Tuck the chin, tuck the tail. Inhale. Good, one more, exhale, round. Inhale, bring the heart forward, and pause right here, three breaths.

Heels high, heart's light, eyes, jaw soft. On an exhale, bring the palms down. Step back into Downward Facing Dog, and then slowly walk the feet all the way forward coming back into a forward fold. When you're ready inhale, come up halfway, put the finger pads down, our palms down, step the left foot back. Heart comes forward, right hip back, exhale, round it in.

So, just finding a little bit of movement here with the breath, inhale, the heart comes forward. Exhale, round. Inhale, forward. Exhale. Last one and hold so the heart comes forward right hip back, two more breaths.

Bring the palms down, step back into Downward Facing Dog. Slide forward into Plank Pose and hold here. So, wrists are under shoulders, a little press up between the shoulder blades and keep the head lifted so you're long through the neck. Finding shoulders above the wrists. Heels high over the balls of the feet and then fire up through the back of the legs so inner thighs draw up.

Belly button to spine, so the option here if this is too much on the back, bring the knees down. Stay here two more breaths, knees up or down. Then on an exhale come down onto the knees if they're up, come down onto the forearms. Line up elbows underneath the shoulders, wrists in line with the elbows, press through the base of the thumb, inner wrists, and then curl the toes under, lifting up here into Dolphin Plank. So again, if this is too much on the low back, stay right here, knees down, you're still getting lots of action through the core.

So, feel the fire, feel the simmer right through the belly. See if you can again find a little press right between the shoulder blades. Tune into any shaking of the breath, any shaking of the body. We'll just go two more breaths. Beautiful, on an exhale lower the knees down, roll it down to the pubic bone, let your whole chest come down.

Just take a moment, forehead right on the hands. Slide the fingertips below the shoulders. Paste the tops of the feet down on an inhale, pull the belly, chest, heart forward. Good, exhale slowly lowering it down. Plank again two more times in Low Cobra with breath and then we'll hold that next, the second one.

Good. Here we go and you hold this one. From here, start to lift up, draw the heart. Two more breaths. Maybe start taking the chin up, maybe the gaze up.

Exhale, release. Press all the way back into Child's Pose. So the knees can be shoulder distance, hip distance, or a little wider. See how quickly when you drop in here, you can just let go, let go of the shoulders, let go of the hips. Taking two more breaths.

Slide the hands back, lift the torso, sitting on your heels. One hand to the heart, one to the belly. Tuning all your awareness right into your breath. Congratulations, finishing day one, I'll see you at day two.