Classic Flow

Welcome back, everyone. We're going to dive right in. So find a comfortable seat. If you like to prop it up, feel free and grab a blanket or a bolster. And then resting the hands up or down on the knees or maybe palm and palm at the base of the lap. Letting the eyes close. We'll take a moment of stillness here to kind of shift gears. Letting your awareness start to connect with the physical body, the energetic body. This present moment you find yourself in. And in so doing, as much as possible, leaving everything else behind. Just this. Close your breath. Let it begin to expand. And then draw your hands to prayer at your heart center and let's open together with a gentle om. For now, exhale, empty all your breath out and then fill it up. Big inhale. We'll take another moment of stillness here calling in your intention for your practice. Anything at all. Just setting the tone. When you're ready, gently let the eyes open and just rock yourself forward to a standing forward fold at the front of the mat. Let the feet be about hips distance. Take a gentle bend in the knees. Release the weight of your head and then you can drop the hands. You can brace the hands on the legs or you can hold opposite elbows. You can give the body a few breaths here just to kind of unwind. Sway if you'd like. Let the breath out of the mouth if you'd like. It's arriving. Noticing. Give it just one more breath here. Then find your center. If you have your elbows, let the hands release. Keep a gentle bend in the knees and keep the head heavy. Slowly inhaling to roll all the way up to stand and exhale. Roll the shoulders down the back. Step the feet together. Take the hands to prayer at the heart center. Close the eyes for just a moment. Let's inhale together and exhale. Surya Namaskara A. Let the eyes open. Inhale, reach the arms out and up. Folding at the waist. Exhale, bow out and down. Inhale, halfway, flat back. For this first one, exhale, simply step back into plank pose and lower the knees. Come all the way down. Inhale, cobra to your own edge and exhale. Press it all the way back to downward facing dog. Five breaths. Long through the spine, press through the hands. Four. Easing into it for this first cycle. Three. Noticing how you feel what's present in the body today to... Then at the bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees and just step back to the front of the mat. Inhale to lengthen and exhale, fold. Inhale all the way up, strong through the center as you go. Exhale, just tracing the midline the hands home to the heart center. Let's do two more. Inhale, reaching out and up. Exhaling bow out and down. Inhale, halfway. This time, hop or step back and lower knees or chaturanga. Inhale, cobra or up dog and exhale back. Downward facing dog. Again, five breaths, continuing to ease into it. Four. Three. Two. And bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees, hop or step forward. Inhale, halfway. Exhale, back into your fold. Strong through your center. Inhale all the way up. Trace the midline. Exhale, hands to the heart.

Once again, inhale, rise. Exhale, bow out and down. Inhale, halfway. Exhale, hop or step back. Knees or chaturanga. Inhale, cobra or up dog and exhale all the way back. Downward facing dog. Five. Breathing into that back body. Four. As you send the heels down and lift through the sit bones. Three. Two. Bottom of the exhale, soft bend in the knees, hop or step forward. Inhale, lengthen and exhale, fold. Strong center. Inhale, rise all the way up. And exhale, hands to the heart. Surinamaskar B, bending the knees. Inhale, Utkatasana. We'll take this first cycle slowly. So pausing here. Palms open or press and gazing straight ahead or up past the thumbs for three. Two. Then with your exhale, bowing out and down. Inhale, halfway. Exhale, hop or step back. Lower as you choose. Inhale, lifting the heart. Go back to down dog. Press through your hands. Inhale, take the right leg to the sky. Exhale, simply step it forward, ground the back heel. And inhale, rise. Warrior one, Virabhadrasana A. Easing down into it for three. Two. Then with the exhale, release hands to the earth. Step back. You can take the Vinyasa here or just move straight to downward facing dog.

Listen to your body, to your energy. And then inhale, left leg up. Exhale, step it forward, grounding the back heel. Inhale, rise. Warrior one. Exhale, hands to the earth. Step back. Exhale on that. Inhale, Urdva. Exhale, auto. Full five breaths, long through that spine. Bring the body warm and awaken. The breath starts to deepen and expand. Diving in. And at the bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees, hop or step forward. Inhale, halfway. Exhale, fold. Bending the knees. Inhale, Utkatasana. And again, holding strong. Three. Two. And samasthiti. Take just one breath here, gathering the energy. And two more, building the pace. Bend the knees. Inhale, reach it up. Exhale, fold. Halfway, inhale. Hop or step back. Lower.

Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, down dog, right leg to the sky. Inhale. Step it forward, grounding the back heel. One inhale lifts you up, warrior one. One exhale, hands to the earth. Step back and lower. Lifting the heart. And back, left leg, inhale up. Exhale, forward, root that back heel. Inhale, warrior one. Exhale, release. Step it back. Optional Vyasa. Lift the heart. And downward facing, steady here. Five. Four. Three. Two. God, bottom of the exhale. Bend those knees. Hop or step forward. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, fold. Utkatasana, bend the knees. Inhale, reach it up. And exhale, samasthiti. Once again, bend the knees. Inhale, fold. Exhale, fold. Halfway, inhale. Hop or step back, exhale. Lower. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, downward facing, right leg up, inhale. Step forward, exhale. Inhale, warrior one. Exhale, hands to the earth. Step back and lower. Lift the heart. And down dog, left leg, inhale up. Exhale, forward. Inhale, warrior one. Exhale, step back through the vinyasa. And then meeting in downward facing dog, steady again for five. Opening that whole back body. Four. Breathing through the length of the spine. Three. Two. Soft bend in the knees as you exhale. Hop or step it forward. Bending, inhale, halfway. Exhale, fold. And then bending the knees. Inhale, utkatasana. And exhale, samasthiti. From here into parangusthasana, so you can hop or just step the feet about, hips distance. Inhale, lengthen. And then exhale, fold forward, grabbing the big toes. First two fingers and thumb. Inhale, extend. And exhale, fold forward, releasing the weight of the head, soft through the neck. Breathing three. Weight forward into the front of the feet. Two. If this is enough for your body, then honor that. Just stay right where you are. If you'd like, parahasasana, inhale, halfway up. And then exhale, slide the hands under the feet, toes against the wrists. Lengthen again. Inhale. And exhale, dive a little deeper. Three. Two. And keep whatever grip you have. With your inhale, lengthen, look forward. Then exhale, shake it out, release it. Lengthen again. Inhale. And with your exhale, hop or step back into your plank pose. Lower knees are chaturanga. Inhale, lift the heart. And exhale, downward facing dog. From here, press through the hands. Inhale, take the right leg to the sky and exhale, open the hip, bend the knee. Just one full breath here. Inhale. And exhale. Then inhale, reach it up. As you exhale, take the knee to the nose, hover here, belly to spine. Inhale. And exhale. Inhale, go back up. And with the exhale, step that right foot forward, come directly into warrior two. Left arm on the inhale, reaches forward, up and back, and then sit down into it. Energy through the fingertips, five. From the heart center, all the way out, four, three, two. With your exhale, keep your foundation and reach back into reverse warrior, extending out through the fingertips, spacious through that side body, five, four, three, two. With your inhale, reach it back into warrior two. And as you exhale, come directly into triangle pose, both legs straight and strong. Reach out and place that right hand wherever it feels best for your posture. And then wide open through the rib cage, the heart, the left shoulder, extending through the left fingertips, three, two. Ground through your feet as you inhale, come on back into your warrior two. Just for a moment, exhale, reverse, reach it back again. Stay here for your inhale. And exhale, hands to the earth. Step back. Chaturanga Dandasana. Inhale, Urdhva. Exhale, Adho. Directly into left side. Inhale, reach it up. Exhale, open the hips. Stay for your inhale. Stay for your exhale. Inhale, left leg back up. Exhale, draw the knee to the nose. Strong center, belly to spine. Stay for the inhale. Stay for the exhale. Inhale, back up. Exhale, step it forward. Ground the back heel, warrior two. Second side, inhale, rise and then sit down into it. Build the strength in those legs. Holding five, four, three, two. We're going to keep the foundation steady.

Take a big inhale as you exhale, reverse, reaching it back, opening through the waist, the ribcage, extending through the fingertips. Really strong foundation. Stay with it. Three, two. Inhale, come on back up. Exhale, directly into triangle. Second side, reaching out and then down. Left hand, wherever it serves the posture. Find that in your own body and then roll the torso open. Extend through the fingertips and breathe in all directions. Good. Give it one more breath. Grounding through the feet. Inhale, back into warrior two. Exhale, reverse it. Stay for a big inhale and exhale. Hands down, step into plank. Lower knees are chaturanga. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, downward facing. Take a breath here and then again inhale, right leg to the sky. Exhale, open the hip, bending the knee. Inhale, directly back up. Exhale, knee to the nose, belly to spine. Inhale, back up. Exhale, step it forward. Down the back heel, open it into warrior two. Exhale, reverse, reach it back. Inhale, lift it back up and exhale into side angle. Totally up to you. Rest the forearm to the thigh. Take the hand to the earth, inner or outer edge of the front foot. If you're working with a bind or a half bind and you're in the mood in this moment, take it. Give it a full five breath. Long through that left side body. Reaching it out. Three, two, and then again strong through those legs. Press through the feet. Inhale to rise. Exhale, reverse again. Stay for your inhale. Exhale, hands to the earth. Step back and lower. Inhale, lift. Exhale and downward facing. Left leg, inhale up. Exhale, open the hip. Inhale, back up.

Exhale, knee to nose. Inhale, rise. Exhale, step it forward, grounding the back heel. Right arm opens you. Inhale, warrior two. Exhale, reverse. Inhaling back up. And exhale, side angle. Again, any variation. No better, no worse. Just what you feel for from the inside out. Let that guide the practice and breathe into it. Five. Anchoring that right heel, extending through the right fingertips, rolling it open. Four, three, two. Press through the feet. Inhale back to your warrior two. Exhale, reverse it again. Stay here for your inhale. Exhale, hands to the earth. Step back and lower. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, downward facing. Take a breath here. Back to your center, back to your intention. All right, give this one warm breath. And then digging a little deeper into the hips. Let's move into pigeon to come into it. Inhale, lift the right leg. Get some space. And then with your exhale, draw that right knee, right shin towards the front of the mat. And always support this if you'd like. Take a bolster or blanket underneath that sit bone. If it's really not happening for your right knee, you're welcome to roll onto your back. Thread the needle instead. Once you're grounded in your pigeon, inhale, lengthen through the heart. And then exhale, walk it out and down. And just surrender into the earth. Let the whole body relax and send the breath down into the right hip and glute muscles. Letting that slowly open and unwind. Give it another full five breaths here. Five, four, three, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Come out of it. Let's move slowly. Inhale, walk the upper body back in and up.

Keep your weight on this right leg. And as you exhale, swing your left leg around for Ardhamatsyandrasana. Left foot steps outside of the right knee. Equal weight on both sit bones. So if you were supported on a prop, move it out to the side. And then inhale, reach the right arm up. And exhale, twist towards that left leg. You can elbow outside of the knee or just kind of lovingly wrap the arm around the leg, your call. Then gaze back over the left shoulder, tall through that spine. Breathing into it. Five, four, moving through the crown. Three, two, right. Stay in your twist as you inhale, just looking forward. And then exhale, take a counter twist to the other side. You can either stay tall or you can let the back round and let the head fall. Just a couple more breaths here. And then inhale coming forward again. As you exhale, unwind the legs, plant the feet, hold behind the thighs and really draw the belly in and up. So you're strong and supported through the core. And then pick it up for Navasana. If the low back is tender, keep your hands where they are, otherwise extend. And you can lengthen the legs or not. It's up to you, just make sure the back stays straight. And we'll give this another seven, six, five, four, three, two. As you exhale, cross your ankles, roll forward, plant your hands. And let's just step back into Downward Facing Dog. Ground here, take a full breath. And then pigeon second side. Inhale, take the left leg up, get some space through the hips. And then exhale, draw left knee, left shin forward to your own edge, supported if you'd like. Roll onto your back if you'd prefer. And then inhale, tall spine. And exhale, just easing out and down again. Make those subtle adjustments so that you're really deepening into the posture. And then surrender all the way into the earth. Again, directing the breath into those left hip and glute muscles. Relaxing into it. Let the pose work, it's magic. Five, four, three, two. And then again, just slowly inhale, walk the upper body back in and up. Keep your weight on the left leg. Exhale, swing your right leg around and step it outside of that knee.

Remove any props you may have used so that the sit bones are equally rooted. And then inhale, reach that left arm up. And exhale, twist. Again, you can hook the elbow or just wrap the arm around the leg and then take the gaze back over the right shoulder. Lengthening with the inhales. Easing a little deeper with the exhales. Okay, three, two. Again, we just stay in the twist. And with the inhale, look forward. And with the exhale, a counter twist to the other side. You can stay tall or let that back round and the head fall. And then inhaling back to center. Unwind the legs and let's take it back up into an avasana. Take hold behind the thighs, pull that belly in and up, long spine, and then rise. And again, hands stay there or not. Knees bent or legs straight. Ten. Belly draws in and up. Nine, seven. Soft smile. Six, five, four, three, two. And go ahead and cross the ankles, roll forward, plant the hands, hopper step back. Let's take the vinyasa here. Lower with the exhale. Inhale, lift the heart. Give it an extra breath right into the abdominal muscles. And exhale back. Downward facing dog. Nice work. Give it a breath here. And then we're coming all the way through to sit. So at the bottom of your exhale, soft bend in the knees and then just hopper step all the way through, setting up for dandasana, seated staff. If you want support underneath the sit bones, go ahead and take it. And then just grounding through the hands, tall through the spine, and settling in. Letting the inhales travel up the length of the spine, grounding through the sit bones with the exhales. Give this just a couple more breaths. And then inhale, reaching the arms up. And exhale into posha motasana, reaching out and down. You can hold the feet, the ankles, the shins, the strap, really whatever feels best. And then once you have your grip, inhale, extend out through your heart, get a little longer through the spine, and exhale, fold forward. Letting the back round, letting the head fall. And take a full five breaths here. Give it one more full breath. And then keep your grip as you inhale, lengthen. And as you exhale, simply release. Right from here, we're going to roll all the way down onto the back. I'm just going to turn it around. So to come into it, keep the foundation, inhale, reach the arms up, and then exhale, extend them straight out, palms open, draw the belly in and up, big inhale. And then really slowly start to ease onto the back. Take your time with it. Let the neck and the shoulders stay soft and supple so that the action is all in the core. Another five, four, three, two, and then go ahead and release all the way down. Let the arms rest alongside the body and just let everything drop for a breath. We'll move into a few back bends, bending the knees, planting the feet. Let this first one just be simple and exploratory. So feet about hips distance, grounding through all four corners of the feet, and then scooping the tailbone, send the hips up towards the sky. You can let the arms rest or interlace them under the back and kind of crawl their shoulders in and under and breathe into the whole front body. Five, four, three, two. If your hands are clasped, exhale, release them and just melt from the top to the bottom of the spine back down to the earth. And two more, pacing yourself and listening to your body. If you need restorative energy today, slide a block under the sacrum or just repeat what we just did without the block. If you're feeling for full urna dhanurasana, let's slide the hands under the shoulders and then press down through the hands and the feet. And when you're ready, inhale, rise. Breathing into the heart. Five, four, three, two. And to come down, gently draw the chin to the chest so you're landing on the back of the head, upper back, and then all the way down. And then let the whole body rest. Knees neutral or dropping in towards each other. One breath. Third and final backbend. Again, take the one you feel for. Trust that. Grounding through the feet and the hands. If you're coming all the way up and as you're ready, inhale, rise. And again, breathing right into the heart. Let it open. Five. And having next, four, three, two. Yeah, stay for one more breath. And then give it a big inhale. As you exhale, easing down, let the chin come to the chest, land on the back of the head, upper back, and all the way down. Beautiful work. Supta, Baddha Konasana. Take the soles of the feet together. Let your knees drop out to the sides. Take your right hand on your heart, your left hand on your belly, and just close your eyes. Feel the rise and fall of your breath. Feel the energy you've generated from your backbends. Just noticing. Three, two. And then go ahead and draw the knees together. Hug your legs in towards the chest, wrapping the arms around and rocking a little side to side. And we'll take a simple twist to counter the backbending.

Legs as is, or you can wrap either leg on top and then let them fall to the right and just reach that left arm out to the left. Heavy through the left shoulder, extending through the left fingertips and gently let the gaze follow. Breathing down the length of the spine, deep into your low back and your sacrum. And of course, backbending can be really heart opening, liberating, energizing. You can also stir some stuff up. So whatever your present experience is, allowing for that, the space, compassion, curiosity. See what's there. One more breath. And then inhale, draw the legs back to center. Move the hips to the right a little bit. If the legs are crossed, take the other leg on top and then twisting to the left and reaching the right arm out, extending through those right fingertips, heavy through that right shoulder and just follow it with a soft gaze or close the eyes. Breathing down into low back and sacrum. Three. Two. And then inhale, draw it back to center. Plug the legs in towards the chest, wrap the arms around and again, just gently rock yourself a little side to side. All right. To close, we're going to move into shoulder stand. If you like blankets, please set yourself up. And if you'd prefer to take your legs up the wall or happy baby, listen to that. As you're ready, draw the legs up and let the hand support the back, finding a really tall spine and extending the legs towards the sky, reaching out through the balls of the feet. And we'll hold here for 10, nine, eight, seven, six, four, three, two. All right. As you're ready, countering with halasana plow, let the legs come all the way up and over. If you need the support of the hands on the back, go ahead and keep them there. If not, clasping the hands behind you and holding here for five, four, three, two, rolling down with control into Matsyasana fish pose. So grounding through the forums and the elbows, let the spine ease down. And as your hips land on your hands, you'll arch the spine and gaze back towards the third eye, pointing the toes, breathing five, four, three, two. Press into the elbows and the forearms to rise out of it. And then just ease all the way down. If your body needs anything else before your final rest, maybe just a simple happy baby, a little rock and take it. And then if you want any support in your shavasana, sliding a blanket or bolster under the knees, cover the body, cover the eyes, be comfortable, be supported, and then let it all go. Legs rolling open, palms rolling open, eyes closed, allowing for the integration of your practice. Lay it all down and just rest. Okay. Gently begin to deepen your breath, drawing your awareness back, and bring a little movement into the hands and the feet, and with your inhale, extend your arms up and over.

With your exhale, bend your knees and roll to either side, slowly guiding yourself all the way back to a comfortable seat, resting the hands, closing the eyes. Take just a moment of stillness here, mindfully transitioning from the practice into the rest of the day, noticing how you feel, staying centered in your intention, and then drawing the hands to prayer at the heart center, exhale all the breath out. Another big inhale, gently inhaling, taking a soft bow forward, see exhale, namaste. Thank you, thank you, thank you.