Energizing Warrior Flow

Good morning. Welcome back. We're going to start with some familiar shapes and sequences and then make our way up towards Sun Salutation B, Surya Namaskar B. So find your way in tabletop and if you have a blanket you might use it underneath your knees. And we'll begin with our Cat-Cal, tucking the toes, lengthening the spine on your inhale, and then exhale kind of press the floor as you round your back, coming into that kind of rocket or angry cat type shape, hips towards the heels. And as you inhale, move into your extension, into your cow, nice and wide through the collar bones, sitting bones. And then exhale, round the back, navel towards the spine. Inhale, moving into your extension. And exhale, rounding in a few more rounds here, just moving at your own pace with your breath. You might soften the gaze inward, feeling that movement through your spine. Any side to side that would feel nice. You might keep your hands facing forward. You might turn the hands out a bit. As we've been experimenting with, you might even bring the fingers to point towards your knees and stretch the heels of the palms away. Notice how that feels through your wrists and your hands. A few more rounds of Cat-Cal. Moving with your breath. Nice. Letting the hands spin back to the front of the mat, take a moment, press back Child's Pose. Sink your hips back towards your heels. You might rock a little bit from side to side. Nice. From here, walk the hands over to the right, root through the fingers, inhale, lengthen the spine a little bit, and exhale, press the floor away. Root through the left fingertips and then draw that left hip away, taking a breath into the left side body. Walking the hands back to center and over to the left, towards that 10, 11 o'clock hour, root through the fingers and then reach that right hip and sitting bone away. You might inhale, lengthen forward a bit, tractioning the spine and exhale, settle back and down. Bringing your attention into the right side body. Be feeling the breath move there. Just walking the hands back to center, inhale, rise back up into your tabletop. We'll find that core warming sequence again. So extend back through your left leg and before you lift it this time, just let yourself rock a little bit forward and back on your hands, waking up the heel, the calf, the back of the legs, hamstrings. And then as you're ready, lift your left leg and square the hips, flex the foot and just feel that extension from the heel through the crown of the head. We'll inhale together and then exhale, draw the knee towards the nose, round the back, chin towards the chest, coil. Inhale, find your extension and length and then exhale, pull that left knee in towards the nose. Inhale, extend the left leg, lengthen the spine. Exhale, in three more rounds. Inhale, extend, lengthen. Exhale, knee to nose. Inhale, extend. Exhale, knee to nose. Last one, inhale, extend and lower that left knee down. Right side, extend back through your right leg, tuck the toes and just let yourself rock forward and back. You might look down just to let the back of the neck lengthen, just waking up the right leg. And then lifting the right leg up, flex the foot, square the hips, find that internal rotation through your right thigh. Inhale to lengthen, exhale to round. Knee to nose. Inhale, extend. Exhale, round. Inhale, extend. Exhale, round. Maybe feeling the heat build. Three more. Inhale, extend. Exhale to round. Two more. Inhale, extend. Exhale, knee to nose. Last one, inhale, extend, pause, lengthen and then lower that right knee down. Nice.

Find downward facing dog, tuck the toes, lift the hips and walk yourself in downward dog. Side to side, bending the knees, lengthening through the back of the legs, settling into downward dog. All right, from downward facing dog, we're going to inhale forward in the plank pose and bring the shoulders over the wrists. And you might need to readjust and wiggle back through the legs, reaching through the heels, lengthening forward through the heart. Just feeling that strength through your shoulders, drawing the lower belly towards the spine, reaching the heels, reaching the tailbone towards the heels. Nice. And then exhale back downward facing dog. Again, inhale, brings you into plank pose, pause for a breath and exhale downward facing dog. Nice job. One more time, inhale forward into plank. This time we're going to lower ourselves down onto our belly. So you might use your knees or lower yourself. Nice. Moving towards cobra, draw the shoulders down the back and inhale, lift up. Nice and wide through the collarbones, chest. And exhale, lead with the heart, lower down. Inhale, move towards locust. Keep the hands where they are. Let the fingers get light. Lift the legs and draw the shoulder blades towards each other. Yes, long through the neck. Moving towards cobra, you'll kick back through your legs. Bring the hands underneath the shoulders and kind of like slither your way up like a cobra. Inhale, exhale, lower down. Nice. Tuck the toes, press your way up and back. Downward facing dog. Alright, from downward facing dog, as you're ready, inhale, reach the right leg high to the sky, pass through the hands, bend the knee, let the hip open. Imagine like your right hip is kind of yawning open. Ah, releasing the head. Good. Square the hips. We're going to move towards the shape of the lunge. Inhale, reach through the right heel. Exhale, knee to nose. We're going to round again. Find that curled cat-like shape. Nice. Inhale, reach the right leg to the sky. On the exhale, we're going to step through between the hands for a lunge. Nice. Pause when you get there and then lower your left knee down. Take a moment, pause low, draw the shoulders down the back, fingertips reaching towards the floor. Any adjustments here, the back toes might be tucked or maybe the top of the foot is pressing down. As you're ready, inhale, reach the arms up towards the sky. Today we're going to hook the thumbs, fingers spread like a fan. Inhale, lift up through the front line of the body. And then exhale, gently pull the thumbs apart as you draw the shoulder blades down the back. Find that ease in the neck. Breathing. Notice where you can soften through the face. Nice. Inhale. Exhale, release the hands. Tuck the back toes. We're going to find a long pyramid-like shape for the hamstrings. Inhale, lengthen the spine. And then exhale, maybe release the head and gaze over that right leg. Inhale, lengthen. And exhale, round and release. As you're ready, step the right foot back, downward facing dog. Walk the feet. As you're ready, inhale, lift the left leg high, bend the knee and let the hip open. Find that ease in the neck. See if you can root evenly through the hands. And then extend the left leg up square, the hips. Inhale, exhale, round. Bring that left knee to the left nose. Hover. Inhale, reach the left leg back up to the sky. Exhale, knee to nose, step it through to the shape of the lunge. Wiggle back through the ball, that right foot lengthen forward and lower that right knee down to the floor or the blanket. Stay low or begin to rise up. Reach the fingertips down towards the floor. Back toes might be tucked under or top of the foot might be pressing down a little bit. With the inhale, reach the arms up, hook the thumbs and inhale, lift up. See if you can kind of lengthen through the side body, lifting up through the lower belly and then stretching the front of the body. Thumbs pull away from each other, drawing the shoulder blades down the back, brightening through the heart, the throat, breathing. Beautiful. Inhale, exhale, release the hands.

Tuck the back toes, lift the back right leg, find that long pyramid hamstring stretch. Inhale, lengthen the spine. Exhale, you might fold and round over the left shin. Inhale again, lengthen and exhale, round. Hands around the front foot, step back downward facing dog, walk it off, pedaling the feet, taking a breath. As you're ready, inhale forward in the plank pose, shoulders over the wrist, pause here, extend back through the heels, lowering the knees or lowering yourself through chaturanga to the floor. You'll find that cobra, a shalabhasana, locust sequence. Inhale, rise up, cobra. Exhale, lower down. Inhale, lift the hands up off the floor and then lift the legs, rise up, shalabhasana, locust, drawing the back body in towards the spine and then kick back through the feet as you press up towards that cobra shape. Drawing the heart forward, elbows in. Inhale, rising up a little bit. Exhale, lead with the heart. Beautiful, lowering down. Tuck the toes, elbows into the ribs, press up and back to downward facing dog, walking it off. Let's walk the hands back towards the feet and pause in uttanasana, soft bend through the knees, forward fold. Moving towards padahastasana to release the wrists. We've done a lot of wristwork so far. Lift the left foot, slide the palm, left palm underneath. Lift the right foot, slide the right palm underneath. Nice. Inhale, lengthen the spine. Exhale, bend the knees, forward fold, releasing the head and maybe play with shifting the weight towards the wrists here. Feeling the toes massage the wrists. Nice. Head releases. You can always keep the knees bent here. Beautiful. As you're ready, inhale, rise up, keep the hands where they are, half arch. Exhale, release the hands. Nice work. Toe heel to feet wide. We'll come into that malasana squat pose sequence. You might stay right here in malasana. You might plant the right hand and inhale, let it open up to the left. Maybe a wrist twirl here. Looking down or looking up. Inhale, exhale, other side, left hand to the floor, right arm reaches up, let that right hip open, twirl the right wrist. Both directions. Beautiful. Back into uttanasana, heel to feet underneath your hips, soft bend through your knees, forward fold.

Together we'll roll up as you're ready, bending the knees, chin into the chest, slowly rolling up, strength of the legs supporting you, hollowing the belly, pressing through the feet, taking your time with this. You feel the heart rise up, the shoulders roll up, back and down. Just take a moment to pause here and let the blood come back down into the legs and the feet. And together we'll take a walking meditation towards the top of the mat. In your own time, really feeling your feet. Nice. Meeting in the shape of tadasana or samasthiti, spreading the toes. And we'll move towards surya namaskar b, sun salutation. Finding uttanasana as you're ready, bend the knees, chair pose, reach the arms up, let the palms face each other, shifting the weight back a little bit towards the heels and feel the navel draw towards the spine. Inhale here, exhale, press through the feet, rise up, lengthen. Take an inhale here and then exhale, forward fold, hinge at the hips, release the head and the arms. Inhale, half arch, lengthen your spine, you might look up. Exhale, bend the knees, step the right foot back, step the left foot back, come into plank pose, pause. Again, you might lower the knees or this time lower through chaturanga. Inhale to cobra or maybe it's an upward dog. Nice and wide across the collarbones and the chest. Exhale, navel the spine downward facing dog. Taking a breath here. We'll inhale the right leg up to the sky, square the hip. Exhale, knee to nose, round. Inhale, right leg reaches up, exhale, step it through for warrior one. Pivot on the outer left edge of the foot, bend that right knee, find your legs, sweep the arms back alongside the body and with an inhale, swoop the arms up for warrior one.

Pivot through the outer edge of the back foot, breathing, drawing a tailbone under a little bit, finding that freedom up through the arms. Inhale, exhale, release the hands, step back into your plank. Lower the knees or through chaturanga. Inhale to cobra or upward dog. Inhale, downward facing dog. Taking a breath or two here. Left side, inhale, reach the left leg up. Exhale, knee to nose, round. Inhale, left leg reaches. Exhale, knee to nose, step it through. Pivot onto the outer edge of that right foot, left knee's bent. Long through the legs, reach the arms back and with an inhale, rise up, reach the arms up. Bending that left knee, root through the outer edge of that right foot. Nice. Inhale, exhale, release the hands, spin onto the ball of the back foot, step back plank, lower the knees or through chaturanga. Inhale to cobra or upward dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. Three breaths here. As you're ready, bend the knees, hop or walk the feet towards the hands. From uttanasana, inhale, half arch, lengthen the spine. Exhale, bend the knees, uttanasana. Bend the knees for chair pose, sink down. Inhale, reach the arms up. Draw the navel towards the spine. Long through the neck, sink down, inhale. Exhale, press through the feet, rise up, lengthen and exhale, release the arms. Taking a moment to pause at the top of the mat. Feeling your breath, the heat through the body. Nice. We'll continue adding on together. Uttanasana, bend the knees, chair pose, sink down, reach the arms up. Take a nice full breath in. Exhale, press through the feet, rise up. Inhale to lengthen, exhale forward fold. Uttanasana, release the head and the hands. Inhale, half arch, lengthen the spine. Exhale, step back into your plank pose and pause. As you like it, you might lower the knees or lower through chaturanga. Inhale to cobra, maybe upward dog, pausing if you're an up dog. Exhale, navel to the spine, downward facing dog. As you're ready, exhale right leg reaches. Exhale, knee to nose, coil in. Exhale, right leg reaches.

Exhale, knee to nose, step through, warrior one. Pivot onto the outer left edge of the foot, find your legs, reach the arms back and with an inhale, swoop them up for warrior one. Nice. Drawing the tailbone under. Stay here, maybe find the eagle wrap, wrapping the left arm underneath the right. You might give yourself a hug, you might find the hands. Inhale, lifting up, breathing. Nice. Inhale, exhale, reach the arms up. Turn the palms away, interlace the fingers behind the back and inhale, opening the front body. Exhale, humble warrior. Let the hips kind of pelvis open to the left and then forward fold, interlacing the fingers, right shoulder on the inside of that right leg. Head releases. As you're ready, release the hands. Inhale, reach the arms up. Exhale, hands around that right foot, step back, downward facing dog, walking it off. Staying here, moving through a vinyasa. Inhale, forward into plank, strong through the arms and the legs. Exhale, lower down. Inhale, rise up, cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. Inhale, reach the left leg up to the sky. Exhale, knee to nose, round. Inhale, left leg reaches. Exhale, knee to nose, step it through. Warrior one, pivot onto the outer right edge. Bend that left knee, strong through the legs. Reach the hands back, lengthen and then inhale, rise up. Settling into your warrior one. Stay here, eagle wrap, right arm underneath the left. You can also give yourself a hug. Hands might find each other. Groom through that back foot and maybe you inhale, you're going to rise up. Breathing. Inhale, arms reach up, palms face away, interlace the fingers behind the back for a humble warrior. Inhale, lift the heart. Exhale, dip the left shoulder on the inside of that left leg. Reach the arms up out and over. Head releases. As you're ready, release the hands. Inhale the arms back up to the sky. Exhale, hands around the front foot. Step back, downward facing dog. Walk it off a little bit. Stay here, move through your vinyasa as you inhale forward into plank.

Exhale, lower the knees or through chaturanga. Inhale to cobra or upward dog. Exhale to downward facing dog. Taking three breaths here. Releasing through the neck. From downward dog, walk or hop your feet to your hands. Inhale, half arch, lengthen. Exhale, uttanasana forward fold. Bend the knees, uttanasana chair pose. Inhale, reach the arms up. Find length and press through the feet. Reach the arms up and release. Top of the mat. Take a moment, feel that heat that's been generated. Notice the quality of your breath, your heartbeat. From your eyes, you're ready, let your eyes open if they're closed. We're going to move towards some balancing play. Just start by bending your knees and lifting your heels up off the floor, coming up on to the tippy toes. And then release. Bend the knees, ground a bit through the feet. Establish your drishti, your focal point. Ground through that left foot. Begin to transfer the weight and draw the right knee in towards your chest. You can interlace your fingers here. Now as we play towards that extension, hand to foot, you can keep your hands right where they are, keep the knee right where it is, and you might choose to open out to the right here as we explore that. Again, stay with this. Hand might find the big right toe, left hand might find the hip. Drawing that right shoulder blade down the back, lifting the heart. Stay here, play with extending that right leg. Breathing strong through the standing leg. You might stay here. You might play with bringing it out to the right. Opening it out. And strong through the standing leg. Soft, steady gaze. And then back to center. Take a moment, pause. Extend. Hands on the hips, hold. And release. And shake it out. Nice. We'll find that on the right side. Spread the toes, ground through the right leg and hip. Establish your drishti. And you might bring that left knee in, hands find the leg, the knee, and pause here. Maybe you open it out to the left using the support of your left hand. You might play with bringing that piece fingers around the big toe, drawing the shoulders down the back. And maybe play with extending that left leg towards straight.

Breathing. And smiling. Be using the wall for support. Or a friend. Inhale, lengthen, stay here. Maybe play with opening it out to the left. And then back to center. Pause. Point the foot, hands find the hips. Whoo! And lower down. Shake it out. Nice work. Take a moment, pause. Nice job making your way to the floor with the sun salutation. Spread the toes, hands at the heart. Together we'll inhale, reach the arms up. Exhale, forward fold. Emptying here, releasing the head and the hands. Inhale, draw the hands up the legs, half arch. Exhale, bend the knees. Step back into plank pose and pause. From plank, lower yourself all the way onto your belly. We'll find locusts again. Inhale, reach the fingers towards the toes. Lift the chest. Find that internal rotation through your thighs. And again you might lean a little bit side to side. Lengthening through the neck. Inhale, lift up. Exhale, lower down. One near to the floor. Forehead resting. Nice full exhalation. Second round as you're ready. Inhale, lift up. Reaching the fingers towards the toes at the interlace would feel nice. You might interlace the fingers. Kick through the feet, lift through the heart. Rise up. Feeling the juice through the toes. The inhale brings you up. Exhale, lower down. Forehead or opposite ear to the floor. Nice full exhalation. Nice. This last round as we begin to move towards bow pose on your asana, if you prefer to take a locust. Shalabhasana, please do that. If you're moving towards bow, you can bend your knees. Hands might find the feet or the ankles. As you're ready, inhale, draw the knees towards each other and kick back through your feet. Lift your chest. Ooh, bow pose. You might rock a little bit forward and back. Breathing, ease through the neck. The inhale brings you up a little bit. And the exhale lowers you down, releasing the legs. Forehead on the floor. Exhale. Palms underneath the shoulders. Tuck the toes under. Press your way up and back into child's pose for a few breaths. Wiggle and draw your hips towards your heels. Defining a sweet release. Counter pose. It's from child's pose. Slowly roll up to Vajrasana for a moment. We're going to move into Ustrasana camel pose. If you'd like to use a blanket under your knees, go ahead and set it up. This first round, we'll tuck the toes under and see how that feels. As you come up onto your knees, bring your hands onto your hips and then bring one hand to your sacrum and one hand to the low belly. See what it feels like to, the hand that's on the sacrum, I'm going to draw the tailbone under a little bit. Feel the back lengthen and feel that slight awareness through the lower abdomen lifting. Nice. And then reach the arms up towards the sky. Feel length here. Bring the hands towards the heart in prayer. And then stay here as you inhale a little bit more and then exhale this first round. See what it feels like to lengthen and begin to lift the heart towards the thumbs as the tailbone draws under. Feel the strength that's required for this. You might keep the chin towards the chest. Nice. The tailbone keeps drawing under, lengthening towards the knees. Feeling the heart rise towards the thumbs. Maybe the throat begins to open. Nice. And then lead with the heart. Come all the way back up and take a moment to sit back on the heels and pause here in Vajrasana. If you'd like to take a child, you might do that. Find that one more time. Coming into camel pose. Find the knees. You might keep the back toes tucked under. You might release the top of the feet down. I'm going to tuck the toes under. Inhale, lengthen the spine. And then exhale as you draw the tailbone under. Feel the low back lengthen. Hands find each other. Heart rises towards the thumbs. You'll begin to hinge back, lean back. Keep the length happening through the spine. And you might stay right where you are. Maybe keeping the chin towards the chest. If it's available this morning, you might lean back, reach one arm. Maybe find the heel. Reach back, other arm. Maybe find the heel. And then with an inhale, begin to lift up through the heart. You might keep the chin in. You feel just the quality of the shape. If and as it is appropriate and would feel okay, maybe the head draws back and releases. Breathing. Nice. You're ready to release from here. Draw the chin towards the chest. Bring one hand to the hip and another hand to the hip. Once you come up, we'll sit back child's pose. Hips draw towards the heels. Forehead towards the floor. Nice. And slow roll your way up. We're gonna release up to one side and extend the legs. Moving into a forward fold seated. Asimottanasana. You can use your blanket underneath your sitting bones or bring it off to the side. Nice. You might stay right here. You might lengthen and then fold. Hands might find the shins, the ankles, maybe the feet. The inhale lengthens you and the exhale folds you deeper. You might round the back here and release the head.

You can keep the knees bent to take it out of the hamstrings. Notice if you're kind of grasping with your hands and let the hands soften a little bit. From your forward fold, slow roll up. We'll roll right onto our back. Find your way there. Draw your knees into your chest. Let yourself rock side to side. Keep your left knee and extend for your right leg. Flex that right foot. Nice. Take an inhale here. Nice, full exhale. You might stay with your left knee into your chest. You might play with extending your left leg towards the sky. And you might stay here. You might curl up. Draw the chin towards the chest. Reach the fingers towards the back of the mat. Maybe lift your right leg. A little bit of a pulse here as you reach the fingers towards those right toes. Curling up. Rounding. Nice inhale. And then exhale, slow release the spine. Extend for the left leg and lower down. Nice and slow. Take a moment. Relax the effort. Release the legs. Draw the knees back into the chest. Keep that right knee and extend for the left leg and take a breath here. Long through the neck. You might stay here. Extend your right leg up towards the sky. The hand might support the back of that right leg. Some of you might play with curling up. Reaching the fingers towards the left toes. Lifting that left leg. Drawing the forehead towards the shin. A little pulsing here. Feeling that fire through the belly. Nice. And then slow lower the spine down. Flex that right foot. Lead with the heel. Lower all the way down. Relax the effort. Clearing breath. Nice. Full exhale. Let's find a little eye of the knee or reverse pigeon. Bending the knees. We'll bring the right ankle on top of that left thigh. I'm gonna stay here or bring that left knee into the chest without your hands and just let yourself rock a little side to side. Oh, this feels really good. You might stay here. Curl up. Hands behind the back of that left thigh or shin. Releasing down. Flexing that right ankle a bit. Noticing the quality through the fingers. Mouth. Nice. Moving towards eagle wraps. Final twist. Wrapping that right leg around the left. And then rolling everything over to the left. Stacking the shoulders and the hips. Hands on top of each other. And then tracing the inner line with the top hand. Cross the chest. Revolving the rib cage. And releasing that right arm out. Find a place where the neck feels comfortable. Slow. Take your time. Unwind. Legs back to the center. Feet down to the floor. Left ankle on top. Finding that eye of the needle. Reverse pigeon. Stay here without your hands. Draw that right knee in towards the chest. Might rock a little bit side to side. If it would feel good. Chin to the chest. Curl up. Bring the hands around the back of that right thigh or shin. Softening the shoulders down. If you find there's strain in the neck, you might suck your blanket underneath your head. And breathing into where you feel the stretch. Or sensation.

And then slowly releasing the hands. Getting the eagle wraps. Final twist. Wrapping that left leg around. Rolling everything over to the right. Stacking the hands. And then tracing your arm. Cross the chest. Letting the left shoulder open. Allow for an inhale. Exhale, exhale. Okay. From your twist, slowly unravel. Unwind. And knees into chest. One last time. Let yourself rock. A happy baby would feel delightful. You might find your feet. Hands find the outer edges. Knees wide. Rocking from side to side. Nice. Releasing the feet. Knees into chest. Moving into shavasana from here. Releasing the legs. We like to interlace the fingers again behind the head. Lift the head up. Draw the elbows towards each other. Lengthen and lower it down and release. And to relax and release any effort through your body. Your breath. Your attention. Allowing the ground, the earth to have all of you. Allowing the ground to have all of you. Allowing the ground to have all of you. Allowing the ground to have all of you.

Becoming aware of your breathing. You might stay here a bit longer. Begin to invite movement back in to the fingers, the toes. The arms might stretch as you lengthen. Bending the knees. Roll to your side. Pause here. And then press your hands into the floor. Keep the head heavy. Make your way into a comfortable seat. Allow for a, once you arrive, settling. And joining the hands together at the heart. Let's close with the sound of om. Breathing in. Om. Namaste. Om. Namaste.