Fluid and Flowy

Welcome. We're going to dive right in with a fluid flowy practice. We're going to play with moving in and out of resistance, kind of playing with that tender gingerly energy and then also finding strength and sturdiness. So let's go ahead and meet right at the top of the mat. And we're just going to dive right in. So start with an inhale, taking the arms up overhead. And with an exhale, you're going to take the right leg behind you, right arm under. So we're going to play with this sequence just a little bit. So eagle arms, let the elbows lift. And on your inhale, come back to center. Your exhale, this time left leg behind, left leg under. Lift the elbows, soften the shoulders. Good. Inhale, rise up. Good. Same thing, right leg behind, right arm under. Lift the elbows. Good. Inhale. Exhale, left leg behind, left leg under. And your choice, how big of a step back you want to take. Good. In. Exhale, right leg behind, right leg under. Maybe dip down a little deeper. In. Exhale, left leg behind, left arm under. Good. Inhale. This time add a half sun salutation. So exhale, let the hands come right down through center, fold forward. Inhale, halfway lift. Exhale, fold. Good. Inhale to rise all the way up. Let the arms come up to frame the ears. And then exhale, right leg behind, right arm under. Inhale, come up to center. Exhale, left leg behind, left arm under. Inhale, center. Exhale, fold right down the center. Utanasana. Inhale, halfway rise. Exhale, fold. This time instead of coming up, just gently lift up halfway. Step back to downward facing dog. Take a few breaths here. Feel free to walk it out or find stillness. Turn in that your middle fingers are forward, light spread through the hands, reaching the spine long, heels pressing downward and not getting caught up if they're on the floor or not. Good. On an inhale, slide forward to plank. Just see if you can ripple and wave all the way through the spine. And your exhale, start with the crown, chin tucks, upper spine. Wave it back. Good. Two more like that. Inhale, wave it forward. And exhale back. Last one.

Inhale, wave it forward. See if you can feel each little movement of the spine. And exhale back. Heels down. Good. Slowly lift the heels, press the knees to the floor. And we're just going to open up with some hip circles. So taking the left leg, just kickstand it out to the side. Create a soft bend in the left knee. And then just slowly slide the hips back and then around. So we're just kind of checking in for the range of motion. So they could be big, they could be small. And we're just moving to the front, to the back. Noticing any places that might feel a little sticky or you might feel a little resistance. Not pressing deeply into that resistance, but kind of dancing, treading along that soft edge. And then change directions. So now moving back. Hips dip back and then slide forward. And two more times. Great. Let your left knee meet your right knee. And then we're going to kickstand the right leg out to the side. And we'll start with moving back. So take the hips back, just slide them a little bit to the right and then forward. Just big circles. Stay soft through the right knee. One more circle. Just again noticing the sensations in the right hip. You could change directions. Start to slide back and then through center. The toes can lift, the heel can lift, there's no set pattern on the foot. Just kind of negotiating and navigating that sensation. And then when you're ready, bring the right knee back to meet the left. We're going to return back to downward facing dog. So go ahead and curl the toes under, lift the hips. And we'll just take four or five breaths here. Feet hip distance apart and building the pose from the ground up to see if you can give a deep press through the palms, a light spread through the fingers. Rotating the inner upper arms forward so we're scooping out the armpits. Spine long. Okay, to come forward feet to hands we're just going to take the right foot about two inches forward and pause. So feel free this left heel can stay lifted or it can kind of dip down. You can bend the knees or legs can be long. And then the left foot is going to come about two inches in front of the right. Hips high, press through the palms. So often in our practice we kind of rush this piece, feet to hands. Just see what we notice in between. Right foot comes a little bit forward and then we take a little moment. Left foot comes a little bit forward so if your hamstrings are starting to smile a little bit here you can bend the knees a little deeper. If you need to take the feet right to the hands we'll meet in a forward fold. Left foot comes forward. Then just meander feet to hands. Inhale, come up halfway. Exhale, fold. Strong through the feet. Inhale, rise all the way up, Urdhva Hastasana. And we're going to return right to that first pattern we set on an exhale. Right foot behind, right arm under. And again, you choose the length of the steps and the depth. Inhale, arms reach up. Exhale, left foot behind, left arm under. Inhale, rise. Exhale, fold right through center. Bring the palms down. Inhale, halfway lift. This first one, let's all step back into plank pose.

From here, lower knees, chest. Inhale, rise up low cobra, press the pubic bone down, relax the bum. Exhale, release. Either pressing up through knees or straight up through plank, your choice. And then hips lift, downward facing dog. Good. On an inhale, take the right leg up and back, see if you can spin the right inner thigh high. Exhale, draw the knee in towards the heart, round the upper back. Place the foot down, runner's lunge. So fingertips come to frame the front foot, draw the right hip back and draw the heart forward. On an exhale, we're going to move with our breath, straighten the right leg, option to keep the left heel high or drop it down. Inhale, come forward, draw the heart forward. Exhale, lengthen the right leg, drop the back heel as an option. Inhale, come forward. Good. Last one, exhale, lengthen the right leg, soften the toes. Inhale, come forward, lunge. This time, as you inhale, see if you can soften the back knee to a hover, draw the shoulders back. So even if it's just in your mind's eye that the heart's coming forward, see if you can do that. And then on your exhale, left leg lengthens and round the upper spine as you tuck in. Inhale, left knee softens, heart comes forward. Exhale, lengthen and round. Good. Last one, left knee softens, heart comes forward. Good. Left leg long, rounded in. Good. Find your runner's lunge, place the palms down, step back, plank pose. So choice A, you can skip this all together and go back down, we're facing dog. Choice B, or what we started with, or choice C, find chaturanga, shoulders and elbows and a line. Inhale, rise up, upward facing. Take that big inhale, exhale back. Round two with the left side. Inhale, left leg up and back. Exhale, need a heart. Take a little moment, place the foot down, runner's lunge. Find the left hip drawing back, heart coming forward. Exhale, lengthen the left leg, drop the back heels and option. Your inhale, come forward, still draw the left hip back. Good. Exhale. Inhale, finding a lunge. And exhale, left leg long. This time as we come forward again, even if it's in the mind's eye, draw the heart forward, soften the back knee. Find that little back bend of the upper spine and then exhale, lengthen the right leg, round the upper back, tuck the chin. Inhale to come forward, low lunge with the knee hovering. Exhale, lengthen and round. Good. One more in. Good. Exhale. Find a lunge, palms come down, step back, plank pose. Your choice, skip to the floor or chaturanga, lower slow. Take that moment in the shape. Inhale, upward or low cobra. Exhale, back, downward facing dog. Good. To bring feet to hands again, we're going to start the way that we did. Right foot a little forward and pause. And then left foot a little bit forward and pause. Always feel free to bend the knees, make the feet a little wider if there's any mischief in the low back. And then left foot, just like baby steps. Just kind of noticing, investigating, observing any place that might feel sticky or just needs a little bit more attention. And then feet to hands. Inhale, halfway lift. Exhale, fold. Inhale, rise all the way up, arms come up to frame the ears. And on an exhale, we're going to take the right leg behind, right arm under. Same pattern. Inhale, arms lift. Exhale, left foot behind, left arm under. Good. Inhale, center. Exhale, fold in. Your inhale, lift, lengthen through the spine. So your choice, you can place the palms down, step back, soften the knees or soften the elbows, and hop back is an option. If you're hopping back, elbows are soft. Inhale, upward or low cobra, draw the shoulders back, wide through the collarbones. And exhale, back, downward facing. Going right in, right leg lifts up, right inner thigh high. Exhale, knee to heart. Place the foot down. This time, rise up warrior two, let the back heel drop, open it up. Let your exhale ground you. Good.

On an inhale, we're going to come out of the pose, lengthen the right leg, and then exhale, soften down. Two more like that. Inhale, sometimes that's just coming out of the pose. Let's just come in just a little bit more. Good. Inhale, come out just a little bit, and exhale. Good. Now hold your stance here. Take the right palm high on an inhale, lift up, go back, reverse. We're going to take an inhale here and a full exhale. Right? Let your exhale ground. Inhale, side angle pose, parsvakonasana, form to the thigh, left arm frames the ear, shoulder soft. Your full exhale. Good. Inhale, come back up, reverse. Big reach all the way through the right side body. Good. And your next inhale, come forward. Exhale, maybe the right sit bone moves in the direction of the right heel. Good. Last one, inhale, reverse, reach in your full exhale here. Good. Inhale to transition, parsvakonasana, side angle pose, last one. Exhale. Good. As we transition to bring hands to floor, lift the back heel to bring the left hip around. Hands come down to frame the front foot, step on back, plank pose. Option, knees to the floor or chaturanga. Take that moment in the shape and then inhale upward or a little cobra. Exhale back, downward facing. When you're ready, inhale, left leg up and back.

Spin the left inner thigh up and then exhale, knee to heart round, tuck, draw it in. Place the foot softly down as you drop the back heel, rise up warrior two. Let your exhale ground you. Inhale, come out of the pose, lengthen the left leg. Exhale, soften in, shoulders relaxed. In. Exhale, notice that kind of dancing where that stopping point is. Inhale, and maybe this time it goes in a little deeper. Good. Find your pose. On an inhale, left arm lifts up, reach back, reverse. Take your full exhale here. Let your inhale transition to side angle pose formed of thigh, right arm frames the ear, long line from right fingertips to right heel. Inhale, take it back, reverse, left arm lifts. Full exhale. Aswan, inhale. Sliding back, reverse. The hands come all the way down to the floor after the side angle pose. Fingertips frame the front foot, lift the back heel to bring the right hip around. Step on back, your choice. A, right back to downward facing dog, B to the floor in low cobra, or chaturanga. Right, long through the spine. Inhale, rise up, soft through the glutes. Create more space through the low back. Exhale, back, arumukha. Traveling forward, right foot comes about two inches in front of the left. Then left foot, just kind of like a little saunter where you take a little moment between steps. Maybe a little shimmy of hips side to side. That whole idea, if we do what we always do, we're going to get what we always get. So even as we work in our yoga practice and our asana practice, just doing things a little differently. And then slowly, feet make their way to the hands. When you arrive, inhale, lift up halfway. Exhale, fold in. Inhale, rise all the way up, arms frame the ears. Then exhale, right foot behind, right arm under. Inhale, rise up. Exhale, left foot behind, left arm under. Inhale, heart lifts. Exhale, all the way through center, fold it forward. Inhale, halfway. Place the palms, your choice, stepping back to downward facing dog or move through a flow or chaturanga. Elbows are soft, hold shoulders and elbows in a line. And then inhale, lift up, spread wide through the collarbones. Exhale, back, downward facing. On an inhale, go ahead and lift your right leg. Again, spinning the right inner thigh, going for evenish hips. Exhale, knee to heart. Place the foot down softly, warrior one, drop the back heel, hips face forward. Good. On your exhale, let your wings come back crown, come forward. Interlace the hands. On an inhale, rise up, still draw the right hip back and sink into that back outer edge of the foot. On an exhale, let the spine wave forward. Let the head dip just a little bit. Inhale, rise up. We're going to do two more like this and then hold, soft through the elbows. Exhale, fold in. Inhale, last one. Exhale, fold in, humble warrior, right hip back, right shoulder inside, right thigh. So here we're just going to stay for about another two, three breaths. Even soften the head, the ears, the neck, the shoulders draw back. On an exhale, release the hands down. Lift onto the ball of the back foot, lower the left knee. Inhale, rise up, low lunge, anjana asana. Heart lifts. On an exhale, let the hands come down to the floor to frame the front foot, lengthen the right leg. So I'm going to call our hands right here a kick stand. So as we move in, you have the choice to keep the hands here or inhale. As we take the arms up, on the exhale, your wings can go back, dig the right heel in. Heart softens but draws forward. Inhale, come up, low lunge. Exhale, option, hands down into a kickstand or wings back. Last one, in. Exhale, wings back. As you inhale, bring the hands down, take the gaze forward, slide in towards standing split so the left leg is going to go high. On an exhale, let the right shin come down over the right calf. Sorry, the left shin over the right calf. Kickstand the left foot. From here, bring your hands to heart. So choice, keep the kickstand or let the foot hover. Embrace a little bit of wiggle. Option to stay here, take the arms to frame the ears. Add a smile for bonus points. Exhale, hands come down, left foot down, and just step back downward facing dog. A little shimmy side to side. Left side. Inhale, left leg up and back. Exhale, knee to heart. Place the foot down, warrior one, drop the back heel. Rise up. On your exhale, let the wings come back. Reach back, heart forward, inlace the hands. Your next inhale, rise up. And then just fluidly exhale, wave the spine forward. Left shoulder comes a little bit inside the left thigh. Inhale, come on up soft through the elbows.

Exhale, wave it down. Good. Last one in. And then exhale. This one we hold for about two, three, four breaths. Just let the head go. Notice that left hip kind of wants to gel out to the side. See if you can draw it back. Stamp through the outer edge of the right foot. And then release the hands down. Lift onto the ball of the back foot, lower the knee down. Inhale, rise up, low lunge. On an exhale, let the hands come down, frame the front foot. So find this half Hanumanasana, either with kickstands, or in the next one, you have the choice to take the wings back. So inhale, reach up a little bit of go back. Exhale, wings come back. Good. In. Exhale. It's time when the hands come down, the wings back and then bring the hands to the floor. Take the gaze forward, slide into a standing split through your lunge. Right leg high. Let the head go. Reach the leg up and then start to bring the right shin to the left calf. So it crosses behind. A little kickstand, hands to the heart. Right. So knees are bent, so it's strong through the left thigh. So your choice stay here. Or lift the kickstand. Choice option, arms frame the ears. Smile for extra credit. Good. Feet come down to the floor, hands down, step on back, downward facing dog. On an inhale, lift to the balls of the feet, lower to the knees and shins. And let's come into child's pose, Balasana. So if you reach the fingertips forward, reach the sit bones back. So we're going to play a little bit with the flow through low cobra into Ustrasana. So on an inhale, let yourself slide all the way across the floor, belly down. Same inhale. Lift up, low cobra. Exhale, press back, child's pose. This time on the inhale, let the hands slide back towards the torso. Lift the thighs, let the heart lift. If you need support in the low back here, take thumbs to the sacrum. If you'd like, you can take arms out and do a cactus. Good. Hands come through center. Exhale, down into child's pose, fingertips reach. And your inhale, slide all the way forward, right into low cobra. Good. Exhale, come on back, child's pose. That same inhale, draw the hands back, lift up, Ustrasana. And again, you can keep the hands at the low back for support. Exhale, come down, child's pose. Inhale, slide forward. The heart lift, low cobra. Last one. Press back on the exhale, child's pose. Inhale, rise up, Ustrasana, camel pose again. Hands can be at your low back for support or cactus arms out and pause. See if you can expand and get bigger through the spine, the front body. Good. Exhale, bring the hands to the heart, lower down. Come back into child's pose. And slide forward all the way onto your belly. And then you're just going to roll over onto your back. So while you're on your back, let your feet walk out to the right. Let your arms walk out to the right. So right hand's going to grab left wrist. Just reach a little arch here. Flex your right foot. And if you'd like, take the left thigh calf, I'm sorry, left calf over top, the right shin, and then just soften in.

If you want a little bit more, you can start to lengthen through the arms, arch a little bit. And just let the feet come back towards center, arms back towards center, a big reach. And then walk the feet to the left, arms to the left. So creating this little side bow. Left hand grabs right wrist, right leg comes up and over. And reach. And if you're like me, I feel this right through my IT band on the right side.

And if you don't feel it there, that is perfectly fine. All right, walk the feet back to center, arms up overhead, and then slowly start bringing the knees into the chest. Take the arms out either long or into cactus, and then just let the knees drop off to the right. Gaze to the left. And you can let your right hand drop on the top of your left thigh. And then slowly bring the knees back into the chest. Let the knees drop out to the left, gaze to the right.

You're using your exhales to soften through the shoulders, through the hips. Inhale, come back to center, a little squeeze of knees into the chest. And then one leg at a time, we'll come into our final pose, Shavasana. So just allow your legs to spread long, and your arms to come out to the side. And it might be nice to flip the palms up to let the shoulders just soften in.

Feel free to stay here and soak up some more Shavasana loveliness. Or start to join me by coming up with your arms up overhead, and gentle roll onto the side, and pressing ourselves up to a comfortable seat. Thank you for joining me, big beautiful blessings, see you soon.