Rhythmic Hip Flow

Welcome back. So this practice is going to be a fluid and strong 20-minute practice to really open and strengthen the hips. So please join me on your back. We'll come into Supta Baddha Konasana. So as you come down bringing the soles of the feet together and you can recline onto your back, let the knees open up wide and then maybe bring the palms face up on either side of the body or one hand to the heart, one hand to the belly. As you begin to shift your gaze inward you'll be closing your eyes and just take a moment to tune in to the natural rhythm of your breath. Coming to your mat whatever time of day it may be for you letting go of whatever came before this and what you might have coming after this. Letting that go for now so that you can be present in your practice. And then start to notice your hips. Notice how they're feeling this morning. Just allowing for a couple more full deep breaths right here. Good and then as you are ready just bringing your hands to the outsides of the knees. Draw your knees in towards your chest hugging the knees in and just rock a little bit from side to side. So begin to massage the lower back maybe taking the knees in circles in one direction and the other noticing how the hips feel here how the lower back is feeling. Good and then let the soles of the feet find the earth. Step your feet as wide as your yoga mat and then as you're ready you can bring the arms out on either sides of the shoulders maybe the palms face up. If you'd like you could reach the arms up over your head and then take a big full breath in. As you exhale just drop the knees to the right side. Good and then on an inhale bring the knees up through center. As you exhale drop the knees to the left side just taking easy spinal twist. And then with your breath start to windshield wiper the legs from side to side. So the inhale will bring you through center. Exhale right. Inhale center. Exhale left. Just take that a couple more times with your breath. Moving from side to side just starting to find some ease in your spine and opening through the hips. One more. Inhale center. Exhale right. Inhale center. Exhale left. Beautiful and then come back through center hug your knees back into your chest take your hands to the backs of the knees. Start to rock up and down along the length of the spine so you can build momentum or you can just sit up and we'll meet in a tabletop position so find your way to all fours letting the shoulders come over the wrists hips over the knees and then we'll move into cat cow. So as you inhale drop the belly arching the back lift the gaze let the heart reach forward and then as you exhale press the floor away round through the spine as you let the head and neck relax. Good and then again with your breath so inhaling as you come forward lengthening exhale round through the spine press the floor away we'll do that one more time as you inhale arching the back coming into cow pose and then exhale coming into cat rounding good and then find the neutral spine so coming into downward facing dog tucking your toes lift the hips up and back just finding your first downward facing dog maybe pedaling it out through the feet bending through one knee straightening the other and then switching sides whatever you need to start to feel into the back body the backs of the legs maybe sway your hips from side to side and then pressing through the thumb and the index finger spreading the weight evenly across your hand good and then starting to come towards stillness we're gonna glide forward into plank pose so find the top of a push-up letting the shoulders come over the wrist hips in line with shoulder blades reaching through the crown of your head and then lower your knees down to the earth and sit the hips back to child's pose and you might take the knees a little bit wider just to get into the hips good and then gaze forward we're gonna come into cobra from here so kind of slither your way forward keeping the elbows hugged in pressing through the tops of the feet as you lift the heart lengthen through the spine and then exhale right back to downward facing dog so we'll take that a few times with the breath so inhale plank pose exhale lower the knees let the hip sink back to child's pose inhale cobra pose scoot the body forward hug the elbows in as you lift up and then exhale back downward facing dog beautiful one more time like that inhale forward to plank exhale child's pose inhale cobra pose exhale downward facing dog nice work then on your next breath in let's reach the right leg up and back take a moment to bend your right knee to open up your hip for a breath good and then draw your right knee to your right tricep just above the elbow as you hover top of a push-up look forward good and then inhale three leg downward facing dog bend the knee open up your hip good and then this time right knee right tricep again but we're gonna step the foot all the way to the outside of your right wrist so you're in this wide leg lunge come on to your fingertips for a moment lengthen through the spine and then plant your left hand down sweep the right arm up coming into a wide leg lunge twist good allow a big full breath in as you exhale lower the right hand to the inside of your front foot and then walk your hands all the way to the left to face the side of your mat coming through center parallel the feet for a moment and then put a bend in your left knee as you walk the fingertips over to the left keep the right leg straight for skandhasana now you can keep the fingertips down if you want a little bit more strengthening hands to heart and then we'll take it to the other side so bending through the right knee straighten through the left and then one more time back of the mat bending through the left knee straightening through the right and then hands back down to the earth walk it all the way back to your lunge to face the front of your mat coming on to the ball of your back foot and then we'll just step it back to downward facing dog allow a big full breath in here and then open your mouth let something go sigh it out we'll take it to the other side so inhale your left leg up bend the knee open up your hip and then draw your left knee to your left tricep hover top of a push-up gazing forward inhale sweep the leg all the way up and back bend the knee open up your hip and then left knee again left tricep this time step it to the outside of your left wrist coming into that wide leg lunge so come on to the fingertips for a moment lengthen through the heart good and then we'll plant the right hand down keep hugging that left hip in and then sweeping left arm up maybe gazing up toward your fingertips finding your twist good big breath in and then exhale lower the left hand to the inside of your front foot walking to the other direction facing the side of your mat hands walk to the right parallel the feet and then right knee bends left leg stays straight again you can float the hands up if you'd like that's a little bit more strengthening and then come to the other side left knee bends right leg straightens good keep reaching with the heart and the crown of the head one more time right knee bends left leg straightens skandhasana and then fingertips to the earth walk it all the way back front of your mat runners lunge and then come to your downward facing dog stepping back beautiful allow a big breath in and open the mouth sigh it out good and then rising up onto the toes bend your knees deeply look forward step or lightly float to your hands come to the front of your mat just come halfway up and lengthen maybe hands walk up onto your shins and then exhale fold back over your legs heel toe your feet as wide as your mat and then toes out heels in bend your knees and sink it down for malasana so you're welcome to draw hands to heart if you want to sit on a block here you can or maybe roll up your mat taking it under your heels or blanket under your heels and then just take a moment to relax into this pose whatever that might mean for you really nice posture for the hips and the lower back good and then hands down to the earth parallel your feet straighten the legs fold over your legs and then roll up slowly one vertebra at a time as you get to the top shoulders up towards your ears roll them down the back step the feet together bring your hands to your heart and then we'll come to chair pose utkatasana reach the arms up bend the knees weight into the heels take a gaze down at your toes draw the shin bones back soften your shoulders take one more big breath in maybe sink it down a little deeper and then as you exhale fold over your legs uttanasana come halfway up inhale and then your choice you can step back to plank float it back might go right to down dog or lower through vinyasa either halfway or all the way down maybe cobra pose here drawing the shoulders back if you want to take an upward facing dog go for it otherwise let's meet back in downward facing dog tucking the toes lift your hips up and back nice let your heels get heavy and then let's float that right leg back up to the sky draw the knee to your nose step your foot all the way through we'll open up to warrior two so spin the back heel down let the left arm reach you all the way up and open to Vera to sinking down toward 90 degrees in that front leg soften your shoulders gaze out over your middle finger maybe close your eyes we're gonna be here for five breaths inhaling exhaling inhale exhale a couple more breaths on your own focus your gaze or your drishti feel that right hip good and then flip your front palm tilt back keep the bend in that right knee maybe sink it down a little deeper into that right knee and then right elbow to the top of the right thigh reach your left arm straight up toward the ceiling maybe take a gaze up toward your fingertips you can stay right here or take that left arm over your ear for extended side angle let the pinky side of your hand roll down draw your left shoulder away from your ear and breathe good and don't worry we're getting out of that leg in one moment come back up to warrior two straighten through your front leg parallel the feet bring your hands to your hips for a moment and then toes out heels in we'll take goddess stance so bending through both knees let the hips sink down and just let your knees come right over your ankles and then reach the arms forward bring the palms to face up right arm under the left find eagle wrapped with your arms and then maybe close your eyes sink down a little deeper let the elbows draw away from you maybe rock a little bit from side to side beautiful and then when you're ready warrior to front of the mat right toes turn out and then find a flip in that front palm tilt back reverse warrior circle your hands down runners lunge pause in your runners lunge good and we're gonna set up for lizard pose from here so start to heel toe the right foot to the right a few times hands on the inside of your front foot and you're welcome to keep the back knee lifted if you'd like or maybe lower it down and then maybe lower the forearms down to a block or the earth whatever feels best for you if you want to point the right toes out toward the corner of your mat you might roll to the outer edge of the right foot and just taking a few breaths really finding that opening through the outer hip a couple more breaths if you've found that you've gone a little bit too far you can always back out of it a little bit really just finding that place where you can find an opening without going too far good and let's all walk back up onto our hands tuck your back toes lift the back knee up and then heel toe your foot all the way to the left side of your mat we're gonna set up for pigeon pose here so lower the shin down lower the back knee down untuck your toes not too long of a hold here maybe walk the hands forward any amount just hold breathing into the right here let the head and neck relax find your breath and breathe into the sensations beautiful and then as you're ready to peel your way back up take the weight off onto your right hip bring the left leg out in front of you and then we're gonna cross the left knee on top of the right draw the heels in let the sitting bones root down if this feels like too much which it definitely can for some of us can cross at the shins and just take Sukhasana and fold from here just as nice of a hip opener and then you might stay upright or you might start to walk your hands in front of you and maybe root back through your sitting bones it's a couple breaths here beautiful and then walking your hands back in take the legs out in front of you cross at your ankles and we're just gonna step back to downward facing dog from here if you want to take the vinyasa go for it otherwise I'll meet you in down dog allowing a big full breath in and then opening the mouth sigh it out let it go beautiful inhale your left leg up to the sky step your foot through between your hands setting up for warrior to spin the back heel down let the right arm reach you up and open and finding Virabhadrasana to settle in maybe closing your eyes taking a gaze over the left fingers and then breathe holding for five breaths and then letting that left knee land right over the left ankle so you let the knee track over the second and third toe a couple more breaths soften the shoulders beautiful and then let's flip the front palm inhale tilt back reverse warrior and then extended side angle left elbow to the top of the left thigh start with the right arm straight up so it's an extension of your right shoulder maybe take the gaze up toward your fingertips and then maybe the top arm comes over the ear and you can spin the gaze up toward the ceiling or find a place where the neck does not feel strained so gaze can be in front of you it can be down just be deliberate with your gaze beautiful and then come back up to warrior to straighten through your front leg hands to the hips parallel the feet toes out heels in goddess stance reach the arms out left arm under the right eagle arms drawing the elbows away from you as you sink it in then just a couple breaths maybe sway a little bit from side to side if you really want to turn up the heat yeah and then back to warrior to brand of your mat flip the front palm tilt back circle the arms down and we'll set up for blizzard pose on the left side hands on the inside of your front foot maybe taking the variation that you took on that first side finding your edge maybe this side feels quite different to you if so please honor that feeling the outer hip back to your breath couple more breaths here good and then walking back up onto your hands tuck your back toes lift the back knee up heel toe your foot all the way to the other side of your mat lowering in for single pigeon and just take a moment at the top just however you need to and we'll come in find your breath let the head and neck relax and as you're ready walking your hands back in shift your weight off to your left side this time take the right leg in front of you and then again you can let stack at the knees if you'd like or cross at the shins for sukhasana and we'll come into one last hip stretch here second to last hip stretch and then let the sitting bones root down and you can stay upright or start to walk your hands in front of you and then maybe press back a little bit with the head and neck relax nice and then as you're ready just walking the hands back in we'll bring the soles of the feet together let the knees go wide for bada kanasana so as you inhale lengthen up through the spine as you exhale keep the length in the spine and then start to let the chin roll in towards you with the head and neck rolling you might use the elbows to open up the legs a little bit wider just breathe and as you inhale them all the way back up and then you can roll back for your shavasana if you'd like or maybe find a seated meditation to finish your practice the hip should be nice and open for a comfortable seat if you're doing that we'll meet there maybe palm space down on your knees for grounding or you can flip the palms up to call in an intention here maybe close your eyes and just tune into the breath feel free to stay meditation or shavasana as long as you'd like your eyes will gather hands together and anjali mudra in front of the heart thank you so much for sharing this practice with me namaste