Shortie: Sun Salutation A

Welcome. For me, all of these asana and vinyasa practices are really about the breath. So let's take a look together at how the breath shapes the body and actually can shape your entire practice. Find yourself in standing, samastitihi, feet together, drawing towards the midline. With every exhalation, you can feel the low belly pulling in towards the spine and that will help keep the tailbone pointing down to the heels. Every inhalation then, keeping the belly strong, forces breath to float the chest upwards, broadening the collarbones and lifting up the thoracic spine. Exhalations, find you grounding, feel the legs strong, pressing through the feet and inhalations, feel the floating of the collarbones broadening, opening the shoulders. Exhalation, find the grounding, strong legs. And with this inhalation, allow the chest to open, the collarbones to broaden, the shoulders to roll back and the hands to float up during the inhalation. Finish the breath and then begin the exhale. And during the exhalation, allow the hands to go back down towards the thighs. Again, inhale, floating the collarbones broad and allow the arms to float upwards during the breath, pausing there, beginning the exhalation and during the middle of the exhalation, allowing the hands to return to the thighs. One more, following the breath. Inhale, open the chest, let the arms follow the breath upward. Exhale, from the low belly and allow the hands to go downwards. So actually having the breath shape the body and move the body, drawing the arms upwards, seeing the thumbs meet together, pausing here, beginning the exhale and then allowing the exhalation to bend the knees, drawing the pelvis down, start to drop the hands down towards the mat and drop the head. Trini, inhale, feel the chest float forwards, the collarbones broaden and then the head lifts, finish the inhalation here. Begin the exhale with the head lifted and during the exhalation, once more, allow the head to drop down towards the mat. Now with this inhalation, allow the chest to float all the way up, allow the arms to follow, see the thumbs meet and can you finish the inhale here? Begin the exhale not moving and during the middle of the exhalation, allow the hands to return to the sides. One more like this, inhaling, chest open, the arms float in response to the breath. Exhaling, bending the knees, slightly folding forward and then all the way down. Inhaling, chest floats forward, collarbones broaden, look up. Exhaling, allowing the head to drop towards the mat and inhaling, allowing the chest to float up, the arms to follow, see the thumbs meet and finish the inhalation. Begin the exhalation and during the exhale, allow the hands to come to the side. Now we'll insert the postures of Surya Namaskara A, Sun Salutation A, always moving inside the breath, letting the breath be the cause. Inhale, the arms float up, exhale, the body comes down, head towards the mat, inhale, head up long spine, look forward and here exhaling and during the exhalation, step or jump, lower to Chaturanga or onto your knees or all the way on the mat. Inhale here, let the chest come forward through the shoulders, rolling back and down, baby Cobra, our upward facing dog. Exhale and during the exhalation, allow the belly to move to the spine, lifting the hips to the back corner of the room and take a few breaths here. The knees could be bent at first to keep the spine in line with the arms so you may have the legs straightening and the heels moving towards the mat. Take one more full inhale, exhale completely and then the real trick of it all, inhaling, step or jump the feet forward during the inhalation, allow the head to lift, finish the inhale here, begin the exhale and then allow the head to move towards the mat, another inhaling, moving all the way up, exhale right back to your standing posture. So this might sound like an easy practice to you but actually allowing the breath to be the cause of the movement will become more and more challenging the more and more difficult the postures become. I hope that you can keep exploring this practice allowing the breath to be the center and to shape your entire body, to shape your entire practice letting the breath be the cause.