Ignite the Fire Within

Thank you for joining me. So in this core focused flow practice, we will tap into the element of fire while building strength and stability in the core. So let's begin on our backs. If you will, please join me. Roll on back, step your feet as wide as your mat, and then let your knees knock into touch for constructive rest.

Maybe let your hands rest on your belly or out to either side of the body. And if it feels okay and safe for you to close the eyes, just take a moment to check in, to notice how you feel, to feel the breath beneath your hands, the expansion of the inhale. Maybe let out a sigh on the exhale. Cleansing breath. And one more big full breath in.

Maybe let out a sigh on the exhale. Good. And then as you're ready, maybe setting an intention for your practice, tuning into this place, this power center, the third chakra, place of willpower, of showing up for you today. You already made it. So half the battle is over.

So we'll start to take the arms out on either side of the shoulders with the palms facing down. And then draw the knees up over the hips, flex your feet so that the shins are parallel to the earth, and then gently draw the navel in toward the spine. So engage your core. Allow a big full breath in here. As you exhale, drop the knees to the right just a couple inches.

So notice that place where the left shoulder wants to lift up off the earth and pause there. And then let your inhale bring you back through center. Engage through the core. Exhale, draw the knees to the left just a couple inches again. Once that shoulder wants to lift, pause there.

Beautiful. And then start to move slowly from side to side. So the inhale brings you through center. The exhale brings you to the right. Inhale center, exhale left.

Keep going a little bit deeper into the twist. Take one more round, inhale center, exhale right, inhale center, exhale left. Beautiful and then as you come back through center, hug your right knee into your chest. Let the left leg go long on the mat and hover that foot up off the earth just about an inch or so. And again, gently draw the navel in toward the spine, engage through the core.

And then as you exhale, draw the left knee and let the right leg go long and hover up off the earth. And start just by moving from side to side. So right knee in, left leg long, left knee in, right leg long. Now you might stay here just working with the legs. That might feel like enough.

If you want a little more, interlace hands behind the back of the neck. Start to draw the opposite elbow to the opposite knee as you start to move in to yogi bicycles and again, keep the core engaged. Start to let the breath guide you from side to side. We'll take a couple more rounds, right and left. One more time, right and left.

Beautiful. Come on out of there. Let the feet find the earth. Lift the hips up gently just to feel the opening in the front line of the body, easy bridge pose. Nice.

And then let the hips lower, hug your knees in, start to rock up and down along the length of the spine. And you might do that a few times as you build momentum to come to all fours. So make your way into a tabletop position. Let your shoulders come over the wrists, hips over knees, and then we'll stretch the left leg back behind you, tuck the toes, start to shift the weight forward and back a few times as you feel into the back of your left leg. Good.

And then center the weight, shoulders over the wrists, float your left leg up, flex through your left foot. And then bring the weight into your left hand and reach your right arm forward like you're shaking someone's hand. Engage through the core here so you're reaching forward with your fingertips and back through that left heel. Allow a big full breath in. As you exhale, draw the knee to the nose and the elbow to the knee and hover.

Beautiful. And do that two more times. Inhale, reaching forward and back, exhale, draw everything in. Go one more, inhale, reach forward and back, exhale, hover, draw everything in. Good.

Inhale, reach forward and back, right hand down, let the left toes find the earth, and then spin onto the left heel, bring the weight into your right hand, and reach your left arm up for Ardha Vashisthasana. Beautiful. And then maybe float your left leg up off the earth, keep the core engaged. Maybe take the left arm up and over your ear. Feel that nice long length through the side body, breathing in.

Good. And then exhale, bring it back through center, left hand down, left knee down, taking one cat cow just to let that go as you inhale, arching through the spine, let the heart lift. As you exhale, navel to spine, press the floor away. Good. And then neutralize, so coming back to all fours, find that place between cat and cow.

Reach the right leg back this time, tuck the toes, and then start to shift your weight forward and back a few times as you feel into the back of your right leg, nice. And then centering your weight, float your right leg up, flex through the foot, weight into the right hand this time, reach your left arm forward. Beautiful. Engage through the core, big full breath in, exhale, knee to nose, elbow to knee, and then two more like that, inhale, reach forward and back, exhale, draw it in. Good.

One more inhale, so playing with your balance, if you're wobbling, you're not alone, draw it in. Good. And then reach forward and back, left hand down, right toes, find the earth, spin onto the right heel, weight into the left hand, Ardavashisthasana, sweep the right arm up, and then as you move through center, maybe float that right leg up, flex through the right foot, then sweep that right arm up and over your ear. Extend the left elbow a little bit so you're not locking through the joints, breathing in. Good.

And then breathing out, come back through center, right hand down, right knee down, downward facing dog, tuck the toes, lift the hips up and back, and then just take a moment to land in downward facing dog, maybe pedal it out. Feeling into the back body, as always feel free to soften the knees a little bit, let the sitting bones reach up toward the ceiling, maybe sway your hips from side to side, good. And then take a slow walk to the front of the mat, we'll walk the feet to the hands, slowly roll up as you root down through the feet, one vertebra at a time, maybe bring your shoulders with you as you draw the shoulders up toward the ears, and maybe roll them down your back. Good. Finding Tadasana.

And let's take a slow build into our sun salutations with awareness toward plank pose as we move into Surya Namaskara A. So as you're ready, inhale, sweep the arms up, lengthen through the spine, through the crown of your head, maybe take the gaze up, exhale, soften the knees a little bit, long spine, forward fold, Uttanasana. On an inhale, lift halfway up, lengthening, offer the heart. Good, for this first one, plant your palms and step back to plank, so top of a push up and we'll pause here. So let the shoulders come right over the wrists, hips in line with shoulder blades, activate through the core in your legs, and then start to shift the weight forward and back a few times. So really turning on that fire in the center, good.

And then next time you shift the weight forward, you're welcome to lower the knees, otherwise hug the elbows in on the count of three, slowly lower to the belly for three, two, and one. Good, untuck your toes, slide the hands back a little bit, rolling up into Bhujangasana cobra pose, lift the heart, gently engage the core to protect your spine, and then as you exhale, try tucking the toes, pressing all the way back up to plank pose, keeping that length in the spine, lift the hips up and back for downward facing dog. Beautiful holding here for a couple breaths, breathing in, let something go on the exhale, maybe a lion's breath, stick out the tongue, detoxify in this heat generating 20 minute practice, inhale to rise up onto toes, bend the knees deeply, look forward, step or lightly float your feet to your hands, front of the mat, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, exhale, fold, root down to rise, inhale, arms sweep out and up, exhale, hands to heart, beautiful. Let's move into surinamaskara A, inhale, arms lift, lengthening, exhale, forward fold, uttanasana, inhale, lift halfway, offer the heart, exhale, plant your palms, step back to plank pose and pause, this time shift your weight forward, welcome to lower the knees, let's come halfway down chaturanga, keep the shoulders in line with the elbows, and then lowering all the way or rolling over the toes, straightening out through the arms for upward facing dog, good, and then exhale, downward facing dog again, big full breath in, maybe stick out the tongue for a lion's breath, good, and then inhale, rise up onto toes, deep bend in the knees, look forward, step or lightly float your feet to your hands, inhale halfway, exhale, fold, root down to rise, arms sweep up, exhale, gathering hands together in front of the heart, let's take one more round, flowing with the breath, inhale, arms lift, gaze lift, exhale, uttanasana, forward fold, inhale, halfway lengthen, exhale, plant your palms, step or lightly float back, chaturanga, inhale, cobra or upward facing dog, exhale, meeting back, in down dog, good, big full breath in, long breath out, maybe lion's breath, step the feet together at the back of your mat, glide forward into plank pose with the feet together, you're welcome to lower the right knee down for Arda Vashisthasana, or start to roll to the outer edge of your right foot, bring the weight into your right hand, and then sweep that left arm up for Vashisthasana, and let the frontal hip points face straight in front of you, so stacking heels, you can always kickstand the foot behind you, or stack the feet if that feels best for you, let it be about moving from your center, so forward and back, from the center, nice, and then as you inhale, slow and controlled, come back to plank pose with feet together at the back of the mat, keep that strength, and then we'll roll to the outer edge of the left foot, taking Vashisthasana on the other side, so weight into the left hand, right arm sweeps up, little wobbling here, embrace the movement, embrace the heat that you're building, nice, and then meet me back, and plank pose will lower the knees to the earth, lower your forearms all the way down, so let your shoulders come over the elbows, press through the inner and outer hand, and then stretch both legs back for forearm plank, nice, and then reach the heart forward, maybe gaze between your thumbs, reaching forward and back, holding for five, four, three, two, one, let your hips lower down, untuck your toes, hello, how are you, walk your elbows in front of your shoulders a little bit for Sphinx pose, and then reaching the heart forward as you kind of traction your hands back, and just feel that nice opening in the lower back, there might be a slight compression there, actually really nice posture for low back tension, beautiful, and then release your hands behind you as you let your chest come down toward the earth, maybe bring the chin or the forehead down, and we'll set up for Shalabhasana, so reaching the arms back actively, either thumbs facing down and pinkies facing up, or you might interlace hands behind the back, up to you, as you do that, start to draw the shoulders away from the ears, peel the chest up off the earth, keep the back of the neck long, and then maybe add your legs as you float the legs up, think about lengthening here, through the crown, through the toes, core engaged to protect the spine, breathing in, exhale one cheek to the earth, gently sway your hips, side to side, let that go, beautiful, and then come back through center, we'll take another round, reach your arms back actively, if you're lacing, maybe take the opposite thumb on top, start to draw the shoulders away from your ears, peel the chest up, maybe add your legs, lift up and lengthen, and then find your breath, breathing in, exhale, release the opposite cheek to the earth, maybe sway your hips from side to side, releasing any tension in the back body, beautiful, and then you can stay with Shalabhasana, or maybe bend your knees, reach back and find your feet with your hands, try to keep the knees about hips distance apart, and then same idea as you peel the chest up this time, kick the feet into the hands, and lift up for Dhanurasana, Bopos, gotta be at a place where you can breathe deeply, breathing in, exhale, let it go, windshield wiper the knees and legs behind you, beautiful, and then press back up to all fours, take your time as you move to tabletop, maybe let the hips sink back towards your heels for a moment in child's pose, feel that opening through the back body, allowing a big full breath in, let something go in the exhale, good, and then meet me in all fours, coming back to tabletop, one more time, let the forearms come down to the earth, let your shoulders come over your elbows, press through inner and outer hands, now you're welcome to step both legs back, coming back into forearm plank, or maybe start to walk the feet in towards you, lift the sitting bones up toward the ceiling, and move into dolphin pose, so essentially we're in down dog, on the forearms, feel the strengthening happening in the shoulders, the opening through the hamstrings, beautiful, and then walk it back one more time, forearm plank, big full breath in, let the hips lower down, one more time, sphinx pose, walk the hands forward, this time maybe draw your chin down toward your chest, feel the opening in the back of the neck, beautiful, and then reaching your left arm out to the left, tent your right fingertips, we'll roll to the left hip and step the right toes behind, just take a nice twist here, shoulder stretch, ring it out, nice work, so breathing into the left shoulder, the sensations that you feel here, beautiful, and then take your time, unravel as you come back through center, we'll take it to the other side, so reaching your right arm out to the right, tent your left fingertips, right side of the face to the earth, roll to the left hip, we'll bend the left knee and step the toes behind you, just taking a couple full deep breaths here, noticing how this side feels, breathing into this wherever you feel this, nice, and then take your time, come back through center, press your way up to all fours, tuck your toes, and then sit back on your heels for a moment, so letting your hips rest back on your heels, let your hands rest on top of the thighs, just stretching through the soles of the feet for a moment, maybe taking right arm under left, eagle arms, let the elbows draw away, good, and then draw them in, feel that rounding through the spine, nice, and then walking hands behind you, feel the lift in the heart space, big breath in, as you exhale come forward, untuck the toes, sit back on your heels, eagle arms one more time, let your left arm come under the right, start to draw the elbows up and away from you, inhaling, exhale, draw the elbows in, round through the spine, feel the opening in the back body, and then releasing hands behind you, feel the opening in the front body, maybe lift the hips up, lift the gaze, inhale, exhale, let that go, if it feels okay, put on the heels, you're welcome to take a block between the ankles, let your hands rest either palms up or down, allow the eyes to soften and close, if that feels safe for you, and just take a moment here to go inward, observe how you feel, notice what you notice, come the witness, tracking your breath, letting all of that movement, all of that heat, that will power that strength, integrate through the body, the mind, your spirit, you might stay here for a longer meditation, you have the space, otherwise gently blink the eyes open, draw your hands together, front of the heart space, thank you so much for sharing this core focus, practice with me, I hope to practice with you very soon, namaste.