Fluid Flow

Happy day, everyone. Thanks for joining me today. We're going to start standing on the mat today and dive right into a flow where we're really connecting with our breath and we're really connecting each movement to our breath today. So let's start connecting with our breath right here with our feet hip distance. Bring your arms by your side and bend your elbows so your palms are facing each other. Take a little bend in the knees. And then on your next inhale, separate the palms away from each other to open up the chest. And on the next exhale, draw the palms back towards each other, but don't let them touch. As you inhale, connect with the breath. You might even close your eyes, feel the expansiveness in the front body. As you exhale and draw the palms together, a little bit of a core engagement, draw the navel to the spine. Connect with all four parts of the breath. As you inhale, separate the palms. Pause for one, two, three. Exhale, soft engagement of the core. Pull the navel up and back. Exhale the breath out. Short pause. Two more times. Inhale. Feel the opening in the front of the shoulders. Take a pause. Hold the breath. Exhale. Engage. Pull the navel up to the spine. You might even feel that energy between your palms for that last one. Inhale. Separate. And then keep the elbows, the palms separate. Bring your fingertips right behind the base of the head. Lean the head back. Exhale your elbows to the right and take a soft bend in your right knee for that soft side stretch on the left side body. Inhale. Come back to center. A little bend in your left leg as you straighten the right. Soft side stretch to the left. Two more rounds. Pulse with your breath. Inhale back to center. A little bend in your right leg. Right elbow. Feel and breathe into the resistance on the left side body. And then come on back to center. A little bend in your left elbow as you stretch the right side body. Beautiful everyone. Inhale the palms to the sky. Bend the knees. Place the palms right on top of your quads for a little chair, cat and cow tilt. Glide the heart forward. Lift the sternum, chin and chest. Exhale. Engage your core. Round the spine. Pull the navel up and back. Glide the heart forward. Sternum, chin and chest. Feel the opening of the front body. Engage the core. Feel the separation between the vertebrae and the back body. A nice stretch. One more round. Pulse with the breath. We're going to play with a little energy sweep here. So move that tension out. As you inhale, rise all the way up. Take your palms to the sky. And as you exhale, bend the knees. Sweep the arms. Let it go. Inhale. Send it up. Cactus feel goal. The arms open through the chest. Exhale. Sweep. Move the tension out with the exhales. Revitalize. Re-energize with your inhales. Two more pulses. Keep those knees bent and the core engaged.

Keep the lower back happy. Last one. Sweep. Hang out right here in the little sweep. Let the head and neck soften. Grab onto the elbows and keep the knees bent as you take a soft little forward fold. Relax the muscles of the face. Relax the jaw. Just a little hanging forward fold with a sway left and right. Beautiful. Engage the core muscles. Roll up all the way by pulling the navel up to the spine with your core muscles engaged. And if you're not towards the front of your mat, come meet me towards the front of the mat. We'll stay connected with our breath. Feet right underneath the hips. Palms into prayer. Close the eyes. Connect with the breath. Clear the mind with the next inhale. Let go of some tension with the next exhale. If you have a dedication or an offering that connects you deeper to the practice, feel free to set it at the heart center. And we're going to own our way down to the floor here today. So share your energy. Sound that connects us with all is own. Inhale the palms to the sky. Hinging at the hips. Palms draw down the center line of the body. Palms to the shins. Lengthen the spine. Flat back. Bend the knees. Walk or float your feet back to plank pose. Engage your core. Lower all the way down. Untuck the toes. Replace the palms with the elbow. A nice, easy little lower back stretch. Glide your heart forward. Soften the shoulder blades back. Pull the navel up and back. Maybe a little head. Explore as you move the head left and right to release the muscles in the upper back. The cervical spine. Beautiful. We'll meet back in down dog. Replace the elbows with your palms. Tuck the toes under. Lift the hips to the sky. Pedal the legs out one at a time. Press actively forward with both palms. Little strength work in plank pose. Lengthen forward to your plank pose. Lift your left leg off the floor the height of your hip and come up to your right fingertips to give the right hand a little break. A little holiday for the right hand. If you're feeling it, look forward. Extend your right arm forward the height of your shoulder for three, for two, for one. Right hand down. Left foot down. Pivot your heels to the right for your version of side plank. Remember, you can always bring your knees to the floor for this variation to take a little weight off of the shoulders. Push forward and down with the right hand. Great. Move back to plank pose. Bend the elbows. Lower all the way down. Untuck the toes. Walk your fingertips off the mat about six inches, wrists underneath the elbows. Funky cobra pose. Just feel your way around between the shoulder blades, upper back, trap muscles, little pulsing, little shoulder shrug one at a time or both at the same time. Lower back down. We'll press up through table or plank pose on our way back to our down dog. Push actively forward with the hands. Bend the legs one at a time. Bend the hamstring calf connection. Great. Moving forward for plank pose. This time we're lifting the right leg off the floor, the height of the hip. Shoulders right over the wrist. Come up to your left fingertips. Give the left hand a break or reach forward with the left hand and play with the strength opportunity. Squeeze the inner thighs to the midline so that you can find the balance. Side plank on the left hand lower, the left hand right foot. Pivot your heels to the left. Remember you can always lower that left knee to the earth. Stack the left arm on top of the right. Press the floor away. Come back to plank pose. Engage your core. Lower all the way down. We're going to take a little pec stretch to release the shoulder. Left hand to the sacrum. Place it on the sacrum. Carefully roll over to your left. If you have any shoulder issues and this is intense, send your left arm out to the side like a wing. This will help prep us for a nice opening cobra or up dog. Right knee can journey out to the right to feel more resistance. Come on back to center. Right hand to the sacrum. Elbow pointing to the sky. Roll to your right until you catch the elbow. Opportunity of moving that left leg as well. Opening up the right shoulder. Breathe into the right side body. Two more rounds of breath. Nice work everybody. Come on back for a nice low, medium or high cobra. Listen to your lower back. Soften the shoulder blades down. Inhale lift and then exhale lower. Pulse with your breath. Remember we're following the breath today. Inhale lift. Exhale lower. Feel the lower back. Feel the heart moving forward and the shoulder blades softening back. Last one. Inhale lift and then exhale tuck the toes under. Press right back to your down dog. Push actively forward with your hands. Pedal the legs out one at a time. Hip opening down dog. Shift your weight to your right leg. Inhale the left leg to the sky. Bend the knee. Open the hip. Draw the left heel towards your right seat. Push actively forward with both hands. This is our strength opportunity today so stay with me. Keep the left hip opening as you move to plank pose.

Step the left foot behind the right. Touch the toes to the earth. Kickstand side plank. Push strongly into your left leg so that you can lift the hips to the sky and send the arm up and over the ear. Lower the hips a couple inches off the floor. Left hand reaches for the right big toe. Inhale lift the hips. Take the arm up and over the ear. We've got five more pulses like that. If you need extra credit on your life and you need a little bit more work, the next time you lift, pause. Exhale lift your knee. Tap your left elbow to the knee. Lower back down and keep flowing with your breath. Inhale lift. Exhale. Draw the knee in and lower. The next time you lift, send the left leg to the sky for three legged dog. Bend the knee. Open the hip. Let's meet in table pose and shake out the right wrist. Little wrist care after some of that strength work that we just did. Flip your right palm forward. Turn the thumb out and back up your seat until you feel. Opening up the forearm and wrists. Great. Shake out the right wrist. Let's try the other side. Walk the hands of palm print forward from table pose. Lift the hips. Down dog. Shift your weight to your left leg. Inhale the right leg to the sky. Bend the knee. Open the hip. Press the chest towards the thighs. Keep the leg, that right leg right where it is as you move to plank. Pivot your left foot to the left. Step the right foot behind. Inhale. Right arm to the sky. Kicks down side plank. Lower your hips. Reach for your left big toe with the right hand. And then lift your hips. Push strongly into your right toe pads. Taking some weight off of your left hand. Lowering with the exhale. Lifting with the inhale. Remember extra credit if you want it. Right knee. Right tricep. And then lower back down right into the flow of your breath. Exhale lowering. Inhale lifting. Add the extra tricep tap. And the next time you lift your hips to the sky. Three legged dog. Right leg to the sky. Bend the knee. Open the hip. Move straight into plank and lower down for table pose. Shake out your left wrist. Give it a little rotation. And then flip your palms so your thumb is facing to the left. Forearms facing forward. Back up your seat. Relax the muscles of the face.

Relax the jaw. And enjoy the little forearm wrist stretch. Great. Tuck your toes under. Interlace your fingers. Give yourself a little mobility. A little figure eights. I'll meet you on down dogs. And I need some good energy. From table. Walk your hands a palm print forward. Walk your toes under. Hips to the sky. Press the chest back and towards the thighs. Enjoy that settling into the down dog. Think of this as your moment or two to settle back into the breath. Reconnect. Inhale your right leg to the sky. Bend the knee. Open the hip. And then as you exhale, look between the hands. Step your right foot right between the hands. Get your left heel to the floor. Windmill the hands up and bring the hands to your hips.

Lowering the back hip just a little bit. Lifting the front hip so a nice balance. Shoulders over your hips for warrior two. Bring your palms into prayer pose and straighten the right leg. Remember that energy we worked out at the beginning? Bring that attention to the heart center. And then as you bend the right leg and tee the arms, send the love out with your exhale. Hug back to the center of self with your inhale. Love and kindness out into the world. Bend the right leg. Send it out into your warrior two. Finding that strength to kind of live and love from our heart space can be a little bit vulnerable. We recharge our energy as we come back to the heart space. And then we send it out into the world and we kind of just move freely with the rivers of the heart, that streaming flow from the heart energy, that giving and receiving space. The next time you bend your right leg, ending up in warrior two, tee the arms anchor into your back foot. Flip the right palm. Bring your left hand to your left IT bend. Drape the left hand around the waist behind your back. You can cheat and use that right hand to pull it forward a little bit. Keep the left fingertips moving forward. Reach back in space with that right arm and then slowly bend into your right leg. Peaceful warrior with a half bind here. This is going to set us up nicely for a full bind. Straighten the right leg. Tee the arms. Warrior two. Once again, bend the right leg. Bring the backs of your right fingertips to the top of your waistband just behind and pull the right elbow forward for that internal rotation of your shoulder. Option one, stay here. Option two, if that right elbow goes inside of the right leg, draw your right inner thigh to the midline and draw the left ribcage back. This will set you up for that full bind in your version of side angle. Come on back up to warrior two. Peaceful warrior or reverse triangle to straighten the right leg. And this is where we'll use our strap. So take your strap into your left hand, drape it around your waist. Keep the strap around the waist and then bring that right forearm on top of the right thigh. Drape the left hand around the waist. Slide your right arm under. Make sure the strap is on the backside and then grab onto the strap. Draw your inner thigh forward, lengthen the spine and rotate. The strap still around the waist, this is going to help us step the left foot forward to meet the right. You might have to take four or five steps if this posture is a challenge or this transition is challenging for you, but step your way forward and keep your right leg bent and left leg straight. Lengthen the spine and twist the torso to the left. We're setting up for our balancing posture of bird of paradise. So grab your blocks and put them right in front of your right foot. Two blocks will give you a little bit more height. Place your right foot right on top of the block and then go back to your bind. Great. The lift comes from drawing the knee up, lifting the torso up. I like to bend my left leg a little bit to get the lift. If you're newer to this one, keep your seat close to a wall and you can use the wall to help you find the balance. The last part of the posture is extending the leg a little bit or a lot.

Let me turn this way so you guys can see me. Now I'm turning this into a dancing bird of paradise. Slowly lower your bird of paradise down into malasana and move your blocks out of the way and we'll hop right back into our flow. Palms to the floor, walk or float back to plank pose, engage your core, lower all the way down, untuck the toes, low, medium or high cobra, send it back to your down dog. Reconnect with the breath in the down dog. Inhale the legs out, straighten the right leg, inhale the left leg to the sky, bend the knee, open the hip, push strongly forward with both hands. Take a nice big inhale, step the left foot between the hands, pivot your right heel to the floor. Windmill the hands up to warrior two, bring your hands to the hips, drop the back hip just a little bit if you need to, lift the front hip, stacking the shoulders over the wrists, shoulders over the hips, tee the arms, draw that energy back to the midline, straighten the left leg, exhale the energy back in and then inhale, send it out. So think about what you're sending out, cultivate love and kindness, compassion, send it out into the world. What other virtuous words or other feelings or other energies would you like to send out into the world? Maybe it's peace from the heart, press the palms away, inhale back to center, exhale, send it out, pulse with your breath, recharge, connect with source and then send it back out with your next warrior two. Beautiful everybody, straighten the left leg, right hand right IT band, right hand drapes around the waist behind the back, you can use the left hand to guide it forward. Inhale that left palm up and then bend into your left leg, peaceful warrior, roll that right shoulder blade back. This opens up or releases the shoulder prepping us for the bind, release the arms for warrior two, straighten the left leg for a moment, bend your left arm fingertips right behind the waistband, stay here or pull the elbow to the midline for more internal rotation of the shoulder. Start to bend into your left leg, this might be your spot or you might be able to bring the elbow inside for a side angle prep, drawing the right ribcage back, left inner thigh towards the midline, maybe sending the right arm over the head. Great, if you're using your strap, now's the chance, straighten the left leg, bring the strap around your waist, bend the left leg, hold the strap with your right hand, drape the right hand around the waist and then bring the strap to the outside of your left leg, thread the left arm under, around and through, pull the hip towards the midline, lengthen the spine and then rotate. Whether you're holding the strap or not, we're walking our right foot forward, maybe a couple of steps or maybe one long step, left leg stays bent, right leg straightens, lengthen and twist to your right. Preparing for double, before bird of paradise, slide your blocks in front of your left foot, lift your left foot on top of the block, this will set you up for a couple more inches that you don't have to lift and for most people, the hardest part of bird of paradise is lifting the knee up, whether you're bound or not, opportunity to straighten the left leg. Drishti focal point is important for finding that opportunity. Moving down to malasana, yay, we did it or we did some version of it. From your malasana, bring your palms to the earth, float your feet back to plank, cycle through one vinyasa and instead of down dog, we'll meet in table pose, knees, hips in alignment, palms underneath the shoulders, releasing the shoulders and puppy pose, keeping the hips stacked over the knees, walk your hands forward, softer version, forehead to the floor, deeper version, chest and chin start to lower, return to the rise and fall of your breath, give yourself some time to reconnect, let the breath guide you into the present moment. From our puppy pose, you can keep the elbows bent, just slide your heart forward and lower all the way down into Sphinx pose. If you need to move those elbows forward a little bit, feel free, bend your right leg, taking a little quad stretch, releasing the quads from some of that strengthening journey that we took, draw the heel towards the outer glute as you press down and then move your sternum, your chest forward to keep the back bending quality. Anybody who wants to flip the palm elbow to the sky for a little bit more leverage, feel free to play with that variation. Alright, release the right leg, frog pose with the left leg, bend the knee, slide the knee forward, flex your left foot, line it up with your left knee, keep that same Sphinx pose. If you're feeling any intensity, move your elbows forward to soften it. If you need more work, low, medium or high cobra will help you open a little bit more in the front of that left hip. We're transitioning this variation to a gait pose variation so wherever you are, bend into the right knee, push up and then draw the toes of the left foot to the earth, rise all the way up, left hand, I'll turn this way so you can see me, left hand, inner thigh, heel, knee lining up, right hand to the sacrum for a supported version of hip opening camel pose. Stay here and enjoy this space or take the left palm to the sky to increase a little bit more of the back bend. If you can't get enough, right hand can reach back for the right heel, counterbalance by lifting the right rib cage to the sky to move deeper into the back bend. But find your way around the spot that's best for your body and your lower back. Cool. Come on back up, heel to your left foot all the way to the front of the mat. We're setting up for pigeon pose. So if you need a block underneath your left glute, set it up, lower the left knee, block underneath the left glute or you can always bend the back leg and draw the heel behind you, takes a little pressure off your knee. This is our hold today and this is a nice one to hold and feel. Shift your weight towards the midline if possible, lengthen the spine and find a spot where you can reconnect with the breath, relax the face, relax the jaw. If you're moving deeper, slowly guide your elbows forward, keep moving your sternum forward and resist a big lean to your left unless you're doing that to help support that left knee. If you want to feel more, lean your hips to the right just a little bit more and lengthen the spine. Check in with the muscles of the face. The face tells the story of how you're feeling.

See if you can relax and send that wave of relaxation all the way down the spine to your outer left hip and glute. Sometimes contracting and releasing is a nice way to free up some space here. Soften into it, take a nice big inhale and here's your chance to let it go. Great everybody. Walk your hands back up, make a soft little fist and bring that to the outer glute and just give a little smack. Thank you glute, thank you hips for supporting me and then we'll send that left leg back up to the sky, tuck your toes under, shake the left leg out, open the hip and move back to your plank pose. Lower all the way down. We'll meet in Sphinx pose, untuck the toes, forearms underneath the shoulders, bend your left leg this time for the quad stretch, reach back with a left hand, start to draw the heel towards your outer glute. You'll want to collapse into the body but keep moving your ribs and your heart forward. These two little moments of opposition, open the quad and even the hip flexor. Flipping the palm is a nice opportunity to give yourself a little bit more leverage in the posture. Releasing the left leg, sitting the right leg up for fog pose, bend the knee, open the hip, right knee lines up with the right hip, right foot flex lining up with the knee. Keep the Sphinx pose or move the elbows forward if this is tight on your hips. If you need more, replace your elbows with the palms soft and the shoulder blades back and lift the heart as you move the chest forward. This will keep a little compression away from the lower back. We're pressing up and back, so bend into your left knee and then lift your right foot. Pivot your heel to the floor, lining up the right heel with your left knee, right hand on top of the right thigh, left hand supports the sacrum, lift the sternum, lift the chest for a supported hip opening variation of Camel pose or you can get the upper back and shoulders into it a little bit more. If you're still enjoying this, reach for your heel. Remember, tucking the toes under helps you. You don't have to reach as far back and keep lifting your left ribcage as you explore the back bend. Great. We'll come on all the way back up. The right foot is just journeying forward, setting up for pigeon, maybe putting a block underneath your right hip as you lower down. If you need to swing the left toes around behind you, keeping that right knee safe, go for it. If you're okay with a block underneath that, straightening the leg, internally rotate your left leg, swing from the spine and then soften into your pigeon hold. Pigeon is such a wonderful place to hold and just feel. We mostly feel that tension in the outer glute and hip. As you're feeling the tension, you can use that opportunity to exhale out the tension. Imagine the tension dissolving into peace, a little lean to your left if you want to feel a little bit more resistance, and then we start to find the opportunity to explore peace in some challenging postures. Peace is our little ally against the resistance and the tension that we're feeling. Wonderful, everybody. Enjoy two more rounds of breath, softening, sometimes contracting the right glute and releasing it helps you feel a little bit more ease here. Start to slowly walk your hands back. Oh, those holds are so good. Don't forget make that soft fist with your right hand and just give yourself a little smack, a little thank you towards the glutes, towards the hips. Send that right leg to the sky and shake it out if you want to, but you don't have to because we're just going to swing that left leg around and set up for a nice reclining windshield wiper posture. Draw the navel to the spine, engage your core and lower all the way down. Cactus field goal, the arms feet are hip distance. Let the knees rock left and right, releasing the glutes one more time. Great. Straighten your left leg, hug your right knee towards the midline and enjoy a soft little hip closing experience here. Anybody who'd like to bend the left leg and reach down with a right hand can grab the right foot and a little yogi pretzel here, rolling the right shoulder blade towards the floor, hugging to the midline with the left inner thigh. Wonderful everybody. Go ahead and unwind the legs. Straighten your right leg, draw the left knee up and into the chest. Take the left leg across the body for easy soft twist, little counterbalancing pose. You might shift your hips to the left. You might bend that right leg and reach back and down with your left hand and roll the shoulder blade to the floor. Slowing it down, enjoy that internal focus as you unwind and set up for your shavasana, straightening one leg at a time. Bring your hands back to the heart center, both hands on top of the heart. Remember the giving and receiving center, the center for compassion and patience and love pointed towards us and out towards the world. Enjoy this reconnection and shavasana. Take your time here or join me for a comfortable seat. We'll slowly start to move from this nice reclined position over to our right and all the way back up. Swinging the legs around, nice, comfortable, easy cross-legged seat.

I hope you feel a little bit more connected to the heart center, a little bit more connected to your breath and the present moment and make sure to share that with everyone you meet. Have a great day. Namaste.