Fluid Hip Flow

Welcome, and thank you for joining me for this fluid, hip-focused flow practice. We'll begin on our backs today, so take your time. And as you come onto your back, step your feet as wide as your mat, and then let the knees knock into touch for constructive rest. Maybe rest your hands on your belly. If it feels safe, you might close your eyes.

And right away, just taking a moment to land, arrive at your practice. Maybe taking a few full deep breaths, breathing in, staying here for the exhale, maybe let out a sigh, and perhaps setting an intention for your practice, anything you'd like to call in or let go of. Moving with that intention, as you're ready, sweep the arms up over your ears and drop your knees to the right side, so take a nice easy spinal twist. On your next breath in, draw the knees back through center. As you exhale, drop both knees to the left.

And then at your own pace, windshield wiper the knees from side to side as a way to massage through the hips, your spine, taking that a few times to either direction, finishing up with the knees dropping to the left, and then as you come back through center, hug your knees into your chest, and rock a little side to side, massage through the lower back. And then let the soles of the feet find the earth, feet hips distance apart, we'll move into some rolling bridge poses. As you're ready, inhale, sweep the arms up over your ears at the same time, press through the soles of the feet, and start to lift the hips up off the earth, good, and then reverse that on the exhale, lower the hips and lower the arms on either side of your body, two more like that, inhale, arms lift, hips lift, exhale, slowly lower hips, lower arms, one more inhale, arms lift, hips lift, exhale, lower hips, lower arms, good, and then hugging the knees in, take the hands to the back of your knees and start to rock up and down along the length of your spine to build momentum to come to tabletop, we'll cross at the ankles and make your way into tabletop, letting the shoulders come over wrists, hips over knees, then moving into some circles and barrel rolls, let the hips shift back toward the right heel and then let them shift over toward the left heel, and then bringing the weight forward toward the left shoulder, move it to the right shoulder, taking some wide barrel rolls in one direction, starting to wake up through the body, this is usually where I hear some crackling happening, the joints, maybe take it in the other direction, just moving away, that feels good to start to wake up, good, and then land in child's pose when you're ready, in your child's pose, see if you could take the knees a little bit wider, so we're getting it into the hips, let the hips sink back toward the heels, reach the arms forward, and then can you reach forward and back at the same time as you feel the expansion and the opening through the hips and the back body breathing in, releasing something on the exhale, breathing out, good, and then take your time as you make your way up to all fours, tuck the toes, and lift the hips up and back into downward facing dog, swaying the hips side to side as you come into dog pose, maybe shake your head, yes and no, stepping the feet about hips distance or a little wider if you'd like, letting the hands be about shoulder width apart, beautiful, and then from here, start to round through the spine as you come forward into plank pose, good, and then as you get to plank pose, bend your knees and then lift the hips up and back into downward facing dog, so kind of this wave like energy as you inhale, come high up onto toes, round forward into plank, exhale, bend the knees, lift the hips up and back, and one more like that, inhale, high up onto toes, round forward plank pose, exhale, bend knees, lift hips all the way up and back, taking a moment to land in downward facing dog, beautiful, and then from here, let's start with the left side, inhale the left leg up and back, bend the left knee to open up through the left hip, and then maybe take some big circles with that left knee as you start to open up through the left side, one direction, and then the other, and then straightening out through the left leg, start to draw your left knee towards your left tricep and then take a big step to the outside of your left wrist, so you're in lizard lunge, a wider lunge here, come up onto your fingertips, reach the heart forward, allow a big full breath in here, and then as you exhale, any amount start to press back through the right heel and straighten out through the left leg, so you're folding over that left leg, good, and then with your breath inhale, rebend through the left knee, heart lifts, exhale, start to straighten through the left leg, fold over your front leg, press back actively through the right heel, go one more time, inhale, rebend into that lunge, and exhale, shift back, fold over your front leg, good, as you rebend through your left knee, plant your right hand down, sweep the left arm up, and then open up into your lunge twist, maybe lean back a little bit, keep hugging that left hip in, twist from your navel up, beautiful, and then lowering the left hand, walk to face the side of your mat for a wide leg, forward fold, walking hands under shoulders, inhale to lengthen through the spine, as you exhale, fold in, walking your hands back, any amount, letting the crown of your head melt down, letting the hands rest on the earth, sealing the outer edges of the feet down, breathe into the back of your legs, good, and then coming out the same way we came in, we'll walk the hands under the shoulders, lengthen through the spine, come halfway up, and then walk back to the front of your mat, good, stepping back into downward facing dog, left foot meets the right, on an inhale glide forward with that rounded spine into plank, this time we'll lower all the way to the belly, good, as you get down to the earth, untuck your toes, take your hands wide, tent your fingertips on either side of your mat, on an inhale start to peel the chest up coming into this wide arm cobra pose, good, and then let the right shoulder start to come toward the center of your mat as you take your gaze over the left shoulder, good, as you inhale come back through center, exhale this time the left shoulder will melt toward the center of the mat, take a gaze over the right shoulder, beautiful, inhale come back through center, heart lifts, and exhale let that go, bring the hands next to the side ribs, tuck your toes from the thighs up off the earth, and press your way back to plank, and downward facing dog, hips lift all the way up and back, allowing a big full breath in, exhale to release, beautiful, and then taking that all to our second side reach the right leg up and back, bend the knee open up through the right hip, maybe take some big circles with that right knee in one direction, and then the other just feel that opening in the right side, beautiful, and then stretching that right leg long, tap your right knee to the outside of your right elbow, take a big step to the outside of the right hand this time, come up onto your fingertips here in lizard lunge, hang out there for a moment, good, and then reaching the heart forward find some length in your spine, as you exhale start to straighten the right leg any amount, press back actively through your left heel, folding over the right leg, good, and then letting our breath bring us in and out of there a few times, inhale, re-bend through the right knee, exhale straighten and fold, one more inhale, re-bend, exhale fold over your front leg, good, re-bend through the right knee, we'll set up for our twist, planting the left hand down, reach the right arm up, twisting open to the right, keep hugging the right hip in and down, good, and then lowering the right hand, walk to face the side of the mat, wide leg forward fold, inhale to lengthen, exhale walking hands back, folding any amount, let the crown of the head melt down, just notice what would feel good with the arms, maybe hold your ankles or you could walk your hands behind you, couple breaths, good, and then walking your hands under your shoulders lengthen, come halfway up, come back to your lunge, front of the mat, step back into your down dog, one more time come forward into plank, take a slow lower to the belly, take the arms wide, tent your fingertips, peel the chest up, inhale, this time we'll let the left shoulder melt toward the center of the mat, gazing to the right, good, inhale as you come back through center, exhale right shoulder melts, gaze to the left, good, back through center, inhale, exhale as you come back, let your hands come next to the side ribs, tuck the toes, firm the thighs up off the earth, come up to plank, and then meet me in, downward facing dog, let's sweep the left leg all the way up and back, start to draw the knee in toward your nose, setting up for pigeon pose, let the shin come down to the earth behind your wrists, taking a moment to wiggle in, you might take something under that left hip, and just finding that support as you find your center, heart lifts, big breath in, and then waiting for that invitation to go a little deeper, you might walk your hands in front of you and find pigeon, whatever variation of the shape works for you today, we'll be here for about five full deep breaths, and as you come into the shape, just noticing what happens as you get there, know where to get to, all a part of it, anchoring back into your breath, just as inhale, just as exhale, allowing two more full deep breaths, as you're ready, take your time as you make your way back into down dog, and just notice what you need to let go of that side, pedal it out, shake it out, you swing hips, in your own time as you're ready, we'll sweep the right leg up, to draw the knee in towards your nose, parallel the shin toward the front of the mat, just noticing as you come into this side if it feels any different than the first side, take a moment up at the top, again if you want to take a blanket or a bolster under the right hip that might feel supportive to you, go for it, and again just waiting for that invitation to go a little bit deeper, you want to walk your hands forward, rooting back to your breath, perhaps noticing what has your attention, the sounds around you, the space. A few more full deepest breaths of the day. And taking your time, locking the hands back in, coming to down dog one last time, notice what you need to let go of that side, and then meet me seated at the front of the mat, you might hop your feet forward, making your way to seat, stretching the legs out in front of you, sit up nice and tall, find length in your spine, arms lift, heart lifts, coming into your fold, feel that opening in the lower back, as you inhale find length through the spine maybe lift up, and then as you exhale release into your fold, beautiful, and then inhale come on up, roll onto your back, bring your knees with you, give them squeeze, rocking a little side to side, just noticing if there's anything else here that you need to feel complete in your practice, otherwise stretching legs long for Shavasana, just taking a moment to arrive here, letting the legs go long, letting your feet roll open like books, bringing palms to face up on either side of the body and let your arms fall away from you a little bit, take up space, let yourself rest, let go, let be, let go, let go, let go, let go, nice and long, nice and long.

Again, you start to bring the awareness to what has your attention, no judgment, just becoming aware. Let your breath begin to deepen, filling the body with breath, letting any gentle movements back into your fingers, your toes, ankles, wrists, reaching your arms up over your ears. Slide the soles of the feet to the earth, bend your knees, roll to either side, taking a moment to pause on your side, maybe resting your head and your arm. With that ease of Shavasana, pressing your way up to seated, take a moment as you find your seat, bring your attention, your awareness to the hips, any other sensations that you're feeling, and then taking hands together in front of the heart, thank yourself for showing up for you, thank you all for sharing this practice with me, the light and love in me, greetings and honors, the light and love in you, namaste.