Foundational Flow

Welcome, everyone. So grateful to have you with us. We're going to begin in child's pose for this practice. So go ahead and turn to the front of the mat. Knees can be together or wide. The arms can be back alongside the body or reaching out.

And then just lay it all down. Let yourself sink into the earth. Let the whole body relax for a moment. This whole flow is inspired by the root chakra, which of course is our grounding, foundational support associated with the earth and the lower part of the body. So for now, connecting with that sense of foundation and support and letting your body sink down into the receptive earth.

Begin to deepen the breath. Transitioning into the sensations of the body, into rise and fall of breath. And as much as possible, kind of letting the rest fade for the time being. Another breath or two here. From this grounded, supported place, consider your intention for your practice.

Once it's clear, let it root in the body. And on your next inhale, let yourself arise up onto your hands and your knees. Hands under shoulders, knees under hips. Really simple cat-cow, just warming the spine. Inhale, lifting, tailbone, heart gaze.

And exhale, rounding, belly to spine, release the weight of your head. A couple more. Big inhale, let the shoulders really slide down the back. Exhale, rounding, belly to spine. Once again, inhale, heart rising.

Exhale, rounding. And then with the inhale, just draw it back to a neutral spine. Root the hands, tuck the toes, and exhale, taking all the way up and back downward, facing down. Pedal the feet. Bend one knee and then the other.

Let the hips float side to side. Begin to open through the backs of the legs. Take a breath or two here. Yeah, and then with your next inhale, let's ripple forward into plank pose. And with your exhale, lower the knees, elbows hug in, come all the way down to the earth, and then go ahead and extend the arms all the way out and rest your forehead on the earth.

It's like a full-body offering. Back down to those rich, deep, dark soils. One breath here. And then hands outside a rib cage, inhale, press to hands and knees. Tuck the toes, exhale, downward, facing dog.

Right, with the next inhale, step the right foot forward between the hands, lift to the fingertips. Let's find a little pulse here. As you inhale, reach out through the heart, through the back heel. And as you exhale, round a bit, let the head go. Again, inhale, lengthen through back heel and heart.

Exhale, round, curl in a little. Inhale, extending. Exhale, rounding. Then with the inhale, reach it out. We're going to exhale, quarter turn to the left.

Stay really low, toes out, heels in, grab your ankles. And then inhale, reach through your heart, exhale, round again a little. Couple more, inhale, extend. Exhale, round. Inhale, reach.

Exhale, round. Yeah, then inhale, reach again, quarter turn to the back of the mat. Exhale, step straight back into your plank pose. Big inhale. Exhale, lower the knees, come all the way down.

Inhale, lift the heart a little. And exhale, just release all the way back, downward facing dog. We're going to come full circle here. So again with the inhale, right foot forward. Exhale to ground.

Inhale, reach through back heel and heart. Exhale, curl it in a little. And again, big inhale, reaching. Exhale, rounding, curling in. Inhale, extend.

Exhale, round. Inhale, extend. Exhale, quarter turn to the left. Stay really low, strengthening those legs and glute muscles. Inhale, reach through the heart.

Exhale, round, curl in. A couple more. Inhale. And exhale. Inhale, get way down close to the earth.

And exhale. Good. Inhale, reach it out, coming back to the front. Exhale, pivot and then step into plank, stay for a big inhale. Exhale, lower the knees, come all the way to the earth.

Lay it all down again, reach it out, one breath. Back to the earth. Hands outside of root cage, inhale, hands and knees. Tuck the toes, exhale, down dog. Let's do that again, leading with a left leg.

Inhale, step left foot forward. Exhale, ground. Inhale, reach through back heel, extend through the heart. Exhale, curl it in a little. A couple more.

Inhale, extend. Exhale, round, kind of deepening with repetition. Inhale, feel those right hip flexors. And exhale, round. This time, inhale, reach.

And with your exhale, quarter turn to the right, get really low. Grab the ankles. Inhale, reach through your heart. Exhale, round a little. Exhale, sink deeper.

Inhale, exhale, round. Again, inhale, extend. Quarter turn to the back of the mat again. Exhale, step into your plank pose. Stay for a big inhale.

Exhale, lower the knees, come all the way down. Inhale, lift the heart a little. And exhale, back to your down dog. Bring it at home. Inhale, left foot forward.

Exhale, ground. Inhale, reach and lengthen the whole body. Exhale, curl in a little. Inhale, lengthen it. Exhale, curl in.

Once again, inhale, reach. Exhale, round. This time, inhale, extend. Exhale, quarter turn to the right. Stay really low.

Build that strength. Inhale, reach through the heart. Exhale, round a little. Inhale, extend. Exhale, round.

Inhale, reach. And then exhale all the way back, front of the mat. Step into your plank pose. Stay there. Big inhale.

Exhale, we're coming all the way back to the earth. Reach it out. Lay it down. Offer it up. One breath.

Then hands outside a rib cage. Inhale, lift hands and knees. Tuck the toes. Exhale, downward facing dog. Take a breath or two here.

Come back to your center. Come back to your intention. One more breath here. And then as you're ready, inhale, lift the right leg to the sky. Exhale, nice and easy.

Step it forward. Release the back knee. Let's come into a really simple low lunge. Rising on the inhale, arms up. Exhale, deepen in.

To continue opening through left hip flexors. Warming, strengthening foundation. Stay for a big inhale. And with the exhale, just release. Hands to the earth.

Draw the hips back. Arda hara manasana. Inhale, reaching out through your heart. And exhale, deepen into the fold. Yeah, let's do that again.

Inhale, lengthen out through the heart. Grow the spine. Exhale, deepen. Once again, inhale to reach. Exhale, release.

Take a full breath here. All right, then with the inhale, ease forward. Bend the front knee. Exhale, tuck the back toes. Lift the back knee.

We're going to play with this a little bit. So rocking forward and back on the balls of the feet. Then as you're ready, spring forward off of that back foot. Walk hands out, standing split. Sail that left leg to the sky.

Release the weight of the head. You can play with this. Maybe hold standing ankle. Maybe draw the hands to the heart to explore the balance. Really strong through that standing leg.

Another breath or two. Mm-hmm. Then we're going to come all the way to stand. So to get there, start to draw the hips to neutral if you haven't already. Draw the left knee in towards the chest.

Let the right leg be strong but a little bit buoyant. And then as you inhale, take it all the way up. Reach the arms to the sky and extend the left leg out. Utthita hasta padangusthasana. Lift from that deep low belly, tall through the spine.

You can point or flex the foot. See what feels best. Hold steady, three. Mm-hmm. Two.

Yeah, and then we'll move. Picture your high lunge crescent. Start to bend that left knee and then ease the left foot all the way back, grounding, landing, nice and tall. Take a moment here. Drop tailbone, lift deep belly for three.

Yeah, feel that stability of your foundation, that support beneath you. Two. Give it a big inhale. And then as you exhale, wide open into warrior two. Drop the shoulders down the back.

Let the heart rise. Reach through the fingertips and hold steady here. Three. Mm-hmm. Two.

Yeah, keep your foundation really strong with the inhale, reverse. Left hand slides down, reach up and over. Spacious through the side body. Mm-hmm. Give it another breath.

And then inhale, rise. As you exhale, lengthen that right leg. Spin the feet to parallel, release the hands to the hips. Drop down through the tailbone. Inhale, lift the heart.

And then exhale, fold for prasarita A, hands to the earth. Inhale, just halfway. And exhale, release, grounding. Again, reconnecting. Down into the earth.

For three. Yeah. And two. Another breath. Yeah, with the next inhale, just come halfway up.

We're going to stay low. Exhale, pivot to the front of the mat. Hands inside front foot for lizard pose. Release the back knee. And then, of course, you can take any variation of this.

Keep the knee hugging in. Turn the toes and the knee out. Stay on the hands or come down to the forearms. Let the body dissolve into the earth. Again, feel that grounding, supportive energy rising to meet you.

Keep it right there or right hand back for the left foot, adding the bind. Totally optional. Do what serves. A few more breaths here. Meeting any sticky spots in the body with your breath.

Yeah. Opening or releasing down, always your choice with that bind. Give it another breath or two. And then, if you do have the foot, gently let it go. Inhale, walk the upper body back in and up.

Exhale, hands either side of the front foot. Tuck back toes, lift knee. Step straight into plank. Pause. Really big inhale.

Exhale, lower knees or chaturanga. Inhale, stay with cobra or rise to upward dog. And as you exhale, take it all the way back downward facing dog. Nice work. Really big inhale through the nose.

Let's open the mouth. Exhale, release. Good. One more breath here or come home to your center. Mm-hmm.

And then, as you're ready, inhale, left leg rising. Exhale, step it forward. Just release the back knee. Starting in that simple low lunge, inhale, rise. Exhale, deepen.

Ease the hips forward. Drop the tailbone. Lift the deep belly. Feel the length of the spine. A couple more breaths.

Stay for your inhale. And with the exhale, release, hands to the earth. Draw the hips back. Ardahana Manasana. Inhale, shine out through the heart so the spine lengthens.

Exhale, deepen. A couple more like that. Inhale, reach out. Exhale, release. Yes.

Again, inhale, extending. Exhale, deepening into it. Open the back of that leg, another breath here. Mm-hmm. All right, here we go.

Inhale to come forward. Bend that front knee. Exhale, tuck the back toes. Lift the back knee. Pause.

And then start to play with that rocking forward and back. Yeah. Find a little buoyancy in the body. And then, as you're ready, on an inhale, press off of the back foot. Hands come forward, standing split.

Sale that right leg to the sky. Keep the standing leg really strong and rooted. That's your foundation. And then maybe one or both hands to the ankle, maybe hands to heart. Play with the balance.

A few more breaths. Reaching and opening. All right. And then for the transition, start to draw the hips back to neutral if they're open. Strong through your center in that standing leg.

Start to bend the right knee, draw it in towards the chest. Press the left foot into the earth. And then with your inhale, come all the way up, reach the arms to the sky, and extend the right leg out with the tahasta. Really tall spine, really strong through center, and really rooted through that standing leg. Three, two, and then stay connected and rooted for the transition.

Bend the right knee, and then ease that right leg all the way back. On the exhale, root the foot for high lunge, crescent pose, and then ground into it. Spine tall, hold steady. Feel that stability. Take a big inhale.

Exhale wide open, warrior two. Grounding in it, feel your strength, feel your stability. Three, two, keep the foundation, inhale to reverse, reaching it back. Create a little space in that side body. And then inhale, just rise again.

Exhale, lengthen left leg, spin feet to parallel, hands to the hips. Dropping down through tailbone, inhale, lift that front body. Exhale, fold again, grounding through the hands. Inhale, lengthen, exhale, deepen. Crown of the head may touch the earth, it may not, it really doesn't matter.

If you happen to have a block or anything else, and you want to slide it under crown of head, feel free. Always just as is, another breath or two. Yeah, and then inhale halfway up, stay low. Exhale, pivot to the front of the mat, hands inside, left foot, and release for a lizard. Any variation might be different on this side.

Check in with that knee joint. Stay up or release to forearms. Yeah, and get really close to the earth again. As is, or adding the bind if it serves. You can always loop a strap or a towel around the foot.

Modify as needed. Maybe opening through the chest. Maybe staying low, close to the earth. See what feels best. A few more breaths.

Yeah, gently release. If you do have a foot, inhale, walk the upper body back in and out. Exhale, hands either side of the front foot. Tuck the back toes, lift that knee. Step straight back into your plank pose, pause, engage the whole body really strong.

Big inhale. Exhale, lower knees or chaturanga. Inhale, lift the heart, cobra, up dog. And exhale, take it all the way back, downward facing dog. Take a big inhale here, open the mouth, exhale.

Yes. And then just pause a few breaths. Home to your center. Reconnecting again and again and again with intention. With the next inhale, lift the right leg to the sky.

And with your exhale, draw right knee, right shin through and down for pigeon. And support underneath that right hip glute area if you'd like it. And then once you're rooted, press the palms or the fingertips into the earth. Take a big inhale starting with the low belly, lift all the way up. And then exhale, ease out and down.

Deep full breath into hip and glute muscles. Letting the whole body relax into the earth. Give this another full five breaths, just dissolving into the earth. Now you're welcome to stay, of course, and pigeon as long as you'd like. When you're ready, inhale, walk upper body back in and up.

Keep the weight on that right leg. And as you exhale, swing the left leg around for double pigeon or ankle to knee. Both feet are flexed, which really engages the leg muscles and protects the knees. If this is enough, it's enough. Stay where you are.

If you'd like, inhale, reach arms up. And with your exhale, add the fold. Breathing into hip and glute muscles, slow back. That whole foundation, opening, stretching here. A few more breaths.

Yeah, slowly, slowly with your inhale, walk it back in and up. Keep this really simple, just unwind the legs. Take either ankle on top, roll forward, plant the hands, take it back into plank, pause. Again, engage the whole body, big inhale. Exhale, lower knees or chaturanga dandasana.

Inhale to cobra or up dog. And exhale, take it home, downward facing dog. Second side, inhale, reach left leg up. Exhale into pigeon. Take your time establishing this.

Take any support you'd like. And then once you're grounded, press hands or fingertips into the earth. Inhale from the lower belly all the way up. And exhale, ease out and down. Sometimes support under the upper body can be really lovely.

Bolsters or pillows, whatever you've got. Be comfortable, relatively comfortable here. Feel five more breaths, just give over to it. Again, another breath or two. And as you're ready, inhale, walking the upper body back in and up.

Keep the weight on that left leg. Exhale, swing the right leg around for double pigeon. Keep those feet flexed, engaging the leg muscles, protecting the knees. And then again, stay right there if that's enough, or inhale, reach arms up. And exhale, fold.

Letting the background, letting the head fall. And just releasing into it. Deep breath into the hips. And the knee sticky spot, somewhere you're feeling strong sensation. Guide awareness and breath there.

And then slowly with the inhale, just draw it up. Exhale, cross either ankle on top, take it back. One last vinyasa, big inhale. Exhale, knees are chaturanga. Inhale, cobra, up dog.

And exhale, take it back, downward facing dog. Yeah, nice, strong, deep work. Bottom of the exhale, hopper step through to sit. And then just roll all the way down onto your back. You can hug the knees in towards the chest, wrap arms around the legs, let yourself rock a little side to side.

Take a big inhale here. If you have the space, the time, if you feel for anything else, go ahead and take it. Otherwise, on the exhale, just release. Let the legs extend and roll open. Let the arms release, palms roll open.

And let the whole body relax down. Again, feel that deep, rich, fertile soil. Feel the support of the earth rising to meet you. And for the next moment or two, really lay it all down. Let it all go.

Inhaling, open the mouth, exhale, release. And just rest. Inhale. Inhale. Inhale.

And as you're ready, begin to deepen the breath. It's a movement into the hands and the feet. And make your way up into a comfortable seat in any way that feels good for you. Let the hands rest wherever they're comfortable. Let's soften the gaze or close the eyes. We'll take just a moment of stillness here to transition.

Noticing how you feel. Letting awareness drop back down into your root. And knowing that that foundation is always there to support you. Hands to prayer, heart center. Gentle Aum. Inhale.

Soft mouth forward. Namaste. Thank you so much for joining me. Be well. Namaste.