Connect to Breath and Body

Let's feel better. Please join me for this quick 10-minute practice to just start to move and feel into the body, to breathe a little bit, and just start to circulate the energy. So let's start in Child's Pose, and then bring the big toes and heels together, taking a slight separation between the knees, reaching arms forward, and just taking a moment to ground, maybe sway a little bit, side to side. Start to notice your breath, that you're breathing, that you're being breathed, sending it into the low back, the back body, breathing in, maybe let out a sigh, breathing out. Good.

And more like that, big full breath in, and exhale to release, to let go, a little bit more. Beautiful. And then slowly make your way to tabletop position. We'll come to all fours, shoulders over wrists, and just start to sway the hips side to side. So feeling into sensation, perhaps any tension that you might be holding on to, getting into those sticky spots, and we'll take some circles with the spine, so just moving around, hips shift back, and then weight shifts forward, and take that in the other direction, some barrel rolls.

Beautiful. And then as you come back up toward tabletop, let the hips lower down toward the earth, come on to the belly, hug the elbows in, and we'll take a few Cobra poses. So as you hug the elbows in, press into the tops of the feet, lift up through the chest, the heart space, gently engaging through the core, and then exhale to release. Couple more like that. As you inhale, peel the chest up, engaging through the legs, pressing into the top of the feet, maybe coming up a little bit higher, and then exhale slowly, lower.

One more, Bhujangasana, draw shoulders away from the ears, find length and lift as you come up, inhaling, exhale, release, good, tuck the toes, firm the thighs up off the earth, press up into plank pose, top of a push-up, and then from here lifting the hips up and back for downward facing dog, getting upside down for a moment, maybe pedal through the feet, sway through the hips, pressing through the inner and the outer hand. Feel free to soften the knees a little bit, just finding some length in the spine, let it feel good, meet yourself where you are in this moment, starting from that place. Feel a little different every time we practice, but these are kind of my go-to postures that allow me to just wake up, start the day, good, and then take a slow walk to the front of the mat, drawing the feet towards your hands, softening the knees, letting the torso drape down, and then maybe take a hold of opposite elbows and sway a little side to side, shake the head yes and no a few times, good, and if you're holding opposite elbows, you could take the opposite arm on top, letting a little weight shift toward the balls of your feet, hello hamstrings, good, and then take your time, just slowly roll up, vertebra by vertebra, taking a moment to find Tadasana, mountain pose, notice what it feels like to just stand on your own two feet, feel the ground beneath you, soles of the feet, softening through the knees, letting the tailbone melt down, feel the heart lift, what would you like to call in today, an intention, a dedication, perhaps something you'd like to release or let go of, letting that guide you in your practice, take a couple sun salutations as you're ready, inhale, sweep the arms, all the way out and up, feel the lift through the fingertips, exhale, diving forward, soften through the knees, Uttanasana, forward fold, good, inhale to lift halfway, lengthen through the spine, and then planting your palms, you could step or lightly float back through Chaturanga, inhale, heart lifts, cobra or upward facing dog and then meeting back in our downward facing dog, couple full deep breaths here, and letting the spine be long sitting bones, reaching up toward the sky, letting this be a reminder to come back to our breath to just this moment, and as you're ready, rising up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step or float front of the mat, inhale, lift halfway, exhale, fold, good, root down to rise, arms sweep out and up, exhale, hands to heart, continuing to flow a bit with the breath, inhale, arms sweep up, exhale, forward fold, inhale lengthen, moving meditation with your breath, exhale, step or lightly float back, Chaturanga, inhale, cobra or up dog, exhale, downward facing dog, good, rising up onto toes, bend knees, look forward, step or lightly float front of the mat, inhale as you lift halfway, exhale, fold, root down to rise, arms sweep up, exhale, hands to heart. One more round, Surya Namaskar A, saluting the sun, inhale, arms lift, exhale, forward fold, good, inhale, lift halfway, lengthen, offer the heart forward, exhale, plant palm, step or lightly float, Chaturanga, inhale, cobra or upward facing dog, exhale, down dog, beautiful, start to slide that right knee forward, coming into pigeon pose at the front of the mat, just a nice hip opener as you sink in for single pigeon, you can let the shin come behind the wrist, take a moment to settle in up at the top, allowing that transition to be just as much a part of the process here as anywhere we're trying to get to, nowhere to get to, you're already there and maybe walking hands forward, just allowing a few full deep breaths, sending breath to sensation. Breathing in, I'm aware that I am breathing in, breathing out, I'm aware that I am breathing out, beautiful and take your time as you walk your hands back in, step back to downward facing dog, letting go of that side, maybe pedaling it out or swaying your hips and then sliding that left leg forward for the left side, single pigeon, shin behind the wrist, take a moment to sink in honoring the difference between the two sides, this is definitely a different sensation from the first side, take a moment waiting for that invitation to go a little deeper, finding your edge without force, without stepping over it, just rubbing up against that edge and finding your breath, breathing in, I am aware that I am breathing in, breathing out, I am aware that I am breathing out and just taking your time to walk the hands in, we'll bring the weight off to the left hip, make your way to seated and just taking a moment to ground down through your sitting bones, find length through your spine, through the crown of your head, breathing in for the count of 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, breathing out 4, 3, 2, 1, conscious breath in, exhale, release, thank you for sharing this practice with me, hope you feel really good, have a wonderful day, namaste.