Strong and Fluid

Mitnick. Welcome. So happy to be together. In this practice, we're going to tap into and awaken our strength and fluidity. We'll move through some rhythmic fun salutation, standing shapes, and then ease our way down to the floor. Join me at the top of your mat might want two blocks for this practice in the standing shapes.

And take a moment to spread your toes, feel your feet on the earth. Just allow for an inhale. Nice grounding exhale. And on your next inhale, sweep your arms up towards the sky. Class, your left, wrist with your right hand, round through your left foot, and just take a side stretch over to your right.

You might bend your left knee, lengthen through the left side body, find a place for your neck feels good. Inhale back, to center, and clasp, left hand, right wrist, ground through your right foot. Take it up out and over to your left. Maybe bend your right knee as you lengthen through the right side body. Easy in your neck.

And how back to center releasing your arms, stretch your arms out again. Just roll the shoulders forward. Press through the feet, let the arms open, let the chest lift. Few more like this, just kind of flossing the shoulders, the chest, rolling the shoulders forward, press through the feet and open. Time you roll the shoulders forward, interlace your fingers behind your back.

Lift the heart. You might stay right here. You might take it into a forward fold inhale. If the heart exhale, bend your knees, forward fold, releasing your heads ratching your arms up out and over, taking a few breaths into the shoulders as you lift the shoulders up towards the ceiling towards the sky. Inhale, and as you act sail, just gently release your arms down. You might roll the shoulders up back and down a few times in your forward fold. We'll roll up together soft, bend through the knees, chin into your chest, slowly rolling up stacking your bones, feeling your heart, feeling your shoulders, feeling your head, centering breath, inhale, Exale, bring your feet about hips width apart, and as you inhale stretch your arms up towards the sky.

Feel how you can ground through the feet, reach up through the arms, so inhale together, he'll cactus the arms, bend the elbows, open the chest ground through your feet. Inhale reach your arms up, exhale open twist to the right, sweep your right arm back and reach from the heart into the hands. Maybe look back towards your right hand. Inhale, sweep both arms up, exhale cactus, bend the elbows open the chest ground through the feet. Inhale reach the arms up, exhale, open twist to the left, sweep the left arm down and back, reach from the heart into the hand standing twist, find that ease in the neck, maybe look back towards your left hand.

Sweet the left arm back, up last. Time cactus the arms open the chest. Press through the feet, inhale arms reach up exhale hands together at the heart. Taking a few moments to just notice the quality of your breath. Moving with the breath, storia namaskar a, inhale reach the arms up, exhale, maybe a soft bend through the knees, forward fold, release the head and the arms.

As you inhale half arch length in your spine. As you exhale, bend your knees, ground your hands, step back plank, pause and plank for a few breaths. Just dialing this in, reach back through the heels, forward through the heart, Feel the buoyancy of your lungs as you press the floor away, inhale together, and then exhale lower. As you choose knees or through Chaturanga, cobra, point the toes inhale roll the shoulders up back and down, lift the heart. XL lower. Tuck the toes, press up, and back downward facing dog.

I'm just taking a few breaths here in your downward dog. Might feel nice to come high up onto the balls of your feet, maybe bending your knees, wiggling, lift your sitting bones up, lifting the thigh bones backing up. Feeling the length of the spine, the neck. As you're ready, bend your knees look forward, walk your feet towards your hands. Inhale half arch lengthen, exhale bend your knees forward fold.

Ground for your feet, inhale sweep your arms up, gather and lengthen, exhale hands together at the heart, taking a moment to pause, feeling your breath. Feeling the energy, feeling the warmth. And then adding on, Surya Namaskar, b variations, spread the toes, bend the knees, utkatasana. Take a moment to pause here as you feel the strength in your legs. Inhale reaching, exhale release forward fold, uttanasana releasing the head.

As you inhale half arch lengthen, use your exhale, bend your knees, step back into your plank pausing here, inhale. Exhale lower, inhale cobra, or upward dog, feeling into your spine, your body, exhale downward facing dog, taking a moment to pause as you lengthen, As you're ready, inhale, lift your right leg, high, and exhale knee to nose curled and round, inhale stretch your right leg back up, and exhale step it through for a low lunge. I'm gonna wiggle back through the ball of the foot, lowering the back knee. Here's where you might reach for your blocks. And as you and how just draw the hips back, we'll half split extend through the front leg.

And as you exhale lower, taking a moment to pause here. Nice. I'll reach the arms up. Low crescent lunge. Feel how you can lengthen out of your lower back, feeling the essence of cobra through the upper back. You might keep your back toes tucked under, or release the top of the foot.

Nice. One more breath here. And then as you're ready, tuck your back toes under. We're gonna play with lifting the back knee up. Right? Coming into, a runner's Alana, and then reach your arms behind you, feel the strength of your legs, reach through the fingertips, and as you're ready, inhale rise up high crescent lunge, maybe a soft bend through the back knees, you draw the tailbone under, feel the front ribs drawing in, breathing nice from here, playing towards a warrior three. You might have your two blocks ready, bringing your hands together at your heart, drawing the back foot in, pressing and lifting, lifting the back foot reaching for the blocks, grounding through the standing leg, feel the energy of your back leg as you begin to level your hip and you might even reach back with your right hand, feeling the strength as you kick back into your left foot, breathing, inhale here, and as you x exhale release your hands to the floor, standing split, releasing the forehead towards the shin.

Inhale, exhale bend your right knee, slow, lower, shape of the lunge. Pausing here, twisting lunge, ground for your left hand, sweep your right arm up, and then reach it from the heart into the hand. Find that ease in your neck. Inhale, exhale, release the right hand down step back. Downward facing dog, pedal out your feet.

Stay here, moving through a vinyasa, inhale forward into your plank, feeling your strength, exhale lower. In the helicopter or up dog, exhale downward facing dog. Taking a few breaths here between sides. As you're ready, inhale lift the left leg high, exhale knee to nose curl and round, inhale lift the left leg high, exhale step the left foot through for a lunge, reach back through the ball, the right foot you might reach for your blocks. Lower the back knee down and how draw your hips back extend through your front left leg.

A little half split here. Exale lunge, stay low in your lunge. You might inhale reach your arms up towards the sky. Low crescent lunge, feel how you can ground and lengthen and reach. You breaths here softening the jaw.

Nice inhale. As you're ready, exhale release the hands down, tuck the back toes under, lift the back, meet setting up for your warrior three transition, sweep the arms back, and feel you can stretch the fingers towards the back toes. Feel the belly lifting up and in nice from here. Bring your hands together, reaching the arms up towards the sky. Maybe a soft bend for the back knee as you come into your high crescent lunge. Feeling into your balance, feeling into your strength.

Nice. Inhale, exhale, bring the hands to the heart, walk the back foot in, and then play towards your warrior three transition as you lift the back leg, flex the foot, boop, and then they're reaching for your blocks. That's what they're here for as you extend for your back leg, feeling the strength of your standing hip and leg. Breathing here. Feel the length from that right heel to the crown of the head. One more inhale. And as you exhale, releasing the hands down to the floor, standing split. Give me bringing the forehead towards the shin as you stretch the right leg up towards the sky.

Breathing. Inhale as you're ready exhale, bend the left knee, step all the way back shape with a lunge, twisting lunge, ground for your right hand, sweep your left arm up. Healing that rotation through the spine as you reach from the heart into the hands. Strong through the back leg, inhale, exhale, release the left hand down step back downward facing dog. From your downward dog inhale into your Alana, from your plank exhale lower, inhale cobra or up dog.

Exhale downward dog. Three full breaths here. From your down dog, bend your knees, walk or float forward towards the hands. Once you arrive in how half arch, exhale, bend your knees, forward, fold spread your toes, bend your knees, utkatasana chair pose, sweep the arms forward and up, sit down as you lengthen inhale, exhale, press through the feet, rise all the way up. And exhale, bring the hands together at the heart, centering breath inhale, the earring breath exhale.

Just take a moment to pause. Notice how you feel. Now, as you're ready, inhale, reach the arms up, lengthen, x sail forward folds, off, then releasing your head, inhale half arch as you lengthen, exhale, bend your knees, step your right foot back this time. And then warrior two feet, pivot onto the outer edge of your right foot. Sweep your top arm, your right arm up, and then organize your feet for your warrior two pattern. Pause in here as you feel the strength of your legs, grounding through the outer edges of your feet, warrior dance with the pumps inhale. We'll press into the ball, the left foot arms reach, exhale warrior two.

Let's do two more inhale, lift and reach. Exale warrior two. Last one, inhale reach, exhale warrior two. This time, bring your right arm underneath your left. Give yourself a hug.

You might stay right here in your warrior two shape. You might find an eagle wrap with your arms, sinking down, and then press into the ball, the left foot straighten the leg a little bit, and then exhale sink in. Two more times, extend, sink in. Last one, press extend, exhale sink in. Feel how you can take a big breath into the back of your body as you lift the elbows up, sink down into the hips, One more inhale, exhale, release your arms. Peaceful warrior, stretch your left arm up, exhale cartwheel the hands down, spin onto the ball of your back foot, step back downward facing dog, beautiful work.

From your down dog, inhale Alana, strong, plank exhale lower, knees are chaturanga, inhale cobra, or up dog. Exhale downward dog. As you're ready, bend the knees, walk forward, inhale half arch lengthen exhale, bend the knees forward fold ground for your feet, inhale sweep your arms up, exhale hands together at the heart. Take a moment to pause, connect back into the earth. Second side, inhale sweep your arms up.

Exhale forward fold, inhale half arch lengthen exhale bend your knee step your left foot back for warrior two, ground on the outer edge, sweep your left arm up and settle into your warrior two foot pattern. Warrior dance, inhale press through the ball of your right foot, arms, lift, exhale sink and ground. Two more inhale fluid through the spine, exhale. Last one, inhale arms lift. Exhale warrior two.

From your warrior two, when your left hand underneath the right of yourself, a hug, you might stay here, begin to find the eagle wrap with your arms sinking in lifting the elbows, and then press into the ball, the right foot straighten the leg, exhale, then the right knee sink in. Press into the ball. The foot come out a little bit lengthen, exhale sink in. Let's do one more. Bend the right knee warrior two.

Take a nice full breath into the back body, lifting the elbows, and then inhale sweep the arms, peaceful warrior, float the right arm up. Exale cartwheel the hands down, spin onto the ball, the back foot step back downward facing dog. From your down dog, if you'd like, inhale forward to a Alana, Exale lower, inhale cobra or updog, exhale downward dog. Make three full breaths here. Yeah. As you're ready, bend the knees, look forward, walk or float your feet to your hands, inhale half arch exhale forward fold.

Bend the knees, inhale circle the arms, exhale hands together at the heart, taking a moment to pause, notice, heal. Flowing to the earth, inhale, reach the arms up, exhale forward fold release, inhale half arch lengthen, exhale bend the knee step back into your plank. Last vinyasa here, lower all the way down, point the toes, cobra, inhale lift the heart, exhale lower. Stretch the arms alongside the body for Shalabostana, locusts bring the legs in a little closer. And as you inhale rise up, lift the arms, lift the legs, draw the back body into the spine.

You might keep your arms reaching towards the toes. You might play with swimming your arms out to the side, maybe over the top of the head as you look down, feel the neck lengthen. You'll be swimming the arms out. And then back towards the feet, inhale, lift, exhale lower. Bring the hands underneath you tuck your toes.

Let's press up onto the knees and round our way back towards a child's pose. This softens the hips towards the heels, forehead towards the earth. Be a little fluid wobble from side to side. As you're ready, tune into the chest, just slowly roll your way. We'll set up with the block.

Coming into the dolphin dog. So as you're ready, you can bring your hands like this. Stick your thumb out. Bring your hands a little lower towards the edge of the block. Lower edge of the block.

And feel you can press the outer hands into the block as you draw the shoulders down the back. Feel the outer lats engage. As you're ready, tuck your toes under and begin to lift up into your dolphin dog, feel the weight of the head releasing. You might bend your knees here as you press into your forearms, and maybe play with walking your feet towards the block towards your head. One version here.

Feeling the neck nice and long, tractioning. Notice the quality of your breath as you press the hands into the block. You might stay here a bit longer. You might play with walking your feet and closer towards your head. As you're ready, walk your feedback, lower your knees, child's pose. Keep your hands on the blocks and just wrap your fingers around the block.

I'm gonna press the outer hands into the block here. And then from your child's pose, begin to lift the block up. Bring the elbows towards each other, getting a nice stretch through the shoulders here as you lift the block, and towards your neck. Press the hands into the block. Mhmm, breathing here.

Nice. And then just slowly lower, release the block. Now as you're ready to turn into the chest, rolling your way up for a moment, Vajrasana, and we'll transition onto our back. You can bring your block off to the side. As you roll on to your back, draw your knees into your chest, just rock from side to side.

Setting up for bridge pose. If you'd like to use a block under your sacrum, you might bring one there. Feed about hips width apart, heels in line with your sitting bones. Just allow for an inhale. And as you exhale curl the tailbone under and up press through the feet, lift your pelvis up.

It's a nice way to balance the hips, strengthening here. Hands might reach towards the heels. You might roll and tuck your shoulders under your back as you find that interlace here. Imagine there's a block between the inner thighs, outer hips drawing in, feeling the muscles really hog around the bones of the legs. Long through the neck, breathing. Nice.

When you feel ready to release, come high up onto the balls of your feet, lift your heels, release your fingers, stretch your arms up to the sky, round your upper back, and then slowly lower all the way down, upper back. Mid back, low back, sacrum, arms alongside the body, pause, and notice. Right. Second round setting up for bridge, spread the toes. Inhale, exhale, press and lift, or any variation here. If there's a block under the sacrum, if we'll orbit on your rosin is in your wheelhouse, and that feels inspiring, you might move in that direction. Finding perhaps that interlace as you lift and lengthen, breathing.

I see. Whatever shape you're in, take your time slowly, mindfully. Reelis. Upper back. Mid back, low back arms. Pause here.

You might draw your knees into your chest. Take a moment to lift up. Bring your forehead towards your knees, curl and round. Slowly release. From here, setting up for an eagle wrap twist, wrapping the left leg over the right, rolling onto your right side, stacking the arms and then circling your top left arm up and over.

There's another variation of a twist that would feel good for your body. You might explore that. Allow for an inhale Exale softening. Breathing into the shape, breathing into where you feel the stretch. Allowing the back of the left lung and shoulder blade to get heavy towards the earth.

This spacious in the throat between the eyes and the base of the skull. We notice how the sensation changes with time, with breath, with awareness. You are welcome to stay longer when you feel ready to slowly unwrap your legs, unwind back to center. Take a moment to pause. You might draw your knees in and rock from side to side.

I'm easing into your other side wrapping the right leg over the left eagle wrap or another variation, rolling on to your left side, letting the top right arm circle and open. Allow for an inhale exhale soft in the belly, find ease in your neck. Most likely the side feels different in your body. Alright. Just depending on your spine, your shoulder, your hip. Ups allowing the back of the right, long, and shoulder blade to get heavy towards the earth.

Notice the quality of the breath. And honoring your timing, you might stay here a bit longer. You feel ready slowly unwrap, unwind your spine. Maybe draw the knees back to center rock from side to side one more time. And then grounding the feet will bring the soles of the feet together, knees wide into a supta baddha konasana, resting butterfly hands might rest on the belly.

Drawing your awareness into the belly as you feel the movement of the breath. You might stay in the shape a bit longer. You might draw your knees together, bring your feet wide, knees resting towards each other, constructive rest pose. Might stay in this shape, or when you feel ready, stretch your legs out, Shavasana. Arms reach out.

Allow for an inhale, and exhale. It's allowing the weight of the bones to drop towards the earth. Receiving the support beneath you. Relaxing the effort, the, the doing, the engagement. It's resting in a New quality of being.

Giving yourself permission to stay and rest here a bit longer. As you feel ready, inviting movement back in, you might find a full body stretch as you lengthen from the fingers to the toes. Just allowing your knees to bend rolling to your side. Using your arms to press yourself up, finding your seat. Allow for an inhale, exhale, and joining the hands together, breathing in.

Namaste. Thank you for your practice. Have a beautiful day.