Core Awakening

Welcome. This practice is designed to help draw awareness towards our core and find some strength within. So we'll start on our back. They'll wanna block for this practice. Find your way there.

Let me start by drawing your knees into your chest. And as you draw your knees in, you might rock from side to side here. Just feeling into your back body, your lower back, your hips. And then as you're ready ground your feet about hips width apart, and we're gonna start with some pelvic tilts. So feeling your low back on the floor, keep your hips on the floor and just begin to curl your tailbone under without lifting up into bridge.

And then with the breath, we'll inhale arch the back. Lift the lumbar spine feel the front body lengthen. And then as you exhale, curl, draw the back body towards the earth, curl the tailbone under, inhale roll the pelvis forward arch the back and lengthen a couple more with the breath, feeling that fluid movement through your spine as you initiate from the tailbone all the way up into the cervical spine, the neck, inhale to arch, lift the low back, lift the lumbar spine, exhale, curl the tailbone under, navel to spine back body presses. One more inhale arching, exhale curl. Beautiful. Relax the effort. Now, interlace your fingers behind your head and we're gonna add on here.

So begin to press your elbows down to the floor. And as you do this, feel your low back arch, you're coming into extension. And then exhale, lift your head up off the floor. Draw your elbows towards each other, curl round. Draw the tailbone under. Lower down, inhale arch the back nice full breath, elbows down, exhale manually lift your head up.

Draw your elbows towards each other stretching the back of the heart shoulder blades. Lower down. Few more inhale arch, exhale curl and lift. Lower down. Nice slow. Movement articulating through the spine, exhale, lift. Draw the elbows towards each other.

Curl the tailbone under. Let's find one more inhale arch elbows come down. Exhale lift, curl around. Nice, lower down. From here, lift your knees up, so your knees are in line with your hips.

We're gonna find some cross body movement. Allow for an inhale and as you exhale, draw your right elbow towards your left knee, inhale back to center, and then left elbow towards the right knee. Inhale back to center, exhale lift, right elbow left knee, back to center, left elbow right knee. Let's do a few more at your own pace with the breath. Inhale, exhale elbow knee, back to center, exhale elbow to knee, back to center two more inhale exhale lift across, inhale exhale lift across.

Now, draw everything and lift both elbows towards the knees, and then bring your knees to the right and your elbows to the left. And then side to side here curling up, drawing in. Drive everything back to center, curl lift, and then slow, release down. Take a moment to pause, and then a few pelvic tilts, inhale arch, exhale, curl, and round. Inhale arch the back, lift the lumbar, spine, exhale, navel to spine round. Nice. We'll work with a block now between the legs, bring the blocks between the the block between the inner thighs, hips in line, knees in line with the hips.

Stretch your arms out to your side, palms down. We'll inhale here, exhale let your knees hover to the right, heavy through the left arm, maybe gaze to your left. Squeeze the bottom knee into the block, inhale back up, and then exhale sail left, maybe gaze towards the right, inhale back to center, exhale right, inhale back to center, exhale left a few more in each direction. Easy through the neck, feeling that connection down through the arms as you move the block and knees from right to left. Nice. As you're ready, come back to center, and then remove the block.

Bring a block underneath your sacrum at the lowest setting. So press down for your feet. Lift your hips. Bring your blocks under your sacrum pause. And just feel the weight of the pelvis sinking into the block. Might feel like a sweet release for the hip flexors, front of the hips.

You might stay here, draw your right knee into your chest, and stretch your left leg long. Reclining lunge action here. Notice the quality of your breath feel the breath lengthen, softening the face, softening the jaw. Feel some energy through your left leg, the leg that's extended, feel the shoulders softening down the back, the neck long. As you feel into your right hip, you might keep your knee where it is.

You might let your right hip and knee open out to the right a little bit. I swerve back to center, and then slow release the right foot down, bend the left knee pause reset. As you're ready, draw the left knee and stretch your right leg long feel the energy in your right leg as you stand, and this might feel like a wonderful, wonderful release through the hip flexor, the psoas. Just allow the breath to lengthen. As you feel the space and laying through the body.

Nice. You might keep the left knee where it is. You might open your left hip and knee to the left. Taking a few breaths here softening the jaw. Now back to center. So you're ready exhale stretch your left leg long, bend both knees.

Take a moment to pause. Find the shape of bridge. Press down for the feet, lift the hips and just remove the block. Draw your knees into your chest. From here, we'll play with rocking and rolling up a few times. So feel some momentum as you begin to rock on your spine, rocking and rolling up a few times.

Nice and fluid through the spine. And be one more playing with this rocking your way apple transition into a tabletop position. Just finding your way there. Spread your fingers nice and wide press the floor away from you as you feel the strength in your shoulders. Tuck your toes under.

We'll come into a bear crawl as you tuck your toes, lift your knees, like an inch off the floor. And just hover here. Feel your strength, draw the naval towards the spine, feel the front ribs draw in really lengthen here from the tailbone to the crown of the head, feeling the warmth, the heat, inhale, exhale, release the knees. You might draw back for a moment. Or as an active child.

And then one more time, shoulders over the wrist, press the floor away, tuck the toes, lift up. Me's about an inch or two off the floor. However, hold, length, and breathe. Feeling your strength, not your slow, or point to toes, drop the hips back. This little active child's pose here, feel the neck release.

Now as you're ready, inhale back shoulders over the wrist, let's find plank pose here, stretching out through the legs. Reach back through the heels, forward through the heart. Feel the tailbone draw towards the heels as you lift the low belly. Front ribs draw in nice and long here. We'll hold it for one more full breath, inhale, and then exhale lower all the way down.

Search the arms out for sphinx pose. Come on to your forearms. And then from here, arms about shoulder width apart, feel how you can draw the heart forward, feeling that traction through the spine as you lengthen out of your low back, active through the legs, find some ease in your neck. Wow for another breath here. Nice long exhalation.

Inhale exhale slow, release, bring the hands underneath you, tuck your toes under, press up. Round back for a moment child's pose, softening the forehead towards the earth. As you're ready, inhale rise back up, set up for plank again, tuck the toes under feel the strength and energy in your legs, in your arms, inhale exhale back and up downward facing dog. Just take a few breaths here. Feel the back of the neck release.

You might come high up onto the balls of the feet, and then bend your knees and let your sitting bones stretch up towards the sky. Walking it off, pedaling out your feet. Bring your feet a little closer together as you're ready and how stretch your right leg up and flex your foot square your hip reach through your right heel. Press through your hands, feel the back, the neck releasing, inhale, exhale knee to nose, press the floor away, and then bring that right foot between the hands, coming into a runner's lunge to begin with, wiggle back through the ball of your left foot, and then lower the left knee down coming into a low lunge. Now as you inhale, let's draw the hips back for a moment, extend through that front leg, exhale bend two more times, inhale draw the hips back, extend through the right leg. Exhale bend. One more.

Draw the hips back. Exhale bend as you're ready inhale rise at low crescent lunge, reaching from the heart into the hands. Feeling the essence of cobra sphinx in the upper back. Just allow for an inhale exhale prayer, twist to the right. Bring your hands together, twist to the right.

And hook your left thumb on the outer right knee as you begin to draw the hands together, press and lengthen. You might keep your back knee down. You might play with tucking your back toes under and lifting the back knee. Is feeling into your body this morning as you breathe. Inhale, exhale deepening the twist.

As you're ready, inhale slowly unwind, reach the arms up. Exhale, release, draw the hips back one, time extend through the front leg, bend the knee step back downward facing dog. As you're ready in hell, reach the left leg high square, the hip flex the foot reach through your left heel. Inhale here exhale, knee to nose, curl, and round. Go and step the left foot forward for runners left.

We go back for the ball of that right foot, lengthen forward through the heart, lower the back, right knee down, inhale draw the hips back extend through your front leg, exhale sink into your lunge. Two more times. Inhale, Draw back, exhale sink in. One more time, inhale, draw the hips back, exhale sink in, stay low in your lunge, inhale reach your arms up, low crescent lunge, lengthening through the side body, as you feel that beautiful lift in the heart, finding your breath. Nice. And how exhale, prayer, twist to your left, bring your palms together as you twist to the left, right elbow might hook to the left knee, feel how you can lengthen here and create space through the spine. You might stay with your back knee on the floor. You might tuck your toes under and lift the knee up.

Feeling the strength of your back leg as you lengthen through your spine. Allow for an inhale, exhale as you're ready, strong through the legs, inhale, unwind, reach the arms up. Exhale, release the hands, draw your hips back extend through your front leg. In the half split action, bend the knee, tuck the back toe step back downward facing dog. Your down dog inhale forward to your plank, strong plank, exhale lower as you choose knees or chaturanga, point the toes, cobra roll the shoulders up back and down, lift the heart.

Traction through the spine. XL release, tuck your toes under firm the elbows and inhale, exhale press up plank downward facing dog. From downward dog as you're ready, bend the knees, and walk your feet towards your hands, inhale half arch lengthen exhale forward fold. And soft, bend through the knees, chin into the chest, just ground through the feet, slow rise, inhale sweep the arms up, exhale hands together at the heart, taking a moment to pause, notice. Playing with a variation of Surya Namaskara b with some balancing as you're ready, utkatasana, inhale reach the arms up to your pose, sink down through the feet, feel the strength of your legs, inhale, exhale forward fold, uttanasana relieves, inhale half arch length in your spine, exhale bend your knees step back into your Alana, pausing here, inhale, Exhale lower knees or chaturanga, inhale cobra, or maybe an up dog, listening to your body, exhale downward facing dog.

From downward dog, inhale the right leg, high flex the foot square, the hip reach through that right heel. Take a nice full breath in, exhale, knee to nose, curl and round, and then step forward. Setting up for a high crescent lunge. Ground through your feet, maybe bring your hands onto your hips as you rise up, steady the gaze, maybe bend the back knee, curl the tailbone under. In how reach the arms up towards the sky, feeling that lift, feeling that length, playing with our balance here, from here, bringing the hands together to the heart, Bend the front knee, step the back foot in, and then lift the back knee up.

You might bring your hands to your hips, and then play with stepping back high crescent lunge. Inhale. Exhale step, hands might find the hips or the heart as you lift that left knee, pausing here for a twist. Bring the right hand to the left knee, begin to lengthen the spine as you twist towards the left. Playing with the gaze, maybe reaching that left hand back, inhale, unwind, step back high crescent lunge, pause here, inhale. Exale release downward facing dog, step back, pausing, inhale forward playing pose, exhale lower, knees, or chaturanga, inhale cobra, or up dog.

Exhale downward facing dog, taking a few breaths here. As you're ready, inhale, lift the left leg high, square the hips, reach through the left heel, inhale, exhale, knee to nose, curl round, and then step forward for a high crescent lunge. Hands might find the hips as you rise up. The side might feel totally different. Soft, bend through the knees. Maybe in how reach the arms up towards the sky, feeling the strength and energy of the back leg as you lift.

Hands might find the heart or the hips as you play with stepping on that standing leg, lift the right knee, and then play with stepping back, high crescent lunge, lift the arms, one more time, hands to the hips or heart, lift the right knee, and then me me play with twisting here. Left hand finds the outer right knee as you twist, maybe bring that right hand back, step down as you lift up. And then inhale unwind. Find your high crescent lunge gracefully inhale, exhale, really step back downward facing dog. From downward dog inhale plank, exhale lower knees or chaturanga.

Inhale cobra or up dog lifting the heart, exhale lower, back and up downward facing dog. Take three full breaths here. From downward dog, walk or hop the feet towards the hands. In how half arch lengthen exhale forward, fold, spread the toes, bend the knees, chair pose, utkatasana, sweep the arms forward and up, inhale, low through the legs, exhale, press down, reach all the way up, lengthen, And then exhale, bring the hands together at the heart. Taking a moment to pause here, find a centering breath.

In sun salutation to the earth, inhale arms reach up. Exhale, forward fold, soft bend through the knees, inhale, half arch lengthen, exhale step back, playing post pause, last Alana, Actually, it's not the last point. Inhale, exhale lower. Point the toes. Inhale cobra, lift the heart, exhale lower.

Let's take a moment round back towards a child's pose. Nice. And then just roll up. We're gonna play with dolphin plank for arm plank. Before we come into camel. So set up your block, and we're gonna bring our hands on either side of the block like this.

Bring your arm shoulder width apart. Press your hands into the block here. Now you might keep your knees on your mat. You might play with tucking your toes under, walking your feet back as you find your forearm Alana, and feel how you can reach back through the heels, forward through the heart. Lifting up through the deep low belly lengthening, breathing here, Alana through the neck.

And stay here at any point you can lower the knees. Nice. And then slow will release towards sphinx pose for a moment. Pause point the toes. Hands might reorganize towards the earth. Inhale, exhale bring the hands underneath you, press up. We'll round for a moment back into a child's pose.

Get a breath into the back body, exhale soft in the belly to settle. Nice. And your own timing slowly rise up. We'll move towards Ustrasana camel pose. Now here, you might work with a block between the legs if that's useful.

Setting up, as you come up onto the knees and shins, you might point the toes. You might have the back toes tucked under. And take a moment to feel the spine lengthen. Would you feel the spine lengthen feel that lift from the pelvic floor all the way up. Let me start by bringing the hands behind. So pointing the fingers down, hands right around the sacrum area.

And just feel how you can ground through your legs as you lengthen out of the low back and begin to lift the heart. Nice. Strong the sacrum down and in, inhale, exhale opening up through the chest. Inhale to lift, exhale to open. Nice. And then lead with a heart, feel the strength of the core so you come all the way back up. Take a moment to pause, sit on the heels.

You might keep the block or you might remove it. Just take a moment to pause. Nice. For the second round, you might play with that first variation or you might join me in reaching your hands towards the feet. Set up with your hands right around the sacrum inhale lengthen. And then exhale begin to open through the chest.

Again, hands might stay right where they are. You might begin to reach back for the heels. As you open through the chest here, Ice chin might stay down towards the chest. You might begin to lengthen through your neck really feeling into your neck, your spine as you breathe. Nice.

Feel the strength of your legs, strength of the core. As you inhale lead with the heart, bring the hands to your sacrum. Slowly come up and then sit your hips back towards your heels. Maybe a child's pose from here. Maybe a cat cow would feel good for your body.

Take a moment to settle and soften here. Nice. And then chin into the chest slowly roll up from here. We'll transition onto our back, setting up for a supported bridge. Again, as you bring the block underneath the sacrum, we might have it on that first setting. Right? Just allowing the hips to settle, feeling that support beneath you.

As you feel into your body, you might press down through the feet and rise up towards that second setting. Feel the shoulders drawn underneath the back. Opening the chest. Option to stay here. If it would feel nice to bring your knees in and stretch your legs up towards the sky, you might explore this variation here, feeling the energy through the toes, soft in the throat, the face.

New more breaths. Really allowing the mind to settle. As the blood, the energy flows down, nourishing the pelvis, the heart, the brain. Your legs are extended. You might stay here a bit longer.

You might bend your knees, lower your feet, finding the shape of bridge. And in your own time, press through the feet, lift the pelvis up, remove the block, and then just slowly lower down. One vertebrae at a time. From here, stretch your arms overhead, toe heel your feet wide. Let's windshield wiper side to side.

Line that sweet ease in your neck. Feeling that length in space through the side body, hip flexor, so as down through the thigh. Drawing the knees into the chest, finding a twist to the right, rolling the knees over. Lending that top arm circle and open. Any variation of a supine twist that would feel good for your body, allow for an inhale, exhale softening the belly, finding that ease in the neck.

You are welcome to stay here when you're ready, inhale slowly unwind. Finding your twist over to the left, circling, opening the top right arm, inhale, exhale soft and relaxing the belly, settling into your twist. Breathing into where you feel it, exhale softening. You are welcome to stay a bit longer. Honoring your timing, and so you're ready slowly unwind. Draw your knees into your chest.

You might curl up one last time, centering, and then releasing towards Shivasana. You might pause and rest in Shavasana or come up for a seated meditation. Just allow for an inhale, exhale softening, feeling the shoulders release, feeling the neck lengthen. It's allowing the breath to be natural. So you feel the life force moving through you?

Softening, relaxing, any tension, any holding. Re receiving the support beneath you and all around you. You're in Shavasana. You might rest a bit longer. If you're seated, joining the hands together, Closing with the sound of ohm, breathing in.

Namaste. Thank you for your practice.