Heart Rise Flow

(waves gently crashing) Welcome back. In this sequence we'll find our warrior lunge flow. So the usual surya namaskar A and B, and then with an emphasis on some back bending. So as your ready, please join me at the top of your mat. (inhaling) I'm just taking a few moments to ground down through your feet, inviting your (exhaling) awareness to drop down as you begin to ground and center.

And from that place of rooting and grounding, invite, encourage a gentle rise and lift up through the spine. Gentle buoyancy up through the heart as you soften and open the palms. Bringing your awareness now towards your breath. Beginning to deepen the breath as you find and explore the ujjayi sound, the ocean breath, towards the back of the throat. (inhaling and exhaling) And allow this breath to remind you to drop you into your practice.

Staying with your breath as we move through our practice, as we move through the sequences. (inhaling and exhaling) Resting in the sound and the feeling tone of the breath. And as you're ready, let's begin by interlacing our fingers, soften the knees and go om. You might widen your feet slightly and just begin to explore by leaning a bit from side to side. Lengthening, creating a bit more room through the sides and the ribs.

Allow the movement to feel, feel good for you. And then eventually interlacing your fingers, as you interlace the fingers, you might stay here and emphasize lifting up through the heart. You might begin to bend the knees, roll the pelvis forward, chest towards your thighs, and begin to take the arms up, out and over towards the front of your mat, releasing the head fully. And just notice where you're at in this moment. You might soften the knees, relieve the hamstrings a bit.

(inhaling and exhaling) And then gently bend the knees, release the hands. Take a few moments to dangle here, uttanasana. Together we'll soften the knees, chin into the chest, just slowly rolling up towards standing. Chin in, and then feeling the heart and the shoulders, and the head. And together let's inhale and squeeze the shoulders up around the ears, and exhale, drop.

And inhale, roll the shoulders back and up and squeeze. Feel that tension, exhale, drop. And one more time, bring the shoulders up towards the ears, squeeze, (inhaling) and then exhale, (exhaling) drop. Making your way towards tadasana, spreading the toes. Bringing your awareness towards your breath.

We'll find a variation of surya namaskar A together. Two rounds, as you're ready, inhale, reach the arms up. (inhaling) And then exhale, fold forward, navel towards the spine, uttanasana, releasing the head and the arms. Inhale, half arch, lengthen. Exhale, bend the knees, step your right foot back into a lunge, step your left foot back as you come into plank.

Strong, active leg, shoulders over the wrists. Together we'll lower the knees and find a cobra, slowly lower down, elbows in. Soften the shoulders down the back as you inhale. Begin to traction your heart forward, and elbows in towards the rib cage, press down through the palms at the heart, gently lift. Exhale, (exhaling) release to the Earth.

Tuck the toes under, press back downward facing dog. In this first dog you might come high up onto the balls of the feet and walk it off a little bit. And together let's find three more breaths. Rooting through the fingers and reaching the hips away from the hands, lengthening through the spine, the sit bones, releasing the gaze. (inhaling and exhaling) As you're ready, inhale, begin to reach the right leg up towards the sky, and as you exhale look forward, step the right foot between the hands and let the left foot follow.

Inhale, find a half arch, lengthen. And then exhale, forward fold, uttanasana. Soften the back of the knees, inhale, circle the arms up and reach. Exhale, release the arms. Second round, as you're ready, inhale, reach the arms up.

Exhale, dive forward and in, slowly inward. Inhale, half arch, lengthen, and then exhale as you bend the knees. Step the left foot back, step the right foot back, find your plank. From plank, lower the knees onto the belly for cobra. Inhale, peel the heart forward.

Elbows in towards the ribs, press down through the palms, gently lift the heart. And exhale, (exhaling) release. Tuck the toes, find downward facing dog, and three breaths here. (inhaling and exhaling) As you are ready, inhale, lift the left leg high to the sky. Look forward, exhale, float the left foot between the hands, and let the right foot follow.

Inhale, half arch, exhale forward fold, uttanasana. Soften the knees, inhale, reach the arms up to the sky, and exhale, release the arms. I'm just taking a moment to pause. (exhaling) You might spread your feet. And just notice in those two sun salutations how you feel.

For me, I feel better already. (giggles) (inhaling and exhaling) Making our way towards a variation of surya namaskar B. Feet towards each other, hands together. As you're ready, bend your knees for utkatasana. Inhale, reach the arms up, navel to the spine.

Exhale, dive forward and into your uttanasana, releasing the head. Inhale, half arch, exhale, bend the knees, step your right foot back, step your left foot back, find your plank. From plank you might lower onto the knees for cobra. You might lower down, chaturanga. Finding inhale to upward facing dog, and then exhale to downward facing dog.

In preparation for warrior one, inhale, reach the right leg high. As you exhale, float the right foot between the hands. Root through the outer left edge of your foot. On an inhale, reach the arms up. Exhale, release, hands around the front foot, step back into plank.

You might lower onto the knees or chaturanga, elbows in. Inhale to cobra or upward dog. Exhale, (exhaling) press through the palms, downward facing dog. As you're ready, inhale, lift the left leg high for warrior one, exhale, float the foot between your hands. Root through the outer right edge of your foot.

On the inhale, reach up. Exhale and release, step back into your plank. From plank, you might lower the knees or lower down, chaturanga. Inhale to cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog.

Here in downward dog, five breaths. (inhaling and exhaling) Now as you reach from the heart into the hands, soften through the back of the neck. (inhaling and exhaling) From here you might step the right foot forward. You might play with bending the knees and play with hopping forward. Inhale, half arch, exhale, uttanasana, forward fold.

Bend the knees for utkatasana chair, shift the weight back into the heels, strong legs, inhale. Exhale, press down through your feet to ground, releasing the arms. We'll take a moment in between sides to (exhaling) pause and notice the effects. (inhaling and exhaling) Taking a moment to actively, attentively rest. Consciously resting.

And then as you are inspired, let the hands find each other. Second round, surya namaskar B, bend the knees for utkatasana, reaching up. Exhale, forward fold. Inhale, half arch. Exhale, bend the knees, step the left foot back and step the right foot back finding your plank, lowering onto the knees or chaturanga.

Inhale to cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. In preparation for warrior one on the right side, inhale, reach the right leg up. Exhale, (exhaling) float the right foot between the hands, root through the outer left edge, strong legs. As you inhale, float up.

Exhale, release, hands around the front foot, step back into your plank, and then lower down finding your way through your vinyasa to either cobra or upward dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. As you're ready, inhale, lift the left leg high in preparation for warrior one. Exhale, left foot between the hands. Back leg is strong as you inhale, float up.

Exhale and release, step back into plank and then lowering down. Inhale to cobra or upward dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. Five breaths here. (inhaling and exhaling) As you're ready, you might step the left foot forward between the hands or play with bending the knees and hopping forward for fun.

Inhale, half arch. (inhaling) Exhale, (exhaling) uttanasana, forward fold. Bend the knees, strong legs for utkatasana, reaching the arms up. Exhale, press down through the feet, rise up, release the arms, and then take a conscious pause here, settling. (inhaling and exhaling) From here finding our way into some lunges.

Releasing the arms, as you are ready, inhale, reach the arms up. (inhaling) And then exhale, dive forward and in, uttanasana, forward fold, inhale, half arch. As you exhale, bend the knees, step that right foot back. This time we'll pivot onto the outer right edge of the foot and come up from the ground to warrior one, floating the heart up. Sinking down into that left hip, drawing the left hip back, the right hip forward, looking up towards the sky perhaps.

Rooting through the outer edge of that back foot, breathing. Releasing the hands and we'll lower into a low lunge, so spin onto the ball of your back right foot, lower the right knee. Come low into the lunge and let's do this, as you inhale, draw the hips back, flex the left foot, draw the toes towards the face, find the hamstrings, release the gaze to the heart. Exhale, bend the front knees again. We'll do this a few times.

Inhale, draw the hips back. Exhale, (exhaling) sink in, more time. Draw the hips back, find some space, and then exhale, sink in. You might stay here as you're inspired, the arms might reach up towards the shape of crescent moon. Reaching from the heart into the hands, tuning that back right foot.

Inhale, exhale, release the hands around the front foot, tuck the back toes, lift the back leg, come into your plank and then lower onto the knees or find a chaturanga. Inhale to cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. (inhaling and exhaling) Finding that on the second side, as you're ready, inhale, the right leg high. Exhale, float the right foot between the hands.

Root through the outer left edge of the foot, come up warrior one from the ground. Take about three breaths here. As you draw the right hip back, the left hip forward, sinking in. Feeling that connection through the feet, and breathing into the shape. Beautiful.

As you're ready, release the hands, we'll find a low lunge on this side. Spin onto the ball of the back foot, let the left knee lower, and as inhale, draw your hips back. So find some space perspective as you draw the right toes towards the face finding the hamstrings there. Exhale, bend the front knee, sink into the lunge, softening the jaw. We'll do that a few times.

Inhale, draw the hips back. Exhale, (exhaling) sink in. Two more times. Moving at your own pace with your breath. Inhale, draw the hips back.

Exhale, bend the front right knee, sink in. You're welcome to stay low here. As you're inspired, reaching the arms up towards crescent moon. Notice where your hands are. So the hands might be touching, they might be reaching up towards the sky.

Another favorite variation is finding like a cactus arms. Bending the elbows, scooping the elbows under and up letting the heart lift. Drawing up on the pelvic floor. Good, inhale, exhale, release the arms. Tuck the back toes, lift the back leg, we'll step back into plank.

From plank lower down either onto your knees or through a chaturanga. Inhale, to cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. Let's find five breaths here. (inhaling and exhaling) From here you might step the right foot forward or bend the knees and play with hopping forward, feet to the hands.

Inhale, half arch and exhale, forward fold. As you're ready, inhale, simply reach the arms up to the sky, lengthening, and then exhale, releasing the arms. Taking a moment to pause. (inhaling and exhaling) And finding one more round, as you're ready, inhale, reach the arms up. Exhale, forward fold.

Inhale, half arch. This time as you exhale, bend the knee, step the left foot back. We'll find the same side, root through the outer left edge of your foot for warrior one. Inhale, reach the arms up. Three breaths here.

(inhaling and exhaling) And then releasing the arms finding a low lunge. Spin onto the ball of the back foot, let the left knee lower down. Inhale, draw the hips back. Exhale, sink in. One more time, inhale, draw the hips back, exhale, sink in.

You might stay low here, you might reach the arms up towards the sky. And you might find this variation this morning or perhaps bending the elbows, scooping the elbows under and up, finding that cactus variation. Lifting up through the heart. (exhaling) Inhale, reach up, exhale and release. Tuck the back toes, lift the back leg, step back into plank.

Lower the knees or through a chaturanga. Inhale, to cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. (inhaling and exhaling) As you're ready, inhale, lift the left leg high. Exhale, float the left foot between the hands, finding a warrior one, root through the outer right edge.

Inhale, float up warrior one. Three breaths here. (inhaling and exhaling) You're finding the ease within the effort of the shape. As you're ready, releasing the hands around the foot. Spin onto the ball of the back foot, find the low lunge, right knee lowers.

And inhale, draw the hips back, exhale, sink in. One more time, inhale, draw the hips back. Exhale, (exhaling) sink in. You're welcome to stay low or begin to come up. Notice what you choose to do with your hands.

Hands might be touching, there might be space. You might play with scooping the elbows under and up. Finding that, it's often called an altar for the heart. (inhaling and exhaling) Helping in through the pelvic floor for support. Eventually inhale, reach up.

Exhale and release the hands, find plank. From plank lowering down in your way. Inhale to cobra or upward facing dog. Exhale, downward facing dog. Five breaths here.

(inhaling and exhaling) As you are ready you might step the left foot forward between the hands or play with bending the knees, and on your exhale jumping forward, see what happens. Inhale, half arch. Exhale, forward fold, uttanasana. Soften the back of the knees. On your inhale, reach your arms up, and then exhale, release your arms.

And taking a conscious pause here, you might widen the feet. (inhaling and exhaling) Notice the feeling tone, the sensation through the body. Notice the quality of your breath. (inhaling and exhaling) The beating of your heart. (inhaling and exhaling) From here making our way down to the floor through a sun salutation.

As you're ready, inhale, reaching the arms up. Exhale, forward fold. Inhale, half arch, exhale, stepping back into plank. From plank lowering down. Inhale to cobra or upward facing dog.

Exhale, downward facing dog. Here from downward dog, as you're ready, lower the knees and press back, hips towards the heels, balasana, child's pose. (exhaling) Forehead towards the floor and letting the arms release. Softening the jaw, softening the belly. And then as you're ready, sliding the palms underneath the shoulders, keep the chin into the chest as you slowly roll up to bhadrasana.

And if bhadrasana is not comfortable on the knees for any reason, you might just simply find another position or sit. From here we'll make our way towards a few rounds of forearm plank to work on stabilizing the core a bit in the hips. Finding, lowering down into a sphinx pose, so a passive back bend. We'll rest in child's pose and then we'll play towards ustrasana. So finding perhaps a deeper back bend.

So as you're ready, come onto your forearms, taking a moment to measure off, hands around the forearms. Hands might be in prayer or perhaps interlacing. I prefer to interlace my fingers. Notice what feels best for you. Drawing the shoulders down the back, again awareness on the core.

And as you're ready, tuck your toes under, walk your feet back into a plank. Now the legs are super active here. As you reach back through the heels, lift up through the navel, navel towards the spine, and lengthen through the neck. Strong, active legs, tailbone reaching towards the heels. Breathing, oh yeah.

(inhaling and exhaling) From here you might lower onto the knees and simply press back into child's pose. If appropriate, you might begin to lower the knees, come onto your belly, and then find a variation of sphinx pose. So walking the arms out a bit. Spreading the fingers and then we'll work a bit actively here. Drawing the shoulder blades down the back.

Tops of the feet pressing down a bit. Find ease through the neck, lengthening through the spine. (inhaling and exhaling) And just a few breaths here. And notice what you choose to do with your legs and your feet. So the distance, you might bring your feet closer together or perhaps a bit wider if it feels better on your lower back and your sacrum.

As you're ready, releasing down. And let's tuck the toes under and find a child's pose just for a few moments, counter-posing the back bend. And take a breath into the back body, into the lower back, the kidney region. (inhaling and exhaling) Or simply bring your awareness there. Okay, we'll find one more round of forearm plank, measuring off.

And then as you're ready, drawing the shoulders down the back, awareness on the core and the hips as you walk your feet back. Strong, active legs, navel towards the spine, breathing, soft through the neck. (inhaling and exhaling) Good, as you're ready, lower the knees and perhaps coming onto your belly for a variation of sphinx. Walking the arms out a little bit further, and then tractioning the heart forward. And so this is a bit active, as opposed to a passive yin version.

And taking a few breaths here. (inhaling and exhaling) Often times the rumor here is there's a dull, achy, kind of pooling energy through the lower back. This feels true for me, notice what it feels like for you. Again, you might even find a wider distance between the feet and the legs. Good, allow for an inhale, and an exhale, release.

Find child's pose, slide the palms underneath you, and I'm taking a few moments to rest in child's pose. Hips towards the heels, forehead towards the Earth, and the arms might release alongside. (inhaling and exhaling) And then bringing the palms underneath the shoulders, chin into the chest, slowly rolling up to vajrasana again or another position that feels good for your knees. And from here moving towards ustrasana. Coming onto your knees, you might even bring a blanket underneath your knees for support.

You can work with your feet on the floor or tuck your toes under. This gives you a little bit more height as you begin to lift and reach back through the shoulders. So remember that stabilizing work through the core and the hips, and forearm plank. And the first step here is just to work on lengthening up through the spine, so I'm drawing the tailbone under. I'm just taking a few moments here to find some length up through the spine and up through the heart.

So the emphasis here is to really lift and lengthen. Lift and lengthen, simultaneously drawing the tailbone under, right. From here let the hands find each other at the heart. And the first step here is just to work on, as you press the palms together, just to begin to lift and lengthen. Breathing.

(inhaling and exhaling) So without dropping the head back, base of the skull is still wide. Keeping the eyes soft, gazing up. Beautiful, and then as you're ready, (exhaling) releasing. And find a child's pose or a resting pose that feels good for your back. (inhaling and exhaling) You might wobble a little bit side to side.

And you're welcome to stay here a bit longer. As you feel ready, coming up onto the knees. And I'm bringing the hands together in prayer. And your feet might be on the floor, or perhaps you might feel more stable through the knees and with tracking through the knees and the ankles to tuck the toes under, okay. As you're ready, bring the hands together at the heart.

Again, some work on lengthening through the tailbone towards the heels and then lifting up. Hands at the heart, lifting up, letting the sternum, the heart lift. Beautiful, you might stay here. You might begin to play with continuing to lift and lengthen, and you might begin to release the arms towards the heels, drawing the chin towards the heart, and then only if it feels safe and correct, you might, might begin to drop the the head, finding ustrasana. And breathing.

(inhaling and exhaling) Beautiful, as you are ready, let the hands find the sacrum, the hips, and then lifting, lifting, lifting, the head comes up last. And then hips towards the heels, tops of the feet on the floor, spread the knees wide for a wide child's pose, balasana. (inhaling and exhaling) Beautiful, as you're ready, palms underneath you, chin into the chest and then rolling up. From here we'll find a downward facing dog, just to try and even out the hips, reaching up through the sit bones and breathing. (inhaling and exhaling) From here making our way into a seat, a simple cross-legged seat.

You might come onto your knees and find your way onto a seat. You might play with looking forward, bending the knees and hopping into a seat, you can play with that. And then closing with a forward fold, pashimottanasana. Taking a few moments, press down through the hands, and we'll find dandasana, so a staff pose. Drawing the navel towards the spine, lengthening.

The legs are active, the feet are active here. (inhaling and exhaling) Shoulder blades drawing towards each other and down. From here, inhale, reach the arms up, and then exhale. Hands might find the shins, the big toes, the outer edges of your feet, you might find a bind. Inhale to lengthen.

Exhale, forward fold, allowing the spine to release. You might bend the knees here to alleviate the hamstrings a bit, rolling the pelvis forward. And just notice where you are in this moment. Without judgement, softening through the belly, breathing in to the shape. I find this takes practice.

(inhaling and exhaling) And it's not about how far we go in the posture, in the asana, but really the quality of our experience. So the quality of the breath, the mindfulness that's centered in the body, so this relationship with the breath and the body. (inhaling and exhaling) And then slowly as you feel ready and complete, gently find your way up. Again, taking a moment to pause. And then finding our way into a seated meditation from here to close our practice.

And finding a comfortable position to sit in for meditation. Comfortable. And then taking a few moments to (exhaling) ground. Feeling the support of the Earth, the generosity up through the heart. (inhaling and exhaling) Relaxing the effort with the subtle body or the breath.

And just simply observe. Not so simple. Softening the belly, and the jaw, and the face. Gently guiding your awareness towards your heart center. Notice any sensation through the heart.

And from the heart to the hands, let the palms join each other. You're welcome to stay here in your meditation or join me in an om. We'll offer a clearing breath, breathing in, and exhale, (exhaling) release. As you're ready, inhale, om. Namaste.

From my heart, thank you for your practice and have a beautiful day. Namaste.