Outdoor Yoga Flows Artwork
Season 1 - Episode 3

Ocean Body

30 min - Practice
106 likes
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What would it feel like to allow for more ease in this moment? Alana guides us through a fluid practice to awaken, free, and energize the spine. We move through variations of Sun Salutations and standing shapes to strengthen, stabilize, and open the legs, hips, back and shoulders, in preparation for expansive and spacious backbends. You will feel receptive, resilient, and shiny. 
What You'll Need: Mat

Transcript

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Welcome to Outdoor Yoga Flows on Yoga Anytime. I am so glad we are here together. So this is a fluid practice designed to awaken and energize the spine in preparation for some back bending so that'll build progressively through our practice. This practice will target the legs, the hips, the back, as well as the shoulders. So gather up whatever props you'd like for this practice and we're going to begin in one of my all-time favorite movements called windshield wipers. Join me on your back just a quick side to side lowering down and as you come onto your back bring your feet nice and wide apart maybe as wide as your mat it might feel good to stretch your arms overhead and here we go. Just begin to let your knees move from side to side and I'm beginning to warm up the hips and the spine and feel into what your head and neck want to do. So you might let your head rock away from your knees. You might soften your gaze inward and become aware of the breath. Letting the knees rock side to side and your windshield wipers. Eventually let the knees fall over to the right stretch in length and up through your left arm like you're taking a big stretch you're opening up for the left side body. Allow for an inhale exhale with your inhale rock your knees up through center and over to your left stretching up through your right arm let it feel good as you wiggle find a bit more space allow for an inhale exhale to soften inhale the knees up a few more easy rounds side to side let it feel good warming and waking up the body and eventually let the knees come back into center hug your knees into your chest rock from side to side we'll play with rocking and rolling up towards a seat you might bring your hands on to your mat as you give a little rock back and a rock up and then maybe rock back and forward a few times rolling on the spine you bring some padding under your spine a blanket a towel one more rock and roll from here we'll transition into a tabletop as we move into cat cow so find your way onto your hands and knees we're gonna be here for a few minutes exploring the action of rounding our way in towards upward dog so you might have a blanket under your knees and your wrists let your toes tuck under and as you exhale let your back around and stretch draw your hips back towards your heels and as you inhale moving into your extension lengthening out through the spine and the heart and then exhale curl and round finding that good achy stretch in the body and then inhale moving into your extension your cow and finding your own pace and rhythm yeah you might circle out through your hips your ribs your shoulder blades up through your neck exploring any areas that might feel tight or sticky as we open and stretch eventually we'll meet in a downward dog tuck your toes under and this first downward dog walking it off stretching out the back of your legs breathing feel the weight of your head release it might feel nice to come high up onto the balls of your feet stretching and waking up your toes your calves and then let the heels get heavy towards the earth from here as you're ready we'll inhale and round our way into a plank pose and pause shoulders over the wrists you might have your knees on the earth drawing the deep low belly towards the spine and then rounding back towards down dog taking a breath or two here as you're ready again round your way in the plank pose shoulders over the wrists walking back through the feet and we'll lower onto the belly for a few rounds of cobra then the knees kick back through the feet and inhale press as you lift the heart maybe a baby cobra drawing the heart forward exhale lower then the knees kick back press lift cobra exhale lower last round bring the hands a little far forward spread the fingers wide as you kick lift maybe playing towards a little seal action lifting and then exhale lower bring the hands or the shoulders tuck your toes under let's round our way back towards towards a child's pose your version of child's few moments here and I'll wiggle the hips back towards the heels stretch the arms far out in front of you from here stay round as you round your way up and then lowering the hips bend the elbows and lifting the heart we're back into our cobra exhale lower then the knees kick back lift up and draw your hips back as you round back into child's pose we'll play with this two more times round round round draw the ribs and curl the tailbone under lower the pelvis bend the elbows lift the heart you're in your cobra exhale lead with the heart lower bend the knees lift the chest cobra and then draw the hips back round round round snuggle back into your child's last one round front ribs draw and tailbone draws under feel that curling action as you lower the pelvis lift the heart bend the elbows exhale lead with the heart to lower bend the knees press lift draw and pull the hips back round into your child's pose and take a moment to pause notice and feel maybe wobble the hips a little side to side curl the chin into the chest sit up for a moment and let's just shake out the shoulders the wrists when you're ready we'll meet in downward dog spread the fingers wide tuck your toes under lift and pedal out the feet again from here we'll begin to walk our feet towards the hands once you arrive inhale half arch slide the hands up your shins lengthen exhale bend your knees forward fold bend your knees curl the tailbone under we'll roll and round up through our spine nice and slow chin in feeling the heart feeling the shoulders feeling the head and take a moment to pause and then letting the blood and the energy move back down towards the feet let's find like a fluid Tadasana so bring the feet and a wide ish and feel how the bottoms of your feet can begin to open be a soft bend through your knees reach your arms out and begin to round and roll your spine like in your cat and then press through the feet and open up through your chest again you can be dramatic with this as you can round and back in the day we called this the swamp monster and then press through the feet and we call this the hallelujah so a few more times fill your ability to round stretch the back and then open the chest a couple more finding more rhythm your pace that edge of stretch and sensation that feels really good nice and then let the arms release a couple of shoulder rolls up back and down back and down any sounds that want to come out good from here we'll inhale and stretch the right arm up press through the right foot and then we'll stretch that left arm up press through the left foot and again inhale right arm sweeps and inhale left arm sweeps a few more times really opening up the side body let it feel fluid maybe even a little graceful inhale right arm inhale left arm let's do one more on each side yeah and then release and a few shoulder rolls again up back and down getting us in the mood for our Sun salutations join me at the top of your mat easing our way into a few lunge salutations spread the toes nice and wide bring the hands together at the heart notice the quality of the breath the energy moving through you and on your inhale at the arm sweep up to lengthen exhale folding forward soft bend through the knees release your head inhale slide your hands up your shins to lengthen exhale bend your knees ground your hands step your right foot back into a lunge left knee bends kind of wiggle back find the runners lunge we're gonna lower the back knee so you might pad it with a blanket keep your toes curled under as you inhale reach the arms up towards the sky and pause feel your ability to lengthen and soften and then release the hands lift the back knee long pyramid press into the ball of that left foot kind of wiggle that left hip back and then again we're gonna bend the right knee inhale sweep the arms up low crescent exhale ground the hands press through the ball of your left foot long pyramid one more round like this ground the right knee inhale the arms up low crescent lengthen exhale release the hands long pyramid press into the ball of your left foot to lengthen bend your left knee and step back downward dog from downward dog you might move through your variation of vinyasa or join me in rounding towards up dog walking the feet back a little bit and then begin to round your spine curl your tailbone under draw your ribs in lowering the pelvis rolling onto the tops of the feet lifting the heart exhale back into your down dog able to spine whoo releasing the back of the neck as you're ready inhale reach your right leg up to the sky exhale need a nose and step it through between the hands runners lunge we go back through the ball of your left foot lower the left knee down in preparation for our crescent lunge inhale lift the arms up keep the back toes curled as you feel that lift up through your spine that support through the back of the heart the ease in the neck and finding your version your variation meeting yourself right where you are breathing inhale exhale release the hands curl the back toes lift your back left knee as you press into the ball of your right foot long pyramid straightening that right leg as you pull that right hip back the feeling into the hamstrings and then bend your right knee lower the left knee down inhale into your crescent arms might lift heart brightens a smile on the face exhale release the hands tuck the back toes with the back knee long pyramid breathing into the back of the leg one more time lower the back left knee inhale sweep the arms up low crescent lower the hands long pyramid back knee lifts front leg straightens then the front knee we're gonna step the back foot forward to meet the right inhale hand slide up the shins to lengthen exhale knees bend forward fold spread the toes bend the knees inhale sweep your arms up to the sky feel your ability to ground and reach exhale hands together at the heart take a moment to pause and feel your beautiful beating heart ah as you're ready second round inhale arms reach up exhale diving forward diving and soft bend through the knees release your head inhale half arch to lengthen exhale bend the knees step your left foot back right knee bends we're preparing for a high crescent lunge find your feet stable through their legs you might reach the arms back and then inhale sweep your arms up towards the sky beautiful feel how you can curl the tailbone under you might stay right here you might play with bending the back knee cactusing the arms and then press both legs as you straighten bend the back knee cactus the arms press both legs and straighten reach up one more bend the back knee cactus the arms whoo press and straighten inhale exhale bend the front knee hands to the ground step back down dog how did that go moving through your vinyasa or rounding your way into up dog walking the feet back a little bit curl the tailbone under draw the front ribs in shoulders over the wrists lowering the pelvis lifting the heart maybe rolling up onto the balls at the front of the feet and then exhale back into your downward dog pause as you're ready inhale lift your left leg up to the sky exhale need to know shoulders over the wrists step the left foot forward wiggle the back foot back in preparation for your high crescent inhale if the arms back maybe begin to lift the arms up see how you can draw the tailbone under and lengthen through the spine you might stay here bend the back knee cactus the arms and then press and lengthen who bend cactus the arms back knee bends and reach and maybe one more then the back knee cactus the arms and reach and then bend the front knee ground the hands and we'll step the back foot forward to meet the left inhale slide the hands up the shins to lengthen exhale bend the knees to fold spread the toes bend the knees inhale reach your arms up to the sky lengthen exhale hands together at the heart and take a moment to pause and notice lengthening up the back body and softening the front of the body and think about someone or something that makes you smile feel that energy to move and expand through you and out hmm let's carry that step the feet wide we'll set up for a warrior to turn the left foot in the right foot out your warrior to pausing here feel your feet feel your legs arms stretch out settle in let the palms open for warrior dance inhale press through the ball of your right foot arms reach exhale right knee bends warrior to inhale arms reach exhale warrior to inhale arms reach right leg straightens exhale warrior to last round at your own pace inhale reach exhale warrior to and pause feeling the heart float right over the pelvis ease and the neck lengthen the spine hands on the hips press through the ball of your right foot and turn your right foot in your left foot out second side warrior to reach your arms lengthen settle in let your palms open and on an inhale press through the ball of your left foot left leg straightens arms reach exhale warrior to inhale reach up exhale left knee bends three more at your own pace exhale left knee bends warrior to inhale arms reach exhale last one together inhale arms reach exhale warrior to will pause and settle and find ease nice hands on the hips press through the ball that left foot turn the left foot in and then turn both heels in toes turn out for goddess find your feet ground through the outer edges and sink down and together press through the legs inhale sweep your arms up exhale bend the knees arms come down inhale arms reach exhale knees bend three more inhale exhale bend inhale press arms reach exhale bend last one inhale reach will hold lengthen open and release right hand comes down inhale left arm reaches left arm comes down right arm reaches and a few times side to side this time is your right arm reaches you might play with straightening the left leg bend the left knee lift the left arm maybe straighten the right leg you might play with this a few times side to side opening the side body leave feeling the strength of your legs we'll come back to center bring the hands together at the heart and then bring the hands onto the hips turn the toes forward reach your arms out roll your shoulders forward interlace your fingers behind the back inhale lift up through your heart exhale forward fold releasing your head stretching your arms up out and over you breaths here slow release the hands you might walk the hands forward for hammock pose shift the hips back away from the heels and let the heart soften towards the earth feel the back of the neck long and releasing nice long stretch here breathing and then walking the hands back underneath the shoulders ground through the left hand as you reach that right arm up to the sky for a wide twist and find a place where your neck feels really good maybe it's looking down or straight ahead inhale exhale release the right hand down and inhale your left arm up towards the sky and find a place where your neck feels good lengthening rotating twisting beautiful left arm reaches down let's toe heal the feet closer for melasana squat heels and toes out sink down find your version of a squat if he hands together at the heart pausing hands ground so heal the feet back underneath the hips off then through your knees chin into your chest let's round and roll up together nice and slow feeling the heart feeling the shoulders and feeling the head take a moment to pause ah making our way towards the top of the mat for a sun salutation to the earth as you're ready on an inhale sweep your arms up to the sky exhale forward fold releasing the head inhale half arch lengthen your spine exhale bend your knees and step back into your down dog meet you there then you might pedal out the feet maybe one last vinyasa walking the feet back and then rounding your way in the up dog curl the tailbone under draw the ribs and press the floor away shoulders over the wrists begin to lower the hips lift the heart coming into your up dog toes might stay curled or you might release onto the tops of the feet opening up through the chest inhale exhale downward dog drawing the hips back and up let's lower on to our knees in preparation for ustrasana camel and you might have a blanket under your knees blocks behind you will come up onto the shins and take a moment to pause feel your ability to lift internally and lengthen the spine let's inhale reach the arms up all this feels so nice drawing the front ribs in bring the hands together at the heart opening the chest and inhale begin to lift up through the heart curling the tailbone under feeling the sacrum draw in find a place where your neck feels good and then inhale lead with the heart to come up you might lower your hips down and pause for a moment really feeling and listening to your spine your back from here you might make your way down to the floor into a child's or join me in one more round rising up inhale reach the arms up to the sky and exhale this time you might bring the hands behind you fingers pointing down elbows drawing towards each other inhale lift up you might stay right where you are again honoring your body your back your spine if it's available you might begin to walk your hands back towards your feet or maybe your blocks keeping the chin in towards the chest or maybe beginning to drop the head back open up as you lift and open and breathe when you're ready to come out inhale bring the hands back onto the low back come on up and slow sink the hips back towards the heels and pause then from here your body you might go into a child's pose you might ease your way onto your back and join me for a round of bridge and possibly to wheel once you find your way onto your back setting up for your bridge bringing your heels in line with your sitting bones feet about hips width apart feel your essence of cat cow here as you arch and curl inhale together exhale up into bridge press through the feet lift your pelvis up and lengthen here you might release your arms up towards the sky and then round your spine back to the earth pause and notice and notice if there's a natural counter pose your body wants to find you might stay where you are you might find a second round of bridge or you might join me in wheel or vedanya rasana bringing your fingers back drawing your elbows in towards each other inhale here and then exhale curl the tailbone and begin to press up maybe lifting up into the wheel feel your ability to press the floor away maybe soften a bit through the buttocks rounding through the legs opening up through the heart easy in the neck inhale take your time exhale chin into the chest bend the elbows chin into the chest as you lower down and pause notice we'll draw the knees into the chest breath into the back keep the right knee into the chest as you stretch your left leg long and then switch draw the left knee and extend out through your right leg and pause and then you might switch keep your head down or lift your head up as you switch right knee and left leg long inhale exhale left knee and right leg long a few more like this and switch and switch and switch switch two more last one both knees and pause stretch your arms out we'll rock the knees over towards the right a little bit head to the left knees back to center and over to the left head towards the right and a few times side to side knees to the right gaze to the left inhale out knees to the left head to the right next time the knees come up bring the knees over to your right and we'll roll onto the right side for a spinal twist circling that left arm up breathing on the right side inhale to lengthen exhale to soften find a place where your neck feels good letting the back body release letting the spine release beginning to relax the effort of your attention and you're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like or inhale reach that left leg up right leg follows rolling over to your left side circling your top right arm up and over and around finding your twist allow for an inhale and exhale to soften and find that ease in the neck breathing into where you feel the stretch the sensation hearing it out with a exhale you are welcome to stay as long as you'd like when you're ready to unwind inhale reach with the top leg knees into chest eventually soles of the feet together knees wide soup the bada konasana and pause and a spacious through the pelvis the hips healing the energy settle you might stay here use your way into shavasana you're taking your time to slowly transition up at your own pace might rock a little bit if you're seated and joining the hands together at the heart gathering the energy of the practice and let's offer it up and out for the benefit of all beings everywhere breathing in breathing out namaste thank you so much for your practice today have a wonderful day

Comments

Anda Seale
1 person likes this.
Thanks Alana! That felt great! Loved the flow and watching the waves crash in the background. Wish I could be there. Namaste 🙏
Christel B
1 person likes this.
Loved this creative flow first thing in the morning.
Alana Mitnick
Anda S, Thank you so much for joining me at the ocean! The sound of the waves crashing is very meditative. Wish you could be here too but so glad we have the opportunity to practice together. Namaste and Love, Alana  
Alana Mitnick
Christel B, So lovely to FEEL your LIVE presence during class. It adds a whole new magical dimension to the experience. So happy you loved this creative flow! XoA
Laura M
1 person likes this.
Thank you!! I always feel so good after your class!! SO much gratitude!!
Jenny S
2 people like this.
Love this fluid practice that merges the crashing waves with the ocean body...the dancing with the ocean and the good memories invoked by the recurrence of some “vintage” Yoga Anytime poses 🧟😉❤️
Sandra Židan
Hi, Alana! I really loved this practice!  Thanks and regards!
Alana Mitnick
So happy to hear, Laura M! Thank you so much for joining me in these fun  Outdoor Yoga Flows. It's such an amazing feeling to know that we are practicing together. Love, Alana 
Alana Mitnick
Jenny S, Your words are poetry. You are so in tune with the energy of the moment and the inner and outer landscapes. I always appreciate your fresh perspective and insight. Grateful for your presence. Love! Alana 
Alana Mitnick
Hi Sandra Židan! I am so happy to hear this! Thank you so much for joining me in Yoga at the ocean. Stay close. XoA
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