Flow and Go

Hi, I'm Patti Lewis. Welcome to today's practice called Flow and Go, a practice to wake up, open up, and get you energized. You might want two blocks and possibly a blanket. Let's get started. We'll start on our backs in Shavasana. So allow the legs to be straight legs a little wider than your hips. Let them roll, release your arms down by your side, and let the eyes close, pause here. Notice how your mind is right now, if it's moving from thought to thought. Notice how your breath is, if it's moving through your mouth, through your nose and your mouth, if it's in the belly, in the chest. And then staying with your breath, take one inhale in through your nose and filling up the best you can. And open wide and exhale everything out. And let the lips touch and start to inhale and exhale through your nose. So shifting the breath so it moves in and out evenly. And as you take your next inhale, start to flex your feet. Pull the tops of your feet back towards your shins and bring the legs hips distance, roll your upper inner thighs down so your knees and toes face the ceiling. Press the tops of the thighs straight down into the floor. And think of hooking your tailbone towards your heels. The breath stays even, stays smooth. And on your next inhale, reach the arms up alongside your ears. Shoulder distance or maybe a little wider than your shoulders and lift the outer upper arms up so your palms face each other. Supta Tadasana. Take a breath in here. As you exhale, press the thighs, send your tailbone towards your heels. Take another breath in here. And then as you exhale, bring your right knee in, bring your hands on the top of the knee or behind your knee. Inhale, straighten the right leg on the floor, reach the arms up alongside your ears. And exhale brings your left knee in. Straighten the left as you inhale, reach the arms up. Exhale, bring your right knee in. Straighten the right on the floor, reach your arms up as you inhale. Exhale, bring your left knee in. Inhale, straighten the left on the floor, reach the arms overhead. And then exhale, bring both knees into your chest. Rock a little bit side to side. And then bring your hands, if they're behind your knees, bring them to the tops of your knees and take some hip circles on your back. So circle the thighs around in your hip sockets. And going in one direction, you could think of making circles on the ceiling. And then circling in the other direction. And then bringing the knees towards your chest, drop your hands down by your hips. As you take your next inhale, straighten both legs up to the sky. Exhale, bend the knees down. Inhale, straighten both legs up. And then bend the knees, bring your feet flat to the floor. Pause here. Take another breath in through the nose, filling up. Open wide and exhale out. Walk your feet wider than your hips. And as you take your next exhale, drop both knees to the left. And inhale, the legs up. Keep your feet where they are. So we take a wide twist as you exhale, drop both knees to the right. Inhaling back up to center. Exhale, drop both knees to the left. And you might reach your right arm out to the side, drop your head to the right. And then inhale, bring the knees up to center and exhale, drop them to the right. And reach your left arm out, might drop your head to the left. And then let's keep rolling to the right. Use your top left hand, press yourself up. And we'll come into tabletop. So have your hands shoulder distanced, have your shoulders over your wrists, have your knees hips distanced underneath the hips, and going back to moving on the breath. So cat cow, as you inhale, pull your chest through the arms, spread the collarbones to arch. And as you exhale, you can press your hands, lift the navel, lift the lower belly and round. Inhaling, pull the chest forward. Think of the shoulder blades going slightly towards your spine to arch. Exhale, pressing and rounding shoulder blades away from the spine. One more inhale into the cow. And exhale, rounding tailbone drops into the cat. Inhale, come into center. Your shoulders are over your wrists, gazing a little in front of your fingers and straighten your right leg back. Press the palms straighten the left leg back, you're in plank. Press the palms lift your hips, come into downward facing dog, Adho Mukhasvanasana. Keep the legs hips distanced and lift the heels high around the balls of your feet. And then exhale, bend your right knee, let the left heel drop to the floor. Inhale, lift the heels high. And exhale, drop the other heel to the floor. Inhale, lift the heels high. Bend one knee, drop the other heel to the floor. Inhale, lift the heels high. Exhale, switch legs. And then lift both heels high off the floor, you're on the balls of your feet. And inhale, come forward into plank pose, your shoulders are over your wrists, draw the knee of a lower belly in and up. And then lightly put the knees down, pause here, spread your fingers, press a little more maybe index finger, thumb side, shift the shoulders forward, exhale, bend the elbows towards Chaturanga, and then change your mind and straighten your arms. And then one more time, exhale towards Chaturanga, you might let your shoulders line up with the elbows. Inhale, straighten the arms and shift back into downward facing dog. Adho Mukhasvanasana. Be still for a moment. So notice your hands on the floor. Notice your feet hips distanced, parallel. Inhale, lift your heels. Exhale, lower down to your hands and knees and come back into tabletop with the shoulders right over the wrists, the knees under the hips. And inhaling into the arch, broaden the collarbones, shoulder blades towards the spine. Exhale, lift the navel, lift the lower belly and round. Inhaling into the arch, spinal extension. Exhale, rounding, spinal flexion, head drops, tailbone drops. One more inhaling to arch. Exhaling to round. Inhale, come into center, pause, shoulders over the wrists, gazing forward. Straighten your left leg back, press the palms, straighten the right leg back, lift the navel, lower belly, shift, lift your hips, come into downward facing dog. Adho Mukhasvanasana. Press a little more index finger, thumb side of your hand, allow the heels to drop any amount they can. For a lot of us, it's helpful to keep a little bend in the knees and press the hands, reach your hips away from your shoulders. Inhale, come forward into plank pose, shoulders over the wrists. Exhale back into downward dog. We're going on inhale, come forward into plank, bring your gaze forward. You could keep your legs straight, you could lightly put your knees down, shift the shoulders forward. Exhale, we're going all the way down to the belly. Tops of your feet to the floor, reach the legs back, lift your upper inner thighs, sand your tailbone towards your heels, and then lengthen out. Come up to a low cobra, exhale back down. Lengthen out, lift to low cobra, exhale back down. Lengthen, lift, pause, come up on your fingertips, lift the fronts of your shoulders away from the floor and draw your upper arms towards each other. Keep reaching the legs back and then exhale, forehead down. Allow your knees to drop, bring your palms to the floor, press to hands and knees. Tuck the toes, shift into downward facing dog. Inhale, lift your heels off the floor. Exhale, let your knees bend and walk your feet towards your hands.

Keep your feet hips distanced and fold over your legs. Take a soft uttanasana so you can bend your knees a little bit. Let your head hang as you hear release in your face. Take a little bend in your knees, tuck your chin towards your chest and roll on up through your spine. Your head is the last thing to come up. You're the top of your mat in tadasana. So spread the toes and root down through your feet. Stand evenly on your right leg and your left leg. Have your shoulders over your hips and you might lift your shoulders up to your ears back and down. Your chin is parallel to the floor and then as you breathe in, reach your arms all the way up. Keep them shoulder distanced. Exhale, a little bend in your knees, fold over your legs, uttanasana. You can bring your hands to the sides of your shins, your fingertips to the floor. Inhale, let your chest lift, bring your gaze forward and then as you exhale, fold back into your legs. Coming all the way up, press the feet down, come up with a flat back if you can. Reach your arms overhead and exhale. Brings the arms down. Come into tadasana. One more half surinamaskara. Inhale the arms overhead, shoulder distance. Exhale, folding up and over your legs. Bring your hands to the sides of your shins or fingertips to the floor. Inhale, root down through your feet, lift your chest, spread across the collarbones and then exhale, fold back into your legs. Root down to rise up as you inhale, arms overhead. Exhaling your arms down, going on. Inhale, your arms lift up. Exhaling up and over your legs, uttanasana, hands on the shins, fingertips on the floor. Inhale, lifts your chest, arda, uttanasana. Exhale, bend your knees, step your right leg back, flatten your palms to the floor, step your left leg back, you're in plank. Legs straight or knees down, shift the shoulders forward. Exhale, lower to your belly. Tops of the feet to the floor. Inhale, lift your chest, come into a low cobra. Exhale, back down, drop the knees, press to your hands and knees, tuck the toes, come into downward facing dog. Taking a breath in here, press the hands, reach the hips away from your shoulders and then let your knees bend, walk your feet towards your hands. You could have your feet hips distance, you could bring your big toes together, lift your chest as you breathe in, fold into the legs as you exhale and then root down to rise up as you inhale, reach the arms all the way overhead. Maybe touch the palms, lift your chest and look up. Exhale, find tadasana, even standing both the right and the leg. Right in the left leg, inhale, the arms overhead. As you exhale, fold up and over your legs so you want to try to flow on your breath. As you inhale, let your chest lift. As you exhale, bend the knees, hands to the floor, step the left leg back and then your right, you're in plank. Shift the shoulders forward. You could choose to stop halfway and chaturanga. I'm going to lower to my belly. Inhale can take you to low cobra or lift your chest, lift your thighs into upward facing dog and then exhale, lift your hips and shift into downward facing dog. Is the breath even?

Is it flowing in and out through your nose? Is your attention some more other than your mat? Maybe press the hands a little further into the floor, reach your hips away from you and then we're going on. You can keep your feet up distance or maybe you step your big toes together. Inhale the right leg up off the floor and notice if your right hip lifts to lift your leg. Maybe keep the hips even. Can you lift your right inner thigh to help lift the right leg? And then as you exhale, bring your knee towards your nose, shift towards plank and inhale, come back to three-legged dog. Exhale the knee towards the nose, shift towards plank. Inhale back to three-legged dog. Exhale your knee towards your nose, towards plank. Look forward, step your right foot between your hands. Lower the back left heel to the floor. You can line your front heel up with the arch of your back foot, reach the outside of the back foot to the floor and then inhale, come right up into warrior two. Bring the arms out, right arm forward, left arm back.

Pretty deep bend in your front right knee. It moves out over your ankle, moves out over the middle of the foot and try to hug the right buttock bone under as you press your back thigh straight. Notice where your shoulders are. Can they be right over your hips? Reaching along through the arms, looking out at your right fingers. Is the breath steady? Is there somewhere in your face you can soften, can release? As you take your next exhale, maybe bend a tiny bit deeper in that right leg and then inhale, straighten. Interlace your fingers behind your back and turn the right leg forward. So we'll take prasadita padottanasana c, 10 toes point forward, knees point forward, move the shoulder heads back, inhale here. And as you exhale, folding over your legs, you can keep your hands towards your hips. You can reach your arms up and overhead.

For some of you, your head will drop. For some of us, the head will hang. Press the feet down, inhale, come all the way up. Bring your hands to your hips, turn your right leg open. Allow the back leg to shift. And then we'll take the left arm behind the back, reach your right arm up to the sky. Inhale. And then as you exhale, bend your front right knee, moves out over the middle of the foot. We'll reverse the warrior. So reach behind you. And then exhale, bring the right hand, can bring it to the little toe side of your foot. You could bring it to your thigh, roll the left shoulder head up, reach your left arm up and alongside your ear. Feel the length from your back left heel to the top arm. Exhale the top hand down. And then step back into downward facing dog. Adho mukashvanasana, pause here. You could stay here, or you might inhale into plank. You could go to your belly or come to chaturanga, or you could stay in plank with me. And then we'll eventually make our way all the way back into downward facing dog. So keep the legs hips distance or you could step your big toes together. And then as you inhale, your left leg lifts off the floor. And again, notice does your hip open to lift your leg?

Can you release your outer left hip down effort in lifting the upper inner left thigh? And then exhale your knee towards your nose. Inhale back to three legged dog. Exhale your knee towards your nose, shift towards plank. Inhale back to three legged dog. Exhale your knee towards your nose. Look forward, step your left foot between your hands, lower the back, right heel to the floor. You can line your front heel up with your back arch or leave your feet where they are. Rooting down through your feet, rise all the way up into warrior two on the left side. So the arms reach out, bending your front left knee. Maybe your knee is over your ankle. Can you draw your left buttock bone under, press the back thigh straight, keep strong through the back foot, pressing the heel. Your shoulders are over your hips. And I didn't say this on the end of the side, but you might move the right ribs back, left ribs forward. So your chest opens even a little bit more. And then soften in the face. Is the breath steady? As you exhale, maybe bend a little deeper in your front left. Inhale, straighten. And then exhale, bring your hands behind your back. Switch the lacing of your fingers. So switch the pinky finger and all the other fingers. So it's the more unusual lacing. Turn the left leg forward. Pause here. Inhale, shoulder heads back. You can think of drawing your shoulder blades towards your spine. And then exhale, folding all the way over. Allow your head to hang, bring the top of your head to the floor, reach the arms up and over. Root down through your feet. Inhale, come all the way up. Hands to the hips will open. Rotate the left leg open 90 degrees. Allow the back foot to shift.

Take your right arm behind your back, reach your left arm up to the sky. And then as you exhale, bend your front left knee. So come back into warrior and then reach that left arm up to the sky and maybe reach it towards the back of your mat. And then release your left hand, little toe side of your foot to the floor, to your block, or bring your forearm to your thigh. Move the right shoulder head up to the sky, and then reach the right arm alongside your ear. Parsvakonasana. Exhale, the top hand down and step back into downward facing dog. So you could stay in downward dog. You could come into child's pose, or you could come forward into plank. From plank, you might lower all the way to your belly, or half the way up to the sky. To your belly, or halfway to chaturanga. You might inhale to a low cobra or to upward dog.

Exhale, shifts you into downward facing dog. Pause here. And then inhale, lift your heels. Exhale, bend your knees. Walk your feet towards your hands. Feet hips distanced or big toes touch. Lift your chest as you inhale. Fold in on the exhale. And then inhale, come all the way up, reach your arms overhead. Maybe touch the palms, lift your chest, look up. Exhale, the arms down.

So for the next, I suggest you have your blocks, top of your mat. And again, feet together, feet hips distanced. As you take your next inhale, reach your arms up. And as you exhale, bend your knees, come into utkatasana, come into chair pose, shift a little more weight into the heels, and then fold on over your legs. Let your head go. Inhale, lift your chest up. Hands on blocks, bend the knees, step your right leg back, step the left leg back into downward facing dog. Inhale, your right leg up off the floor, three legged dog. Exhale, the knee towards your chest, look forward, step your right foot between your hands. Move your right foot a little closer to the right block and then go ahead and lower the back knee down. Top of the foot to the floor and bring your hands to your hips. Trying to square the hips. So the right hip draws back, left hip draws forward, hip points towards the top of your mat. Root down through the top of the back foot in the front heel, lengthen up, reach your arms out and up. Exhale, hands to the blocks, curl the back toes under, straighten the back leg. And then we'll straighten the front leg. So this is where the blocks are helpful. You can adjust the height. Inhale, straighten your front right leg, press down the big toe side of the front foot, slide the right hip back, left the back inner thigh behind you, move your chest forward. And then exhale, bend your front right knee, lower the back heel to the floor. So we like to say heel to heel alignment. You can always move your right foot closer to the right block. Really press the back heel, front knee is bent. Inhale, reach your arms up, warrior one. So reach the arms up and then bring your hands to your hips. Trying, attempting to draw the right hip back, lift the back inner thigh behind you, lift the front of the pelvis, inhale the arms all the way up. You might even touch your palms and look up. Exhale the hands down to your blocks, lift the back heel, step your back foot up to meet your front. Inhale your chest up. Exhale, fold into your legs and then root down and rise up. Keep the legs straight. Reach the arms overhead. We're coming right into Utkatasana. Bend your knees, shift the weight in the heels and then fold over your legs. Inhale, lift your chest. You can lower the blocks flat. As you exhale, bend your knees, step your left leg back and then your right leg. Downward facing dog. Inhale the left leg up off the floor. Three-legged dog. Exhale, knee towards your chest. Look forward, step your left foot between your hands. Remember to move the left foot a little closer to the left side of your mat to your block.

Lower the back knee down, top of the foot to the floor and then bring your hands to your hips. So the hands on the hips helps to remind you to shift the left hip back so the hips are squaring towards the top of your mat. Press the back foot down. Press your front heel. Inhale the arms out and up. As you exhale, bring your hands to your blocks. Curl the back toes under, straighten the back leg and then inhale, straighten your front leg. So press the inner side of the foot. Slide the left hip back. Keep your gaze forward. Bend your front left knee. Lower the back right heel to the floor. Here we go, warrior one. Inhale, reach your arms up and then bring the hands to the hips. So again trying, attempting to square left hip back. Lift the back inner thigh behind you. Lift the front of the pelvis any amount you can. Press the front heel. Reach the outside of the back foot. Inhale the arms out and up. Maybe touch the palms and look up. Exhale, hands down, back heel lifts. Step your back foot up to meet your front. Step your feet wide. You can put your blocks back to your side. Step the feet wider than your hips. Little bend in your knees. Hang over. Clasp your elbows soft. Uttanasana. Allow your arms to help release your head and your neck. And then release the arms. Bring the hands to the floor. You choose which leg comes back. Lower the knee down. Bring the other leg. Come on to your knees and then come on to your seat.

Keep your knees bent. Your feet flat, roughly hips distanced. And have your hands behind your hips. Point your fingers towards your hips. Spread your fingers. Press your palms. Spread your toes. Press your feet and inhale. Lift your hips. Purvottanasana. You might look forward. Hips as high as your knees. They might even go higher. Exhale, lower down. And one more. Press the feet. Press the hands. Inhale. Purvottanasana. Lift your chest. You might look up. And depending on how your neck is, you might allow your head to drop back. Exhale, lower down. And then come all the way down onto your back. Walk your feet wider than your hips. As you take your next exhale, drop the knees to the left. You can reach your right arm out and drop your head to the right. You could take the left leg and bring it on top of the right. Pause.

And then drop the top foot down. Bring your knees up. And as you exhale, drop the knees to the other side, to the right. You can reach your left arm out. You can take your right foot on top of your left thigh, gazing out. And then let the top foot drop down. Bring your knees up. And slide your legs straight for Shavasana. So let the legs go wider than your hips. Allow the legs to roll. Allow the arms to be down by your side and lift the upper arm, inner upper arm, so your palms face the ceiling. Let the eyes close. Returning to where we began, notice your mind now on your mat. Notice your breath.

And allow your body to release into the floor, letting go of the effort, the asanas. And the left. Start to move your fingers, your wrists. Allow the toes and the ankles to start to move. Bring your knees slowly into your chest, maybe one at a time. And then you choose which side you'd like to roll to. And use your top hand, press yourself up.

And you might come to sit on your shins or cross your shins in Sukhasana. You could bring your hands to your thighs. Sometimes we like to bring our palms together, Anjali Mudra, whichever feels right for you. Let the eyes close here for just a moment. The end of your practice on your mat today. And as you take your next breath in, allow your chest to lift. And as you exhale, bringing your chin to your chest, thanking yourself for your effort. And I thank you for joining me. Have a great day.