Playful Heart

Hello, and welcome. My name is Shantani, and we are here for your 20 minute yoga flow. For today's class, all you'll need is a mat or something to lay down on. And if you have Two Blocks at home, that would be great. It's also optional, so don't worry if you don't have it. Now, in today's practice, it's gonna be all about heart opening, all about play, just being yourself on the mat, So feel free to take liberty, to take deep breaths, and enjoy your class.

Let's go ahead and get started in child's post. So as you come down to your mat, your knees go wide, toes to touch in the back. Let's send your arms long overhead On the mat, we've made it to the best 20 minutes of the whole day. Taking a deep breath in through the nose, and a sigh out the mouth. And just using this time intentionally to ground to be present here on the mat.

Beginning to draw your awareness to the aesthetic of your breath and not changing it just yet, just noticing Is there room for Moore space through the back of the heart down through the base of the hips. With every breath, we allow for more expansion, not just front to back, but also through the rib cage, down all the way through to the hips. As you continue your breath, I invite you to tend to your finger. So just imagine like you have 2 oranges or 2 lemons underneath your palms, and you feel more space in the pit of your arm more space around the heart. From here in this class, we'll move together, we'll play together, and we'll breathe together, so cleansing exhale let your last breath go. Inhale through the nose.

Big sigh at the mouth. 2 Moore, just like this inhale into the back of the heart. Clear it out. The last one just like this, inhale, and release. And if you have any specific intentions for today's class, Maybe just asking silently in your mind, what does my body need today?

I invite you to presence that now for yourself. And when you feel complete, carefully flatten your palms. You can walk your hands back towards your thighs, and we'll come up to a seated position. So you have some options in the spirit of play. You can sit on the back of your heels if that feels comfortable.

You can also take a cross legged seat on your mat. I love to use a block. So if you have that at home or a pillow, you can take your buck and take a seat on it. Alright. So bring your hands to the top of your thighs. We'll do a seated cat cow. You inhale opening up through the chest.

Exhale tuck the chin round spine. Beautiful. Inhale. Feeling the center of the heart, pull up towards the sky, exhale, breathing into the back of the heart. And you can just take this 2 part flow on your own. Starting to explore the space that we don't always see, right? The back of the heart where we sometimes hold a lot of tension or stress.

Just clearing it out now with the breath. Let's just take one more inhale opening up here. Exhale release. And then just come up to a neutral spot, and we'll start to make some circles. Okay? So you can decide whichever way you wanna go first starting to just move here on your seat, opening things up. And I just wanna invite you now to not worry so much about being pretty or perfect, right? That's not the goal. Like, really tuning into, like, how good can this feel?

You can allow the neck and the head to go along for the ride as well. And then just notice if the breath started to get tight. Right? So we can come back to that same principle of when you inhale your chest is forward, when you exhale, you're rounding through the spine. And when you feel complete on this side, will go retrograde, take it the other way. And really, wouldn't this be an experience, right? So much of the practice on the mat can get really into the alignment, which is so important And also, we wanna just give ourselves permission to just feel good today.

Let's take a few more like this. And when you feel complete start to wind down those circles, back to stillness. Just take one deep breath in here and release. Beautiful. So let's continue. You can set your block to the side. If you like to use them in your practice, you can have them at the top of your mat. Okay? So one on either side.

Let's come on to all fours. Hands underneath your shoulders, knees are underneath your hips. Inhale your right leg back behind you. You can take it straight, big breath, exhale. Draw your needs to your heart, step that foot all the way through. Hands are still framing the foot here.

If the floor feels far away, you can grab your blocks. So from here, you inhale open up the heart as you exhale, send your hips back flex your front foot. Inhale shifting forward. Ex, he'll taking it back. And as you notice, the cadence of the breath starting to play with the idea of rolling through the spine, right? Not just focusing from pose to pose, but really witnessing the transition between the two.

That's where all the magic is. Let's take one more in. Health shift forward. Exhale holding the hips back. Just one breath here. Inhale.

And exhale. Beautiful. And we'll just switch to that other side. Same deal. So carefully bringing that right knee down. Your hands come underneath your shoulders, knees, underneath your hips, Inhale your left leg back behind you, exhale draw your knee to your nose, step your foot through. Hands the blocks or the earth your choice.

Deep breath in, long spine, exhale hips go back. Inhale. Shifter forward. Ex. I'll send the hips back. Flex your front foot. We're going for a hamstring stretch.

You wanna feel that stretch in the back of the leg. Inhale, open up, exhale, shift it back. You know what it is? So just take it away, starting to feel into those moments of transition through the breath and the body. One more for this 2 part flow.

And then you'll send your hips back just holding for one breath just to see How are these legs today? Take a deep breath in and exhale. Beautiful. So it'll inhale shift forward. If you're using those blocks, you can set them to the side. And then from here, you come on to all force tuck your toes. Find yourself in a plank pose. Okay?

So spread your fingers wide. Spread your toes, firm up your thighs. Draw the abs up. Start to feel that activation that heat start to build, take a deep breath in, and exhale. Moore, you're welcome to come down to the knees if your body requires, but either way we inhale, just pull the intention forward like you're peeking over the side of your mat.

Then from here, you lower all the way down to the ground elbows are in. Untuck your toes. We're gonna do a little variation through our vinyassas today. It's one of my favorites, so I just had to share. You're gonna slip your fingers out just like how we had in that child's post, tempting the fingers, My fingers are on the ground off the mat on the diagonal.

From there, you press into the finger pads, opening up through the chest, exhale lower down. Let's take one more like that. Inhale. Opening up the corners of the chest, exhale release. Then from here, your hands slip right by the sides of the chest, passing through tabletop, finding a downward facing dot. So we'll break down this vinyasa one more time.

Inhale, shift forward knees down or suspended, lower all the way down to the earth. Fingertips out on the ground deep breath in, opening up. Ex, hello, down. Hands can come by the chest passing through tabletop, tuck the toes, send your hips high downward facing dog. Now from here, start to crawl your feet towards the top of your mat, and just finding a moment there take a deep breath in long spine halfway lift and release slowly, bend your knees rolling yourself up head is the last to lift, and we'll begin to really start to move.

From here, take a seat into a chair, reach the arm skyward, deep breath in. We find our chair pose strong. If you like to bring your feet together, you're welcome to do that. From here, you exhale, lace the fingers back behind you. You can bend the elbows to start, draw the knuckle tips down as far as it'll go without opening up through the palms. We want those palms touching.

Take a deep breath in, exhale, sit lower, swing the arms up. Inhale to stand. Exhale. Let's fold all the way over. Inhale think halfway lift. Exhale. You can plant your palms.

Step your left leg back only. From here, we'll find a true crescent lunge deep breath in. Draw your right hip back your left hip forward. And then we'll take my favorite little cactus here. So the elbow squeeze in deep breath in, elbows pulled to the waist as you bend your back knee slightly, opening up through the heart.

Inhale reach up. We'll take 2 more like this. Just do your best. Exhale. One more deep breath in and exhale.

Inhale reach up, then from here, spin your back heel down. When you look down, you're lined up heel to heel. If you need to step a little bit closer, I know I do. It's all good. You can do that. Now reach back and lace your fingers. Draw your knuckle tips down just like you did in chair pose. If you feel a little bit wobbly here, just heel toe your foot out to the side.

You can stay here or you inhale opening up through the heart. Exhale start to shift your heart forward. So not down. We're going into humble warrior. So you should just shift forward forward forward option to take your knuckles up towards the sky. So I feel my heart pulling forward and down, my knuckles pulling up towards the sky.

Take a deep breath in here, And a deep breath out. We won't be here long. One more deep breath, then you got it. And exhale. Nice job. Release the hands.

It's been your back heel up. So now we're back and crescent. Deep breathe in. Excel find your version of Warrior 2. Now, when you go for this, we want that heal to arch alignment. And your back toes are facing the front left corner of your neck.

So just check-in with that. Arms can go along. Right? Notice if your hips are wiggling and wiggling, try to keep that square engagement through both. Just take one more deep breath in, soften the shoulders, exhale, so you may sink a little deeper. To play with fire a little bit.

Inhale now. Reverse your warrior. Big breath. Exhale. You'll windmill your arms down. Spin your back heel up, step it back to plank pose, we'll take our fun flow, inhale shift forward, exhale lower down all the way to the ground. Fingertips, tent, open up cobra variation, exhale lower down. Planting through the palms, passing through tabletop, tuck the toes, hips go high, downward facing dog.

Take one deep breath in. Gorgeous, eye out the mouth. Release. Now from here, inhale, lift your heels, bend your knees, travel to the top of your mat. Whatever that means for you, Excel, just finish the fold.

Give yourself a break. Inhale halfway lift. Excel release. Soft bending the knee. Slowly so to roll yourself up.

Head is the last to lift. We begin again. Inhale sit low chair pose. Weight is back in the heels. Feel that grounding here.

Inhale sit lower. Exhale swipe the arms down. Lace the fingers. Maybe you take the reverse grip. So funny thumb on top of the natural grip and then sit a little bit lower.

Take a deep breath in. Acts, he'll release the arms, arms rise, feel the burn in the legs. Acts, he'll fold. Inhale thing halfway lift, shift your weight forward. Right? So you're feeling that stretch in the back.

Exhale release. Step your right foot back behind you. Find your version of crescent lunge. Arms reach Skyward. So from here, Find that square of the hips.

Draw your left hip back, right hip forward. You want the knee over the ankle the best you can. Doesn't have to be perfect though. Take a deep breath in, cactus pull, bend the back knee, exhale. Inhale reach.

Again, exhale, inhale lengthen, exhale strengthen, Inhale. Reach up. Listen for the change, back leg. Go straight. Spin the back heel down. Your line of heel to heel. From here, you're gonna lace the fingers back behind you.

Adjust the feet as needed, draw the knuckle tips down, open up the heart deep breath. Exhale. Pull your heart forward forward forward forward forward. Knuckles go to the sky. Take a deep breath in. Deep breath out.

One more deep breath in. Clear it all out. Exhale. Listen for the change. Inhale. Release the arms when Moore back heel up.

You're in a crescent lunge. Excel finder warrior 2 for just a moment, just a moment, soften the shoulders, take a deep breath in, clear it out. Beautiful. Now, listen for this change. I want you to straighten your legs, bring your heels in toes out you'll find a big star pose. So from here, we're gonna play a little bit. Okay? Playing in Skandasana, I want you to bring your hands to prayer.

You come over into a lunge on one side, allow the heel to lift, bring your fingertips down to the ground, and then you can crawl them over to the other side. So we'll start here. Okay? Just going back and forth, you inhale and exhale. And just kind of getting out of this, like, rigid way of moving, of thinking too much, maybe you start to float your arms out to a tee. I don't know. And then from here, maybe you start to like bring your hands to this bent side leg and then the other.

So we're really just allowing ourselves to play between these 2. Just having a moment, it's like, what is this what is this moment in between the two poses, right? Not being so concerned of, like, is my heel down or my toes up? But, like, what are all the different ways that I can get into this pose? Just take 2 more just for fun. And last one, bring your hands down to the ground Walk your hands to the center.

He'll toe your feet in. Oh, my hips are feeling that. I drop yourself all the way down. To your seat. Alright. So we're gonna finish our practice today.

You might be feeling that my heart is beating, speaking of heart opening. We got also heart pumping. If you have your blocks at home, you're welcome to bring them with you as we come down onto our backs. If you don't, no worries. So, I set them up like the middle of my mat, scoot forward, bring your feet flat, take a light grip on the back of the thighs, carefully roll yourself down for 4, 3, to, our favorite place to be.

From here, you can hug your knees in towards your heart, maybe just take a little rock and roll side to side if you'd like to take a happy baby or anything, you're welcome to do that. And we're just gonna finish in a really open space today. Souls the feet come together. I like to place these blocks right underneath my hips. To get some support, soles of the feet together, hands can come to the top of the hips.

Now For some people, this is very comfortable and for some, it's not. So if you'd like to take a traditional Shavasana, you're welcome to do that now. But we'll just take a moment for you and me to tap into the heart, to the breath, into the mind. Enjoy. Notice if the breath started to get tight, of the mind started to get loud, just taking a deep breath here. If your body is calling for this pose for just a little bit longer and you have the time, by all means, please take it.

If you feel complete, you can bring your hands down to the thighs, close the thighs like a book. Setting all props to this site. From here, just rolling over to one side. Just hang out there in fetal for a breath or 2. And then slowly pressing yourself up to a comfortable seat.

I just invite you to bring your hands to prayer thumb tips come to your heart bowing to your heart space. Made the light in you, see the light in everyone you meet. And may you treat them as so the light is all you see. The light in you is all I will ever see. Sending you peace in and peace out.

Thank you so much. My name is Shantani. Thank you for joining me on our 20 minute yoga flow. We'll see you next time.