Embody the Flow

Welcome. Thank you for joining me for this embodied flow. This fluid practice working with this mantra of trust. I trust the flow of life and that all is unfolding as it should. So taking a moment to make your way to seated. If it feels safe, let your eyes soften and close.

And then call that mantra into the heart space. Maybe silently repeating it to yourself. I trust the flow of life. All is unfolding as it should. I trust the flow of life.

All is unfolding as it's meant to. Feel the wave like quality of your breath, moving in and out through your nose, even inhale, even exhale. Staying connected to this quality of water as we gently blink the eyes open and start to move into sufi circles. So as you inhale, start to shift the weight forward, reach the heart forward. As you exhale round back, taking some circles here, moving in a way that it feels really good to move fluidly. Feel free to linger.

Anywhere it feels good to linger. You might take the circles in either direction. Taking them as big or as small as it feels good for you. Right away, I feel into my lower back, my hips, this element of fluidity, of water, and then start to let the circles become a little bit smaller. Finding them right at your center as you circulate the energy at your center and then take a moment to let the waves settle as you come through your center.

Change the crossing of your legs. So take the opposite shin in front. And then from here, reach your left fingertips to the outside of your left hip. Sweep your right arm up and over your ear tilting to a side body stretch. Allow a big breath in.

And then just take it up and over to the other side so let the right fingertips find the earth, reach the left arm up and over your ear. And then side to side a few times as you tilt over to the left, sweep the right arm up. Tilt over to the right, sweep the left arm out, and one more inhale, tilting, side body stretch. And another side exhale, side body stretch. Good. Come back to your center.

Take a moment again to just land these sacred pauses between the movement to notice. And then meet me in tabletop. We'll come to all fours. Shoulders over wrists, hips, over knees. And then right away, some circles here for barrel rolls. Crack crack crackling of the joints.

You might feel that as well. You could go clockwise or counterclockwise, start to move the weight around. As you come back, hips over the heels as you come forward, shifting the weight over the wrists, maybe just swaying side to side would feel good shifting the hips side to side. Just this intuitive, organic movement in a way that feels good for you, move like you. And then taking a few more rounds, shifting The weight back may be toward a child's pose for a moment.

Maybe wobbling a little side to side. Beautiful, and then take your time and make your way into downward facing dog tucking the toes, lift the hips up back, start to pedal it out through your feet. So, bending one knee, straightening the opposite leg, and then switching sides, bending the opposite knee, straightening the other leg. Good. Stepping your feet about hips distance. If your hamstrings are feeling a little tight today, feel free to step them a little wider or soften your knees pressing through the inner and the outer hand. As you inhale, start to round forward into plank pose, almost like a cat pose in the upper body.

And then as you get to plank, bend your knees arch your back and lift your hips up and back into downward facing dog. So this undulating type movement come high up onto the toes round forward into plank pose and then bend your knees arch your back and lift your hips All the way up and back. Good. And then do that one more time. Inhale round forward playing. Exhale bend the knees, lift the hips up and back down dog.

Come forward to plank, lower all the way down to your belly. Welcome to lower the knees. As you get down to the belly, untuck your toes, tent your fingertips on either side of your mat. Let your elbows point straight up to the ceiling. And then find this wide arm cobra. So as you inhale peel your chest up, press into the top of the feet, lift the heart, and then slowly lower as you exhale.

And then do that again as you inhale peel the chest up. This time, drop your right shoulder toward the center of your mat and take a gaze over your left shoulder. Inhale back through center, peel the chest up. Exhale left shoulder. Take a gaze over the right. Beautiful inhale back through center.

And then release that down. Take your hands on either side of your ribs and press back. To down dog. Pick up your hands and walk them all the way to the back of your mat, finding a forward fold uttanasana. At the back of the mat, put a soft bend in your knees. Let everything melt down and maybe sway a little side to side.

Shake the head. Yes and no. Shift the weight forward and back. Good. And then take your time, walk all the way back to downward facing dog. We'll meet there, taking a moment to land, find your alignment. Sweep your right leg all the way up and back.

Put a bend in the right knee to open up through that right hip. Breathe into the right side body. Go ahead and then straighten out through the right. Draw your right knee towards your right elbow and take a big step to the out side of that right wrist. So we're in a wide lizard lunge.

From here, plant your left hand right under your left shoulder, sweep your right arm up, and open up the chest to the right side of the mat for this wider twist. Allow a very big full breath in here. And then as you lower the right hand down, walk to face the side of your mat. You might need to step that right foot up a little. And then bring it all the way into Skandasana.

So keep walking your fingertips over to the left leg, put a bend in your left knee. You might angle your toes toward the corner of your mat. And you're welcome the keypans down on the earth, you could bring the entire sole of the right foot down or you could come up onto that right heel and sink in a little deeper. Again, we're just keeping it low and fluid, getting into the hips a little bit. We'll start to walk toward the front of the mat, bend your right knee, come to runner's lunge facing the front of your yoga mat, and then step back to downward facing dog, right foot meets the left and that same undulating spine as you inhale, glide to plank pose round through the spine and then bend your knees arch your back and lift it up and back to downward facing dog.

Good. Inhale, lift your left leg up and back. And then through the left knee to open up through that left side. And then straightening out through the legs, tap your left knee towards your left elbow. Take a big step through to the outside of that left wrist. Come up onto your fingertips for a moment.

Find length in your spine. Plant your right hand down and sweep your left arm up. Find that opening here. Lower your left hand, walk to face the side of your yoga mat. This time we'll bend the right knee for skandasana. Sync it in.

Beautiful, and then keeping it fluid come all the way back to the front of the mat, bend your left knee, runner's lunge. Step back to downward facing dog, left foot meets the right, glide forward like you're moving through a wave into plank. And bend your knees and lift your hips. Up and back, down dog. Let's take that one more time.

We'll take continuous movement with the breath, keeping it nice and fluid, inhale right leg lifts, bend the knee open the hip. Straighten through the right. Draw your right knee towards your right elbow and take a big step to the outside of your right wrist setting up for your twist. Inhale plant your left hand, sweep the right arm up. And then lower your right hand, walk to Skandasana facing the side of your mat, bend your left knee straighten through the right leg and sink in.

Good. Stay low. Keep it fluid. Come all the way back, runner's lunge, facing the front of the mat, step back, downward facing dog, glide into plank, and then bend your knees, lift the hips. Up and back, downward facing dog. Float your left leg up and back, put a bend in the knee, open the hip, and then straightening through the left. Left knee, left tricep or elbow, big step to the outside of the left.

Find your twist, plant your right hand, sweep the left arm up, allow a big breath in, fluidly walk to face the side of the mat, scandasana. This time the right knee bends, straightening through the left, Keep it fluid as you come all the way back, runner's lunge. And then step back downward facing dog, glide forward to plank pose, bend your knees and lift your hips up and back to down dog. Take a moment to lower your knees. If it feels okay, keep your toes tucked and sit back on your heels.

You're welcome to untuck your toes or even take a child's pose if that feels best for you. It's taking a pause between the movement here. To really notice where that fluidity, that movement, that echo of the movement lands in your body, that prana, that life force energy circulating within. Observing letting the waves settle. Good. And then take your time to come on out of there.

Come to tabletop for a moment and gently pat the tops of your feet on the ground, let that go, tuck your toes, lift your hips up and back, downward facing dog. Good. Now, let's float the right leg all the way up and back again. Take a moment to bend the knee open up through that hip and then straighten through the leg gaze forward and take a big step through between your hands. Good. Stay on the ball of the back foot setting up for crescent pose, high lunge. On an inhale, sweep your arms up and just take a moment to sink in.

So soften through your back knee. Let the tailbone melt down, energize up through the fingertips. Allowing a very big full breath in here. And then open up warrior two. Take a moment to find your alignment.

Good. Now from warrior two, flip your palms to face up allow your shoulders to soften down your back on an inhaled peaceful warrior sweep the arms up straighten through your front leg. Maybe press the palms together above your ears and then exhale, open it back up for warrior two. And we'll do that two more times. So inhale gathering, exhale warrior two. Inhale trusting the flow of light.

And exhale back to warrior two. Beautiful. Flip your front palm straighten your front leg this time as you come back into reverse triangle pose, feel the length in the right side body. And then as you come through triangle, you might shorten the stance a little, right hand below the knee. Left arm reaches straight up. Little micro bend in your right knee engaging through that right quadricep, and then feel that opening through the heart space.

And we'll transition half moon, left hand to hip gaze down, put a bend in your right knee. Welcome to take a block under that right hand float your left leg up. Maybe reach that left arm up. We won't be here long. We just feel that expansion up and out of the side waist.

Good. And then step your left foot To meet the right, bend your knees deeply, take a moment to really set up utkatasana chair pose, sink in. Good. Now, let's keep this fluid as well. So allowing a big breath in. As you exhale sweep your arms back, lower your torso toward the height of your knees and hover, and then do that two more times, inhale gathering arms sweep up. Exhale sweep them back.

One more. Inhale. This time as you sweep the arms back, catch an interlace behind your low back, heel toe the feet a little wider, and bring it into a nice forward full let everything release, get into your shoulders a bit. What might you soften here? Just a little bit more. Good. And then let your hands come down toward the earth on an inhale.

Come halfway up, lengthen through your spine. And we'll step back to downward facing dog, just taking your time to arrive. Welcome to move through a vinyasa, or as you come to downward facing dog, maybe take that fluid undulating of the spine as you inhale round into plank. Exhale, bend your knees and lift your hips all the way up and back to land in downward facing dog. Left side as you're ready inhale sweep the left leg up and back.

Bend the knee open up through that left hip and then straightening through the left leg gaze forward. Take a big step through setting up for crescent pose, maybe widen the stance a little bit. Find that stability as you find crescent. And then once you have the legs, take your time to come on up, sweep the arms up, soften a bit through the back knee. Let your shoulders relax, energize up through the fingertips.

Allow a big expansive breath in. Open up warrior to exhale. Gonna take a moment to land, find your alignment, soften shoulders, soften gaze. Beautiful. And then bringing your palms to face up on an inhale straighten your front leg. Gaze up, maybe press your palms together.

Peaceful warrior. Exhale warrior two. Moving energy, inhale gathering, exhale warrior two release. One more inhale gather. Exhale deep in warrior two.

Flip your front palm to tilt back, reverse triangle straighten your front leg. Fill that nice length in the left side body. And then keeping that length, you might shorten the stance Reach forward with that left arm. Let your left hand fall anywhere below the knee. Reach your right arm straight up.

And then take up space, expand in this shape, fill it with your breath. Breathing in, breathing out. Beautiful transition, Arta Chandrasana, half moon, right hand to hip, gaze down, put a bend in your left knee, gaze in front of you, let your left fingertips fall right under your left shoulder, float your right leg up, and find Arta Chandrasana. Notice all that movement in that standing leg. Good. And then safely stepping your right foot to meet the left.

Setting up for chair, uttanasana. Inhale. Exhale sweep the arms back, lower the torso to meet the thighs and two more inhale sweep up. You really use the breath to move the energy here, exhale lower inhale up. Exhale lower. Inhale up.

Forward fold release. Heel toe your feet as wide as your yoga mat. And then take a moment to turn the toes out, let your heels come in and sink in for yogi squad Malasana. Welcome to sit on a block. Drop into this shape for a moment.

Maybe close your eyes and draw your hands together. In front of your heart. Notice the heart beating in your chest. I trust that all is unfolding as it should. And then when you're ready hands to the earth, parallel your feet.

Let everything melt down over the legs. Maybe sway a little side to side ragdoll, release tension. Good. And then step back to downward facing dog, however you choose to arrive. Lower your knees. Keep the toes tucked.

And again, sit back onto your heels for a moment. And then with the toes tucked, you're welcome to stay right here enjoying this stretch through the soles of the feet. Or let's take some dancing camel poses. So I'm taking my left hand to the left ankle on an in house, sweep the right arm in front of your face, and at the same time, lift your hips, lift the heart, lift the gaze. And then reverse that as you exhale, lower it back down. Inhale, right hand, right ankle, sweep the left arm in front of your face, lift the heart, lift the gaze, lift the hips, and exhale lower.

And then you can start to move from side to side at your own pace. The inhale brings you up. The exhale brings you down. The inhale brings you up. The exhale brings you down.

Maybe you're pausing on one side or finding center. Otherwise, just letting it be a flow with your breath. Maybe taking one more on each side, right side inhale, exhale release, left side, and release this time untuck your toes. If it feels okay, sit back on your heels and let that be a nice stretch for the top of your feet, you might even lean back a little bit, lifting the knees up and finding a really nice stretch through the tops of the feet. If that's too intense, just simply lower the knees and breathe, notice, observe. Beautiful.

Let the wave settle. And then meet me back in downward facing dog as you're ready. No rush, tuck the toes. Lift the hips all the way up and back. From here, sweep your right leg up and back, bend the knee, open up through that right hip, straighten out through the right leg, and then start to draw your right knee toward your left elbow, maybe thread it all the way through for fallen triangle, bring the weight into your right hand. Sweep your left arm up, maybe lift the gaze, lift your hips.

As you come out of here, let your left hand come down and then slide that right shin behind your wrist for single pigeon. And take a moment To land, find your setup up at the top. We'll make this dynamic as well. Finding some fluidity as you bring your fingertips to either side of your yoga mat. Allow a big breath in to lift the chest and the heart.

And then as you exhale soften your elbows, bow forward and then do that again as you inhale peel the chest up lengthening. As you exhale, bend the elbows bowing forward, And one more inhale peel up. And this time exhale settle, maybe walk your hands forward, and we'll hold. This shape for just a few, maybe five or so full deep breaths. Noticing that right hip.

Any sensation there, sending the breath. And then anchoring back to breath, perhaps to your mantra. We trust the flow of life. All as unfolding as it should. And taking your time.

There's no rush. We'll walk the hands. Back in, peel the chest up. And meet me back in downward facing dog. And then whatever you need to release that side, I'm gonna take my right leg and shake it out up into the sky. And then whenever you are ready, sweep your left leg up and back, bend the knee open up through that left side, straighten the left leg, draw your left knee towards your right elbow maybe thread that leg all the way through for fallen triangle, spin onto the right heel, weight into the left hand, reach your right arm up, feel that lift in the heart space, the upper back.

Good. And then as you come to pigeon, let your right hand come down, slide your left shin across the front of your mat behind your wrists, and take a moment to settle in. And if you're taking those dynamic pigeons with the breath will bring the fingertips on either side of the mat on an inhale lift up through the chest, the heart space, the gaze, and then let the exhale bow you forward. Inhale, peel up. Find your breath. Exhale, release. Inhale, peel up.

Exhale release and maybe walk your hands forward, settle it into pigeon. Noticeing at this side feels a little different, most likely. Just observe. Notice what comes up for you in these spaces. In between the movement, there's still so much movement and stillness. So much fluidity.

You stay with that flow state. Go ahead and take your time whenever you're ready. Walk your hands back in. Come on out of there. Maybe shake that left leg up to the sky or whatever you need to release.

We'll lower our knees. Shift the weight off to one side, bring the legs out in front of you, and then meet me on your back. As you roll onto your back, gather knees into chest. And start to wobble, rock a little side to side, massage through your lower back, maybe take your knees, in circles in either direction. Well, it takes some rolling bridge poses here, so let the soles of the feet find the earth hips width.

Let your arms fall on either side of your body. And on an in house sweep, your arms all the way up over your ears at same time press into the soles of the feet and lift your hips and then reverse that as you exhale, lower the arms and lower your hips and take that a few more times. Inhale arms lift, hips, lift, up into bridge, exhale lower, inhale lift up. Exhale lower. One more inhale reach the arms up, lift the hips, keep the arms where they are, maybe come high up onto your toes, with the arms lifted up over your ears slowly roll down one vertebra.

At a time, as you get to the bottom, step your feet as wide as your mat, drop your knees to the right, and then the left. Drop him to the right, hang there, maybe pick up your right foot, place it on top of your left thigh. It's a little twist to release to let go. Good. And then taking that over to the other side, soles of the feet to the earth, drop the knees to the left, maybe pick up your left foot and place it on top of the right. Welcome to gaze over that right shoulder.

Good. Come on back through your center. Hug knees. Hug everything in tight, wrap your forearms around your shins, nose to knees, big breath in. Long full breath out.

Release into Shavasana, whatever shape feels like a nice place to be for integration, maybe letting the legs go long on your mat. Palms face up on either side of the body for receiving energy. Just take a few moments here to let go, to let be. Just rest. Please feel free to stay here as long as you'd like.

And Shavasana. Otherwise, gently rock your head side to side. Wiggle your toes, move your fingers, maybe take your thumb and brush it across your fingertips. Move your ankles, your wrists, stretch arms up over ears to stretch through the entire body allowing a very big breath in, a long breath out. And your own time making your way to seated will take a moment to land as you find your seat, maybe close your eyes, rest the gaze on the internal space.

Notice what you notice, and draw your hands together in front of your heart. Anjali Mudra. Thank you so much for sharing this practice with me. Namaste.