Joyful Flow

Welcome. Thank you for joining me for this joyful flow practice where we will invite joy and ease into our day. That's our mantra for this practice. I invite joy and ease into my day. We'll begin standing with a breathing practice called breath of joy. So please join me by stepping your feet about hips distance maybe a little wider.

Find a soft bend in your knees and just start to rock your weight forward and back a few times as you find your center. And then I'll demo this breath first and then we'll practice it together. So we'll find three quick inhales moving with the arms. It will be inhale arms to shoulder height in front of you. And then inhale arms open wide shoulder height.

And then inhale arms sweep up, as we exhale, we'll sweep the arms back, exhaling out the mouth, and letting the torso drape down over the legs, and then we'll roll up and do that all again. So it looks like this inhale. Inhale, inhale, exhale, roll up, take a moment, let it land, and then we'll repeat. So if you'd like to join me whenever you're ready, Here we go, inhale, inhale, exhale. Roll up and again, inhale, inhale, inhale, exhale. Roll up, let it land one more time. Inhale, inhale, inhale, exhale. Beautiful.

Take a moment, roll up, let that land. Notice and hopefully you're feeling already a little bit more joyful. So let's start standing at the front of the mat as we move into our sun salutations. We'll move slowly into Suryanamaskar A. As you're ready, take a moment to land here, maybe setting that mantra as your intention.

I invite joy and ease into my day, and we'll move with intention and attention to the breath. As you're ready, inhale sweep your arms out and up, big full breath in. Exhale long spine, forward fold, uttanasana. Feel free to soften your knees a little, let everything melt down. And just take a moment in this first fold.

Maybe sway a little side to side. Feel into the back of your legs. On your next breath in, walk your hands up onto your shins. And lengthen through your spine. Reach the heart forward.

Beautiful. As you exhale plant your palm, step your left foot to the back of the mat, and then step your right foot to meet the left coming into plank pose. Top of a push up, take a moment to land in your plank. We'll find our alignment with the shoulders over the wrists, hips in line with shoulder blades, finding one long line of energy from the crown of your head back to your heels, shift your weight forward. You're welcome to lower your knees or keep them lifted. Hug your elbows in as you lower all the way down to the ground. And then untuck your toes.

Scoot your hands back just a bit. Let your wrist come right under your elbows. Press into the top of the feet. Peel your chest up into low cobra, bhujangasana. Let the chin tuck slightly.

The back of the neck is nice and long. Good. And then on your exhale, we'll press back. Downward facing dog, tuck your toes, lift the hips up and back. And this first dog, finding any movement that feels good in your body. I'm pedaling it out through the feet.

Your hamstrings are feeling a little tight today. Feel free to bend your knees or you could even step your feet a little wider. Just feel into your shape. Meet yourself where you are today. Beautiful. On your next breath in, rise high up onto your toes, bend your knees, look forward. Step to the front of your mat.

On an inhale lift halfway. Exhale fold, uttanasana, and then root to rise, inhale, arms sweep up, feel the lift in the sternum, the gaze, and then draw your hands together in front of your heart. Good. Let's keep moving with that Inhale arms sweep up. Exhale forward fold. Inhale lift halfway, Arta Uttanasana.

This time plant your palm, step the right foot back first and then step your left foot back for plank. Shift your weight forward. Come halfway or all the way down, Chaturanga. You're welcome to lower all the way for cobra, or you could press the arms straight from the thighs up off the earth for upward facing dog, big breath in. And long breath out, downward facing dog.

And just taking a moment again in down dog, if it feels good to keep moving, keep moving. Maybe you start to find some stillness, find one point to focus your gaze, your drishti, find spaciousness in the breath, and in your spine. So if that means softening the knees a bit, let the torso drape back to the top of your thighs. Good. On your next breath in, rise up onto toes, knees bend look forward, step or float front of the mat. On an inhale lift halfway to lengthen.

And exhale fold. Root to rise. Inhale arms sweep up. And exhale hands together in front of your heart. Good. Let's do that again. Moving with the breath.

Inhale arms sweep up. Exhale fold. Inhale halfway. XL plant palm, step or lightly, float back, chaturanga. Inhale cobra or up dog, exhale downward facing dog, allowing three full deep breaths here breathing in.

Breathing out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in to rise, high up onto toes, knees, bend look forward. Step or float front of the mat, inhale lift halfway, exhale fold root to rise, inhale arms sweep up, exhale hands together.

In front of your heart. Let's take one more round, maybe even close your eyes, allowing this to be a moving meditation with your breath, inhale arms sweep up, gaze up, exhale long spine, forward fold, uttanasan. Inhale lift halfway lengthen, exhale plant palm, stepper float, chaturanga, inhale cobra or up dog, exhale downward facing dog allowing a very big full breath in. Release something on your exhale. Notice where that movement settles.

Beautiful. And then from here, sweep your right leg up and back. We'll take a moment to bend the knee, open up through that right hip. Breathe into the side body. And then straighten the right leg any amount, big breath in. Gaze forward, draw your knee to your nose, and we'll take a big step through between the hands.

Stay on the ball of your back foot. Come up onto your fingertips for a moment. And then maybe widen your stance a little. We'll come up for crescent pose. Once you have that solid base, just take your time to come on up.

And we'll reach the arms up energize up through your fingertips. Soften a bit through your back knee, so let your tailbone, melt down, relax the shoulders, and then put a bend in your elbows to cactus your arms, and allow that to be a way to open up through the chest a little bit more. You might even gaze up and lean back a little. As you inhale sweep your arms back up, and then exhale let your hands find the earth. We'll step back to plank.

Shift forward chaturanga exhale, inhale cobra or up dog, exhale downward facing dog, big breath in. Long breath out. Second side, inhale, sweep your left leg up and back. Bend the left knee to open up through that left side. Feel into that.

Notice where you feel that. Let it feel good. Good and then straightening the left leg. Draw your knee toward your nose. Take a big step through, maybe widen the stance.

Again, setting up four crescent. Take a moment. You might bring your hands to your hips to start and just kind of feel the tailbone melting down, soften through the back leg. There's a buoyancy in the legs, and it is a balancing pose. So take a moment to find that stability, and then as you're ready, sweep the arms up. Beautiful as you sink in, start to bend the elbows, lift up through the heart space, the gaze, inhale sweep your arms back up.

Exhale hands to the ground, plant your palms, step to plank, shift forward, chaturanga, inhale cobra or up dog. Exhale. Downward facing dog. Take a moment to land. Always welcome to lower knees otherwise anchoring back to the breath.

Notice what you notice. Beautiful. And then let's add on from there. So as you're ready, sweep your right leg up and back, bend the knee open the hip, and then straighten through the right leg gaze forward. Take a big step through. We'll just take one breath.

As you inhale, sweep the arms up, come back up to crescent, so same beginning. Bend your elbows open the heart, exhale. Inhale sweep your arms up, and then as you exhale, open up for warrior two. And take a moment to settle in, find your intuitive alignment. You might come in and out of the shape a few times, but then find that stability.

So as you sink into warrior two, let the front knee land over your ankle, reach forward and back with the same amount of energy through your fingertips. Beautiful, and then flip your front palm. Keep the legs, tilt back, reverse warrior. We might even sink a little deeper into that front leg, feel the nice length through the side body. And then as you circle your hands down to the ground, come onto the ball of your back foot. We'll set it for a lunge twist by planting the left hand down, twisting from the naval up reach your right arm up and twist.

Good, allowing that twist to happen from the naval up, maybe lean back a little, let it feel good. And then lowering the right hand. Step to plank. Chaturanga exhale. Clear that with a vinyasa inhale cobra or up dog.

And meeting back, down dog, allowing a big breath in, and a long release sigh it out. Maybe shake your head. Yes and no. Notice if there are any places in your body where you are holding habitual tension, soften and release, inviting in that ease. Good left side, inhale sweep your left leg up, bend the knee open the hip, straighten the left leg gaze forward step through. Setting up for crescent, inhale arms sweep up.

Exhale bend the elbows cactus your arms sink in a little deeper as you do that. Inhale arms sweep up. And exhale open up vera badrasana two. Take a moment to land. Find your shape. Let the shape find you and then fill it with your breath.

Let your shoulders soften. Relax your gaze. Good. Flip your front palm. Keep the shape with the legs. Tilt back reverse warrior, sink in a little deeper into that front leg, big breath in.

Circle down for runner's lunge, come on to the ball of the back foot, plant the right hand and sweep your left arm up. And find your lunge twist. Keep hugging the left hip in, so letting the twist happen from the naval up, maybe lean back a little, feel that opening. And then left hand down, step to plank, shift forward, Shaturanga, inhale cobra, or up dog, and meeting back in downward facing dog. Breathe in.

Breathe out. Got a little detour here before we move to the next round. Walk your hands back to your feet. Step your feet as wide as your mat, let your toes turn out and your heels turn in and sink in for melasana yogi squat. You're welcome to sit on a block. I'm just taking a moment.

To pause the sacred pause to notice. Where does that land? Also getting into the hip flexors a little bit more. Really nice posture for releasing tension in the low back. Beautiful and then hands to the ground.

Parilil your feet, let everything melt down over the legs, maybe sway a little side to side. What might you soften and release here? Shake the head. Yes. And no. Beautiful. And then take your time. We'll meet back in downward facing dog.

Really feel your hands on the earth. As you walk forward, Then we'll take what we've already created, add on just a bit as you're ready, inhale sweep the right leg up. Bend the knee open up through that right side, straighten the right leg. Step all the way through setting up for high lunge crescent with joy in how arms sweep up, bend the elbows, feel the lift in the heart space, inhale sweep the arms up? Exhale virabhadrasana two, flip the front palm tilt back, reverse warrior, extended side angle, elbow to thigh, top arm, sweeps over the ear, and let's keep this fluid. So as you inhale, come up and back reverse warrior, exhale extended side angle.

One more inhale up and back reverse warrior. Exhale extended side. Good. Up and back straighten your front leg, reverse triangle, big breath in, and circle down. Meet me back in runner's lunge. Come on to the ball of your back foot.

Plant your left hand, sweep the right arm up. You could stay here or start to turn all 10 toes to the right side of your mat coming onto the knife edge of that left foot, and then maybe step your right foot back and stack for Vashi Stasana. Any variation here? Welcome to lower that left knee or kickstand, the right foot forward. Good. And then we'll meet in plank.

Come back through center. Chaturanga exhale. Inhale cobra or up dog. Meeting back in down dog, allowing a very big full breath in and a long full breath out. Left side inhale sweep your left leg out, bend the knee open the hip, straighten through the left gaze forward, and take a big step through setting up for crescent, high lunge, inhale arms sweep up.

Exhale, bend the elbows, feel that opening in the heart space. Inhale, arms up. Xhale, open up warrior two, front of your mat. Good. And then we'll flip the front palm to tilt back. Reverse warrior.

Xhale extended side. I'm just dropping the forearm off on the top of the left thigh, sweeping that right arm up and over the ear. And then dancing warrior with a breath inhale up and back exhale extended side inhale up and back. And exhale, extended side. This time as you come up and back straighten your front leg, reverse triangle, circle down, runner's lunge, drop off the right hand.

Sweep the left arm out. You could stay here or start to turn all 10 toes to the left side coming onto the knife edge of the right foot this time. Maybe step that left foot back, Vasistasana, Welcome to lower the right knee down. You could kickstand that left foot forward or any variation that feels good inside our balance. Find your breath.

Good. And then come back through center. Maybe vinyasa Chaturanga, inhale cobra or upward facing. Exhale downward, facing dog, breathe in. Breathe out. Just take a moment. Lower your knees.

You're welcome to take child's pose. Or you could sit back on your heels and find Vajrasana for a moment. Finding any shape that feels good to take a pause to check-in. Notice what you notice. Inviting in that sense of joy, that uplifting energy, allowing a very big breath in Let something go on the exhale.

And then let's meet in tabletop position. Take your time. Let your shoulders. Come right over your wrists, hips over knees. Keep the hips lifted as you come up onto your fingertips. For Anahatasana, puppy pose, walk your hands forward, the chest melt down toward the earth.

Maybe the forehead lands, maybe the chin. Feel that big opening across the heart space. Couple full deep breaths. Good. And then come up out of here just a bit. Walk your hands back.

Let your forearms lower to the ground and we'll set up for sphinx pose. So let your hips lower all the way down. Walk your elbows just slightly in front of your shoulders, and then let this be in active shape. So you're drawing the mat back towards you engaging through the legs. And reaching the heart between the window of your arms. Gonna maybe drop your chin to your chest for a moment and take your right ear towards your right shoulder. Let that feel good.

Chin to chest, left ear, left shoulder. Beautiful, and then come back through center gaze straight forward. And then release your arms on either side of your body. We'll set up for Shalabhasana. Bringing the chin or the forehead down to the earth.

Reach your arms back actively. Maybe catch an interlace behind your back and then start to peel up. Draw the shoulders away from your ears, lift the chest, lift the heart. You might add your legs or you could keep pressing the tops of the feet into the earth, whatever feels best for you. Think about length here rather than height.

Let the back of your neck be long. Allow a very big breath in and exhale release, bring one cheek to the earth, settle, maybe sway your hips side to side or reverse windshield wiper your knees. Good. And we'll take another round. Come back through center, forehead, or chin to the earth. Reach your arms back actively or interlace with the opposite thumb on top.

Lift up and lengthen. Gently engage your core just to protect your spine holding for five. Four. Three, two. One, releasing the opposite side of your face down to the ground, let that go, sway your hips or gently reverse windshield wiper, side to side.

Good. Now you're welcome to stay with Shalabhasana. What we just did or maybe this time you bend your knees. Reach back. Find the top of your feet or your ankles. And then start to kick your feet into your hand. Same action as you draw the shoulders away from the ears, lift up down your asana.

Allowing a few full deep breaths here. Feel that big expansion across the chest, inhale, and exhale, release it down, reverse windshield wiper side to side. And then take a moment, just counter balance, lift up into child's pose, let your hips sink back to your heels, reach the arms forward, and then allow the breath to feel the back body. Take a moment to ground. Breathing in, and breathing out.

Good. And then take your time to roll up. We'll come on to our back, so shifting the weight off to one side, bring the legs out in front of you. And as you roll onto your back, just take a moment to hug your knees into your chest, give them a squeeze. Rock a little side to side, massage your lower back. Let that feel really nice.

Good. And we'll take one more heart opening shape here. So setting up for bridge or wheel, if you have that in your practice, I'll bring us into wheel. You might be coming into bridge pose. For both, we'll step the feet hips distance, and then take a moment to brush the back of your heels with your fingertips, let your ankles come right under your knees. If you're coming into Urdvadanyarasana, take your hands next to your ears, let your fingers face towards your shoulders, hug your elbows in, and I like to take this in three steps.

So step one, press through the soles of the feet and just lift your hips, let your knees draw toward the wall in front of you. Step two, press through the hands come up onto the crown of your head. And then any amount start to straighten the arms as you lift up into wheel. Find a few full deep breaths. And then when you're ready, slowly.

Come on out of that wherever you are, we'll step the feet as wide as the yoga mat. Really gentle counter balance. Let your knees knock into touch constructive rest. Maybe rest your hands on your low belly. Feel the breath.

Fill your hands, your low belly. You draw the inhale all the way up to the ribcage, the heart space, and release everything on the exhale. Good. Now, heel toe the feet back to hip distance. We'll take a hip opener here, cross your right ankle on top of your left knee, find figure four shape with your legs. For thread the needle, draw that shape in towards you.

You could interlace behind your left thigh or on top of your left shin. And then you might use that right elbow to kind of draw that right leg away from you as you draw the left knee in, those opposing actions. Breathe into your right hip. And then as much as you can, allow your shoulders to soften, soften your eyes and your jaw. Sending breath to wherever you feel this the most.

Good. Now, keep the shape with your legs and just let your left foot find the earth. Cross your right knee on top of your left. Cactus your arms on either side of your body, scoot your hips to the right a little, and then let your knees drop off to the left for eagle twist. Maybe take a gaze over your right shoulder, ring it out. Just a couple breaths here. Beautiful.

I'm in slowly unravel, step the feet down to the earth, You might lift your hips and just place them back down to neutralize your spine, thread the needle, cross your left ankle on top of the right, find that figure, four shape, draw that shape in toward you, let the left knee draw away, the right knee draws in, soften your shoulders, your gaze, your jaw. Breathe into wherever you feel this the most. Good. And then as you come out of there, right foot down, cross your left knee, on top of the right knee, cactus your arms, scoot your hips to the left, drop your knees. To the right, maybe gaze over the left shoulder, wring it out. Good. And then come on back.

Feed to the earth, lift your hips, place them back down, neutralize, hug knees in, maybe rock, or happy baby. Any last posture that your body is requesting. Otherwise, let's take a moment to transition to Shivasana, letting the legs go long on your mat. Let your feet roll open like book bringing your palms to face up on either side of your body. Gently close your eyes.

Go inward and just rest. Start to bring your awareness back to your breath, your physical body, your heart space, inviting any gentle movement back in. You reach your arms all the way up over your ears stretch through the entire body allowing a very big full breath in and a long breath out. Just take your time. You might roll to one side or just simply make your way up to seated.

We'll take a moment to land. Maybe drawing your hands on top of the heart. Bowing in towards yourself, the teacher within, acknowledge yourself for showing up for this practice today, inviting in a little more joy, a little more ease into your day. Thank you for sharing this practice. Hope you have a beautiful rest of your day. Namaste.