Yoga at Home: Morning Yoga | Yoga for Small Spaces | Yoga Wild

Transcript

[Music] do you wake up feeling mentally and physically sluggish if so try this short sequence to stretch tired and stiff muscles and to energize and kick start your day hi folks my name is casey i use the pronouns she her and for this wild in tacoma we are at tree a woman-owned heart-centric business that offers award-winning sustainable home furnishings so a great spot for our yoga at home series this is morning yoga stretch stretching first thing when you get out of bed can help relieve tension and pain from sleeping it also increases your blood flow and prepares your body for the day ahead so let's get started standing so when you start standing maybe you have a yoga mat you don't need one we will be on our knees a little bit so if you are on a hard surface maybe a rug or a blanket for cushion under your knees have a little space between your feet you can roll out your shoulders we're going to start with a little spinal articulation so moving into flexion slowly tuck your chin into your chest gaze down to the ground and as you round your spine you're going to lower down into a forward fold but try and go as slow as possible filling each vertebra and there might be a section or chunk that moves you might not feel one piece at a time and that's okay and once you come to your forward fold just hang in a rag doll your knees can be bent add a little movement or sway side to side just release to gravity here and then we're going to come up the same way we went in so with your chin and tight to your chest slowly roll up to stand keep a bend in your knees press through the ball mound of your big toe your pinky toe in the center of your heel your gaze is down and then eventually you will roll back up to standing once you lift your chin then we'll move into more of a lateral direction so i'll turn to face you still have a nice space between your feet and you're going to start to lean to your right and as you lean to your right your ribs will kind of like stop at your hip point like you can't go any further but we are so keep your left hand at your hip to begin add a bend to your knees and then slide down your right leg keep your chest open as you feel a stretch through your left side body you could extend your left hand high and see how low you can lower down keeping your chest open big stretch through your side body now we're going to come out slowly as you start to straighten your legs you can bring your left hand back down feel your left side body slowly start to pull you back up to neutral back at standing now we'll move our spine into extension and your range of motion might not be very much here mine isn't but starting with your palms by your side start to tilt your gaze up toward the ceiling send your hips forward as you open your chest and lean back you can keep a little bend in your knees but feel rooted and grounded now we're going to come out slow bringing your hips back and then it's like you're drawing from your front body stack one vertebra at a time we'll take our lateral side bin to the left so start with crunching your left side body as far as you can go then start to add the bend in your knees so we're getting this range of motion in your spine open your chest maybe reaching your right hand up toward the ceiling you keep your gaze down or up but feel open in your chest big stretch through your thighs my legs are working here too and then slowly start to peel yourself up straightening your legs first keeping your ribs close to your hips and then pulling from your right side body come back to standing we'll take a few slow rounds of a half sun a and really try to get expansive stretch and open your arms and your chest inhale big stretch out and up exhale fold forward maybe hands are at center arms wide bend at your hip creases keep a little bend in your knees inhale halfway lift hands can come to shins or thighs long in your spine exhale forward full inhale come back up to standing keep a little bend in your knees strong through the backs of your legs exhale hands to heart center two more like that nice and slow inhale reach up big stretch exhale forward fold inhale halfway lift exhale forward full inhale reach out and up big stretch up exhale hands to your heart [Music] one more inhale reach up urdhva hastasana exhale forward fold uttanasana inhale halfway with exhale forward fold inhale big stretch up back to stand exhale hands to your heart just pause here for a few moments see what it feels like to just start to move your body stretch out your body early in the morning and open your eyes inhale reach up exhale forward fold inhale halfway lift lengthen your spine exhale step your left foot back and lower your left knee down then kind of crawl your right foot off to the edge if you're using a mat off to the edge if not just take it a little wider for a lizard lunge and you can stay propped up here on your fists or hands and if you are pretty bendy first thing in the morning i am not very tight but you could lower to your forearms don't force anything though and you can stay here maybe add a little movement especially if you are feeling tight maybe even bring your right hand to your right thigh and start to open your chest so now we're moving our spine in more of a twist we've done flexion extension lateral and now we're starting to add some rotation and this is a great place to stay if you'd like a little more sensation option to pick up your back knee and reach your right hand up toward the ceiling you can open your chest stay connected to your leg and again you're just moving your body preparing for the day so don't force anything inhale exhale lower your right hand down step your left foot up that's a big transition maybe take it in just a few steps back to forward fold inhale halfway lift exhale step your right foot back lower your right knee down working into the lizard lunge so crawling your left foot out wide a little bit you can flex your foot and kind of let your left knee peel open again you can come to forearms or maybe come to your fists i like to move i can help lubricate the joints and moving into rotation bring your left hand to your left eye and start to open your chest and you're just starting your day with a little movement a little kindness a little attention to your body so feel free to stay here or pick up your back knee base your right hand and start to lift your left fingertips up toward the ceiling just maybe taking a little deeper twist all the while breathing inhale exhale lower your left hand down step your right foot up forward fold inhale halfway lift exhale downward facing dog please your hands lock your feet to the back either of your mat or just walk them further back automotive downward facing dog so bend your knees move around get a deep stretch to the backs of your legs your whole back line spread your ten fingers wide kind of grip with your fingertips option to add a bend to your knees ground your heels and lift your toes you can even let this be a wider downward dog if you have a regular practice your body's going to feel different in the morning so your poses can look different a few more big breaths here press evenly into your palms lengthen your spine and let your head hang heavy inhale exhale tabletop lower to your knees from tabletop we're going to start with some neck circles so bringing your right ear toward your right shoulder and then let your chin come down left ear toward left shoulder and continue around so we don't have gravity working against us moving in these head and neck circles you may notice a little more range of motion you might hear some crackling or crunchy bits you could always kind of linger and move in one spot and then start to go the other direction bring your left ear to your left shoulder and then slowly start to move around try to avoid sagging your belly down towards your mat keep your spine long just moving your head around when i start to get a lot of tension in my body i feel it in my neck and then come to neutral so your spine is or your neck rather is an extension of your spine inhale cow pose drop your belly down moving into our big extension in the spine exhale cat pose draw your belly button up gaze up and into your belly button cat spine a little flexion inhale cow big breath stretch the front line of your body exhale cat pose stretch stretch stretch into the back line one more like that inhale exhale return to neutral send your right toes back and you can add a little rock forward and back maybe getting another stretch through the back of your right leg your calf and then find stillness and start to get light in your left hand so you could tint your fingers you could walk them forward and maybe pick your right heel and your left hand up if that doesn't work for you this early in your day just go ahead and lower your left hand back down but try to keep your right leg extended knee and toes point down inhale lengthen exhale draw your elbow to your knee back to your cat spine inhale lengthen exhale round one more inhale and if you're doing this with your hand down you can still exhale draw your right knee in inhale lengthen exhale table top other side send your left toes behind you keep them tucked under and just get a little stretch through the back of your leg then find stillness get light in your right hand as you lift your left heel stay here or reach your right fingertips forward inhale lengthen draw your belly button in exhale round elbow to knee inhale lengthen exhale round inhale last one exhale inhale lengthen exhale table top extended child's pose bring your knees wide sink your hips back and reach your fingertips forward as you lower your forehead to your mat you could always pillow your forehead on your hands or your fists or maybe you're still feeling a little tight and bring your hips up high wherever you are take a little time here to set an intention for the rest of your day stephen covey says start with the end in mind how do you want to feel when you end your day do you want to feel relaxed happy accomplished by taking this little time to wake up your body wake up your mind set your intention just notice observe how the rest of your day goes one more big breath here take a moment to walk your hands in find a seat maybe on your heels or cross-legged bring your hands to heart center your eyes can be closed or your gaze is down remember it's the choices you make that define who you are far more than your abilities thank you for choosing to practice your yoga lift your thumbs to the center of your forehead your third eye will close with one final breath together inhale exhale thank you so much for carving out this time to start your day with mindfulness and with intention and i hope that you are feeling a little bit more energized in your body in mind and feel free to check out our bedtime yoga stretch to end your day with just as much care i did a weird thumbs up we got to do that one again it works something just you know let that be glad one of us has a list it's just in her head i've got to think it's all up there wow take three on that one i will offer three tips it's only been 12 hours [Music] you