Latest / Ten-Minute Mornings / Calm Power | Grounded Strength in 10 Minutes
Transcript
- James @ Daily Flow: Hello friends. Thanks for downloading the audio version of today's 10 minute mornings practice. The YouTube video is linked in the show notes. And if you're staying with just the audio, don't worry about doing it right. Just move and breathe in a way that feels honest. That's enough. a follow or review goes a long way. And of course, you're always welcome to practice live with me on YouTube, 8 a.m. weekdays. In 10 minutes, you'll feel energized, grounded, and as strong as you are for whatever this week holds. Hello, friends. Good morning. Welcome to this daily flow 10 minute mornings practice. My name is James. Come to all fours on your mat. Setting up for a little bit of cat and cow. Gently warming up the spine to get started. Really feel the spread of your fingers and feel like you're dragging the mat towards you as you lengthen your spine. Wrap the shoulder blades under, lift the tailbone, inhale. Exhale deeply round the spine, press the mat forward with your fingertips. Separate the shoulder blades. Again, slow and steady, inhale. Tuck the toes, lift the tailbone, traction the heart forward. And then untuck the toes, push the mat away. Just one more inhale. exhale. Coming back to your neutral spine, extend the right arm forward and extend the left foot back. Getting really long here, inhale. Exhale, bring the knee to the elbow. Inhale, lengthen. This time, set the right hand down. Step the right foot over the left leg and look back over your right shoulder. So you're opening up those left ribs, a little saw forward and back maybe. Take your breath. And then step that left foot back. Engage the quad, engage the foot, push the floor forward, down dog split, the right leg goes up. Feel how that right heel is yearning up and back. Feel how the fingertips are pushing the mat forward, elbows wrapped under. Breathe and step the right foot outside the right hand for your nice high lizard lunge. Draw this heart forward and then down dog split once more. This time, bring the right knee to the right wrist, sitting up for a little bit of a pigeon practice. It was early days, so we won't go very deep here. But you're looking for the right thigh to be more or less parallel to the right edge of the mat, where the right shin is, in my opinion, is less important. Other folks might disagree, but pull the heart forward. Just feel the opening of that right IT band. And then once again, tuck the left toes, engage the left knee. I'm pulling myself forward so I can go back to the down dog split. And this time, set the right foot all the way between the hands, lower the left knee, untuck the left toes. Interlace fingers on the right thigh, crescent lunge. Feel like you're gently guiding that thigh forward. Lift the heart, maybe float the arms. Inhale. I'm gonna take the right fingertips towards the mat, reach the left fingertips over. and sweep that right hand down. So both hands are framing the right foot. Tight the left toes, lift the left knee. Start to straighten the right leg. We're coming to triangle pose. Right hand lightly on the right shin. Open up. Wrap the right thigh under. Take a breath. And then warrior two. Deeply bend that right knee. Energize through the fingertips. And then back to the crescent lunge. Scoop that left hand down as you release the left knee down. Inhale. Half split, straighten the right leg, flex the right foot. We're moving here pretty quickly, so if it feels a little fast, just take your time, you'll get there. And then when you're ready, hands reframe that right foot. Tuck the left toes, lift the left knee, step back to a plank. Inhale, exhale, lower your knees, your chest and your chin. Press the belly down, pull the heart forward. And then tuck the toes, downward facing dog. Roll yourself forward to your plank. We'll take one round of cat and cow. Cow first, inhale. Exhale, untuck the toes and round. Coming back to your neutral, toes are tucked, extend the left arm forward, right heel reaches back, inhale. Exhale, knee to elbow, really feel the core engage. That's your power center. Inhale, lengthen, and set the left hand down, sweep that right foot over. Look over your left shoulder, feel the opening of the right ribs. Feels nice, inhale. Exhale, pick up the right foot, so step the right foot back, feel that engagement. Now as you push the floor forward, the left leg naturally goes up and back. Energize through that left heel. Relax through the shoulders. So inhale here and then exhale, step the left foot forward for your lizard. You can release the right knee down or keep it lifted. Just take a breath or two. Feel the opening in that left ⁓ hamstring, a little bit in the hip. Breathe and then reengage the right leg. Step that left foot back. or float the left foot back rather, down dog split. And coming for a brief pigeon. Knee to wrist. Nice and long, try to center yourself on the mat and just be present with the sensation. If you need to roll up a towel or blanket or a couch cushion to keep your hip elevated, feel free. Don't put anything like a block there, because then you can never go deeper. You just stop at the block. Take your breath. and then tuck the right toes, lift the right knee. setting up my plank again so I can take the down dog split and then step the left foot forward. Release the right knee down, untuck the right toes, interlace fingers on top of that left thigh. Let the hips sink, wrap the shoulder blades back, and maybe float the arms. Take a breath. Release the left fingertips down, sweep the right arm up and over, open up those right ribs. and just keep it going. So hands frame that right foot, or left foot, apologies. Tuck the right toes, lift the right knee, and then setting up for your pyramid. Start to lengthen the left leg, and then transitioning this to triangle. Fold the right arm up. Wrap that right hip under, nice little stretch, inhale. Exhale Warrior 2. Feel the pinky edge of the right foot, all four corners of the left foot. Breathe. And then coming back down to that low crescent lunge, release the right knee down, untuck the right toes, take your half split. So it's about engaging and connecting where it serves you, and softening where it doesn't. Not tense, but grounded, powerful. Then come back to that runner's lunge. Step the left foot back, inhale. Exhale, knees, chest and chin. Cobra pose. Inhale, right leg high to sky. Exhale, step the right foot all the way through. This time come up to a high lunge. Super grounded in the four corners of the right foot, the ball mound of the left. And then open out to triangle pose. Straighten the right leg and bring the right arm down. Look up, inhale. Exhale, Warrior II. Inhale, Warrior I. Shift forward, Warrior III. down in the right leg, swim the arms back, it's a little easier, less intense. And then step back to your warrior one. Bring hands to frame the right foot. Plank position, inhale, exhale. I'm taking chaturanga, you can repeat knees chest if you like. Up dog or cobra. Downward Facing Doc. Take a breath, pedal out your heels, shake out your head. ⁓ Other side, left leg high, down dog split. Step the foot all the way forward. Rise up to your high lunge. Inhale and exhale. We're turning this directly to triangle. So straighten the left leg as you open up. XL Warrior II. Warrior One. Feel the grounding in the four corners of the left foot, especially the big toe side. At least for me, that really helps with balance. Shift forward, push down. The right foot happens to float. You're not necessarily trying to pick up the right foot. You're just engaging the left leg. And then nice soft landing, Warrior I. Take your vinyasa. Step back. Follow your breath. Downward Facing Dog. Let's flow just a little more. Right leg high. Step it through. Inhale, High Lunge. Exhale, Triangle Pose. Inhale. Exhale, Warrior II. Inhale, Warrior I. Exhale, Warrior III. Step back, Warrior I. Chaturanga. We're flowing now. Follow your breath. going too fast. You're right. I'm probably going too fast. Aware of your 10 minutes. Left leg high. Step it forward. High lunge, inhale. Triangle pose. Warrior two, warrior one, warrior three. Warrior One. Chaturanga. Upward facing, downward facing dog. Walk your hands back to your feet. Bend your knees quite a bit. Hold opposite elbow, sway your hips out. Release your back body. Release all of that. Roll yourself to stand one vertebra at a time. taking this pause as we always do to see the day unfolding before us, to ground our strength, to feel that strength that comes right from your deepest core, not the six pack, the deepest core, the part of you that is you. And the light that is in me bows to and honors that part of you. Have a wonderful day. Namaste.