Latest / Ten-Minute Mornings / Ujjayi Breath for Turning Inward
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. James: Ujjayi breath, mindful movement, and going inward before the pressure and pace of the outward take over. Hello, friends. Welcome to your daily flow 10-minute mornings practice. My name is James. And of course, be sure to practice all the way until the end because we'll pull a card to set some intention for the day. Come to sit. the hallmark of vinyasa yoga is that we link breath and movement. And I always say that starts with the breath. ⁓ Today we're gonna practice ujjayi breathing, is a common pranayama or breath control technique. It's a hollow, sonorous breath right at the base of the throat, right at the clavicle, right where my microphone is. And it's ⁓ through the nose, take a deep inhale through your nose now. And then open mouth exhale like you're fogging a mirror. And connect with where you feel the sensation of that sound. Inhale. Do not exhale. Now can you create that sound while keeping your lips closed? Trying to create the sound on both the inhale and the exhale. I'll link to an article below that explains some of the benefits of ujjayi breathing. However, for today's purposes, just use it as an anchor for your attention. Again, three rounds of breath. Inhale. Next hell. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Yeah. Interlace your fingers in front of your chest. Inhale. Clip your palms inside out, exhale, press them forward. Carve out your belly, breathe into the space between your shoulder blades, inhale. Go deeper to your stretch, exhale. Low those interlace fingers overhead, inhale. Stay for next hale. Get even longer on your inhale. As you exhale, take your elbows wide and bring those interlaced fingers to the crown of your head. As you inhale, press your head up into the interlaced fingers. As you exhale, push up and away with those palms. Releasing the hands on an inhale. Sidebend to your right on an exhale. Right hand comes down, left fingertips reach over. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale, rise through center. Twist to your left on and exhale. Get taller as you inhale. Twist more deeply as you exhale. Release the twist, float the arms. Inhale. Hands to heart center. Exhale. Interlace your fingers but put the other thumb on top. Flip your palms inside out. Press them forward. Inhale. Exhale, deepen your stretch. Inhale, breathe into the shoulder blades. Exhale, scoop out the belly, go further. Inhale, float the palms, keep the fingers interlaced. Stay for your exhale. Inhale, elbows wide, interlaced knuckles to the crown of the head. Inhale, get taller, press the head into the fingers. Exhale, push those palms up. Releasing the interlace inhale. Side bend to the left, exhale. Stay here. Open up the side bodies. Inhale. Go further exhale. Inhale, rise through center. Exhale, twist to the right. Inhale, get taller. Exhale, twist more deeply. Inhale, release the twist, float the arms. Exhale, hands to heart center. We'll try to maintain this breathing and I'll do my best to remind you of it as we move on, coming to all fours. Just moving through some cats and cows, lengthening the spine, inhale, feel that ujjayi breath. Untuck the toes, round the spine, exhale. Lengthen inhale, lift the tailbone, lift the heart. Round exhale, tuck the tailbone, tuck the chin. Can you close your eyes? Inhale length. Excel real. Coming back to your neutral spine, step back, left foot and right foot, plank position, top of a push-up. Wrap those elbows under, look forward, inhale. Exhale, lower your knees and send your hips to your heels. Keep the toes tucked. Rolling forward. Really make a big rounding of the spine. Get long. Inhale. Downward dog. Exhale. Separate your feet about hip width distance apart. Pedal out the heels. Shake out the head. Looking for energy in the fingertips, taking pressure off the wrists, wrap the elbows under. Feel like your heart is pulling back. Maybe even look up at your navel. Inhale. Exhale. Step the right foot forward, step the left foot forward. Exhale. Inhale, long spine, hands to shins. Exhale, bow deeply. Bend the knees, float the arms, chair pose, inhale. Exhale, fold. Let's do that again. Inhale, bend the knees, chair pose. Exhale round. Do you notice that this all everything we're doing is essentially cat and cow today? Inhale, float the arms. Lengthen. Exhale, bow. Fold. Inhale, float the arms. This time bring your hands all the way to the floor as you lengthen. Lift the heart, look forward, and then step the left foot back. Runners lunge and rise up to your warrior one. Everything is still cat and cow. So this is cow pose. Press down in the feet, lengthen the spine, tuck the tailbone. Inhale. And then straighten the right leg, send your heart forward as you fold. Exhaling. Allow the back to round just a little bit. So there's a tuck of the tailbone. There's a lengthening of the spine. It's cat. Inhale, lift the heart, look forward. Exhale, fold more deeply. Inhale, warrior one. Exhale, lengthen and bow. Pyramid pose. Inhale, warrior one. Exhale, pyramid. This time, inhale, Warrior One. Keep the right knee bent. Bring your hands down to frame that right foot. Step it back, playing position, inhaling. Exhale, lower knees, chest and chin. Audible inhale, lift the heart, cobra pose. Exhale, tuck the toes downward. Inhale, steps the right foot forward, steps the left foot forward, exhale, bow. Inhale, lengthen the spine. Exhale, fold. Chair pose, bend the knees, flip the arms. Exhale, bow. Really exaggerate the back bend of your chair. Inhale, draw the shoulder blades together, lengthen the spine. Exhale, round, tuck the tailbone. Last time, inhale. Exhale, fold. This time hands to shins flat back. Step the right foot back. Runners lunge. Rise up. Warrior one. Again, press down the feet. Wrap the shoulder blades under, lengthen the spine, get longer. Inhale. Exhale. Straighten the left leg. Look forward, inhaling. Exhale, hands come to frame that left foot. Of course, feel free to grab blocks or you can stop a little short. You can bring your hands lightly to that shin. Brebend the left knee, float the arms inhale. Exhale, lengthen the left leg and fall. Inhale, warrior one. Excel pyramid pose. Last time Warrior One. Exhale, hands come to frame that left foot. Step it back inhaling. Exhale, knees just gen. Inhale, go. Exhale downward facing dock. We're coming to sit. So just bring your knees forward. Step forward the right knee. Have a seat. Bring the left leg forward. There's a saying that every pose contains every pose. So by focusing on the spine, you feel the cat and cow of it all. But you could really do it with just about any two shapes. Let your eyes closed and just take a moment to think about where you want your day to go today. Compassion. The pose actually is cobra. Be a channel for divine sight, thought, and speech. Be a channel. For these practices, actually, I think of myself as that. I don't come in with a real plan. Instead, I arrive just as you arrive. with the hope, with the knowledge, with the trust, the faith, that the things that I say will be the right things. And usually they are, sometimes they're not. How can you move through the world? Being in flow, listening more than you speak. And trusting that when you do speak That you will channel that prana, that energy, that life force, that divine source, whatever you want to call it, God. As you channel those things. People who need to hear you will. And the people who don't need to hear you simply won't. The light that is in me bows to, honors, and is so very grateful for the light that is in you. Namaste. As always, thank you. Thank you so much for spending this time here with me. Please take a moment to like and subscribe. Hit the bell icon so you get notifications for these lives. And I'll see you tomorrow. And of course leave comments, share with friends. That's how we'll continue to grow our community together. wonderful day. And know that compassion also starts with yourself. Namaste.