Latest / Ten-Minute Mornings / 10-Min Morning Yoga Flow for Energy, Strength & Focus
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: Just 10 minutes to energize, wake up, strengthen and flow into whatever might come next. Hello friends, welcome to your Daily Flow 10 minute mornings practice. My name is James, this is Max and on Fridays we flow. Go on, come to all fours. Starting with just a little cat and cow, warm up that spine a bit, tuck the toes, pull the heart forward, inhale, exhale, untuck the toes and deeply round the spine. Inhale, pull your heart forward. They say that every shape contains every shape. Come to your cat. Just keep flowing. So with that in mind, really think about the shape of this ⁓ cow pose. As you pull your heart forward, it's a back bend, but you're lengthening your low back, lifting your tailbone a little bit. And really, I'm really thinking about pulling the chest forward. And then as I untuck the toes in deeply around the spine, carving out the belly if you'll, more abdominal engagement. So coming back to your neutral, 10 fingers spread wide, step back to your plank. I'm gonna have my feet about as wide as my hips, wrap those elbows under so external rotation of the biceps and then push the floor away for your down dog. So essentially you're in cow pose. Think about that opening of the heart as you pull the heart forward as you lengthen the tailbone and then roll yourself through cat to something that's really a combination of both your plank, pulling the heart forward and also pushing the floor away. Do that again, downward dog, feel the heart pull back towards the thighs, feel the legs engage and then roll forward, unfurl your spine. Really think of every vertebra as you come to your plank. One more time, push the floor forward as you lift your hips high, and then roll yourself forward to your plank. This time, lower your knees to the floor and then your chest and your chin. Press down on the abdomen, pull the chest forward. Tuck the toes, send the hips to the heels. Passing through child's pose. On the way to plank. On the way to down dog. Down dog, split the right leg. Step the right foot all the way between the hands. If it doesn't make it, just grab the ankle, noodle it up. Grounding down, rise up, high line. Firmness of the feet, the upper body is in cowl. And lengthening that easy back bend, lift the left quad, bend the right knee more. Inhale, exhale, Warrior II. Inhale, straighten the right leg, coming to your triangle pose, left hip back, right arm forward, and eventually down. Left arm floats high to sky. Keep that right hip wrapping under, inhale. Exhale, Warrior II. Inhale, stand tall, and then rotate the left heel in. Goddess squat, exhale. Inhale, rise up, back to your Warrior II. Peaceful Warrior. And then cartwheel the left hand down beside the right foot. Low revolved lunge, let that back heel spiral up. And then energize into the left fingertips. If your hand didn't make it to the floor, use a block or something underneath your hand. And then send that right arm forward to frame the right foot. Runner's lunge, float the right foot back, plank, lower halfway, Chaturanga, upward facing, downward facing dog. Down dog, split the left leg. Remember that internal rotation of the left thigh. Inhale. Exhale, step the left foot all the way forward. Root down, rise up. High lunge. Firm in the feet. Engagement of the right quadricep, feeling that lift up. Then I can bend the left knee a little more and I can find my lengthening up and out from my base. Energize the fingertips, inhale. Exhale, Warrior II. Inhale, energize through the left foot to straighten the left leg. Take your triangle, right hip back, left arm forward, and then down. It's that forward that helps make the shape. We always want to lengthen the spine the best we can. I can't think of an exception. I'm sure there is one. Inhale, exhale, Warrior II. That flying warrior, adjust your feet so heels track in. And then cactus the elbows, bend the knees for your goddess. Inhale, come back up, set up your warrior two. Exhale. Peaceful warrior. Left arm goes back. Open up those left ribs, energize the left fingertips. And then cartwheel the right hand down. You can let that right heel peel up as you take your low revolved lunge. Right hand is on the floor and it's dragging the mat, which helps me spiral my chest. Inhale. Then reach that left arm forward and down. Runner's lunge. Step back to your plank. Lower halfway. Down and facing down. Bend your knees quite a bit, really pull your chest back towards your thighs. So a big cow back and look forward. We're going to float forward. Think about plugging your thigh bones into your hip sockets. Look forward, inhale. deeply, exhale. Press down to the feet, rise up, inhaling. Exhale, Mountain Pose. We'll do all of that again. One breath, one movement, more or less. Inhale, floats the arms. Exhale, bow. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, step or float. If you're floating femurs into hip sockets, helps get that little lift of the thighs, of the hip. Inhale, lifts the chest. Exhale, Downward Dog. Down Dog, split the right leg. Step the right foot all the way through. Rise up, High Lunge, inhaling. Warrior II, exhaling. Straighten the right leg, inhale. Either triangle or your half moon if you're feeling ready for it. Maybe bend the left knee, capture the left foot. Maybe right thumb to the heart. Don't compromise alignment though, just to hold onto your foot. Next stop, peaceful warrior. Step back, float that right arm back. Cartwheel the left hand down. Maybe this becomes side plank. Step the right foot back, maybe float it. And then bring that right hand down, take your vinyasa or skip it if you'd rather. Breathe. Down dog, split the left leg. Inhale. Exhale, step it through. Rise up high. Open out, Warrior II. Triangle pose, or straighten the left leg rather, and then start moving towards either triangle or half moon. Remember they're the same shape. One of them just adds balance. Maybe reach the right hand back, capture the right foot. If that feels comfortable, maybe you float the left thumb. Inhale. Exhale, Peaceful Warrior. Bend the left knee, left arm back. Cartwheel the right hand down to the floor. Maybe side plank, maybe not. And now, then from wherever you are, make your way to down dog, maybe through a Chaturanga. Inhale, exhale, bend the knees, lengthen the spine as you look forward, step or float to the top of your mat. Flat back, bow deeply. Come to a chair pose. Bend your knees a lot, energize those fingertips, lift the heels as you lower down. Now if this is hard on your knees, you can skip it and just have a seat. Separate your hands, reach forward as you rock back to a boat pose. Energize. Look up, inhale. Exhale, half boat. Lower down. Hover heels, hover shoulder blades, firing up those abdominals. Inhale. Exhale, back to your boat. Set the right foot, right leg down. Step the left foot over the right leg. Setting up for seated spinal twist. Inhale, flows to the arms. Exhale, twist to your left. Left hand travels behind, right elbow might hook outside. Some of you might have fancier things. Some of you might just hug that left knee. Look back over your left shoulder, inhaling, exhaling. And then come back to center, counter twist to the right. Tip back, boat. Inhale. Exhale, lower half boat. Inhale, hold. Exhale, back up. Lower down the left leg, cross the right foot over the left thigh, sit up on your sits bones. Setting up your seated spinal twist, float the arms. And then twist first, open out second. Maybe elbow hooks outside thigh like mine, maybe you're hugging the knee. Notice how if you rounded that left shoulder a lot, and if you did, see if you can sit up taller and broaden your chest instead. Shoulder blades draw together, spine is long. Inhale. Exhale. Take your counter twist over to the left. and then come back to center, untangle your legs, float the arms. Have an easy forward fold just to release some of that. and then come up to sit. taking just a moment, a brief pause, as you see your day begin to unfold before you. Or maybe this is the middle of the day for you. Find yourself where you are and decide what you will bring to the next space in which you find yourself. The light that is in me bows to honors is very grateful for the light that is in you. Namaste. Thank you so much for your time and your practice. Please take a moment if you have it to like and subscribe and leave a comment. I love hearing from you. Really truly makes my day. And of course, I'll always respond or you can send me an email, any of those things. Have a wonderful day. Thanks for spending this part of it with me. Namaste.