Latest / Ten-Minute Mornings / 10 Minute Morning Yoga for Strength, Mobility, and 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: 10 minutes to arrive in your day grounded, energized, and with intention. Hello friends. Welcome to your daily flow 10 minute mornings practice. My name is James. Come to all force. Setting up your quadruped, your ⁓ hands are right underneath your shoulders and you wrap those elbows under so you feel the eye of the elbow traveling forward. You just notice when you do that rotation, it also opens up the shoulders. My toes are tucked and pulled in my heart forward, lifting my chest and tailbone for cow pose. Draw those shoulder blades together. Exhale, untuck the toes deeply around the spine, gently pushing the mat forward and away. As I actively tuck my tailbone under, separate the shoulder blades. Do that again, tuck the toes, lengthen the spine as you lift the chest and tailbone. Exhale, round. One more time, inhale. Exhale. Step your left foot back. Left toes are tucked and give that a little saw out. See how things are feeling this morning. It'll stretch in the calf and the Achilles and then float the left foot. Inhale. Exhale, just bring the left knee to the left tricep. Reach back and then cross that left foot over. Look over your right shoulder. We're gonna do that again. So pick up the foot, bring it to the tricep. Extend it back, sweep it across. Getting that spine going a little bit one more time. And back and across. Come back to all fours. Do the other side. So extend the left foot back, give a little saw out there. Feel the stretch in the Achilles and in the calf. And then pick up the right foot, right knee, right tricep. Extend it back, sweep it across. Step it off your mat, look over your left shoulder. So you're opening up those right ribs. Pick up the right foot, knee to elbow or tricep. Extend back and sweep across. Just heard a little snap, crackle and pop in my leg. So doing things right, knee to tricep. sweep it back and across. and then come back to all fours. I'm gonna turn my hands over so the backs of my hands are on the mat and give those a little roll out. We'll stretch through the wrists, maybe make and release some fists. Coming back to all fours, once again, step the left foot back, engage the left leg, then the down dog split, the right leg goes up and back. So feel like you're shifting more energy into the fingertips and out of the wrists. Feel those knuckles still wrapping the shoulder blades under. Right foot is actively flexed, inhale. Exhale, bring the right knee to the right tricep. ⁓ that's familiar. Inhale, down dog split. Exhale, step the right foot between the hands. Now it doesn't make it, Just grab the ankle, bring it up. Come up to a high lunge. You can interlace fingers on top of the right thigh if you'd like. Energize down into the feet and that energy, that firm grounding actually lets you sink the hips a little bit. The back leg is engaged. Float the arms perhaps. Maybe even hook the thumbs. Energize those fingertips. Find your back bend, inhale. and then straighten the right leg. Send your heart forward. I'm keeping my thumbs hooked for now until I come all the way into my forward fold. Now hop the left foot in just enough that you can get the foot flat on the floor. Both legs are straight, both feet are flat, pyramid pose. Take a breath. Now feel free to put blocks under your hands or anything that brings the floor up if it feels too far away. And then let's release that right knee down. Or sorry, bend the right knee, release the left knee down and come to a low crescent lunge. And then take the hands inside that right foot. Tuck the left toes, lift the left knee, wide legged forward fold. Activate the outer edges of the thighs. Or sorry, outer edges of the feet so you feel the insides of the thighs. Inhale, lift the chest, look forward. Exhale, bend the left knee deeply. Skandhasana. Nice long lateral. I'm bringing my hands to prayer, you don't have to. Try to get that left heel down, even if it means you're not as low as I am. Take your breath. Now can you bring both hands to frame that right foot? So big shift forward. And then step back. Downward facing dog. Inhale, roll yourself forward to plank. Lower your knees, your chest and your chin. Cobra pose. or dog. And then just come back to all fours. Keep the left knee on the floor. Extend the right foot back. Give that a little sigh out. And then keeping the right leg, right foot grounded, left leg goes high, down dog split. Again, energizing into the fingertips. Feel the knuckles on the floor. Feel the finger pads and then feel the right heel yearning for the mat. It's okay if it doesn't touch. Feel the left heel yearning for the ceiling. Inhale, exhale, left knee, left tricep. Inhale, down dog split. Step the left foot all the way between your hands and noodle it up if you need and then come up. I'm gonna interlace fingers on top of my left thigh. Relax the shoulders, energize the legs, the feet in particular, and then see if that lets you release a little more deeply into whatever your expression of this shape is and then maybe float the arms, maybe hook the thumbs. If you're hooking the thumbs, feel like that energy is helping to draw you up and out from your pelvic floor. And you can lift your heart a bit more. And then keeping that energy traveling forward as you straighten the left leg for your pyramid pose. Hop the right foot in so that both feet can be flat. I feel the big toe side of the left foot actively pressing the mat forward. I feel that energy traveling up through the leg. Breathing into my back body. About two more breaths. Exhale. And let's re-bend that left knee. Come down for your low crescent lunge. Untuck the toes, float the arms. And then come to a little bit of a lizard. Heel toe my left foot to the side just a bit. Tuck the right toes, lift the right knee. Walk yourself to your wide legged forward fold. Inhale, long spine. Exhale, bow deeply, whatever deeply means for you. But I feel the outer edges of my feet grounding down. Flat back and then bend the right knee deeply for your skandhasana. Left toes are pointing to the ceiling. Right heel is grounded as well. My hands will come to frame that left foot. So just look at the left foot. Exhale. And then step back, downward dog. Take a vinyasa, inhale, roll forward to plank. Exhale, lower knees, chest and chin. Inhale, Cobra Pose, press the abdomen down, pull the heart forward. And then tuck the toes for Down Dog. Let's it on a little bit. Down dog split, right leg. Inhale. Right knee, right tricep. Down dog split. Step through, runner's lunge. Come up. Let's take a twist. Send that left arm forward as much as you can, and then maybe hook the elbow outside the thigh. I say maybe because maybe, maybe it's the forearm instead. Feel the energy of the legs, and then feel the belly peeling up towards the ceiling. Look up over your right shoulder. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale, release the twist, straighten the right leg. Now bend the left knee, skandhasana. Take a breath. Set your left hand beside the right foot. Low revolve lunge. Energize down with that left hand. Side plank. Step the right foot on top of the left. Open up your chest. Lift the hips. And circle that right arm forward and down. Maybe knees chest in. Maybe Chaturanga. Upward dog or cobra. Downward facing dog. Just breathe. Pedal out the heels. Just getting things moving. Probably feel your temperature and breath changing a bit. I do. Down dog split, left leg. Hey, now. Left knee, left tricep. Down dog split. Runner's lunge. Take your breath. ⁓ Shift your weight forward. Repair them in. I don't think that's what I did on the other side, but none of us is perfect. ⁓ we're taking a twist. Send the right arm forward. Take your twist. Maybe prayer twist. If you keep a little bit of lift in that right quadricep, the hips stay nice and level. Inhale. Exhale. Now release the twist. Come back to your skandhasana, right knee bend. Take your breath, feel that little stretch in the inner thigh. And set the right hand beside the left foot. Low revolved lunge. Maybe you turn this into side plank. So energize down into the right fingertips. Step the left foot back, wobble all you need to. Lift the hips nice and high. And then swim that left arm forward and down. Take your vinyasa. Release the knees to the floor. Hips to heels, brief child's pose. and come to sit. Pausing as we always do, taking this opportunity to reflect on whatever the day, the week, the month might hold in store. Knowing we might make some mistakes, but always willing to show up, to treat others well, to treat ourselves well. The light that is in me bows to honors and is so grateful for the light that is in you. Namaste.