Slow Flow Yoga with Belt: 61-Min Full Stretch

You can either keep the head facing up or turn the head towards the right. And you have the option to continue holding the ankle or you can release it. So once you've found your variation of the posture, come back to the breaths. Same breath that we had at the beginning of class, deep inhales to exhales.

This time, inhale to find the tension. Exhale to release it. Exhale to release it. Last deep breath.

Taking your time, slowly come back to center. Both feet on the floor, recenter the spine and take a moment. Take a moment to notice the difference between the left and the right side and how the body feels. Slowly gathering both knees into the chest, gently rock side to side.

Lowering the right foot to the ground, right leg stays bent, interlocking the fingers, placing them on the left shin underneath the knee. Pulling the left knee towards the left armpit, gently opening up that hip. Release the right ankle onto the right quad. Release the left ankle onto the right quad.

Right hand goes onto the left ankle, hold the left ankle. Only the legs move. Slowly roll them over towards the right side until the foot is on the ground. Release the right ankle onto the right side.

Roll the left ankle over towards the right side until the foot is on the ground. With the left hand, reach it to the left side. Head can either stay facing up or you can look towards the left. You have the option to continue holding the right ankle or you can release it if that's better for you.

Once you've found your posture, come back to the deep breaths. This time, inhale to find the tension, not just the tension throughout the muscles we're stretching, but the tension in the entire body. Inhale to find the tension throughout the entire body. Exhale, release.

Inhale, release. Last deep breath. Slowly come to center, placing both feet on the floor, re-center the spine. Take a moment to notice again the right and left side and how the entire body feels.

Taking hold of your belt or your thing that resembles the belt, loop it around the ball of the right foot. I want it around the ball of the right foot, extending the right foot towards the ceiling as if you were to step on the ceiling. With your grip, you can either keep your grip a neutral grip, a normal grip, or I like to loop my hands around the belt so I can relax my grip at least a little bit. The left leg can either stay bent with the foot on the floor or the left leg can be extended.

Try both, see which one you like. With the right foot, gently bend and release. And extend that right leg a few times. Knowing that the right leg doesn't have to be straight, doesn't have to go to being straight.

All that matters is that you feel a stretch through the back of the right leg. That's what we're going for. When you're ready, extend the right leg to straight or almost straight. Sometimes if it's really tight back there, it's hard to have it completely straight.

And release the heel towards the ceiling, stretching through the calf. And pull a little extra with that right hand. Pulling with that right hand will allow the foot to be more flat as if you were to step on the ceiling, more flat, because chances are it's really common to pull more through the big side, the big toe side of the foot. Once you've found your stretch, you've found your variation of the posture, find the breath.

Last deep breath. Gently release the right leg to the ground. And again, like we bent, your legs can be straight. Take a moment to notice the difference between the right and the left leg.

Moving into the other side, loop the belt around the ball of the left foot. Finding your grip with the belt, you may like a neutral normal grip. You may like to do what I do, looping the belt around the hands so I can relax the grip. Make sure the belt's around the ball of the left foot.

And right leg can either be bent with the foot on the ground or with the right leg on the ground. This can be nicer for the lower back if there's any tension throughout the lower back, or the right leg can be extended. Once you've found your posture, bend and extend the left leg a few times. Waking up the hamstrings and allowing the nervous system to know that it's okay that we will be stretching those because sometimes the concept of what stops me can be tension, compression, also the nervous system.

So this is what helps the nervous system release. When you're ready, straightening or almost straightening that left leg, release the heel towards the ceiling, allowing the calf to join the party. With your left hand, pull the left hand a little more. Notice how that changes the stretch.

Once you've found your posture, find your breath. Last deep breath. Gently bend the left leg to release it. Putting your belt to the side.

Take a moment. Notice how your body feels, how the left leg feels in comparison to the right, and how everything else feels. Moving through a few gentle bridges, place both feet on the floor to lift the hips really nicely, really slowly towards the ceiling. Once the hips are lifted, lift the hands to the ceiling, then to the wall behind you.

Once the hands are to the wall behind you, create a stretch from the knees all the way to the tips of the fingertips. Inhale, stretch long. Exhale, slowly lower down vertebrae by vertebrae. Inhale to lift.

Exhale to lower. I have this wall behind me so I can't extend the arms straight, but I want you to extend the arms straight. Make the spine long. Following this, lifting the hands, lifting the arms a few times.

Taking your time, no rush. Meet me with the hips down, hands by your side. You have the option to meet me in a sit, or you can have the hands behind the legs, tuck the chin, a few rock and rolls. If you're not feeling like the rock and roll today, just roll to your favorite side and meet me in a seated position.

From the seated position, a few circles with the upper body, closing the eyes, noticing how it feels. With these circles, find your breath. Switch directions. Come to center.

Place the right hand on the floor. Reach the left arm up. Inhale to reach a little higher. Lower the left arm overhead for a side stretch.

Inhale center. Left hand on the ground. Reach the right arm up. Inhale to reach a little higher.

Exhale overhead. At your own pace, at your own time, move left and right a few more times. Coming to center, find your way onto your knees for Cat-Cow. Nice and slowly arching the spine towards the ground as you lift the legs.

And rounding the spine towards the ceiling. And allow the head to hang. You have the option to continue moving through this Cat-Cow or you can go into freestyle. Whatever feels good.

And then, come back to center. Reach the right arm up. Inhale to reach the right arm up. Exhale to reach the right arm up.

Inhale to reach the right arm up. Exhale to reach the right arm up. Inhale to reach the right arm up. Exhale to reach the right arm up.

Lift the hips for your dog. Bring movement into your dog. Bend one leg. Bend the other leg.

Shake the hips. Shake the head. Shake any tension out of the spine, out of the head. Putting emphasis on making the spine long.

Instead of the legs being straight, think about the spine being long. Slowly walking the feet to the hands. Meet me in a forward fold. And in your forward fold, allow the knees to be really bent so the chest can rest on the thighs.

You can either stay still. You can walk the hands left and right. You can hold the elbows and swing left and right. Whatever variation of forward fold you've chosen, shift the weight into the ball of the feet a little more, allowing the spine to be long and the head to hang heavy.

Letting gravity do its work to decompress the spine all the way from the tailbone to the top of the head. From here, hands on the ground. Heel toe the feet out so they're further than the hands, lowering the hips between the heels for your deep squat. In the deep squat, palms together.

Push the knees out. Make the spine long. Hands to the ground. Lift the hips.

Forward fold. Moving between these two postures at your own pace, at your own time, from the forward fold to the deep squat. And if you find you would like a bit more time in either of these, go ahead and take it. And slowly, taking your time, meet me in a forward fold.

When you are in your forward fold, ragdoll to stand. Coming to a stand vertebrae by vertebrae. And slowly, taking your time, meet me in a forward fold. When you're at the top, hands on the hips.

Three hip circles one way. About three to four hip circles one way. Three to four hip circles the other way. Rinsing that out.

Switch directions if you haven't already. And coming to center. Feet under the hips. Deep inhale to bring the arms up.

Exhale, bend the knees, forward fold. Inhale to half lift. Exhale, plant the hands. Step the right foot back.

Wiggle the left foot to the outside of the left hand for your lizard lunge. You have options to find your best variation of this posture. The back knee can stay up. You can either stay static or gently shift forward and back.

Sometimes some movement is nice. You can lower the back knee. You can come down on your elbows. If you find maybe the elbows are a bit too far, if you'd like more of a stretch, you can place the hands on blocks.

A middle ground between the elbows and those quads. Knowing that you want to be within 70% of the stretch. You don't want to go to 100%. The results come with consistency, with repetition, with time, not intensity.

So if you're on your elbows, come to the hands. You have blocks. Put them to the side. Plant the hands.

Find your way to plank. Knees to the ground, lowering the body to the ground. Elbows under the shoulders for Sphinx. In Sphinx, you can engage through the quads.

Engage the lower core. Protect that back. Just enjoy what this feels like. It's a really nice passive back bend when through the entire day, we're doing the opposite.

We're doing forward bend through the entire day. If you find this is a bit too intense for the back, you can bring the elbows forward to make the flexion less through the spine. Maybe just try bringing the elbows forward, seeing if you like this variation. To release, hands under the shoulders, hips to heels, child's pose for a moment.

Arms can either be stretched forward, or you can rest your head on your forearms, forehands, whatever you like. Coming to tabletop on the hands and knees. Tuck the toes, lift the hips for dog. Stepping the right foot to the outside of the right hand for your lizard.

Finding your lizard variation. Either the back knee stays up, or the back knee can be down. You might like to stay static, or you might like to gently rock forward and back. You might like to stay in your elbow, hands, or maybe move down to those elbows.

Maybe you'd like to put the elbows in a block in between. Knowing that every yoga session will be different. No two are alike because we're constantly changing, the body's constantly changing. Some days you might be more flexible, and some days less flexible.

It depends on the picture of the entire week, the workload, the training, and even the stress, the diet, the water. All of it plays a factor. All of it affects the practice. So don't ever show up expecting the practice to be something.

Just show up and notice how you feel, and notice what's happening on the mat. So releasing back to your lizard, hands on the ground. Plant through the hands to step both feet to the front of the mat. Both feet under the hips.

Reset them to where they should be. Inhale, half lift. Exhale, forward fold. Bend the knees deep.

Inhale all the way up. Exhale, refold. Inhale, half lift. Exhale, step the left foot back, left knee down.

This time moving into half split. So walk the hands back towards the hips to straighten or almost straighten the front leg. You have options from here. Either hands stay on the ground, or you can find your blocks again and have a block on either side of the leg.

Some support through the hands, allowing the spine to be long. Once you've found your posture, find the breath. And once you've found your posture, come and find the breath. Slowly bend the right knee to walk the hands forward.

If you have blocks, put them at the front of the mat. Finding your way onto your hands and knees, tabletop. Lower the entire body to the ground again for your sphinx. Elbows under the shoulders.

You can use the elbows to pull the torso up and forward. You might feel a stretch through the abs. It's really nice to make that spine a bit longer. And again, you have the option to stay static or you can gently shift left and right.

To release, hands on the ground. Push the hips to heels for child's pose for just a moment, allowing the back to release. And come to your tabletop. Left foot between the hands.

Walk the hands towards the hips to straighten or almost straighten that front leg. And if you have blocks, you can use your blocks if you want. If you don't have blocks, you'll be okay without them. All that matters is you feel a stretch through that back, the back of the front leg.

Gently bending the front leg, walking the hands to the front of the mat. To plant both feet to the front of the mat, feet under the hips. Inhale, half lift. Exhale, forward fold.

Bend the knees. Inhale, all the way up. Exhale, refold. Inhale, half lift.

Exhale, plant the hands to step the right foot back, warrior one. Putting the hands on the hips. It's a slow flow, not crazy intense. So hands on the hips.

The back foot can be, it's almost like less than a 45 degree angle. So make sure you can push your outer back foot into the ground. Make sure you can see your second and third toe past the front knee and strengthen through the back leg. And from here, plant the hands, come to tabletop, lowering the body to the ground for your sphinx.

Staying active through the elbows, using the elbows to pull the torso up and forward. And release. Use the hands to push the hips to heels for a moment. Rinse that out.

Coming to tabletop. Tuck the toes, lift the hips for your dog. And knees bent, bring movement into the dog, bend each leg. Stepping the right foot forward, find your warrior two.

And again in the warrior two. Looking at your back leg, back foot is barely internally rotated and push through your outer edge of the back foot. Bend the front knee and engage through that back leg. To change both hands on the ground, step both feet forward, inhale, half lift, exhale, forward fold.

Bend the knees, inhale all the way up, fill the lungs up. Exhale, forward fold. Inhale, half lift. Exhale, plant the hands to step the left foot back.

Find your warrior one. Hands on the hips, warrior one. Back toes are turned in somewhere around the 45, anywhere that's comfortable really. And pressing through the outer edge of that back foot.

Then strengthen through the back quad. Bringing some nice, slow, gentle bud flow to the muscles. To release, plant the hands, your hands and knees, lowering the entire body to the ground. Notice seeing where you feel tension throughout the back.

Inhale to find the tension. Exhale, release. Change hands under the shoulders, hips to heels for a moment. Rinse that out.

And come to your table top, tuck the toes, lift the hips for your dog and bring movement into that dog. Bend one leg, bend the other leg. Stepping the left foot between the hands, come up for your warrior two. Back foot's barely internally rotated, pressing through the outer edge of the back foot.

Front knee bent. And breathe. From here, place both hands to the ground to step both feet forward. Inhale, half lift.

Exhale, refold. Deep inhale, slowly come all the way up. Exhale, refold. Inhale, half lift.

And exhale, step the right foot back, finding your warrior one. Hands on the hips, hands on the hips this time. Take a second, find the posture. Once you found it, notice the difference between this time and the first time you did it.

Maybe this time feels a bit better. And from here, step the back foot forward just a tiny bit. Straighten the front leg, make the spine as long as possible, hinging the torso forward and towards the ground. And now you have options.

You can either keep the hands on the hips, you can bend the knee, place the hands on either side of the knee, or if you have blocks, you can place the blocks on either side of the foot. So whatever option you've chosen, take a moment to settle in. Knowing that the only thing that matters is you feel the stretch to the back of the leg and to sit at 70% of the stretch. I know it's tempting to go to 100%, but that's where either injuries can occur or it's too much for the body and it tenses up to protect itself.

And now we're doing the opposite of what we want to do for work. Gently bending the front leg. Put the blocks in front of the mat if you were using them. Come to tabletop, plant the hands, find your way to tabletop and sphinx.

Nice gentle passive back bend. And it's nice to do sphinx a few times because it really allows that spine to loosen up. And from here, hands under the shoulders, hips to heels to release. Come to tabletop, tuck the toes, find your dog, bend one leg, bend the other leg, move the hips.

Lots of movement in the dog. Stepping the right foot between the hands, Warrior II. Take a moment, settle into your Warrior II. From here, hands to the hips, straighten the front leg, shift the hips towards the back of the room, reach the right arm forward, reach along.

Then shift the torso towards the front of the room, forward, forward, forward. And from here, right hand down. So right hand can either be on the shin. If you're really flexible, you can bring it to the ground.

My jujitsu body isn't quite there yet. I think I beat it up too much in jujitsu. So I'm going to bring a block to the outside of the front foot. The reason why I want the block or the hand to the outside of the front foot, if it's on the shin, towards the outside of the front foot, so the torso doesn't fall forward, as if you were standing between two panes of glass.

I want you to fit between those two panes of glass. So if the block or the hand is behind the front foot, you will fit. Gently bend the front knee. We've sat to Warrior II.

And find your way to plant your hands tabletop. From tabletop, lower the torso down to your sphinx. And to release, hands under the shoulders, hips to heels for a moment. Rinse that out.

Finding your way to tabletop and then your dog. This time stepping the right foot forward, find your Warrior I. From the Warrior I, point those back toes somewhere on the 45. Strengthen through the back leg.

And step the back foot forward just a little bit more so you can straighten the front leg. Make the spine long, slowly lower the torso towards the ground. Remembering your options here, either hands can stay on the hips. You can bend the knee if you need to, hands on the ground, or if you have your blocks, block on either side of the leg.

Once you've found your variation of the posture, find your breath. Gently bending the front knee. Plant the hands. Find your way to tabletop.

Lower the torso to the ground. Find your way to sphinx. To release, hands under the shoulders, hips to heels. Child's pose for a moment.

Rinse that out. Come to tabletop. Tuck the toes, find your dog. Stepping the left foot between the hands.

Come up for Warrior II. Hands on the hips. Straightening the front leg. Move the hips towards the back of the room.

Reach the left arm forward, then reach forward and forward and forward, then down. So the hand can either be on a shin or on the ground behind you, behind that front leg, or on a block behind the front leg. You can always use two blocks here as well if you feel like you need to. Reaching the right arm up.

Being aware not to let that torso fall forward. You want to have yourself between two panes of glass. And breathe. Gently bending that front leg.

Place the blocks to the front of the mat. The last time today, find your way to tabletop. Lower down for sphinx. Releasing the difference from the first time we did sphinx to now.

Release the hands. Hips to heels. Child's Pose. Taking a few breaths.

And finding your way onto tabletop. Tuck the toes to lift the hips. This time stepping the left foot forward between the hands. Then moving to your straddle pose.

So both feet are barely internally rotated, just barely. And engage through the quads a tiny bit. The hands can either stay in front of you or you can hold the ankles or you can hold the heels. Shifting the weight slightly more into the ball of the feet, allowing the spine to hang heavy.

If the hands are on the ground in front of you, allow gravity to do its work. Or if you're holding your ankles or your heels, you can use that grip to gently pull the spine longer and down. Once you've found your posture, find your breath. Deep inhale.

And with every exhale, try to release a bit more. From here, plant the hands. Making a frame with the hands. Lift the head.

Make the spine long. And slowly bring your legs underneath you. Come to a sit and onto your back. When you're on your back, take a moment.

Allow the spine to re-center. It might be nice to press through the feet for a really gentle bridge. That might feel good. Bringing the knees above the hips.

Lower the knees to the right side. The right hand can go over the legs, left arm to the left side. This time put the left arm in a cactus. So bend at the elbow.

Head can either stay facing up or look towards the left. So whatever is comfortable. I want you to move out of the thinking body and into the feeling body. So just breathe and relax these last few postures.

Taking your time. No rush at all. Use the inhale to slowly come to center. And all we're doing is transitioning to the other side.

So if you'd like to stay there for a bit longer, go right ahead. Meet me on the other side when you're ready. Inhale to find the tension. Exhale, release.

And taking your time. No rush at all. Whenever you're ready, find your way to center. Taking any last postures that you feel you might like to before we take Shavasana.

So it's going to be nice to pull the knees into the chest. Gently rocking side to side. It can be nice moving into happy baby. Different variations of the hands.

I like to grab with my peace fingers the big toes. This allows the lower back to push into the ground. This can be really nice. Or feet together, knees up.

That can be really nice too. So you might know which one you need. You might try all three and find which one you like. And when you're ready, settling into Shavasana.

Arms extended, legs extended. Again, if there's any soreness or tightness of the lower back, your feet can be on the ground, knees together. Noticing the difference from this exact same posture in the beginning of class. How you felt then and how you feel now.

Staying here for one minute. Knowing this one minute is incredibly important. Allowing the body to integrate and process all of the work that we just did. So move out of the thinking mind and into the feeling body for this one minute.

If you have more time, I really encourage you to stay. If you're working within that 60 minute time frame. Gently circle the elbow, circle the knees, circle the ankles one way and switch directions. And then go in the other way and bend the knees.

Slowly rolling to your favorite side to push yourself to a set, coming all the way up. Thank you for joining me today in this slow flow and I will see you next time.