Mindful yoga.
To practice mindful yoga focus on your breath and body sensations as best as you can.
Let go of any need to achieve anything.
Instead try and practice with kindness.
This is not about pushing yourself but rather to cultivate awareness of breath and body.
Notice any thoughts or emotions as you move and stretch.
Just go at your own pace and if a posture doesn't feel right then don't hold it.
Be extra careful if you had an injury.
Best to listen to your body and practice at your own speed and adjust when you need to.
When you're ready let's begin standing in mountain pose with your feet hip wide apart and your knees soft and relaxed.
Your back is straight and your tailbone slightly tucked under.
On the next inhale take your shoulders up to your ears and tense them and then as you exhale let them drop down.
Repeat this a few more times.
Breathing in lifting your shoulders up and out dropping them back down.
Get a sense of yourself standing firmly on the ground.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths.
As you inhale getting a sense of lengthening up and as you exhale imagine how you breathe out all the way down into your feet connecting with the ground.
I'd like you to tune into your body now.
Try to become aware of the whole body.
You can do the next movements either with your eyes closed or you may choose to keep your eyes open with a gentle gaze.
Breathing in lifting your arms up slowly until they are up above your head and your palms are facing each other.
Your arms are about shoulder width apart.
Continue to hold your arms up if that is okay for you to do so.
You can look up stretching or if this is too much for your neck then just look straight forward.
And then looking straight forward on an exhale moving your arms to the right side keeping them shoulder width apart and both feet firmly on the ground.
You don't have to move very far.
Holding this stretch for a breath or two you might notice a gentle stretch in the left side of your body.
And then on an inhale moving the arms back up to starting position and on the exhale moving them over to the left side.
Again holding this stretch for a breath or two.
And when you're ready breathing in and moving the arms back up.
Now keep your arms stretching up for another moment if that feels okay for you.
For the next posture if you have sore knees or a sore lower back keep your knees soft and slightly bent or otherwise try keeping your legs completely straight.
Then exhaling moving forward from your hip joints moving your torso and head as one unit.
Then just stand with your arms relaxed and standing forward bent for a moment.
If your mind wanders during the practice that's okay that's normal.
Just kindly guide your mind back to focus on your practice when you realize that your mind has wandered without judging or criticizing yourself.
And then when you're ready touch the ground with your hands step back with your right leg as far as possible and drop the right knee to the ground.
Continue to hold this lower lunge for a moment.
Then lifting the right knee and stepping back with your left leg into plank pose which looks a little bit like a push-up pose.
Your body is straight and only your hands and toes are on the ground.
Hold this for a moment if that's okay or otherwise come down onto your knees.
And then if you're still holding plank pose coming down onto your knees now.
The next pose is called cat and then we will do a cow pose.
Cat and cow pose kind of go together.
Begin with your hands and knees on the floor.
Your knees should be hip width distance and your hands should be directly below your shoulders.
Your spine is neutral here.
If your eyes are open try and do these postures with your eyes closed and see what that feels like.
Exhale as you slowly tuck your chin towards your chest.
Lift your mid-back towards the ceiling and scoop your tailbone under like a scared cat.
Then inhale,
Drop your belly down and lift your gaze and your tailbone towards the ceiling.
This is called cow pose.
Then repeat this and do at least four more rounds of these.
Breathing out,
Pushing your back back up,
Tucking your chin and tailbone under,
Breathing in,
Relaxing the back back down and looking up and your tailbone moves up as well.
And then return to a neutral spine.
Looks a bit like a table.
Then sit back on your heels in child pose.
Keeping your knees apart and resting your arms by the side of the body with the palm facing up or adapt the arms and stretch them out,
Moving them forward.
Whatever feels more comfortable for you.
Rest in child pose for a moment.
Allow you back to relax.
Relaxing your buttocks back towards your heels,
Your lower and middle back to the sides and the shoulders forward and to the sides.
Notice your breathing and how your belly pushes against your legs when you inhale.
When you're ready,
Come up onto all fours again.
Tuck your toes under and lift your hips up into downward facing dog.
This pose looks like a pyramid or an upside down V letter.
Your legs are straight and your heels relax down towards the floor.
Your chest tries to move towards your thighs.
Your head is between your arms.
And walk here a little bit on the spot,
Slowly by bending one knee at a time without lifting the feet off the ground.
Just gently stretching the calf off the other leg.
Bring one heel closer to the ground slowly,
Taking your time and doing this gently and slowly.
And then holding downward facing dog for a moment.
And remember again if your mind wanders during the practice,
That's okay.
Just kindly guide your mind back to focus on your practice when you realize that your mind has wandered without judging or criticizing yourself.
Then moving the hips down and your body a little forward into plank.
Your shoulders are above your wrists and your body is straight from head to feet while you look down onto the floor between your hands.
And then slowly bring your knees back down onto the floor and all the bending your elbows and come back down to lie on your tummy.
Your chin is on the ground and keep your hands where they are by the side of your shoulders.
Take a breath and relax.
Try and stay focused and stay with your attention in your body as best as you can.
The next pose is called corpora.
On the next inhale lifting your head slowly and carefully.
Only move up as high as you are comfortable in your lower back.
Keeping the shoulders down and away from your ears and your elbows in by the sides of the body.
Taking a breath or two and then on an exhale moving down again.
Try and repeat corpora one or two more times moving up on an inhale and pay special attention to your back and how this posture feels in your lower back.
Then release and move down on an exhale.
And when you are finished letting your head rest to one side and your arms by the side of the body with your palms facing up.
Your big toes are together and your heels opening to the sides.
Just resting here.
Noticing your breathing as your body is completely relaxing.
Getting a sense of letting go.
And now comes a great pose which is called savasana.
This is the final relaxation.
Put on a jacket or grab a blanket and make sure that you will be warm and comfortable.
Lie on your back and open the arms and legs with the palms facing the ceiling.
Bring the feet more than hip width apart and allow the toes to fall outwards to the sides.
Slowly roll the head from side to side to release the neck.
Repeat this two to three times before returning to the center.
Then take three deep breaths.
Breathing in deeply and out fully.
Now we are just going to do a short body scan.
Try and become aware of your feet.
Noticing your feet,
The heels touching the ground,
The soles of your feet,
The sides of your feet and all the toes.
Then moving your attention to your ankles,
Your lower legs,
Your knees,
Your thighs,
Both legs and both feet.
Moving your attention up to your buttocks,
Your hips,
Your pelvis.
And then noticing your lower back,
Your upper back and your shoulders,
Then all of your back.
See if you can notice any tension here held anywhere in your back.
Then moving your attention to your front,
To your chest and belly.
Maybe noticing how your chest and belly move with your breathing.
Breathing in,
Rising and out falling.
Breathing in and out.
Then placing your attention in your arms,
Noticing both arms,
Both hands,
The back of the hands as they are in contact with the ground.
The palms of your hands,
All the fingers,
Starting with your thumbs down to your little fingers.
Both arms and both hands.
Then moving up into your neck,
Noticing your neck,
The back of your head,
The sides of your head and your face.
Bring attention to all the muscles in your face,
Also around your eyes,
Around your mouth,
Your cheeks,
Your jaw,
Your lips,
Your mouth,
Your tongue.
All the muscles of your face are becoming soft and relaxed.
And your whole body is becoming soft and relaxed.
Just paying attention to your breathing again.
And on the exhale,
Trying to let go of any more tension if there is any tension left in your body.
And as the practice comes to an end,
You might give yourself credit for having spent this time nourishing yourself in a deep way.
And as you move back into the world,
Allow the benefits of this practice to expand into every aspect of your life.
Transitioning slowly,
Starting to move,
Your fingers and toes a little again.
Maybe you like to have a stretch,
Bringing your arms up and stretching up above your head.
And maybe you like to finish by rolling slowly onto the right side,
Resting here for a breath or two before you come back up to sitting.
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