Gentle 30-Minute Morning Routine | Yoga & Journaling

Hi and welcome.

I'm Laia and today's class is designed for the morning especially.

It is a practice that you could absolutely do as a standalone.

Just do it once and never revisit it again.

But it's also a great practice if you are trying to create a short morning routine that can help you find alignment.

In this practice today I will include some journaling,

Time for you to write and reflect,

As well as meditation and breath work and of course a little bit of movement.

It is an accessible practice and that's why I have some props with me today including two blocks as well as a blanket.

If you have those great otherwise just get creative and use whatever you need for support.

And you may also want to have a notebook with you and a pen so that you can do the journaling exercise with me.

Now bring yourself to a comfortable seated position and take a moment to perhaps move your head a little bit side to side,

Looking right and left,

Becoming aware of the space that you're in.

Look up and down.

Notice the colors,

The shapes,

The textures and eventually bring yourself to stillness and for a moment soften your gaze down or close your eyes.

And let's just take three breaths together to welcome the day.

Inhale through your nose,

Open your mouth and release.

Again inhale,

Fill up your belly,

Your ribcage,

Your chest and release.

One more inhale,

Fill up and exhale,

Soften.

For a moment listen to the sounds around you of nature,

Of people.

Let yourself become aware of what's going on in the world that surrounds you as it awakens.

Become aware of the temperature of the environment that you are in and perhaps bring your attention to the cadence of your breath,

To the sound of your breath.

Observing the rise and fall of energy,

Of life force,

Of prana.

Deep breath in,

Side out.

Start to move your fingers,

Rub the palms of your hands together,

Creating some warmth and friction and then bring your hands to the center of your body.

Creating some warmth and friction and then bring your hands over your face,

Over your eyes,

Creating kind of a cocoon of warmth and coziness for a moment.

And once you feel ready you can start to open the eyes as you separate your fingers and allow the light to filter through.

And then slowly release your hands down,

Down,

Down to the legs and just give yourself a moment to do absolutely nothing.

Let the world come to you as you breathe in and breathe out.

And I invite you now to grab your journal and you can of course just write for a few moments whatever you want to write but if you would like a prompt to accompany your writing I will put a couple of them in the description that you could also choose but I'll just invite you to try a simple one that goes like this.

Perhaps you ask yourself,

What do I need more of today?

Or maybe you ask yourself,

What do I need less of today?

And I want you to just write for five minutes until you hear my voice again and as you write let yourself notice how you are grabbing the pen how the pen and the ink make contact with the paper how the pen and the ink make contact with the paper Observe the way in which you're breathing Inhale Exhale Let yourself be as present as you can and as honest as you can with yourself as you write and find clarity through words Now give yourself a few more moments to complete the thought or the page knowing that you can come back to these words anytime you want to and continue or reread them or you can just never look at them again that works too And then as you feel complete take a deep breath in and out and just go ahead and put your pen down put your paper or your notebook down as well and bring yourself back to a comfortable seated position So then we can move on into a little bit of gentle and intentional movement So perhaps like myself you choose to sit on a blanket to elevate your hips a bit You could sit cross-legged,

You could sit on your heels,

You could also choose to sit on a chair and take a moment to perhaps move a little bit side to side adjusting the weight between your sitting bones as your spine lengthens and your shoulders open and you can just sit on a chair the weight between your sitting bones as your spine lengthens and your shoulders relax take a deep breath in through your nose and out through your nose or mouth On your inhalation take your arms out and up to the sides interlace your hands and flip your palms up toward the ceiling stretching out a bit and on your exhalation take your hands a little bit toward the right and open up to the left side of your body perhaps you look to the left inhale come back through center stretch out maybe you want to yawn exhale take the stretch gently to the other side back through center as you inhale and on your exhalation release the interlacing of the hands and roll your wrists in circles as you bring your arms all the way down then switch the circles and as you inhale lift your arms all the way back up unite your palms and on your exhalation draw your hands together in front of your heart soften your gaze or close your eyes and just take a moment to feel whatever you feel here after you've spent some time simply breathing writing and connecting with how you feel as you enter this day in through your nose and out through your mouth inhale fill up your lungs sigh it out open your eyes open your arms out to the sides deep breath in exhale take your left hand toward the right knee and your right hand behind you lengthen through your spine as you inhale and maybe twist a little bit more toward the right as you exhale one more breath here inhale exhale back through center take your arms out to the sides breathe in and breathe out take the twist to the other side keeping the sitting bones grounded evenly the spine long maybe let yourself breathe deeply into the sides of the rib cage expanding the breath one more inhale and exhale come back through center reach both arms up take a deep breath in and on your exhalation bring your hands all the way back down to your thighs your knees relax your shoulders find length through your neck inhale exhale bring your right ear to the right shoulder back through center as you breathe in take it over to the other side as you breathe out bring your neck to neutral as you inhale exhale or your chin down to your chest inhale lift your chin open through the throat and exhale lower your head back to neutral relax your shoulders down inhale take a moment here to notice the length of your spine once again and if it resonates with you maybe you bring one hand to your abdomen and the other hand to your heart and for a moment just again ask yourself what do I need a little bit more of or a little bit less of today and perhaps you let yourself start to imagine what that looks like or what that feels like for you take a deep breath in and out release your arms relax your shoulders inhale take both arms all the way back up exhale lower your right hand either to the floor or if you rather you could bring one block under the hand soften your elbow and reach over with the left arm inhale come back through center reach both arms up exhale take it to the other side find a stretch through the side body side bend back through center inhale reach both arms up and on your exhalation surrender your hands to opposite elbows lift your chest perhaps lift your gaze if you want to breathe in and breathe out release your hands lean back a little bit bring your feet in front of you take a moment to move your legs from side to side or shake them out breathe in and breathe out come back through center and from here start to bring yourself to a tabletop position if you want a little bit of support underneath your knees maybe you have a blanket or a towel that you can bring there and find a little bit more comfort and if your wrists feel sensitive instead of planting your hands firmly onto the earth maybe you bring your hands into fists instead now on your inhalation lift your tailbone dip your belly and look forward or up and on your exhalation round your back and open through the back body as you gaze down toward your navel inhale arc again lift your chest exhale round one more inhale to open through the front body and exhale to round your spine bring your spine back to neutral find a little bit of movement with your hips from side to side move your shoulders move your neck and just let yourself reconnect with the cadence of your breath perhaps allowing your inhales to get a little bit longer and your exhales even longer one more breath and slowly find stillness in a nice stable tabletop position on your inhalation start to send your right leg behind you you can keep your toes on the ground or maybe let them float and you take a moment here to move your ankle around breathe in draw your belly button into your spine and on the exhalation bring your right knee toward your chest and step your right foot between your hands you could give it a little bit of help by grabbing your ankle and sending it slightly forward your hands could stay on the floor or perhaps you bring them onto your blocks remember that they have three heights so use whatever height works for you here and then press down into your right foot as you draw your right hip back and your left hip gently forwards you can keep your hands supported maybe on the floor or your blocks maybe even on your right thigh or perhaps on your inhalation you start to reach your arms up and then your hands surrender toward opposite elbows take one more breath wherever you find yourself inhale and on your exhalation release your hands back down to your blocks or to the floor and stay grounded here through the right heel as you inhale lift your chest a bit more and on your exhalation start to hinge at the hips and begin to extend your right leg as little or as much as you want so you can absolutely keep your right knee bent here and see if you can stack your left hip over the left knee maybe you lift your right heel for a moment and you slide it forward and you continue to draw your right hip back and your left hip forwards as you breathe one more breath stay with the sensation inhale and exhale plant your right foot onto the floor again lift your chest again relax your shoulders breathe in and as you breathe out send your right leg back to meet your left move your hips side to side breathe in breathe out you could keep your hands on your blocks or perhaps you bring your hands back down to the floor find stability and as you inhale this time take your left leg behind you feel free to keep your toes on the floor lift them up and move your ankle around for a moment inhale exhale draw your left knee toward your chest eventually however you want to plant your left foot between your hands stacking your ankle and your knee above each other and then take a moment to find yourself in this low lunge maybe your hands stay supported and as you notice how you find yourself in the shape and how it feels staying aligned with your intention for today consider if it serves you to inhale and lift your arms up and on your exhalation take your hands to our opposite elbows one more breath here inhale and on your exhalation take your hands back down to the support and once you're ready begin to shift your hips back as you lift your left toes up and extend your left leg as little or as much as you want notice the sensations that arise and shift whatever you want to shift to find perhaps more comfort perhaps more sensation again what aligns with what you're searching for in your day one more inhale and exhale shift forwards once again keep your hands down or if you want to on your inhalation you reach your arms up and on the exhalation bring your hands all the way back down now tuck your right toes onto the floor lift your right knee off the ground breathe in and as you breathe out take your right foot to meet the left of the top of the mat feet parallel to one another and then here you can bring your blocks right in front of your feet and your hands could be on the floor or on the blocks or maybe even on your shins or your thighs and on your inhalation lift your chest halfway exhale soften your knees let your chest melt over the legs relax your head down two more times inhale lift your chest halfway slide your hands up toward the knees or the thighs exhale let the knees bend generously as you allow your chest to rest toward the thighs and your head relax down one more inhale flat back exhale forward forward let your head hang heavy maybe you shift your weight back and forth for a moment and one more breath inhale and exhale now notice your feet firmly planted on the earth and very slowly start to lift yourself up rolling one vertebra at a time if that feels good for you or perhaps you rise with your spine long relax your shoulders down and back and allow your arms to hang by your sides a bit as you shift back and forth inhale exhale maybe shift back inhale shift a little bit forward exhale shift a little bit back let your shoulders relax lengthen from the heels all the way to the crown of your head inhale and on your exhalation bend your knees send your hips back and send your arms forward about shoulders level maybe a little lower perhaps you bring them a little bit wider or higher whatever you want inhale exhale sweep your arms by your hips keep your chest lifted inhale sweep your arms forward again exhale take your hands down toward your thighs your blocks or the floor let your head relax down inhale lift your chest halfway now frame your right foot with your blocks or your hands and start to step your left foot all the way back you can choose to keep your left knee off the ground or you can lower it back down to the earth draw your right hip back and your left hip forward stay here on your next inhalation lift both arms up and on the exhalation you could choose to bring your hands to your blocks as you bring your hips back or perhaps you keep your hands floating and slide them toward the hips as you extend your right leg taking this variation of a half split inhale shift forward hands to your hips or perhaps overhead exhale shift back finding whatever variation of half split that you want perhaps you get wobbly that's okay one more inhale shift forward and exhale shift back come forward into your low lunge again lift your left knee inhale exhale perhaps you take several steps forward or one big step forward hands to your blocks or the floor or the thighs inhale flat back exhale fold bend your knees lift your chest take your arms forward for this chair pose inhale exhale sweep your arms by your hips inhale arms forward exhale fold again hands to the support extend your legs relax your head inhale flat back lengthen exhale this time frame your left foot step the right foot back perhaps you lower the knee perhaps you don't of course if the knee is lifted as you extend back you may want to keep your hands supported inhale exhale extend to the front leg whether the right knee is down or up it's up to you inhale bend your left knee lift your chest exhale take it all back and extend through the left leg one more inhale and exhale bend through your front knee again if your right knee is down on the earth lift it up breathe in breathe out take as many steps as you want to get to the top of the mat flat back inhale exhale fold rise up extend perhaps reach your arms out to the sides and overhead and on your exhalation bring your hands in front of your heart or perhaps you bring one hand to the heart and one hand to the abdomen once again and you let yourself notice and feel here your heartbeat the inhalation and the exhalation the sensations on your body remind yourself of your intention if it serves you breathe in and breathe out release your arms to the sides again open your eyes if they're closed inhale reach your arms up exhale soften your knees fold forward take your hands to the support relax your head inhale lift your chest halfway exhale this time plant your hands onto the floor and step back find a plank position or perhaps you lower your knees to the earth for a knee plank one's not better than the other inhale and on your exhalation lower yourself down toward the abdomen make a pillow here with your hands and rest your forehead down maybe you wiggle your hips side to side maybe you bend your knees and move your legs side to side or crisscross them breathe into your back body inhale and exhale release your legs back down bring your hands underneath your shoulders squeezing your elbows straight back inhale lift your chest for cobra exhale lower down two more times inhale lift your chest exhale lower one more inhale maybe this time you go a little higher but not necessary exhale lower inhale lift back up exhale press your hips back tuck your toes keep your knees on the ground and walk your hands back and your hips back toward the heels stay here if you want to with the hands on the earth or maybe you bring your hands to your thighs and you lift your chest up sitting or placing more weight toward the feet maybe the sensation intensifies and that's okay maybe it's not okay today to find intensity so just take note of that and come out of the shape when you need to one more breath inhale and on your exhalation shift your weight forward again take your hands back down to the earth lift your toes off the floor and perhaps you tap them on the floor or maybe you roll your ankles one way and then the other one more breath inhale and on your exhalation release your toes back down to the floor and now you could cross your legs here and find a seated position or you could find a seated position any other way and if you have your blanket you may want to double fold it a little bit and bring it right under your sitting bones but kind of sit on the edge of it so your pelvis is tilted forward and you could bring the soles of your feet to touch or you could bring your feet perhaps a little bit wider and your hands perhaps are on the shins the knees the thighs relax your shoulders inhale and on your exhalation leading with your chest and your chin allow yourself to fold forward a bit or a lot on your inhalation bring your head back up lengthen the spine and on your exhalation weight forward and down one more inhale to bring yourself all the way up and then exhale to bring yourself down maybe you let yourself stay here allowing the head to float or if you have blocks perhaps this is a great place to bring your blocks and make a little pile as high as you want it and slowly bring your forehead down just breathe one more breath inhale and exhale slowly bring yourself back up you can keep your props nearby but now from here begin to extend your left leg in front of you as little or as much as you want and then here you could cross your right knee over the shin or the ankle not your right knee rather your right ankle over the shin or perhaps over the thigh but just see if you can skip the knees so either below the knee or above and draw your right knee open yeah let your spine grow a little bit taller and maybe you take your hands behind you and you stay here lifting your chest and drawing your right knee open or if you wanted to create a little more sensation once your foot is above the knee you can start to slide your left foot toward the floor continuing to press and lift your chest up toward your left thigh and you can stay in stillness or find a little bit of movement side to side but let it be gentle one more breath inhale and exhale if your left foot is flat on the floor and you're in this figure four perhaps you press your hands onto the floor and lift your hips off the earth lift your chest high breathe in and breathe out slowly bring yourself back down extend your left leg again if you bent it and you can plant your right foot across the left leg here or you could bring it back in its original aligned position and then on your inhalation lengthen your spine as you hug your right leg and on your exhalation start a twist toward the right notice the difference between flexing your left foot or keeping it relaxed or pointed one more breath and then your next inhalation slowly bring yourself back through center extend your right leg now and cross your left ankle either over your shin or over your thigh drawing your left knee open maybe bring a block outside of the left knee and you just press down a little bit or rest the knee there or maybe you choose to slide your right foot toward the floor bending your right knee and lift your chest up toward your right thigh take a couple breaths here in stillness or find a little bit of movement side to side one more breath inhale and exhale extend your right leg and cross your left ankle or not but plant your left foot on the floor find length through the spine as you hug your left knee inhale and on your exhalation take a twist toward the left breathe as you notice the space and the spiral of energy from your tailbone to the crown one more breath on your next inhalation come back through center and take a moment here to either extend both legs and bring your hands to the floor lift both legs and bring your hands to the floor lift your chest maybe pressing into the heels or maybe you bring both feet to the floor and from here press up into a reverse stable top keep your gaze forward allow your knees to remain aligned with your hips one more breath inhale and on your exhalation lower yourself back down and start to bring yourself into a comfortable seated position to start to close this morning's practice so again maybe you sit on a meditation cushion maybe you sit on a blanket or on a chair let your hands rest on your lap or your knees soften your gaze or close your eyes just take a moment to observe how you feel after you took some time to intentionally start your day with journaling with gentle movement with awareness and intention that is yourself here seated grounded present yes your mind may flee into relevant and irrelevant subjects again and again but can you rejoice every time that you find yourself coming back to the present to the breath to the practice of being with yourself right here right now so just check in with yourself once more letting this be a moment of reflection of how you are choosing to begin how you are choosing to set yourself up for the day knowing that life will do what it does but you are intentionally planting seeds and nourishing how you are doing it you want to move through it all so take a really deep breath in expanding front to back side to side top to bottom hold at the top take another sip and let it all go maybe making some sound ah once you feel complete you can start to blink your eyes open maybe you take a moment of gratitude for yourself for this practice for this moment that you're giving yourself to start your day with more alignment now you could take this time maybe a few more moments to jot down a couple of thoughts of how the practice went or if it's time for you to move on with your day i hope that you enjoyed this practice i hope that you come back to it perhaps for a few days in a row to notice how it feels and from there maybe you switch it up to something else maybe some of the elements feel really aligned and maybe some of them don't really serve you so just shift it to what serves you so that you can start your days empowered present and intentionally i'll see you next time