Come to a comfortable cross-legged seat.
Root down through your sit bones.
Notice where your body touches the floor and reach your head tall.
Start by connecting into how your body feels.
Relax the muscles in your scalp,
Brow and jaw.
Bring a slight smile to your lips.
Release any tension you feel in your body,
Neck,
Torso or legs.
Bring your attention to your breathing.
Focus on your nose and the sensations you feel as you inhale and exhale.
Take a nice deep inhale and as you exhale release any stress or tension you feel.
You can let out a sigh through your mouth as you do this.
Take another deep breath and another.
Take a minute to appreciate what your body is capable of doing.
Focus on one thing you are grateful for and relish the feeling of appreciation for having this in your life.
Breathe in gratitude and as you breathe out let this feeling resonate in your body.
As you breathe give thanks for having this in your life.
You will now do some mindful stretching.
Lift your shoulders up to your ears.
Start to make circles as you let your shoulders slide down your back.
Connect to your breath as you repeat two more shoulder circles.
On your next inhale roll your neck gently to the left and make small gentle circles with your neck.
Exhale as you rotate your neck back and inhale as you roll your neck forward.
Repeat this at your own pace as you follow your breath noticing anywhere you may be feeling tension.
Reach your fingertips all the way up to the sky.
Stretch taking a deep breath in through your nose.
As you exhale gently twist to the right.
Left hand comes to the right knee.
Right fingertips come behind you.
Breathe into the twist.
Keep the shoulders relaxed as you return to center.
Take another big inhale as you reach for the sky again and as you exhale twist to the left.
Right hand comes to the left knee.
Left hand behind you.
Take a deep breath in and slowly unravel as you breathe out.
Come forward onto all fours into tabletop position.
Hands under shoulders and knees under hips.
Find a nice neutral spine.
Then inhale drop your belly towards the mat and open your chest forward.
Cow pose.
Arch the back gently and lift the head and gaze up.
As you exhale round through your spine into cat pose.
Engage your core by pulling your belly into your spine and bring your head down towards the mat.
Then moving with your breath inhale to drop your belly again into cow and exhale to round your spine.
Navel draws into cat.
One more time inhale cow and then as you exhale cat.
Do this a few more times by yourself.
Inhale back to neutral spine.
Exhale tuck your toes.
Move your hips up and back into downward facing dog.
Inhale steady your hands and push the mat away letting your side body stretch.
Exhale let the head be heavy and soften your shoulders.
Send your tailbone high to the sky.
Inhale soften ankles down.
Exhale deep breath in deep breath out.
On the next inhale engage your core and lift your right leg high three-legged dog.
As you exhale bend your right knee stepping your foot in between your hands for crescent lunge.
Align your front knee with your front ankle and lower the back knee to the ground.
On the next inhale sweep your arms overhead and draw the shoulders away from the ears.
Exhale lift your heart up.
Breathe here.
On your exhale bring your palms down to your mat.
Inhale and step your foot back to plank with your weight resting on your arms and your body in a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
Exhale bring your hips up and back to downward facing dog.
You can pedal your feet here being mindful of your breath.
Three-legged dog second side.
Slide the left leg up into the air.
Keep the hips level.
Take a deep breath in and exhale.
Bend your left knee.
Plant your foot between your hands and lower your back knee down to the mat.
Inhale sweep your hands forward up overhead.
Be fully present with your breath.
Exhale bring your hands forward and down to the mat again.
Come to plank keeping your back straight.
Engage your core and suck your belly in.
Gaze down.
Pigeon pose.
Bring your right foot forward and place it down on the mat behind your left wrist.
Extend the left leg back on the mat with the top of the left foot resting on the mat.
Come up onto your fingertips.
Lift the chest and draw the shoulder blades back.
Stay here or to deepen the pose begin to fold forward keeping the spine lengthened.
Come onto your forearms or rest your head on your palms.
Take a few breaths here.
Gently walk the hands and chest up.
Lift the right leg up and back slowly coming into downward facing dog.
Move your left foot forward and place it on the mat behind the right wrist.
Place your right leg back on the mat.
Walk the torso slightly up and lengthen the tailbone down to the mat.
Stay here or forward fold.
Breathe here.
Gently come out of the pose and make your way to child's pose.
Take a minute to breathe here.
You can now take some time to stretch in a way that feels good to you or if you prefer you can lie on your back and relax for a while in shavasana.
Make your way to a seated position with your back straight.
Notice how your body feels now.
You may want to set an intention to move your body more this week and notice the difference it makes.
As Carol Welsh said,
Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical,
Emotional and mental states.
When you are ready you can bring your attention back to the room.
Start to make small movements in your body.
Thank yourself for taking this time to practice self-care today.
What you focus on grows,
So remember to focus on the things that are good in your life this week.
