Sometimes I Just Need to Move My Asana: Quick and Dirty Yoga Practice
Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening! Welcome back to your mat. We have missed you. Thank you for being here. I wanted to share with you a quick and dirty yoga practice. This is the practice I do when I want to sweat, move and breath but I don’t have a lot of time.
Grab your props, some water, and your yoga mat and let’s get our sweat on! This will be a challenging practice. Don’t worry it is for you. Take it slow, use your variations, take your time and fun with it. It is just asana.
The Practice
Start at the over top of the mat both feet are pointing forward. I like to keep the outer edges of my feet parallel to the longer edges of my mat. Lift all your toes up, spread them out and root down through your feet. Firm your low belly to support your low back. I lengthen out of the roof of my mouth and draw the head the arm bones back, so my shoulder blades are on my back. I call this “Standing Well.” When you are standing well, you can take over the world!
Inhale, reaching arms up to the sky, taking your gaze toward my fingertips, then I move your hands to heart center and fold forward. Inhale half lift, so chest is forward, bending at knees, sticking the sitting bones out behind me.
Fold and then inhale, reach my arms all the way back up to the sky. Exhale, hands through heart center. Inhale, reach up, eyes following my fingertips up, legs are strong. Exhale, hands through heart center, bend forward. Inhale, half lift, fingertips on blocks or on the floor.
Exhale step right leg back to a lunge, right knee down to the floor. Inhale, reach up with my fingertips, lunge pose. Exhale, plant my hands, push back to down dog. Take three breaths here. Fingertips spread out nice and wide, lifting the sit bones to the sky, rooting down through the pads and the knuckles of the fingers, lifting my arm bones as you soften the chest.
Inhale forward to top of a push up, exhale lower down knees, chest, chin, hug the legs together, pull the shoulders back. Inhale, roll through cobra, exhale flip the toes under, press back.
Downward facing dog. Walking my hands back toward my feet. I come back to a forward fold. Inhale half lift, exhale fold, inhale reaching the arms up to the sky. Exhale walking to the top of my mat, hands through heart center.
Inhale arms reach up, eyes follow the fingertips. Exhale fold. Inhale half lift. Exhale fold. Left leg back to a lunge, knee down. Inhale reach up. Exhale, touch your hands to the floor, step back. Downward dog for three breaths, rooting the heels down. Inhale. Exhale pressing in through the finger pads, lifting the arm bones. Rolling forward into top of a push up. Knees, chest, chin. Pulling the head of the arm bones back, pointing my toes to the back of the mat. Pubic bone is pressing toward the floor pulling up my pelvic floor. Exhale, push back to downward dog. Walking my hands back toward to the feet. Inhale lift. Exhale fold. Inhale reach arms all the way to the sky. Exhale walk to the top of my mat.
Take a nice deep breath in, fingertips reach to the sky, eyes follow the fingertips. Exhale and fold. Inhale half lift. Exhale fold, right leg back to a lunge. Inhale stay up onto the toes. Inhale reach the fingertips to the sky. Right hand to the floor, left hand to the sky or to the waist whatever feels better. Then planting both hands, inhale back to either down dog or three-legged dog, whatever feels good for you. Take a breath, lower the toe to the floor, inhale plank. Exhale. Knees, chest, chin. Inhale, lifting the pelvic floor, cobra, exhale back to down dog walking the hands back toward the feet.
Inhale half lift. Exhale fold. Inhale arms to the sky. Exhale walk to the top of your mat, hands through heart center. Root down through your feet, get strong. Inhale reach for the sky. Exhale fold. Inhale half lift. Exhale fold, left leg back to a lunge. Inhale hands to the sky. Pull the low belly in and up. Stretch. Left hand to the floor, either right hand to the waist or the sky whatever feels better. And then plant that right hand, step back to either three legged dog or just to down dog.
Take a breath for two here. Lower the toe to the floor. Inhale forward to plank. Knees, chest, chin. Rolling the head of the arm bones back having legs together, lifting from the center of the back. Exhale back to down dog, walking the hands and feet together. Inhale half lift, exhale fold, inhale reach for the sky. Exhale hands to heart center. Inhale arms high to the sky. Exhale fold. Inhale half lift, exhale fold, right leg back to a lunge. Inhale reach out with the fingertips. Release the hands. Right hand on the floor, left hand at the waist, turn, and then you could extend the arm if it works for you. Both hands come to the inside of the left foot. Turn your feet to the long edge of your mat and fold bringing your fingertips in front of your toes, bend your elbows and fold forward. Let’s take three breaths right here.
Hands on the waist, Inhale come up, turn your left toes out to the top of your mat, bend into the square of your left knee, push out through your back heel and then energetically try to press the mat apart with your feet to engage the muscles in your legs. Big circle with your arms Warrior Two and then come to extend the side angle pose from there move to triangle. You can stay in extended side angle if you like.
All fingertips on the floor, lift up onto the back toes, coming back to your lunge pose. Go ahead and try a standing split if you like. Remember you can just come to a forward fold here as well. Step back to lunge, step back to down dog, inhale forward to plank. Knees, chest, chin. Hug the elbows in, shoulder blades onto the back, lift up cobra, exhale back to down dog. Walk your hands and feet together, soften your knees. Inhale half lift, exhale fold. Inhale all the way up.
Exhale fold. Come to the top of your mat. Good. Let’s set again. Stand well, feet two fists’ width apart, shoulder blades on the back, heart lifted, inhale arms to the sky, exhale fold forward. Inhale half lift, exhale fold. Left leg back to a lunge, bend into the square of the knee, inhale reach, big opening. Exhale left the hand on the floor, right hand to the sky.
Now both hands to the inside of the right foot and then you’ll turn your body to the long edge of your mat and then you have the option of putting your hands behind your back, lace your fingertips together or keep your fingertips on the floor, whatever works. Take a few breaths here and then soften your knees, lift your head and your heart, turn your right toes out to the top of your mat, bend into the square of the right knee, push out through the back heel, make sure hips and shoulders are facing the long edge of your mat, bend into the square of the knee.
Make sure you can still see your big toe, line up your torso over your hips and then extend to side angle. You can stay here and enjoy your breath. If you want a little bit more you can come to triangle pose straightening out through the front leg, wrapping your seat underneath you, fingertips to the sky. Good. Then when you’re ready, left hand to the floor, lift the left heel, come back to lunge pose, let’s walk our fingers forward and hop our back leg up to standing split.
Step back to lunge, step back to down dog. Inhale forward to plank. Knees, chest, chin. Lower down. Inhale, roll through cobra. Good. Exhale. Let’s come to table top. Let’s do a few cat cows here. Just exhaling rounding the back, inhaling and softening. Exhaling and rounding, inhaling soften. Make your way back to down dog. Spread your fingertips nice and wide, feet are two fists’ width apart still, right leg high to the sky, bend the knee, stack the hip open up and bring your right knee forward to a pigeon pose.
Now if the weight bearing pigeon doesn’t feel good try taking pigeon on your back so laying right on your back, crossing your right ankle over your left knee and bringing your chest; that’s a nice alternative. Breathe.
Hip openers are always challenging for me, so just take a moment. Plant your hands, lift your head and your heart, curl your back toes under now push back to our three-legged dog or downward facing dog, and then we’ll do the other side. Left leg up, left knee forward and again if weight bearing pigeon doesn’t feel right this is your opportunity to slide onto your back, cross your left ankle over your right knee and draw your right knee into your chest; that’s a reverse pigeon. Try to do is just energetically pull back on my left hip as I press into my right knee and just gently pull it forward. That just gives a little bit more sensation in the pose. Let’s bring the soles of our feet together into
Let’s bring the soles of our feet together into baddha konasana.. This is another pose I like to do to relieve some of the pressure on my back, open my hips. Rest the elbows onto my knees and then press up with the knees and then leading with the collar bones, folding forward.
Inhale come up, bring your right heel closer to your left sitting bone and your left leg in front. If you need to you can sit up on to a bolster or a blanket here for a little bit more leverage or a little bit more height. It may make the twist a bit more accessible. Right hand to left knee, hitchhiking back with the left hand. Let’s take a twist.
This is one of my favorite ways to twist. It really gets between my shoulder blades, which I appreciate. Good. Come back to center and then go ahead and stack your left ankle on top of your right knee, holding the bottom of your feet. So we’re stacking the shin bones one on top of the other leading with the collar bone. Just fold forward and stretch. So I push my hands in my feet, my feet back into my hands and then I just push my bottom into the floor as I lean forward. It’s intense. I understand, but just stick with it. The intense stuff is what makes life interesting. Inhale come up and then left heel posting to the right sitting bone, folding the right leg on top, and then I take the right hand and hitchhike it back behind me. If I need to, I can lift and fold my belly out of the way and then twist. Wherever you feel it just enjoy it. Now lower yourself down slowly and gently to the floor. If you need to go ahead and roll to the right or the left side to come down if that’s a little bit easier for you. Tuck your shoulder blades underneath you, push into your legs and then inhale lift the hips up, and exhale lower down. Let’s do a few of these. And just pushing a little energy into the back of your head as you lift up and lower, and as I come up I like to just squeeze my quads a little bit just to activate the muscles in my legs. I like a little bit more sensation in this pose. You don’t have to, it’s just a suggestion. Good. And let’s lift up and hold for three breaths at the top here. Good. And lower down. Rolling to your right side let’s push ourselves up to seated. And that’s my quick and dirty practice for you this morning. This is just something to get my blood pumping in the morning before I get my day started. I want to thank you all for being here. Have a great day. Namaste.
If you need to go ahead and roll to the right or the left side to come down if that’s a little bit easier for you. Tuck, your shoulder blades underneath you, push into your legs and then inhale lift the hips up, and exhale lower down. Let’s do a few of these.
Pushing a little energy into the back of your head as you lift up and lower, and as I come up and squeeze my quads a little bit just to activate the muscles in my legs. I like a little bit more sensation in this pose. You don’t have to; it’s just a suggestion. Lift up and hold for three breaths at the top of the pose here. Lower down. Rolling to your right side let’s push up to seated.
Here is my quick and dirty practice for you this morning. This is just something to get my blood pumping in the morning before I get my day started. I want to thank you all for being here. Have a great day. Namaste.
Tell me about your practice in the comment section below!
Finding Balance in Your Yoga Practice
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