Quick morning warm-up... and you never need to stand up!
Once the weather starts to get colder, my mornings practices get a little more... earthbound. Meaning that I often start and end on my back or in a table top position. If I stand up, it means I'm moving on for the day. Here's a quick one I've been teaching at the beginning of a longer practice, but also using as my own complete practice at home!
- From a table top position, take your right leg out to the side at a 90 degree angle ("fire hydrant" leg). Begin drawing circles with your right leg. After a few cycles of breath, draw circles the other way.
- Place right foot forward between hands.
- 5-10 cycles of breath bending and straightening right leg, cat/cowing the spine as you do.
- Knee down lunge
- Take right hand to block or floor besides hip. Side stretch.
- Take left hand to block or floor besides hip. Side stretch.
- Knee down lunge, include back bend.
- Hands come down to frame foot. Shift hips back slightly. Press both hands into the ground to gracefully extend right leg back behind you for three-limbed table top position.
- Extend left arm forward for opposite arm and leg extension in table.
- Table top position.
- Child's pose.
- Repeat steps 1-11 with left leg.
- End practice in Child's!