SHORT + SWEET BREATHWORK PRACTICES
7 min
Bring yourself back to center using the tool of your breath in just 5 minutes. No props needed, just you. This simple practice uses bringing attention to your breath in the belly, then to the low ribs, then to the space under the collarbones.
13 min
Practice this breathing pattern so you have a go-to when things get stressful and anxious. First, we work with feeling the breath down in the belly and then filling the lungs on the inhale, and exhaling all the breath out in any way. Then we incorporate counting the breath in a 4:4 inhale: exhale pattern. Then we add an option breath retention at the top of the inhale, a slightly longer exhale, and a little pause at the bottom of the exhale, so that the pattern becomes 4:4:6:2. Practice along with me and see how this breathing pattern affects your system.
SHORT + SWEET YOGA PRACTICES
23 min
Enjoy this short full-body yoga practice in the morning to kickstart your day, or anytime you want to just breathe, stretch out, and feel your way into your body when things feel disconnected. Includes a reclined sequence, followed by Cat/Cow, Downdog, and Standing Forward Fold. Then we visit some quick standing postures, including Tree, Buddha, Wide-Legged Forward Fold, and a Lunge Variation. Then head down to the floor for some core illumination, Bridge Pose, and a final relaxation.
22 min
This is your go-to practice whenever you need to fire up ALL the parts of your body as a quick warm up. Use this as a stand-alone practice, or a pre-routine to a hike, a run, a cycle, another yoga practice, or before you sit down at your workspace for a couple of hours. You can end at the 18-minute-mark standing, or enjoy a restorative Legs Up the Wall position to rest for as long as you’d like.
24 min
This short and sweet practice explores criss-crossed shapes that will help you shift out of the box in subtle ways to feel your body differently, which is always a good thing! We start with some reclined core stabilization work with crossed ankles, then flow through a pretty standard Sun Salutation flow with lunge and Forward-Facing Triangle postures. Then we mix it up with crossed leg versions of the Sun Salutation flow! You’ll experiment with balance and sensation in these slightly-shifted pose variations, all the while, enjoying the movement of the breath within the frame of your body. Optional props: 2 blocks
28 min
Use this powerful practice to explore range of motion and strength in the shoulders and the hamstrings in a flow that leads to an active version of the pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana II. This quick practice fires up the whole line of the back body, in the upper shoulders and the backs of the legs, and I bet you’ll feel GREAT after you move in this way! Remember to work within YOUR range of motion and capacity for strength. Two yoga blocks will make this practice both more supportive and more challenging, so use them if you’d like. Want more work for these areas? Check out the Hamstring Strengthening Series and the Shoulder Strengthening Series.
24 min
New Moons are wonderful times to tap into our intention and purpose, and to create from this place. This practice focuses on the “core” (center of the body and the legs) to generate energy and power with intention. We use a mudra of fingertops on the ground throughout the practice, which will help you ground into the power of Earth. Enjoy lots of integrative core and hip flexor strengthening work and of course, lots of breath. The practice culminates in Navasana (or Boat Pose). Restart, revisit, rejuvenate. These are the asks of this practice and of New Moon energy.
27 min
Enjoy this strong flow practice to get your bod moving as we open the heart (chest, shoulders, forearms, wrists) and the hips (quads, hamstrings, low back). Includes Low Lunge, Half Splits, Baby Camel, a fun transition from a High Lunge straight into Tree, and lots of strength-building moments for core and back body stability along the way. We end with Bridge/Wheel and a Reclined Pigeon before Savasana. Have fun with this one!
21 min
Forward folds allow our bodies and minds to quiet down and relax as go inward. This short beginner-friendly practice is perfect for anytime you need to find calm and gently stretch out, and is also a wonderful pre-bedtime routine. A blanket and 2 blocks are optional props.
Optional: you might choose to use the following doTERRA essential oils to support this practice: Rosemary (encourages positivity, good for memory and breath, helps with transitions), and Frankincense (support meditation and inner stillness, a cellular healer).
18 min
This 18-minute full-body mobility practice uses CARs (“Controlled Articular Rotations”) to move the major joints of the body in their full, pain-free range of motion. Doing this type of work daily (or as often as you can) is a great way to keep or expand your range of motion and the control you have over your body, which leads to feeling better in everyday life and in your yoga practice! No props needed.
18 min
Explore your ability to fold forward at the hips, bend your knees and ankles to come into a squat, and lean forward into your hands with your spine rounded. (Otherwise known as a pose called Bakasana or Crow Pose!) This short practice invites you to play with all of these movements in your body, which are all quite functional for daily life. Even if you never put your hands on the ground and lift your feet in the air, you may learn something about the other elements at play in this shape. You’ll need a blanket or towel for this practice.
24 min
Stretch the side body, breathe fully, and explore the revolution of your spine in this quick revolved ladder flow. Includes a Diagonal Stretch Pose (Revolved Reverse Lunge), Pyramid, Warrior 3, Gate with Thread the Needle, and more. The flow culminates in a novel entry into Revolved Half Moon, for which you’ll be well prepared, both physically and mentally. You’ll need 2 blocks for this practice.
25 min
When you stop fighting and pushing through things and start giving yourself an attitude of sweetness and ease, things paradoxically come easier (and feel better!). This is the invitation for this 25-minute practice: to add sweetness, even in the midst of challenges. Flow includes: Eagle, Warrior 3, Wide-Legged Forward Fold Twists, Side Plank Variations, a Plank Hold, and Pigeon. My kitten, Merlin, also makes an appearance to make this class even sweeter!
30 min
The focus for this practice is on the gut — the belly! When our gut is more balanced, our MIND can also feel more balanced and healthy. So we’ll cultivate some gratitude for this amazing transformative area of the body, build a little fire for great digestion, and use breathwork and gentle movement to encourage our mental health to get a little boost. You’ll need a blanket/towel or a squish ball such as the Coregeous Ball for this practice.
21 min
Yoga is made of three parts: moving the body (Asana), breathing practices (Pranayama), and meditation. This breath-initiated movement practice hooks together both energizing and calming patterns in a 15-min practice to “seat the mind”: to prepare your mental state for a short meditation focused on the central channel of the body. Leave it at that, or continue with a longer meditation, if you wish.
18 min
Explore rounded and arched shapes in the spine with this short practice that features a Cat/Cow sequence that progressively builds into a High Lunge with a backbend shape and then back again to Childs Pose. Then work on spinal strength and stability in Forearm Plank and Straight-Arm Plank variations. Recommended props: 2 blocks.
Join me LIVE on Zoom at 7:30am PST on Mondays for just 30 minutes. These quick practices are for YOU to enjoy. No need to even turn on the camera or engage (unless you want to). Just soak up the practice. Take it in. Let it feed your system.
When you join my online class library at the WATER tier ($22/month), you’ll get the Zoom link for these short online classes. Great for accountability (hint, hint.) If you can’t make it live, join the FIRE tier to get access to the class recordings and practice at your convenience.
Let’s start our days and weeks off right, with intentional movement and clarifying breathwork. See you on the mat.
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