Fitness with Friends: Spirit Yoga Club

VOICE: Thank you for watching. And for a full transcript, visit www.fun4thedisabled.com. We hope you enjoy! When joining us for this video you need to take some precautions as your health and safety are the most important. To avoid any injury or harm, you need to check your health with your doctor before exercising. By performing any fitness exercises without supervision like with this video, you are performing them at your own risk. See a fitness professional to give you advice on your exercise form. Strategy For Access Foundation NFP and SPIRIT Club will not be responsible or liable for any injury or harm you sustain as a result of this video. 

DAVID: Good morning, Christine. 

CHRISTINE: Good morning, David. 

DAVID: Good morning, SPIRIT yogis. 

CHRISTINE: And good afternoon, SPIRIT yogis. Good evening, SPIRIT yogis, wherever you come to us or whenever you come to us, we are here connected, David and I with you, to breathe and to flow in this 30 minute fusion flow yoga class with SPIRIT Club. Let’s get started. David, I’ve got some water. What else might we need today? 

DAVID: We might be needing a strap and a yoga block. 

CHRISTINE: Got it. If you don’t have a strap, a good idea for today might be just to get a scarf or even a sweatshirt or something with long sleeves because we’re going to end up just sort of feeling that little snuggle of a strap or sleeves around our lower lungs. That’s all you’ll need it for. Let’s get started with our being connected to our breath, to the earth below us. Take a nice big inhale. Exhale. Let your hands float down. Build some slowness into your movement. And one more big inhale. Hands to heart center. 

Let’s place one hand over your heart space, the other hand on top. Close your eyes and we’ll set an intention for class. Maybe press your hands a little harder against your heart. Maybe you can feel your breath, your heart. And our intention today is to expand our heart space. You can do this with the mantra, “I am love,” in your mind. With a little bit of breath and movement in your body and knowing that you are loved in your spirit. Go ahead and open your eyes. Keep your hands here and give your heart just a little bit more pressure. Call this a little heart rub. “I am love.” This is your mantra for today. And then you can release your hands if you want. 

We’re going to take three deep breaths here. Something interesting to know about your breath and when you want to feel calm, is that that in breath fills you up, but your exhale, as long as you can keep your exhale, this will bring you to calm. This is what sets in motion your parasympathetic nervous system or that part of you that brings anxiety down and brings calm in. 

So we’ll take three deep breaths with a big fill up to inhale, and a slow exhale. I’ll count to 12 for that. If it’s easier, you can exhale through a little O-shaped lips. Like you were drinking through a straw or blowing out a candle. Take that one slow. So let’s take that nice big inhale. Exhale. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. Another big inhale. Blow. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. Big inhale. And exhale. Two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12. Just let your breath flow in and out of your body naturally. David, I feel a little calmer. How do you feel? 

DAVID: I also feel calm myself as well. 

CHRISTINE: Awesome. Well, sometimes we probably take in all that breath with our neck and our shoulders but we just noticed this breath. Let’s loosen up. From our face through our neck into our shoulders and really work that breath into our lung space where it needs to go. So you can start by just paying attention to your jaw a little bit. Maybe open and close your mouth. Maybe even rub the side, loosen up your jaw space. Relax here. Maybe take your fingertips along your neck. Just to calm those muscles. All of this involved in breath and movement. And then bring your fingertips to your shoulders. And let’s take some big elbow circles here. Warming up through your shoulders. Couple circles to the front. And then a couple circles to the back. And let’s end in a nice big hug here. We’ll take our hug for a little twist. Just turn it to the right and slowly to the left. Just warming up now through your torso. Check back in with your jaw, release the muscles of your face, your neck, your shoulders and finally let your torso go. 

Let’s move into our side body now, just to warm up. Place one hand to your side. Take a nice big reach up and over, opening up through your side body. Inhale, reach up as you come to switch sides. Nice big stretch to the other side, long from your hip all the way out to your fingertips. And a nice big inhale and lower your hands down. All right, you’ve got all of this top part of your body nice and loosened up. We’ll be breathing a lot through the rest of class and well, through the rest of your day, right? This is your life force. Let’s bring that breath in nice and deep into our lungs. This is where we want to be breathing. When we breathe up here in our neck space, in our shoulder space, this is a tense and shallow breath. When we can breathe deeply down into our lower lung space, that’s where we get the best benefits of our breath. 

We’re gonna use a tool today, our straps. And give ourselves a little hug around your lower rib cage. So this is right below your chest and above your belly button, right at the bottom of your ribs. So again, David and I have straps. You might have a scarf. You might have a sweatshirt with long sleeves or T-shirt with long sleeves and maybe you’ve tied it around your waist before. This is a little higher. Here’s the tricky part so watch David and I carefully. I’m gonna take this strap and put it in my other hand and take this strap and put it in my opposite hand. So it’s a little tricky. So now you’ve crossed it. See the x, okay? Once you’ve got it crossed, now, open up your hands to squeeze that strap or sleeves against you and take a couple of deep breaths now. Maybe more than just a couple. Do you feel where that strap is holding onto you and giving you a little snuggle? 

DAVID: Yes. 

CHRISTINE: That’s the depth of your lungs down there, that’s how deep you want to breathe. All right yogis, you don’t need a strap to do that all class long or all day long. So go ahead and release your strap. David, can you still feel where your strap was a little bit? 

DAVID: Absolutely, I can see the mark on my shirt. 

CHRISTINE: Yeah, and your body has memory. So without touching that place at all, let’s just take two more breaths together. Just on your own time, nice little inhale and exhale. Are you breathing all the way deep into your lung space? That’s the best way to get nice and deep into your breath. Breath deep into your lungs to expand and use those muscles around your lungs. We’ll use that for the rest of class. 

Now, let’s move on to Table Top posture. Onto hands and knees if you’re on the mat and if you’re seated then please watch David as he is in pretty much the same posture that I’m in. Hips in line with knees, shoulders in line with wrists. And today, make sure that you leave your hands wherever they are. David’s got his hands at the ends of his thighs, right by his knees. And this is gonna be important because we are going to make a wave, like an ocean wave out of our spine with a few key yoga postures that you might already know. We’ll start with Cow. Drop your belly, shine your heart forward or up, tailbone reaching up. And then press through your hands into Cat posture. This time, tucking your chin toward your chest. Your pelvis comes under and then leave your hands right where they are and head into Child’s Pose. While we’re here for just this moment, take a deep breath and get ready, my waves. 

We are going to take Cow to Cat to Child’s Pose in slow motion. So go ahead and draw your body back into that Cow posture. Shift into Cat by tucking your chin and your pelvis and press back into Child. And let’s take this at least two more times. See if you can keep moving, Cow to Cat to Child. Beautiful friends, beautiful spinal wave. You are love and that means you can try new things, move your body. And let’s all end in Child’s Pose and just take one nice big deep breath here. Take a couple of breaths. Can you feel that when you inhale, your lung space expanding against your legs? Child’s Pose is a great place to experience that open heartedness, that beautiful chest expansion. 

All right, let’s press back up into Table Top and make our way to Downward Facing Dog. Tuck your toes under, if you’re on the mat. And if you’re seated, sit up nice and tall. On the mat press your hips up. On the chair, make sure that you are seated just like David is. proud chest, shoulders down. Inhale, focus forward. Exhale, forward fold. Tip toe your feet towards your wrists or if you’re seated, bring your wrists towards your feet. Fold your body in half. You can bend your knees a little if you want. Let your neck release. Let your jaw release. Let your shoulders release. This is often called Ragdoll Pose too, you just let go in this floppy top half of yourself over your body. On your next inhale, let’s rise up. Press through your feet, your big toes, your heels, tuck your tailbone under. You can let your arms dangle on your way up or put them on your legs to come to an upright posture. Feet about shoulder width apart. 

David and I are in the same space, he’ll be facing forward, I’m facing to the side and we’ll take a little Sun Salutation here. We’ll take it through very slowly the first time and then flow it for the next two. Let’s start with this beautiful slow motion Mountain Pose. Reach your arms up and just stay here and breathe for a moment. Feel the power of yourself. Your feet planted in the mat or your thighs and hips planted in your chair. Fingers reaching, shoulders down away from your ears. Notice David’s great posture there. You’ve got a good vision on David there. Big inhale here. Exhale forward fold. You adjust here, drop your head and slide down. Send your heart first as you reach toward the floor and take a nice breath here again. On your next inhale, halfway lift, bring your palms to your thighs or to your shin, wherever you are. Your back is flat and your elbows are in. Take a few breaths, feeling this posture. This is halfway lift. 

Inhale here and exhale, tuck and curl. This will be very much like Child’s Pose. You are just making a ball of yourself but if you’re on the mat, you’re on the balls of your feet. So it’s a little different there. Tuck your chin. This will be our Sun Salutation from here we’ll go Mountain, Forward Fold, halfway lift, tuck and curl. David, would you like to take the inhales and send us up to mountain? 

DAVID: Sure. Inhale, look forward. 

CHRISTINE: We’re gonna Mountain Pose here. We’re gonna go right up. Exhale, Forward Fold. 

DAVID: Inhale, halfway lift. 

CHRISTINE: Exhale, tuck and curl. Let’s go again. Inhale to Mountain, David, lead us away. 

DAVID: Inhale, look forward to Mountain. 

CHRISTINE: Exhale, Forward Fold. 

DAVID: Inhale, halfway lift. 

CHRISTINE: Exhale, tuck and curl. All right, friends. Let’s take this all the way up to Mountain again together. 

DAVID: Inhale, look forward to Mountain. 

CHRISTINE: And let’s stay right here friends, just drop your hands by your side. Take a nice big deep breath, upright posture, shoulders down, heart forward, feel your heart expansion here. We’re gonna take a little Warrior One exploration here. So you can begin with your hands on your hips. If you’re standing, your hips will stay forward. Take one little step back. This isn’t a big step back. If you’re seated, follow David, as he moves to the side. This will help in leg separation and notice this is not a big lunge for either of us. This is just a little step. Because we’re gonna begin with a balance, a little balance challenge and workshop here. Begin with a lean forward or if you’re standing, lift your heel, your back heel. And slowly, because slow is where you learn control. Shift back to the center, So heel back down, body back to center. And if you’re standing, lift your front toe up if you’re seated, just shift back just a little bit. Yeah, nice friends. 

Slowly, slowly, slowly begin to take this to a slow motion rocking posture. So, if you’re standing, lift your back heel up. Seated, lean forward. And then begin to bring your heel back down, your body back to center and shift to a back, little bit of a leaning back posture. Front toes up and take this rocking back and forth just a couple of times. You may need to focus on one point ahead of you. Really work through your feet if you’re on the mat, your hips if you’re on the chair. And yeah, celebrate your amazing balance here. 

All right, let’s stop right in the center and head to Warrior One. Bend your front knee just a little bit if you’re standing. If you’re seated, you’re already there. Arms up, Warrior One, shoulders down. Already you can feel your heart expanded and expressing forward if your chest is nice and open here. But we’re going to take our Warrior One to Humble Warrior today and expand our heart space even more. Draw your arms back down behind you, airplane arms. You can keep them in airplane arms or maybe you can even clasp your hands together and shift your heart space up to the sky. Take an inhale here and exhale, Humble Warrior, lead with your heart as you lean forward. Now, if you find that you want a little bit of a balance with your hands, this is a great place to add your blocks or you can bring your fingertips to the floor. Take a breath here and inhale, come back up, let your hands lead if your hands are behind you and release. 

Let’s bring our feet together and take the other side. Go ahead and move other foot back again. This is just a little step. Hands on hips. Hands on hips can help you so that your hips don’t open or twist, but stay forward. All right, are we ready? Let’s do it. Lift your back heel up slowly, slowly and with control. Lean forward, just that bit to feel your body now balanced in the front part of your body. Shift your weight back. If you’re standing, heel down. If you’re seated, bring your body posture back. Keep looking forward. Find one little point to focus on, something unmoving. Front toes down and begin to shift forward again. And take this rocking motion in your own time. Slow motion, just a couple of times just to test this balance out. If you fall out of it, make sure you smile. Don’t forget, you are love. Love is never wrong. Love allows mistakes. Love is patient. 

Let’s prepare for Warrior One. Come to a nice center space, arms up, shoulders down, fingers reaching. Nice, friends. And let’s take our Warrior One to a Humble Warrior. Let your arms come behind you, either airplane arms or clasp your hands. Bend your front knee if you haven’t already. Warrior One and reach your heart up and then forward. Maybe you just take this a little bit forward. Maybe you bring it all the way down. And again option to reach for the floor or put your hands on blocks. Lead by reaching your hands back behind you as you lift back up. Beautiful balance, friends. Release your hands, come to standing or sitting upright posture. Beautiful, all right. David, I think we can add this Warrior One into a little Sun B flow. What do you think? 

DAVID: I think so. Yeah, let’s do it.

CHRISTINE: Right. Well, let’s add a Chair first. I think that will be helpful here too. And wiggle anything out. That was a lot of balance work. I know my legs and my shoulders feel like they’ve been working already. So let’s begin. Center and we will do a little chair posture and then move into Warrior One. So you have a little additional shifting to do if you’re seated. You’ve all got this, SPIRIT Club friends. All right, inhale to chair. Reach forward and sit back if you’re standing and then bring your hands to heart center while David, gives a little cuing for chair seated. 

DAVID: Inhale, look forward. 

CHRISTINE: Well, can you give us a little cueing for if you’re seated in chair already? 

DAVID: Sure. 

CHRISTINE: We need to do Chair in a different way. 

DAVID: So, if you are sitting already on a chair, inhale, lean forward for those sitting on the chair. We are going to lean forward. And clap both hands together like a praying position.  

CHRISTINE: Yes, and we have been working hard already through all of mine and David’s cuing. Let’s take one more inhale in this Chair Posture and exhale, come back to upright. Woo, nice. All right, we’re gonna add that to a little flow here. So we will take Chair, hands to heart center. We’ll sit in Chair and then come to upright. And then we’ll take our Warrior One with a little step to the side. So let’s… We will take this nice and slow, friends. Make sure you’ve got your breath flowing through your body. Inhale, Chair. 

DAVID: Inhale, lean forward for those sitting on the chair. 

CHRISTINE: That’s right. Exhale, hands to heart center. Inhale one more time here. 

DAVID: Inhale, come back to center. 

CHRISTINE: And exhale, yes, let’s come back to center. Hands on hips, take one small step back or one shift to the side for Warrior One. Arms up, inhale Warrior One. Exhale, arms behind you. Inhale. shift your heart to the sky. Exhale, Humble Warrior, lead with your heart, bow forward. Inhale, rise. Exhale, back to center. And let’s take one breath here as we settle ourselves in center and we’ll take this to the other side beginning with Chair one more time. Inhale, Chair. 

DAVID: Inhale, Chair. For those sitting already on the chair, lean forward with both hands. 

CHRISTINE: Exhale, hands to heart center. Inhale, take one more inhale here in your Chair Posture. Exhale, rise. Inhale, step back or shift to the other side for Warrior One on your other side. And when you get there, inhale, raise your arms up, my warrior friends. Exhale, arms behind you. Expand through your heart space and inhale, reach your heart up, shine it toward the sun. And exhale, Humble Warrior, bow forward. Inhale, rise back up and exhale, release and let’s all meet back in center. Beautiful, friends. If you need to shake anything out here, wiggle anything, maybe get a quick sip of water. This is your moment to do it. As we always like to say, cheers SPIRIT friends. 

DAVID: Cheers, SPIRIT friends. 

CHRISTINE: Cheers, David. 

DAVID: Cheers. 

CHRISTINE: All right. If you are standing, please make your way slowly and gently to the mat, float right down. You can bend your knees a lot or at least notice how you get there. Noticing your body is what yoga can bring us to, these moments of awareness of our balance. You did a great job testing your balance today. Shifting from side to side, shifting front and back, you’ve worked a lot. All right. Let’s move down into Bridge Posture here. If you’re on the mat, roll your back down into bridge. Really ground your feet into the mat. Plant both hands next to you and shift your hips upward. If your shoulders are feeling nice and expanded you can take your hands underneath you and clasp. And David, give us those cues for chair. 

DAVID: Sure. For those sitting on the chair, remain sitting on the edge of your chair then grab with both hands, very tightly, and start moving your hips out of the chair very slowly and being careful with your neck. 

CHRISTINE: Yes. One trick is to tuck your chin just a bit to elongate the back of your neck. Let’s take one more nice, big inhale here and exhale, slowly lower yourself down. Release your hands if they’re underneath your bridge. And from here, take one knee into hug, extend your other leg long. Don’t forget to breathe here in this new position with this knee up nice and close. Take your opposite hand to that knee and draw it across your body for a nice supine twist or a sitting up twist. Knee goes one way, your gaze goes the other. Gently back to center and switch sides. Grab up your other knee, hug it nice and close. Let your other leg extend long. Opposite hand, opposite knee, draw your knee across your body. Knee goes one way, your gaze goes the other. 

Continue to breathe as we come back center. And in any way you wish, give yourself a hug. Maybe that’s by gathering up both knees or just wrapping your arms around yourself. Bring your forehead in close, bow to yourself, the earth. Remember the mantra, “I am love.” Release your body to a resting pose. Take one nice big inhale, deep into your lungs and exhale. Feel your heels, your hips melt into the mat, to the chair and the floor. Let your shoulders relax away from your ears. Loosen your jaw. Maybe even separate your teeth. Release your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Let your worries float away for just these 30 seconds. Rest in the message to yourself, “I am love.” 

Bring your awareness back to your breath. Bring your awareness to your heart space, your ribs, your lungs and take your next very deepest breath all the way in through your nose. Let it fill that space of your throat, your voice, your chest, all the way deep into the depths of your lungs. Wiggle some life into your fingertips and toes. If you’re on the mat, bend your knees and roll to one side gently, carefully. And let’s all come up to meet seated, ready to greet the rest of our day with expanded love, expanded heart space. Let’s take one big breath together. Big inhale, hands to heart center one more time, hand over hand. Give yourself that little heart rub, “I am love.” 

DAVID: I am love. 

CHRISTINE: You are love, SPIRIT Club. Namaste. 

DAVID: Namaste, Christine. 

CHRISTINE: Namaste, David, the light in me sees the light in you. 

DAVID: Thank you for joining us today.