Supple and Strong Mat

Here is a second choice New Year's workout for those of you who are feeling a little bit more energetic. If you wanna know why I'm standing up here, is because that's what we're gonna do, we're gonna stand up, stand up straight. Take your arms out in front of you. Push through the heels of the hands like you're opening very heavy curtains. Opening into a beautiful new year.

What is in store for you this year? Bring you arms to the sides. Exhale as you round your spine down. Rolling down. Finding the hands towards the mat, or the top of the head towards the mat.

Inhale, and exhale, roll back up. Feet pushing down. Spine lifting up. Bring your arms out in front of you, push open, again, opening your view to what you are wishing for this year. Finding a little bit of thoracic extension.

Arms come down. And roll down. If you don't like pushups, you might wanna stop now. Fair warning. Pause, and inhale.

We're not gonna do a lot, but that's what's happening real soon. Push into the floor, roll up. Gonna get our energy pumping right away. This is the last time we're doing this. Take the arms out in front of you, open up, lift the chest, take the arms down.

Inhale, exhale, roll down through your spine. Take your hands to the mat, walking three steps forward. Here's one, two, three. Finding a long plank position, we're gonna point the right foot. The right knee's gonna go into the chest, step back, bend, press.

Left knee into the chest, step back, bend, press. Right left, in, and back. Bend, press, left leg in, and back. Bend, press, lift the hips. Press the heels down, find your pyramid position.

Lift the heels. Articulate through the spine, lift the right leg, and then hinge up, so right leg reaching up, hinge back down, hold the leg up, or put it down, bend, press, leg goes down, left leg lifts. Up and back. Come back through, hover, or put the leg down, bend, press, step in. Right leg kick up.

And forward. Bend. Press, and down. Left leg. Lift up.

And forward. Bend. Press, both legs down. Hips go up, bend your knees. Hop.

Sit. Legs up, inhale. Exhale roll the spine down. Feel the lower back commit to the mat. Reach the arms up and back, arms around to the sides, and forward we come.

Sit tall, inhale. Exhale, roll down. Reach back. Take the arms around. Reach forward, and roll up.

One more. Roll back, creating a little heat in your body. Reach up. Reach out. Reach forwards, and roll up.

Lift tall, inhale. Exhale, roll down. Take the right leg straight out in front of you, and inhale, exhale, bend that knee as you curl up to it, and stretch it away. And curl into the knee as it bends, and reach away. And curl in.

And reach away. Bend that knee. Left leg goes out, and we curl. Like you're reeling yourself up with the bend in the knee, feeling the connection to right underneath the ribs. Here's our last one, curl.

Down. Bend, left leg goes down, roll up. Sit up. Arms open, lift the chest, reach forward, exhale, round. Right leg up.

Exhale, rotate across that leg, inhale to go down. Exhale, bend the knee, pull it across, and back. And bend, pull it across, and back. Fold that knee in, right leg out, and lift and twist. Stretch back forward, lift and twist, stretch back forward, lift and twist, stretch back forward, fold the knee in, reach the arms up up up and back, bring the arms around to the sides, roll up, lift up, arms open, lift the chest, reach the arms forward, roll the spine down.

All the way. Sliding into the feet for some bridging, for some pelvic curling, inhale, exhale, roll the spine up. High hips, breathe in, exhale, roll the spine down. So just milking each vertebra. Drop the tailbone down, inhale, exhale, roll up.

Up. Up, inhale, and exhale to roll down. Down, down, exhale. Last one, exhale to roll up, up, up. And inhale.

And exhale to roll down. And exhale to roll up, stay at the top, lift the left leg up. Roll down now, take the leg into the center of the body, and then press that leg away from you. Anchor it into the floor, lift it back up, and roll the hips up. Inhale, bring the leg in, round down.

Take the leg away, push. Lift. Roll up. And roll down. Take the leg away, push, lift, it comes straight up as you roll up, and we fold it in.

Lift your other leg up, exhale to roll down, piking that leg in towards the body, feel the pelvis come down even. Take the leg down, back and push, roll up, and inhale, and roll down. And press away. And lift, and roll up. Last time.

Roll down. Press away. Lift up. Roll up. Place the leg down.

Reach the arms overhead. Roll the spine down. Reach the arms around, lift the feet up off the mat, hands on the knees, reach out, and pull, reach out, and pull, and three, pull in, and two, pull in, last time, reach in, single leg stretch, press down on the knee that's coming towards you. Keep the knee just past the pelvis, just past 90. Do two.

One. Hands behind the head, five, criss-cross. Elbows wide, rotating from the ribs, keeping the legs strong and clean. Two, two, one, one. Both knees in, arms and head down, kick over.

Lower the legs. Press the legs up, up, up, up, up. Roll down. Lift the head, bend the knees, here we go again, reach out, and pull, inhale, and exhale. Here's three.

Two. One. Single leg stretch, pull, pull, one leg pushes in energetically, while the other leg stretches, two, two, last time, hands behind the head, and we rotate, two. Three. Four.

Five. Both knees in, head and arms down, kick over. Reach for the floor. Lift the legs. Lift the spine.

Find your longest, straightest line, roll down, head up, roll up. Reaching, reaching. Arms up. Legs down. Hands behind the head, inhale, flex the feet, and we twist, twist center, and twist, twist center.

Inhale, inhale, exhale, center. Inhale, inhale, exhale, center. And lift as you twist. And lift as you twist. Feel the spine, warm, and supple, and strong.

Last time. Center the body, take a breath in, exhale roll the spine down. Inhale, press the head into the hands, reach out, find your diagonal line. Exhale, arms out. Inhale, hands back.

Exhale, take it down, and all the way back up. Inhale, chin into the chest, articulate down. Reach out and up, head into the hands. Stretch the arms. Bend the elbows.

Go down. And roll up. One more time. Exhale to roll down. Reach out.

Press through. Hands back. Roll down. Roll up. Arms down, turn this way, cross the top leg over the bottom.

Stabilize by lifting the ribs up away from the bottom arm, inhale into your side plank. Exhale, so you reach up, find your side bend, look down. Inhale to come back, exhale to bend. And inhale out. Exhale up and over.

Inhale back, and bend. Last time, inhale out, exhale up and over. Inhale back, drop the knee, press the pelvis, hand behind the head, lift the leg, and pull pull, reach up and back. Pull pull, reach up and back. Pull pull, reach up and back, last two.

Up and back, one more. Up and back, take the top arm and reach through, rotate the spine, lift that top leg up and back. Up and back. Up. Two.

Come back to the side, lifting that leg. Bend, sit into that hip, sit into that hip and stretch. And bring the legs across to the other side. Top leg over the bottom leg, hand on the mat, lift the ribs up towards the spine, inhale, reach out. Exhale, up to go over, eyes down.

Inhale back, and bend. And reach out, feel the lightness in the body as you make an arc, make a rainbow. A bridge to a new tomorrow. And bend. And...

Out, cheesy New Year's one liners. Up and over, what's wrong with a bridge to a new tomorrow? We could all have one of those. Bend the bottom knee, lift the legs, hands behind the head, pelvis is pressed forward, in we go, pull pull, reach up and back, pull pull, up and back, pull pull, up and back. Last time.

Up and back, reach, rotate the body, take that leg even further back, and reach out and up. Out and up. Three. Two. One, bring it back around.

Lift even higher. And sit back. Find your stretch. Roll onto your stomach, stretch your legs out behind you, turn your head to face me, interlock your fingers. Abdominals in, hover the legs up.

Bend and kick, one, two, three, and stretch the body long. Head the other way, kick one, two, three, and stretch the body long. And kick three, two, one. And reach, laying the cheek down each time. Kick one, two, three, and reach.

Pause there, legs out, arms around the front, and swimming, inhale, two, three, four, five, exhale, two, three, four, five. In two, three, four, five. Exhale, two, three. Stabilizing the trunk. Exhale, two, three, four, five, two more.

And exhale, two, three, four, five, one more. Exhale, two, three, four, five. Arms out to the side, rise up, and bring the palms down. Pinky fingers to the sides of the legs, and inhale, lower a little. And exhale, pinky fingers to the sides of the legs, lift the chest, look just in front of you.

Inhale, lower a little, abdominals in for support. Reach up, stretch the arms back, and down. And reach up, stretch the arms back, and down. Last time, reach up, stretch back. Reach all the way back around to the front, bend the arms, lift the body, and sit back towards your feet.

And then roll yourself up, take the arms out to the sides, reach up overhead, inhale, exhale, round the spine. Stretch the arms forward, sit back towards the feet, take the arms down, press the arms and the hips past one another, reach the arms out to the side creating energy, lifting, strong and round. Sitting back, back stretching the back. Arms pulled down, hips past the arms, one more time. Reach up.

And round. And lift back up. Soft in your body now, soft as you lift your arms, lift your chest. And then allow the arms to just fall. Fall.

Soft. Maybe creating your intention for your moving practice for today, or for the year. My intention is always to be soft, it doesn't always work out, but it's always the intention. Taking the arms out and up, and then again, just allowing the arms to soften, and fall, and feeling light, and feeling easy. And feeling ready, ready to do whatever comes next.