Mindful Mobility Mat

Hi, I'm Christi Idavoy. And, we're going to do a mat class today. And, thank you guys so much for being here. So, we're going to start, we're going to switch things up today, and we're going to starting lying on our stomach. So, you can go ahead and lie down.

And, just start with your hands on your forearms. So that when you bring your forehead down your chest is slightly elevated. And, let your thighs and your body release for a moment. Just take a deep inhale through your nose. And, as you exhale just start off by letting things release, letting your bones settle in to place.

We'll take two more deep breaths that way. And as you exhale, you can let out a gentle sigh. Taking a pause in your day, taking a moment to realize that for the next few moments of the day, you don't have to do anything. It's all done. Taking some well deserved me time.

And, on your following inhale, go ahead and bend both of your knees. Guide your feet over to the right side, circle them back down towards the floor, and then around to the left, and back towards your bottom. We're just going to do some double leg circles this way. And notice how your pelvis moves around as your feet move around, and just to it to comfort. If you feel that you find any areas of discomfort, go a little slower around them.

Let your tissues start to figure out what's going on. And when you're ready, reverse the direction of your circle. Notice if it feels even. As we move in the opposite direction, notice how your thighs turn against the mat, and again how it influences your pelvis and your lower back. And, again reverse the direction of your circle.

Let your shoulders release; keep noticing your breath. Through what phase of the movement are you inhaling? Through what phase of the movement are you exhaling? And, again reverse the direction of your circle. And, just one more time in the opposite direction.

Last time reversing the direction. And, as the feet lengthen out, go ahead and let them release there, and just kinda rock your pelvis from side to side a little bit. Let it wobble from side to side. Let your head release. Notice if the rocking travels all the way up into your head.

Sometimes the forehead will feel tender against your hands and wrist. That's okay. Let your forehead release. It's a little bit of a botox release for your eyebrows and expression lines. Just keep your jaw real relaxed.

Then, allow yourself to settle into the center. Again, take a deep inhale. And this time, lift your right leg up, off of the mat. Guide your right leg over your left leg. It's going to pick your hip up, start to turn.

Try and keep both elbows on the ground though. Inhale while you're there. And as you exhale, bring the feet together, and let your body release back down into the center. Again, wobble a little bit from side to side. Let your bones settle, let things release.

Find the pause as you inhale to lift your left leg up. Keep lifting it up and then cross over the right leg. Let it lift your hip and take you into a bit of a twist. Both elbows stay on the mat. Shoulders away from the ears, inhale.

Exhale, guide the feet towards each other. Bring that leg back. Find the center. Let your body wobble and center. Last time.

Reaching the right leg up on the inhale. Take it across the back of the left leg. Reaching long through those toes, notice how your ribs lift away from the mat as you inhale. Exhale, bring the feet back together again. Allow everything to settle.

One more time on the left. Inhale, lift the left leg up. Crossing over the hip, the waist, and the ribs peel up. Both elbows stay down, shoulders wide. On the exhale, bring the feet back together.

Let the body center and release. On your following inhale, go ahead and slide the hands down next to your shoulders now. As if we're looking into a pond back at our reflection, look straight into the floor. Open your big hands up to big palms. Inhale, roll the shoulders up the ears.

Exhale, guide the shoulders away from the ears. As you do that, feel free to fidget and move your hands around so that they feel that they are in a place where you can move your shoulders around pretty comfortably. Inhaling the shoulders up, exhaling the shoulders down. One last time, inhale them up. And as the shoulders exhale and go down, start to reach your breastbone forward and up, keeping the lower ribs on the mat though.

So, coming up into a small little swan, and then slowly release back down. Inhale while you're here. Exhale, shoulder blades glide wide, articulating up through the top part of the spine. Back of the neck stays long and then slowly release back down. Notice your using the least amount of effort through your glutes.

Exhale, shoulders back and wide. We're going to do that three more times. If you feel any discomfort in your lower back, try and work less and move less, only warming up. Try not to create too much strain. Inhale as you rise up or exhale.

Just kinda stay in tune with the breath. Last one. And then the next time that we come up, we're going to hold it there, lengthen through the back of your neck. Imagine someone's pulling the hairline over the tops of your head. Make sure that your ribs are on the mat.

Inhale, reach your arms out into a T and then reach the hands back towards the toes. If your feel strain in your back, lower your body down just a little bit. Otherwise, try to lift a little wider as if you had eyes under your collarbones. We're going to start pulsing the arms here. Inhale, 2-3-4, exhale, 2-3-4.

Long finger tips, back of the next is long. Pubic bones gently pressing into the mat. As long as you're feeling good, start to float your legs off of the ground. Fingertips really long, crown of the head reaching long. Keep the arms pulsing and tap the heels.

Hands pulsing to the floor and heels tapping. Inhale, 2-3-4, exhale, 2-3-4. Two more breaths. Shoulders wide. Get all the air out.

Hold it. Reach up a little longer. Hands back under your forehead. Let your thighs release. Rock your body from side to side again.

Let your head rock also from side to side. And, then find center. Inhale, bring your hands back where they were. Exhale to come up. Shoulder blades roll wide.

Press through your hands and knees. Come up to the top of a swan, and then sit your hips back in to child's pose. Push the mat away. Make it feel like you really want to press your butt down into your heels. You can separate your knees, so that your belly can drop through the legs.

It might also help give you a bit of a back stretch. Inhale while you're here. Exhale, maybe reach the hands out a little further if you've got space there. Make it feel like you want your torso and your fingertips to grow long away from your heavy hips. Take one more breath while you're there.

And, as you exhale, make your way up on to all fours. Go ahead and bring your knees right underneath your hips and the wrist right underneath the shoulders. As you inhale, lift your sitz bones up, roll the shoulders back and then look up. Exhale, and send your tailbone down first, and then your shoulders, and then your head releases down. Inhale, lead from the tailbone in both directions.

So, it's a rippling movement, and then the tailbone, like we're bridging. Rolling the tailbone towards the knees, lower back lengthens, upper back lengthens, head drops. Inhale, tailbone up. Exhale, it down. Let it become a little more fluid.

Two more. Pressing steadily through the arms. Keeping width across the shoulders and the collarbones. Notice your jaw is relaxed. Once more, tailbone lifts up.

And the next time that you found yourself round in that cat position, go ahead and separate your knees just a little wider then hip length apart and bring your feet together. Keep lifting your upper back as you walk your hands towards your knees, pretend you're doing the kneeling cat, except we're doing it on the mat. Fingertips coming in towards the knees, move your pubic bone forward as you rise up into a kneeling position. Inhale, reach the arms up. As we exhale, lift up and over an imaginary ball.

Keep the feeling of your pelvis staying forward as you curl down. And, then walk your hands out forward. Lift your sitz bones up, and just stretch your heart open. Inhale here, exhale, walk your hands back. One more time.

Bring the fingertips close to the knees. Move the pubic bone forward and up. Inhale, lift the heart up. Exhale, curl it down. Keep your pubic bone moving forward, so your try to get as much length out of your lower back, and then walk your hands forward.

Stick out your butt, push the floor away, bring your elbows down, drop your chest in to the floor. Last time, exhale floating back up. Walking the hands back. Fingertips in front of the knees, curling back up. Inhale and lift up.

Circle the arms out and around. Bring your knees just a little bit closer. Honestly, just find the place where you're most comfortable. We're going to reach the arms out in front of us now. As you exhale, push down in to the tops of your feet for thigh stretch.

Hinging back, pressing down in to the feet, and then lengthening back up. Shoulders wide away from the ears. Pretend that you have a band or a bar to pull apart so you're arms are pressing out as your feet are pressing down. If you feel discomfort in your knees, you might want to tucking your toes under. It is called thigh stretch.

So, you hopefully are feeling a long pull across the front of your thighs. If not, check in with you tailbone. Make sure it's still rooting down through the knees. Now, the next time that you curl back, hold it there, or hinge back I should say, inhale, reach the arms up. Lengthen up, exhale bring them down, and float back up on to the knees.

And, again, exhale, hinge back. Push the tops of the knees in to the mat. Lift the arms up and lengthen. Find your edge where you find that little quiver. Last time.

And, back up. Round back up and around bringing the hands back on to the mat. Walk the hands back out so we come back in to an all fours position. On your following exhale, bring your right foot in between your hands. Now, take your left leg towards the right side of your mat.

Turn towards your left to come up. Straighten your right leg out. Makes sure that your hands, your hands on your hips give the information about where they are. And, if you feel discomfort on that lengthen side, you can move your foot out in front of your hips so that you are able to get your hips level. Inhale, reach the left arm up and over your head.

As you exhale, lift up and over the right leg, side bending to the right. Inhale in to the top rib. Exhale bring it up and around. Bring your left hand on to the mat now, coming in to high kneeling for the leg series. Reach that top leg long away from the crown of your head.

As you exhale, point the toes and reach your leg back. Flex the foot, inhaling the leg forward. Exhale it back. Inhaling forward. Limit the range of movement to one where you feel that you can stay still through your trunk.

Again, use your breath in the way that feels the most supportive. Reach the right arm up to the ceiling. Really press down with that bottom arm. Then reach your right arm up and over your head. Move your right arm in opposition to your leg.

As your leg goes forward, bring your arm overhead. As your leg goes back, take your arm forward. Three more. Two more. Last one.

Line it up where you feel long. Reach your right arm up back up to the sky. Arms in a T, push the floor away, lift your leg up just a little higher, and then bring it down. Come all the way back up. Take the cartwheel back up and over the right leg.

Inhale while you're there. Exhale, bring it up and around. Turn to your left now, coming back in to quadruped, facing the other way. Big open palms open on the floor, knees under the hips. Inhale, arch your spine up.

Exhale from the tailbone back down. Again, start to lead from the tailbone. Inhale, lift your hips, throw the shoulders back. Exhale. Create a ripple, wavelike feeling through the spine.

Just one more. Keep leading from the tail, like we're bridging on all fours. One more. And, as your round, hold it there. Exhale, take your left foot up.

Take your right foot back. Now, lengthen your left leg out to the side coming up on to your right knee. Inhale, reach your right arm up and lengthen up and over the left leg. Inhale while you're here. As you exhale, take that top arm up and over, plant it down on the floor, lift the left leg up, and just find your position.

As you exhale, reach your left leg back, pointing the toes, flex the foot, inhale it forward. Exhaling back, inhaling forward. As you feel ready, reach your left arm up towards the sky. Both arms reaching away from each other. Collarbones staying wide on the front.

Shoulders staying wide on the back. Keep going, reaching your arm up over your head. And then reaching your top arm in opposition to your leg. Last two. One more.

And then lengthen all out. Find that position. Hold it there. Reach the top arm back up. Lift your leg up just a little higher and hold.

And, bring that leg down. Press all the way up back in to that side bend. Lengthen the left arm down the leg, lifting up through the top ribs. Inhale while you're there. As you exhale, you're going to bring your arm back up and around, turning back to the right side now.

Both knees back on the ground, separate the legs and just sit back in to a child's pose. Let your hips release back, reach the arms all the way out. Take a deep inhale in to your belly. Notice how your lower back feels. As you exhale, let your hips settle.

Let things release. Take one more breath. And on your following inhale, folding back up on to hands and knees. Last time. This time spread the fingertips open.

Lengthen your left leg back and then exhale your right leg back. Find the top of a plank position. As you inhale, pike your hips up, press them out a way, in to an inverted V. Shoulders away from the ears, and just bend one knee, stretch the opposite heel down, and pedal through the feet. If you feel like you want more of a stretch, you can walk your feet in a little closer to your hands.

You can also try sticking out your butt just a bit. Feeling like your sitz bones are rooting up through the sky as your heels are reaching down in opposition. Keep the palms open, the fingertips spread apart. And then when you're ready, keep this pedaling motion and start walking the feet towards the hands. Keep the knees bent as they need to, bring the feet up so that they come close to your fingers just behind your hands.

And, then send your weight forward in to your toes. Again, you're welcome to keep the knees slightly bent, especially if you feel electric sensation. Inhale while you're there, let your head dangle. As you exhale, send your tailbone down. The backs of your legs rolling up through the spine.

Your head will be the last thing that comes up. Again leading from the pelvis. As your head comes up, inhale. Open your palms out to the side like you're open and ready to receive. Lift your chest up.

Exhaling, soften the knees, let the head and the hands turn, rounding through the spine, curling all the way, sending the weight through the toes. This time bend the knees, come all the way down, and then have a seat just behind your heels. Bring the hands on to the front of the thighs. Inhale while we're here. We're going to roll like a ball.

As you exhale, we'll go back. Think of sending your pubic bone in to your lower back throughout, keeping the heels close to the bottom, and pushing the shins in to the hands. Last three. One more. And now roll back and stay back there.

Keep the head up, both hands on the right knee, left hand right knee, right hand right shin. Push your shin in to your hand. Stretch that left leg out. And switch. Power in your exhale.

Look at the front of your body. Notice that you're able to manage with your exhale and the abdominal wall drawing in. Lots of length through your leg. Last four. And, three.

And, two. Last one. Both knees in. And take a moment to rest. Inhale.

As you exhale, both hands on the knees. Curling back up, hold that shape with the tailbone rooting down and the back of the spine as well. On your following exhale, double leg stretch. You could also reach your hands out towards your toes. If you feel discomfort in your neck, you can also do these with your head down.

And, four. Three. Two. One. Last time.

Extra. And now lengthen your legs and arms all the way out. Bring your body down and let it all release. Circle the arms down at your sides. Bring one foot in at a time.

Heels in line with the sitz bones. As you exhale, roll your tailbone towards your knees, curling up in to bridge. When you're at the top of the bridge, take a breath, and then slowly roll back down. Massage your spine in to the mat on the way up and on the way down. Notice how your legs feel.

If you feel one more than the other, notice if your pressing in to one foot more than the other. Inhale at the bottom. Exhale to curl up. Keep your jaw and your shoulders heavy. Two more.

Last one. We're going to curl up and hold ourselves up at the top of the bridge. Tuck your shoulders under, lifting your chest up towards your chin, keeping the back of your head on the mat for high bridge. Bend the elbows and tuck your hands underneath your pelvis. So, it's important here that the back of your head stay on the mat, and that the outer shoulders come on to the mat.

As you exhale, reach your left leg up towards the ceiling. Bend the knee and bring it back down. It's okay if it's your right leg. We're just going to march one leg up at a time and then the other. So, when you're moving your legs, which you want to feel is that your pelvis is very much supported in your hands.

Hopefully, it feels good. You can kinda traction your lower back here. Your hands feeling like they're going to pull your bottom towards the knees. Just do one more. Now, keep the left leg up, push down in to the right foot, bring the hands back down to the floor, keeping your body in the same position.

Back of the neck stays long. Exhale, reach the left leg towards the front of the room or away from the head. Inhale it up. Really pressing down with the right leg, reaching up with the left leg. Last two.

One more. Lift that left leg up. Bring your hands back under the sacrum. Reposition the pelvis, bend the knee, bring it down. Make sure you can easily get your hips on both hands.

Reach your right leg up. Push down in to your left foot now. Bring your hands back down. Exhale, reach your right leg out. Inhale, it up.

Left leg pressing down. Right toes reaching long. Back of the head is heavy, your neck is long. Just two more. One more.

Reach it to the ceiling. Bend the knee, bring it down, reach both hands up to the ceiling and melt the spine all the way down. Once your body is down, bring your hands to your knees and knees to your chest. Pull them in. Circle the knees around.

Both knees circling in the same direction, massage the lower back, and then circle them in the opposite direction. Notice your breath. Notice your heart rate. One more time, circle in the opposite direction. And, changing the direction one last time.

Find center with the knees over the chest. Let the arms lengthen down at your sides. Inhale, reach both legs up to the ceiling now. As we exhale, we're going to roll up and over in to roll over. Press down through the arms.

Pretend we're going to have a cocktail party and the tray of cocktails will be served on the back of your thighs. Keep them parallel to the floor. Separate the feet. Flex through the ankles and slowly roll down as if your heels have magnets reaching to the back of the room while your spine is magnetized down to the floor. Keep space between the thighs and the body.

Once the tailbone is on the mat, point the toes up to the sky. Circle the legs out and around. Exhale them back up and over only to parallel. Flex the feet parallel to the floor that is. Separate the legs.

Roll down slowly. Create a sense of opposition between the heels and the spine. Once the tailbone is down, point the toes, exhale the circle out and around. Last one. Up, and curl up and over, flex through the ankles, separate shoulder length apart.

Exhale rolling down. Point through the toes, circle the legs out and around, bend the knees, take a moment. Place your hands on your knees, inhale. As you exhale, again, lift through your head, neck, and shoulders, curling up and just hold it there for a second. Use your knees, pushing in to your hands to help yourself up.

Inhale while you're there. As you exhale, slowly roll back down. Just do that two more times. Inhale when you're up. Exhale to lower down.

Last one. Exhale curling up. Inhale when you're up. Exhale, lower it down. Let both arms release back down at your sides.

Reach both legs back up towards the sky. If the hamstrings are really feeling a lot, you can keep your knees slightly bent. On the exhale, imagine that you want your right leg to touch the ceiling and start taking both legs over towards the left. And, then bring both legs back to center. Now, go the other way.

Left hip lifting up, rolling over to the right. Back to center. This time, do it with the arms reaching towards the sky. Exhale up and over to the left. Inhale it to center.

Exhale up and over to the right. Inhale to center. As your legs go to the left, turn your head and eyes to the right. Inhale to center. Exhale up and over to the right.

Turn your head to the left. Inhale to center. One more time. Find the center. Bring the hands behind the knees.

Now, separate the legs, roll up to sitting. Inhale, sit up tall. Exhale, roll down slowly. Take your time. Take your time.

Keep your feet on the mat as long as you can and drag the legs in. Inhale on your back. Exhale, roll back up. Sit up tall and then roll back down slow. Try and go slow on that point, right.

We all have that one point where we have that little moment of loss of control. Try and slow it down when you get to that sticky spot if you have one. Exhale to curl up. Move at your own pace. We'll do this two more times.

So, we learn, teach the body how to use the legs as a prop. So, it's like the weight of your legs helps you slow down the timing and hold for a moment in that place where you may find stickiness in your lower back. Now, this time, keep your feet planted, interlace your hands behind your head. Elbows forward, curl down slowly. Use your legs.

Let them come in towards you. Find that spot where you know if you keep going your feet are going to come up, and then slowly sit up from there. Inhale. Exhale again. Notice how much those arms are helping you.

And, then inhale, sit up tall. Last one. Then hold yourself there, reach your hands out towards your knees. We're going to roll down with the hands reaching towards the feet. Create that sense of opposition to help you slow down and then hold it.

Hold it right as you get your ribs on to the mat. Bring one leg up. Bring the other leg up. Hold it there and breathe. Curl up just a little bit higher even though you might not go to far.

Keep reaching the hands as far away as you can. Hold it and breathe for one more breath. Keep your legs up. Slowly release your head back down. Interlace your hands again, bring them behind your head.

Elbows towards the sky. Shoulders away from the ears. We're going to curl up for criss cross now. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, send the ribs back in to the mat.

Look through your thighs, hold it there. Stretch your left leg out as your right, sorry left shoulder reaches for your right knee and then switch. Think of your shoulder reaching across for the knee, trying to curl up to get the shoulder blades up and away from the mat. Use the exhale to generate power and then reach through the toes. Four.

Three. Two. Last time. Find your center and release it down. Bring the hands back to clasp the back of the thighs.

Inhale. Exhale rolling like a ball. Curling up, grab the shins once you're up there and just rock with it. Make this more of a liberating roll, not such a tight one. One where it feels a bit more fun.

We're going to roll up to standing. Push down and reach up. I know, threw that out. Inhale reaching out. Exhale, we're going to bend the knees.

Stick your butt out. Reach your hands forward like you're going to a low chair. Go low, go low, go low, go low. Lower it down, roll back. We're going to roll back and then roll back up to standing.

Ready, here we go. Exhale back and then forward and up and open, inhale. Exhale, squat down, reach up. Squat down slow, squat down slow, pause. Okay, here we go.

Exhale, roll it back. Roll it up, push through, and up. And then squat down, squat, squat, squat, squat, squat, squatty, squat, squat, and then roll down and up. Last time. Come all the way down, all the way down.

Find the moment and pause. Roll it back all the way up to standing and then lower down, lower down. Hold it here. Shoulders away from the ears. Look down towards the floor in front of you.

Bring your arms back. Roll the thumbs out so your chest is open. See if you can lower down just a little bit more and then press up just a tiny bit. Get to your shoulders to roll back, lift your chest, rather than your chin, lift your chest. Keep squatting down in to your heels.

Reach the arms out over your head. Reach the fingertips away from the sitz bones and vice versa. Shoulders wide away from the ears. Lower down just a little bit more. Lower down and hold it.

Come up just a tiny bit. Press down through your heels. Shoulders away from the ears. One more breath. Press all the way to stand.

Let the arms release and breathe. Close your eyes. Notice your heart rate. Notice your breath. Start to slow down your exhale.

You can use your nose or your mouth. Bring your awareness in to your hands and down in to the soles of your feet. Notice if it feels like every part of you is pulsing. On your inhale, reach your hands back out in front of you like you're a zombie walking through. As you exhale, soften your knees, bend your knees just a little bit.

Start to curl down from the top of the head, rounding down, rounding down. Enjoy the stretch, let the knees bend. Curl down, keep bending the knees until your heels come off the ground, unless you have really flexible ankles and they don't come off the ground. Lower all the way down and then slowly bring your bottom on to the floor. Roll all the way back to lie down.

Lengthen the legs all the way out. Let your eyes close. Let your palms open. Let your thighs and your body just kinda drop wherever it wants to fall. And again, bring your awareness to your breath.

Start to slow down your exhale a little bit further. Notice the parts of you that clearly contact the floor. You're a sponge. Allow your body to absorb all the information that you've given it. Find support from the earth.

Allow yourself to let go. You've done a great job. When you're ready, go ahead and bend your right knee. Plant your foot on the mat. Then, bend your left knee.

Separate the feet pretty wide apart and open the arms out in to a T. As you exhale, let both knees drop over towards the left side. Inhale while you're there. Exhale, bring them back to the center. Let the go to the right side.

Take a breath while you're there. Coming back up to center and just rocking side to side a couple times. Go as far as you'd like. Just simply enjoying the stretch. And then when you're ready, you'll turn yourself on to your side.

You can stay on your side for just a moment. And, as you're ready, you'll make your way up to sitting in a comfortable position. And, just let your arms release on your legs for a moment. Find your seat, again you can keep your eyes closed, or close them one more time. Bringing your awareness from your seat up towards your belly button.

And from your belly button, out towards your arm pits. Find the width of your shoulders. Coming back in to the narrow part of your neck and traveling up through the crown of your head. As you inhale, reach the arms up and over, meeting, palms in line with the crown of the head. And, then let the palms slide down in front of your heart center.

And just take a moment to find gratitude for all of your abilities, to find gratitude for the space that you make for yourself, and feeling grateful for all of the support we have in our community. And thank you for watching.