Postnatal Essential: Energy

Hi, I'm Wendy, and I'm here to bring you an energizing flow. I know you might be exhausted and feeling tired, but just take a few minutes, grab your stability ball, and flow with me. You're gonna start on your knees, with your hands on the ball, inhale. (inhales) And as you exhale, roll through your spine (exhales) and just come to a nice Cat-Cow. (inhales) Exhale, curl, and roll back up. (exhales) Inhale again, exhale. Drop that chin. Roll on through, reach through the arms, and exhale, tuck, curl, and stack.

Starting to connect your breath (exhales) with your movement, arching the back, (exhales) staying connected to your core. One more time. (exhales) Inhale as you reach out. And exhale (exhales) all the way up. Go ahead and grab your ball. Reach out in front of you.

And you are just going to stay right here. Inhale, reach the ball up. (inhales) And exhale, (exhales) draw the belly in, and bring it down. You're gently pressing in with the palms of your hands. And you're actually using your arm muscles as you reach up and down. See if you can add a little hinge (exhales) if that feels okay.

In your knees, you might put a little pillow in between your legs, (exhales) again, staying long and staying lifted (exhales) and really holding that ball with purpose. (exhales) So press in with your pinky fingers, (exhales) with your palms, (inhales) and meet right at your center when the ball comes down. (exhales) Shoulders drawing down the back, two more. (exhales) Last one. And up. Bringing the ball off to the side, you'll lean your hip into the ball so that that's stabilizing you.

And bring one hand on the floor or hold onto the ball. (inhales) Lengthen that leg away. Use those obliques and lift your leg up (exhales) and down. (Wendy exhaling and inhaling) Again, using that core, (exhales) keeping everything in line. Try not to round the shoulders.

(exhales) Maybe you can reach your arm up towards the ceiling. (exhales) (inhales) Or just hold it down on your hip. (Wendy exhales) Three, two, and one, bringing your leg up. And see if you can just do little circles. (Wendy inhales) Seven and eight, and then reverse the direction. (Wendy exhaling) Four, five, six, seven, and eight.

Bringing that leg down, sliding it in, roll that ball over to the other side, leaning into your hip. Again, lengthen that leg out, bringing this arm down. And you're just gonna bring this leg up (exhales) (inhaling and exhaling) as you stay long through the waist. And reach through the toes. (exhales) And you can reach this arm up. (exhales) Try not to crunch or shorten.

You're only gonna bring the leg up as high as your hip. Three, two, and one. Go ahead and bring that leg down. Bring it all the way back up again. And little circles as you reach through the toes.

(Wendy exhaling) Two and one, other direction, reach. Three. (Wendy inhaling) And then go ahead, bringing that leg down, (exhales) go ahead and roll that ball so it's right in front of you. And you'll lean your hips into the ball. And just hold into the ball. Inhale, exhale. (exhales) Pull that belly away from the ball and towards your spine, (inhaling and exhaling) sliding the shoulders down.

(Wendy inhales and exhales) If this feels good, just go ahead and continue to do this. Engage those back muscles, or you can come onto the ball. Leave your chest draping over the ball. And just stay right here. Reach through the legs. (exhales) Slide the shoulders down, pressing into the ball with your hands.

Or you can reach your arms back behind you. Lift your head just a little bit. Stay long through the neck, and then bend, and up. And keep reaching. (exhales) And see if you can actually reach your arms long. Rotate your palms out.

And then bring your arms back. So reaching, opening, lifting, lowering, bending, reaching back. Palms come out. Palms come down. Two more. You shouldn't be feeling this in your low back.

You should really pull your core away from that ball, staying right here, and then down. Coming back all the way up, we're gonna come onto our back, onto the ball here. So again, use that core coming down so that the shoulders are on the ball. The the head is just supported with your hands. And you're just gonna press. (exhales) Inhale as you dip, and exhale. (exhales) Press up. (inhales) So push through the heels. (exhales) Reach your toes forward. (exhales) And use that core to lift (exhales) and launch you back. (exhales) (Wendy inhales) Two and one.

See if you can come back here. Walk your feet a little bit closer. Try not to drape your head down, but lift your head up, cradling it with your hands, elbows in. And just exhale. (exhales) Little bit of core work here, (exhales) not so much that you're doming or bulging, (exhales) bringing your gaze down towards (exhales) your knees. And your chin's gently (exhales) towards your chest.

You don't wanna move through the cervical spine. (exhales) You wanna keep it nice and long. (exhales) And just move your eyes. Just bring your gaze (exhales) towards the knees. (exhales) Two more. (Wendy exhales) And up. Go ahead and come all the way back down.

You'll take your ball, and you'll bring it in front of you. Make sure you have enough room, holding it right in front of your knees. Reach those hands long again. You're holding that ball with purpose. You can even spread your fingers.

Press through with your pinky finger and exhale, curl. (exhales) Roll all the way down with the ball. Inhale, reach the ball long, (inhales) sliding the shoulders down. (exhales) Come all the way up and reach through your fingertips and curl. Roll all the way down with the ball. Roll through your fingertips.

And slide your elbows down towards the wall in front of you, reaching and curling, (exhales) pressing into the ball. Elbows bend all the way up. Reach a little further each time. (Wendy exhaling and inhaling) And back. (Wendy exhaling and inhaling) And stay right here for an extra breath.

(exhales) And then come up, bringing the ball down onto the floor. Come down onto your back and bring your feet up onto the floor or your calves up onto the ball. (Wendy exhales) And again, make sure you can find that neutral pelvis here. And see if you can just do a little bridge. (exhales) Coming up as you press your heels into the ball, pressing the palms into the floor, curl and roll right back down. And again, exhale, curl, and bridge up.

Come up to as far as feels comfortable for you without overarching your back. And then come all the way down. If that feels okay, straighten your legs out a little bit. The less calf that you have on that ball, the more challenging it's going to be. So come up, flex those feet. (exhales) Reach out through the heels.

Walk the fingertips away. And then roll all the way back down. Inhale and exhale, curl, bridging on up, using that breath to stay energized. And roll on down. Inhale, exhale, curl, and bridge up here, pressing into the ball with your calves.

See if you can lift one leg up, reaching it up towards the ceiling. And then exhale, lower that leg down. Keep those hips lifted. And other leg comes up. And lower that leg down.

Exhale, curl, and roll all the way down, bringing the ball in (inhales) and pressing the ball away. (exhales) Inhale, flex. (inhales) And exhale, curl, and lift. And inhale, lift your leg up and reach. Stay lifted with your hips. And lower that leg down. And other side, leg lifts up and down.

And roll all the way down, bringing the ball in towards you. You're gonna hold onto the ball with the outsides or the insides of your ankles, so your feet are pretty wide, and you're just squeezing that ball. (exhales) And see if you can lift it up to tabletop. So knees right up over the hips and lengthen (exhales) your legs up. (Wendy inhaling and exhaling) Straight up towards the ceiling (exhales) as you use that core. (exhales) Or you can bring your legs a little bit lower (exhales) for a little more work. (exhales) Just make sure you're not arching that back. (exhales) Use those inner thighs to hold onto that ball, (exhales) relaxing the neck and the throat. (exhales) Two and one.

Go ahead and bring that ball back down. Your feet will come on top of the ball here. Make sure that you're squeezing your legs together. And as you open your legs up, you're gonna press the ball out and pull the ball in, inhaling as you open. And exhale, zip everything up. (exhales) Inhaling and exhaling.

Arms can come up. Inhale and exhale. (exhales) Inhale (inhales) and exhale. (Wendy exhales) Opening through the hips, (exhales) bringing everything back. (Wendy exhales) Last one, each side, reach out, rotating from the hips. (Wendy exhaling) Arms come down.

Come up off to your side. Come all the way back up. And you're energized and ready for your day.