(1 Hr) Get Unlocked! Posture Busting Sequences - Chair Yoga with Sherry Zak Morris, C-IAYT

Okay, everybody. Are we all here? Good. I hope so. So, thank you for the patience in just welcoming our new folks. Julie and Pat, nice to have you guys here. Fernando and Fred, right? So you guys are here. This is your third class now, huh? And this is a different teacher today. Right? You haven't had me yet. Be prepared, okay? Yeah. Really. I'm a little lively, and I dance sometimes, too, so we just have fun, you guys. It's all about having fun and moving. Okay? So, some of you have seen the camera in the room before. The new folks have not seen the camera in the room. So, periodically, I film these classes, and you guys, I wanted to film today because I wanted to mention Oh, wait, we have one more new person. Your name, hun? Velia. Velia. Nice to have you. Nice to have you. So, Velia. Isn't that a nice name? So, all of you, you can see you're not in the video. Okay? We're filming my teaching and these wonderful two models that I pay really, really well in the front row. They're actually on the corner of one of my video DVDs, I mean, on the cover, so they're famous. But I want to share this with you guys because I've been so excited ever since I got this email. I have a gentleman who's probably in his early 40s. He took my online chair yoga training class, and he's in Ireland. And he has been working on this program for two years to go out to all the very small villages in Ireland and offer chair yoga to the seniors. And now he has 350 seniors taking this program across Ireland based on the stuff that we do here, you guys. I just want to say that because sometimes we don't realize you guys right here are making an impact around the world for the health of seniors. And what they're targeting are seniors who can't get out and about, they can't drive, so they are just local village type folks. And one lady, and this one made me cry, she says, now I can take the roast out of the oven on Sundays. Right? Isn't it all about that, you guys? It's all about keeping the independence that we have and we want to keep. And the only way we can do that is to be able to be moving healthy and keep our joints healthy and being strong. So that's what we do. So everything we do here is all about that. So if anything hurts, don't do it. But if it's tight, right? Remember, tight is usually meaning you've got to stretch a little bit. So we're going to start first by just being quiet, okay? It's hard for me to do that, but I try very hard, okay? So plant your feet. Exactly. Close your eyes and place your hands on your laps, okay? So this moment right now, we're just going to find a little bit of quiet and peace, right? In our bodies and maybe in our spirits. Nice deep breath in and out, a few rounds. You tell yourself these words, that all is well. Everything is going to be fine. I know some of you are worried about someone in particular. I want you to just know and rest assured that everything is going to work out. It's really important to keep in our spirits that all is well, everything will work out. Because worry doesn't get you anywhere. Keep that optimism for you and for that other person you're thinking about. So gently taking a deep breath. Exhale, tuck your chin downwards. We're just going to bow the head and stretch the neck a little bit here. So remember, all movements are just gentle when we first start to warm up. So gently bringing your right ear over to your right shoulder. And then back to the center and over to the other side. Good, and then just gently rock side to side, just back and forth. Exploring the sensations. So what are the sensations? Tight, a little achy, maybe a little clicky. That's normal. And then when your right ear is over to your right shoulder, you're going to drop your left hand down to the side like you're trying to just dangle it here on the left side of your chair. And then give your arm a little wiggle. Shake it out a little bit. Shake your fingers, your wrist. And then do a pumping sensation. So you're going to make a tight, tight fist. And then you're going to spread your fingers nice and long and extend them. And then grip with your fist and then spread your fingers. And one more time, grip tight and extend. Good, then the chin comes back to the center and the hand comes to the left. We'll go to the other side. So it'll be left ear, left shoulder. Right arm's going to go down. Shake it out a little bit. Shake that shoulder joint a little looser. And then we'll do that grip. So make a tight fist. Spread the fingers. And a tight fist. Spread them wide. And last time, tight, tight, tight. And then spread it wide. Good. And bring the head back to the center. Take your fingertips to your shoulders. Open up your eyes. And we're going to take those shoulders up and back and around. So some of you know that I've been nursing a little bit of a shoulder issue. And I finally figured out what I did to get that little shoulder issue. It's always good to know what you did that caused a little bit of your pain and suffering, right? So this is the motion that I did, you guys. I was wiping my counters like this. So this little motion created this little aggravation. And that's why I asked you for your house cleaner's name. I asked Norma for a house cleaner. It's like, I need someone to help me with the house cleaning. So let's take the hands, and we're going to slowly go into that. We're wiping the counter right now. Yeah. Good. And then we'll do the other side, and we're going to wipe. And then we're going to go like this, and both hands are just going to wipe. Yeah, just going to move it around. Yeah. Good. Alright. And then take your hands out in front, and then make a fist, and open and close. Good. Now we're going to do something I call just joints. We're opening and closing the fingers, and then we're twirling the wrists and opening and closing the fingers at the same time. Yeah. Good. And then we'll get the elbows to move, and the fingers and the wrists are still moving. Remember, everything is kind of twirling. Good. And then now, shoulders go back. So one goes back, and the other. Good. You got it, Pat. Good. And then we do the hula side to side. Good. And then we do the hula the other side. And then we smile. Let me see. Yay. Yeah. Yeah. And then we wave. Yay. You guys look so cool. Good. And then we shake a little bit up there. And then we shake a little bit down here. And we'll take it to one side and give it a good shake over there. And then to the center to the other side. And one more time to the center, and then you're going to place your hands on your laps with your fingers facing up. Maybe feel a little tingle there. Yeah, that's just moving the energy around. Good, you guys. So we're going to do something called the mirror. I like this one. I think it's kind of clever. It opens the shoulders and stretches the neck in this little sequence. So we're going to take the left hand, and we're going to bring it out in front like we're looking at a mirror. So you're looking at your palm. And then we're going to move over to the left. So actually, we're going to twist the body all the way to the left as far as you can comfortably go. Good. And then take your hand back. You're looking at the mirror still, and you're going to take your fingertips to your right shoulder. And when you touch, see if you can tuck your chin down there and almost take your chin to your thumb. Yeah. Good. So back up again. Look at the mirror. We're going to take it all the way out. Twist a little bit to the left as far as it feels good. Good. This is actually good for your eyes. We're working the focus of your eyes all the way back to the center, crisscross. And then tuck your chin and look down at your fingertips. Good. And then bring the hand all the way up, and we're going to switch the mirror. Here we go. All the way up to the right. A little twist. Pull that shoulder back. Maybe a little. Good. Bring it all the way back. Keep looking at the palm like it's your mirror. And then your fingertips cross to the left shoulder. Tuck the chin. And then again, up in front of you. And here we go. Off to the right side. Twist your back. Good. And when you come all the way back to the center, we're going to tuck again one more time. Good. Now bring both hands out. We're going to look in the mirror in both eyes. One goes one way and one goes the other way. Let's see if we can do it. Come on. All the way out. All the way out. Good. I can't do it. Can you see peripheral vision though? Can you see your hands in your peripheral vision? And then bring your palms and your elbows together. Good. And now we're going to do a little back arch. So we're going to open up again. This time the head is up and the shoulders roll back. That's your back arch. That strengthens your back muscles. And then when you put your palms and your elbows together, this time we're going to tuck the chin and round the back. And that's going to stretch your back. Good. Inhale. We're going to lift up. Reach up. And exhale all the way down. Good. And then the arms come all the way out into cactus arms. Spread them all the way wide. Turn your palms up, up, up. Good. Reach them up. Touch them at the top in prayer. And bring them all the way down to the center. Good. So once your hands are here, I want you to take your hands and we're going to turn them inside out. So that means we're trying to match the thumbs up on the outside. I know that's really hard to do. How we got that? The fingers, the back of the fingers are touching and we're trying to get the thumbs to touch. Good. Now we're going to bring it back. Oh no, actually we're going to take a dip. We're going to take those fingertips down. Dip, dip, dip down towards the center. Good. Come back up. Turn the palms now facing each other. And we're going to reach up. So we're going to take the elbows together as we reach up. And when we're at the top, we're going to open up the fingers. So that's your lotus flower. Good. You guys, we're going to do it one more time. Come back to the heart. Turn the hands back to back. So this is just dexterity, right? We're just working these interesting angles of our joints. And come back. Oh, I did it wrong. So we got to go again. Because we have to take the dip. So the fingers are dipping down. It's like the petals of the flowers going down into the water. Good. And then it's coming up. Flip the palms. Now they're going to touch together. And we're going to lift up. So the elbows are going to touch once we get up as high as we can. And then open up the petals. Maybe even look up. That'll stretch your neck a little bit. Good. And bring it all the way down. Good. And then bring your hands out in front of you. We're going to give them a little stretch. Take your hands back to back. And then make a knuckle tight. And then pump it. Yeah. Pump the knuckles. Yeah. Because that will stretch these little forearm extensors. These guys can get a little tight. Good. And then release it. Alright. So I have a new student. She's not here, so I can talk about her. So I notice when we do our Shavasana at the end of class, a lot of you get on the floor, but some of you who stay in the chair, you know I give you a back rub? This is how she was, you guys, the whole time in Shavasana. And I know it felt so good for her. I know it did. You've got to do this right now. Just do this right now. Hang your head. Roll your shoulders. And just hang there. It feels good, doesn't it? It feels like it's stretching so much back there. And this whole area gets so tight, but this is the problem, you guys. We have something in yoga we call muscles that are locked short and muscles that are locked long. These muscles, all these muscles here, all in your back and your shoulders, they're locked long. They're like stuck there. They like to be there. These muscles here are locked short. Right? So we've got to do the opposite. If we want to have that nice posture, we've got to open up these shoulders and make them longer. And we've got to strengthen these muscles and make them shorter. Right? So when we do poses like this, you guys, go back, go back, go back. Yeah. And then forward a little bit. And then go back a little bit. Yeah. So that little movement is important. It's really important. That's why I encourage you to be down on the floor because there's no way on the floor you could be like this. Right? So on the floor, especially if your arms are in cactus, this really helps stretch this part of our musculature. So we're going to do that. We're going to do a little bit of peck stretch. So this one is tight. As I mentioned, if you're rolling forward, this little muscle area is going to be tight. So we're going to stretch it nice gently. So we're going to take the left hand out in front. We're going to make a hitchhiker thumb. And then we're going to move one finger at a time and take it to the left. So it goes one, two, three, four. So you can see how we're stretching into that front of the chest. Now when you're there, I want you to turn your head to the right and nod twice. Once and twice. Good. Look back at your hand. And we're going to bring the pinky in first and then every other finger after that. So it's four, three, two, and one. Good. Now let's go to the other side. Right hand out. One, two, three, four. Far as you can. Get that little tug in the little pool in front of your shoulder. Turn your head. Nod to the left and nod twice. You should feel that inner arm stretching a little bit. Good. Look back at your hand. And we're going to go four, three, two, and one. Good. So now if you're feeling it, even the stretch here and here, because it's all interconnected, right? We're stretching this, but everything gets stretched. We're going to do one more little intense stretch. So you guys decide if you want to do this version. We're going to go out again. One, two, three, four. This time fingers go backwards. Palm goes forward. Yeah. Then turn your head to the right and nod twice. Good. Pushing the palm away. Good. Look back at your hand. Straighten out your fingers. And here we go. Pinky first. Four, three, two, and one. And then the last one. Oh, this is going to have you sitting up tall and straight. Here we go. One, two, three, four. As far as you can. Fingers back. Palms forward. We're pushing the palms away from us, right? Turn your head to the left. Nod twice. Once and twice. Turn back at your hand. Straighten out your fingers. And here we go. Four, three, two, and one. Good. And then go like this. Just open up. Yeah. So when you're hanging around outside or just going to the Home Depot, do this in the aisles. Hi, everybody! Right? This is it. This is your open heart. This is where your body wants to be. Your body does not want to be here even though it's super cozy. Okay. And then release it. Shake it out. Okay. So let's do something for the feet. Let's take one foot up and just point and flex a little bit. Yeah. We're going to work the dexterity of our feet now. And then we'll do the other one. Good. And then guess what? We're going to do both. Why not? It's a little bit more work when we do both. Yeah. And then roll it around one direction and then roll it around the other direction and then shake it out a little bit. And then go like this a little bit. Good. So we're going to do a little bit of hip movement. We're going to take the left leg and we're going to lift it up. So what we're going to do is we're going to go into all the movements of the hip joint. So this up and down movement, we call this a flexion. This is the movement that you need when you walk up the steps. And then we're going to roll it in the socket, around and around. This is called circumduction, which means circular, right? And this is a ball and socket joint. So it needs to roll like this. Even if it clicks a little bit, right? And then going out and in like this. This is called abduction and adduction. This is what keeps you balanced. Those muscles of balance are these muscles here. Good. And then we're going to extend it all the way out and let's see if both hands can come up. Oh, that's a strengthener. Oh, yeah. And then come all the way down. Good. Shake it out. Okay, so next one. Here we go. Up and down a couple times. Walking up the steps, up and down. Good. Roll it around in the socket. Good. Maybe the other direction. Yeah, always good to get into the joint in different directions. Good. Then we'll go in and out a few times. This one's important because this is not a movement we do every day, but it's an important group of muscles. And then we're going to stretch it out and we're going to strengthen. And maybe the arms can come up in just a moment. Yeah, good. And then stretch out. Now, the one movement we haven't done, which is extension of your hips. How are we going to open up these hips? Right now they're 90 degree angle, right? How are we going to open them up? Anybody? You guys know this by now. There. Right? Remember that movement? Windshield wiper. And I know, Pat, that might be a little challenging, so do the best you can. You're pivoting on the seat. Yeah. And you're trying to drop one knee down a little bit. I know that's hard. Good. You got it. Valeria, good. You got it. See? It's stretching in the front of your hips. Good, you guys. Good. And then come all the way back, and all the way back. Good. Alright, so you guys know I'm into core strengthening these days. I've been doing a lot of research on it, and core strengthening is really important for our posture. It's really good for the low back. So we're going to do this one. We're going to bring both legs up. And we're going to crisscross. And then we're going to take the hands and we're going to crisscross. And we're going to keep on going until someone tells me to stop. Okay. Who's going to be the one? Yeah. Or the first person off the chair. Then we stop. Okay? So, oh, yeah. So guess what? Inner and outer thighs are working. Belly muscles are working. Arms are working. We're probably getting a little warm, too. Good. Susie, you ready? Stop. Okay, stop. Oh, that was a lot of work. All right. So now we're going to move into the webbing of our hands. Okay, you guys? So the webbing of the hands is everything that's not your bones, right? So I want you to give a little massage to your fingers. Go right in between. You can either do the front or the inside, right? You can find it. The knuckles and the bones, right? You're going to go right in between the webbing. And you're just going to mush around in there. That's a very technical term. Mush around in there. Yeah, exactly. Remember the thumb area? All that webbing? Good. Yeah, the webbing. And then take your fingers and pull them long. Remember, that's traction. All your joints love that. I was telling Richard in the parking lot that my fingers are starting to get a little bit of that achiness now. The weather's changing. Anybody feeling that? Okay, do the other side. Remember the webbing. Just kind of mushing in there. So this is going to keep... Well, first of all, you can see your hand's probably getting a little redder because we're getting circulation in there. Anytime your body skin tone changes to red, that means there's blood supply there, right? So we're kind of getting some circulation in there. And then we'll pull each finger. Maybe wiggle and pull. Good. And then the last one, we're going to open up the carpal tunnel. So the palm is open and we're going to push down like that. Yeah. Good. And then the other side. Ooh, good. And then shake it out a little bit. So this is the cardiovascular part of class. We do eight rounds of this movement. The first one, we're going to do slow and piece it apart for all my new folks, okay? And then we'll just go with the flow. And if it doesn't make sense, you can skip it. So we start like this. And we're making a big sun circle. So we go up like this. Then the hands come into cactus, right? We've done this a couple times today. Good. Take a breath. And exhale. We're going to lean halfway down. So that means you should be kind of peeking over your kneecaps. Good. Take a breath here. Inhale. Exhale. Hands to kneecaps. And we're going to fold a little bit. So just go wherever feels good. This is a little backstretch here. Inhale. We're coming up halfway. Hands to kneecaps. And we're going to roll the shoulders back. Good. Exhale. We're going to fold now. We're going to take the right hand only. Reach it out to the side and look at the right thumb. Good. And then bring it down. And then we're going to take the left arm and look at the left thumb. Good. Bring it down. Now you're going to draw your belly button in a little bit because you're going to power yourself all the way up. That's the hard one right here. All the way up. Touch your hands at the top. And bring it back to the heart. Good. You guys got it. That's one. We're going to do seven more. Inhale. Up. Exhale. Halfway down. So remember your arms are in cactus. You're leaning. Take a breath. Inhale. Exhale. Slowly slide. Good. Inhale. Halfway up. Squeeze those shoulders. Remember those strong muscles back there. Good. Exhale. Fold it. Right arm's reaching up. Looking up. And then release it. And inhale. Left arm's reaching up. Good. And lower it. Belly button comes in. Inhale. Reach the arms all the way up. Touch at the top. And draw it back to your heart. Good. One more and then we start to add some things. So inhale. Up. Exhale. Halfway down. Take a breath. Exhale. Slide. Maybe get down a little lower. If you're back we'll let you. Inhale. Coming up halfway. Exhale. Take your bow. Right arm's reaching up. We're looking up. And then lower. And inhale. The left arm's reaching up. Good. And lower. Inhale. The big circle. Touch your hands at the top. Draw them back into your heart. Good. Now we're going to add a twist. Inhale. Lift up. Look up. Exhale. Arms halfway down. Remember that lean. Take a breath. Exhale. Slide. Let that lower back stretch when you exhale. Inhale. We're going back up halfway. Strong back. Good. Exhale. Fold. Inhale. Right arm's reaching out. Look at your thumb. Good. And lower. And inhale. The left arm's all the way up. Good. And lower. Inhale. The arm's all the way up. And then exhale. Bring them into cactus because we're going to twist to the left on the exhale. So here we go. Inhale. Exhale. Twist. Inhale to the center. Exhale. Other side. Good. Inhale. Center. Exhale to the heart. Here we go. Inhale. Lift up. Look up. Exhale. Halfway down. Take your breath. Take your fold. Let it go. Inhale. Halfway up. This is your strong back. Good. Exhale. Fold. Inhale. Right arm is up. Spread your fingers. And then lower. And inhale. The left arm is up. Good. And then lower. Inhale. The arm's all the way up. Exhale. Bring them into cactus. This time we're going to lean to the left on the exhale. So here we go. Inhale. Exhale. Lean. Take your left elbow to touch your ribs. Yeah. That's it. Inhale. Up. Exhale. Lean. Touch there. Good. And inhale. Up. Exhale. Back to the heart. Good. Now the feet are going to be moving. Inhale. Up. Exhale. Halfway down. Draw the belly in. It's tight. Take a breath. Exhale. We're going to fold and we're going to stretch. Good. Inhale. We're coming up halfway. Exhale. We're bowing. Right arm's reaching up. Remember the elbow's straight. And then lower it. And inhale. The left arm's up. Good. And lower. Bring both arms out in front like you're holding something in front of you. So the challenging part is to lean as far as you can without tipping over, right? That's going to create strength in your back and your core. Toes will stay down and heels will come up. Good. And then drop the heels. We're going to lift up. Touch it at the top. And then bring it back to prayer. Two more times. Here we go. Inhale. Lift up. Exhale. Halfway down. Elbows back. Take your breath. Exhale. Slide down. Inhale. Coming up halfway. Exhale. You're bowing. Right arm's reaching up. Looking up. And lower. And inhale. The left arm. Good. And lower. The arms are coming out in front again like you're holding that whatever imaginary thing it is, right? You're leaning. Then the heels are down. The toes are up. And if you can spread your toes all the better. Good, Julie. And then down. Here we go. Inhale. Touch at the top. And drop back to the heart. Last round, you guys. Inhale. Lift and rise. Exhale. Halfway down. Take your breath. Exhale. Slide on down. Inhale. Coming up halfway. Exhale your bow. Last time. Right arm's reaching up. And then lower. And then left arm's reaching up. Good. And lower. A big swoop takes you back up and the hands will touch at the top. And then back to the heart center. Very good. How are we feeling? Okay? Alright. So we have one, two, three, four, five new people, you guys. Should we do math? Should we do math? Pat, what's your favorite number? Three. Three? Oh, that's a good one. Okay. Fernando, what's your favorite number? Oh, wow. Okay. Fernando. Fred? One. Wow. They know the drill. Someone told them. Okay. Is anybody counting right now? Okay. Ooh. The troublemaker in the group. Okay. So what do we got? Sixteen? Okay. So that means, you guys, for the new folks, we get up and down off of our chairs sixteen times. Oh, see? Yeah. Ah, you added that seven to it. Okay. Alright. So we're doing the best we can, right? So this is the motion, you guys. You lean a little bit and you just bring your butt up like that. Okay? Even if it's just that much. That's what we're doing. Strengthening these legs. Otherwise, we're coming up higher, right? Or we're coming all the way up. It doesn't matter. But we're going to do it seventeen times. Pat, what do you think? Can you just, like, just a little butt lift, maybe? Okay, you guys. Ready? Wait. Sixteen, right? Sixteen times. The most challenging for all of you that want to do it, hands on your shoulders. Okay? Because that means it's all going to be your legs. Otherwise, you can do a little... Yeah, I know. Pat's like, what the heck? Okay, here we go. Sixteen times. Sixteen with a pause. Good. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen. Twelve. Eleven. Yay! Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. And blast off! Woo-hoo! We did it! All right, you guys. Good job. I got you sweating, don't I? Yeah, I think so, huh? Have a seat, have a seat. All right. How are we feeling, everybody? Okay? I didn't work you too hard? All right, so any movement you want to take, you can just be still right now and just let your heart rate kind of come down, or you can do that little movement like that if that feels good. Sometimes that feels good for me because it stretches those thigh muscles. Good. Bring yourself back, and we're just going to take a pause. Maybe even close your eyes, okay, you guys? Close your eyes, put your hands on your laps, and just take a pause, maybe a long breath, and I want you to feel the sensation of your body. So this is what I call, in reference, vitality, right? These are your vitals. It's your heart, your lungs, your circulation, your breathing. If you're sweating, that's your excretion of your body. So all of that is all good. It's all good stuff. It's normal stuff. Just a couple more breaths. And then gently flutter the eyes open, because we're going to come to standing, so if you guys want to stay in the chair, feel free. Otherwise, mimic everything we're doing with our arms. Okay? So we're going to try, everybody. Come on up. We're going to take the chair in front of us, so that means the high part of the chair is going to be in front of you. And we're going to get super tall right now, like we want to touch the ceiling, so it's going to be one arm is up, and the other arm is up, up, up. Good. And then bring your hands back to your chair, and then we're going to walk it back and just stretch the back, nice and long. And the tippy toes of one foot, and you're bending that knee, and then you're going to push that heel down, straighten the leg, and go on the tippy toes of the other leg, and bend that knee. And you're going to alternate that. So it's a little coordination, but it's super good for your ankles and your calves, the backs of your knees. Walk in the dog. Good. Then look at your thumbs, and we're going to walk ourselves all the way up, and we're going to do Upward Facing Dog. So we're going to stand on, we're going to stand by the chair, and come to our tippy, tippy toes. If you can, squeeze those shoulders back. Yeah, that's that Upward Facing Dog. Squeeze those muscles. Yeah, good, Pat. Good. And then come all the way back down. Take one leg out and give it a good shake. Good. Take the other leg out and give it a good shake. And then we'll do a couple marches. Very good. Alright, so we're going to take it into Cat-Cow, which is a stretch for our backs. So the feet are going to be parallel. You're going to look down, hip-width apart. We're going to take a back arch. So that means we're going to squeeze the shoulders and lift the chin up. And then we're going to bend the knees, round the back, and tuck the chin. So we're going to stretch those upper back muscles. So we're going to inhale, arch it, and exhale, round it. Oh, a couple more times. Inhale, arch, and exhale, round. Good. Last time. Inhale, arch, strengthen those muscles right between your shoulder blades. Good. And exhale, lower it. Good. Come back to neutral. Now we're going to add a balance challenge. So it's going to be the right arm that's going to reach out in front and the left foot that reaches out in back. So you let, yeah, that's it. You're just going to do alternates. You got it. And here we go back, and here we go. Other side. Left arm, right foot. Good. Good. Now we're going to add a little movement. So watch. It's going to go right hand, left foot. We're going to salute with the right hand, and we're going to bend that back leg a little bit. Yeah. Then straighten it. And bend and salute. And straighten it. And one more time. Bend and salute. Good. Straighten it out. Bring it all the way back in. Okay. So other side. Left hand, palms facing in. Right foot. Salute with the left hand. Bend the other leg. Good. Straighten. Bend and salute. Straighten. Bend and salute. Good. Straighten. And then when you come back in, maybe a little marching will do. Right? Stretch the low back the opposite way. Good. And then take your hands on your hips, and we're going to do a little hula hooping. Yeah. Get the low back to stretch when we do hula hoops. Good. And then we go to the other side. Okay. As promised, I told you I'm really into these core muscle things, so we're going to do the little core sequence. This one, we're going to take the chair on its side. So everybody's on the side. Doesn't matter which side you're holding onto. This one's going to be creative for you guys over there. I'm going to try to think this out. Okay. So one hand is in cactus, the outside hand. The other leg lifts up. Yeah. And then what you're trying to do is take the knee to the elbow, and the elbow to the knee without rounding over. Yeah. You got it. And then you're going to straighten it out. Good. So you're going to bring it in. Criss-cross through the body. Yeah. And then straighten it out. And again, criss-cross. And straighten. This time we're going to hold it on the criss-cross. So when we criss-cross, we're going to hold it. Five, four, three, two, one. Good. Stretch it out. Good. And then shake it out. All right. So you can either turn around or move your chair. So either way. I'm going to move my chair. Okay. So whatever hand's not holding on, the other arm's up. And then the other leg lifts. So now we're going to watch how the breath works. We go like this. Inhale. Exhale. Crunch it. Good. Inhale. Stretch it. Exhale. Crunch it. Inhale. Long. Exhale. Tight. Now we're going to hold it. Inhale. Stretch. Exhale. Hold. Five, four, three, two, one. Good. Stretch it out. Good. Shake it out a little bit. Shake it out a little bit. And then bring the chair in front of you again. Because we're going to do one little hip movement. Okay. So this one's going to be the out and in movement, moving through mud. So the right leg's going to go out to the side. And we're going to move slowly trying to bring that right heel in to touch the left heel. Slow. Those are those muscles I talked about, right? There's outer hip muscles and inner thigh muscles. Out. And then in again. This time when you go out, I want you to hold it out because we're going to strengthen right now. And then we're going to shoot that arm up. The same arm. Right. Good. Hold it. If you want to let go for a moment, shh. Yeah. Good. Come back in. Woo. A little bit of skiing. How about that? A little motion like that with the hips. Good. Here we go. Other side. So now, left leg's going to go out. You want to make sure your toes are facing forward, right? And then we're going to go in two times. Slow. Slow on purpose, you guys, because we're trying to strengthen. Any time we move slow, there's a resistance that is building the muscle fibers. So slow when you go in. Good. The next time, we're going to hold it out. And then the balance part is shooting that same arm up. And if you want to do for one moment like, ahhh. Good. And then come all the way. And then move those hips side to side. Yeah. Feel those muscles. You can yell without doing that. Yeah. This is a sound effect, right? Then take your hands to your hips and hula hoop. This is another Home Depot movement. In the aisles of the Home Depot. Just move around. This is important. Or Albertsons. It's okay. Shake it out. Okay. So now we're going to do a traditional yoga posture, which is going to be a warrior. So the right foot's going to stay where it's at. The left foot steps back a couple feet. You're going to bend the right knee. And before we do any arm movements, you're going to look down and make sure you see your big toe. That's the most important thing. Everything else is all just fluff. Okay. One arm and cactus. Doesn't matter which one. The other arm and cactus. Good. Both arms out to the side. Palms up. Palms down. Palms up again. Bring the arms out in front of you. Good. Bring them up. Yeah. Good. And then all the way down. Good. Then come in. Shake it out a little bit. So I was just deflecting your attention, right? I'm really building your bottom of your body. So the left leg is going to be straight. So in the front, right foot is stepped behind. And then when we bend the left knee, we have to do that double check. We're just looking down. We see the big toe and the kneecap is in the middle of those toes. Good. One arm and cactus. The other arm and cactus. Good. Take the arms like this. Now we're going to do humble warrior. It looks like this. Lean. Just a little. Yeah. Because that's your back and your core muscles holding you. Like you're hovering in space. Okay. How about fly a little bit, you guys? Yeah. You got it. Good. Alright. Bring your hands back down and step that back foot in. And then let's shake it out. So the last standing pose will be a one-legged balance. We're holding onto the chair the whole time. Okay. So one leg is down. We're going to do tree. The other leg is up into the instep or into the calf. Good. And once you have your balance on that one, I want you to shoot an arm upward if you can. If your shoulder doesn't bother you. Otherwise, you can place your hand on your shoulder. Yeah. So wherever you got, you're reaching up because you're trying to get long and tall. Good. And then maybe the other hand comes off the chair. Maybe it taps it. Keeps it safe. Or you let it go. Right. Yeah. We're going to hold it for two more breaths. You guys are strong. Good. And then release it. Good. Shake it out a little bit. Shake it out a little bit. And here we go. To the other side. So whatever leg was up, that one's going to go down. And then we're just going to tuck that other foot in to the instep or the calf. Once you find yourself solid, then shoot an arm up. Yeah. Get length. Gravity's always pulling us downward. We're trying to reach upward. We're trying to stretch our bodies upward. Yeah. And then maybe let go. You know you can challenge your balance or hold on. Balance is something we have to practice. It's not anything that comes naturally as we age. We have to practice it. And then gently release it. Good. And shake it out a little bit. Bring yourself back to your chair. Coming down. Grabbing a hold of your belt. Did you get a belt on? You're good. You're good. Okay. Here you go. Have you guys used the belts yet? Are you okay? Am I working you too hard? Are you sure? Can I see a smile? Yeah. Why not? You'll make them smile. It ain't going to happen. Gosh. Exactly. They'll think you're a crazy one. They'll think you're the wacko ones. Okay. So you guys, I... Yeah. Carrie, can you do me? The middle one. This one gets right on these ladies right here. I know. I relate. Okay. Alright. So you're welcome. I was watching a video yesterday about the importance of stretching. Stretching for cancer. Stretching for fibromyalgia. And stretching for any kind of pain we have in our bodies. And they said the number one reason why people don't stretch is why, you guys? Because it hurts. Right? So this little belt series is all about stretching. Okay? So what we're going to do is take the belt across the ball of the right foot and then the leg will go straight. Now I was teaching this when I was doing my mat class right on the floor. And I looked around just out of curiosity to see how many people really, their knees were straight. A lot of people have the knees bent. Okay? So really the goal is not to have your foot super high, it's to have your legs super straight. That's what we want to do. Good. We got it? Good. Alright. Everybody feel a little pull? Good. Alright. You should feel that stretch. Probably, maybe across your calf, back of your knee, wherever you feel it. Then grab the belt with the right hand. Left hand's going to go out to the side. And then we're going to open up all the way to the right. Good. And then look to the left. Now look how long and how stretched out you are, you guys. See? And no grimacing. Good. Come back to the center. Good. And then grab a hold of the belt. We're going to go the other way. So now the belt's holding on with the left hand. The right hand is out. And we're going to crisscross the body. And you don't go too far. The leg's going to stop. Good. Look at that hand that's out. Good, Pat. Good. And then back to the center. Okay, so the super duper most important place to stretch, you guys, is this one right here. Right into the hip and the lower back. So if you can take your ankle on the knee, all the better. If you cannot, then just take it a little bit lower on your leg. You can use the belt to hold it there. Or if it can stay there, then you can take the belt on your lap. Doesn't matter. The hands will come on your shins, and you're just going to sit up super tall. That's the most important thing. If you don't feel anything going on here, then you can lean a little bit. Otherwise, if you already feel a stretch and you feel that stretch is good, stay where you are. Otherwise, the little bit of a lean will take the stretch and the pull a little bit more. We're going to hold it for five breaths. Yeah. Look down at the floor and make sure you're not grimacing. I'm not going to watch you, but don't grimace, you guys. This one is a long exhale. We're getting deep into the hip joint. This is where your sciatic nerve travels through. This little area right here. So we're just making some little extra space. Long exhales are super important. Last breath cycle. Then bring that right knee up. We're going to hold on to the right kneecap so the right knee is facing up. We're going to do three soccer kicks. The arms will be up, and we'll just kick. One, two, and three. Good. Shake it out. Here we go to the other side. Belt across the ball of the right foot. Remember the leg is trying to be as straight as a pencil. Did I say left? I said right? Okay. I'm mirroring you. I screwed up. I don't know. The opposite leg. Isn't that better? Now, if you feel like this is not enough, quote, stretch, what can you do? You can draw your toes back. You can lift your leg up a little bit. It doesn't have to be a lot. Just enough to feel like, yeah, I'm stretching. Then you're breathing. Make sure you're breathing. The bottom leg should feel really sturdy because that's kind of holding you down. That heel should be down on that bottom foot. Then grab the belt with the left hand. The right hand is going to go out. You're sitting up tall. When you open up to the left, you're going to turn your head to the right. There's a big, long stretch for your body. Yeah. Good. When you come back to the center, it's the crisscross. We're going to grab the belt with the right hand. The left hand is out, and we're just going to crisscross. Good. When we come back to the center, it's ankle on the knee. Remember that's a pretty big hip opener, so if that's not happening, just crisscross. That's your ankle, and you can hold the belt there. If it is happening, you can just take the belt on the floor. We won't need it again. Take your hands to your shins, and you're going to sit up tall. See if you can drop your shoulders down. That really gets your posture straight. Then, if that's feeling good, you want a little bit more, then you lean. Keep your posture straight, though. Don't round. Don't do that little rounding thing that we feel so good to do. Just keep your shoulders back. We're going to breathe here five breath cycles. You can close your eyes. Feel free. Maybe even tune into the sensations that you're feeling. Maybe you could even name where you're feeling it. Oh, I feel it in my low back. I feel it in my outer left hip. I feel it in my inner left muscle, thigh muscle. Just notice where you're feeling it, and just breathe there. The exhales are the magic part of yoga. The exhales are always in the place where your body can let go. Last breath cycle, and then inhale. Come up. Grab a hold of the knee. We're going to do three soccer kicks. Hold up. We're going to go one and two and three. Good. Come back down. Shake it out. We're going to do the Charleston, which is another hip and leg movement. Let's take it wide first. The feet are out. We're going to bring the knees and touch them together. That means the big toes are down, but the little toes are up. We're working the ankles a little bit here, too. Then we're going to open up and then we're going to come back together. Good. That's the movement of the hips. When we touch the knees, we're going to crisscross the hands. When we open the knees, we're going to open the palms up, and the hands are opened up. Good. Then we're going to crisscross the opposite direction. What hand was on the bottom is on the top. Then we're going to open. Good. Then we're going to chew gum and do this, too, as well. No, just kidding. Here we go. Up and down. Now we're going to add a little speed to it. This is a coordination of your mind and your brain and your body. Good. A couple times more. Open and close. Open and close. Faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, faster. Then stop. We got it? Good. Come back together. We're going to do the opposite. The feet are glued together. The knees are glued together. We're going to open up the knees. Then the big toes come off and the little toes stay down. Good. Then we'll come back in and do that a couple times. That's the motion. Then we do the same thing with the hands. When the knees touch, we crisscross. When the knees open, the palms are open. Then we crisscross the other hand on top. Then we open and we crisscross. Good. We're going to flap. We're going to go fast as you can go. Why not? If you screw up, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Stop. Bless you. Shake it out a little bit. We're going to do one little inversion. This one's called dead bug. We're going to lift one leg up and then the other leg up. Lift one arm up and the other arm up. Good. Then we're going to shake. We are one of those roly polies that just flipped over. It's going, help me, help me. Just shake it out. Shake it, shake it, shake it. And down. We didn't do a dance today. I really am missing a dance. Can we just end with a little Macarena movement? Why not? It's good for the brain and good for the smiles. I'm going to do it slow. Here we go. Hand, hand. Palm, palm. Shoulder, shoulder. Ear, ear. Belly, belly. Hip, hip. One, two, three. Clap. We'll do about four more times. Hand, hand. Palm, palm. Shoulder, shoulder. Ear, ear. Belly, belly. Hip, hip. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Clap. Two more. Hand, hand. Palm, palm. Shoulder, shoulder. Ear, ear. Belly, belly. Hip, hip. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Clap. Palm, hand. Palm, palm. Shoulder, shoulder. Ear, ear. Belly, belly. Hip, hip. Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Clap. Oh, good job, you guys. All right, are we ready for Shavasana? Yes. Good. I think so. I worked you. I know I worked you. OK, so down on the floor, as you know, is the best thing for your posture, best thing to open up your shoulders and your muscles, support your bones and your joints. Otherwise, if you're in the chair, I give you a nice little neck rub. So either way, come on down. I'll dim the lights. If anybody wants to sing a gentle song, feel free to do that, because we will have no music. I'm so sad about that. OK, so folks, on the floor, you know you will get an eye pillow delivered. And if you want to use it, feel free. If you don't, you don't have to. Oh, right there, hon. See? Oh, there you go. If anybody would have a ventriloquist dummy we could put in the chair for when joy comes back. That's a good idea. With a sign on it, something. Oh, I wish I had a dummy, those blow-up dolls or something. It would be a great big stuffed animal for your child. Yeah. Not as good as a ventriloquist. I know, that's so true. Or put together like a scarecrow. You know how you can just do that with random clothes? All right. How are my new folks doing here? Are you doing OK? We're OK. The family's fine. I know. But you did good. We were following you. I know. That's all I was trying. You did so good. I was watching you. Just don't fall over. Don't. And you did good, girl. If you fall over, we'll help you. And you did good, too. Look at you. Yeah. Oh, I don't know if you can put that on your eyes. I don't know. Can you lean back? That might hurt your neck. I don't know. Yeah, just give it a go. Hi. How are you doing? I'm doing good. You did good today. Yeah. Oh, I don't have any for you. No, I have some more. You're OK in that chair? I'm OK with a little. Sitting in the chair? OK. I'm going to give you a neck rub, then. So you probably don't need this, then. I'm going to give you a neck rub, OK? Is that OK? All right, good. All right. Yeah. All right. So everybody, we're just going to be here, as you know, for 10 minutes. So this is that nice treat that you all get to be just still. So we're going to start to come back. I'm just taking any little movements. Maybe the fingers can wiggle, and the toes can wiggle. If you're on the floor, and you want to take a nice, deep, long stretch, feel free to point the toes and stretch the arms out or above you, and just really feel like you're doing a big body yawn. And then, folks on the floor, bend your knees, roll off to the right side. Remember, you're going to pause there in that transition. So just take your time to slowly get up. You can make your way to sitting on the floor, or you can make your way to the chair. It doesn't matter. You can stay on the floor for the closing if you want to as you roll over and take that pause. Good. Bring your hands to your heart. Touch your thumbs right to the center of your heart. So make that connection to your body, that beautiful heart space. Bow your head, soften your shoulders, and soften your face. Let's take a moment and really appreciate this beautiful practice of yoga. Very simple, but very powerful. Thank you for taking time for yourself today by being here. Wish you a beautiful week ahead, everyone. Namaste. And then greet another fellow yoga person next to you. Namaste. Over here, girls. Namaste. All right. So nice to have you new folks here. I hope you come back and I didn't scare you away. Next time you come, I hope we'll be dancing. So I like to do a little bit of fun stuff. All right, so have a great day, you guys.