(40-min) Improve your Balance and Coordination with Yoga - Jennifer Hilton, RYT

Hi, my name is Jennifer Hilton with Yoga Vista TV. We'll be doing a series of yoga practices based on balance and coordination and this video is the first of the series. So with this class, if you'll grab a block or a book, blanket or pillow, that would be great. We'll be using those through this yoga practice. And so again, this is based on balance and coordination. Balanced postures cultivate awareness within us and in this yoga practice today, we're going to cultivate awareness of our point of focus, our drishti. So choosing a precise point and choosing that with full awareness and true commitment in your yoga practice. Once you find your drishti, I invite you to stay committed and let the breath be slow, soft and steady. So we will begin in a seated position, cross-legged. If this is not comfortable for you, please grab a chair and do the first couple postures in a chair if that feels better for you. Remember to listen to your body throughout this yoga practice and do what feels good for you. Any type of movement is great. So again, just do what feels good for you today. We always feel different on different days. Again, being in your cross-legged position. So here comes in play with the blanket. If your hips are not in line with your knees, then please grab a blanket, a pillow, a block even, just to get those the hips in line with your knees. And again, if this doesn't feel good, grab a chair. So it's your practice. Alrighty, so let's find that balance between the sit bones. So maybe go from side to side and then slowly find the balance between each of those sit bones. Lengthen up through the crown of the head as you inhale, bringing the hands together at heart center. Keep the shoulders broad and then take your exhale to soften the shoulders. Close the eyes so that we can focus on our breath at the beginning of our practice today. Notice how the breath feels as it flows in and out of the body. Notice how the chest rises and falls. Taking the time to slow the breath down. Breathing in positive thoughts and positive energy. Letting go of all that does not serve you. When and if you're ready, take a deeper breath in through the nose and a slower breath out of the mouth or the nose. Again, deeper breath in through the nose and a slow breath out of the mouth or the nose. Again, trying to just make sure that your shoulders are right over your hips, keeping the chest open, shoulders broad. Finding that slow, soft, steady breath. And if you would like to begin your ujjayi breathing, breathe in through the nose with a slight constriction on the back of the throat as if you're smelling a flower. And breathe out of the mouth or the nose with a slight constriction on the back of the throat as if you're fogging up a mirror. Continue with your ujjayi breathing, breathing in and out with a slight constriction on the back of the throat. And you should be able to hear your breath. Sounds like the waves of an ocean. Listen to your body and acknowledge your limits today. Knowing that there's always tomorrow. If you would like to set an intention for your practice, then please go ahead and do so. Any word or phrase that will guide you throughout your yoga practice. Let's take two more rounds of breath and one more round. On your next exhale, go ahead and drop the hands to the knees and begin to make your head circles, taking it nice and slow. Remember to use your breath, keeping the eyes closed or open, whatever feels best for you. Kind of soften the shoulders if you feel like they've crept up at all. And then we can go ahead and make the circles the opposite direction. Go ahead and go one more time around. When you complete your circle, bring the chin parallel to the floor. You can open the eyes if you haven't done so already. Bringing the hands together right at heart center, we're going to make some big sun circles. Listen to your shoulders. Do what feels best for you, taking the arms as wide as you would like. On the breath in, take the arms out to the side, palms will turn towards the ceiling, and bring the hands together right at the top. Exhale to heart center. Big beautiful breath in, taking the arms out to the side and overhead. Hands will touch at the top and exhale. Two more times. Big breath in, hands touch at the top, exhaling to heart center. And one more time, big beautiful breath in, gathering up all that air, and then bringing the hands together at the heart center as you exhale. Take the time to pause there, maybe switch the legs, maybe even shake the legs out if that feels okay, and then switch the legs. We're going to go into a side lean. Go ahead and bring the right fingertips to the floor, and then the left hand goes on the left shoulder. Find that balance between both sit bones again. Take the breath in, lengthen through the crown of the head, and on the exhale, we're leaning to the right, so that the left elbow is going towards the ceiling. Find that balance, dropping the left sit bone down, and then inhale to come back up through center, shoulders are over the hips. Exhale to lean to the right again, elbow going towards the ceiling as much as possible, and then inhale to come back up through center. This time we'll stay in the lean. So take your exhale, sliding the right hand along the floor, and then pause there. Maybe draw the left shoulder back a little bit to open up the chest a little bit more. So here we are, we're going to find your gaze, that point of focus. You can either be looking straight ahead, or look down at the right hand if that feels okay for you. You can keep the left hand on the shoulder, or take it to the top of the head, or maybe even reaching over toward the right a little bit more. And again, you can find that dristy again, maybe even looking up at the inner elbow, straight ahead, or down at the floor. Finding that balance of where it feels okay for you. Your inhale, reach through the left fingertips, or draw that elbow up a little bit more, and exhale to go into the pose, maybe a little bit more, dropping the left hip bone down for balance. And then on your next inhale, bring the hand back to the shoulder if it's not, and come back up through center, pausing there, and rolling the shoulders back. Finding your breath. Beautiful breath in through the nose, and out of the mouth, or the nose, what feels comfortable for you. And then we'll go to the other side with our lean. So the left fingertips go to the floor, right hand on the right shoulder. Inhale, lengthen through the crown of the head, long spine, and on the exhale we're leaning over to the left, right elbow going towards the ceiling. Inhale to come back up through center, shoulders over the hips, and take your exhale to lean again, any amount what feels good for you and your body. Inhale to come back up through center, this time we're going to stay in the lean. So take your exhale, and lean over to the left, the right elbow towards the ceiling, any amount. Find your drishti, your gaze, either straight ahead, or maybe looking down at the left hand. So again, this right hand can stay on the shoulder, can go to the top of the head, or maybe even reach all the way over to the left, this side where it feels good for you. Maybe taking the right shoulder back a little bit if you need to, to open up the chest. If it feels okay, your gaze can be up at the inner elbow. On your exhales, go into the pose just a little bit more. Drop the right hip bone down, and then on your next inhale, bring the right hand to the shoulder, and come back up through center. So now we'll turn to the right, and go ahead and bring the feet right out in front of you. We're going to balance on our sit bones for navasana, boat pose. The hands can be behind the knees, and grab your block as well. That just helps to remind you to draw those inner thighs towards one another, and helps to engage the abs a little bit more. So the hands are behind you, or sorry, are behind the legs, or either behind you on the floor with the fingers pointing towards the buttocks. So there's always options of how you can do a pose. So again with this one, we're going to find our balance on our sit bones, finding the evenness between them both. Take your inhale, press down through the sit bones, lengthen up through the crown of the head. On the exhale, engage your belly, and then lean back just a little bit. So you can stay here, working boat pose, or maybe even walk the feet back just a little bit, bringing the heels off of the mat, and then maybe take one or both feet off of the mat. And whether your hands are behind the legs, or behind you, you can do this pose. Find your breath, inhale to lengthen through the crown of the head, draw the shoulder blades together, squeeze that block. And where's your point of focus? Finding the stillness in the pose, the stillness in the eyes, softening the eyes, and finding the breath. And then we'll go ahead and drop the feet back down, and taking the block out. Go ahead and swing the legs around, coming into tabletop. So the hands are right under the shoulders, spread the fingers really well. The index finger and the middle finger are pointing straight ahead, and ideally the pinky finger is on the edge of the mat. Knees are under the hips, draw the low ribs in, soften the shoulders away from the ear. So really kind of drawing the chest forward just a little bit. We're going to go into cat cow, great for our spinal health, bringing fluid between each vertebrae. So on your inhale, bring the chest through, tailbone up, and chin up. And then on the exhale, round through the back, tuck the chin and the tailbone, press through the hands, so the shoulder blades are going away from each other. Inhale, send the chest through, tailbone up, chin up. And exhale to round through the back, tuck the chin and the tailbone, press through the hands. Inhale again, bringing the chest through, tailbone up, chin up. Draw the shoulders away from the ears, and exhale, round through the back, tuck the chin, the tailbone. And one more time, inhale to bring the chest through, tailbone up, chin up. Draw the shoulders away from the ears, and exhale to round through the back, tuck the chin and the tailbone, pressing through the hands. Broad upper back, and then we'll come to tabletop in neutral position. Going into our balancing pose, we'll take the right foot back first, right leg back first. The toes will be on the ground, and then press through the right heel really well. And then reach through the crown of the head. You can stay here, or if you would like to reach the left arm right out in front of you, palm will be facing the midline of the body, and ideally the upper arm in line with the ear. Press through the right hand to draw the shoulder away from the ear, and maybe drop the left hip down so that the hip points are square to the floor. Again, staying here, or on your next inhale, take the right leg at hip height, and press through the right heel, lengthen through the left fingertips, as you inhale, take the exhale. Let's take one more round of breath, and on the exhale, bring everything down to the floor. If it feels okay for you, sit back into your child's pose, so the tailbone is going towards the heels, and then just allow the head to fall a little bit, and making circles with the hands, and working out that right wrist a little bit, and then circle the opposite direction, and then we'll come back up into all fours again. Again, spreading the fingers really well, the index finger, the middle finger pointing straight ahead, ideally the pinky finger touching the edge of the mat, and knees are under the hips. This time we'll do the left leg straight back, toes on the floor, pressing through the left heel, draw the low ribs in, if you feel like they have fallen towards the direction of the floor, and then we'll go ahead and reach the right arm out right in front of us, if that feels okay for you. So they're just different levels here for this pose, so any level is really great. The upper arm in line with the ear ideally, palm facing the midline of the body, staying here, or lifting the left leg about hip height, toes are towards the floor, and draw the inner thigh towards the ceiling just a little bit. On your inhale, lengthen through the left heel, reach through the right fingertips, and use your exhale. Press through that left hand, shoulder away from the ear, and then taking both hands, the hand and the knee, down to the floor, sitting back into your child's pose again, letting the head fall down to the floor if it feels okay, and then circling the hands. So let's go ahead and come on to all fours again, and we're going to just take one leg at a time, one knee, one leg at a time, stepping to the front. So take whichever leg goes is first for you, and then bring the other one. Coming into our forward fold, so the knees are bent really well, allow the head to fall. So the chest is on the thighs as much as it can be, and the head is heavy. Draw the sit bones towards the ceiling as much as you can, and then maybe play around with straightening one leg a little bit, and then the other. Just kind of going back and forth, and then we'll pause wherever it feels good for you in your Uttanasana forward fold. Take the hands to the shins, inhale to lengthen the spine, draw the shoulders away from the ears, and then exhale to forward fold again. Inhale, press through the shins, lengthen the spine halfway, draw the shoulders away from the ears, and the low ribs in as well, and then exhale to forward fold. And then this time we'll come all the way up. Press down through the feet, draw the chest away from the belly, take the arms out to the side, slowly bring the arms all the way up. Hands will touch at the top, and then we'll exhale to heart center. Pause there for a round of breath, and then step right into the middle of your mat for Tadasana mountain pose. So the toes are, the the feet are about hip bone width apart, not hip width, which is a little bit different than hip bone. So check that, and your toes are pointing straight ahead. Feet are parallel to each other, and we'll go ahead and lift the toes and spread them really well. Lay the toes back down on the mat, lift the kneecaps to engage the thighs, and slightly tuck the tailbone on just a little bit. Draw the low ribs in if you feel like they are coming out, and then inhale, draw the shoulders back, exhale to draw them down the back body. Pausing there for your Tadasana mountain pose. So we're going to go into a Tadasana flow, raising the heels off of the mat and the arms at the same time. Find your point of focus here. This is a balancing pose. So find what point on the wall, on the floor, on the ceiling feels best for you. Commit to it as we flow through this. So on your inhale, take the arms out to the side, come off the heels any amount, raising the arms overhead any amount. On your exhale, slowly turn the palms towards the floor, bringing the arms down and the heels down. And again, inhale, turn the palms towards the ceiling, raising the arms up any amount as you come off of the heels, and exhale to slowly come back down as the arms come down and the heels come down. We'll do that one one more time. Big beautiful breath in, raising the arms overhead any amount, heels come off of the floor, going up as high as it feels okay for you, and then exhale to slowly come back down with the heels and the arms. Nice. So go ahead and grab your block. We're going to go into chair pose Utkatasana. I'm going to show it from the side just because I feel like you get a better view of the pose. So please stay pointed toward the front of your mat. Let's check in though with the feet again. Feet are hip bone width apart, toes pointing straight ahead, and feet are parallel to each other. Go ahead and place that block right above the knees on this height. So it's like going long ways. Again, this helps draw the inner thighs towards one another, but you have the block there to help with that. This is a little bit safer to do for your knees, having the block there and having your feet hip bone width apart. So let's bring the hands to the hips, the thumbs on the back body. Draw the elbows back, drawing the shoulder blades together. Take your inhale and on the exhale bend the knees any amount, and then like you're sitting back in a chair, you want the weight to be more in the heels, but not all the weight in the heels. Find that balance there. Again with this pose, you're finding your drift of your gaze anywhere on the floor, the wall, or the ceiling. Draw the low ribs in, and then draw your sitting bones back as you take your tailbone down, finding that balance in the pelvis. And then also draw those the low ribs in just a little bit. That helps safeguard the low back. And then maybe bringing the hands to heart center if that feels okay for you. So in this pose you should be able to see your toes, maybe even wiggle them just a little bit. Drop the shoulders away from the ears, draw the shoulder blades together to help lift the chest towards the ceiling. Find your breath, finding that balance of stillness and breathing. If you would like to raise the arms overhead, then please do so. Find one more breath here. On your next inhale, press through the heels to stand, straightening the legs. If your arms are up, bring them down by the body, and then we'll take the block out from between the legs. Dropping that on the floor. So if you have anything on your mat, go ahead and clear it off. We're going to go into Warrior Two, Virabhadrasana Two. So the feet are parallel to each other, toes pointing straight ahead, the hands will be on the hips. Go ahead and step your feet four to four and a half feet apart. And then turn the right toes all the way, like a, all the way to the side. And then the back toes, the left toes, turn in about 45 degree angle. Bend into the right knee, and if you find that your right knee is going past your right angle, back up the back foot, the knee should be over the ankle or behind it. The knee should also be directing towards that second and third toe. And then we'll turn the hips so that they're square to the front of the room, and then right over the hips. Ideally right over the hips. On your inhale, take the arms out to shoulder height, gaze over the right hand. So maybe over that middle finger here is where your drishti is. Soften the shoulders away from the ears. Pressing the outer edge of the left foot, and then we'll go through a flow here. On your inhale, raise the arms overhead and straighten the right leg. Gaze is towards the front. Exhale to come back into your warrior two. Bending into the right knee, arms are at shoulder height, palms are down. Inhale as the arms go overhead, straighten the right leg. And exhale to come into warrior two. We'll do that one one more time. Inhale as the arms go overhead, gaze towards the front, straighten the right leg, and then exhale to come into your warrior two again. Pausing there, soften the shoulders away from the ears as you inhale to reach through the fingertips as if somebody's pulling you in two opposite directions. Shoulders over the hips, finding your gaze, your drishti, that point of commitment. Press through the outer edge of the left foot. One more round of breath. On your next inhale, straighten the right leg, bring the hands to the hips, turn the head to the front, and then turn the toes to the front as well. And then we can heel toe in or step in and shake the legs out. And then we'll do that on the other side, left side. So first of all, Tadasana Mountain Pose. Finding your feet about hip bone width apart parallel to each other, toes are pointing straight ahead, bringing the hands to the hips, and then go ahead and step the feet four to four and a half feet apart. This time turning the left toes all the way to the side, and then the back toes turn about, the back foot about 45 degrees in. Bend to the left knee. Again, if you find your left knee going past your ankle, back up the back foot. The knee should be right over the ankle or behind it. And you should be, you need to be able to see your toes, but that knee is directing towards the second and third toe on the foot. And then we'll turn the chest towards the front, shoulders over the hips, and then on your inhale, the arms are at shoulder height, gazing over the left hand, and right over that the middle finger, finding your point of focus, finding the balance of your breath, the gaze, and the stillness of the pose. Then we'll begin to flow in our Virabhadrasana II. On your inhale, turn the palms towards the ceiling, raise the arms overhead, and straighten the left leg, gaze is towards the front. Exhale to come back into your Warrior II. Arms are at shoulder height, palms are down. Inhale to raise the arms overhead, straighten the front of the left leg, and exhale to come back into your Warrior II. And then one more time. Inhale to raise the arms overhead, straighten the left leg, turn the head towards the front, and then exhale to come back into your Warrior II. Pausing there, again checking with your knee that is over the ankle or behind it for to keep it safe. Soften the shoulders away from the ears, continue to reach through the fingertips, pressing the outer edge of the right foot. And here we are with the gaze over the middle finger. Find the deep breath in through the nose, and exhaling through the mouth or the nose. On your next inhale, straighten the front leg, bring the hands to the hips, turn the toes towards the front, and then we'll heel toe in, shaking the legs out. And then we're going to come down to the floor. Come on into your Tadasana Mountain pose. On your inhale, turn the palms towards the ceiling, raising the arms overhead any amount. On the exhale, we'll swan dive forward. So draw the belly in, lead with the chest, long spine, the arms come down. Head will fall. Inhale to lengthen up halfway, so the hands are on the shin, shoulders away from the ears, long spine, and then exhale to forward fold again. Bend the knees really well, and go ahead and take the hands to the floor to come down onto your bottom, and then onto your back. If you find that you need a blanket for the back of your head, please grab one. It just helps to bring the chin towards the chest, and helps to keep that long link to the spine into the neck. So the knees are bent, feet are flat on the floor. We'll go ahead and draw the right knee in towards the chest, and then take your hands behind the right thigh, and press the heel towards the ceiling any amount, and then slowly bend the knee again, bringing it towards the chest. On your inhale, press through the heel, straighten the leg up any amount, and on the exhale, bend the knee. And again, inhale, press through the heel any amount, straighten the leg, pause there using your breath. Drop the shoulders away from the ears, bring the chin in towards the chest if you need to, and breathe here. Really lengthening up through the heel, maybe draw the inner thigh in just a little bit, and then we'll bend the right knee, taking that foot to the floor. Going to the other side, so go ahead and bring the left knee in, taking the hands behind the thigh. On your inhale, press through the heel, straighten the leg any amount, and exhale to bring the knee in towards the chest. Inhale, straighten the leg any amount, exhale to bring the knee in towards the chest, and then this time we'll pause as we straighten the leg. So inhale, straighten the leg any amount, pause there. Again, notice if your shoulders have crept up at all, chin towards the chest, lengthen up through the leg, so from the tailbone all the way up through the heel, finding your breath, and then slowly bring the knee, taking the foot to the floor. Take your breath in, and on the exhale, bring one knee in at a time, so then both knees are in towards the chest. We're going to go into a twist here. The arms can be out shoulder height on the floor like a into a T, palms are up. Take your breath in, and on the exhale, allow the knees to fall over to the right any amount. If you find that you need a block to hold the legs up, please grab a block. That way you can have that to bring the floor up to you, and relax a little bit. The head can, your gaze can stay up towards the ceiling, or even take your drishti over to the left if that feels okay for you. Find your breath, on your next inhale, bring the head back up through center, and then the knees as well. If you had a block for the right side, then let's go ahead and bring it over to the left. Arms are out shoulder height, palms are up. Take your breath in, and then exhale to allow the knees to fall to over towards the left. Gaze can be up at the ceiling, or towards the right. One more round of breath here, bring the head to center, and the knees to center as well. So again, take the hands behind the thighs, press through the heels, straighten the legs, and then we're going to pause there. You can keep the hands behind the thighs if that feels, if you feel supported better that way, or you can always take the arms out to the side. Just a little inversion here before we end class. Take the out, the inner side of the heels and the inner balls of the feet together, and then as if you are pressing on a gas pedal, but not going too fast, the balls of the feet will be just a little bit higher than the heels. And again, kind of find your point of focus, balance, being still with the eyes, being still with the body, and then using the breath as well, that movement in the body, the inside of the body, allowing the blood to flow in the opposite direction, giving the heart a little bit of a rest. And this inversion, this is great for anxiety, just kind of allow the body to find that rest and relaxation. One more round of breath, and you can slowly bend the knees, going into shavasana corpse pose, taking the legs out long on the mat, onto the floor, taking up as much space as you would like with the legs and the arms, adjusting the chin towards the chest a little bit, soften the shoulders away from the ears, and then find your natural breath in your shavasana. So finding your drishti in your yoga practice also allows to find your drishti in your day-to-day life, letting go of things you cannot change, allow your eyes to close, relaxing the arms, the fingers, the legs, the toes, and then we'll slowly allow ourselves to kind of just come out of our shavasana, bending one knee at a time, taking the time to roll to one side, and then pushing yourself up into a seated position, finding what feels best for you in your seated position, bringing the hands together at heart center, the eyes are closed, remembering the scent of gratitude for all that you are thankful for. You can go ahead and open your eyes. I thank you for sharing your yoga practice with me. Namaste. I hope that you enjoyed your balance and coordination, your first balance and coordination yoga video. Please join me for the others. They will be on the next go-around, so I hope that you will join me. Thank you. Have a great day.