Morning Energizing Flow

Welcome! I hope you are as excited as I am about following each other on this yoga journey.

Before we jump into the flow itself, you can find my “Welcome” (first take, no cuts) video below.

Awesome – now let’s get to the good stuff! Below you will find an {intermediate} energizing flow that is great for before work; especially if you have a desk job. I did my best to make this accessible to all levels and give you space to listen to your body.

Keep in mind this is an {alpha} version of my first flow! I say alpha because I did this in – again – in one take and with no editing. Also, as you will hear in my video, I am waiting on equipment to help optimize your experience & provide quality content. 📽 I could have waited, but I was just too excited and was getting so much amazing feedback from everyone!

I focused on a lot on chest opening, twists, and counterposes from sitting at a desk all day. I also incorporated a lot of cleansing breath work (hello, Saucha) to prep the body & mind for the day. 

There are many pros to practicing at home versus a studio, but below are just a few that came to mind based on this mornings practice. 

Flow starts at 6:18

Pros of Practicing at Home

• Follow at your pace: For me, I enjoy the ability to hold poses on sides longer that I can tell my body needs extra love. My left side has had a lot of issues in recent years; starting from my neck and going all the way down to my hamstring. When you’re at a studio and following the teacher’s instructions, you don’t really have this flexibility. You can hold one side longer, but then you tend to fall behind in the rest of the class.  

• Find your Flow: I also love practicing at home because I can choose where I want to go next in my sequence based on how my body is feeling that day. Back when I started yoga, I didn’t love this because I rarely knew where I wanted/needed to go next. However, through training, time, and practice, it’s quite beautiful how in tune I’ve become with my body and listening to it’s wants and needs. 

• Stop when you need/want to: You’ll notice in my video that I leave my video a few times for a moment. I’m either cleaning up a spill (whoops!) or checking on something I noticed or that came to mind. When you’re in a class at a studio, you don’t have this flexibility because it can be distracting and sometimes disrespectful to step away from your mat. I also have the ability to adjust how long my practice is and can stop when I want or need to because my body needs it or I have time commitments. While you know the timeframe you’ll be in a class a studio, you also don’t get the flexibility from the above points to adjust your practice length. 

Pros of Practicing at a Studio

• Heat: Ever since I found hot yoga, I’ve been ADDICTED. The heat is so relaxing and it is amazing how much more I feel like I can accomplish in a heated room; both mentally and physically. The heat not only opens up my muscles and allows me fall deeper into poses, but it helps keep me present throughout the class. This may also just be me, but I feel like the added heat helps take my mind away from noticing how hard I’m working – because I’m essentially sweating no matter what. When I don’t have that added heat and notice myself begin to sweat I feel like my mind begins to “win” and I feel almost out of breath/stamina faster. 

• Accountability: I’m sure I’m not alone in sometimes “slacking” off when I practice at home. It’s easy to skip over poses that you just don’t feel like doing or not push yourself further when you don’t have someone talking you through each pose and how long you’re holding them. No matter where I practice, I always try to listen to my body and not let my ego push me into things that my body isn’t ready for, which is super important to prevent injury. 

• Adjustments: Adjustments aren’t everyone for a variety of reasons, but I honestly live for adjustments in class. Whether it be from an alignment or deepening standpoint, I always appreciate an extra pair of helping hands when I am on my mat. 

What are some pros/cons you find in practicing (no matter the workout) at home versus at a gym/studio?