3 Simple Movements to Start Your Day

Go in and find a comfortable cross leg position. Sit up nice and tall. Place the palms facing down on your legs. Feel the crown of your head rise all the way up towards the sky. Maybe even give those shoulders a little roll up and back and then just let them settle in. As you soften your gaze, the breath is steady and smooth in and out of your nose. We're just simply using this moment of stillness to fully and completely arrive, to ground into this moment, to ground into the earth. And as you continue to breathe in and out, I want you to place the left hand right over the center of your chest and the right palm on top of that.

And that energy that you're cultivating in this moment of stillness, that grounding energy, I want you to feel it rise from the base of your spine and come right to the center of your chest. Feel the rhythm of your heart beat, the beautiful pace. And as you breathe, as you feel, as you arrive, I want you to set your personal intention for your practice. Doesn't have to be extravagant. It could be simple. I know I'm thinking to myself right now. I am grounded, rooted and stable. I'm supported by the earth.

Take another deep breath in. Exhale, empty out. As your eyes blink open, the hands are going to come back to your knees. You want to do a little spinal flexion. So again the legs are crossed. You're going to inhale the chest forward. And as you exhale, you're going to round the back. Inhale, chest forward, exhale, round the back, nice and slow. Find your own pace and rhythm. And know that if you desire, you can lift your chin up so your inhale, maybe lift the chin as the chest comes forward. Exhale, round the back.

A few more rounds and let's take two more. Inhale, exhale, round. Inhale, Exhale, round. Inhale, come back to center. Sweep both arms overhead. Interlace your fingers. Send the palms up towards the sky. Relax your shoulders. And then when you release your hands, drop your left hand outside your left hip. The right palm is going to reach up and overhead. Palm is facing down towards the ear. If the shoulder is back, one more breath and the shoulder is down and away from your ear. One more breath. Go on and switch sides.

Drop that right hand outside the right hip. Left arm sweeps up and over. Center of your chest is open. Hips are grounded. A few more breaths here and slowly come back up. And remember that spinal flexion we just did. Now we're going to add some arms with it. So when you inhale, I want you to open your arms wide like wings. And as you exhale, you're going to round your back. Give yourself a hug like a koala bear. You're gonna inhale, open wide. Exhale. Switch the crossing of your arms and hug yourself.

Breathe in. Open, expand, even. Lift the chest and chin a little bit more. Get a nice stretch. Exhale, round. Inhale, open. Exhale, round. Let's do this two more times. Inhale, expand. Exhale, round. Final one. Inhale, open and exhale round. And then slowly come back to center. Give those shoulders a little shake. You can even shake your hands if you want.