Improve your Balance, Yoga for Better Balance | Full Body Stretch & Strength Routine

Hi, my name's Amanda, and today we're gonna be working on a yoga stretch that targets your balance. We won't be using any props today, so let's get started. If you're not in a place that you can do this video with me right now, please save to your watch later so you can join me whenever you can. All right, we're gonna begin lying on our backs, legs extended. Bring one hand to your heart and one hand to your stomach. Take a few moments, start to deepen your breath in and out through the nose. If you feel safe, lower your eyelids, and just start to notice gravity pulling your body down into the mat. Feel your breath filling your belly, moving down past your heart all the way down, and then exhaling it all the way up and out, emptying completely. Feel your heartbeat in your chest and become attuned to your inner body. To balance properly, we must feel fully grounded and safe on the mat. Centering here is a necessary practice to let yourself go and fly with ease. Take a few more deep belly breaths here. Breathing into your hand, feeling the belly empty, grounding into the mat. Take one more deep inhale through the nose and sigh it out the mouth. One more time, deep inhale through the nose and sigh it out the mouth. Bring your knees into your chest. Take a nice tight squeeze. Roll your spine gently backwards and forwards, and eventually come all the way through to tabletop position. Move through a couple of cat-cows here, awakening and strengthening the spine. Inhale to drop the belly, pull the heart forward. Exhale to curl and round, squeezing that stomach in towards the spine. Bring your hands one full print forward, curl your toes under, and lift to a high plank pose. Tighten that core, lift the hips, lift through the shoulders. Feel nice and straight and strong, one strong line of energy through the spine. Lower down halfway, elbows back, and pull your heart forward on the tops of the feet, lifting off of the thighs, pulling the heart forward, upward-facing dog. Turn the toes under, lift the hips, downward-facing dog. Take three deep breaths here, breathing into this inversion, pressing the hips back. On the next inhale, lift to your tiptoes, gaze forward, and walk on your tiptoes all the way to the front of the mat. Inhale to lift halfway. Exhale, plant the hands, step it back. Lower down, pull the heart through, upward-facing, downward-facing dog. Take three deep breaths here. On your next inhale, lift the toes, gaze forward, walk forward. Inhale to lift the heart, extend the spine. Exhale, fold forward. Inhale, curl and round all the way up to standing. Hands down through heart center, shoulder shrug to release them. Lift them back up through center. Grab the left wrist with the right hand, side bend over to the right, and this time, bring all the weight into your left foot and see if you can lift those right toes off the mat. If you can, see how high you can raise that right leg as you side bend over towards it. Keeping your gaze locked on an unmoving point helps so much with balance. So crunch, lift, and bend. Inhale, release the leg down, lift the arms high, and switch sides. Side bend over to the left, bring the weight into the right foot. Gently lift those toes off the mat. See how high you can get them. Nice, deep stretch here. Tighten that core, lift that thigh. Inhale, lower the leg, lift the arms open at the top, and bow forward. Inhale to lift halfway, exhale, plant the hands, step it back, move through a chaturanga, high plank, low plank, up dog, down dog. Three deep breaths here. Keep that breath steady, keeps the heart rate low, soothing the nervous system with your breath. On the next inhale, lift to your tiptoes. Make your way to the front of the mat. Inhale, lift halfway. Exhale, fold in. Inhale, curl and round up to standing. Reach the arms, hands down through heart center, shoulder shrug to release them. Reach them back up. Grab the left wrist, side bend to the right. This time, bring the weight into the right foot and see if you can lift those left toes. Little counterbalance here. Side bend over, reaching to the right. Kick that left leg high, reaching to the left. Breathing deep, flexing the lifted toes for full activation of the leg. Inhale, back up, lower that left leg. Grab the right wrist, side bend to the left. Bring the weight into that left foot. See if you can lift those right toes. Breathing deep, lift them up a little bit higher and then lower and lift. Open at the top, fold forward. Inhale to lift halfway. Exhale, fold in, plant the hands, step it back. Move through a Chaturanga. Three deep breaths here, calming that nervous system. And then on your next inhale, lift the right leg high, flex into those toes, square those hips and then squeeze it in, plant it with control. Lift up, Crescent Warrior. Reach the arms high, sink into that front knee. Lift through the ball of that back foot and breathe. Lower the arms down behind you, reach forward, squeezing those shoulder blades back. Thunderbolt pose, reach the heart forward. Start to bring the weight into that right foot and lift off, Warrior III. So strong, lower that heart, lift the leg and then slowly, slowly straighten up, bringing that left knee into the heart. Squeeze it in tight, keep a hold of the knee or grab for that foot, extend it out long, whether you're holding at the knee or at the foot and then open up to the left, gaze over those right fingertips. Slowly, slowly flip the grip, reach back behind you with the left hand, gaze follows, nice deep breaths here. Another big transition, release that foot, keep it lifted. Reach for the inside of that foot with the left hand. Reach the right arm forward, kick into that left hand, lower the heart for Dancer. Release the hand, reach up, fold forward. Inhale to lift halfway, exhale, plant the hand, step it back, Chaturanga. Three deep breaths here, calming you down, making sure that breath is your anchor, guiding you and calming you. On the next inhale, lift the left leg high, flex into those toes, straighten out those hips like you're kicking the back wall and then squeeze it in tight, plant it with control, lift up, Crescent Warrior. Sink into that front knee, reach up, pull up through that back leg and breathe. Lower the arms behind you, squeeze those shoulder blades together, reach the heart forward, Lightning Pose. Begin to bring all the weight into that left foot and gently kick off for Warrior III. Deep breaths here, flexing those lifted toes and then gently tilt up, squeeze the knee into the chest and keeping the grip either at the knee or reaching for the foot, extend it long and then open it up, gaze over those left fingers. Now slowly, slowly switch your grip, reaching the right arm behind, extending that right leg forward. Another big transition here, release the leg, grab for the inside of the foot with the right arm, tilt forward, reaching the heart for Dancer. Release hands and knees, reach the arms up, fold forward, inhale to lift halfway, exhale, plant the hands, step it back, one final Chaturanga and then send the knees back, the hips back, widen the hips, widen the knees, bring the toes together and reach forward. You've done all the work, now it's time for rest. Namaste. Thank you so much for practicing with me today. 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