Shadowing Practice: 10 min Gentle Morning Yoga for Beginners (NO PROPS) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hi everyone, welcome.
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Hi everyone, welcome.
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I'm going to take you through this short 10 minute morning yoga practice.
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This is a very gentle stretching sequence
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that helps to just get you ready for the day ahead and hopefully get you feeling really good in your body.
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It's suitable for all experience levels and no props are required.
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We're going to start lying down on our backs
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and you can just have your knees bent feet flat on the floor about a hip width distance apart
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and shrug your shoulders down
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and away from your ears palms facing up to the sky just take a moment here to ground yourself
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and get settled taking a few deep breaths in
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and out through the nose I want you to feel your lower back push down into the mat
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so that you're not lifting the rib cage up and creating this gap here.
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So a little bit of core engagement.
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And feel the breath go all the way down to your lower belly,
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lower abdominals, while maintaining the connection of your lower back pressing into the ground.
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and we'll pull our right knee in towards the belly stretch your left leg out in front of you
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and you can roll your right ankle so tracing some circles maybe flexing
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and pointing through your toes you can reverse the direction of
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those circles keep reaching out long through your left leg really pushing down into your left heel
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and still reminding your lower back to push down into the floor,
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relaxing head and shoulders.
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And we'll carry this over into a gentle twist so you can cross your right thigh over your body towards the left.
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So I'm trying to stack my right hip over my left one
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and I'm going to reach my right arm out to the side,
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trying to push the right shoulder blade into the mat.
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find a nice easy breath rhythm
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and we'll come all the way back through to center
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and just switch sides so you can straighten your right leg and now pull that left knee in towards you
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and trace some circles with your left toes rolling through your ankle lengthening your right leg,
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trying to push the back of your knee into the mat.
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Shoulders are away from the ears,
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reverse the motion of the circles and the next time you exhale find a twist
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so you're going to cross your left thigh over your body
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I'm using my right hand to just gently guide it along
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and then my left arm reaches out to the side pushing that left shoulder blade into the mat
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big breath in here
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and releasing back to center bend both knees feet flat to
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the floor let's come into bridge pose set to bandha sarvangasana
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so your feet are hip with distance apart you're going to push your feet into the ground,
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squeeze through your seat and lift your hips,
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low back and mid back off the mat.
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Push into your big toes and hug through your inner thighs.
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Relax your neck, relax your jaw.
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Big breath in to press your seat up a little bit higher.
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And then exhale, roll down inch by inch, nice and slow.
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Let's cross the right ankle over the top of our left knee.
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So a little figure four shape here.
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You're pushing that right thigh and knee away from you
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and then you can reach through with your arms and see
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if you're able to pull that left knee in towards your chest.
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It might feel good just to kind of rock a little bit side to side.
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Try to relax head and shoulders so you're only using a little bit of arm strength.
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Getting a big stretch through that right glute.
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and simply release your left foot back down flat to the floor
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and you can straighten
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that right leg up towards the sky hold on wherever is appropriate to the back of
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that leg and just alternate flexing and pointing through
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that right foot you'll notice this can really change the sensation
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of the stretch as we get into our hamstrings our ankle
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and release let's find reclined pigeon on the second side cross
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your left ankle over the top of your right knee and
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when you're ready pull that right thigh in and you can rock a little
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Only going as deep into poses as feels appropriate and comfortable to you this morning.
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We're really not trying to push ourselves.
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This is meant to be gentle.
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And release the right foot back down to the floor.
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Let's take that hamstring stretch.
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So extend your left leg up towards the sky.
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You can definitely have a bend in your knee here.
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It doesn't need to be perfectly straight and just alternate flexing
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and pointing through that left foot you might notice that one side feels a bit tighter
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and releasing pull your knees in towards your belly
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and just rock up so
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that you can come to cross at the ankles we're going to find downward facing dog auto mukha svanasana
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so my hands are shoulder width distance apart at the top of the mat
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and i'm going to step
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and walk my feet back my feet are about hip width distance apart
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or so
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and you can absolutely have a big bend in your knees
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here as you reach your chest towards your thighs relax your neck
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so your head can hang heavy and maybe just alternate bending one knee straightening the other leg
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push into your fingertips and knuckles
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come forward into your plank pose and we're going to lower onto our belly
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so you can bring your knees down first if you'd like
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and just lower your way down cobra pose bhujangasana
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so your hands can slide back slightly push your palms into the mat reach your tailbone towards your heels
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and lift up through your chest elbows in shine the heart forward
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exhale to release let's press back the child's pose big toes
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together knees as wide as you would like them to be
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the wider they are the more intensely you'll feel this stretch through the inner thighs walk your hands forward
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and just bring your forehead down to the mat
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we can use these morning practices to help really set the tone for the day staying present with yourself here
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two more deep breaths
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and walk your hands in and just come in to take a seat
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and you can sit any way that is comfortable to you here
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and that works for your lower back
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and for your hips I'm going to bring my left hand to my right knee
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and I'm just going to drop my left ear to my left shoulder.
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So we're working on just stretching the right side of the neck.
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You can stretch and crawl the right fingertips out.
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So just a little neck release here.
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And lifting your head back up through to center,
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bring that right hand behind you
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and open into a twist reach the crown of your head up stay long
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and tall through your spine
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and back through to center second side right hand grabs a hold of my left knee
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and i'm this time going to drop my right ear towards my right shoulder
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and i can stretch my left arm out crawling the fingertips on my mat
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so just a neck release on the left side
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lifting your head back up bring
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that left hand back behind you as you rotate pull the lower belly in press your shoulders down
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and coming back through to center last little stretch here just bring your fingertips back behind you
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and stay up onto your fingertips
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and lift your chest up towards the sky think of squeezing
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your shoulder blades behind you bend your elbows a little bit
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and imagine you're trying to bring your elbows together to touch as you lift up through your chest
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and back through to center let's bring the hands at the front of the heart on jelly mudra
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deep breath here consider how you want to feel today how you want your day to go
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notice how just 10 minutes of gentle movement can have a positive impact on how you're feeling
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and let's close our practice by chanting om one time together inhale to chant breathe in oh
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Thank you so much everyone for doing this short morning yoga practice with me.
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I hope you enjoyed it.
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If you'd like to do more of these,
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I have hundreds of them by now.
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So you can definitely make morning yoga a consistent habit,
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something that you do on a regular basis.
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I'll post the link to those playlists down below.
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Please subscribe and hopefully you'll be on the mat with me again tomorrow morning.
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Context & Background
The video titled "10 min Gentle Morning Yoga for Beginners (NO PROPS)" serves as a perfect introduction to a calming and accessible yoga routine. Designed for participants at all experience levels, this practice emphasizes gentle stretching and mindful breathing. The speaker guides viewers through each pose while encouraging a connection with the body and awareness of breath. By creating an inviting atmosphere, the video not only promotes physical well-being but also fosters mental clarity, making it an ideal morning ritual for anyone looking to jumpstart their day.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “Take a moment here to ground yourself” - This phrase emphasizes the importance of pausing to find balance and stability, crucial for both yoga and daily mindfulness.
- “Feel your lower back push down into the mat” - Encourages awareness of body alignment, applicable in any physical activity.
- “Take a few deep breaths in and out through the nose” - A reminder that breath is integral, not just in yoga but in everyday life.
- “Find a nice easy breath rhythm” - Highlights the need for finding a steady pace, which can alleviate stress.
- “Relax your neck, relax your jaw” - Suggests the importance of relaxation, applicable in situations of tension or anxiety.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To enhance your English speaking skills using the shadowing method through this yoga video, follow these steps:
- Watch and Listen: Start by watching the video without attempting to repeat anything. Focus on the speaker's tone, rhythm, and pronunciation. This initial listening phase will help you grasp how phrases sound in context.
- Pause and Repeat: Play a short segment of the video, then pause it. Try to imitate what the speaker has said, focusing on accuracy. Use a shadowing app to record yourself for feedback. This will enhance your ability to shadow speech effectively.
- Practice Intonation: Pay attention to the rise and fall of the speaker's voice. Emphasize the same words and phrases during your repetition. Practice this until you feel comfortable.
- Incorporate Movements: Mimic the physical movements shown in the video as you repeat phrases. This engages your body in the learning process, making it easier to remember the words and phrases.
- Reflect and Refine: After practicing a few times, reflect on your progress. Use a shadowing site or your recordings to listen to how you sound compared to the original speaker. Tweak your pronunciation and intonation based on your observations.
By utilizing shadow speak techniques outlined in this guide, you'll not only enhance your English speaking abilities but also integrate physical well-being through yoga into your daily practice. With consistent effort, you'll gain more confidence in your communication skills, both in everyday contexts and during mindful activities.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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