- Hello everyone.

Welcome to BREATH,
your 30 day yoga journey.

It's Day 12.

Drop.

Let's get started.

(bright upbeat piano music)

Alrighty, let's start

in a nice comfortable seat,
and right away,

we're going to
drop into the breath.

Working as we tune in here today

with this directional
breath that we've been

talking a little bit about,

but the idea is that
the inhale travels in

through the nose drops it down,
down, down into the belly.

Fill the lungs,
the diaphragm expands.

Can think just the belly
expanding like a balloon.

And on the exhale,
it releases, it softens in.

And of course, the air
comes out the nose or mouth.

Let's stick with
nostril breathing today.

Here for this directional breath,
sit up nice and tall.

Hopefully you're there by now.

If not, just take
your time, catch up,

drop in whenever you're ready.

Tuck the chin slightly.

You can close your eyes here,

or soften your gaze

down past the nose.

Allow the sound of my
voice to guide you here,

as we inhale in
deeply through the nostrils,

imagine, visualize
see that breath go down

towards the belly.

And then exhale,
it releases.

Let's bring the hands 
to the stomach, low ribs here,

so that we can breathe
into the hands or try, right?

See what happens.
Inhale in again.

And exhale slowly.

Inhale in deeply.

And exhale slowly.

And you may find
it's a little difficult,

especially if you are not used

to dropping the breath 
down as you breathe in.

A lot of us spend a lot
of time kind of breathing

up into the shoulders,
into the chest.

So, no worries if it's a
little difficult at first.

We're here to practice.

And as you continue to
play with the breath here,

again closing the eyes or
softening your gaze inward,

let today's drop practice

be a beautiful reminder that

we come to the mat often
with so many expectations.

It's very helpful to
drop the expectations

as you are arriving on the mat.

Sometimes I even go as far to

invite myself and my friends,

you guys, to forget what
think you know about yoga.

When you arrive on the mat,

you're there to experience
your body, your breath,

to snuggle up to your truth,

your true self,
what feels like home.

So if we have all
these expectations,

we can sometimes
miss those beautiful,

simple moments where 
we (sighs) kind of align

with what feels good,
with what it feels honest.

So even though this is a
quick and playful practice,

there's a lot to chew on.

Dropping the breath,
dropping expectations,

and really seeing
how fast you can drop in

to a little connection 
with your breath.

Knowing that this
practice is available

to you anytime of day,
in any circumstance.

The breath, a dear friend, 
that you can

drop into conversation
with wherever and whenever.

Okay, release the hands.

Let's release
that deep breathing

and inhale in
through the nostrils here.

Exhale out through the mouth.

Then inhale to come to all fours.

Pad the knees, if you like.

And exhale here, of course.
And then inhale

to spread the fingertips wide, 
walk the palms forward,

really stretch.

And then exhale
to curl the toes under,

send the hips up high and back,
Downward Facing Dog.

And just keep it
soft and easy here

as you continue to breathe.

Checking in with the body.

A little goes a long way.

We don't always need 
that 90 minutes sweat to

get connected to our bodies,

to do a little conditioning,

to listen to our
heart's song, whatever it is.

A little really
can go a long way.

So beautiful
that you are here

and that you keep
showing up daily.

Okay, walk it to
the top nice and slow.

When you get in 
your Forward Fold,

feet hip width apart or 
flush together, your choice.

Inhale lots of love in.

And exhale lots of love out.

Close your eyes.

And again,
inhale lots of love in.

Then exhale lots of love out.

As I invite you to
drop any stress or tension

that you might be holding
in the neck or the shoulders.

Maybe even an 
invitation here to drop any

stress or worries that 
you're bringing to your mat,

allowing yourself to be
really present in this process

for the short time that 
we're on our mat today.

Yeah, yeah! 
Okay, here we go.

Tuck the chin. Let's start 
to roll it up to standing.

See if you can
enjoy this little ride

all the way up to Mountain Pose.

Lift your heart,
drop your awareness down

through all four
corners of your feet.

Lengthen up through the tip-top
of your head, and right away,

here we go.

Spread the fingertips 
wide in celebration

of you showing up here today.

Inhale, reach for the sky.

Exhale, Forward Fold,

take it all the way down.

Find what feels good here.

As you inhale,
lengthen through the crown.

And exhale, down you go, 
Forward Fold.

Nice. So, move slow here.

Plant the palms.

We're gonna step one
foot back then the other.

Beautiful, little Plank here.

And I want you to
find a little sway here.

So you can come onto
the knees if you like.

So, we're turning
on the abdominals,

turning on those abs,

we're reaching the heels 
back if the knees are lifted.

We're pressing
away from the yoga mat.

So there's a doming effect
through the upper back body.

We're not collapsing in the
scaps and the shoulder blades.

Excellent. Then, 
if your knees are lifted

go ahead and lower them.

Turn your left fingertips 
in towards your bod, (chuckles)

and go for a
gentle circle one way.

And then the other.

Nice. And then 
release the left hand.

Let's move to the right.

Same thing here.

Hi, Benji.

Thank you for
joining us, mi amor!

(laughs) Aww.

And then release the right hand.

Curl the toes under,
send the hips up

high and back, 
Downward Facing Dog.

Okay, inhale in here.

Exhale out.

Breathing through the nostrils,
inhale, bend the knees,

lift the hip points up high.

We've done this before.

Then exhale, drop the heels.

Good, again.
Inhale, bend the knees.

Lift the hip creases up high.

And exhale, drop the heels.

One more time.

This could be
just a subtle move.

Clawing to the fingertips.

Bend the knees, inhale.

And exhale, drop the heels.

Nice.

Inhale, lift the right leg
up high, nice and slow.

Exhale, step it up.

Go ahead and
lower that left knee.

Drop it to the earth.

And we're just going to
take a second here to breathe,

front knee over front ankle.

Then if you're
feeling kind of sore

or low energy today,
listen to your body.

Stay nice and low here
for this next breath cycle.

If you want a little
more movement, inhale,

reach the fingertips 
forward, up and back.

Big breath, big stretch.

And exhale to take it down.

Now keep that back knee
lowered for today's twist.

As we send the right fingertips 
up towards the sky, inhale.

Breathing into all
four sides of the torso.

Good, and exhale,
drop the right hand down.

Great. Pull the
right hip crease back.

Flex the toes towards the face.

Inhale in.

Exhale, right foot all
the way back to the earth.

Plant the palms,
Step the right toes back.

Inhale in here.

Exhale, Downward Facing Dog.

Good. Claw through
the fingertips.

Inhale, lift the
left leg up high.

Exhale. Step it all the way up.

Lower the right knee down.

Take a couple breaths here.

Stay nice and low if you fancy,

or on the next cycle of breath

reach the fingertips 
forward, up and back

as you breathe in.

And bring it down 
as you breathe out.

Everyone, keep the
back knee down today

as we pull the
left hip crease back,

we squeeze the left
knee in toward center

so that front knee
stays over the front ankle.

As we inhale, reach the left
fingertips up towards the sky.

Breathe into all
four sides of the torso.

And exhale to release.

Beautiful.

Drag the hands back,
pull the left hip crease back.

Send the hips back as you flex

your left toes now 
towards your face.

And then rolling
through that left foot,

come all the way back.

Alright, last Plank here.

Step the left toes back.

Plank or Half Plank,
inhale in deeply.

And exhaling to make your
way to Downward Facing Dog.

Beautiful bend your
right knee generously,

just your right knee,
as you drop your left heel.

This is a big anchor
here in Downward Dog.

Anchoring the heels,

particularly when we come
into Three-Legged Dog,

using that anchor.

And then you're gonna
take your head and your heart.

Keep pressing
into both palms evenly

as you turn to look
underneath your left arm

or the left armpit chest.

Beautiful. Should feel 
that in the legs.

And then we're 
going to take it to the

other side by 
dropping the right heel.

Feel that anchor and how
it's connected to the whole body

as you bend your
left knee generously

and turn your
heart under your gaze,

underneath your right shoulder.

Hug the lower ribs in, breathe.

And then slowly
release back to center.

Beautiful. Slowly lower 
to the knees.

Bring the big toes to touch.

Walk the knees wide
and send the hips back.

Extended Child's Pose.

Heart melts down,
forehead to earth.

Actively reaching 
the fingertips.

So, really active arms here,
if you can muster it.

Maybe even lifting the
elbows for a couple of breaths.

Feeling that length in
the side waist, the low back.

Beautiful.

Inhale in here.

Exhale to slowly
come out of the shape,

come back to all fours
and curl the toes under.

Downward Facing Dog,

lift the hips up high and back.

Okay. Claw through 
the fingertips, you got this.

Upper arm bones are
externally rotated.

We're taking
pressure out of the wrist

by really rooting
down through the knuckles.

Good. Then keep the knees 
straight but not locked.

As you inhale, lift the heels.

Exhale, drop 'em.

Inhale, lift the heels.

Press into the pinky toes,
and exhale, drop.

Last time, inhale.

Lift, lift, lift, lift
the hip creases up high.

Really exaggerate that.

And then drop them down.

Beautiful, listen carefully.

You're gonna walk the
hands back towards the toes.

So, Forward Fold now at
the back edge of your mat.

And then from here,

we're gonna walk the
feet a little bit wider

than hip width apart,
and then turn the toes out.

They might even spill
off the yoga mat just a bit.

Now find your center,
navel draws in and up.

Find that brace that
we've been playing with.

Inhale in, find your brace,

bend your knees and start
to lower your center down.

So, drop your hips down

as we come into a
little yogic squat here.

Now, this will be a
little different for everyone.

The heels might start
to come up right away,

and if they do you can let them.

Knees are nice and wide.

If you are able to
keep all four corners

of the feet on the mat,
then we'll work to really press

into the outer edges of the feet

so the knees don't
knock in too much.

Hands can stay on
the earth for stability,

hands or fingertips.

Or we might bring
the palms together,

press the palms 
at the heart center,

using this bind here,

this press, to really press 
the elbows into the legs.

Now, if you've been
practicing for a long time,

it's a big community here,
practicing together

which is one of the
more beautiful things

about this process
and this experience

is that we're kind of
all in this together

and we're showing up as
individuals making it our own.

If you've been
practicing awhile,

press the elbows into the legs

but then squeeze the
legs into the elbows.

Find that resistance 
and then see

if you can find
length from there.

Definitely connecting 
to Mula Bandha,

lifting up from the pelvic floor.

Lengthening through the neck.

So, you're in your variation.

And you're dropping into the
breath here wherever you are.

Softening through the jaw,
the skin of the forehead.

And we're here for one
more deep breath in.

And long breath out.

Good.

Now, ground down through
all four corners of the feet.

So important that you stay
connected through the feet here

in this transition.

We're gonna bring
the fingertips back up.

We're gonna walk
the toes in line.

We're gonna walk all
the way, all the way out

to a Plank only
to lower the knees.

Good.

Swing the legs to one side.

And then come to a seat,

sending the legs all
the way out in front.

When you arrive there,
bend one knee than the other.

Send the hands back behind you.

And then we're going to
take the knees to one side.

Lift your heart.

Maybe this is a
great place to check in

with the head and the neck.

And then take it to center

and drop them to the other side.

And then one
more time to center.

and windshield
wipering back and forth.

To one side and then the other.

And then from here,
take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale, guide
yourself to a comfortable seat,

or if you're craving
a supine position,

lay down on your sweet back.

And I think this is, again,

a great opportunity to remember
to drop your expectations.

For me, with the
home yoga practice,

I should specify, the
most important thing is

that you're taking
the time to drop in

each and every day
to be with yourself

and to connect with your source.

To me, this is
self-love and self-care.

Giving yourself a little
bit of time or a lot of time,

but some time to check in.

And that can look like a
different thing each day, right?

What felt good yesterday
may not feel good today.

So, the idea is that we're
taking the time to drop in,

and that could be
with a full practice

or it can be with three breaths

in a nice comfortable 
seat or lying down.

Keep this in mind as we
progress on this journey.

Each day will look and
feel a little different.

What matters most is that you
keep coming, keep showing up,

keep checking in and dropping
in with that sweet breath.

Alright, whether you're
lying down or seated,

let's bring the palms together
to close this puppy out.

So, no matter what's going on,

no matter what it looks like,

let's raise the
thumbs to the third eye.

May we always see the truth.

May we take the time.

Drop the thumbs to the lips.

May we we always
speak the truth.

And finally hands 
to heart, which for me,

this is what our
practice is all about.

May we always feel the truth.

Thanks everyone.
Love you guys.

Take a deep breath in.

And exhale to bow.

Namaste.

(bright upbeat piano music)