- Hi everyone welcome to Home,
your 30-day yoga journey.

It's Day 4.

Activate!

(upbeat gentle music)

Okay let's begin 
today on our backs.

Bet you didn't see that coming.

Come on down to the ground

and right away, as you

come to your first position,

begin to activate your breath.

Bend your knees, bring the
soles of feet to the ground.

Bring your hands to your belly.

Take the deepest breath 
you've taken all day, in.

And breathe out, empty it,
empty it, empty it, empty it.

Out through the nose or mouth.

Good, big inhale.

Activating the breath,

remembering the 
breath always comes first.

And using the exhale to let
go of any stress or tension

you might be 
coming onto the mat with.

Keep an open mind.

There's so much to 
pick up along the way here

with this 
regular daily practice.

And today's session

is about

action, discipline.

Now, don't worry.
I got your back.

Just laying the foundations

for a fulfilling,

sustainable at home practice.

Making our way back home.

So continue to 
gently activate the breath.

And we're gonna slowly

just rock the head 
a little side to side,

ear-to-ear, a little
passive stretch in the neck

and the traps.

So active breath.

The breath always comes first.

As we begin to layer on more,
remember this.

The breath always comes first.

You can always spend your time

activating, 
snuggling up with your breath.

And that is 
worth your time here.

Okay bring the head 
back to center stillness.

We're gonna slowly 
interlace the fingertips,

bring them behind the head.

Extend the thumbs so you create
this little neck hammock.

You can give yourself 
a little massage here.

Start to smell 
your armpits already.

Mhmmm.

Elbows nice and wide.

Now ground through the feet,

scoop your tail bone up 
so your low back can come

flushed to the mat.

So nice, beautiful connection

between the low 
back and the earth.

I say beautiful 
because you should feel

like supported.

And right away you could see how

bringing your awareness 
to this support in the low back

is gonna create 
a little activation

in the abdominal wall.

Some more than others, some,

you could really start 
to feel a tremble already

if you haven't activated 
these muscles in a while.

Welcome, welcome back,
welcome home.

Here we go, inhale in again.

Exhale, navel draws down.

Low back stays 
flush with the mat.

You're just 
gonna lift one leg up.

Shin parallel to the 
ceiling and then the other.

A little more 
activation in the core,

low back is nice and flush.

Breathe here.

In time, we'll work to 
bring the knees over the hips.

But if that's not 
happening for you,

in a way that feels 
supportive in the low back,

work in a way that 
feels supportive, right.

Recognize what feels good,

what feels supportive.

Pain does not feel good.

That is not supportive.

Okay, inhale and again here,
keep the elbows wide,

they're gonna wanna come in.

Keep 'em nice and wide.

As you lift your chest,
your chin and your gaze

up towards the sky.

So not a crunch, but lifting up

and almost as if you're
sending your gaze up and back.

So we're activating 
the abdominal wall.

(mimic radio static) Activate!

Breathing deep, 
inhale in, elbows wide.

You can use your thumbs 
here to support your neck.

Scoop the tailbone up,
excuse me.

Hug your low ribs in.

Maybe experiment with 
drawing your knees out,

just a bit for three.

Breathe deep, two.

And release.

Hug your knees into your chest.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale.

Now bring your hands to 
the backs of the thighs.

And we're gonna, 
we're gonna have a little fun.

So let's go on a 
little journey here.

We're gonna 
rock and roll up and down

the length of the spine.

So keeping that connection,
that active core,

your awareness 
of your shoulders.

So if this feels 
really silly to you,

you are not alone.

It did as well for me when
I first started doing this.

If you wanna catch a 
little Plow Pose here,

if it's in your practice 
to touch the toes back,

you can but otherwise,
don't worry.

Here comes the real moment,

a chance to align 
with a little humility.

Here we go.

The next time you rock up,
we're gonna come

all the way up and 
forward into a little squat.

And if you're like haha, hehe,

Adriene, very funny.

I get it, it's all and good.
So make your way there.

You can choreograph that.

And I mentioned the humility

because there 
are so many moments

in the asana practice 
where we have a chance

to be humbled, and for it to
be like a positive experience,

versus like something we're
just trying to blow through

so, activate the 
humility as well.

And we're gonna come 
into this little squat,

stretching through 
the fascia of the feet.

You know, this could be 
really intense for your feet,

so breathe deep.

Use your fingertips 
to brace you here.

If it's available, find 
a stretch in the back body

by drawing the chin in, 
nose in towards heart center.

Breathe deep here.
We got this.

And then, yup, you guessed it.
We're gonna drop the heels.

Begin the lift the hips up high.

Forward Fold.

Activate your breath.

Again, each time we 
come into this Forward Fold,

and particularly as we 
do it with more regularity,

(sighs) so good for 
the nervous system.

I'm sure you don't 
need me to remind you

how important that is,
particularly nowadays.

So take some nice 
deep breaths here.

Then look down at your feet.

You're gonna 
lift all of your toes.

Ground through all 
four corners of the feet

and we're activating

this idea of pressing through

all four corners 
of the feet equally.

We call this four 
part equal standing.

Samastitihi.

So start it here 
in the Forward Fold.

Activate the feet.

Find this Pada Bandha,
this foot lock,

this foot-to-earth connection.

And whatever that means to you,
just doing your best.

And then from there,

we're gonna ground into that
four part equal standing,

and begin to roll it up.

Take your time.

Stand up nice and tall,

and see if you can imagine,

listen carefully,

this upward current of 
energy coming all the way up

through your front side.

And then see if you can activate

or imagine this idea 
of this downward energy

activating down your back side.

So we have this loop.

We have this upward current
of energy through the front.

And this downward 
energy through the back.

And just see if you 
can create this image

of this energy loop, and imagine

your body in the 
center of this loop.

And if you're like, okay 
what am I supposed to do?

That's okay, 
just stay open to this idea.

But maybe, your body 
responds a little bit

to this upward 
current of energy.

And maybe it responds to this
downward current of energy.

So finding places to 
life like through the crown,

of the head, through the heart,
the sternum.

And places to ground.

Maybe drawing 
the shoulder blades in

and down the back body.

Pressing firmly into the heels.

Tagging a little bit of 
weight in your fingertips.

Relaxing your shoulders down.

So we're activating this
principle of opposition, right.

Upward and downward,
masculine and feminine.

Sun, moon, light, dark.

Here we go.
Inhale, reach for the sky.

Exhale, Forward Fold.

Hi Benji.

Inhale, lift it up halfway.

Pull the elbows back, 
lengthen through the neck.

Exhale, to soften and fold.

Alright, listen carefully.
Bend your knees.

You're gonna step 
just the left foot back.

Go ahead and lower then to
the left knee here to start.

Inhale sweep the arms 
all the way up and over head.

Now we're gonna come 
out of the crescent lunge

a little bit here 
by pressing firmly,

activating through all four
corners of that front foot.

And then sending the 
fingertips up towards the sky.

If this is too much for you,

bring the hands 
to the waistline.

We're gonna pull the 
right hip crease back.

We're gonna 
squeeze the inner thighs,

activating the midline.

So squeeze the inner 
thighs to the center.

Lift up from the pelvic floor,

activate that midline.

Think of this 
upward current of energy,

coming up through the front.

And then this downward 
energy through the back.

Inhale in here.

Exhale to slowly release.

Plant the palms, 
lift the back knees.

Step your right toes back.

Inhale to look forward.

Shift forward.

Exhale, lower all the 
way down to your belly.

Hi Benji.

Inhale Cobra.

(laughing)

I'm not sorry.

Exhale, release.

Curl the toes under.

Inhale, press up up 
to all fours or Plank.

Downward Facing Dog.

Breathe out.

Inhale in deeply here.

Pedal it out if you like.

Exhale completely.

Find what feels good here.

Careful to not hold 
or clench in the neck.

Good, bend your knees.

Inhale, look forward.

Exhale, step or hop to the top.

Feet together, really together.

Good, Forward Fold.

Inhale, halfway 
lift to your version.

Exhale to soften and fold.

Inhale to bend the knees.

Reach all the way 
up towards the sky

and then listen carefully,
we're gonna exhale.

Go all the way back down.

Forward Fold.

Inhale, halfway lift,
your version.

Moving with your breath,
exhale to fold.

Bend your knees.

This time step 
the right toes back.

Lower the right 
knee to the earth.

Now, activate through all four
corners of that front foot.

Squeeze the inner thighs 
to the midline right away.

Lift up from the pelvic floor.

Hands to the waistline, 
or reach up towards the sky.

Come up out of that 
front leg a little bit.

Activating the 
abdominal wall here,

squeeze the inner thighs inwards

so we can find that 
connection to the midline.

Activating, lifting from the
pelvic floor, all the way up.

Lots of energy, 
activate the fingertips here.

Lengthen through the crown.

Inhale in.

Exhale to release.

Come all the way back down,
step it back.

Plank or Half Plank,
Cobra or Chaturanga.

Moving with your breath.
Hey buddy.

We'll meet in 
Downward Facing Dog.

Activate your breath.

Bend your knees, 
inhale to look forward.

Exhale to make 
your way to the top.

Take your time.

Big inhale lifts you up halfway,

lots of length in the neck.

Exhale to soften and fold.

Root to rise here.

Inhale, reach for the sky.

Big breath, big stretch.

Zipping up through the legs,

activating, lifting up 
through the pelvic floor,

finding that midline.

And then we'll 
bring the hands together

and back down to the heart.

Inhale in here.

Use the exhale to 
relax your shoulders down.

Good one more big 
breath in here, inhale.

And exhale to empty it out.

Good. Inhale to drop your 
fingertips down to come up.

Big breath, big stretch.

Exhale, Forward Fold.

Inhale, halfway lift, 
moving with the breath.

Exhale to soften and bow.

Great, bend the knees.
Fingertips come to the earth.

We step the left toes back.

Now we've already done 
this with the back knee down.

So you can totally stay there.

Otherwise, let's 
experiment with keeping it up

for high lunge.

So actively,

reach the left heel back.

Find that lift up 
through the pelvic floor

by squeezing the 
inner thighs to the midline.

Hands can come to the waistline

or we'll sweep the 
fingers forward, up and back.

Finding high lunge here.

Bend your back knee to 
get your center underneath you

so we can find, 
so we can activate

that loop of energy that goes
up through the front body

and down through the back body.

You got this.

Inhale, pull the thumbs back.
Lift your chest.

We can also be here, 
working on the same principles

with the back knee down.

Excellent.

Take one more 
big breath in here.

Find expansion.

On the exhale, we're gonna turn

and open to the left,
Warrior II.

If you were on your knee,

you're just gonna 
turn your left toes

towards the 
right side of your mat,

and work here.
Voila, same principles.

If the big knee's lifted,
make sure

we are actively 
pressing into the outer edge

of the back foot.

From here, we're gonna 
activate the left inner thigh.

Big breath in.

Sink deeply 
into that front knee,

front knee over front ankle.

Inhale in, reach the 
right fingertips all the way up.

Send it back.

And then exhale, cartwheel all
the way back to your lunge.

Peek at me if you need to.

Beautiful. Back to the 
low lunge, here we go.

Stepping the right toes back,

belly to Cobra, or 
Chaturanga to Upward Facing Dog,

your version.

You can also 
skip this at any time,

and just go right to Down Dog.

That's where we'll meet.

Inhaling in deeply.

And exhaling completely.

Alright, here we go, 
bend the knees.

Inhale to look forward.

Exhale, baby steps or 
step or hop to the top.

I cannot stress enough,
you really making those

kind of transitions your own
along with everything else.

Inhale lifts 
you up halfway here.

Exhale to soften and fold.

Beautiful.

Root to rise here.

Press into all four 
corners of the feet.

Inhale to reach for the sky.
Big breath, big stretch.

Exhale, take it 
all the way down.

Alright, second side.

Here we go.
Inhale, halfway lift.

Exhale, soften and fold.

Bend your knees.

Step your right toes back.

So we've been here 
with the back knee down.

We can repeat that.
Otherwise, let's keep it lifted.

Really activating the right heel

towards the back 
edge of your mat.

Here we go, squeezing,
inner thighs to the midline.

Finding that, lift up 
from the pelvic floor.

So we worked to create

a full body experience.

Hands on the waistline

or reaching the fingertips
forward, up and back,

high lunge.

Or back knee lowered.

Alright so I love high lunge

as a shape, an asana,
to work on activation

because you can really 
kind of feel everything

going in every 
different direction.

Unless, you start 
to align and activate.

So find that lift 
up through the front,

that grounding through the back.
Go ahead and bend your back knee

to get your 
center underneath you

and then you can work to 
straighten that leg in time.

Good, sink a little deeper.
You got this.

You can even look up.

And then on an exhale,
here we go.

Opening Warrior II to the right,

pulling the pinkies back.

Activating so really 
pressing into the outer edge

of your right foot.

And then everyone, 
in these Warrior postures,

working from the ground up,

begin to draw energy up 
from the arches of the feet,

activate your right inner thigh.

Nice long, tall spinal columns.

So there's a 
tendency to want to lean here.

Peek at me.

So we wanna pull this back.

Nice, stacked spine.

Good then here we go.

Flip your left palm up.

Inhale, reach 
forward, up and back.

Reach way back, big breath in.

Exhale, to cartwheel 
all the way down.

Have a little fun.

Last chance for vinyasa here.
You can totally skip it.

We're gonna step 
the left toes back.

You can go 
straight to Downward Dog

or you can move 
through a little flow.

When you're in Downward Dog,
go ahead

and take a deep 
breath in through the nose.

And exhale out through 
the mouth, don't be shy.

Bend your knees generously.

Inhale to look forward,

and exhale to make 
your way to the top.

Last time, inhale, halfway lift.

Find the length.

Exhale to soften and fold.

Root to rise here.

Inhale, reach for the sky.

Big breath, big stretch.

And exhale, hands to heart.

Pause here.
Try not to fidget.

Observe your breath.

Relax your shoulders.

So,

to activate to bring this

notion of activation 
into our practice

requires action.

It requires discipline, y'all.

So, keep that in mind as we 
move throughout our journey.

There are gonna be days 
where the body may be tired

or the mind may be distracted.

And we're gonna keep

turning back to this idea,
this commitment

to just finding, what can 
I activate in this moment?

What can I do to 
support myself in this moment?

Because,

this is part of the 
awakening process too.

Activation is part of 
the awakening process.

Inhale in.
Exhale, bend your knees

send your hips way, 
way, way, way, way back.

Press into your heels.

And begin to reach 
the fingertips forward

so you have a little 
counter balance here.

Low body, sinking down low.

Fingertips reaching forward.

Not necessarily up, forward.

What can you activate here
for these last three breaths?

Squeezing the legs together,
digging into the heels.

Send the hips a little lower,
Utkatasana,

for three,

two,

one, rise up.

Release the fingertips down.

We're gonna end in 
Mountain Pose here today.

So stand up nice and tall

like you love yourself.

So they're gonna be some bumps

on the journey home.

And just remember,
you have the tools

and maybe, open your mind.

Be willing

to activate 
(laughs) those tools.

And know that it will 
require some discipline.

Let's draw the hands together.

We got this, don't we?

Inhale in.

As you exhale, go ahead and
bow your head to your heart.

You have everything 
you need, as do I.

It's an honor and a pleasure
to share this time with you.

To explore

and to support one another

on our journey

home.

One final breath in.

And we close with

Namaste.

(upbeat gentle music)