- What's up party people?

Welcome to Yoga with Adriene.

I'm Adriene, and today 
we have a practice

that's gonna help 
gear you up for Crow.

So I see it all the time,

people wanting to 
get into Bakasana

or variations of Bakasana, 
and that's really, really great,

and it's a really, 
really fun posture,

and I really do 
think you should try it,

but it's also really
important to make sure

that your body is warmed
up, and that we're working

on building 
strength and stability

so that we can feel
good in our flying Crow.

So hop into something comfy,
and let's play around.

(upbeat music)

Alright, let's begin lying down.

Come to your back, 
and take a moment

to just take the deepest
breath you've taken in

all day, my friend.

And as you exhale, 
relax your shoulders,

and really just settle 
in to this moment.

Whatever shape your 
body's in right now,

just take a second to look
away from the video and look up

at whatever sky or ceiling,
or whatever's going on.

And just feel what it is

like to be alive today.

When I do that, I kind of
tap into a little inner smile

that helps me feel alive
and present and good.

(deep breathing)

And then just 
continue this practice

of just noticing what it
feels like to be alive today,

and what it feels like to be
present, and use your breath.

So, start to notice your breath,

and nice and slow, we'll
give ourself a big hug,

just feeling the 
ground underneath us.

And as you squeeze your
knees up towards your chest,

and maybe snuggle the
shoulder blades down.

Continue to breathe here,
maybe waking up the feet.

Rotating the ankles.

And then know you can
come here at any time,

and Child's pose as well, 
but coming here

to just feel supported 
by the earth,

so nice and therapeutic 
for the back body,

especially if you're not used
to coming low to the ground.

Sweet, and then open the
knees wide, super wide,

nice and slow here, and
we're gonna slide the hands

either to the shins, 
to the ankles,

or all the way to 
the arches of the feet.

Keep the shoulders relaxed,
the neck nice and long,

and continue to 
breathe deep here.

You might stay here or
you might slowly kick

one foot up, then the other.

Now, navel draws down here,
hug the lower ribs in.

Inhale in, and as you exhale,

we're gonna lift the head,
the neck stays nice and long,

and then we hover here
for five, four, three,

engaging through the
abdominal wall, two, and one.

Beautiful, slowly release.

Interlace the fingertips,
bring them behind the head,

elbows nice and wide.

Knees are gonna 
stack over the hip points

or maybe even slightly in
front, up towards your chin

so that your 
lower back can become

nice and flush with the mat.

Inhale in.

Exhale, again lifting the
head, the neck, the shoulders,

engaging the core.

This time really 
scooping the tailbone up.

We're creating that active,
active, active belly

or active core center 
here as we send

the elbows left to right.

Look up at the ceiling,
and then slightly back

so the neck is 
nice and long here.

Inhale in.

Exhale, lower.

Inhale, lift.

Squeeze, exhale, lower.

Inhale, lift and squeeze.

Keep the elbows wide.

And exhale, lower.

Again, inhale, lift.

Exhale, lower.

Inhale, lift, 
tailbone scoops up.

Exhale, lower.

Inhale, lift.

And one more time, you got this.

Exhale, lower.

Inhale, lift.

This time 
straightening the legs.

You don't have to straighten
through both knees,

but bring the 
arches of the feet together.

You can keep 
the knees bent here,

and we're gonna 
squeeze and lift.

Lift the chin towards the sky.

Lift the tailbone up to
the backs of the knees,

backs of the knees 
up towards the heels.

We're here for five, four,
breathing deep,

three, two, and one.

Awesome, release, hands come
to the backs of the thighs.

Great work everyone.

Warming up through 
our core muscles.

We're gonna begin
to rock front to back,

front to back here,
massaging through the spine,

and then we're gonna
make our way all the way

to Downward Facing Dog, so
take your time getting there.

You can come through all fours.

Coming to our Downward Dog.

Try to stay connected to the
muscles of the abdominal wall

that you just opened up, 
I mean that you just warmed up.

(laughing)

And open up.

And then when you're ready,
keep the chest nice and open.

As you send the hips up high,

and we start to 
pedal it out here.

Nice, long, smooth deep breaths.

(deep breathing)

Then anchor 
through the left heel.

As you inhale, 
lift the right leg up high.

Exhale, knee to nose.

Really rounding 
through the spine here.

Chin to chest.

Breathing deep here, press
away from your yoga mat.

And then step the right foot
all the way up into your lunge.

Lower the back knee.

And let's start to open
up through the chest here,

opening up through the hips.

You can walk the right
foot out a little bit

so you're not on 
a tight rope here.

Breathing deep.

And then inhale, find length,
open through the chest.

Exhale, curl the 
back toes under,

and lift the back knee.

Then placing the 
left palm on the ground,

we'll inhale, 
reach the right fingertips

all the way up towards
the sky, big twist here.

As you pull the 
right hip crease back,

find length in all four
sides of the torso.

And then exhale, release.

Plant the palms.

Step the right toes 
back to plank.

Alright, so here we are,
pressing away from the yoga mat,

really rooting into that
index finger and thumb.

Tops of the shoulders draw
away from the ears here,

and I'm reaching my heels back.

Lighting up a fire in the
belly, sending awareness

up and down the spine.

Gaze straight down now for five.

Breathe deep, four.

Three, two, and one.

Send it all the way up and
back, Downward Facing Dog.

Awesome work.

Deep breath in.

Long breath out here.

Now anchoring 
through the right heel,

inhale, lift the 
left leg up high.

Exhale, knee to nose,
really rounding through

the upper back body here.

Press away from your yoga mat.

Nice and strong here, you
might feel a little shake,

a little tremble, breathe deep.

And then stepping it all
the way up into your lunge.

Lower that right knee down.

And inhale, 
open through the chest.

So as we begin 
to build strength,

can you remember 
to use your breath,

to find a softness to balance
the effort with the ease.

Inhale, look forward.

Exhale, curl the 
back toes under.

Lift that back knee, 
nice, low lunge.

Inhale, 
broaden through the chest.

Reach the right heel back,

and then we'll place the
right hand on the earth

and come into our twist,

lifting up through 
that center channel,

lifting up from the pelvic
floor as you open up left side.

Inhale in, find length.

Side body is nice and
long and active here.

Big breath, and then exhale
to release back down.

Plant the palms, root the
index finger and thumb here

like so, and then press
away from your yoga mat

as you step the left toes back.

So, if you're collapsing in
the upper back body here,

press away from the yoga mat,

so that you can send the

shoulder blades 
left to right here.

Again, creating more space
in the upper back body.

Gaze straight down.

Draw the navel up.

And Downward Facing Dog.

Deep breath in.

Long breath out.

Inhale in.

Exhale out.

Beautiful, 
anchor the left heel down.

Inhale, lift the 
right leg up high.

Exhale, knee to nose.

This time try to touch your
right heel to your right glute,

and again, send the shoulder
blades left to right here,

creating space in the upper
back body, not collapsing.

One more breath here, 
you got it.

And then step it all the
way up into your lunge.

Great, pivot on the back foot.

And nice and slow, 
when you're ready,

coming up to Warrior One.

Hands can stay on the
waistline if you're new

to the practice, or
maybe you send fingertips

all the way up right away.

Big breath in here, 
wherever you are.

Open up through the chest.

And then exhale, 
Warrior Two to the left.

Pull the pinkies back.

Strong bend in that front leg.

Front knee over front ankle.

Lengthen tailbone down.

Side body nice and long.

Inhale in as you create length,

draw energy up through 
the center channel.

And then exhale,
straighten that front leg.

Send the hips back.

And we're gonna slowly
reach forward for Triangle.

Keep breathing here, right
fingertips come down.

And we open up 
through the chest.

Nice long line from the
crown to the tail here.

Inhale in deeply.

And exhale completely.

Slowly bending 
through that front leg

back to your Warrior Two.

Inhaling deeply.

Exhale, maybe you 
sink a little lower

into that front knee.

Strong connection in
the core here, inhale.

Exhale, bending right
elbow, coming to the top

of that right thigh for nice,
long extended side angle.

So take the left fingertips
down to come up today.

So down as you 
open up towards the front.

Feel the power of that
back foot as you reach

through the left fingertips.

Maybe you bring the right
fingertips down, maybe not.

Deep breath in.

Long breath out.

Take one more inhale here.

Welcome that heat, you got this.

And stay connected to your core.

Draw your navel in, as you
exhale, we're gonna release.

Come to Skandasana.

So we're gonna send the
fingertips to the ground

to help guide us.

Left toes turn out.

Right toes can turn in
or up towards the sky,

as we slowly sink the hips down.

Now you can use the
fingertips here to help you,

and maybe, this is just a
really awesome foot stretch.

Maybe the heel 
doesn't come down.

So we're here breathing.

Opening up the hips,
connecting to the core.

One more deep 
breath in here, you got it.

And then exhale, use your
fingertips to help you crawl

all the way back 
to the front edge.

Nice, low lunge.

Awesome, inhale, 
look forward, smile.

Exhale, plant the palms,
step it back to plank.

So nice and strong 
in the shoulders here.

Tops of the 
shoulders rotate out.

Root down through your
index finger and thumb.

Breathing deep, 
so no vinyasas today.

Just nice, strong, building
strength and stability.

(deep breathing)

One more breath, lift up
from the inner thighs.

And then send it back,
Downward Facing Dog.

Awesome work.

Take a moment 
to refocus, to pause.

Reconnect with your breath.

And then we'll anchor 
the right heel down.

Lift the left leg up high
on your next breath in.

Exhale, knee to nose.

Press away from your yoga mat,

rounding through 
the upper back body.

Try to touch your 
left heel to your left

glute, building strength.

You got this.

And release.

Left foot steps up.

And we slowly 
come through our lunge.

And then up to Warrior One 
whenever you're ready.

Take your time.

Reconnect with your breath.

Head over heart, 
heart or pelvis here.

Hands on the waistline 
or all the way up.

Deep breath in.

As you find expansion,
press into the outer edge

of that back foot strong.

And then Warrior Two 
to the right.

Get down nice and low.

Finding places to lift, 
places to ground.

You got this, strong focus.

(deep breathing)

Inhale, create length.

And exhale, 
relax the shoulders down.

And keep pressing into the
outer edge of that back foot

strong as you begin to

straighten through 
the front leg,

and keep that energy 
connected through the back foot

as you send the 
hips back and reach

the left fingertips 
forward for Triangle.

Taking your time here.

Staying connected 
in your center.

Eventually right fingertips
might come all the way up,

or they might just come to
the waistline here, breathing.

Inhale.

And exhale.

One more breath, inhale.

And exhale, 
move from the middle.

Navel draws in, Uddiyana Bandha.

Strong core here as we come
back to Warrior Two, you got it.

Sink down nice and low.

Front knee over 
front ankle, inhale.

And exhale, extended side angle.

Left elbow to
the top of the left thigh.

Again, fingertips are
gonna come down to come up,

so right fingertips go down,

and then we open up,
pressing into the knife edge

of that back foot.

Hug the lower ribs in, 
you got this.

Inhale, maybe you open out.

And exhale, we release.

Fingertips are gonna come
slowly to the ground.

We're gonna walk 
it all the way back.

Right toes turn out.

Left toes turn in or up.

And we're here, breathing.

Again, you can use the
fingertips on the earth.

You can also have 
the heel up, no prob.

So lots of variations here.

Try to keep your center lifted,
one more breath, you got it.

And then use 
your hands, your fingers

to walk it all the 
way back to your lunge.

Inhale, look forward.

And exhale, plant the palms.

Step it to plank.

Just here for five.

Press away from your yoga mat.

Four, three, smile, two,

and then slowly lowering
the knees to the earth,

and sending the fingertips all
the way back, Child's pose.

Forehead comes to the mat.

Take a moment 
to close your eyes.

Refocus on your breath.

So as you rest the 
forehead on the earth,

allow the eyes to close,
and the fingertips

to reach towards the toes,

and then take a moment
to allow the shoulders

to relax and just 
feel that spaciousness

in the upper back body.

Coming back to your breath.

(deep breathing)

Then start to 
wiggle your fingertips.

Take a deep breath in.

And reach them all 
the way back up towards

the front edge of your mat.

We'll plant the 
palms into the earth

to come back to all fours.

Curl the toes under, and then
use the palms on the earth

to come back into a little
squat here, knees nice and wide.

So we're just coming into a
little Froggy pose at first,

really nice opening 
for the feet.

And you might 
just stay here today,

working on 
connecting to your center.

Coming into your perch with the
toes slowly coming together.

And so the knees 
are nice and wide,

the toes are together, 
and we become

more and more 
aware of the spine,

maybe even coming to a
balancing posture here

with the hands on 
the tops of the thighs.

And this would be a
nice, fun place to work,

and you can also 
come to hands at heart.

Right, coming back, 
forth, back, forth.

And just working 
here on connecting

from the toes all the
way up through the crown.

If you're ready to take
it a little further,

we're going to plant the palms

nice and slowly and mindfully.

Spreading the 
fingers super wide.

So, I'm trying to slow this
down here just a little bit.

And then the wrists come
underneath the shoulders.

And then we shift 
our weight forward

so that we're creating nice
stacking of the bones here.

Now for some, 
we're still needing to work

so much in the feet 
that this might be it.

And some of us working on
balance and core stability,

core strength, this might be it.

But if you're wanting to
play a little bit more,

we'll bring the tops 
of the shoulder heads

away from the ears,
and again, rooting down

through the index thumb,
we're gonna just start

to lift the hips up.

Now we've opened 
the hips nice and wide,

so you might start to
walk the knees all the way

up to the armpit, and then
you're just gonna come here

onto the tippy tip toes.

Soft bend in the elbows.

Gaze straight down and
then slightly forward.

So, there's a 
tendency for the gaze

to come in here, and you're
gonna do a little somersault

here, so gaze straight forward.

And we have a whole
foundations video of Crow.

You can go learn all the
foundations of Crow here.

So you might stay here.

Again, just a reminder,
drishti is out not in.

And you might just come
onto the toes here,

and then come back.

And then onto the toes.

And then back.

And so we're slowly 
but surely working

to get the knees right up
into that armpit chest.

There's tons of 
variations for Bakasana,

so this is a practice 
that's just gonna

lead you up to 
a little playtime here.

So I pass it along 
to you now to play.

Just try to stick 
with your breath.

Stay focused on the breath, 
and explore.

Maybe you lift one toe
up, and then the other.

Maybe you're working
to straighten the arms.

Maybe you're working to 
lift the toes a little higher.

Breathing deep.

So there's all kinds of
variations here.

Your practice thus far
has led you to this moment

to just be present and play.

Keep a nice sense of humor.

Taking breaks when you need to.

(deep breathing)

Maybe you're working on
hopping back or stepping back.

Maybe you're working 
on Side Crow today.

As your friend, as your guide,
I encourage you to remember

to marry the 
effort with the ease,

the strength with the grace.

Wherever you are, begin to
wrap it up nice and slow,

giving thanks for your
body and your breath.

Maybe you're celebrating.

Maybe you're giggling.

Just remind you to stay
present, and be loving.

When you come up, go ahead
and walk to the front

edge of your mat, 
and we're gonna bring

the feet as wide 
as the yoga mat,

and come in to a 
nice yogic squat here

for just a five count.

Palms come together.

Breathing deep, you can be
up on the toes here too.

Take one more breath 
wherever you are.

And then stay 
connected to your core.

Use the fingertips on the earth,

and stay rooted through your
feet to protect the knees

as you come all the way 
through to seated.

Come to Boat pose here
with the knees bent,

shins parallel to the
ceiling as you reach forward.

Inhale in, lift your
heart, and then exhale,

relaxing all the way down.

Fabulous, take a second to
center yourself on your mat.

And then we'll lift one
knee up, then the other.

Palms come down for stability.

One knee up, then the other.

And just nice and easy, so
from the feet on the ground,

so we're not coming 
into reclined twist,

different follow up here.

Soles of the feet on the mat,

and we're gonna just allow the
knees to shift to one side.

And some will 
still be playing here,

so catch up when you need to.

Palms on the earth.

Knees fall to one side.

And then we just 
might take one ankle

and cross it over the leg here.

So I'm on my left side,
so left ankle's gonna come

and cross over just to
get a deeper stretch here.

Breathing deep.

Starting to cool it off.

And then releasing the top foot,

coming back through,
windshield wiper the knees

all the way back through center,

and take it to the other side.

For me, it's the right side.

Should get a nice, 
soft glute massage here.

And I'll cross maybe
right ankle over the top

of the left thigh for a
little deeper stretch.

This is optional here.

Again, we're getting a nice,
little release in the glute,

relaxing through the shoulders.

Take one more 
big breath in here.

Fabulous, and through, one
more time to each side.

If you want to just
rock back and forth too

for that glute stretch,
that release there,

that's a good idea.

(deep breathing)

And coming through center.

Last side.

And then 
releasing through center,

sending one leg out long, 
then the other.

And then we're actually gonna
take a full body stretch here.

As you inhale, 
sweep the fingertips

all the way up and overhead.

Point and flex the 
feet when you get here.

Wiggle the fingertips.

Rotate a little
bit in the torso,

maybe moving the tailbone
down and then up,

playing with the pelvis here.

Whatever feels awesome.

And then inhale, expand,
spread the fingertips and toes.

And then exhale, 
turning the toes,

letting them fall out, 
bending the elbows,

coming to your Shavasana.

If there's anything 
else you're craving,

maybe it's another round at
Crow, maybe it's something else,

now would be the 
time to tend to it.

Otherwise, I'll guide us
to our final posture here.

We're just taking 
a second to reflect,

and then let it all go.

Be still, total surrender.

We're so lucky to be able
to have the opportunity

to connect to our bodies,
to deepen the breath,

to celebrate who we are
and where we are today,

and there's nothin' 
like a Crow practice

to just kind of bring 
you into the moment.

Awesome work, thanks for sharing
your yoga practice with me.

Leave questions, comments below.

Be sure to check out that
Foundations of Crow video

if you wanna go 
deeper into the posture,

or if you're new and
wanna learn the basics.

And I'll see ya next time.

Take good care.

Namaste.

(upbeat music)