- Hello, everyone,
and welcome to Dedicate,

your 30 day yoga journey.

It's Day 22 and
today I invite you

to focus on a steady state.

Let's get started.

(bright music)

Alrighty, my darling friends,
let's begin

in a nice, comfortable seat,
so come on down.

Welcome back,
you're doing great.

We're gonna jump right in today,

so sit up nice and tall.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale, relax any
tension that you might

begin to detect in the body,

and just a reminder,
whatever you're coming

to the mat with
today is all good.

Right? We just get
a little caught up, particularly

as this journey goes on.

And we have to
have the perfect mood,

the perfect mindset.

Maybe some of that
vibrancy of the beginning

of the journey has worn off.

You're going great,
whatever you're coming

to practice with, it's all good.
I have your back.

So sit up nice and tall.

And again, continue to
just go through your checklist

and detect if you're
kind of holding or clenching

any patterns in the
body that just might be used

to gripping, let's use this
time, even if we only do this,

so valuable, so beneficial.

Hey, buddy.

Relaxing the shoulders.

Finding a wonderful placement
of your hands for today.

And again,
sitting up nice and tall

because today's practice asks us

to focus on a steadiness,
a strength,

or an alertness

without creating any tension.

So that's the catch,

or that's the gem.

That's the wisdom.

Can I create a regular practice
or move through my life

in a way that is strong,
that is alert,

but that doesn't
create tightness

or rigidity or tension?

So we'll play with
that through the body

but you can also think
about that as you continue

to explore your yoga off the mat

and in your every day.

By now, I hope you've taken
a really loving deep breath

but if not, let's
take one now together.

Here we go, big
inhale in through the nose.

And exhale, relax the
shoulders, breathe out.

And draw the hands
together at the heart.

Close your eyes
for just a moment here

as we pause to
just reflect on

Sthira or steadiness.

And this focus today of

steadiness without tension,
alertness without tension.

Conditioning the body

and the mind as well.

Getting stronger

without causing
any pain or damage

to the body or
to the psyche, okay,

take a deep
breath in here (laughs).

Exhale, bow the
head to the heart.

Just keep an open mind.

Continue with your breath.

And let's have some fun.

Bat the eyelashes open,
we're gonna come to all fours.

Take your time.

Tabletop Position.

Set yourself up for
amazing greatness here

and then when you're ready,
inhale, drop the belly,

open the chest,
pause here today.

Breathe deep, in and out.

Claw through the fingertips.

Imagine you're
opening a pickle jar

with your right
hand to the right

and with your
left hand to the left,

upper arm bones rotating out.

Careful not to
pinch the lower back,

so we're paying
attention here pressing

into the tops of the feet,

starting to engage in
the legs even here.

Awesome, and then
take a deep breath in.

Exhale, round it through.

Start at the tail,
travel up through the spine

until the crown of the
head releases to the earth.

And then same thing,
pause here and let your breath

deepen and flow.

Strong base,
arms and legs strong here.

Hug the lower abs in,
take one more cycle of breath.

Get a nice
stretch in the back body.

Beautiful, then
inhale, Tabletop Position.

Kick the right
leg out nice and slow.

And just breathe here.

Deepen the breath.

Creating an evenness as
you distribute the weight,

same amount of
weight in the right palm

as you are in the left.

Cool, and then slowly release.

Bring the right knee back,
send the left leg out.

How are you handling this,
beginning this warmup?

Breathe.

Awesome, bring
the left knee down,

walk the hands out.

Drop the elbows
where the hands were before

and we're gonna walk the
knees back for Puppy Posture.

Melt the heart
down to the earth here,

opening up through
the shoulders, the chest.

If the forehead
comes to the earth, great.

You're sending your tailbone
up towards the sky here,

breathing, breathing, breathing.

Inhale in, exhale,
draw your navel in,

connect to your center,
your core,

as you slide
through to Forearm Plank

so you're gonna come
all the way forward through

with the chest,
curl the toes under,

lift the kneecaps,
and here we are.

Elbows are right underneath
the shoulders, my friends.

We're lifting
low belly in and up,

hugging the low ribs in,
so hollowing

through the front body,
welcoming a little heat

as you spread
awareness through the fingers,

lengthening the crown
way, way, way forward,

way beyond the
frontage of your yoga mat

and then reaching
the heels, same,

way beyond the
edge of your yoga mat.

We're here for three,
you're doing awesome.

Two, slowly lower
on the one, yes!

Drag the hands back
in line with the ribcage.

Draw the
shoulder blades together,

press into the tops of the feet.

So think again of this Dunda,
this stick or staff,

the spine from the crown to
the tail, and think of that

as you slow and steady
press into the pubic bone.

Lift up, Baby Cobra,
keep it nice and low.

Breathe here.

Slowly, slowly waking up the
muscles in the back body.

Tucking the chin
so you can stay long

in the back of the neck,

so again creating an alertness,
a strength-building practice

without any tension or pain.

Cool, and then slowly release
for head kisses the earth.

We'll curl the toes under.

Press up to all fours,
just all fours.

And then toes are
curled under here.

You're gonna inhale,
kick the right leg out again.

Exhale, draw knee to nose.

Inhale, kick the right leg out.

Exhale, knee to nose.

Inhale, kick it out,
look forward.

Exhale, knee to nose.

Pause here, breathe deep.

Wrists are underneath the
shoulders, very important.

Stay here, or option two,
inhale in,

exhale, lift the left knee.

Let it hover for three,
strong and steady.

Two, and on the one,
both knees lower down.

Send the hips back,
sit on the heels

for one cycle of breath.

Take a little
pressure off the wrists.

Look at Benji
deciding to join us.

How nice!

I put this blanket out for him

but then he always
likes to lie right here.

Maybe we should
pull the blanket in.

Okay, back to all fours,
toes are curled under.

Here we go, inhale,
kick the left leg out.

Pressing into both palms evenly,

exhale, bring it in,
knee to nose.

Inhale, kick it out.

Exhale, knee to nose.

Inhale, kick it out.

Exhale, knee to nose,
stay here and hold.

Draw the lower belly in,

strengthening the
core or option two,

inhale in, exhale,
lift the right knee.

Let it hover, press
away from your yoga mat

with your palms for three, two,

and on the one, slowly
lower both knees to the earth.

Awesom, send the hips back.

Take a second, Thriller Arms,

rotate the wrists.

Just take in your space, maybe

checking in with
the neck and the head.

Start to let whatever happened
before this practice go.

Let's put it politely on hold,
put it on the shelf,

and let's start to drop into
a nice, audible breath here

as we come to
Downward Facing Dog.

Downward Facing Dog.

Benji's got the Downward Dog

nailed down.

I try to tell him
it's always evolving,

always changing, but he
insists that he's mastered it.

Who knows?
Inhale in.

Use an exhale to bend
your knees and look forward.

Then nice and steady, ragdoll,
one foot, then the other

all the way to the top.

Let your head get heavy here,
bend your knees,

ground your all
four corners of the feet.

Find your breath.

So good for the body,
so breathe deep here.

Alright, on your next inhale,
slide the hands

all the way to the
tops of the thighs,

loop your shoulders
forward, up and back.

Pull your hip creases back
and ground through the feet

as you send the
crown of your head forward.

Reach the tailbone back,
again, you can use this image

of a number seven with the body

and your version doesn't have
to look like mine but that's

just the image you can
give yourself to play with.

Hug the lower ribs in.

No dipping in the low back,
so low back is nice and long

creating a steadiness
from crown to tail,

building strength, awesome for

posture, for repatterning.

We have this for three,
breathe deep,

two, awesome, release
the hold on the one, yes!

Beautiful, check it out,
from here bend your knees,

plant the palms,
step the right toes back,

step the left toes back,
Plank Pose.

From here you're
gonna take your right hand

to the earth, don't panic.

You're gonna turn onto the
outer edge of your right foot,

and we're gonna
find support for sure,

even if you can do a Side Plank,

this is a supported Side Plank,

so bring your left foot to
the earth like a kickstand.

Super important.

Now from here, take your left
hand to your right ribcage,

press away from your yoga mat,

and use your left hand

to slowly smear
that honey (laughs)

and open your
heart up towards the sky.

So we're not relying on
just the muscles of arm here.

We have our core connected.

We're using the
support of our left leg.

And then last but not least,
one more breath here

to lengthen through the crown.

Careful you're not dropping
right ear to right shoulder.

Great, then slowly dial it back.

Plank Pose, inhale
in, exhale, just lower

all the way to the belly.

Take a rest,
you're doing awesome.

Deep breath in, long breath out.

Slide the hands back
in line with the ribcage.

Find your foundation
and inhale, lift up, Cobra.

Maybe this time
it's a little bit higher.

Maybe not, feel it out.

Stick with your breath.

And when you're ready,
slowly release.

Curl the toes under,
press up to all fours or Plank.

And then send the hips up high,
Downward Facing Dog.

Beautiful, take a
deep breath in here.

Long breath out.

Bend the knees,
inhale and look forward

exhale to make
your way to the top.

Step, step, or take as
many steps as you need.

Forward Fold.

Take a nice, refreshing
breath in and out here.

And then when you're ready,
on your next inhale

slide the hands
past the tops of the feet

past the shins,
past the knees,

all the way to the tops
of the thighs again,

and then use this
kind of connection

of hand to the tops of
the thighs to press away

and find length,
more length in the spine.

Then again, find the softness,
find the grace.

So we wanna create a
steadiness and an alertness

and this beautiful
connection to the spine

but without
creating any tension,

any hardness.

So take a deep breath.

And then exhale, let it go.

Cool, bend the knees,
plant the palms,

step it back, Plank Pose.

Beautiful, this time
left hand comes to the middle,

left fingers are spread wide.

Right, this is your
base so you wanna put

so much tender
loving care into it.

Then come onto the
outer edge of your left foot.

Beautiful, right
foot comes to the earth

right away for support.

We all need support,
let's practice using it.

Right hand comes to the left rib

and we press
away from the yoga mat

and we use the right hand to
slowly smear a little honey

across the ribcage,

opening the heart
up towards the sky.

So we're finding ways to
just take it out of the arm.

And you are building
strength in your arm,

toning the arms,
which is beautiful.

Let's see if
you can turn on your

obliques, your
abdominal wall on the left.

Pull it up, up, up and in.

You're here for three,
you're doing awesome.

Two, also toning the glute,

and on the one, slowly release.

Beautiful, beautiful.

Inhale in.

Exhale, lower to the belly.

On your next breath in,
Cobra, your version.

Find what feels good here.

Lift your chest,
lift your heart.

And then exhale to release.

Beautiful, curl the toes under,
press up to Plank

or all fours.

Take a deep breath in,
a long breath out,

and follow your breath
to Downward Facing Dog.

Yes, awesome, doing great.

From here, nice and easy,
you're gonna draw

the low belly in and
slowly roll through the spine.

Come to your Plank Posture.

Beautiful, right
hand comes to the middle.

We're gonna turn onto the
outer edge of the right foot

and this time you
might keep the feet stacked

or you might find
that that's support system

was awesome for you, keep
the left foot on the ground,

work with that tripod,
and find a steadiness,

a stability, with the
left foot on the earth.

Otherwise, you might bring the
left arch to the right arch

and we'll work pressing
away from the yoga mat again.

Opening up,
spiraling heart to the sky,

and then option this time
to take the left fingertips

all the way up to the sky.

Lengthen through the crown,
lift your hips,

breathe deep.

Inhale in, last bit, exhale.

Send your fingertips towards
the front edge of your mat.

Then follow that line
all the way back to Plank.

Inhale in, exhale,
lower to your belly.

Take a rest, bellyflops welcome.

Listen to your breath.

Stay focused,
you're doing awesome.

Inhale, Cobra.

Exhale to release.

Make your way to
all fours or Plank.

And I'll meet
you in Downward Dog.

Inhale, breathe in.

Exhale, alright, second side.

This is it.

Start with the low belly,
draw it in.

Then continue to
move from your center

as you roll up through the spine

as articulate as
can be until you find

this beautiful
connection from crown to tail

and then sits bones to heels.

Alright, here we go.

You got this,
bring your left hand

into the center line as you turn

to the right side of your mat.

Come onto the outer
edge of your left foot

and bring your right foot to
the earth for a kickstand.

And here we go again, lifting
up from the left side body,

opening the heart,
spiraling it all the way

up towards the sky, maybe
stacking the feet on this one.

Welcoming some heat,
some strength,

but softening any
tension as you send

the right fingertips
up towards the sky.

Side Plank, inhale in.

Exhale, draw the
shoulders away from the ears.

Create more space.

On your next breath in,
send the right fingertips

all the way up towards
the front edge of the mat.

Vashistasana, and then
follow your right fingertips

all the way down.

You killed it; you did great.

Inhale in, exhale,

bellyflop, yes!

Last one, inhale, Cobra.

Exhale to release.

Inhale, press up to Plank
or all fours, yogi's choice.

Take a deep breath in,
Downward Facing Dog.

Last one, last Downward Dog,
you got it.

So close your eyes here.

Take a loving cycle of breath.

Mmmm, mhmmm, mhmmm.

And then slow descent
of the knees to the earth,

soft landing.

Send your legs to one side.

Finishing up with, yup,
you guessed it, Dundasana.

So finding that Sthira.

That stability, that strength.

Sometimes it's
easier in a balancing pose

or an arm balance,
but can we also find it

in a pose like
Dundasana, stick pose?

Staff.

Bend your knees
as much as you need.

If the backs of the
legs are tired or maybe sore

from previous practice,
you can bend your knees

as much as you want.

And then align your
head over your heart

and your heart over your pelvis.

And fingertips can
come to the earth or palms.

Breathe deep here.

Try to connect to
your core even here.

Soft and easy in the neck.

So we'll take a
couple of breaths here

as if you were
leaning into a meditation.

Tops of the
thighs grounding down.

Feet active,
toes up towards the sky

or towards your face.

Breathe deep.

If this is challenging for you,

you might double up on the mat.

Just lift your
hips up a little high

so that your low back can
be long instead of rounded.

And then close your eyes.

This is where
we're gonna end it today,

so give it your all.

Maybe you're
just now dropping in.

That happens.

Not every single yoga
practice feels amazing.

So we're just gonna work
with what we have each day.

Never not learning.

Residing in the
role of the observer.

Knowing that
showing up and tending

to whatever is

is valuable.

And you don't
have to do anything.

Just be.

Be with your breath.

Stay in this posture
for three more cycles.

You got it.

And slowly we will release.

We'll bend the knees,
come back to cross-legged seat.

And then when you get there

reverse the cross of your legs.

What?

Back to one, but different.

Take a deep breath in.

Exhale to relax your shoulders,
bring the hands to heart.

Pause, just take
a moment to reflect.

And then the invitation,
of course,

is to take this steadiness

this strength

this Sthira

take it with you off the mat

and into the rest of your day.

We'll play with this
a little more tomorrow.

Love you, guys.

Take good care.

Namaste.

(bright music)