- What's up my friends and welcome to your 31 Day Yoga Revolution. It's day 27, this is a great one. Get ready for our self practice. Me, myself, and I. Me, myself, and I. (lively orchestral music) Alright, let's begin cross-legged, seated. Go ahead and bring your heels out so you have a wider base today. And then sit up nice and tall. And my, my, my is today an awesome practice, because the theme, our practice of self kind of embodies the whole reason why we're here for me. This idea that we are carving out time, regular practice time to connect to ourselves. That is the goal here. That is the mission. And we start to get some toned muscles and some hmmm and some healthy organs, but really at the root of it, this is time for you to connect to yourself. And of course, we are exploring this truth that if we take more time to connect with ourselves, have this self time, then we're able to connect with others in a way that feels good and hopefully in a way that serves both you and the person that you're connecting with, whether it's a stranger, you know holding the door for someone at the grocery store or someone on the sidewalk, or within our own personal relationships. So set yourself up with a nice, wide base today, and as always, if this posture is not comfortable, make adjustments for yourself. And then sit up nice and tall, you decide what feels best. Hands open or maybe palms face down. And then close thine eyes, sit up nice and tall. And take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, relax the shoulders down. Trust me, trust the video. Trust yourself. As you close your eyes and just start to experience your breath and notice how you feel today. So the noticing is a big part of the practice. It's what keeps us safe in the physical aspect, our workout, but it's also what invites us to really connect to ourself, what can lead us to uncovering our true self. So just taking a moment here to notice how you feel and embrace whatever it is that's comin' up. And then draw the hands to the heart. Lift the sternum up to the thumbs. Take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, bow your head to your heart. Activate through the upper back body. Feel that great stretch in the neck. Title of my third book, Great Stretch in the Neck. Stupid, alright. And so I like to bow head to heart here, but also bring up this idea of the great stretch in the neck, because depending on how you're feeling, if you're feeling really connected to your spiritual self today, then you're in it, right, you're like (humming). But, if you're just barely made it to practice today, maybe you just start with the physical sensations, the neck, the back. (laughs) Alright. And slowly roll it up, bring the hands to the knees. This time palm face down and we're gonna bring our awareness, our mind's eye to this space between the navel and the spine. You can kind of focus on this general area, maybe take your hand right to that area and just give yourself a clockwise rub on the belly, so it's like Winnie the Pooh. Pooh pose. And, just garner some sensation here, gather up some energy here in the belly. The solar plexus. Coming down to yesterday's focal point in the lower belly, just kind of connecting this. And as you touch yourself (laughs), be mindful of your thoughts. Man this practice is already gettin' real dirty. Down and dirty in the last week. Raw, real. Alright, let's let that go and let's start to work. So, we're moving from this place of connect, today really focusing on this area just above the navel, so yesterday we kind of moved and collected some energy in the lower belly. And now we're moving it up, so we're slowly moving up from the root, the lower belly. Now this area and from there is where we're gonna move, so rather than just takin' these grand movements, Paula Abdul style, love you Paula, see if you can really move from the inside out. So use your imagination and start to move and I'll stop talking here. I just want to really guide you through this practice in a way that is thoughtful and that guides you to not just do the physical, but to contemplate the energetic just to see what happens. And so we're moving, and again, I love that image of the coffee grinder. If you had a pizza party last night, this is gonna be really great for you, bring the breath, bring on the breath. As you inhale, really moving that circle round and round. And so you're trying to engage all of these muscles and kind of massage these organs with small, mindful movement. And then reverse your circle. Man, yoga is so awesome. The reason I fell into yoga is because I started getting really fascinated with the way my mind and body were connecting and the way it was creating response. Making me feel more alive. And more connected to myself. Come back to center, head over heart, heart over pelvis. Keep your legs wide here. Left hand's gonna come to the ground. Loop the shoulders and inhale, right fingertips go all the way up and over, and then just find a side body stretch here and try to really anchor down through that left leg and left hip heavy as you stretch it out. Maybe you give yourself a little space, so if you're really tight up here, give yourself some space. And then floating through center and to the other side. Stay connected to this area of the body today, navel drawing in. Just sending some awareness, just above the belly button, playing with full, exuberant breath today. Inhale. Exhale, come all the way back and then we're gonna take it forward and on to all fours. Breathe as you move. Move as you breathe. Tabletop position. Knees directly underneath the hip points. Wrists directly underneath the shoulders, spread your palms super wide like starfish. Press away from your yoga mat. And then here we go, we're gonna move from this space again, so just above the navel you're gonna move one way circle, and then the other. So you're creating circles here and you're pressing away from your palms, one way and then the other, and this can grow to get a little freaky. You can apply your creativity practice in here, getting into the muscles of the back, and that they probably need some stretch and some love after all the amazing regular practice you've been doing. And then try not to focus on what this looks like. (laughs) I'm telling myself that, but focus on the sensations and really activating, and for some, for those who attend hip hop class regularly, you're gonna be golden, but for some, this is actually a place that gets really frozen for a lot of different reasons. We can talk about it later. So give yourself a little extra time here to explore, really see if you can move the lower ribs. And then about 10 million hip hop songs come in my mind, I'm like, ♫ Ladies leave your men at home ♫ The club is full of ballers and the huh huh huh huh (laughs) So have some fun with it. So we're tapping into this awesome practice of energy, but it's okay to make it your own, especially in the home practice. We are not at the sacred temple together, although we should be soon, maybe you should come to the Find What Feels Good Yoga Retreat and join us in the yoga shala. But have some fun. Alright, take this same movement, this same soft, yummy movement and awareness of this space just above the navel up with you into your Downward Dog. Take your time. Start to stretch it out. And connect to how you feel today. Today's all about really reminding ourself that this practice, albeit physical, is about connecting to yourself, noticing your feeling, accepting where you are today. And it's okay to get excited about how awesome you are by the way. Then make your way all the way up to a Forward Fold. Take your time. And then couple breaths there as you stretch out the backs of the legs and continue to deepen the breath. And then bring the feet hip width apart. Toes pointing forward. You're gonna bend both knees generously. Bring the belly to the tops of the thighs. Then right hand's gonna come right between the feet just in front, so right down in line with your nose, and then as if you were pulling a bow and arrow, you're gonna keep the right knee bent and slowly lift up through the left hip crease. You might come onto the fingertips here if you need to and we're gonna open up through the left side, opening left fingertips to the sky. Again, right leg is bent, left leg is straight, not locked, as you pull up through that left hip crease. Come onto the fingertips if you need to and then breathe, breathe, breathe into your belly. Draw the navel in as you exhale. And then slowly release. Left hand replaces the right and same thing, so deep bend in both knees here to start. Then press into your feet. Keep the left knee bent and pull up through your right hip crease, open up through the chest, right fingertips to the sky. Inhale, breathe into your belly. And exhale, draw the navel in. One more breath, inhale. And exhale, bend both knees. Return to center. Return to innocence. Bend your knees, tuck your chin, and roll up to Mountain. And as you rise up, you know what to do here, loop the shoulders. Press into your feet. Tap into that inner smile. Maybe move the head, the neck a little. Maybe you lick your lips. Maybe you say a prayer. Just kidding. Mmmm. And then when you're ready, when you feel good, let's take the arms all the way up and overhead. Inhale. And exhale, grab the left wrist with your right hand and tilt to the right. Now as you do this, see if you can imagine that hugging in of the lower ribs, right, that corset image that we often talk about here on the channel. Breathe. And exhale, press into your heels, come back, head over heart, heart over pelvis, switch. And then think up and over. And again, we're not just arching the back here, but we're finding that energy, that containment through the front. Business in the front, party in the back. Title of my fifth book. God, I gotta get riding. Writing, not riding. Inhale, exhale, come all the way to center. Inhale, big beach ball up and overhead. Thumbs back, pinkies forward. And then exhale, bend the elbows, lift your chest. See if you can stay connected to this spot just above the navel, whatever that means to you. For me it means lengthening tailbone down to connect. Great. Great exploration. Inhale, reach for the sky. Come up onto your tippy toes today, stretch through the feet, take one more big breath in here. Squeeze. And then exhale, let everything go, Forward Fold. Inhale lifts you up halfway. Find length, be light. And then exhale, soften and bow. Alright, let's step the left foot back. Just lower the back knee, take a couple breaths here to move. Try to stay connected to this spot just above the navel, so you might just draw it in a little. You can take it back to the half splits. Having a couple moments here to stretch out the legs and serve whatever your body is telling you, have that conversation, stretch it out. It's a little freestyle here, but move nice and mindful. Keep breathing. Fabulous. Then lift the back knee. Inhale, look forward. Nice and easy just step it back up and we're gonna step the right foot back, same thing. Lower the back knee. Start to stretch it out. And can find a deeper breath here. You can find soft, easy movement. Maybe you take that half splits. So regular practice, you guys, we've been doin' a lot of great work, so take this time to really listen to your body, what do I need? Stretch in the hip flexor, stretch in the hamstring. So you're starting to really ask your body, what do I need and then respond. Alright, and then lift the back knee whenever you're ready. Take a deep breath in and use your exhale to bring the feet together. Inhale lifts you up halfway. Exhale to soften and bow. Inhale, reach for the sky, spread your fingertips. And exhale, hands to heart. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Inhale, reach. Exhale, thumbs back, pinkies forward. Open your chest, lengthen tailbone down. Inhale, lengthen. Get a big stretch here. And then exhale, fold. Inhale, halfway lift, your version, nice and slow. Awesome, exhale, fold. Bend the knees, plant the palms. Step the right foot back. Step the left foot back, Plank, or Half Plank. Take a couple moments here to move around. Tap into your inner strength. Connect to yourself by really paying attention to the sensations that are coming up today. Notice something new. Try to find something new. And then we'll lower all the way onto the belly, take your time, gaze forward. And then inhale for Cobra. Exhale to release. Curl the toes, come up to all fours, or inhale, press up to Plank. And then exhale to your Downward Dog. Great work. Inhale, lift the right leg up high. Exhale, rounding through the spine, knee to nose. Step it up, pivot on the back foot. Rise up, Warrior I. So if you want more of a strengthening practice today, you can do this in high lunge. So you just pivot on the back foot. And if you want more stability, then you stay in Warrior I. Alright. Find your footing. Find your center, connect. Then we'll take a deep breath in here. And exhale, open the chest. Bend the elbows, thumbs back, pinkies forward. Then inhale, reach up. And exhale, palms come together, and we're just gonna draw in from this spot, chin to chest, rounding through the spine. Inhale to reach up. Exhale, bend the elbows, thumbs back, pinkies forward. Then inhale, reach for the sky. And exhale, hands to heart, really drawing in right in the solar plexus there, chin to chest. Alright, one more, whoa. Inhale, reach for the sky. Exhale, bend the elbows, thumbs back, pinkies forward, lift your chest. Inhale, lengthen, long neck here. And exhale, round. Stay here, breathe deep. You can stay here or from here, soften the back leg and inhale, let it lift up, fly, so don't worry about hitting your mark here, but just lift the sternum to the thumbs, and then use this challenge to draw in, in, in, right in the navel solar plexus area. Yes, beautiful. One more breath. Then exhale, look forward, don't look back. Trust it's there. Trust yourself. Ah, yes! Inhale, reach for the sky. And exhale, rain it all the way down. Plant the palms, move through a vinyasa or take it straight to Down Dog. You can also take a little Child's Pose here, moving with your breath, staying present. We'll make our way to Downward Dog. And when you're ready, inhale, lift the left leg up high. Exhale and knee to nose. Inhale, step it up. Pivot on the back foot, Warrior I. Again, if you want to do this next little dance with the back foot lifted, back heel lifted, you can, just brings a little more heat. Everyone squeeze the inner thighs together. Breathe. When you feel like you have your foundation, spread the fingertips, inhale. Then exhale, bend the elbows, thumbs back, pinkies forward. Really lift up through that center plumb line. Then inhale, reach for the sky. And exhale, from here, move from here. Rounding through, hands to heart. Great, full body experience. Feel that whole connect. Inhale, reach for the sky. Exhale, bend the elbows, thumbs back, pinkies forward, lift your chest. Inhale, reach. Exhale, round. Draw it in. Keep reaching back with that right heel or if you're in Warrior I, press into the outer edge of the back foot. Inhale, reach for the sky, you got this. Squeeze the inner thighs from the mid line. Find that scissor effect, lifting up through the center. Exhale, bend the elbows, thumbs back, pinkies forward. Last one, inhale, reach for the sky, long neck. Exhale, hug the lower ribs in. Round through, hands to heart. Alright, keep that connect here, drawing up, okay? This is all about this center of confidence, self confidence, self esteem. Draw that in. Engage that energy center. Bend the back knee and maybe you lift up. Back toes can also stay on the ground as you work this energy center of the body. Soften your standing leg a little. Don't lock, and then maybe you play here. So it's not about the leg, we're moving from this place of connect. Drawing the navel in and up. Maybe from there the leg finds a lift. Maybe that's for another day, another year. Breathe deep. (exhaling) Use your vocabulary, decide what feels best in the hands, in the elbows here. Find support. Choreograph your dance in a way that feels supportive, that's working for you, not against you. Take your gaze forward. Don't look back, trust. Send the right toes to the earth. Awesome. Inhale, reach for the sky. And exhale, let it all go. Last call for vinyasa, take it or leave it. I'll meet you in Downward Facing Dog. Take a deep breath in. And a long breath out. Awesome, from here, we're gonna come forward. Slowly lower to the knees and you're gonna lower to the forearms here. Then come onto the tops of the feet and slide down and come into Sphinx, but as you slide down, see if you can keep that connection just above the navel so hug the lower ribs in to really find length in the back. Then carve a line with the nose. Gently look forward. Slight tucking of the chin. Breathe here. And you can stay here or you can press into the tops of the feet, and we'll just spark a little fire in that solar plexus one more time, that energy center that is self. More on that in the email, let's inhale. You can just stay here working or exhale, press into the tops of the feet. Lift, lift your knees and draw your navel in and upward here for five, gaze straight down, four, you got this, three, two, press into your fingers, and one, release, awesome. Slowly come all the way up. Walk the knees up towards your elbows. Cross the ankles and then use your hands to guide you, be mindful all the way through. Awesome work, brush your shoulders off. Alright, we'll come to flat back. Take a big, loving breath in when you get there. And hug the knees into the chest. And take it into a twist of your choice, so you're gonna go reclined twist, you can go supine twist. You can go windshield wiper. You can also go eagle twist. So take a twist to one side and then the other here my friends. So we're starting to really get organized in our brain too in our practice where we can kind of clear the thoughts and focus on the task at hand, but still have a real conversation, so we talk about peacing out and zenning out, but really it's about checkin' in, zenning in. Peacin' in. In is the new out. (laughs) Got a little goofy on day 27. Forgive me. After your twists, come to a big X, so your ankles are gonna come wide and your arms are gonna go up like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I shouldn't say that, it sparks weird feelings. (laughs) The power of film. Okay. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in. And as you exhale, let everything go. And for just one mere minute, see if you can give yourself permission here to soften everything, delight in this moment, and even if it's not as peaceful as you had imagined, maybe there's things going on around you or still carrying some weight in your heart or busy to-do list in your mind, just take one last moment here to let everything go. Perhaps, give yourself permission to do absolutely nothing for the next 40 seconds. Close your eyes, let go. And then slowly start to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Gently begin to deepen the breath. You can pause this video if you're on YouTube and spend more time connecting to yourself in Shavasana. Otherwise, I bow to you. I'm awesome, you're awesome. We are awesome. I'll see ya tomorrow. Namaste. (lively orchestral music)