- Hi everyone. 
Welcome to Yoga With Adriene.

I'm Adriene and this is Benji

and today we have 
yoga for suffering.

So hop into something 
comfy and let's get started.

(upbeat music)

Okay my friends, welcome.

Let's start low 
down on the ground.

Come on down and find 
Extended Child's Pose.

And if this shape, if you
already know this shape isn't

right for your body,
then choose a nice,

easy posture that you can 
start to tune into your breath

and really land with. Alright?

If it is alright in your body,

go ahead and 
bring the knees wide

(country twang) and just 
melt your whole front side down

to the ground and 
reach your fingers out way,

I'm not gonna talk like 
that the whole practice,

don't worry. (chuckles)

Reach your fingertips way out.

And let's begin this 
thing with a surrender.

So forehead comes to 
the earth, heart melts

and take a deep breath 
in wherever you are.

And as you exhale, 
breathe out through your mouth.

And let's try that again.

Big inhale.

And as you exhale, breathe
out through your mouth and just

start to gently 
deepen your breath

as you land here in the moment.

Let this moment 
of conscious breath,

this surrender, catch you.

And try not to worry too much
about the outcome of this

gentle and swift 
loving quick practice.

Try not to worry too much about
the outcome and instead just

allow yourself to really be
present in the moment and let

the magic of yoga 
and it's healing tools,

let it just catch you 
wherever you're landing today.

As you're ready, gently begin to

rock the forehead 
a little side to side.

And if you're in a seated,
comfortable posture of your

choice, you can just 
start to slowly move

the head around nice and easy.

Let this gentle rocking 
movement soften the jaw.

Let it effect your jaw.

Let it effect everything.

One loving gesture

bleeding into the next here.

Right? One thing at a time.

One day at a time.
Bring it back to center.

Claw through the fingertips.

Inhale to slowly come up.

Walk the knees 
underneath the hip points.

Walk the hands right 
underneath the shoulders.

Wrists right 
underneath the shoulders.

So we're gonna start not 
by moving through vinyasa

but by holding the Cat shape.

So claw through the fingertips
and start to lengthen the

tailbone down and
lift your heart up.

Peek at me if you need to.

You'll drop the 
crown towards the earth.

You can even shake the head a
little yes and a little no.

And what I'm trying to encourage
us to do is find a little

contraction up 
through the front body.

So the navel is drawing up, up,
up and then your heart space,

your figurative heart 
space is lifting up as well.

And then same thing, one present
moment leads into the next here

so one action 
actually bleeds into

or informs the next action here.

We'll bring your 
breath back into the picture.

Keep lifting, lifting, 
lifting your heart space up.

Press into your hands.

Press away from your yoga mat
with your feet and your hands so

you're pressing up off the mat.

Great, let the 
head be heavy here.

Breathing deep.

Excellent, and then slow 
and with control unravel,

uncoil the spine and come

to a nice neutral position. 
Awesome.

From here drop your elbows
right where your hands were.

And you can interlace the
fingertips here if you like or

you can keep palms 
pressing down to the earth.

Yogi's choice.

Then peek at me here, notice how
my shoulders are shrugging up

towards my earlobes here.

We want to counteract that.

Create a little more 
space by rotating them

down and away from the ears.

Shoulder blades moving down the
back body here to create space.

Great, then send your gaze down,

straight down so your 
neck is nice and long.

Press into the top 
of your left foot

and slowly kick 
your right toes out.

You can keep your right 
toes on the ground here.

And you're just gonna 
shift back and forth here.

Finding that 
connection to your core,

to your center as 
you breathe deep.

And I don't know, maybe you're
here for preventative care but

if this practice is really
catching you in a tough moment

today and you need to 
really just feel it out,

let your tears 
drop down, my friend,

and just try to stay present
with your breath and let the

sound of my 
voice gently guide you.

I got your back.

Rock a couple more times and

try to really press into 
your pinky toe here.

Try to maintain that straight
line from the crown to the tail

or that feeling 
rather of the straight line.

So the neck isn't collapsed.

Great and then 
come to stillness.

Press into the top of 
your left foot for stability.

Hug the low ribs in 
to connect to your core.

A little bit of action, 
a lot of activity going on here.

You got this.

You're gonna slowly 
lift the right heel up.

Keep the right 
toes all dialed down.

Lift from your right inner thigh

as we start to strengthen
the whole body.

So the body is kind of going
into a tiny bit of chaos here

but we're keeping soft 
in the skin of the face.

In control, finding the grace
between the shoulders and the

space between the ears 
and the shoulders

and we're still breathing.

We got our breath.

We're here for three, two, on
the one slowly bring it back.

If the fingertips are
interlaced, unravel them.

Palms kiss the earth.

This kind of loving kiss 
of the palm to the earth.

Little respect for Mama Earth
and then from here walk your

knees back one by one.

Keep your elbows and 
wrists where they are.

Wrists are 
gonna want to come in.

I see it all the time.

So try to keep them 
like two railroad tracks.

The forearms parallel and then
we'll come into a Puppy Posture.

Another surrender, 
melting the heart to the earth.

Big, big, big stretch

in the shoulders,

the chest, the front 
body nice and long here

as you breathe deep.

Rocking the pelvis so that your
coccyx or your tail is reaching

up towards the sky.

Lots of mindfulness in the
hands here as you breathe deep.

And then draw your 
navel up towards your spine.

Move from center as you 
walk back up to all fours.

Elbows can stay on the ground,

knees walk in right
underneath the hips.

Option to interlace the
fingertips here again

and if you do, 
see if you can maybe bring

the opposite one on 
top that you did before.

Just kind of gaining control
back of our mind, our brain.

Lovingly through asana,

through breath, pranayama,
through the practice.

Okay, here we go.

Curl the left toes 
under when you're ready.

Find that connection 
to your center

and send your left leg out long.

You're doin' great.

Hug the front body up to meet
the back body and what that

means is I'm actively drawing
the muscles of my abdominal wall

up and in and that affects

the alignment of my bones.

And the metaphor is 
you start to find strength

and support from within.

And it's real.
Take it from me.

Start to rock front to back if
you are not already stretching

through the fascia of 
the foot on the left side.

And maybe you started this
practice feeling like you're

just broken into a million
pieces and here we start

to use this design,

this practice to recognize

that we are whole again.

One moving part.

And if you are emotional today,
again, it's okay.

We're here to 
pick up the pieces.

Feel our way through the 
practice so it's all good.

Breathe deep.

Building strength in the arms.

Building strength 
in the shoulders.

Keeping the neck nice and long.

And then when you're ready,
bring it back to stillness.

And with control,
slowly levitate,

lift that left foot up.

Imagine lifting from 
your left inner thigh.

Spiral the left pinky 
toe down to the earth.

Feeling that snugly 
sensation in your left hip.

Keep the neck nice and long.

Breathing deep here.

Slowly waking up the 
muscles of the left leg.

The muscles of the glutes.

But incorporating 
your core strength.

Finding that connection.

Recruiting your center.

Great, take one more breath.

You're doing awesome.
Welcome that heat.

And then exhale, 
slowly bring it back down.

Knees walk underneath the hips
and we're gonna slowly pop up to

the hands here, 
spreading the fingertips wide.

All fours.

Alright, now 
we'll drop the belly,

open the chest.

Elbow creases and biceps really

spiral towards 
the front of your mat.

Belly gets nice and long here.

We press into 
the tops of the feet.

And then you can just start to
draw a line with the nose one

way and then the other.

Creating a stretch in 
the front side of the neck.

Clawing through the fingertips.

And then bring the head,

the gaze straight 
back to center and

try to slowly lengthen 
through the crown by

tucking the chin just a hair.

Then, I love you so much,
let's pay attention.

Really pay attention. Let's
take good care of our bodies.

Notice if you're collapsing here
or if you can in this shape,

Cow Pose, see if you can really
press away from your yoga mat.

Create space.

Find that inner support.

One more breath here.

You're doing great.

For this last breath cycle,
see if you can really press into

your index finger and thumb.

Awesome and then slowly we'll
bring it back to neutral spine,

back to center.

Rotate one wrist and 
then the other if you need to.

Taking opposite 
hand into a fist.

Just rotating it, 
rotating, rotating.

And then when you're ready,
bring your pinkies almost as

wide as your yoga mat.

So right on the edge.

Again, bicep spiral 
towards the front of the room.

Now we'll curl the toes under,
take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale, keep the
knees bent but peel the hips up

and back as you press away from
the yoga mat once again and lift

the hips up high, 
Downward Facing Dog.

Start to pedal through the legs.

Keeping lots of 
space in the shoulder area.

Whatever that means to you and
recruiting your center even here

as you hug the low ribs in.

Breathe deep, you got this.

Awesome.

Downward Facing Dog,
find stillness here.

Close your eyes or soften your
gaze if you need to and take a

big "I love you" breath in.

And let the heels get heavy,
really heavy as you breathe out.

Claw through the fingertips,
take pressure out of the wrists.

Now as you shift your weight
to your left foot and slowly

inhale, lift the 
right leg up high.

Three-Legged Dog but 
just like we did on all fours,

dialing the 
right pinky toe down.

Inhale in, exhale, slowly
step it all the way forward.

Nice low lunge.

You can keep the back knee
lifted here as you look forward.

Or feel free to lower the back
knee if you need to keep it nice

and low today.

Find what feels good.

Breathing, breathing, breathing

into all four 
sides of the torso.

Front knee is 
over the front ankle.

Great, with the back knee lifted
or lowered you're going to

inhale in, think Cow Pose,
open your heart forward.

And then exhale, you're gonna
round through chin to chest.

Again, back knee 
lowered or lifted.

Inhale to open your heart.

Exhale to round through,
chin to chest.

One more, big inhale,
open your heart.

Nice and easy, exhale,
round through, chin to chest.

Awesome work.

From here, plant the palms, step
the right toes back to Plank or

Half Plank with the 
knees on the ground.

Inhale in to 
lengthen through the crown.

Exhale to lower everything
gently down to the belly.

Hi Benji. (chuckles)

Squeeze the elbows in.

Inhale, gently open your heart.

Just nice and low Baby Cobra.

Soft and easy in the neck.

Exhale to release.

Press up to all fours first.

Find your foundation 
so root to rise up.

Find that 
connection to the earth.

Ground it down, darling.

And then when you're ready,
curl the toes and from that

connection, peel the 
hips up high and back.

Downward Facing Dog once again.

Inhale lots of love in.

And on the exhale, 
heavy in the heels,

melt your heart back.

Maintain that 
connection to the earth,

you got this.
Here we go.

Inhale, lift the 
left leg up high.

Hold on to your core center.

And exhale 
slowly shifting forward,

stepping that left 
foot all the way up.

Front knee over 
front ankle, back leg,

excuse me, back 
knee lowered or lifted.

Try to get light on the 
fingertips and here we go,

with the breath, inhale.

Open the chest, let 
your heart radiate forward.

Notice what this action 
does to your whole body.

Notice how it's all connected.

You are whole.

And then exhale, 
rounding through the spine.

Lift your 
figurative heart space.

Lift your chest up 
between your shoulder blades.

Just like we did before.
Strong back leg.

Inhale to open your heart.

Exhale to round 
through the spine.

Chin to chest, 
moving the energy.

Last round, inhale, 
open, big breath.

Long puppy belly here.

Think lengthening through that
front of the right hip crease.

And then exhale, 
contract navel to spine.

Think about 
shortening the front hip crease.

Yes, gorgeous.

Then slowly release.

Nice work, plant the palms.

You're doing awesome.
Step it back, Plank Pose.

Lower down.
Belly to Cobra.

With your breath, 
inhaling to open the heart.

Maybe it grows a little bit
bigger this time, maybe not.

And then exhale to release.

Inhale to press up to all fours.

Nice and easy, 
you're doing great.

Walk the knees in, 
curl the toes under.

Hands are nice and wide.

Pinkies toward the outer edge of
the mat and when you're ready,

lift it up in 
Downward Facing Dog.

Beautiful, inhale in.

Exhale to empty it out.

Inhale in.

Exhale to empty it out.

Last time, inhale.
Breathe in.

And empty it out.

Slow descend of the 
knees down to the earth.

Swing the legs to one side.

And let's do like Benji.

Let's come to lie down.

Just for a second.

Come on to your 
back or your side.

We'll bring the feet 
as wide as the yoga mat,

knees to fall into center so

a nice constructive, 
resting posture.

Hands can rest on the 
belly or out at your sides.

Take a deep breath in.

And as you exhale, close 
your eyes and just allow the

nutrients of your practice,
this mindful moment,

just allow them all to 
settle and do their thing.

You don't have to do anything.

Try to find stillness
so no fidgeting.

Just let your breath return
to it's natural ebb and flow.

Then keep your 
right hand on your belly

and bring your left hand 
to your sweet heart.

Feel the warmth of 
your hands on your heart

and on your belly.

These two great 
listening centers,

your guts and your heart.

Listen to your guts.
Listen to your heart.

Trust the process.

Trust the flow, 
this cyclical flow.

I wore my 
"Catch A Wave" tank top today

as a reminder to ride the wave.

And the tools of yoga certainly
help us do that with more grace,

with more ease and 
I wholeheartedly believe

with more love.

Thank you for sharing your
valuable time and energy with me

and all of the people 
practicing around the world.

All of our fellow sufferers.

I love you.
Bring the palms together,

take one final breath
in as you bring

your thumbs up to your 
third eye and breathe out.

Take good care.

Namaste.

(upbeat music)