- Hi, everyone. 
Welcome to Yoga with Adriene.

I'm Adriene, and this is Benji

and today, we have 
Yoga for Cramps and PMS.

For this session, you might
wanna grab a little blanket.

If you have a pillow,

you can grab it from 
your bed or from your couch.

Hop into something 
extra comfy today,

and let's get started.

(upbeat music)

Alrighty, my friends.

Let's begin in a nice,
comfortable seat.

So come on down to the ground.

You can sit on your 
blanket or your pillow,

and you're gonna bend the knees,

bring your feet 
right out in front,

grounded on the earth.

And we're gonna start 
with one of my all-time favs,

you're just gonna 
allow your elbows to rest,

kind of hook on your knees.

Clasp one wrist

and take a deep breath in.

Open your heart,

lift the corners of 
your mouth, just slightly.

And then exhale,

round forward, 
chin to chest.

Close your eyes here.

And slowly begin 
to notice your breath.

So today's practice is chill.

Definitely designed 
to support you

and just help you 
feel a little held

and hopefully good (chuckles)

by the end of this session.

Whether you are 
experiencing a lot of pain,

or a little, or just 
needed some TLC today,

we gotcha, I gotcha.

Benji, how's your back as well.

Let's bring some 
healing vibes

into the room or 
wherever you are

by taking a big conscious
breath, in through the nose.

(Benji exhales)
And following Benji's lead,

not sure if my 
mic picked up on that,

but a big exhale out 
through the nose or mouth.

And again, a big conscious
inhale, in through the nose.

Feeling that nice 
passive stretch in the neck.

And relaxing your 
shoulders as you breathe out.

And one more time, 
this big conscious breath,

signaling our self-healing

powers.

Inviting both 
the mind and the body

back to a state of ease,

equanimity.

Alright, take one 
more inhale in here.

And use your exhale 
to bat the eyelashes open

and gently lift your head.

And then you can stay seated
on your blanket or pillow,

keep the feet where they are,

and you're just 
gonna walk your hands back,

fingertips turned in to start,

fingertips turned 
in towards your body.

And then inhale, 
lift your chest up,

open through the front body.

Think Upward Facing Dog 
or Cobra Pose here.

And then exhale to release.

Turn the fingertips out,
we will repeat,

this time fingertips 
turning towards the back.

Lift your chest,
open your heart.

Mmm, breathe in

and breathe out.
Awesome, from here,

go ahead and walk it forward.

Now we're gonna 
open the knees wide,

soles of the feet come together

for Cobbler's Pose,

Baddha Konasana.

So allow your 
belly to be soft here.

Allow whatever you have going
on in here to just soften.

So a lot of times in yoga,

I'll cue inner support system.

This connection to the core,
Uddiyana Bandha.

Today, none of that.

Breathing softly, 
sweetly into the belly,

letting it be soft
and letting it go.

Just letting it be natural.

So once you find that 
soft belly, (chuckles)

you can grab the ankles.

Sit up nice and tall once again,

and we're just gonna tick tock
the ears over the shoulders.

Left ear over left shoulder,

right ear over right shoulder,
back and forth.

(Benji barks softly)
Soft belly.

Continue to deepen 
your breath here.

And then bring the 
head over the heart,

the heart over the pelvis.

Take a deep breath in,

breathe into your belly,

find that big 
balloon breath here.

And then exhale, 
bend the elbows left to right,

and send your heart forward.

No need to push or force here,

just let it be soft.

We're creating a gentle

compression in 
the internal organs.

We're not trying to like really,

like win a medal 
(chuckles) in flexibility.

So, massaging 
the internal organs.

Nice and easy.

Allowing the weight of the
head to fall over, once again.

Breathe long, smooth 
breaths in through the nose,

out through the nose or mouth.

Soothing the nervous system.

Opening up through the hips.

Awesome work,

and slowly tuck 
your chin to your chest,

roll up through the spine.

Take a deep breath in.

Lift the corners of 
the mouth just slightly.

Find just a 
little sense of grace,

a little lift in the 
sternum and the heart here.

Use your next exhale to 
relax your shoulders down.

Maybe you sigh it out if 
you feel like it a little.

(sighs gently)

Good. Now, keep your 
left heel snuggling up

in towards your body,

and send your 
right leg out long.

Now, here's an option.

You can grab a 
second pillow here

or you can take the 
pillow that you have,

and we're gonna bring it to
the top of the right thigh.

Then square your hips so
you're facing your right toes,

inhale, reach for the sky.

Exhale, fold forward.

You can grab your shin,
your pant leg,

your ankle, 
or maybe all the way over

to clasp the arch of 
the foot or the toes.

As you're ready,

experiment with 
softening the skin of the face,

and rounding your head over,

letting the 
weight of the head go.

Three to five deep breaths here.

As you breathe in,

think about sending 
that nice expansive breath

to the low back,

whatever that means to you.

So you can feel your 
belly expand, your low back.

And then exhale,

see if you can 
relax your shoulders down

away for your ears,
a little more.

Soften your jaw.

Let the hips get heavy,

and slowly tuck 
your chin and roll it up.

Nice, slow, yummy 
transitions here today.

So take your time,

so you're gonna 
bring your right foot in

and give your pillow a hug.

Why not?

And then let's take 
it to the other side.

Get those hugs 
wherever you can, right?

I always say, in yoga,

like embrace yourself,
feel your own hug.

It like signals 
the brain, I swear.

And makes a difference 
in your practice, sometimes.

Take it or leave it, 
here we go on the other side.

You wanna square your hips so
you're facing your left foot.

Take a big breath in.

Find a little bit of 
energy to reach up, up, up,

lengthen through the side body,

and then think up and over

as you keep that soft belly

and find this nice restorative
stretch in the other side.

You can bend this bottom leg,

this left knee as 
much as you like here.

And when you're ready,

reside in the breath.

So find your shape and 
then return to the breath,

three to five full, deep cycles.

In and out, 
in and out, in and out.

Notice where you might be 
clenching or holding here.

See if you can use 
your exhale to soften,

soften those spots.

And use your inhale

to create more space.

Loving awareness 
in the low back,

the belly, shoulders.

Great, get heavy in the hips.

As you're ready, tuck the chin,

roll it back up, soft fingers.

Nice, easy, soft, 
yummy transitions here.

(sighs gently) Excellent.

Now we'll take the pillow,

we're gonna bring it 
just to the side for now.

We're gonna bring the 
soles of the feet together

one more time.

Soften the bowl of the pelvis,
open up through the groin.

Lift up through your heart,
deep breath in.

Again, exhale, 
heart comes forward,

we bend the 
elbows left to right.

Relax the weight 
of the head over.

Maybe this time,

you take your thumbs 
to the arches of the feet

and we do a little foot massage.

A little self-care 
goes a long way

in the self-love bucket.

So you'd be surprised.

Give yourself a 
little foot massage here,

especially if you've 
never done it before.

See what happens.

Pressing your thumbprint 
into the arch of the foot.

Inhaling lots of love in.

Exhaling lots of love out.

Cool.

Let's slowly roll up,

we'll cross one 
ankle over the other.

And we're gonna roll 
through to all fours.

Feel free to pad 
the knees if you like.

Knees underneath the hip points,

wrists underneath 
the shoulders to start.

And then walk 'em a 
little wider for today.

Great. Index fingers 
are pointing forward.

We're spreading 
the fingertips evenly.

Keep this soft and easy.

Gentle inhale, drop your belly,
open the chest,

tailbone goes 
up towards the sky.

You can even wag 
your tail a little here,

just to get a little movement.

Decompression, and then exhale,

round through, 
tailbone dips down,

heart lifts up, chin to chest.

Alright, now soften your
gaze here or close your eyes.

You got it, listen to 
the sound of my voice,

let it guide you.
Inhale, drop the belly.

Open the chest forward, 
claw through the fingertips.

Exhale, chin to chest,

eyes closed or gaze is soft.

Navel draws up, crown 
of the head dials down,

we press into the tops 
of the feet and the hands.

Inhale, smooth and 
steady with your breath.

Drop the belly, open the chest.

Heart shines forward.

Exhale, round through,
chin to chest.

Really claw through 
the fingertips on this one.

Good, inhale, come back 
to a nice, neutral spine.

Bring the big toes to touch.

Walk your knees out 
as wide as your yoga mat.

Now repeat.

Inhale, drop the belly,
Cow Pose.

Exhale, move through cat,

Cat Pose first,

and then bum back 
towards the heels, Child's Pose.

Let your forehead rest.

Option here to grab your pillow.

Recruit your pillow.

Snuggle it way up 
in there. (chuckles)

And then allow your sweet belly

and your front body 
to melt over the pillow.

Same theme here,

allow the weight of 
the head to relax down

as you breathe full, expansive
breaths in through the nose,

and use the exhale 
to soften and relax.

Out through the nose and mouth.

Three to five breaths here,
you got it.

Soften the jaw,

relax your tongue in 
the base of the mouth.

Unfurrow your brow,

and listen to the 
sound of your breath.

Take one more cycle.

Pay attention to the moment

between the inhale and 
the exhale in this one.

See what happens.

Press into the tops of the feet,

gently, lovingly rise back up.

(sighs gently) Rise back up.

You're gonna take 
your pillow out in front.

Okay, and we're 
gonna come to all fours.

Walk the knees up, up, up,

Benji's chillin'. (chuckles)

You're gonna swing 
the legs to one side

and then we're going to take
the legs over the pillow,

you're gonna bring the pillow

right underneath 
the backs of the legs

as you come to lie down.

Hey, sweet boy, can you come?

Here, buddy. (smacks lips)

Come over here, 
come here, come on.

Good boy.

And then we'll lie 
back down. (chuckles)

So we're coming onto our backs.

You're gonna create a 
little bolster with your pillow

to go underneath your knees.

And if you wanna use 
your blanket as a pillow here,

or as a cover up, 
or neck support, you can.

So take a second to get 
nice and settled in here.

And then bring your left hand,
when you're ready,

right to the belly,

and your right hand 
on top of the left hand.

Let your feet be relaxed,

ankles relaxed.

Inhale lots of love in,

imagine the yoga mat rising up
to meet your back body here,

so you feel supported, okay?

And exhale, relax everything.

The weight of 
your body into the mat,

so they're kind 
of meeting together.

And even if you 
don't feel supported

actually in this moment,
maybe you feel a little crazy,

or you know, 
whatever's going on,

choose to be open to that idea

of being supported 
in this moment

by your yoga mat,
by your practice,

by me, by Benji,

by all of the people who are
practicing this with you,

actually all around the world.

Alright, and as you 
get comfortable here,

with your hands on your belly,

your center, this point,
this place of deep listening,

the Hara,

you're gonna close your eyes,

let your breath 
just breathe normal,

kind of natural 
breath in and out.

And we're gonna take the hands

in a slow, clockwise circle.

Nice and slow.

And once you find a little
pace here, a little rhythm,

start to deepen the 
breath gently again.

And then don't 
decide where it ends.

Let your breath and this
movement kind of work together

and any feelings that 
come up, allow them.

And if no feelings come up,
that's okay too.

Soothing.

Again, recruiting our 
healing body to do its thing.

The body is so powerful.

Sometimes we just need to take
some proper conscious time

to be with it,

work with it,

care for ourselves.

Alright, come back to stillness,

relax the arms.

Release the right arm, gently
at your side, palm face up.

And slowly release the 
left arm, gently at your side,

palm face up.

Nice and easy, 
begin to rock ear to ear,

massaging the base of the head,

top of the neck.

Let any stress or tension go.

Bring your head back to center
stillness when you're ready

and start at the 
soles of the feet,

and you're gonna just 
take a second to scan the body.

And as you do this,

see if you can relax more.

Release any places 
that might feel tight.

And last but not least,

blanket yourself in this,

just beautiful, 
loving awareness.

Or it could just be the 
idea of loving awareness,

this acceptance

and love for oneself.

In all circumstances,

even (chuckles) times 
in which we feel cramped

or in pain.

When you scan the body,

work your way all the way up
to the crown of your head.

Take one more inhale in here.

And as you exhale,
let everything go.

Find stillness.

Give yourself permission here

to do absolutely nothing.

Just allow the magic our
yoga practice to do its thing.

Let the nutrients of this time

you carved out for yourself

seep in, soak in.

Trust your body.

Learn to trust your struggle.

Give thanks for showing up here

to find what feels good.

Gently bring the 
hands to the hip creases,

or you can place them 
anywhere that feels good

if you're feeling,

particularly cramped 
or in pain today.

Alright, and 
on your next inhale,

slowly bring the palms together,

thumbs up to third eye.

Exhale here.

And we'll seal the deal,

close today's practice 
by taking a deep breath in.

Exhale,

and whisper

Namaste.

(upbeat music)