- Hello everyone and
welcome to Yoga With Adriene.

I am Adriene, and today,

we have a glorious quick balance
for the brain and the body.

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

(upbeat music)

Alright, let's begin in a
nice comfortable seat.

Come on down to the ground.

And as you arrive here,

just take a second
to relax the shoulders,

maybe softly move the
head and the neck around.

Allow your hands
to rest on the knees

or the tops of the thighs.

And as you're ready,
gently take a deep breath in.

And we're gonna exhale
out through the mouth here.

Again, inhale in through 
the nose, deep breath.

And just exhaling out
through the mouth to land here.

And once more as
if we just kind of

took a snow globe
and we roll out the mat,

and we press play, and
now we take a deep breath in,

and as we exhale, 
the snowflakes are

landing slowly 
here in this moment.

You can close your eyes.

And slowly invite
your spine to lengthen,

whatever that means for you.

It could be physically 
making an adjustment

to sit up a little taller,
perhaps lifting the chest,

getting long in the neck,
letting the shoulders drop down,

or it can be a
little more creative,

using your mind's eye or

imagination, even, 
to see the spine.

This column,

or as we call it
in yoga, this dunda,

the stick or the staff 
that holds us up.

You can just kind of
imagine it and see it.

Bringing awareness to this
line of the body, the midline.

Then bring your awareness
back to your breath here

as you turn just
the right hand up,

so the left
hand's gonna stay down.

So you have one palm up
and one palm face down here

as you continue to
lengthen up through the spine.

Then just noticing
your breath here.

And if you're paying attention,

you may start to
realize or observe that

just by bringing your awareness,

your attention to something,

you invite opportunity

for it to transform or shift,

so just by bringing your
awareness to your breath,

it may start to change.

You may start to
breathe a little deeper.

More conscious breath.

So if that happens,
just allow it to happen,

but you don't have to force it.

Slowly turn the right palm down

and turn the left palm up.

And just noticing 
the breath here,

keeping the spine lengthened.

And you may notice
that certain muscles

have to kind of turn on

to help with this posture.

And now, turn your
right palm face up,

so now both palms are open,

ready to receive the
gifts of this practice

designed for the
brain and the body

to ultimately cultivate balance.

And as I always say
and I genuinely believe,

a little goes a long way.

So let's get movin'.
Bring the palms together.

Take a deep breath in.

You can bat the
eyelashes open.

As you exhale, we're gonna 
come forward onto all fours,

nice and slow.

As you inhale, drop
the belly, open the chest.

(Benji groaning)

Whoa, Benji.

As you exhale,
round through the spine,

chin to chest, navel draws up.

Inhale, drop the belly,
open your heart.

And exhale, round through,

starting with the tailbone, 
perhaps, and moving your way,

all the way up
the spine 'til the

crown of the head is
the last to release.

And maybe you slow this down.

Thinking of the
spine today perhaps as

an energetic highway.

So how can you
maybe stay open to

letting your practice be
an exploration of the spine.

Really thinking about the spine

as we move through
these postures today.

Giving that little
extra food for thought,

little extra love.

Excellent. Then we'll 
bring the head back

in line with the heart,
in line with the tail,

and you're looking
for one straight line

from the crown to the tail here,

so if the head is dropping down,
go ahead and lift it up,

send your gaze straight down.

We're just gonna take the
right toes, curl them under,

and then lift the right heel up.

Good. Left fingertips reach 
forward, left thumb faces up.

Inhale in.

Exhale, you're gonna bend
the left knee, excuse me,

bend the left elbow, excuse me,

and right knee out to the side.

Then inhale, extend.

Turning on the core here,
and then exhale, bend again.

Inhale to extend,
peek at me if you need to.

Exhale, bend the left elbow,
bend the right knee.

Out to the left and right.

Here we go.
Let's do it twice more.

Even if you only catch one here,

it's a good
check in balancing the

left and the
right side of the body.

Beautiful. Now inhale, extend.

And exhale, drop it,
release it, let it go.

Alright, curl the left toes under,
send the left leg out long,

feel that stretch in the
foot and the calf, the achilles.

Good, then send the left heel 
up, right fingertips forward,

right thumb up towards the sky.

Inhale in, nice and slow,

navel draws up so the
abdominals are turned on.

As you exhale, bend the
right elbow to the right,

left knee to the left.

Good. Inhale, extend.

Press into your
right foot for stability.

Exhale, bend.

Inhale, extend.

Exhale, bend.

Inhale, extend.

Exhale, bend.

And notice what
muscles have to turn on

to kind of
support the bones here.

Let's do one more 
on this side. Here we go.

Inhale to extend,
exhale to let it go.

Beautiful work.

You can rotate the wrists here,
one and then the other.

Then we'll plant the palms,

spread the fingertips
super wide like starfish

as you curl the toes under.

Here we go.

Big breath in, exhale lifts
you up, Downward Facing Dog.

Bend your knees a bit here,

claw through the fingertips,

maybe tic-tock the hips
a little left to right,

feel that lengthening 
in the side waist.

And then drop the heels,

it's okay if they
don't touch the ground,

turn the toes inward just a bit

and notice how that
goes all the way up

to the hips here, right?

So it's all connected,
one moving part.

Good. Then we're gonna
draw the navel up.

Start to shift
forward just a bit,

just a bit as you slowly
shift all the way forward,

moving through the
spine into a Plank Pose.

Good. Now send the hips up high
and back, Downward Facing Dog.

And again, moving
through the spine here,

shifting forward,
nice and slow, Plank Pose.

And pressing back,
Downward Facing Dog,

and once more,
navel draws up, up, up.

Slowly shifting to Plank.

And then up to
Downward Facing Dog.

Good, take a deep breath in.

And exhale out
through the mouth.

Beautiful. Step the right 
foot up, just the right foot,

lower the left knee down.

Take a deep
breath in here as you

open the chest, look forward.

Good, then plant 
the palms, exhale,

step it all the way back,
Downward Facing Dog.

Good. inhale, look forward.

Step the left foot up,
just the left foot,

as you lower the
right knee down.

Good. Inhale, 
open your chest, look forward.

And exhale, plant the palms,

step it back,
Downward Facing Dog.

Good, inhale in deeply here.

And exhale to sigh it out.

Shake the head 
a little yes, a little no.

And then a little 
like maybe so. Okay. (chuckles)

Here we go.

Stepping one foot,
then the other,

all the way up to
the front of your mat.

You can take multiple steps.

Feet are gonna
be hip width apart.

Great.

Allow the head to relax here.

You can clasp the
elbows here if it feels good

and rock gently side to side.

Send your 
awareness to your feet,

really grounding firmly,

and just pause
here to listen to the

sweet sound of your breath.

Bend your knees.

And when you're ready,
release the arms

and slowly begin to roll it up

with the knees bent generously,

so strong, supportive legs here.

Then we'll rise up
here to Mountain Pose,

make it a majestic one.

Why not?

Life is short.

Once again,
imagine your spine here.

Make any little
adjustments that feel good here

so you can fully
embody this pose.

And then interlace the
fingertips behind the back,

bend your knees slightly,
open up through the chest.

Inhale in.

Exhale, keep this
forward motion going,

heart comes forward and all
the way down into the fold.

Take a deep breath in
and a long breath out.

And again, a deep
breath in, and as you exhale,

we'll release the
fingertips to the ground.

Right foot steps back.

Pardon me, Benji.

And right knee
lowers once again.

This time, press into the
top edge of your right foot

as you sweep the
fingertips up and over.

Again, think about
the spine here as you

squeeze the inner
thighs to the midline.

Don't let that left knee
come out, but squeeze in.

Good. And then 
we're gonna inhale in,

lift the chest, lift the chin.

Good, and exhale, 
come all the way back down.

Pull the left
hip crease back and

flex your left
toes towards your face.

Now roll through your left foot,

come back to that low lunge.

We're gonna lift
the right knee up,

bring the left fingertips
over to the right fingertips,

and now listen carefully,

you're gonna
bend your right knee,

you're gonna take
your center back in space,

we're gonna pivot on the feet,

use your fingertips along
the right edge of your mat

to turn all the way to face 
the back edge of your mat,

and then lower your left knee

and you're back
in that low lunge.

Deep breath in.

Sweep the fingertips all
the way up and overhead.

Good, lift your chest up,
lift your chin up.

Breathe, breathe, breathe.

Squeeze the inner thighs
together and then exhale,

let it go. Awesome.

Pull the right hip crease back.

If this is weird,
that's all good.

We're changing it
up for the brain.

Flex your right
toes towards your face.

This is nice too 'cause I
get to pet Benji once or twice,

or three times, or
four times, or five times.

Okay, here we go.

Rolling through the right foot,

we're gonna go
back the way we came.

Lift the left knee,
bend the knees,

we're definitely
opening up the hips here,

so breathe deep
as you make your way

all the way back to the
front edge of your mat,

back knee stays lifted,
we plant those palms,

fingertips spread as we
step the left toes back.

Strong Plank here.

Inhale in.

Puff up through
your upper back body,

feel your abdominals turn on,

reach the heels back, way back,

and the crown of the
head reaches forward.

Good, inhale in, 
shift forward just a bit.

As you exhale, slowly lower
all the way down to the belly.

Now we're gonna find a
little undulation here

(clicks tongue) in the spine.

So inhale, lift it up.

Exhale, lower it down.

Now just play here on your own.

Every body will be different.

Find a little aesthetic 
here as you explore.

If the spine feels
stiff like one piece,

just keep it small.

Catch a wave, press into
the pubic bone for stability,

press into the tops of the feet,

and definitely ride
the wave of your breath.

So inhale to lift,
elbows squeeze in to support.

And exhale to cascade down.

Do one more.
Come on, here we go.

Nice and exhale to release,
curl the toes under,

press up to Plank.

Quietly whisper to yourself
"I am strong" 'cause you are,

we are, hips up high and back,
Downward Facing Dog.

Inhale in deeply.

And exhale completely.

On your next breath in,

step your right
foot all the way up,

lower the left
knee to the ground,

press into the top of
your back foot as you inhale,

sweep the arms up and overhead.

Lift the chest up, chin up.

Deep breath in.

Good. Exhale, rain it down.

Straighten that front leg,

right hip crease pull back,
right toes towards the face.

Good, then rolling
through the right foot,

lift your back knee up.

We're gonna take it
to the left edge now,

so opening up through the hips

as the fingertips trace
the left edge of your mat.

We turn all the way to the back,

lower the right knee.

Good, and when 
you're ready, inhale,

sweep the arms up overhead,

Crescent Lunge here,
lifting chest up,

chin up, shoulders down.

Good, then slowly releasing,

fingertips back down to the mat.

Pull the left hip crease back,

breathe deep here.
Big stretch, big breath.

And then rolling
through the left foot.

We'll lift the right knee.

We're gonna walk it all
the way now just to center,

so you're gonna
dial your toes in,

hands are on the left
edge of your mat here,

and we're now in a standing
wide-legged Forward Fold.

Again, bring those
toes in just a bit.

Hands are on the earth,
or fingertips on the earth,

or if you like, you can
bring a prop of some sort

to lift the earth up
to you if that's helpful.

We're breathing deep here.

Some action points.

You can draw energy up
from the arches of the feet

to support you here.

We can draw the navel
up to meet the spine.

Instead of just dumping
through the front body,

really hug everything
up to meet your spine.

Maybe you work to bring
the palms to the earth,

or maybe work to
bring the forearms someday.

Inhale in wherever you are.

And exhale, let's make our
way back to the top of the mat.

So we're gonna
turn to the lunge,

step the right
foot back, Plank Pose.

Inhale in, exhale to lower.

Just one big wave here.

Inhale, lift up, Cobra.

Then exhale to bring
it all the way back down.

Curl the toes under.

Inhale, press up to Plank.

Exhale, Downward Facing Dog.

Inhale in again.

And exhale to release.

Great. We're gonna 
walk the hands and feet

to the center of the mat now.

And then from here, 
nice hip width apart in the feet,

nice wide stance.

We're gonna bring the
hands to the waistline,

bend your knees
and slowly rise up.

Beautiful. Take a 
second here in this

kind of superhero posture.

Just feel your own energy,
your own vibration.

Your vibration is your currency,

so it's so important
to take this time to

check in and to cultivate

your own presence, really,

and in a really
true and honest way.

So on that note, I can
think of no better ending

to this practice
than to really awaken

to our true nature by practicing

a little somatic movement that

I like to call
Knocking On Heaven's Doors.

So you wanna make
sure the feet are at least

hip width apart. If you've 
never done this before

and you're like 
looking at me, (chuckles)

I get it, I get it.

Soft bend in the knees.

Keep the note of paying
attention to the spine here,

just using your imagination,

but also your
awareness of the physicality,

where it's all coming from,

and you're gonna start to,
as I've been doing,

rock a little left
to right and allow

the dead weight of
your arms to sway.

Your eyes kind of
trace the center line,

the navel and the eyes
and neck all moving together.

And then you can start to really

pick up the pace.

If you're
feeling silly or sassy,

maybe you give your own booty

a little smack.

Why not?

Again, we're not
locked in the knees here.

Alright, so I'm gonna 
pipe down for a bit

and allow you to really tune in

to the sound of
your breath here.

When the brain, the mind
wants to kind of give up,

see what happens if
you stay, stay awhile.

Stay with it.

And stay with it for five,

four,

three,

breathe, two,

and on the one, just
slow it down nice and easy.

Bring the feet
underneath the hips

and stand here in Mountain Pose.

Just notice how you feel,
close your eyes

or soften your gaze.

And just take a second
here to scan your body.

Notice how you feel.

Using this practice

to really embody

in truths and philosophy
that feel right for you, right?

You know, the philosophy
of yoga is so beautiful,

but it's so lovely
to show up on the mat

because you can kind of
see what reveals itself

as valuable or
beneficial for you that day.

Draw the hands together.

We're gonna take
three breaths to close.

If you're wanting a
little more after this,

I suggest
alternate nostril breathing.

And if you're interested
in practicing that with me,

there is a video
practice for that.

Walk your feet underneath you.

See if you can not
look at the ground

while you bring
your feet together.

The ground is there.

And here we go.

Inhaling in deeply.

And exhaling out the nose
or the mouth, your choice.

And again, deep breath in.

And long breath out.

This final one, let it
just be a really loving,

just vibrant,
just feel good breath.

Inhale in deeply.

And exhale, let it go.

Thank you so much for
joining me, and Benji,

for this practice today.

I look forward to
seeing you again soon.

Take good care.

Namaste.

(upbeat music)