- Hello, my darling friends
and welcome back to Center.

It's Day 16 and we have 
a sweet little ditty

that I like to call your
kindness reminder practice.

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

(light music)

Alright, let's begin
on our tummies today.

Come on down to the ground

if you just had 
a meal, I apologize.

You can actually 
start on your back if you

for some reason 
just had a meal.

It happens you're trying 
to fit in your daily yoga

and that is okay 
for this journey.

Alright, come on
down to the ground.

You're gonna stack one
palm on top of the other hand.

Create a little
pillow for your forehead.

Before you look down you might
take a look at the screen.

See Benji's here looking
out that rainy day window.

And then draw your 
head down to the ground

and bring your 
big toes to touch,

allowing your heels 
to splay out left to right.

And then you're just gonna 
start rocking the hips

a little left to right, very gently.

And close your eyes.

Soften through the jaw and
then relax the rocking back and

forth and relax everything.

Alright, this is
a sweet 16 practice.

An opportunity to

reconnect to

loving kindness for yourself.

What do you say?

We're gonna start with 
a pretty fun breath

called crocodile breath.

You can stay in this position

and just allow the sound 
of my voice to guide you.

So your belly is on the ground
and if you're on your back you

can just breathe into
your hands on your belly.

But if you're like me,
belly on the ground,

you can imagine the 
front of your body, the belly,

is like the alligator 
or the crocodile belly.

Alright, hang with me 
and when you breathe in

you'll feel that inhalation 
travel down into the belly

and you'll feel the belly protrude

and press against the earth

and you feel the 
low back even the hips rise.

And then on the exhale,

of course, 
it all softens and it falls.

And that's it.

Let's keep it going.
Try again.

Big inhale, breathe.

Directional breath it
goes down into the belly.

You can feel the belly protrude,

press against the yoga mat,

the low back expands,

the hips even rise a little bit.

And then exhale, 
it falls all the way down.

If you're modifying this
for any reason you can work on

diaphragmatic breathing 
with the hands on the belly

either seated, 
on your back or

maybe if you're 
pregnant, on your side.

Wherever you are, 
let's take three to four

more full breaths like this.

Feeling that inhalation
travel down and expand.

And on the exhale, 
it softens and releases up

and out the nose or mouth.

And take one more
cycle of breath here.

And then today's a great day
to once again consider not just

what we're doing here on the
mat but how you're doing it.

How you move.

So imagine for this first
transition you're moving

like water, whatever
that means to you.

We're gonna lift the head.

We're gonna draw the shoulders
underneath, excuse me,

the elbows
underneath the shoulders.

I got kind of into it.

And then we'll bring the 
toes in line with the knees,

knees in line with the hips and
we're coming into a gentle

Sphinx Pose here.
Open up through the chest.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Then slow and steady 
we'll lift the hips up,

keep the arms where they are 
and you're gonna come into

that heart-to-earth
posture, Puppy Pose.

Opening up
through the shoulders.

When you get there, 
breathe in deeply.

And breathe out.

Again, finding a
little water-like motion today

especially in the transitions
but even in the postures.

Allowing the breath to move you

wherever you need 
to be moved today

or however you
need to be moved today.

Alright, lift the elbows one at
a time

and walk the hands out,

curl the toes under and let's 
send the hips up high and back,

Downward Facing Dog.

Now find a soft 
bend in the knees

and find any movement

that feels good 
here as you continue

to breathe slowly and deeply.

And then you're gonna step
the right foot to the middle of

the mat and then the left
foot to the middle of the mat.

So you're ragdoll in 
the middle of your mat

and you're gonna take your hands
and you're gonna bring them

underneath the feet here, 
peek at me if you need to,

toes up against the wrists here.

Feet are hip width apart or
a little wider if you need a

wider base for more stability.

And then draw your navel up 
and in, allow your head to relax

over and you can shift 
your center a little forward

and back here to stretch
deeply through the forearms.

Not everyone likes to do
this but some may find a little

wiggling of the toes to be nice,
massaging the base of

the palm, of course,
stretching the wrist.

Inhale in.

Exhale to release the hands.

You're gonna walk the palms
forward, take one foot back

into Plank and then the other.

Inhale in here.

Exhale, lower to the belly.

Inhale for Cobra, rise up.

And then just find 
a little fluid motion

as you float it back down.

So soft easy
movement today all the way.

Curl the toes under, 
press up to all fours,

drop the belly.

Let's walk, make sure you
walk the hands underneath the

shoulders then drop the belly,
open the chest, look forward.

And exhale, round through
the spine, chin to chest.

Now this is where you're 
gonna start Cat-Cow but, again,

I'd like to invite you 
to start to explore on

your own what feels good.

Maybe bumping 
the hips left to right.

Maybe you take the rib cage

in those circular motions
we've done before.

Maybe you start 
drawing a figure eight

with your heart center.

Moving the hips
back, side, front.

Maybe it's just
a fluidity here.

Checking in with 
the areas of the body

that are pulling your attention.

Maybe the feet.

The neck.

If you're like, "I don't know 
what to do," trust. You do.

Don't decide where it ends.

That's a good pro tip.

Just don't
decide where it ends.

And then take this kind of
funky little dance that we've

created, and again, 
with a fluid-like

motion make your way to 
Downward Facing Dog once again.

Great. Then step one foot 
then the other to center

and then step one 
more time to the top.

Feet together, really together.

Forward Fold.

Bend the knees,
slowly roll up to stand.

Maybe allow your fingertips

to trace the tops of the legs.

And we'll come to stand up
nice and tall in Mountain Pose,

Tadasana.

Invitation to close your eyes
here as you squeeze through

the legs, feel your connection

to the earth with your feet.

Whatever that means to you.

And kind of keeping up
with our water theme,

swim the fingertips 
out and around,

you're gonna interlace 
them behind the back.

Draw the knuckles down 
and open up through the chest

and then take some small circles
with the nose here one way.

Breathe.

And then the other.

Nice, then release the bind,
inhale, reach for the sky.

Exhale, 
float the fingertips down

as you come into your fold.

Lovely.

Step the left foot back, 
excuse me, right knee bends.

You're gonna lower the
back knee down and then you're

gonna turn the left toes over
towards the right side of your

yoga mat so it looks like this.

Nice, then we're gonna 
bring the right hand

to the right arch of the foot.

And then place it down on
the ground and inhale open up

through the left arm all
the way up towards the sky.

Deep breath in here.

And as you exhale, hug the low
ribs in, navel draws in and up

and we come to a bit
of a modified Warrior II.

Pull the pinkies back, 
lift your chest.

Nice. Then keep this front foot
rooted, you're gonna take

the left hand all the 
way down to the back,

you can come onto 
the fingertips or the full palm

or maybe a block 
and breathe here.

When you're ready, 
right fingertips reach back

and we're gonna 
turn the right toes in,

straighten the right leg,

root down through 
that right heel.

Inhale in deeply.

Softly, like water, we're gonna
bend the front knee and we're

gonna come all the way through
back to that nice low lunge.

Lift the back knee, 
inhale, look forward.

Exhale, step that back
foot up to meet the front.

Good, inhale lift
up halfway. From here,

exhale to soften and fold.

Good, take another breath here.

Inhale in.

And exhale out.

Second side.

Fingertips or 
palms to the earth,

we're gonna step 
the right foot back,

bend the left knee.

Then lower the right knee
and we're gonna take

the right toes now behind 
to the left edge of the mat.

Alright, left hand
comes to the earth.

Inside the left leg here, 
next to the left arch.

And then nice and slow,

as if you're pulling 
a bow and arrow,

you're gonna open up 
right fingertips across the

chest all the way up and
you can kind of squeeze or

hug your left knee 
in towards your right elbow

and then press your 
right elbow into your left knee.

Good.
Inhale in deeply.

Exhale, draw the navel in.

From center, that's where we
initiate the movement all the

way up stacking the spine,
a little modified Warrior II.

Pull the pinkies back.

Keep the deep
bend in the front knee.

Nice, inhale in.

From center it begins 
to move as we tilt back

bring the right hand or 
right fingertips to the earth,

left fingertips to the sky.

Now straighten that left leg,
dial the left toes in,

breathe deeply.

And then exhale, 
left fingertips reach

all the way to from 
the full expression.

Neck is nice and long

so we're not collapsed 
with the right ear down but

we're lengthening
through the crown of the head.

Inhale in.

Exhale, navel draws in and back
as we bend the front knee,

we soften and slowly 
sweep everything back

to that nice low lunge.

Lift the back knee, 
inhale, look forward.

And exhale, feet together
at the top of your mat.

Nice. Interlace the fingertips

behind the heels or the calves,

bend both elbows 
left to right and

draw the nose in towards 
the navel here for one breath.

As you breathe deeply, bend the
knees as much as you need here.

Big stretch.

And then slowly release.

Inhale, lift up halfway.

And exhale to soften and fold.

Bend the knees again, 
spread the fingertips,

root to rise here.

Press into the earth as you
slowly reach all the way up.

Big breath, big stretch.

Capture something above the
head and bring it all the way

back down to your
heart, Mountain Pose.

Take a deep breath here.

Inhale in.

And exhale, let it go.

Alright, so we're gonna turn
now to one side of your choice.

We're gonna step
the feet nice and wide.

We're gonna end with the little
standing wide-legged flow.

You're like, "What may that be?"
Well, let me show you.

So we're gonna
start in Star Pose.

Send the fingertips out.

You're creating a big 
like X marks the spot.

Or I like to think of it as 
like the X on the map

or the the star like, 
you are here.

Alright, so take up space.

If you feel brave or
comfortable trying this with

the eyes closed, 
go ahead and give it a try.

Everyone breathe.

And you might
wiggle the fingertips.

And just notice if you're
collapsing into your feet here.

See if you can draw some 
energy up from the arches,

through the inseam of the leg.

Alright, then bat
the eyelashes open.

We're gonna
start with just a sway.

We know how to sway.

Imagine you're at a concert.

Remember those?
Just kidding. (laughs)

Going back and forth.

And the next time you sway
to the left, you're gonna bend

your knees softly and you're
gonna take it all the way

around, sweep towards
the earth or maybe fingertips

touch the earth
and then up and repeat.

Now, you find a 
breath pattern here

that feels awesome for you.

This is the last little dance

we're gonna do before 
we close so please

gift yourself

with nice, sweet 
breath pattern here.

You do not have to move
at the same tempo as me.

And then reversing it
if you haven't already.

I like to slow it down a bit so

I can really 
feel what's goin' on.

What's going on

in my body,
in my soul.

The next time you're
down let it all hang.

Turn the toes in slightly

and maybe relax the 
weight of the head.

Close your eyes,
inhale lots of love in.

And exhale lots of love out.

Alright, hands come to the
waistline, bend your knees and

slowly begin to bring the
head back up over the heart.

Option here to slowly 
walk the feet together

or bend the knees and

hop them together
in one swift hippity hop.

Whatever you chose, 
just trust, it's all good.

These choices 
we make on our mat,

they're all for exploration.

I find that many of us,
me included, we're just so

incredibly unnecessarily hard
on ourselves, period, but then

we come to the mat for a
centering practice and we're

extremely and sometimes
excruciatingly judgmental.

So this is just a day to kind
of help us remember that the

more loving kindness we
can implement into this time on

the mat with ourselves, 
the better that starts

to trickle out into 
all of our relationships

and into the world.
Right, Benji?

Yeah.
I'm gonna take that as a yes.

Let's draw the palms together.

Squeeze the shoulders
up to the ears, inhale.

Exhale, drop 'em.

One more time,
inhale, squeeze and lift.

Exhale, drop 'em.
Alright, that's it for today.

Let's bring the thumbs up
to the third eye nice and slow.

Wishing you well, 
all the loving kindness

that you are worthy of.
You're so worthy.

You deserve it all and the fact
that you showed up here today

just proves that to me.

I look forward to
seeing you tomorrow.

Thank you.
Take good care.

(light music)