- What's up everyone?
Welcome to Yoga With Adriene.

I'm Adriene, and today
we have some yoga tips.

So, this is a question
that comes up a lot,

and I want
to tackle it today

and we're gonna get
started right away.

Transitioning from
Downward Dog to Lunge.

Lunge to Downward Dog, 
how ever can we do it?

Especially in a flow class,
or a vinyasa in a way that

doesn't hurt out
wrists and shoulders.

Let's play!

So, the real answer
to this question

is that it
just takes time, right?

Integrating the body
but we have to know the cues

and things to pay attention
to in order to grow our practice

in a way in
which we can do that.

So, that means, is we have to
create a full body experience.

So we can't just go
straight to the Downward Dog

here in my opinion.
We need to start with a little

Cat-Cow to open up
through the front body,

to open up
through the back body.

To begin this 
conversation with the hands,

which is super important 
for this conversation,

for this question.

And also with the feet.

Take one more with your breath.

Inhaling as you
drop the belly to your mat.

Exhaling as you draw
the navel to the spine,

tucking the tail.

Awesome.
Then curl your toes under,

and send it up and back
to Downward Facing Dog.

Same thing, pedal in out here.

And consider the space that

you're creating
in the side body.

So you might shift 
the hips a little left to right.

Then send your
awareness to your hands.

Notice if your hands
are starting to come up here if

you can press into
all ten knuckles firmly.

In particular, the space between
your index finger and thumb.

Draw the shoulder blades in and
together, down the back body.

Create space between
the ears and shoulders.

These are all
super important things,

as we work on getting
that leg up and into our Lunge,

gracefully and swiftly.

In time!

Great, then take one
more deep breath in here.

This time bend your knees,
take a big inhale in.

And then exhale
lower back to all fours.

Awesome. If you need 
to take a quick rest

off the wrists, please do.

And then we're gonna
come to all fours, once again.

So, tapping into the core
is kind of the biggest thing.

When taking our leg 
all the way up, into the earth,

excuse me,
all the way up into the sky

and then all the
way back into the earth,

we have to activate the core.

It's not just about
swinging that leg up, and in.

That's why we 
end up coming short

and why we end up
having to use our hand,

which is totally fine.

Which sometimes we'll do it our
whole life, our whole practice.

But what we want to do is engage
the core as much as possible.

So, to play with that,

and again, no judgement,
every body is different.

So your solution
to this problem,

or the answer to this question

is gonna be a little
bit different for everyone.

But, let's just
play and have some fun.

That's the beauty
of the home practice.

We get the time and the
opportunity to do this,

together. So, 
we're gonna play with that

by lighting that
fire in you belly.

Lighting, kind of sparking
that match in the center. Okay?

And we're gonna let this radiate
and heat up a little bit.

So, don't give up,
stick with it, stick with me.

We're gonna come to all fours.
Wrists underneath the shoulders,

knees directly
underneath the hips.

First thing is first,
press away from your yoga mat.

In Downward Dog,
there's a tendency to

crash into the front body.

So, we're gonna
practice here already,

pressing away from the earth.

Finding this yielding sensation

and then drawing the
shoulders away from the ears.

So, if you're collapsed here,

here's the example 
of the negatory.

See if you can press away.

Create space.

Neck nice and long.

Then stack knees directly
underneath the hip points.

Press into the tops of the feet.

Inhale in.

Exhale, lift the knees, 
let them hover.

Inhale, lower.

Exhale, lift the knees, 
let them hover.

See if you can maintain
the space in the shoulders.

So, if you're here
and you're trying to lift,

I have no power there.
It sucks, so bad.

So, maintain the space you
created here and lift the knees.

Breathing out.

Lower as you breathe in.

Let's do two more.
Exhale, lift.

It doesn't have
to be a big lift, no,

just nice and low.

Inhale at the bottom.

Exhale, draw the
navel up, lift the knees.

This time stay here.

Notice that shake,
that heat,

that prana that starts to flow.

And we feel like, okay,

from the crown of the
head to the tip of the tailbone,

I'm alive and awake.

And I'm pressing up
and out of my foundation,

cultivating all of
this energy in my center,

gathering it up in my core

to create a
full body experience.

Great, slowly release.

Curl the toes under,
take a seat back and rest.

Woo, shake it off.

Maybe massage the wrists,

rotate one way
and then the other.

And then we'll
return to all fours.

So that same
integration of the center,

of the core energy is now
what we're gonna bring our

awareness to in
Downward Facing Dog.

So we'll come back to all fours,
when you're ready.

Send the hips up high.

Nice and long in the side body.

Now same thing that
you did on all fours,

press away from your yoga mat.

So you can bend the knees
and literally look forward,

press away.

Bend the knees as
generously as you need to here

and then engage the belly.

Draw the navel up
towards the spine.

Great, from here, we'll
lift the right leg up high.

See if you can notice

your lower belly 
kind of growing soft here.

And see if you can hug the 
lower ribs in, engage the belly,

just like in hovering Table.

Great, from here, bend the
right knee, squeeze it in.

We're back to that hovering 
Table here as you hover.

Cultivate all this 
energy in the core.

From here, send it back,
Three-Legged Dog.

Now, rather than 
thinking about stepping

your right leg up 
and into your lunge,

think about moving
your center of gravity up

towards the
front edge of your mat.

Draw a big line, all the way
up and over with your center.

So my center is moving,
and my leg is just following,

following, following.
And then I'll step up and in.

I'm on the ball of my back foot.

This is as far as I,
Adriene, made it.

Maybe you made it this far.

Maybe you made it this far.

Just notice how far you made it.

And then we'll
lower the back knee,

and come up off the
wrists for a second.

So, you may be like,
I already knew that,

connect to my center,
but it's that practice.

It's actually slowing it down
and actually thinking about,

what's moving here?
Am I trying to just task master,

bring my right foot up?

Or, can I lead with my center?

I guess,
is what I'm trying to say.

Can I cultivate this energy in
the belly so that I'm actually

taking my center forward and
the leg just comes to follow.

Let's try on the other side.

Plant the palms,
step the right toes back,

lift the hips,
Downward Facing Dog.

Go through your checklist,
foundation.

That action, drawing the
shoulders away from the ears,

pressing away from the earth.

Then when you're ready,
lift the leg up high.

Bring your awareness,
cultivate energy to your center.

This radiating ball of light,
right here, navel to spine.

Or maybe by the solar plexus,
or just above.

Then squeeze the 
left knee up and in.

Hover here.

Remember that hovering Cat-Cow.

Hoo-hoo-hoo!
Awakening full body.

Then take it
all the way back up.

Then here we go.
We're gonna imagine taking our

center of gravity
all the way forward.

Think up and over.

Center is moving forward.

Center first,
leg just comes to follow.

And then I'll step it up.

Great. Just notice
where you made it today.

Smile, lower the back knee.

Come off the wrists.

So really paying
attention to the alignment,

kind of that action
and alignment marriage,

so that you're creating
a full body experience.

So that you're not just trying
to sling one body part up to

the front of your
mat for the Lunge

but rather, moving as
one connected part, right?

So rather than all these parts, 
one moving part.

Okay, we'll plant the palms,
curl the toes under,

send it back one more time,
Downward Facing Dog.

One thing that I think really

helps with this
transition for me,

and this overall
integration of core,

to my limbs,
and moving as one moving,

breathing part are these
Downward Dog to Plank hurdles.

Now, these can be,

you can take
a break for a second.

These can be kinda tough if
you're new to the practice

because they're
very strengthening,

they do rely on upper body.
Body building!

But I love them because
for that very same reason

they're not just about
building strength in the arms.

It's really about 
cultivating strength

from the soles of your feet

all the way through the
awareness of the crown.

So, this is how it goes.

We'll just do a couple.

And then you can
practice on your own.

We'll come to
Downward Facing Dog.

Go through your checklist.

Find your breath.

Press away from your yoga mat.
Careful not to lock the elbows.

A little soft buoyancy 
here is helpful.

Then soften in the knees,
speaking of buoyancy.

Find a little bounce here.

Come onto the toes
and lift the hips up high.

Draw a line with your center,
all the way up and over

as if it were climbing
or jumping over a hurdle,

soaring over a hurdle.

Then you might have to
widen your alignment here,

so you come into a nice Plank.

Breathe in, then same thing.

Draw a line with your center.

So imagine if 
I had a big flashlight,

hanging from my navel here,
with a little bell.

You would see it
travel up and over.

Don't worry about
getting the heels down here.

Worry about,
am I moving from my center?

Up and over.

Great full body strengthener,
to Plank.

Then up and over, back.
Downward Facing Dog.

Engage navel to spine.

And back.

Holy schmoley, let's do one more.
Navel draws in and up.

To Plank.

And in and up.

Draw a line back up
and over the hurdle.

Downward Facing Dog.

Great!
Take a deep breath in.

Deep breath out as
you lower the knees.

And shake it off.

So, that attention to 
detail in the action alignment,

that creating space in 
the Downward Facing Dog

literally in the
side body and the shoulders,

finding that inner
spiral in the thighs.

You can go check out 
the foundations of

Downward Facing Dog to go a
little more in depth there.

And, again, just thinking about

if you can move
from your center.

Moving from your center
so that your center is

moving actually first and 
then the leg comes to follow.

Your leg might 
not get all the way up

when you're
moving from your center.

So you need to be
where your body is at today.

You need to be with your body,
and be on your own team.

And if that's the case,

and it only comes to here and
you're moving with your center,

take your hand,
gracefully, step the foot up.

Yeah? Cool!

So, together we're
working on transitions.

We'll do more yoga tips,

more transitions as
the weeks grow long.

(chuckles)

Free yoga
videos every Wednesday.

I love it when
people as questions.

I love that we're
having a conversation.

You know, I always say
that this channel is

what it is because 
of the conversation

that we're having makes 
it special, makes it different,

and it really inspires me,
and hopefully inspires you to

actually keep
returning to your mat

to have an actual experience,

instead of this whole…
(inaudible whoosh noises)

So, awesome work everyone.

Thanks for the questions.
Thanks for the conversation.

I'll see you next week!

Take good care.

Namaste.

(upbeat music)