- Hello everyone
and welcome to
Yoga with Adriene.
I am Adrienne and it's Halloween ya'll
Happy Halloween.
Today we're going to learn Bakasana
which is the first arm balance
that we've ever done
in our Foundations of Yoga series.
So we're going to learn crow together,
it's great for the arms
but really it is a core strengthener.
And I think it's just a great opportunity
to throw yourself off balance and have a little fun.
So hop on the mat and let's learn Bakasana.
(Hawaiian music)
So to prepare for our crow pose today
we are actually going to start flat on our backs,
so this will only take a second.
"Listen up this will only take a second,"
that's a Tommy Boy reference
for all you Tommy Boy fans.
Hug your knees into your chest,
feel the lower back become flush with the mat.
Can even take this opportunity
to massage the back a little bit,
crawl the shoulder blades in together and down.
Then I'm gonna bring the two arches of the feet together
and widen the knees.
Great.
So I'm gonna imagine myself,
we kind of know
what the pose is supposed to look like
so I am going to flip it here
and use the support of the Earth.
So I'm going to lift my tailbone up towards the sky
and as i do that my navel,
my lower belly,
becomes (snaps fingers) instantly engaged.
So for lack of better words my core,
my center, is engaging
so scoot the tailbone, draw the navel down.
Ah ha. Find that sensation,
or begin to find that sensation.
Know that this is a practice, this is a journey
so we can kind of approach it
with that state of mind, that frame of mind
and it kind of takes the edge off,
like the pressure.
So navels drawing down, tailbone scooping up,
knees are wide.
I'm gonna press my palms towards the ceiling
as if i were pressing into the Earth.
I'm going to keep space,
rather maintain space
between my ears and shoulders
And then I'm going to draw it in and all together.
And what I mean by that
is I'm going to draw my knees up closer towards my elbows
and the base of my hands closer towards my toes.
Now wherever they meet,
which will be different for everyone here,
I'm going to squeeze,
so wherever they meet whether its's all the way up here
or right at the elbows,
I'm just going to practice
a little give and take between the arms and the legs.
Hard work here so I'm squeezing the legs in towards the arms
and I'm pressing the arms out towards the legs.
So I have a little bit of friction here,
my core is engaged, tailbone scooping up,
last part here I'm gonna point the toes.
Breathe.
Neck is nice and long
and then I'll gently release (exhales)
rotate the wrist one way then the other.
And then cross the ankles,
grab the outer edges of the feet
you can do a little full body smile here
rock a little side to side
and then we're gonna rock it up
flip our burgers and practice crow.
So if you have a Yoga block grab it now.
And if you don't have a Yoga block
you might consider using a book
which we say all the time
and so I'm actually going to use the book today
to prove to you that it is just as great.
So this is a nice little way to get into the posture
but it's not necessary if you don't have a book
or a block than we can still build the pose right now.
I'm going to use it as a little bit of a perch here
so I am going to bring my toes
onto the block or the book
and I'm using my fingertips to stabilize here.
Then I'm going to recreate
the shape I did on my back
bring the inner arches of the feet together
widen the knees, breathe
and then I'm gonna plant my palms,
really spreading the fingertips,
finding that integrity here
as I draw the shoulders away from the ears
and draw the navel up towards the spine.
So there's going to be
a couple different stages to this posture
and we're going to approach them all
with just a fun loving attitude
and no toxic thoughts okay.
Again, remember we don't come to the mat to do Yoga
but to practice, to have an experience.
So I'm gonna draw my navel up towards my spine
and then I'm gonna walk a little bit forward on my perch
and then keeping the neck nice and long
I'm just gonna see where the knees meet.
So I'm not lifting the toes up or anything
I'm just seeing where they meet,
I'm finding integrity here, soft bend in the elbows.
Most important thing is
I'm gonna keep this extension in the neck
and send my gaze forward.
Take a deep breath in here
and then exhale, come back onto your perch.
Relax.
You can tent the palms here
come onto the fingertips,
take a deep breath in (inhales)
and then exhale.
Here we go again, planting the palms
so shoulder width apart here,
lots of space between each finger.
The integrity here in the palms is so important
because I'm not collapsing into my bones
but like we've been doing
in a lot of the Foundations of Yoga
that are on the ground anyway.
We are finding that upward current of energy,
that hasta bandha as we call it.
Here we go again,
drawing the navel up towards the spine
keeping the neck nice and long.
This time maybe I find
that my knees can come a little bit higher up on the arms
maybe up towards the armpit, chest area.
The neck is nice and long
guys I can't stress how important it is
to keep your gaze forward
because otherwise,
might do a little somersault forward.
And if that happens, no worries, shake it off.
Now this time we breathe
and we might lift one toe up
and then exhale, release.
And then the other toe,
just experiment (inhales, exhales)
and then exhale, release.
Take a rest,
you can even check in with the wrist the opposite direction
if you need to.
If you're still building strength in that upward current.
And let's try again.
Breathing (exhales)
finding that integrity
as we draw the navel up walking
(Inhale)
we're crawling the knees
up towards the armpit chest
keeping that nice hollow upper back,
navel draws up as I look forward
and this time maybe we lift both toes up.
Breathe.
And then exhale release (exhales)
Maybe you got up maybe you didn't
let's see if we can remove the perch
and just experiment without it.
Or if you don't have the perch than we'll join you.
It is kind of nice
cause it gives you that little extra space.
Let's just see, coming into our squat
knees nice and wide (inhales)
spreading the palms, and just play here we go
(exhales)
finding what feels good.
So don't hold your breathe like me
make sure
that when you're kind of playing
with that suspension there
that you're not suspending your breath,
we want to keep the breath flowing.
We're gonna take a quick break here
by coming in downward facing dog
and then just practicing a couple hurdles in between.
Drawing the navel up towards the spine
I like to do this as a crow prep
because it keeps this integrity
in my center and my core
while I also spread the shoulder blades left to right.
So I send it back and forward
drawing your navel up
I'm never sinking into my bones here
but always keeping that
pressing up and out of the palms activity going.
One more time.
And then we'll come back to the knees
take a second if you're new to the practice
or your wrists are screaming at you right now.
That's okay, in time we'll build strength
or maybe you've overworked your wrist
in another workout already this week.
So make sure anytime
we need to do a couple of circles
or just check in with the wrist that you do.
And let's give it one more time together
and then again remember its a practice
it's fun to check in with it each day
and I think you'll be really surprised
how fast it evolves and changes and grows
and informs you.
So here we go.
Either on your perch,
or starting in a squat
spread the palms wide
press up and out first
remember, that sensation we just had in our hurdles.
So I am drawing the navel up
and from their I'll head on in.
(Exhales)
So that was Bakasana
our first arm balance
in the Foundation Series.
Full body strengthener,
I feel like even more than just spouting off
kind of the anatomical and physical benefits
of this posture.
I wanna say that it's an opportunity
to again throw yourself off balance
and have a little fun.
It is nice to know where to put our bones
but just trust yourself
have a little fun,
work with integrity, don't forget about your center
and this line from the crown of the head
to the tip of the tailbone.
But maybe on this Halloween
we can all approach something
that's a little scary
with a little lightheartedness
and a little fun loving attitude.
(Roars)
So that's all I gotta say about that
have a happy and safe Halloween my friends
and I'll see you next time.
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(in spooky voice) and I will see you next time.
(Makes ghost noises)
(Hawaiian music)