Hello everyone, and welcome to Yoga with Adriene.
I am Adriene, and today we're going to continue our Yoga for Weight Loss series with a core
check in.
So let's hop on the mat!
Okay, so we're going to begin on all fours.
I can take a second here to do a couple of cat cows which we have a video for and I actually
recommend just doing a couple, maybe a lot of cat cows to check in with the spine.
I have already done my cat cows for today, so I am ready to rock and roll.
So we'll do a little one of the cat cow on the spine.
Then I am going to check in with my table top position which is wrists directly underneath
the shoulders, knees directly underneath the hip points, and I am going to press up and
out of my foundation.
So spread the palms nice and wide.
Press into the tops of the feet, and even begin to spread the toes.
So whatever that means to you.
Sometimes I like to imagine pressing my pinky toe down, and even if that little baby pinky
toe, little baby pinky toe, doesn't make it to the ground, at least I am spreading awareness
through all edges of the feet.
So you can see here right away instead of collapsing into my bones here, I am pressing
up and out of my base, my foundation, spreading my awareness through the palms, pressing into
the tops of the feet, inhaling, extend through the crown of the head, keep your gaze straight
down.
So a lot of times we associate this integration with this all fours posture.
Let's keep it straight down today.
Nice, long neck integrating from the crown of the head to the tip of the tailbone, so
we're not letting the neck hang low, and we're not crunching it ahead, but nice and straight,
letting the back of the neck get a little sunshine, okay?
Inhale in.
As you exhale, press on the tops of the feet, lift the knees.
Nothing big here just a little hover.
Already my inner fire, that ognee, that fire, is little up burning here.
Tops of the shoulders drawing away from the ears, long, beautiful neck.
Inhale in, exhale, rest, come down, and you might have already just noticed a little shake
in the body, a little piranha moving there.
That's what I am talking about my friends, waking up, not just the abdominal wall, the
six pack, the cores, but the full core integrating full body experience.
Two more times like this, inhale in, exhale, psheeeeww, just let the knees hover, and really
this isn't about mastering a pose, this is about just checking in because when you lift
those knees even just half an inch for half a second, you're going to understand what
I am talking about.
If we're collapsing into the bones, it's going to be painful.
We have to empower ourselves, press up and out of the base.
Then we'll release the knees back down, check in.
We can even send it back for an extended child's pose, and then we come back up for the third
time just checking in; inhaling, extend through the crown of the head, exhale, press on the
tops of the feet.
Pshhheeew.
Lift up.
Whatever, just check in.
And again if you feel that shake here, smile, breath, keep the skin of the face nice and
soft.
And then we relax back down, psheeew.
Again, we can send it back to extended child's pose just to alleviate a little pressure off
the hands and the wrists.
We'll just check in with the breath.
[breath] And then we'll take a nice, sweet breath in and transition back to all fours.
Okay, ready for our cat cow variations.
Pressing up and out of my foundation, my table top position, I am going to again check in
with that sensation that I had here when the knees were lifted, pressing up and out of
the earth.
So no collapsing.
I think I've said that a million times now, okay, so hopefully no one is collapsing, but
I just don't want your joints to have that undue pressure.
So I am pressing in at the tops of the feet, pressing up and out of the palms.
I am going to inhale.
First, I am going to extend my left toes out.
Psheeew.
Now my weight is going to want shift to the right side of the body, but I am going to
try to keep it even.
So my midline still in line with the spine of my mat.
Toes facing down here.
You can press into the heel.
You can point the toes a couple of time, but I want the top of the thigh bone to be parallel
to the earth.
Pressing up and out of the palms, taking some of that weight out of my wrists, I am going
to inhale in, and slowly draw my right fingertips towards the front of the room.
So now I have a little yoga for brain here.
My right fingertips are extending out as my left toes, my left leg is extending long.
Inhale, pull the right shoulder into socket here, nice and gentle, lots of space between
the ears and shoulders.
I can spread my fingers, spread my toes, just for a little awareness.
Inhale in, draw your navel towards your spine, level out, pffeeeeeww, breath.
One more nice, long breath here, hang with me, and then on an exhale gently with ease.
So we don't just collapse.
We got this.
We got control.
We are in charge as we relax back down.
Shifting the weight to the opposite side.
Now, here we go.
Inhale, we're jumping right in to both limbs this time.
Left fingertips and right toes extend.
Pressing into the top of that back foot strong, pressing up and out of my right palm, I lift
from there.
So I am not just cranking my limbs up, and then letting the body follow.
Core integration here.
Extending from the crown of the head, leveling that right hip here, reaching the fingertips
forward, and then pulling that shoulder in.
Psheeeew.
Inhale, lifting the heart of the belly up.
Pressing up and out of the foundation rather than collapsing into my bones.
We hold here for a couple of breaths.
Rather than giving you a number of breaths to hold here.
I just want you to breathe.
Just breathe.
Just believe.
Inhale in.
Exhale, I'll float it down, and then I'll take a rest by bringing the two big toes together
widening the knees as wide as the mat, extended child's pose.
Inhale, look up, smile, and exhale, send it back.
Again, rather than giving you a number count of breaths here, take a rest.
Just breathe, enjoy.
We can turn the palms face up.
We can bring the palms together and up and overhead.
This is nice.
I can rock my belly, my rib cage side to side, hips checking in, and again, let your mind
be at ease.
Don't worry about doing it right or wrong, but just take a rest.
Psheeeew.
When you feel satisfied with your rest.
Hopefully you didn't fall asleep, but if you did, rest well.
When you get up we'll inhale, come back up to all fours, and now we're going to go into
a flow bringing a little more into the abdominal wall, pressing up and out of my tabletop position.
Here I go.
Inhale, extending the left toes and the right fingertips out.
Nice and long, reaching front to back.
Integrating full core though here, so I am still drawing up through my navel just as
I did in my balancing posture, but this time I am going to inhale, draw a line with my
nose forward, and exhale, integrating nose all the way towards the navel, bringing the
right fingertips and the left knee in towards center as I round the spine.
I am pressing up and out of my foundation here as I draw everything in and up towards
my center, almost said towards my core, but we're talking about full body core here.
Then inhale, extending it out, long, nice and slow, don't rush, holding everything in
to the midline here.
Extend and exhale, nose to knee, rounding it in with control with breath pressing up
and out of your foundation.
Draw the navel up towards the spine, nose to knee, round, round, round, and inhale,
extend.
[breath] Exhale, floating in.
Psheeeew.
No number count today, just moving with the breath.
So you find your groove, stella, and psseeeew, when you feel satisfied on this side, we'll
inhale, extend.
On your last one, I recommend holding for one breath.
Taking a full breath cycle here, ahhhhh, integrating, fully body experience, and then on the exhale
coming back to tabletop.
You can send it back, extended child's pose here for a rest, but we're going to go straight
into the other side here.
So shifting my weight.
Mind, and body working together here with the breath.
Here we go.
Inhale, extending left fingertips and right toes this time.
So I am working in opposition here.
I can take a second here to integrate that shoulder, that hip, my navel, pressing up
and out of my foundation.
Again, the tendency is going to let go of the hand here and the foot.
Use that Mother Earth, plug in.
Send it up and out, and when you're ready, moving into the flow, inhale, and exhale.
Lots of space, psshhhheeeeeeeeeeeew.
Inhale, lots of space.
When I say lots of space I mean we're moving in an integrated way.
So my nose is kind of following my fingertips here, but nothing is crunching.
I am doing everything with an awareness, ahhhhhhhhh, [breath] No number count today on my last
one.
Whenever I feel satisfied, I'll hold for one breath cycle here.
Psheeeeeewww, inhale in, and on an exhale back to all fours.
Kiss those two big toes together.
Moi!
It's Valentine's Day, but we can kiss any day.
Any day is love day, right?
Spread the knees wide, and then send it back, rest.
Extended child's pose, and on, bowing to the beloved.
Playing a little piano here, mmmmm, and breathe.
[breath] All right, so that was a great check in with the core.
We can repeat this sequence another time on each side or two more times on each side,
as many times as you want.
We can also use this as a warmup for a longer sequence such as our Yoga for Weight Loss:
Reuniting with Your Core video which is a little bit longer.
So you can do it's on, repeat, or use it as a warmup for a longer practice.
If you have any questions or comments, please them in the box below.
Also, be sure to visit the website and sign up for the Yoga with Adriene newsletter because
we have lots of exciting things coming up, and I would love for you to be a part of it.
So happy love day everyone!
How does that look?
Hope you have a good one, and hope you enjoyed the practice.
See you next time.