WEBVTT

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

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

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

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and I want
to tackle it today

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and we're gonna get
started right away.

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Transitioning from
Downward Dog to Lunge.

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

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

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doesn't hurt out
wrists and shoulders.

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Let's play!

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So, the real answer
to this question

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is that it
just takes time, right?

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Integrating the body
but we have to know the cues

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

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in a way in
which we can do that.

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

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

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

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Cat-Cow to open up
through the front body,

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to open up
through the back body.

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To begin this 
conversation with the hands,

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which is super important 
for this conversation,

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for this question.

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And also with the feet.

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Take one more with your breath.

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Inhaling as you
drop the belly to your mat.

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Exhaling as you draw
the navel to the spine,

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tucking the tail.

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Awesome.
Then curl your toes under,

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and send it up and back
to Downward Facing Dog.

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Same thing, pedal in out here.

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And consider the space that

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you're creating
in the side body.

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

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Then send your
awareness to your hands.

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Notice if your hands
are starting to come up here if

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you can press into
all ten knuckles firmly.

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

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

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Create space between
the ears and shoulders.

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These are all
super important things,

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

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gracefully and swiftly.

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In time!

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Great, then take one
more deep breath in here.

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

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And then exhale
lower back to all fours.

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Awesome. If you need 
to take a quick rest

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off the wrists, please do.

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

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

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

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excuse me,
all the way up into the sky

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and then all the
way back into the earth,

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we have to activate the core.

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

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That's why we 
end up coming short

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and why we end up
having to use our hand,

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which is totally fine.

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

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

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So, to play with that,

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and again, no judgement,
every body is different.

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So your solution
to this problem,

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or the answer to this question

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is gonna be a little
bit different for everyone.

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

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That's the beauty
of the home practice.

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We get the time and the
opportunity to do this,

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together. So, 
we're gonna play with that

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by lighting that
fire in you belly.

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

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

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

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

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knees directly
underneath the hips.

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

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In Downward Dog,
there's a tendency to

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crash into the front body.

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So, we're gonna
practice here already,

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pressing away from the earth.

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Finding this yielding sensation

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and then drawing the
shoulders away from the ears.

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So, if you're collapsed here,

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here's the example 
of the negatory.

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See if you can press away.

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Create space.

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Neck nice and long.

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Then stack knees directly
underneath the hip points.

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Press into the tops of the feet.

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Inhale in.

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Exhale, lift the knees, 
let them hover.

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Inhale, lower.

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Exhale, lift the knees, 
let them hover.

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See if you can maintain
the space in the shoulders.

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

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

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

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Breathing out.

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Lower as you breathe in.

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Let's do two more.
Exhale, lift.

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

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just nice and low.

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Inhale at the bottom.

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Exhale, draw the
navel up, lift the knees.

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This time stay here.

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Notice that shake,
that heat,

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that prana that starts to flow.

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And we feel like, okay,

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

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I'm alive and awake.

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

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cultivating all of
this energy in my center,

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gathering it up in my core

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to create a
full body experience.

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Great, slowly release.

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

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Woo, shake it off.

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Maybe massage the wrists,

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rotate one way
and then the other.

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And then we'll
return to all fours.

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So that same
integration of the center,

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

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awareness to in
Downward Facing Dog.

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

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Send the hips up high.

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Nice and long in the side body.

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Now same thing that
you did on all fours,

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press away from your yoga mat.

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So you can bend the knees
and literally look forward,

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press away.

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Bend the knees as
generously as you need to here

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and then engage the belly.

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Draw the navel up
towards the spine.

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

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See if you can notice

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your lower belly 
kind of growing soft here.

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

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just like in hovering Table.

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

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

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Cultivate all this 
energy in the core.

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

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Now, rather than 
thinking about stepping

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your right leg up 
and into your lunge,

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think about moving
your center of gravity up

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towards the
front edge of your mat.

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

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

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

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I'm on the ball of my back foot.

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

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Maybe you made it this far.

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Maybe you made it this far.

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Just notice how far you made it.

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And then we'll
lower the back knee,

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and come up off the
wrists for a second.

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

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

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

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

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bring my right foot up?

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Or, can I lead with my center?

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

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

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

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Let's try on the other side.

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Plant the palms,
step the right toes back,

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lift the hips,
Downward Facing Dog.

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Go through your checklist,
foundation.

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That action, drawing the
shoulders away from the ears,

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pressing away from the earth.

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

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Bring your awareness,
cultivate energy to your center.

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

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Or maybe by the solar plexus,
or just above.

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Then squeeze the 
left knee up and in.

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Hover here.

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Remember that hovering Cat-Cow.

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Hoo-hoo-hoo!
Awakening full body.

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Then take it
all the way back up.

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

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center of gravity
all the way forward.

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Think up and over.

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Center is moving forward.

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Center first,
leg just comes to follow.

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And then I'll step it up.

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Great. Just notice
where you made it today.

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Smile, lower the back knee.

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Come off the wrists.

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So really paying
attention to the alignment,

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kind of that action
and alignment marriage,

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so that you're creating
a full body experience.

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

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the front of your
mat for the Lunge

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but rather, moving as
one connected part, right?

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So rather than all these parts, 
one moving part.

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

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send it back one more time,
Downward Facing Dog.

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One thing that I think really

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helps with this
transition for me,

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and this overall
integration of core,

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to my limbs,
and moving as one moving,

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breathing part are these
Downward Dog to Plank hurdles.

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Now, these can be,

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you can take
a break for a second.

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

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because they're
very strengthening,

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they do rely on upper body.
Body building!

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But I love them because
for that very same reason

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

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It's really about 
cultivating strength

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from the soles of your feet

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all the way through the
awareness of the crown.

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So, this is how it goes.

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We'll just do a couple.

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And then you can
practice on your own.

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We'll come to
Downward Facing Dog.

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Go through your checklist.

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Find your breath.

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

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A little soft buoyancy 
here is helpful.

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Then soften in the knees,
speaking of buoyancy.

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Find a little bounce here.

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Come onto the toes
and lift the hips up high.

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

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as if it were climbing
or jumping over a hurdle,

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soaring over a hurdle.

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Then you might have to
widen your alignment here,

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so you come into a nice Plank.

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Breathe in, then same thing.

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Draw a line with your center.

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So imagine if 
I had a big flashlight,

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hanging from my navel here,
with a little bell.

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You would see it
travel up and over.

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Don't worry about
getting the heels down here.

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Worry about,
am I moving from my center?

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Up and over.

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Great full body strengthener,
to Plank.

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Then up and over, back.
Downward Facing Dog.

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Engage navel to spine.

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And back.

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

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To Plank.

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And in and up.

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Draw a line back up
and over the hurdle.

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Downward Facing Dog.

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Great!
Take a deep breath in.

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Deep breath out as
you lower the knees.

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And shake it off.

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So, that attention to 
detail in the action alignment,

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that creating space in 
the Downward Facing Dog

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literally in the
side body and the shoulders,

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finding that inner
spiral in the thighs.

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You can go check out 
the foundations of

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

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And, again, just thinking about

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if you can move
from your center.

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Moving from your center
so that your center is

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moving actually first and 
then the leg comes to follow.

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Your leg might 
not get all the way up

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when you're
moving from your center.

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

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

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And if that's the case,

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

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take your hand,
gracefully, step the foot up.

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Yeah? Cool!

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So, together we're
working on transitions.

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We'll do more yoga tips,

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more transitions as
the weeks grow long.

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(chuckles)

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Free yoga
videos every Wednesday.

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I love it when
people as questions.

00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:40.890
I love that we're
having a conversation.

00:11:40.890 --> 00:11:43.860
You know, I always say
that this channel is

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what it is because 
of the conversation

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

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and it really inspires me,
and hopefully inspires you to

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actually keep
returning to your mat

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to have an actual experience,

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instead of this whole…
(inaudible whoosh noises)

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So, awesome work everyone.

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Thanks for the questions.
Thanks for the conversation.

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I'll see you next week!

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Take good care.

00:12:05.070 --> 00:12:07.234
Namaste.

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(upbeat music)