WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.099 (upbeat music) 00:00:11.639 --> 00:00:14.212 Ok, so for Warrior I, Virabhadrasana I, 00:00:14.212 --> 00:00:17.162 we're going to begin in the Runner's Lunge. 00:00:17.162 --> 00:00:19.428 If you are new to Runner's Lunge, 00:00:19.428 --> 00:00:20.381 we have a video for that. 00:00:20.381 --> 00:00:24.461 You can learn it with us and then come back to Warrior I. 00:00:24.461 --> 00:00:26.455 So, here I am in my Runner's Lunge. 00:00:26.455 --> 00:00:29.054 I'm making sure that I'm on two parallel lines, 00:00:29.054 --> 00:00:30.994 rather than one tight rope. 00:00:30.994 --> 00:00:34.191 And from here I'll inhale, radiate the heart forward. 00:00:34.191 --> 00:00:37.513 Exhale, just stretch the front of the right hip crease. 00:00:37.513 --> 00:00:39.166 Coming into my Runner's Lunge, okay, 00:00:39.166 --> 00:00:41.612 and now prepping for Warrior I. 00:00:41.612 --> 00:00:43.531 I'm going to take my back foot 00:00:43.531 --> 00:00:47.171 and I'm going to plant the entire foot on the mat. 00:00:47.171 --> 00:00:50.335 In this case I'm pressing into my right heel 00:00:50.335 --> 00:00:52.264 and my right toes are pointed 00:00:52.264 --> 00:00:53.899 towards the front right corner of the mat 00:00:53.899 --> 00:00:57.643 or the front right corner of the room. Okay. 00:00:57.643 --> 00:00:59.251 I'm going to really pay attention 00:00:59.251 --> 00:01:00.818 to the outer edge of that back foot, 00:01:00.818 --> 00:01:01.786 so none of this. 00:01:01.786 --> 00:01:03.839 That's horrible on the knee. 00:01:03.839 --> 00:01:06.020 We're gonna spread through the pinky toe, 00:01:06.020 --> 00:01:07.705 pressing into the outer edge of the foot 00:01:07.705 --> 00:01:09.793 and then just like I do in my Mountain Pose, 00:01:09.793 --> 00:01:11.260 or my Tadasana, 00:01:11.260 --> 00:01:13.660 I'm going to press into the foundation 00:01:13.660 --> 00:01:15.712 and then draw energy up from there. 00:01:15.712 --> 00:01:19.550 So, no loosey goosey, but really pressing into the mat, 00:01:19.550 --> 00:01:22.764 and then drawing up through the leg, lifting the knee cap, 00:01:22.764 --> 00:01:24.236 toning the quadricep here 00:01:24.236 --> 00:01:26.405 as I lift it all the way up to the hip. 00:01:26.405 --> 00:01:27.545 Same thing in the front leg. 00:01:27.545 --> 00:01:29.855 Pressing through all four corners of the feet. 00:01:29.855 --> 00:01:31.585 I know from my Runner's Lunge, that I stack my knee 00:01:31.585 --> 00:01:34.486 directly above the ankle. 00:01:34.486 --> 00:01:35.686 And then here I am, ready. 00:01:35.686 --> 00:01:37.876 I'm really pressing into my foundation. 00:01:37.876 --> 00:01:40.617 I'm drawing energy up through both legs here. Right? 00:01:40.617 --> 00:01:42.858 Working with integrity. Working from the ground up, 00:01:42.858 --> 00:01:45.170 which is a great, great note for beginners. 00:01:45.170 --> 00:01:48.572 There's no rush. Take your time. Work from the ground up. 00:01:48.572 --> 00:01:51.202 Find what feels good. I'm pressing in. 00:01:51.202 --> 00:01:52.773 From here, for a beginner, I recommend 00:01:52.773 --> 00:01:54.061 hooking the thumbs behind, 00:01:54.061 --> 00:01:55.597 taking the hands to the waist line, 00:01:55.597 --> 00:01:57.510 pressing into your foundation, we'll inhale. 00:01:57.510 --> 00:01:59.864 Roll the shoulders forward, up and back 00:01:59.864 --> 00:02:03.053 and then let that movement allow the heart to lift up, 00:02:03.053 --> 00:02:07.787 as we come into our standing posture, Warrior I. 00:02:07.787 --> 00:02:09.647 Lot's of action points here. 00:02:09.647 --> 00:02:14.172 This pose is a beginner's pose, a foundational pose, but, 00:02:14.172 --> 00:02:17.194 I'm always cracking jokes that this pose is challenging. 00:02:17.194 --> 00:02:19.846 This is hard. So, be kind. 00:02:19.846 --> 00:02:21.859 No toxic thoughts. Just take your time. 00:02:21.859 --> 00:02:23.365 My legs are working super hard here. 00:02:23.365 --> 00:02:26.333 I'm breathing into the front of my right hip crease. 00:02:26.333 --> 00:02:28.242 I can take that thumb, that left thumb, 00:02:28.242 --> 00:02:30.681 and peel that left hip crease back. 00:02:30.681 --> 00:02:33.745 Slowly encouraging my hips to come square off. 00:02:33.745 --> 00:02:35.538 Now remember I'm not on a right rope. 00:02:35.538 --> 00:02:37.274 For beginners, you might want to take your left toes 00:02:37.274 --> 00:02:39.039 and your left heel and walk them out a little bit. 00:02:39.039 --> 00:02:41.723 Just give yourself a little space. 00:02:41.723 --> 00:02:45.438 Okay. I'm also going to take my hands, the power of touch, 00:02:46.131 --> 00:02:49.186 ♫The power of touch...love...touch♫ 00:02:49.186 --> 00:02:51.480 Taking my hands to my rib cage, 00:02:51.480 --> 00:02:53.900 I'm going to soften them down. 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:56.152 And then just sometimes, I literally take my belly, 00:02:56.152 --> 00:02:59.692 my gut, and just use my hands to 00:02:59.692 --> 00:03:01.476 move it in the right direction. 00:03:01.476 --> 00:03:04.261 This takes time, okay. The hips won't square at first. 00:03:04.261 --> 00:03:07.323 They might. But this takes time, so breathe, 00:03:07.323 --> 00:03:09.151 and don't stop paying attention to the 00:03:09.151 --> 00:03:10.374 outer edge of that back foot. 00:03:10.374 --> 00:03:12.559 Pressing into that back heel. 00:03:12.559 --> 00:03:15.208 My whole back leg is super engaged right now. 00:03:15.208 --> 00:03:16.929 Sinking into my front knee. 00:03:16.929 --> 00:03:19.384 Working from the ground up. Lifting up. Mula Bandha, 00:03:19.384 --> 00:03:20.394 from the pelvic floor. 00:03:20.394 --> 00:03:22.263 We'll talk about that more on another day, 00:03:22.263 --> 00:03:25.665 but I'm lifting and lengthening up and out of the spine. 00:03:25.665 --> 00:03:29.120 At the same time, opposition, right? 00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:31.932 I'm squeezing my shoulder blades in together and down, 00:03:31.932 --> 00:03:33.269 grounding through the back heels, 00:03:33.269 --> 00:03:34.802 sinking into that front leg. 00:03:34.802 --> 00:03:36.938 So as I lift and lengthen through the crown of the head 00:03:36.938 --> 00:03:38.772 and the heart, I'm also grounding. 00:03:38.772 --> 00:03:42.503 Tagging a little weight in the elbows 00:03:42.503 --> 00:03:44.612 finding that opposition. 00:03:44.612 --> 00:03:46.551 Starting to build a little bit of a sweat here, 00:03:46.551 --> 00:03:50.343 as I peel my left hip crease back, rotate the hips forward. 00:03:50.343 --> 00:03:52.693 I can stay as a beginner here in Warrior I 00:03:52.693 --> 00:03:54.990 with hands on the hips, no problem. 00:03:54.990 --> 00:03:57.151 Just strengthening the legs. 00:03:57.151 --> 00:03:59.519 The last action point that I really think is important 00:03:59.519 --> 00:04:01.563 that I'd like to share with you is just 00:04:01.563 --> 00:04:04.604 squeezing everything in east to west, north to south. NOTE Paragraph 00:04:04.604 --> 00:04:07.333 Almost as if I were trying to pull the front edge of my mat 00:04:07.333 --> 00:04:08.970 and the back edge of my mat together. 00:04:08.970 --> 00:04:11.907 So I'm really working hard here. 00:04:11.907 --> 00:04:13.800 Building strength from the inside out. 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:15.820 Integrity in my posture. 00:04:15.820 --> 00:04:19.744 To go into the full Warrior I, I'll inhale, smile. 00:04:19.744 --> 00:04:21.958 Exhale, ground through the heels, 00:04:21.958 --> 00:04:23.854 and then inhale with the fingertips spread, 00:04:23.854 --> 00:04:28.385 reach forward, up, and back. Opening the shoulders. 00:04:28.385 --> 00:04:29.856 We can interlace the fingertips here 00:04:29.856 --> 00:04:31.551 or if you're a little bit tight in the shoulders, 00:04:31.551 --> 00:04:33.436 you're feeling a little bit cramped, 00:04:33.436 --> 00:04:36.309 go flying V. Give yourself the space that you need. 00:04:36.309 --> 00:04:40.096 Especially in the early stages of our asana practice. 00:04:40.096 --> 00:04:42.198 You can see I'm getting a little belly dancer here, 00:04:42.198 --> 00:04:45.203 the point is to find what feels good, to move around. 00:04:45.203 --> 00:04:46.707 So again we don't want to come here and 00:04:46.707 --> 00:04:48.066 be static in a posture. 00:04:48.066 --> 00:04:50.439 That does us no good. No benefit. 00:04:50.439 --> 00:04:53.104 We want to breathe. We want to create space. 00:04:53.104 --> 00:04:54.388 Keep going through our action points. 00:04:54.388 --> 00:04:57.847 Keep sinking into that front knee. 00:04:57.847 --> 00:05:00.586 And then we arrive. Warrior I. 00:05:00.586 --> 00:05:04.649 In kids yoga, the affirmation here we say is, 00:05:04.649 --> 00:05:06.056 "I am bold." 00:05:06.056 --> 00:05:07.871 And it is a bold posture. 00:05:09.143 --> 00:05:10.972 Extending through the crown of the head, 00:05:10.972 --> 00:05:12.359 relaxing the shoulders down, 00:05:12.359 --> 00:05:13.904 pressing into my foundation. 00:05:13.904 --> 00:05:16.231 And then seeing if I can just grow a little bit 00:05:16.231 --> 00:05:18.801 soft in the face here. 00:05:18.801 --> 00:05:22.509 Find that ease as I work hard. Marrying the ease to the effort. 00:05:24.390 --> 00:05:27.070 Warrior I. 00:05:27.070 --> 00:05:29.021 To come out of the posture, I can open the shoulders 00:05:29.021 --> 00:05:31.992 by exhaling, sending the fingertips behind me, 00:05:31.992 --> 00:05:34.934 just nice chest opener here. Hello. 00:05:34.934 --> 00:05:36.229 Felt good. 00:05:36.229 --> 00:05:38.322 And then I'll come back to Runner's Lunge 00:05:38.322 --> 00:05:40.639 by melting the belly to the thigh. 00:05:42.233 --> 00:05:45.292 Fingertips come to the mat. 00:05:45.292 --> 00:05:47.364 And then I can either step my back leg up 00:05:47.364 --> 00:05:50.590 by lifting the heel up to Forward Fold. 00:05:50.590 --> 00:05:52.930 Ooh, hello. 00:05:52.930 --> 00:05:56.557 Or often, just a little sneak peak, 00:05:56.557 --> 00:05:59.082 I'll plant the palms and often in Hatha yoga, 00:05:59.082 --> 00:06:03.387 I'll from here step it back, to Downward Dog, 00:06:03.387 --> 00:06:06.161 which was our video last week. 00:06:06.840 --> 00:06:10.282 Ok, so that was Warrior I or Virabhadrasana I, 00:06:10.282 --> 00:06:12.500 in Sanskrit. 00:06:12.500 --> 00:06:15.414 It's the first of the standing warrior series. 00:06:15.414 --> 00:06:18.166 If it's not easy, that's okay. 00:06:18.166 --> 00:06:20.510 Keep at it. Give it a try. 00:06:20.510 --> 00:06:22.566 Practice. Practice is what's it's all about. 00:06:22.566 --> 00:06:25.943 Practice and all is coming, as they say. I love that. 00:06:25.943 --> 00:06:28.999 For more about the posture and other things 00:06:28.999 --> 00:06:32.341 Yoga With Adriene related, visit poccox.com. 00:06:32.341 --> 00:06:33.816 Subscribe to the channel if you haven't already. 00:06:33.816 --> 00:06:37.045 Have a happy, happy most blessed holiday 00:06:37.045 --> 00:06:38.556 and Namaste. 00:06:39.396 --> 00:06:42.716 (upbeat music)