(upbeat music) - Hi everyone.
Welcome to Yoga With Adriene. I'm Adriene and this is
Benji and today we have a targeted practice for
the neck, the shoulders and the upper back body. So please join me in a nice
comfortable seat of your choice. We're gonna sit
up nice and tall. Right away, take
a deep breath in. And as you exhale, just relax
your shoulders down away from the ears arriving here for
your 10 minute awesome practice. Inhale in again
through the nose. Exhale, relax the
shoulders down. And for this next
cycle of breath, go ahead and close your eyes. Here we go.
Big breath in. And long breath out
relaxing the shoulders down, allowing yourself to
arrive here in the moment. I always say a
little goes a long way. And that it shall. Go ahead and open your eyes. We're gonna bring the fingertips to kiss the tops
of the shoulders. Moving with the breath. Inhale, send the elbows forward. Let the elbows kiss together
or reached towards each other. Feel that stretch in
the upper back body. And draw your navel in. Then slowly continue the journey taking the elbows
all the way up. Reach, reach, reach. Think of this long beautiful
stretch from elbow to shoulder and shoulder to waistline so we're really lifting
up out of the waist. Great, then
continue the journey. Carve a line with your
elbows all the way back. Opening up through
the pecs, the chest. Imagine you're pinching a pencil between your
shoulder blades here. Really retracting back elbows
reaching towards the center of the back body and
then all the way down. Tag a lot of
weight in your elbows. Feel this beautiful
stretch through the neck. You can even gently
nod the head yes here. And then no. Great, then we're just
going to do the same thing but with a little more fluidity. Here we go. Elbows kiss
together, deep breath. Reach it all the way up. Lift up out of the
waistline big stretch. Take it around and back. Again, inhale to reach forward. Feel the upper back body
stretch then lift up. All the way up from the
pelvic floor around and back. And then one more, here we
go, big breath as you reach the elbows forward and up, around and back. Now this time when you're back, keep the heart lifted, shoulder
blades drawing together. You're gonna release
the fingertips down. Fingers stay facing in towards
your body and you're going to bring the fingertips
to kiss the earth. Squeeze the elbows back. Inhale, lift the chest,
lift your sternum and then a gentle
lift of the chin. Beautiful, inhale in here. Exhale, right ear
over right shoulder, breathe. Pressing into the fingertips. Drawing the
shoulder blades together. And then bring
the head back to center and the left ear
over left shoulder. Squeezing, actively squeezing
shoulder blades together upper back body engaged. Gorgeous, bring it up. Release the hands. Palms come together, Namaste. Interlace the fingers. You're going to bring them all
the way up and behind the head. Thumbs can extend
to cradle the neck. You can even give yourself
a little neck massage here. And then we're gonna inhale,
lift up through the front body, think Cobra. Exhale, draw the
shoulder blades together again, elbows nice and wide. Inhale in here. Exhale, chin to chest. Elbows kiss together and you're
not going to actively press the hands against the head but just allow gravity to
do the work here. Breathing so important that you bring the element
of the breath into play. Take one more cycle
of breath here in and out. Then think of this
as a blossoming. You're going to
slowly lift the chest so take your time basically. Lift your heart open and then
just release the fingertips. Big stretch any which
way that feels good, opening through the chest. Finding soft easy
movement through the neck. Awesome work. Okay, from here left ear to
left shoulder once again. Right fingertips are out. We're gonna inhale in, exhale draw the
shoulder blades together. Inhale in again. You're gonna begin to lift up
your right fingertips and flex right fingertips
towards the sky. So we're pressing right
hand into an imaginary wall. You're feeling a beautiful
stretch between the right ear and right shoulder and
the neck, the trapezius. The upper back body still
engaged as the heart lifts. If you need a little more here
take your left fingertips gently sweep, sweep them all the way up and over and right on the right you're here just gently resting. Again, you're not pressing.
Letting gravity do the work. Notice if you're
collapsing forward here. Actively draw the
shoulder blades together. Breathing deep here and if it's
too much you can just bring the fingertips down and
if you need more, reach the fingertips
all the way up. Big sensation. Great, inhale in here. Exhale to gently
unravel, release everything. Fingertips come to the earth. Great, whenever you're ready
right ear over right shoulder. Breathing. Draw the
shoulder blades together, lift your heart. When you're ready left
fingertips begin to levitate. And then we'll flex,
pressing left palm away. Really reaching left
fingertips towards your face. Keep the chin
slightly lifted here. Interested in a little, more
than you can take your right fingertips sweep them all the
way up and over and around to land gently on the left ear. Breathe deep here. Awesome, take one
more cycle of breath in. And out slowly began to unravel. Both fingertips
kiss the mat here. On your next breath in, lift
the shoulders up to the ears and then exhale take them
around and back and down. Twice more like that,
inhale, reach 'em up. Lift 'em up. Big breath in,
exhale around and down. And once more, big inhale. And exhale. Awesome, baby, a little saucer
size circles with the nose. You're gonna draw
little baby circles one way. And then let it grow a little
bit bigger so we move from like a saucer to like a
salad plate, if you will. And then it gets
a little bigger, dinner plate. Frisbee and then like a big symbal. Okay, then reverse it. We're gonna start
large and grow smaller. Daily neck hygiene so important. Benji agrees. Alright, when you come back
to center we're gonna take it forward and onto all fours. Hi buddy. When you get there
take a deep breath in, a long breath out. On your next inhale you're gonna
reach the right fingertips all the way up. Feel a nice
big opening through the front body, front chest. And then exhale thread the
needle you're and take your right fingertips under the
bridge of your left arm and we're going to rest
on the right ear. So yogi's choice here, you can
press the left palm into the earth, left elbow give yourself
a little connection here to find a deeper stretch in
the upper back body. Another option is to
curl the left toes under, send left toes back. Find a version that
works for you today. Take a deep breath in. A long breath out. And then slowly unravel,
bring it back to center and we'll take it
to the other side. One last twist so really
find your breath here. Inhale, open up through
the front body, front chest. Left fingertips to the sky
and then when you're ready, exhale, thread the needle. Left fingertips go in and
underneath the bridge of your right arm and same thing, find what feels good
with your right hand. Find that connection, feeling
that opening through the back of the left shoulder, upper back body
and option if it feels right in your body to
curl the right tools under, extend the right leg. Keep those right
toes on the earth. Breathe deep. Mhmmm, mhmmm,
take one more inhale in. And exhale out. And then slowly unravel. Come back to center. You can come back to a seat
either sitting on the heels or back at cross-legged. We'll bring the palms together. Take one more final loving
breath in through the nose. And out through the mouth. Relax the shoulders down. Let go of any stress or
tension and close your eyes. Give thanks for this moment. This little ditty of
self love and self care. You rock. I'll see you next time. Namaste. (upbeat music)
