How to Start-Yoga With Adriene

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Exploring Yoga With Adriene

Lion’s breath.

Is mine worse than a real lion? Very likely.

A year ago I didn’t know what Lion’s Breath was. But now I do, because I’ve been doing Yoga with Adriene everyday for the past 12 months!

Hallaluyah! Uhhh wait…Halleluya? Hallelujah? Alleluia?…okay, forget it…

I meant to say…Yay!

I not only learned how to breathe like a lion, but I also learned how to breathe like the ocean.

Which is worse: Lion’s breath or ocean breath? Not sure.

Not only am I breathing deeplier (just made that word up), but I also have better balance, more flexibility, more strength, easier digestion, lower stress, higher quality sleep, and better sex (rrrehr, rrrehr)….which all leads to more happiness. It’s made a huge difference!

It also inspired me to start eating better too, (I guess what I really have is Nut Butter Breath). Check out my Add-In Diet if you’re interested in knowing about some of those changes. (1)

Anyway back to Lion’s Breath.

I mean Adriene…

Yoga With Adriene Is Great for Beginners

Adriene Mishler grew up in Texas.

Where is her Texan accent?!

When half my family moved to Texas, within weeks they were “Y’all” this and “Fixin’ to do” that. But Adriene sounds “normal” to my Californian ears.

Adriene started putting free yoga videos on Youtube while working on her acting career. She’s given up on the acting career because she’s too busy sharing yoga now.

Her claim to fame? She believes you can suck at yoga and still feel good about yourself and your body. Thank gawd for THAT. Of course she tries to help you improve along the way.

As Adriene says “The hardest part is showing up!”

Adriene is chillaxed, silly and encouraging and she’s always got her adorable Blue Heeler dog with her.

With millions of viewers around the world, it’s no surprise why many people say she’s the best for free beginners yoga. (2) (3)

I love her. Everyone loves her.

Why Starting with Adriene is a Smart Move

Well, first of all, any regular movement will make you feel happier. Learn more about that in my post about movement and happiness. (4)

Secondly, Adriene is great. She says “find what feels good,” and encourages a lot of free-flow movement and a lot of options for poses.

And she rarely holds a pose for very long, so it feels doable.

And most of her videos are short.

And she’s fun.

And it’s free.

And there’s her dog.

And there is something satisfying about doing yoga in your under-muh-wear.

Adriene Has a Ton of Free Videos: Where Do I Start?

When you search for “Yoga With Adriene,” you see hundreds of videos. It’s normal to feel unsure how to navigate your way to getting started. I can help.

I like to help.

She’s got several 30-day sets.

Each 30-day set has a theme title, like “30-Days-of-Yoga,” “Yoga Camp,” “True,” “Revolution,” and “Dedicate.” She releases a new journey each year in January.

Adriene’s 30 day journeys are all designed to have a flow that takes you from one day to the next. So start with one of her 30 day series.

In fact, Yoga with Adriene could be a great part of your monthly new year’s resolutions if you time it right.

Never heard of having a monthly resolution? Check out my post on how to kick *ss on new years resolutions. (5)

But Which Yoga With Adriene 30-Day Journey Should I Choose?

They are all great and all are beginner’s yoga, so you can start anywhere.

My favorite is the “HOME” set. It’s beautifully produced and it’s one of her later series so she has the pacing nicely figured out. (6)

That’s where I’d start if I were starting today.

All the videos are approximately 15 to 40 minutes long with most of them landing around 20 minutes. It’s enough to get you smiling without eating up your entire day.

Each day, go to youtube, and search “Adriene Yoga Home Day ____.” Put in the number for which day you are on…1, 2, 3 etc.

After finishing “Home,” choose another 30 day yoga and keep going!

Just Want to Try One Video? Don’t Make This Mistake

If you search for “beginner” Yoga with Adriene you will see several videos with the word beginner in them. And you may also see her “foundation” series, which sound like beginner videos too.

Which one to choose?

Adriene’s “Foundation” videos are helpful for learning individual poses, but they are not a great place to start.

Why? Because she has you hold the pose for a long time while she talks you through it. It can be tiring and a little boring instead of enjoyable. You can check those out later, when it interests you.

What about the beginner videos?

Not all of them are easy for someone who is a 100% noob in yoga.

Some of the other beginner videos take you through lots of poses, so it’s too much for an absolute beginner to take on.

The one “beginner” video I DO recommend is the one for the “complete beginner,” and it is great! So start here.

If you want MORE of her easiest yoga videos, search “Yoga With Adriene” and the word “Bedtime,” “Relaxation,” “Cozy,” or “Gentle” instead of the word “Beginner.” (7)

These are mostly low to the ground and not overly gymnastic.

Exploring Yoga With Adriene

Adriene has lots of “one-off” yoga videos:

Yoga for depression
Yoga for when you’re sick
Yoga for the service industry
Yoga for back pain
Yoga for when you’re angry
Yoga for a dull moment
Yoga for your birthday
Yoga for when you’re tired of reading blogs

Okay, she doesn’t have that last one yet.

Adriene has lots of guided meditation videos too:

Meditation for humility
Meditation for inner peace
Meditation for self love

I’ve asked her to create one called “Meditation for not killing your cat who just stole the lunch meat out of your sandwich,” but she hasn’t come out with that one yet.

If you want to see if she has a specific type of video, search:

“Yoga with Adriene, ______” (fill in the blank with your challenge).

If you want a chuckle, she’s got some fun Halloween yoga videos.

Yoga for Zombies, Corpse Pose, Crow Pose, Wild Thing Pose, Inner Space, Dead Inside, etc. They are silly, but still great for the bod. It’s so Adriene. (8), (9)

Doing the Yoga; How to Make It Easy Breezy

Adriene encourages us all to “Find what feels good!”

So take it easy, enjoy it, don’t judge yourself and do your best.

She also says “meet your appropriate edge,” meaning, be gentle with yourself when you’re tired or sore. Or push yourself a little more when you feel energetic.

This is long-term body conditioning and not a race.

Oh, and don’t let the 40+ minute videos scare you! Those usually have more breathing and stretching exercises added in…Yum!

What If I Don’t Know Any Yoga Poses?

Well, I guess you can’t do it then, can you?

Kidding.

You’ll have to learn them just like everyone else does, a little at a time.

Adriene moves at a comfortable pace. But if you are unfamiliar with the poses, the videos may feel a hint fast.

Check out this great article giving an overview of many yoga poses. (10)

And here is another that shows you how you can modify some of the poses if they are too hard for you. (11)

Also, take it from me (and Adriene):

Rest between poses.

Take your time. If you miss several poses along the way, that’s okay.

Focus on your breathing.

It won’t take long to get familiar with the poses, so you’ll be able to keep up with a little practice.

Over time you won’t have to keep an eye the video much at all because Adriene uses the same terms all the time.

What Do I Need to Get Started?

You need access to the internet and some space.

The ideal amount of space is enough room for you to lay down and stretch your arms up past your ears and out to your sides.

I don’t have the ideal space, but that doesn’t stop me. I do “cactus arms” instead of “Texas T arms” regularly. I’ll let you figure out what that means.

You can do yoga on your carpet, or a floor, or a blanket as long as it doesn’t slip around.

Eventually you’ll want to get a yoga mat, because It’s got grip and helps you feel stable while you hold your poses. Plus it’s spongy and absorbs some of the hard surface on your knees.

Don’t worry, you won’t automatically start eating granola and wearing Burkenstocks just because you bought a yoga mat.

Thankfully, most yoga mats are well priced. My favorite is an oversized version. See (12)

Optional Stuff to Make Yoga With Adriene More Comfy

Adriene recommends using a small pillow or a rolled up towel, a small blanket, or a pet for some of her more relaxing videos.

She sometimes mentions yoga “blocks,” but she doesn’t use them. They can be useful for beginners to prop up on, but you don’t have to have them.

A friend of mine will gather pillows around her to prop up different parts of her body when moving through poses.

If you are interested in learning about yoga blocks, there is a link below with all you need to know. (13)

I have my mat, a small pillow and use my bathrobe as a blanket and that’s it.

Oh, and my cat Hero. He’s my yoga Cat.

What About Clothing?

I do my yoga in sweats or t-shirts, or shorts and a bra.

After eight months of doing yoga, my husband decided to do it with me. He’s got a pair of yoga pants made specifically for men, called Meggings…short for Men’s Leggings. He says it holds his junk better than sweats or regular yoga pants. (14)

He looks great in them but refused to pose for a picture. D*mn!

I Did All of Adriene’s 30-day Yoga Journeys in a Row. Do I Just Start Doing Them Again?

You did? Wow! Way to go! High five!

Yes, you could start over, or you can tap into Adriene’s suggestion calendar.

She curates a collection of one-off videos each month where she suggests which yoga video to dial into each day. Here is her page with a calendar on it. (15)

Wassup With Adriene’s Paid Website “Find What Feels Good”?

My friend Cathy gave me a three-month gift certificate subscription! Woot!

So, I’ve been checking out Adriene’s paid content.

Yes! Beyond her free youtube videos, Adriene has her own website called find what feels good or fwfg.com. (16)

For a very reasonable monthly subscription you get:

1. All of her free stuff without ads

-No ads? ’nuff said.

2. Over 125 additional exclusive yoga videos and counting

-Outdoor videos

-Longer videos

-Specialty videos

-Meditation videos

-Cardio yoga videos

-Videos by other instructors

3. Her Vlog -Messages just for her followers

-Messages for her peeps

-Behind the scenes videos

-Vegan cooking videos

Is it worth it? Maybe. I like it. But there is still so much to get out of the free one’s it’s fine to stay free.

BTW, If you are feeling grateful for all the free yoga instruction, you can “pay” Adriene by watching the ads before her youtube video.

The advertisers pay her the longer you watch them.

I put on the ads and let them cycle through while I’m rolling out my mat and getting my pillow.

Get On Board! Yoga With Adriene Offers a More Youthful Life

The balance training alone will keep you from falling and breaking a hip in 20 years. Don’t come crying to me in your grandpa years saying you shoulda gone for it.

Start now and feel the difference!

Namaste.

Live Juicy, Joybird!