This article was originally published on Bustle
If you’re an at-home yoga doer, you probably have your go-to podcasts or YouTube channels that help you get your chill on. For me, that’s Yoga With Adriene. What I love about Adriene Mishler’s “Yoga with Adriene” videos is that each one is titled to target a specific feeling in the body or mind. While I know videos like “Yoga for Hangovers” or “Yoga for Migraines” won’t magically cure a hangover or migraine, the intention and focus on that specific feeling helps me get into the groove. With nearly 500 videos and new videos published every Sunday on her YouTube channel, there is truly something for everyone, but there are nine Yoga With Adriene videosthat have helped me feel better that I want more people to know about.
Three years ago, I was seeking remedies to deal with my anxiety, which I wasn’t sure how to manage. In a moment of curiosity in my dorm room, I pulled up YouTube on my computer and typed in “exercises for anxiety.” After a few minutes of clicking around, I found the video “Yoga for Anxiety and Stress.” Once I finished the 28-minute video, I was hooked. Since then, I’ve replaced my beach towel for a proper yoga mat, subscribed to her weekly newsletter, completed two of her 30 Day Yoga Challenges, and have even purchased some of her merch.
Based on her other 5 million subscribers on her channel, it’s clear that I’m not the only one who has found at-home yoga to be useful. If you are new to yoga or have never tried it and are interested, Adriene’s “Foundations of Yoga,” playlist breaks down the poses and lets you move at your own pace. Adriene’s overall mantra for the channel is “Find What Feels Good.” This mantra is meant to recognize that everyone is different in shape, size, and capability, and when you’re on the mat, you don’t have to copy Adriene, but instead find, well, what feels good to you.
Yoga With Adriene’s videos offer me a pick me up and the mental and physical stimulation I need to make the most of my day. Here are my nine favorite videos.
1. Yoga Stretch
This is my favorite practice to do when I’ve been away from the mat for a while. When I don’t have a ton of time, 20 minutes can be the sweet spot when it comes to doing something for me. This practice helps me build strength, breathe deeper, stretch the muscles I have neglected, and get motivated to do more with my day.
2. Movement As Medicine
Yoga With Adriene on YouTube
Whenever I do this video, I am looking for a practice to heal something or build strength. After this practice, I feel more awake and present. It helps me stretch every part of my body and this practice also helps me sweat.
3. Yoga For The Winter Blues
Yoga With Adriene on YouTube
It doesn’t have to be below freezing to get the benefits of this practice. For me, the winter months are long and can trigger some seasonal depression, so addressing the blues that the winter brings and unraveling from any stress or anxiety or sadness I feel is freeing. This practice gets my blood flowing, my heart racing, and warms me up.
4. Yoga For When You Are Sick
However I’m feeling, even if I’m sick, I still find a yoga video to support me. While there are limits to doing yoga when I’m sick, Adriene recognizes that, so this practice is meant to restore my body with easy stretches that can ease muscles that can become sore or tight from being sick with a cold and cooped up in bed.
5. Yoga For Bedtime
I love this practice for a multitude of reasons. It de-stresses me and clears my mind from the day. And, I can go to bed right after doing this practice. I think the secret this practice holds is that it encourages me to get into the mindset to wind down and forget my stresses of the day. I feel like I’m productive but also doing something to benefit me before the day ends.
6. Yoga For The Service Industry
When I was working in the food industry, I was on my feet all day, which meant that I did this practice religiously. While this practice has you begin on our feet, it’s worth it to power through because it ends a bit of self-massage on your neck, shoulders, and feet.
7. Yoga For When You’re Angry
Real talk: Since I’ve started my journey to explore my emotions both on the mat and off, I’ve noticed that one of the hardest emotions to balance is anger. There aren’t many advertised ways to get rid of anger in a healthy way. That is why I love this practice because for me, it’s all about the mantra and the intention. Instead of telling myself to stop feeling angry or pissed off, this video invites me to sit with what I’m feeling. Through a series of exercises that tense the body then release that tension, I leave the mat feeling lighter. It also ends with a few moments of forced laughter which you do until it becomes natural — and you find your anger has totally dissipated.
8. Meditation For Mental Balance
Sitting still for me is something I struggle with, so meditation is really hard, but sometimes my heart is racing so fast from stress or anxiety that I just need it all to stop, and this meditation practice helps me do just that. Through a series of breaths and with the guidance of her voice at the end of this 18-minute practice, I open my eyes and do feel a bit more balanced. Having found this balance on the mat, I can also take it into my daily life.
9. 10-Minute Yoga For Self Care
Finally, “10-Minute Yoga For Self-Care” is short and sweet. With a self-massage, to shoulder and hip stretching, and reconnecting with the present moment all packed into just 10 minutes, I see quick benefits from this practice that really change the way I view the rest of my day.
After three years of doing YWA regularly, I have noticed that I’m able to process my feelings in a constructive and mindful way. If I’m feeling sad or angry or anxious, instead of telling myself to stop feeling that way, I roll out my mat and sit in the safe space Adriene cultivates. And while focusing on my breath, I’m able to acknowledge whatever I’m feeling and give thanks for myself and for the present moment.