Prepare for deep rest with this soothing, seated and supine yoga practice designed to melt away tension in the hips and spine. Perfect for winding down before bed, this sequence invites you to slow down, soften, and reconnect with your body through mindful movement and breath. Let's get cozy!
Meet your Teacher
Cooperstown, NY 13326, USA
Transcript
Namaste Thank you for joining me. Today we'll be practicing a short but sweet yoga sequence for bedtime. And we'll be focusing on relieving some tension in the hips and spine. So you can get your most comfortable pajamas on, Unroll your mat, Or maybe even make your way to your bed if you'd like. This practice will be seated and lying down. You don't need to stand up. So you can feel free to cozy up and get settled in. And we'll start right here. Let's bend the knees, Plant the soles of the feet out in front. They can be hips width or maybe a little bit wider. Bring the hands just slightly behind the back for some support. We can lift through the spine. And we'll start with some seated hip mobility. So you can let both knees drop in one direction and then lift them through center and allow them to drop in the second direction. Let's try moving with breath here. Inhale, Bring both knees back through center. Exhale to press them to one side. Imagine you can bring this top knee down to the floor. Feel this movement coming from that top hip. Beautiful, Let's inhale, Come back through center, And exhale, Pressing to the second side. Now go ahead and move with your breath for a few rounds. Inhaling to lift. Exhaling to release. Beautiful. The next time you find your knees falling over to the right side, Let's stay right here. Bring yourself up to seated. We can use the hands for support here to help us lift the spine. And let's bring one hand to either side of that right thigh. You can plant the fingertips or the palms. Take an inhale to lift, Lengthen through the spine, Pull the crown of the head towards the sky. And as you exhale, Let's turn the heart behind you. So towards the right as much as you can. Finding a little. Seated twist here. Option to bring that left hand on the outside. That front knee just for a little bit of added resistance. Let's take another inhale, Feel the spine lengthening, Space between each vertebrae. And then exhale, We can turn a little bit more. Start to settle into this twist. You can allow the chin to follow the twist in the spine and look all the way back over that right shoulder. Beautiful. Take a few breaths right here. Noticing the abdomen expanding freely even as you twist Noticing the sensations in the hips. Through the spine. Now let's keep the body in the same position it is. But allow that chin to turn back towards the front. Gazing now over the left shoulder. So perhaps feeling a little bit of release of tension through the opposite side of the neck. Keep turning the heart and the hips behind you. Chin looking in the opposite direction. Beautiful. Let's take another deep breath here. And then slowly bring the heart back through center. Let's land the hands behind, Lift the knees. Take a deep inhale. And exhale, Let the knees fall over towards the left. Second side, We bring ourselves up to seat. You can always rearrange the legs a bit to make this more comfortable for you. Bring the heels in, Out, Rearrange. We land one hand on each side of that left thigh now. Inhale, Lengthen through the spine, Sit up nice and tall. And then exhale, Turning towards the back of the room here, Towards your left. Letting the heart lead the way. Option to now bring right hand outside of that front knee. Take another inhale, Sit up a little bit taller, And then exhale. Maybe you can sink into your twist a little bit more. Allow the chin to turn all the way back over that right shoulder now. And take a few breaths right here. Tuning into the full spine from the tailbone all the way up to the crown of the head. And if it feels right, Keep that twist through the hips, Through the spine, But allow the chin to look back over that right shoulder towards the front. Noticing that sensation along. Perhaps the left side of the neck or shoulder, And taking another couple of breaths right here. Keep twisting the heart towards the back as you gaze out in front. And then we'll slowly come back through center. Plant those hands, Lift the knees. We're going to roll right onto our backs. So coming all the way down, Bring the knees with you. You can hug them in towards the chest. Feeling that release through the pelvic area. Find a little rock from side to side. You might also bring each hand to one knee. And find a few circles. Either keeping the knees glued together or letting them move independently, Pressing that low back out on the mat. And then let's circle in the opposite direction. Beautiful. Start to slow it down. Come into stillness. Release the knees and plant the soles of the feet on the mat out in front. Can let them be hips width or whatever is the most comfortable for you today. Hands can rest on either sides of the body. Back of the head resting. We're gonna focus on the spine again. Let's try with just some micro movements starting in the hips. So as you inhale, Let's start. Tilt the tailbone back behind. Towards the ground or your bed. And feel that arching of the spine, The low back starts to lift away. As you exhale, Let's press the low back out and tuck the tailbone in and up towards the sky. Let's try that a few times. Inhale to tilt behind, Find that arch, That lift. And exhale to round and tuck everything in. You can continue like this for a few breaths. And then if it feels right, As you exhale, Same thing, We tuck the tailbone in towards the sky, Press that low back out on the mat, But then press into the feet and let's continue. Rolling all the way up into Setu Bandhasana, Our bridge pose. So you can move slowly here. Lift one vertebra at a time, Coming all the way up. And then as you inhale, Slowly roll all the way back down, One vertebra at a time, Pressing out that low back. And then lastly, Allowing the tailbone to tilt back towards the ground, Finding that lift through the low back. We can try that again. Exhale to slowly tuck everything up, Press into the feet, Pull from the tailbone all the way up towards the sky, A little at a time. And then exhale, Slowly release one vertebra at a time. Pressing out the lower back. And tilting the tailbone back behind. Beautiful. Let's try that one more time. Rolling bridge. Exhale, Slowly pressing up. And inhale to return. Ah, Let's exhale right here. Feel the back grounding. Everything relaxing. Going to find a figure four shape. So lift that right foot off the floor Bend the knee and allow that right ankle to cross over the left thigh. You can place right hand on right knee, Left hand perhaps on the left ankle. And then try gently pressing the right knee away from you to deepen that stretch. Take a few breaths right here. You can stay here if this is nice or if it feels right, Let's try bringing the left leg in a little closer to us. First you might just lift the left heel off of the floor. You could also try reaching behind the left thigh and hugging it in a little closer or maybe even in front of that left shin. Wherever you land, Just feel. That stretch along that right outer hip or glute. Hugging the left side in to bring everything closer to the heart. Take a few breaths right here. Option to find another gentle rock side to side. Nothing big. Just little micro movements. Take one more deep breath here. Inhaling, Filling the body with prana, Your life force energy expanding. And then exhale, Releasing any tension you might be feeling. Let's release the hands, Plant the left sole of the foot back on the ground. You can keep that right leg the way it is. Tee the arms out to the side, Palms facing up, Reaching from fingertip to fingertip here. And then we're gonna turn, Finding a little twist from the hips again, Letting everything tilt over towards the left. So imagine you can touch that right sole of the foot down on the ground, Moving as far as you can. And then let's take a deep inhale and slowly come back through center. Let's try that a few times with breath. Exhale to tilt it all over towards the left. Maybe you tap the foot down or maybe you're just moving in that direction. And inhale, Bring it back through center. One more time. Exhale, Twist. And inhale, Return. Beautiful. Let's reach behind that right thigh now. Uncross the leg and extend that right foot all the way up towards the sky. You could point through the toes, Stretching out the top of the foot. And then try flexing the toes, Flexing the ankle back towards the face. You can always bend the knee here as well if you need or want, But we're lifting and straightening as much as we can today. Then try gently guiding the leg in a little bit closer. Just releasing some tension through the hamstrings. Beautiful, Take three breaths here. On that exhale, Let everything go, Release the hands, Plant the right foot. And then we'll cross to the second side. Left foot can lift. And cross over that right side. Left hand to left knee we gently try pressing away here finding that nice stretch along that left hip joint. Taking a few breaths. Just to notice in stillness. If it feels right, You can try hugging that right leg in a little bit closer. Maybe you just start by lifting the heel off of the ground. Noticing how that feels? You could perhaps reach behind that right thigh or in front of the right shin. And hug everything in without forcing. You don't need to muscle with the arms, Just use the weight of the arms and that little added resistance to deepen that stretch along the left hip. Take another few breaths. Maybe you find that gentle rock from side to side. Subtle movements. We allow ourselves to explore without needing to go far here. When you're ready, Release the hands, Plant the right sole of the foot and reach through the arms, Big T. Palms facing up. Can find that little supine twist variation. Take an inhale right here. As you exhale, Allow the hips to tilt over towards the right, Sole of the foot coming towards the earth. Inhale to pull it all back through center. And move with your breath a few times. Exhale, Left foot coming towards the ground as far as it wants to go. And inhale, Return. Notice again this movement coming from the hips but perhaps traveling through the spine. Let's take another couple of breaths, Moving slowly. And allow yourself to come back into stillness. Plant that right foot firmly on the ground. We reach behind the left thigh. Uncross the foot to extend towards the sky. Beautiful. Again, You could find a bend in the knee or bring as much straightness into the leg as you can. Let's point through the toe, Feel that stretch along the front of the foot, Perhaps through the shin. And then let's dorsiflex from the ankle, The toes, Pressing through the heel. Beautiful. If it feels right, Gently guide that leg in towards the heart a little bit more. Take a few breaths right here. When you feel ready, Release the hands. Let's lengthen both legs down to the mat. And we'll come into our Savasana. Arms out wide or by the sides. You can bring some space between the feet. Let everything relax. Your eyes can close if that's comfortable for you. Notice the abdomen expanding freely as you inhale. And that gentle release towards the surface below you on your exhale. You're more than welcome to pause the video here and stay in your Savasana for as long as you would like. If it feels right. Bring some gentle movements into the body at your own pace and return. But I'll leave you here to seal your practice in your own time. I hope you have a pleasant night's sleep and sweet dreams. Thank you so much for joining me. Namaste.
