Yin for When You Are Tired

A long, slow Yin practice for the days when you're tired. About 49 minutes on the floor, with each shape held for a few minutes so you can settle in.
This class is built for tired days. There's nothing to push through and nowhere to get to. You arrive as you are, move slowly between shapes, and give yourself time to be still.
Suitable for all levels. Props are up to you. If you usually use them in your practice, have them close by.
Move slowly and never push into sharp pain.
Music: Piano Music No.2 by RelaxingTime.

Transcript

So coming to your mat. Find. A comfortable reclined position. Where? You can really allow your spine to lengthen on the ground. So if you have a pillow or bolster, It may feel good to bring it under your knees just so you can ground your lower back. It may feel good in your lower back. And you can always have your knees bent as well and let your knees fall in. Ground your shoulders maybe roll your shoulders under and allow your hands to rest gently somewhere on your body so maybe on your belly bring your right hand on your belly left hand on your heart and just start to arrive here on the mat. Starting to bring your awareness to your breath without trying to change it. Just notice. How your breath feels today. Notice if it's fast or slow, Deep or shallow. I'm sorry. Maybe noticing where in your body you're feeling your breath. So maybe you're feeling your body. Expand as you breathe in. And then soften as you breathe out. Feeling the rise and fall of your belly or your chest. Maybe you're feeling the air. At the tip of your nose. The cold air moving into your nostrils. And the slightly warmer air as it moves out. Notice if. . . You're breathing in and out of your nose or your mouth. Just bringing your awareness to your natural breath. As if you're watching your body breathe. And again, Without trying to change your breath. Follow the next few breaths in and out of your body. Rawr! I don't know. Feel your body. Bye! Expand as you breathe in. And soften as you breathe out. Rawr! Now starting to bring your awareness to your body. The crown of your head. All the way down to your. . . Fingers and your toes. Notice if there's any part of your body that's maybe a little tight or sore that may need a little bit more love during practice and just being mindful of that. If something I say during practice doesn't feel right in your body. Please don't do it. Just come out of the pose and take a resting posture that works for you. In the end we're going to hold the poses for a few minutes each. And so when you get into a pose, You want to be really mindful that. You are comfortable holding that pose for a long time. Making sure you're not holding any pain or discomfort at any time. Take a deep breath in through your nose. And then open your mouth and slowly and quietly sigh it out. Let it go. You Two more like that, Deep inhale through your nose. Exhale through the mouth. Last one. Exhale slowly through the mouth, Let it all go. Now from here you can start to bend one knee and then the other. If they're not there already, And start to hug your knees. Into your chest. Just maybe gently rocking slowly from side to side. Is massaging your lower back, Maybe making circles with your knees or half circles. In one direction and then the other. So any. . . Movement that feels good in your body here, Just being really gentle. Now we're going to come into a twist. So you can extend your left leg long and hug your right knee into your chest. And then from here, Bringing your left hand to the outside of your right leg, You're going to cross it over your body towards the left side. So it's coming into a twist. And you can use props to hold up your leg. Wherever you are, Make sure your shoulders are grounded on the mat. And you can extend your arms to either side. Or you can come to cactus arms you can always bring your left hand on top of your right thigh. So just any I am adjustments that feels good in this twist. Making sure. Your neck, Your shoulders, And your hips. Are grounded and comfortable. Maybe turn your head towards the right side if that feels good in your neck. And then soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just start to breathe. Can we just still, Man? Resisting the urge to shift or move. Even if your mind is telling you to. Maybe you're feeling an itch. Somewhere on your body or. . . Maybe you hear something and you want to move to look at it. See if you can resist that and just stay in stillness. Keeping your awareness on your breath. Really deepening your inhales and lengthening your exhales. As you hold poses for. Few minutes you may notice that your body starts to open up. So you may feel that your body is Just craving going maybe a little bit deeper into the pose. And maybe you adjust your props. To get a little bit deeper. So at this point, Maybe. . . Just listen to what your body needs and make adjustments. And that may mean going deeper or it may mean backing out of the pose a little bit. Wherever you land, Come back to stillness and come back to your breath. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good. And then slowly start to breathe. And back to center. And you can hug your knees back in. Really gently, Maybe walking from side to side, Massaging your back, Just noticing. How your body feels. Before moving to the second side. When you're ready. You can extend the right leg long. Bring your right hand to the outside of your left knee and just cross. Your knee towards the right side. And again, You can use. Props, Pillows, Bolsters, Blocks to just allow your leg to rest on something if it's not reaching the math. You want to bring the ground up to you so you can let go of holding, Let go of all the muscles. That you need to hold you up. Allow gravity to. . . Pull the weight of your body towards your mat. And then just make any final shifts and movements. Maybe turn your head to the left, Maybe soften your gaze or close your eyes. And just come back to your bath. Coming to stillness. And just following your breath. As it moves in and out. As you hold the pose, Notice if. . . Your mind is starting to wander. Maybe you're thinking about the rest of your day. Or the weekend ahead. As you recognize anything that's coming up, See if you can gently, Kindly. Bring your awareness back. To your breath. You You notice that. Maybe your body's opened up and you can go a little bit deeper. Or maybe this is becoming too much and you want to back out a little bit. Just really mindfully making adjustments at this point. And then coming back to stillness. And take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air. And then really slowly start to come out of the pose. Coming back to center. And let's hop your knees back in. Really gently. Rock from side to side or make circles with your knees. In one direction and then the other. And then when you're ready, Bring your feet flat on the mat, Knees bent, And roll onto your left side. In the fetal position. Using your bottom arm as a pillow. And then slowly pushing yourself up to a comfortable seat. So coming to a seat. You can maybe lift your hips up on a pillow. Or a folded up blanket, Just so you can tilt your hips forward a little bit. And. . . Lengthen your spine. From your sits bones where your body is touching the mat all the way up to the crown of your head. I'm just finding a comfortable seat, Making any final adjustments, Movements, Rolling your shoulders down your back. Slight tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long. Soften your gaze. At a spot in front of you. Or close your eyes if that feels comfortable. Allowing your hands to rest gently somewhere on your legs. On your lap. Just come back to your breath. Feeling the breath in your body, Noticing if there's any part of your body that moves as you breathe. And just noticing that movement. Slowly bring your hands to your heart center and bow your head to your hands. And think of one thing you're grateful for today. Bring your left hand on the mat by your side or you can bring your hand on a block. Then as you inhale, Reach your right arm up and over. Towards the left side. Coming to a stretch, We're not going to be here for too long. And see if you can press your hips down evenly. And feel the stretch from your right hip all the way to your fingertips. Soften your shoulders away from your ear. Soften your jaw. And just breathe here. With every inhale, Maybe feel the length in the right side of your body. And with every exhale, Maybe start to lean just a little bit more. Good, From here, Bring your right hand down towards me. The left side on the mat and just walk your hands forward. Coming to a seated forward fold, You can keep your fingers tented. Or just press the palms of the hand to the mat, You're actively pressing your hips back and lengthening your spine. So this may not be a huge forward fold, You may just be up here or you may be able to go all the way down towards the mat. Wherever you are, Lengthen your spine with every inhale. And push your hips back with every exhale. Walk your hands towards the right side and then keeping the right hand on the mat, Come to your side stretch on the second side. So reaching the left arm all the way up. And over. Towards the right side. Soften your shoulders, Press your hips down to the mat. Just breathe here. Again, We won't be here for too long, So just notice how your body feels. See if you can lengthen with every inhale. And then lean just a little bit more as you exhale. Good, Bring your left hand down. And then again, Just walk your hands forward, Pressing your hips back. Lengthen your spine. And then push your hips back. Slowly walk your hands towards you and come to a seat. And from here, We're going to extend the right leg long. And bring the left foot to the inside of your right leg. Bending the, Keeping the left knee bent, Bringing the foot to the inside of the your right leg, Just making sure that your right foot is comfortable and soft. So you're not flexing your foot or holding your toes up. Just make sure your knee is comfortable, Your foot is soft and comfortable. And then sitting tall, You're going to start to walk your hands forward just between your feet. So. . . As you walk your hands forward, Folding forward, Just in the middle here, Noticing where you feel this pose. So you probably feel it on the inside of your right thigh, Maybe a little bit in your lower back. Just being really mindful of the sensations, Making sure there is no sharp pain or discomfort. Making adjustments. If you do, You can always walk your hands back towards you a little bit or if you can walk forward a little bit more. Shoulders soft. Soften your jaw, Close your eyes. Just pause here. Breathing into. . . The area in your body where you're feeling the pose, Noticing your breath moving to that area. And see if you can soften and let go of anything you're not holding on to. Maybe it's a muscle. And it's your jaw or your forehead. Maybe it's a thought. Or an emotion that's holding you back. If you can let that go and just be here Stay with your breath. We're gonna be here for a few. Minutes so Noticing if there's any adjustments that your body needs. Rushing into them. Notice if you actually need to make those adjustments. And if you do, Just move really slowly. Really slowly and mindfully. Take a deep breath in. Long Bravo! From here, Slowly start to walk your hands towards your right leg, Towards your extended leg. And just allow your hands to rest on either side or somewhere on your leg. I just noticed where. . . You feel the pose now. So you're probably feeling it more in the back of your right leg. Maybe in your lower back on the left side. Just notice the shifting. The sensations in this pose as you make that really simple adjustments just by walking your hands towards your legs. Again, Taking a few moments to Find a place where you feel comfortable. And just hold here coming to stillness You can soften your gaze or your jaw. And just allow your body to breathe and settle in this pose. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. Okay now slowly start to walk your hand back towards you coming to A seat with a tall spine. And then we're going to come to an easy twist. So bringing your right hand to the outside of your left knee, Left hand behind you, Inhale to sit tall and exhale to twist. And come back to center. Bring your feet. Flat on the mat, Maybe mat distance apart or wider if that feels good. Your hands behind you. Gently windshield wiper. You are. Knees from side to side. And then when you're ready, We're gonna move to the second side. So extending the left leg long. Bring your right foot to the inside of your leg. And letting your left foot be soft. Not flexing or pointing. Just allow it to fall naturally, Making adjustments as you need, Maybe sitting on a proper chair. Hold you up a little bit and then start to walk your hands again just between your legs to start. Noticing where you feel opposed. So maybe you start to bend your knee a little bit as you move forward. And you probably feel this on the inside. Of your life flag. Just notice if the side. . . Feels different so maybe you can't go as deep on the sides or maybe you can go a little bit deeper. Recognizing that that's completely normal. And just listening to what your body is telling you on the side, Going as deep as it feels right. And then finding your pose. Aligning your edge. And coming to stillness. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. And then slowly start to walk your hands towards your extended leg and just folding over your leg. Again, Just recognizing where you're feeling the pose now. Maybe in the back of your leg. Maybe in your lower back on the right side a little bit more. Making sure your shoulders are soft. And your head, Your neck are comfortable. Making sure there's no sharp pain anywhere in your body. Especially in your left hamstring. And when you find a place where you're feeling the pose, Let's come back to stillness. Letting go of anything. That isn't serving you right now. Is come back to your breath. Take a deep breath in. Exhale all the air out. Good, Slowly start to walk your hands towards you, Coming back up to a seat and come to an easy twist. So right hand behind you, Left hand to the outside of your right knee. Inhale to sit tall. And exhale to twist. Okay, Come back to center. And rolling onto your hands and knees, Coming to tabletop position. Spread your fingers wide, Wrists under your shoulders, Knees right underneath your hips. And pull your belly towards your spine. You're looking straight down so the back of your neck is long. Then we're going to move through some Cat-Cows, Moving your spine. Inhale, Drop your belly, Open up your heart. Exhale, Round your back, Tuck your tail, Look down. Inhale, Drop your belly. Open up your heart to cow pose. Exhale to round your back. Tuck your tail, Look down, Catch. Good. Do a few more like that, Just with your own breath, Moving really slowly. Unmindfully just noticing how this feels in your body. Inhaling slowly to cow pose. Exhaling to cat pose. Taking the length full length of your inhale to move into cow pose. And then following your exhale into cat pose. Again, Just do three more with your own breath. Get it. And when you're done, Your last one. Let's come back to. . . Tabletop position. And from here, You're going to extend the right leg back, Just keeping the toes on the mat to start. Just start to rock back and forth a few times. Just noticing how this feels in your right ankle. In the back of your leg. In your shoulders, In your wrists. Just moving really slowly and mindfully and listening to how your body feels. And then come back to stillness and slowly. Bring your right toes towards the left side. So just tracing a line with your toes. Moving your foot towards the left side and maybe looking over your left shoulder towards your right right toe. So just feeling this stretch in the right side of your body. Keeping your toes on the ground. Good, Take a deep breath in. Take a long breath out. And then slowly come back to center, Come back to tabletop, Sit back on your heels, Coming to a kneeling. Kneeling down. I see it. Soften your shoulders down your back. Take a deep breath in. Take a long breath out. Back to tabletop. Extend the left leg back this time, Keeping the toes on the mat. Just rocking back and forth again, Just noticing how this feels and. . . Your toes, Your ankles, The back of your leg. In your shoulders, In your wrists. And then when you're ready, Tracing a line with your toes, Moving your foot all the way towards the right side, Maybe looking over your right shoulder towards your left foot. Feeling the stretch on the left side of your body. And then slowly come back to center. Good. From here, Keeping the toes tucked, You're going to sit back on your heels and you can stay here with your fingers or hands on the mat or on blocks. Just feeling the stretch in the bottom of your feet and your toes. And this may be enough here, Or maybe you start to. . . Bring your hands onto your thighs coming to a seat with a long spine with your toes tucked. So this may be too much. Definitely too much for me, So I'm going to bring my hands down. As long as you're feeling this pose, This is Um. . . Probably a big stretch for most of us. Not used to being on our toes. Like this. Just being really mindful of how this feels. Making sure there's no pain. Crappy. As long as you're feeling the stretch. Um. . . Your toes and the bottom of your feet. You're doing the pose. Good. Take a deep breath in. Long breath out. One more inhale. And exhale slowly walk your hands forward come back to table and just gently tap the tops of your feet down on the mat maybe moving your feet just any movement here that feels good this should feel like a really good release In the bottom of your feet and your toes, You may feel a rush of blood, Energy in your feet, Which should feel really good. Good. Start to walk your knees forward, Cross your ankles, Sit back. And come to your back. So we're coming to lying down on the back. And as you come down, You can bring your knees in with you, Just gently rocking from side to side, Massaging your back again. And we're going to make our way to our final resting posture, Shavasana. So if there's anything else your body needs here before moving into Shavasana, You can do that. Maybe you bring your feet a mat distance apart and gently windshield wiper your knees. From side to side. Maybe you move into happy baby pose if that's in your practice. Or maybe come to an easy N version. So just listening to. . . What your body is telling you. And then when you're ready, Moving into your variation of Shavasana. So again, You may bring something under your knees to help you. Help ground your lower back. This will feel really good if you have maybe a lower back pain. And then just making adjustments to get settled. So you can bring the soles of the feet together, Letting your knees fall out. You can always keep your knees bent, Feet flat on the mat, And just allow your knees to fall in. You can have your legs extended long. Your arms by your side, Fingers gently curled in, Palms facing up. Wherever you are, Your hip. And your shoulders are grounded, Your spine is long. By your math. Just like tuck of the chin so the back of your neck is long, Your head is comfortably resting on the mat or on a pillow. Soften your jaw, Allow your tongue to fall away from the roof of the mouth. Soften the muscles of the face, Your eyelids, Allowing your eyes to gently close. And then scanning from the crown of your head. Moving all the way down to your fingers and your toes. Noticing if there's any part of your body that you can soften just a little bit more to get comfortable here. And when you're completely settled, And grounded and supported. Letting your body rest. And breathe naturally. And take in the effects of your practice. Deep breath in. And a long breath out. One more like that. Deep inhale. Full and complete exhale, Let it go. Okay, Slowly. Start to bring some movement back to your body. Moving your fingers, Your toes, Your wrists, And your ankles. Maybe gently rocking your head from side to side. When you're ready. Extend your legs long, Bring your big toes together and point your toes. Reach your arms overhead. It coming to a full body stretch Deep breath in. And exhale, Let everything go. Slowly bend one knee and then the other. And roll on to your right side. In the fetal position using your bottom arm as a pillow. Fetal pose after corpse pose reminds us that after every ending there is a new beginning. And slowly, When you're ready. Make your way up to a comfortable seat. Sitting with your spine tall, Your neck straight, Your chin parallel to the mat. Soften your shoulders, Down your back. Soften your gaze or close your eyes. Bring your hands by your side as you inhale, Reach your arms all the way up, Palms touch, Overhead. And exhale to bring your hands to your heart, Bow your head to your hands, And thank yourself for coming to your mat today. For spending this time for yourself, For your practice. Thumbs to your third eye, The space between your eyebrows. May your thoughts be kind. Thumbs to your lips. May your words be caring. And thumbs to your heart center. May your heart be filled with love and gratitude. Thank you for practicing with me today. Namaste.