Yin For Legs

This 30-minute practice will help you open through the back-line of your lower body. A simple, straightforward practice that will help you open and access your hamstrings and hips while softening tension throughout your lower back. Grab a few props and get ready to expand.

Transcript

Today we are going to be working into a wall-based practice. This wall-based practice is going to be, The wall obviously, Is going to be our prop and it's going to be a prop to help us as we sit upright. So instead of being reclined for most of this practice, We will be seated upright. So what you will need for this practice is a wall and a decent amount of space. I'd say at least an arm's length distance on either side. So if there are tables or anything that are right at those little fingertip touches, Shift them out of the way just lightly. You want to draw your We're back all the way up against the wall to start ourselves out. And props, Not necessary, But super helpful for a practice like this, For any yin based practice. So if you have a yoga block, Two is awesome, One is also awesome, But an even amount might be even better, But we'll take one if we've got it. You may want a blanket or a towel. So this is a yoga blanket, A little bit thicker, But really it's just a blanket. So if you have any sort of blanket or nice thick beach towel, Bath towel, That could be really useful to you. And if you don't have a yoga block or blocks, A bolster might have, But you'll notice a bolster also just mimics the density and thickness of a sofa cushion. So one or two sofa cushions or thick, Dense throw pillows can also be super useful. If you don't have any of those, The pillows you sleep on at night, Fold over and that could be helpful. So gather anything you might need, Put a pause on this and then come back. And then you're gonna take yourself and sit all the way up against the wall. And by that, I mean the back of the pelvis. So the bone structure that's right above your squishy butt, Those bones, The pelvis right behind your hip bones, That's what we want up against the wall. Good, The ribs, We want those to lay on the wall. Often they push away from the wall, So let the ribs settle themselves down. Couple rolls of your shoulders, And we're gonna try to get our shoulder blades on the wall. And then we'll notice for most of us, The head cranes forward quite a bit. So can you lay your head back on the wall? That's a tricky one to figure out for some of us. If we push our head in, Our chin drops down. You want your chin parallel, Right? So the pressure of the skull is kind of right behind the eyeballs there. We all have a slightly different shape sphere to our skull bones there. So we're looking for a little pressure right behind the eyeballs. Legs can nip in, They can cross in, This is called a sukhasana, So that works if that works for you. Otherwise, A little butterfly shape, Soles of the feet together, Knees open, Gonna give you a little more space in the hips, Or legs can just spill long. So if you're someone that even sitting up against the wall is woo, Taxing those muscles, Grab that blanket, Slide it underneath your butt bones, Right? So you're just gonna nudge yourself out of the way. Blanket's gonna go on the ground. It's rolled up a couple times or folded up a couple times. That's going to give you a little bit more space. Yeah, That already feels nicer to me. Space in those hip bones. And then you might find that crossing the legs feels a little better, Extending the legs. So I want you to find a place that feels comfortable, Right? Relatively comfortable. There still is a little muscular work there so that you could ease yourself back into the wall. I'm going to go with a butterfly shape. And when you find that shape, Whatever it is, Your legs don't have to be nipped into you. We don't have to do a lot of work there. The legs can just relax. So sit up nice and tall. Palms will rest down on your legs. Anywhere that they comfortably reach works for me. That's to ground. If you're feeling low energy, You want to borrow some energy from the space, Go ahead and flip your palms up. Slide your shoulders down your back. Eyes can simply blink closed if that feels comfortable to you. But for some of us, That's not necessarily our happy place. So you're going to take a soft gaze down. And then let your peripheral vision just narrow. So you're focusing on one tiny little thing in front of you. Good, And then everything else dissolves. Give yourself a few moments here just to drop in and observe. And your observation can be anything. When we step on our mat, We want to act as a scientist just collecting data. So just notice where your mind went immediately. For some of us, When the body stills, The mind gets very busy. That is normal. Just nudge your attention back here to your physical body. Can you sit up a little bit taller? Most likely. Good, Can you feel that your pelvis is attached to the wall? All of the ribs are attached to the wall. Maybe the shoulder blades can draw back a bit. The neck gets a little bit longer. And then I like to imagine I'm a puppet or a marionette hanging from the ceiling and my head just starts to float up towards the sky as my backbones get a little bit heavier. Go ahead and take a deep breath in through your nose. Open mouth sigh. One more breath in. As you breathe out, Just release your day so far. Lips seal, Breath comes in through the nose. Breath goes out through the nose. If your nose is particularly stuffy, Of course you can breathe through your mouth, But as much as you can, Let's take breath in through the nose. Breath out through the nose. Really starting to slow everything down. Giving the bones a chance to release, The muscles, The ligaments, The tendons let go. A soft support for your spine here, But everything's starting to slow down. Really hear each breath come in as your belly gets big. And each breath go out as your belly gets soft. Draw your attention up into that brain of yours and notice if it's particularly busy today. Again, Very normal, Your brain is doing its job, Right? It's filling with information, It's processing. It's taking what it needs. It's letting go of what it doesn't. But for our purposes here, Let's see if we can allow those thoughts to become a little less important. I like to imagine those thoughts, The actual words, Phrases, Sentences. I like to put them on a cloud or in a helium balloon. So as you breathe in, Those words, Thoughts, And phrases just drift in. And as you breathe out those words, Thoughts and phrases just drift out. No one thought more important than the other. No one thought heavier than the other. Everything just floats in. And everything just floats out. Few more breaths here grounding down before we begin our asana practice. Good, Sit up just a little bit taller. One more full inhale here. Big soft sigh out. Good. Gently blink your eyes open if they were closed. Good. And then allow your legs to extend, Especially if they haven't already. Little rock side to side, Maybe kind of windshield wipers, Little fluttering of the legs works nicely, Maybe some pointing and flexing of the feet. Good. If you are sitting on a prop and it still feels comfortable to you, You're welcome to leave it there for your whole practice. I'm going to go ahead and shift mine out of the way. And you see what works for you. Good, And then if you made any adjustments, Just nudge, Nudge, Nudge yourself right back up against that wall. Good. And whenever we're sitting up tall, You'll notice there's a good amount of soft tissue. Those are our glutes, Right? Our glutes, Minimum and maximum. You can always reach back there with that soft tissue, Nudge it out of the way so you can feel more of your butt bones on the earth. Any props that you have are handy for you and arm's length reach so we don't have to do any straining to get them. And we're going to start with our legs extended, Right? So legs will be just about hip bone width distance. That's about a two fist distance, Give or take, Right? Nothing's perfect here. Legs want to be soft, So the thighs are really jello-y. They're malleable. The kneecaps should be movable, Right? That's how we know that the leg muscles aren't working really hard, Right? We want to let everything go. Good. Some of you, The knees might bend a little or a lot. For some of us, The legs will flop open. Some of us, They'll stay a little more parallel. And depending on the availability, I've even seen some people where the feet just naturally flop inward. Yeah, So we're looking for a neutral-ish. So whatever your body considers neutral, That's where we want to be. If sitting upright is plenty, And for a lot of us it's going to be, Just laying the sternum back on the wall, Resting the head and having the legs extended, You might be feeling a lot of stress or a lot of sensation, I should say, In the backs of the legs or maybe in the low spine. If that is you and you have two props that are equal size, Equal density, I would take those props, Bend your knees and slide the props underneath your knees. That's going to offer some slack to the hamstrings and allow you to rest back more comfortably. Down or up and that might be a beautiful place to start your practice. Right, And maybe you just stay here and breathe into the backs of the legs. Good. For those of us with the legs extended, That we feel pretty good here. There's a little bit of sensation, But maybe not a whole lot of anything. We're going to take it just a little step farther. So the back of your pelvis, That bone structure, Is going to stay attached to the wall. It's not going anywhere. You're going to sit yourself up nice and tall. Props are handy. If you have two, One on either side. And if you only have one, It's going to go inside of the knees. You will round yourself forward in a C-curve. So again, Pelvis stays connected to the wall. Your chin's going to drop towards your chest. That might be plenty. Or you'll allow that heavy head, It's like the weight of a bowling ball, To start to fall forward towards your thighs, Maybe towards the knees. And for some of you, It might start to reach a little bit towards the shins. Good. Arms can rest down on your props. And again, Props can be any height. If you have those pillows, It might feel nice to put them inside of your legs. You can always cross your arms, Rest your head, Really anything goes that you find comfortable, That's where you want to be. And if you're dealing with a cushion, It might feel nice to drape it across your thighs or drape it the length of your legs. We just don't want a whole lot of pressure down on the kneecap. So allow yourself to kind of fold and round in at any capacity using your props in any which way. Good, And allow yourself to settle. The one thing we want to avoid, It kind of happens naturally for those of us that have more mobility, Is we start to grab towards those toes, Right? We're really reaching. We want to touch them. We're really trying to help ourselves stretch. I want you to let go of that. I want you to let go of the need to help yourself stretch in these shapes. And I want you to actually get softer. Check back in on the legs. Can they relax a little more? Can your butt bones feel heavy? And check in and notice if they feel equally as heavy. Some days one butt bone might feel a little lighter than the other. And then without muscling it, Can you just feel it drop a little closer to the earth? Good head can hang or be supported on a prop. Maybe a little rock of the chin and open and close of your jaw. And just let your belly go wherever you are. Let go of some of the work there. Head back to your breath. Good, And you're already just about halfway through. Notice if your props are supporting you or if you need to shift them. For those of you that have a little more mobility, Those of you that were grabbing onto those toes, You might want to take your props and slide them more towards the shins, So a little below the knees. So you're kind of flattening out your curve a little bit. Again, We're not going for a flat, Long spine. We still have a rounded spine here, So the back of the body can let go. But maybe you flatten out that curve a little bit. You might notice quite a different sensation if you're letting the chin drop to your chest, Or if you're moving your chin away from your chest. Those subtle movements can offer quite a different sensation. So I want you to head to a place that feels more manageable for you and then just settle yourself in. Nice full breath in. As you breathe out, Can you soften your shoulders out of your ears and really let all the work go? Good, Slowly, Gently, Let your hands help you roll yourself back up to a seat. No rush at all. Let your head rest back against the wall. Give yourself just a moment to be upright. Good. And then we'll find some release. Hands might want to help you with this. I like to actually just grab behind the knees and then let them just lift and drop so I don't even have to use any muscular work, But you can do it on your own as well. You can windshield wiper the legs in or out. You may want to shift away from the wall lightly, Bend your knees, And then let them windshield wiper themselves, Right? Any amount that you need. Again, Whatever feels good to you. Perfect, And then settle yourself back up against the wall. As always, You can rearrange any props underneath your butt muscles. Now we're going to extend our legs wide into a seated dragonfly shape. Let's get all these extra prompts out of the way here. Perfect. So this would look like a seated straddle for those of you that are familiar with that. So right leg will extend right, Left leg will extend long. And how wide is the V that you're making? That totally depends on your hips, Right? Some of us, Not so wide, Just a little bit wider than the mat is gonna be plenty. And for some of us, We'll have more space. Good. Notice that when you extend the legs, The tendency is to sink in the spine and round backwards, But the wall is there to give you some feedback and it's gonna help you lengthen up. So you might have to nudge yourself back in. So again, The back of the pelvis is up against the wall and you are seated upright. Just like any time our legs are extended when we are seated, You can put something underneath your butt bones. That's going to create more space in the hips. Or you can take your props, If you have them, Equal size, Equal density, Bend the knees and then slip them underneath the soft part of your knees. That's going to offer more slack in the backs of the legs. And for this one, More slack into the groin. So that might feel plenty. Palms flip up or down. You can keep yourself seated or round forward. For those of us that have. That the inner thighs and the backs of the legs are feeling pretty good, We're gonna go ahead and round forward. Proper props, Whatever you have, You're gonna make that nice wave cresting or C curve, Chin falls towards the chest, Head is heavy, So you're gonna allow it to round away from the wall. The props can catch you at any height. Right, Depending on what you have, Forearms on the props. If you only have one, It might feel nice to stack the arms and rest the head, Maybe elbows on that prop. And this might be a nice one if you have pillows or cushions, You can kind of build yourself a little bit of a bed as if you're laying down. And then go ahead and ease yourself down. Play around with dropping one ear or the other or the forehead resting. Good. Little windshield wiper in both of the legs. Maybe wiggle the toes, Let those pops and cracks happen, And then allow yourself just to settle. Remember, Your shape is not trying to look like someone else's shape. We're just trying to feel and experience. Can your butt bones get a little heavier? Send air into the back of your body, Low back spreads. Back so the ribs spread. Shoulder blades spread as you breathe in. And then everything just softens and releases as you breathe out. You're just about halfway through. Take a moment, Maybe rock your chin, Maybe roll your shoulders. Can you soften them out of your ears? This is a great time to check in with your props. If you find that your arms or your head are pushing really deeply into those props, You might want to lower them down a notch, Or if they're all the way as low as they go, You can shift them forward lightly or try moving them out of the way altogether and see if that supports you. As always, If you shift them out of the way and it doesn't feel good, You can just add them back in. Let the belly just release. Good, You're gonna breathe more length into your muscles. And then exhale more softness there. And last few rounds here. Can they be even richer, Even sweeter, Even deeper, Right through the back of the body, Right into the outer hips? A nice full breath in. Big soft sigh out. Good. Use your hands to help you ease yourself slowly, Slowly, Slowly back up to a seat. Give yourself a moment to sit up tall. Good, And then hands can help you draw your legs towards each other, Slow and gentle. Once they're extended, You may want to flutter them up and down or side to side. As always, You can take a break from sitting up against the wall, Shift forward any amount. Let those knees shine from side to side. Thank you. Good, And then draw yourself right back up against the wall. Good, This time we're going to extend. Your right leg long, I'll mirror you for this one. Right leg will go long, Left sole of the foot towards your right inner thigh. So this one, It's very tempting to scoop the butt underneath, So we're kind of rounded down. And then there's a lot of space between the back of the pelvis and the wall. So really nook yourself in there. So you're seated as tall as you can get, Long right leg, Bent left knee. Check in with the left knee. If it's not happy, This bent, And for some of us it won't be, You have some options. You can detach your foot and just send the leg a little bit wider. You can also send it a little bit more forward. We just want to get it out of the way. You can also always take a prop and prop up underneath the left knee in any capacity to offer support if it needs it. Your other props, If you have two, Are going to frame the right name. And if you only have one, You'll see maybe one side or the other will be more supportive to you, Or your prop can rest on your thigh. Just as always, Anything you need underneath the butt bones to find that tall seat, Perhaps you just lay back against the wall, Rest yourself there and breathe into the back of your right leg, Or maybe you take the shape rounded forward and down. Again, Props can support forearms, You can make a little hammock for the head. Relax the right leg. It often wants to turn on here. Let go of the knee to grab for the toes or the bottom of the foot. Let that go. Soften your jaw, Release your belly. Good, And for a lot of us this time, We rock a little bit over to the right there. Can you allow your left butt bone to get a little heavier and your left shoulder to soften down? Right, It doesn't have to be perfect, But give or take, We're looking for equal weight through both butt bones, Give or take equal height to both shoulders. Those right toes might fall open as that right knee bends. Just breathe. You're just about to your halfway mark. Check in on your body and see if you need to have any little shifting or negotiating. Let your shoulders soften even more. Let your jaw melt. Check in on that busy brain of yours. If it started to multitask, See if you can nudge it back here on your mat. Come back to the sound of your breath. The sensations in your body. Nice full breath in. Big soft sigh out. And let your hands help you ease, Ease, Ease your way up. You might be getting information from either or both sides of the body. Let yourself sit up tall. And again, Just notice. And then as you're ready, Gently unravel your left leg. Might need a little flutter, A little sway. Some movement in the neck, Maybe shift the back away from the wall. Let the chest open a little and tuck it in. And then we'll keep the left leg long, Bend the right knee in. We're looking for the same give or take. Give or take, Shape as you were on the other side. So props anywhere you need them. Go ahead and nudge that low back, That back of the pelvis, Up against the wall again. You can bend or unbend the right knee as much as you need. Play around. Props go any way that feels good to you. Maybe sitting upright is plenty. Sides can be very different, As you might be learning. Or you're gonna round yourself forward and down. Again, Any amount, It doesn't matter. Just draw your attention to your right butt bone. Notice if you've rocked onto that right butt bone and made the left one light. See where you can rock yourself. And even out the weight, Settle your shoulders, Unhinge your jaw. Just allow yourself to really land here. The left leg gets even softer, So if the muscles are turning on to help you, Just thank them and let them go. Let go of the need to touch the feet, The ankles, Any of that. Let the arms just soften. Let the hands just relax. You're just about halfway through. Take a moment and check in. Do you need any adjustments? Can you relax your shoulders again? Can you unbind your jaw, Lips and teeth part, Tongue softens? Can you still hear your breath? And you move that breath into the back of your body. You breathe in, The backs of the ribs expand. You breathe out, The backs of the ribs soften. Imagine more space in the back of the left leg. You breathe in, The muscles yawn open. You breathe out, The muscles soften, Release and let go. Nice full breath in here. Deep, Full sigh out. Slowly ease yourself back up to a seat. Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, Slowly lay yourself back against that wall. Just notice and observe. Use your hands to help you unravel your right leg. Good, And for this one, Shift your props out of the way, Nudge yourself away from the wall. So you're gonna shift forward a couple inches, Just like we did before. Hands plant behind you, Rock those knees. Good, Be careful because that wall is behind you, But take a moment, Plant your feet about hip bone width distance, Lift your chin lightly and start to pull your heart up to the wall. Let it just expand. Good. And then tuck that chin back down. Good. We're going to find one final seated pose. So just draw yourself up to a nice tall seat. This one, Stay away from the wall just a little bit. We'll go back to a butterfly shape. Maybe you started class there. Feet touch and knees open. Again, Any amount. Feet can be as close to the body as gives you a comfortable seat or as far forward. Hands are going to rest down, Knees, Thighs, Shins, Whatever feels good. We're just going to offer some movement in the spine since we used all those muscles to sit up for so long. So as you take a breath in, Up really tall. Gently lift your chin up to the sky. Pull your belly in a little more. See if you can let the ribs move forward and up. Shoulder blades come towards each other. Exhale your chin towards your chest. You're going to round forward and down. So head's going to fall towards your feet. Rather than pressing your spine backwards to get rounder, Can you let your head drop more forward like you're falling into yourself? We'll move that again, Nice tall seat. Inhale, Chin lifts, Chest lifts, Shoulder blades draw together. Exhale, Chin to your chest, Head drops forward and down. Perfect. One more like that. Inhale, Nice and wide through the front of the body, Squeezing the back body muscles. Exhale, Just do your chest round, Forward and down. Good. As you come up to a nice tall seat, Roll your shoulders out of the way. Good. And just sit up nice and tall. Here, Just for a few more moments, If having the feet touching works nicely, If you'd rather cross them in, You can, Or if you wanna splay them long, You can. So really anything that feels good for this final seated moment to let your butt bones get heavy, Your head get light, Eyes can blink closed or gaze down, And just notice the difference from when you started your practice. Take a big breath in, Swoop your arms up above your head, Reach towards the sky, Notice the new space. Palms melt into your heart center into Namaskar. Let your chin bow down. Take a big full breath in here. Open mouth sigh. A moment in gratitude with your chin melted towards your chest. Gratitude for your practice, For your effort, Your energy, Your courage. For the slowing down, The listening, And the being patient. It is not easy to sit with yourself some days. And most importantly, Gratitude for yourself. For who you are and for where you are on your journey, Whether that be on or off your mat. Trust that it is enough. Because you are enough. Namaste. As always, Thank you all so much for joining me. Take a moment if you need, Offer a little stretch or a little movement to your body to get some blood flowing. Take it easy on yourself today. I'll see you soon.