Release And Restore: Yin Yoga With Myofascial Release

Experience the powerful combination of Yin Yoga and myofascial release in this deeply nourishing practice designed to help you unwind, soften tension, and reconnect with your body.

Using long-held Yin Yoga postures alongside gentle self-massage techniques, we'll encourage hydration and mobility within the fascia, ease muscular tightness, and create space throughout the body. This practice invites a slower pace, allowing the nervous system to settle while supporting greater comfort, flexibility, and ease.

Perfect for anyone feeling stiff, stressed, or simply in need of a moment to reset, this class offers an opportunity to slow down, release accumulated tension, and cultivate a deeper sense of relaxation and well-being.

Suitable for all levels. You will need a massage or tennis ball.

Transcript

Hello, And welcome to Yin Yoga with myofascial release techniques. We'll be using a ball for this session. You can use a official massage ball, You can use a tennis ball, Just something that isn't too hard. But you know, That has a good hardness to it. So you can feel it when we lay our body parts on it. Looking forward to sharing this practice with you in the video. I just love sharing this practice. Just like everything else I do, It's It's really helped me so, So much in relieving some chronic pain that I was having. And now I regularly do this practice and I think it keeps pain at bay. And I also think that it helps me relieve like acute pain if like just something feels like it's going on. I'll use the ball and I'll feel so much like freer in my body. So I'm always really excited to share it with other people. So thanks for being here. If we haven't met, I'm Kumari Skye. I'm the relaxationist and that is exactly what I love to do with my life is share these relaxation with others. And when I say relaxation, I mean so much more than that. I mean practicing coming into a space of stillness, Where we can more readily connect with our true nature. Let's get going with our practice. We're going to take a little time for a meditation. So please do close down your eyes. Just whatever seated position works best for you right now. And start to feel the movement of your breath. And start to place your attention on the jaw. Relaxing the jaw, The tongue. Sense all the muscles in the cheeks and around the eyes just softening, Melting. A sense of the forehead. I'm hostile. Relaxing your mind. Within this focus of the practice. It takes us to a space of softening, Of relaxation. Now sense your chest. Inward cage. Feel your breath expanding. And feel your hips and buttocks. Sinking down, Melting down. Grounded. Can you sense the weight and density of your body? And feel yourself as a clump here, A clump of body, Of human. Let's take a deep breath in and imagine you're lengthening up through the spine. Maybe physically lengthening up as well, Growing taller with this next inhale. One more just like that. Drop your head over to the right. Inhale, Bring it up, Drop to the other side. Breathe in, Come to center, Drop your chin down towards your chest. Start to roll your head from side to side. Back to your breath. Through center, Lifting up, Opening your eyes. Let's just take a twist to one side. Push to the other side. Plant one hand on the floor, Do a side stretch. MMMMMMMM OTHER SIDE Weak. So we're going to take a little journey down the backside of the body with the ball first. And then we're going to do some yin yoga poses. So the first thing we're going to do is use a block and the ball at the top of the spine. It's a point called C1. Well, It's your first cervical vertebra. And so you can just take your hand right now and feel where the occipital lobes, So the sides of your skull, Feel how they come back to that center point, They kind of meet. And then you can start to feel like the fleshy, A little more fleshy part. And then you can feel the bones. So you want to have the ball right in that little area. And then you're going to lay down on something I'm going to be using a block but you can use a bolster or a really firmly folded blanket just think that you need like kind of a firm surface. To get the pressure. And if you've never done a spot like this, It's it's different. So I just encourage you to breathe and feel and see what happens and you can we're going to hold it for like a minute or so. So you can always adjust and Yeah! So I'm kind of. . . More on the edge of my block. I should actually put my hair up. Yeah. Okay, So this is it. So let's take a few deep breaths. Let your head, The weight of your head melt down onto the ball. Now if you want ever so subtly to move your head up and then back down. So it's hardly anything. And with myofascial release, We want to make sure we're at a level of sensation that is still relatively relaxing, Like it should never be painful. If you ever come to a place where you realize you're gritting your teeth or scrunching up your eyes or forehead, Or your breath changes. That is definitely your signal you are too deep. See we want to be someplace so now go ahead and you can turn your head a little from side to side So we want to be in a space. We're. . . We are really relaxed. The fascia and the nervous system are very intricately connected. So for going hard. . . Our tissues are actually going to react in a not so positive way. Okay so now you're gonna like move the ball so it's a little more to one side and then turn your head to that side okay so mine just happens to be on the left Oops. And then in this spot you could do some micro movements as well. You can double tug, Put your jaw, Still relax. Take a deep breath with me. Okay, So. If you have long hair be sure to pick that up carefully because it doesn't feel too great when it gets caught in the ball. Now we're just going to go to the other side. Find a spot. Just be here, Just let the weight of your head do the work. Infuse your body with some deep breaths. If you want to add a little movement. See if you can even go slower with the movement. Couple more breaths. Go ahead and lift your head, Take away the ball and just set that aside and pause here feeling the effects of working there on the neck. Nice okay so now if you were using a block this time you might want to put it under your hips i'll show you what we're gonna do we're gonna take that ball and slide it upper back area so like upper traps like It's kind of as far as you can up before your shoulder ends. One of my teachers calls it the root of the neck. But then if you were to elevate your hips a little bit, Then you're really going to feel that. So at first we're just going to find a way to just pause. Ascertain like the amount of sensation. And then if you would like, You can put your arm in a different position, Or even do a little movement. For instance, I'm turning my head the opposite direction. And then I'm also going to move my fingers. Everything's connected. Fascia release work. Is really producing a cascade of benefits through your whole body. Nice. Okay, So take that away and then you'll just slide it under the other side. First things first, Just finding a place to pause and breathe. And then if you'd like to do movement or just a different position. Again, You can move your fingers. And stay with the deep breath. Okay, So let's take that away and pause. Know will come off of that. Block if you were using that. Now we're going to hit a spot at the low back. Okay, Go back. Just laying right on it. For some bodies, That just might be enough pressure. You can extend your legs out long, But I think what I'm gonna do is pull my leg in. That really gives me some more pressure. Now take a few deep breaths and feel your body press into the ball. Sweet now we're going to do the other side. My head and your body receive the pressure One of the benefits from this is when we take away the ball, So go ahead and take away the ball for a sec. An influx of hyperoxygenated blood comes rushing into the area. This is so healthy for your circulation. This practice is also hydrating your tissues to increase the glide. Okay, So now we're going to put it kind of like just mid and in the middle of your glutes and then take your that same leg take that ankle to the knee. Now you can just be still or you can kind of feel around to see if there could be a better spot. There's a lot of area to come over there. If it feels too intense, You can take that foot off or, You know, Move away from it a little bit. And do things like slow motion kneading. So you're coming off and going on. You can also Do some little pelvic tilts that ever so suddenly causes a different kind of sensation. Okay let's go ahead and then put it on the other side. So our body needs to experience stress in the tissues. To stay healthy. Maybe you've seen lately it's been really going around like jumping, Weight bearing is so beneficial for the health of your bones. And the whole, All of our tissues need that kind of. Energy, Stimulation. And so practices like these. Can really help with your overall circulation. Not just your circulatory system, But your fascial network and the information that travels through it. This can be thought of as a way of stimulating energy as well. Okay i'm getting cut off in the woods there sorry okay so next up we're going to do our calves oh i haven't really been in this spot before i feel like it's i'm darker than normal okay so we are going to use the ball i like to put it on a block because i'm on carpet So you guessed it, Just right on the calf. And you can point and flex and do some circles. And then maybe some massaging. Feels pretty good, Huh? Oh, Another thing that I see people do at my classes is put their leg on top of the other leg. For me, That's a little too much, So I don't do it. And stay a little bit longer. Okay, Go ahead and come on into the other side. Your body receive the ball pressure, Trying to keep your leg relatively relaxed. And so really I hope this work inspires you. To explore on your own a little bit more. Sweet. Okay. I'm sure we can stay on our calves for a long time. Alas, We're going to move into some yin yoga poses. The first one will be child's pose. So really, Whatever way you want to do child's pose is perfect. I'm going to use the bolster like this. Really tuning in and finding what works for you. I'll let you know when we're partly through if you want to turn your head. And just as you continue to rest here, Tune into the sensation of breath. You'll have your ribcage expand. If you have your head turned to one side, You can change that. Body melting down. We'll say one more minute of this. Returning to the rise and fall of your breathing. Finding your way upright as you're ready. Let's take some time to stretch out the legs. I made even like a downward dog after that. Okay so next up we're going to work with the glutes by doing 90-90 pose. So it looks like this. Sometimes this is called deer, In case you're not recognizing that name. 90 90 so both my knees are bent 90 degrees and then i'm gonna lean over my shin you can lean over your knee you can even lean over your foot and ankle just experiment and see which position gives you the the yummiest sensation I really like using props with this one so I can release a little deeper. So both of these practices myofascial release with a wall and yin. R. Stimulating your connective tissues. When we intentionally do that. Our body produces all sorts of Chemicals. One happens to be GABA, G-A-B-A, And This is a. . . Inhibitory neurotransmitter. So GABA, I think I got that right. GABA helps you just feel more at ease and more relaxed. And then of course, Our cortisol is dropping. Our body likes this so much it creates endorphins that make it feel good. Now for our last little bit of time here, I'm going to suggest if you want to do the ball at the side of the thigh. So here it is. And then I'm gonna put it down like that and let my body weight push into it. Some some people might come farther for me right here is is good. So I always think about the sensation as like a 10 point scale. I'd say I'm at a five right now. So I could go down farther if I want to, But I'm kind of just seeing if my body's gonna invite me there, If that makes sense. So just close your eyes and feel your breath. Okay so now we'll come off and come back upright. Try some windshield wiper. And then let's do the other side. Really dropping inward. Noticing all the places that you're experiencing sensation. And the jaw is still relaxed. The sense of the hips and buttocks and lower body just melting down towards the earth. Keep coming back to your breath. Back to your sensations. That's how we practice staying in the moment I'm really embodying our practice. If you want to do that spot again on the side of the thigh with your ball, We have one more minute left in the pose. So if you want to do that. Like you're exhaling into the ball. Okay coming off the ball coming out of the pose be shaking out the legs a little bit or snowing in a few more of those windshield wipers. Okay, So next up we're gonna do a seated forward bend half caterpillar. If you can have your leg tucked behind you again, Try that. And then also I highly recommend sitting up on something. This is just a firm folded blanket. Just gonna get my hips up a little bit higher. So now this one is meant to target the hamstrings. So the way I'm going to suggest we do it is leg behind, We kind of warmed up our internal rotation in our last pose. But if that doesn't work for you, You can do this. You could also lay on your back and just pull your leg towards you to get a hamstring stretch or have like a strap or something. So of course, Being with my eyes on Yeah, You can definitely experiment though. Those are my best suggestions though. Okay, So now are you feeling okay, So I'm up on that blanket. And the blanket's more on the side of my extended leg. And then I lean forward and ooh. Obviously, You can come down as far as you like. I have a lot of students that like to use their bolster over their leg to land on. Make sure that your lower back is still feeling okay. We'll stay about one more minute on this side and then we'll switch. Okay, Come on up. You might like to just give your legs another little shake or two. Just discovering what you need on this side. Letting your body guide you. Yin truly is the art of surrender. You get to practice not forcing or having agendas or expectations. Isn't that kidding? We have one more minute. If he de-births with me. Putting you in your way. Upgrade again. Carefully undoing your legs. Okay, So now we're gonna wind down our practice. We'll take a short twist to each side and then move into Shavasana. So like anything certain for your Shavasana, Have that nearby. Dropping your legs over to the right. And softening the shoulder blade and the arm. Cutting your spine in a fun way. Okay, Let's go to the other side. Hmm, I think you're so subtle. Breathe and feel the expansiveness of the chest. I'm feeling your ribcage. Expanding with your breath. Back through center now. Try some windshield wipers or hugging your knees to your chest. Happy baby feels really good after a twist and then making ready for Shavasana when they give you a little sound baths with these chimes during your Shavasana. As you get settled, Close down your eyes. Take two sniffs of breath in. And a long, Slow exhale. Allow yourself to once again, Completely let go. You you Beginning to deepen your breath again. You Can you start to wiggle your fingers and your toes? Perhaps you're going to just stay in Shavasana. Hmm. . . Whatever, You two. I hope that you're feeling a sense of peace. And ease in your body. Take a breath together, Inhaling. Sighing it out. If you'd like to join me in closing out this session. Go ahead and. . . Come back to your seat, Bringing your hands in front of your heart. It's my pleasure and my honor to share these things with you. Thank you for showing up and caring for yourself in this way. Namaste.