Restorative Flow

This soothing yoga practice blends gentle movement with deeply restful postures to help you release tension and recharge your energy. We’ll move slowly and mindfully, allowing your body to soften and your mind to unwind. The sequence is suitable for all levels, offering plenty of support and time in each pose for maximum relaxation.

By the end, you’ll feel calmer, lighter, and more at ease in both body and mind.

Transcript

Let's begin by finding a comfortable seated position either on a bolster or a cushion allowing your hips to feel supported and your spine to rise naturally with ease. With your next inhale blink your eyes open and then reach your arms up overhead palms touch. Exhale cactus the arms. Inhale straighten the arms palms touch overhead and exhale bend the elbows cactus. Inhale reach the arms up exhale cactus open the heart. Inhale palms touch overhead and exhale again. This time inhale reach the arms up interlace your right fingertips around the left wrist and then side bend to the right breathing into the left side body staying rooted down through your sit bones. Inhale back through center switch sides left fingertips grab right wrist as you bend left feel the right side body stretch and expand. Inhale to straighten the spine exhale plant your right fingertips down beside you and then bend to the right keeping your chest lifted slightly left fingertips reaching towards the right side. And then lean your left arm forward round through the spine left hand comes down as you reach the right arm up and over. Reach your right arm forward round through the spine plant the right hand down and reach your left arm up. Once more moving through this flow left hand down right arm up. Inhale back through center palms touch exhale interlace your fingertips behind your back staying here in your seated position press the palms together squeeze the shoulder blades towards one another draw your fist down towards the ground open your heart towards the sky and breathe. Gently release your fingertips and twist to the left left hand will come behind you right hand will come to your left knee. Inhale back through center and then exhale twist to the right gazing over the right shoulder. Come back through center. Plant your hands in front of you come into a tabletop position stacking your joints and then move through your cat cows tucking your toes inhale belly drops gaze lifts and then exhale round through the spine. Inhale tailbone lift exhale round through the spine. Chin to chest. Find a bit of movement some fluidity here as you shift your weight back and forth stretching out the toes the wrists moving with your own breath just creating some space in the chest and in the spine. From here untuck the toes come back into child's pose hips towards the heels forehead on the ground take a moment to feel your breath expanding the ribs backside body take a moment to thank yourself for showing up on your mat today. From here lift your gaze and slide forward into melting heart pose lifting the hips up so they're soft over the knees forehead on the mat pressing your palms and forearms down into the ground opening the chest breathe into the heart space. Inhale to lift yourself up coming through tabletop tuck the toes send your hips back towards your heels giving into a toe stretch and keep your fingertips planted in front of you you can straighten the spine shoulders stacked over the hips hands resting on the thighs. Wherever you are start to roll out through your neck so moving your head in one direction and then maybe the opposite way moving in a way that feels good in your body. Keep the shoulder relaxed weight in the toes take three more rounds of breath and then begin to roll the shoulders up towards the ears and then down the back. Release your hands in front of you untuck the toes pause for a moment and then tuck the toes again lift the hips for downward facing dog. If it feels good you can pedal out through the feet bending one knee at a time getting a stretch in the back of the hamstrings as you relax your head and neck in between the arms. Root down evenly through the palms of your hands and allow your breath to guide you through this stretch. Tiptoe your feet up to the top of the mat come into ragdoll pose let your upper body hang heavy bend the knees as much as you like you can shake from side to side. Let go of any tension in the head and neck you can bring hands to opposite elbows allow the weight to be in the balls and soles of the feet finding nice deep breaths. On your next breath release your hands down inhale halfway lift exhale fold inhale halfway lift exhale release inhale to lift exhale step back into tabletop pose. From here we move into a seated stretch so cross your ankles and come to sit on the glutes bend your right knee bringing the right sole of the foot inside of the left leg. Reach the arms up overhead take a big breath in and as you exhale twist to the right placing your right hand behind you left hand comes to your right knee gaze over the right shoulder and breathe into your twist. Coming into a side bend keep your left hand on your right knee and reach the right arm up and over bringing your left shoulder towards your left leg and reaching your right fingertips towards your left toes feel a deep stretch in the side body in the low back relax your facial muscles. Inhale to lift yourself back up untwist and then we'll switch legs bending the left knee straightening out the right leg and then inhale the arms up exhale twist to the left twisting from the mid back keeping your right hand on your left knee inhale the left arm up side bend fingertips reaching for the toes feel the space opening up the body take a few more deep breaths inhale to lift yourself back up turning to face the front of the mat coming into a wide-legged forward fold opening up the legs out wide as wide as is comfortable and then grabbing either a bolster or a pillow begin to root down through your sit bones tipping your pelvis forward slightly taking a big breath in and fold forward we're going to end this practice in this stretch but you can stay here for as long as you'd like namaste