Hi,
I'm Allie and welcome to your 30-minute restorative yoga practice.
For the next 30 minutes,
You don't need to be anywhere or doing anything.
This time is fully yours.
As we set up,
Go ahead and grab a few props if you have them around.
You might grab a yoga block if you have it or a small cushion.
Even two small cushions would be great.
If you have a pillow around,
That would work well.
You might even want something to cover your eyes at any point,
Like a small towel.
These are all optional,
But I love to use a lot of props of whatever you have around for restorative yoga.
Now I want to encourage you to turn off the notifications on your phone and really give yourself this time and space to relax.
Go ahead and lay down on your back and I will meet you there.
So as you lay down on your back,
Grab your pillow or blocks or cushions,
Whatever you've got today,
And we're going to place them underneath your knees as we come into a reclined butterfly pose or cobbler's pose.
So the soles of the feet together,
Knees fall out to the sides.
If you do have a small towel,
You might place that under the back of your head or over your eyes.
So remember the goal of restorative yoga is to feel really supported so that you can relax into each shape.
So you can play around with your props and make sure that you do feel that.
And when you're ready,
Let's start by placing the hands on your belly.
Soften your elbows,
Your shoulders.
And just feel your belly rise and fall.
You can close your eyes at any point if that is what works for you,
Or you can always just soften your gaze.
Taking a few slow,
Easy breaths.
Restorative yoga is not only about finding support and relaxation but really it's about letting go as well.
Allowing the props.
To do the work for you.
As you soften gently into each shape.
I find a little bit of slow breath work.
Can help me calm my mind.
When I settle into still positions like this.
So I'll invite you to join me if you'd like for some 478 breaths.
To help calm and ground the nervous system as we slow things down today.
Let's start by taking a deep breath in.
Exhale out your mouth.
And inhale for four.
3-2-1 One,
Hold for seven,
Six.
5,
4,
3,
2,
1.
Slow exhale out the mouth for 8,
7,
6,
Five,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Again inhale for four,
Hold for seven.
Exhale for eight.
One more time,
Inhale four.
Hold seven.
Exhale,
Eight.
Slowly,
Gently just bring your breath back to its natural state.
And really take your time as you move between postures here.
We'll start to reach towards your legs and gather them back together.
Glide any cushions off to the side.
And just come to a Shavasana here for a moment to allow a gentle settling.
Now we'll move into a supported spinal twist.
Bend your knees,
Bring your feet on the mat.
Grab your pillow if you have a nice long pillow or a yoga bolster.
I'm going to use a cushion here.
Shift your hips to the right and you'll let your knees fall to the left.
Place whatever that cushion is or pillow in between your legs.
And find a shape here that really feels supported and feels easy.
We want to use as little effort as possible here to just relax into the shape.
Try to stay heavy and relaxed through your shoulders,
Through your hands and feet.
And if you want to be extra cautious with your neck,
You might keep your gaze looking straight up.
If you want a bit more of a twist,
You could turn your eyes to the right away from your knees.
So really exploring what works best for you and your body in this moment.
And it could be totally different from yesterday or last week.
But just tune in and see what feels the most restorative.
How can I be the most relaxed?
In this shape.
And then guide yourself back to your breath.
Where there's nothing else to do.
Other than just soften into the shape.
And be here with your breath.
You can keep the pillow or cushion between your legs.
And so gently press your legs back up.
Bring your hips to center.
Take a couple of slow,
Easy breaths here.
And we'll take it into the other side.
Shift your hips to your left.
Allow your knees to fall to the right.
Set up that cushion or pillow in between your legs.
Make it as comfortable,
As relaxed as possible.
Maybe you close your eyes or slide a little towel over them if that feels best.
You can always bring yourself back to that 478 breath as well if your mind starts to wander or get kind of full.
Sometimes having that guided breath can help you stay in the moment.
And be present with what shows up.
Otherwise,
Just simply feeling your inhales.
And experiencing your exhales.
As we gently relax the body and the mind.
Now again really take your time let's bring your legs back up to center slide your cushion or pillow off to the left side of your body.
And we're going to gently roll onto the left side of your body.
You can bring your left arm underneath you,
Placing your head on your arm.
And maybe place that pillow or cushion in between your legs here.
Just resting for a moment.
Next you'll place your right hand in front of you and press yourself up to hands and knees.
We're going to set up for a supported child's pose next.
So whatever props you do have,
Grab those.
The more the merrier.
And what you'll do is bring your knees wide to about mat distance apart,
Big toes together,
And then I'm going to make little bit of a stand here.
I'm going to place my blocks on the bottom.
If you have a yoga bolster,
This is great here.
Maybe even placing one cushion at the top.
But I'm gonna just.
Make a little stack here.
And make that for my forehead.
So whatever you have you're just stacking that lengthwise underneath your upper body and then you'll start to lower down.
And bring one cheek to your props.
So again,
Remember,
It's not about getting a really intense stretch here.
We're calming the nervous system and gently opening and relaxing the body.
So the more props you use,
The more relaxing you will probably feel.
So feel free to explore that and then find stillness when you're ready.
If you have one cheek down really gently switch it up bringing your right cheek down.
Take your time to press yourself back up to hands and knees.
Slide the props.
Off to the side.
And shift around to a seat.
I'll give you some options here.
If you have a wall nearby and you would like to do legs up the wall,
You're welcome to make your way over to that wall.
But if you don't have a wall,
We're going to make a little.
.
.
Makeshift walls.
So what I'm going to do is stack My blocks.
And then my cushions on top of the blocks and I'm going to rest my legs on top here,
Just so that they're elevated a little bit.
And you could also be placing your legs on a chair or a stool if you have something like that nearby that can feel really comfy as well.
I'm going to take my little towel and place that underneath the back of my head.
If you have a cushion or pillow that you want under your head,
You can do that as well.
And then go ahead and place your legs on whatever you have set up and slowly gently lower your body down to lay down on your back.
Making any little shifts or adjustments that you need,
Something nice to cover your eyes or placing a little blanket over top of you could be really nice here.
I'm going to hang out here for a little while.
So take your time to get to a comfortable space.
And as you arrive,
Just let your head gently rock side to side a few times.
Loosening up any tension in your neck.
Then take a little scan through your body.
Notice if there's anywhere you can soften just a little bit more here.
Start by noticing your feet and your toes.
Allowing your toes to fall out to the sides gently.
Softening the soles of your feet.
And feel a gentle relaxation rising up into your legs.
See if your legs can get even heavier.
Relaxed on top of whatever they're propped onto.
And feel a sinking down through the back of your hips.
As if through each exhale your hips get heavier and heavier.
Notice the softness across the front of your hips and your low belly.
Your sacral chakra space.
Slow,
Deep breaths into that space,
Your low belly.
Feel your lower back release.
Your mid back,
Soften.
Notice if you're hugging in at all in the belly or stomach area.
See if you have just a little more space.
To relax.
Let that awareness rise up to the heart chakra.
The center of your chest.
Feeling open.
And calm.
Feel the back of your shoulders and your upper back.
Sinking down.
Notice the weight in the back of your head.
Fully supported.
By whatever it's on top of.
Softening through your face.
Relax your jaw.
Your throat.
Your cheeks.
Your eyes.
And your forehead.
And just be aware of your whole body.
Completely relaxed.
And letting go.
And you're welcome to stay here as long as it serves you.
We'll end the practice right here as you are.
Namaste.
