Yin Yoga For Deep Sleep | 24 Minute Gentle Bedtime Practice

Settle into this nourishing yin practice designed to help your body unwind and prepare for deep, restorative sleep. Many of us spend long hours sitting or hunched forward during the day, so this sequence focuses on releasing the connective tissue around the hips and shoulders for a sense of spaciousness and ease. May this practice help you release the day, soften your whole system, and drift into a peaceful sleep.

Transcript

This will be a short set of yin sequences designed to soothe the nervous system down into a state of rest and ultimately sleep. So set your mood up the right way, Dim the lights, Get all the cozies, Maybe even change into your PJs, And we'll begin. Finding your way onto your hands and knees to start, And we'll just start to take some gentle movements with the spine, So you can round and arch, Just kind of moving intuitively, Really softly with the breath. Just getting some energy into the back, Into the spine in a really, Really subtle way. And then we'll come on to the hands and knees. Again, So finding the tabletop, And walk the hands out in front of you. We'll set up for a shape called melting heart. The arms will be reaching as far as they can, Forehead touches the ground, And then the belly lengthens, And the shoulders feel an opening. So forehead to the earth, Arms stretched out in front of you, And I'm gonna come out of this transition so I can cue, Because it's really hard for me. So I'm gonna come out of this transition so I can cue, Because it's really hard for me. So I'm gonna come out of this transition so I can cue, Because it's really hard for me. So I'm gonna come out of this transition so I can cue, Because it's really hard for me. So I can cue, Because it's really hard for me. So I'm gonna come out of this transition so I can cue, Because it's really hard for me. So I'm gonna come out of this transition that feels like you can embrace a state of softening, Even if it's a little edgy. Letting the jaw be soft. Letting the muscles of the eyes release. Just starting to surrender into a state of receiving sensation. Receiving breath. Taking note of where and how the body is breathing. Many of us spend a lot of our day hunched over computers and phones and driving. This posture really opens up all that connective tissue that gets compressed throughout our day. And think of how dogs and cats and animals find this shape intuitively. All you have to do is let yourself soak in the healing benefits. Letting sensation just be exactly what it is. And as we hold the body in stillness, The mind might also start to slow. Perhaps it starts to transition from kind of an active state of planning, Racing mind, Strategizing, More into a dreamy space, Daydreams, Floating images. In this practice, We can just kind of let the mind go too. We don't have to try to control thoughts. Letting the mind just drift. From melting heart, You're gonna let your hips come down to your heels and find your way to child's pose. Let your shoulders find some release by either releasing them alongside the body in traditional child's pose, Or you could have them slightly bent out in front of you. Feeling any tingling sensation in the shoulders. Noticing how the breath meets the legs and swirls up the spine. And might feel good to very gently roll the forehead from side to side on the ground. Letting that compression of the ground on the head help to soothe the muscles of the face. Finding your way back up to tabletop as you're ready. And next, We're gonna move into sleeping swan, Or otherwise known as half pigeon. You're welcome to take this from a downward dog if that would feel good. But you're gonna either from downward dog or tabletop, Move your right knee forward so that it's behind the right wrist. And then untuck the back toes and you kind of wanna move the right ankle forward as much as possible as well. If your hip is kind of up here like this, You could slide a pillow underneath to help give that some support. But you'll spend a moment here in an upright position. We just spent some time with the head underneath the heart. So letting that blood flow reverse. And then as you're ready, Starting to fold forward, Releasing all the way to the ground. Resting the head either on stacked arms or the floor. I'll show you an alternative to this if that's not feeling too good on your knees. You can also lay on your back, Cross the right ankle on top of the left knee, And then reach through the legs and pull the left knee in towards the body. Or you can even release it on the ground and just work that right knee out. So finding a shape that feels best for you. Settling in and holding, Knowing that we'll be here for several minutes. Noticing the opening in the front of the left hip. The outside of the right hip. Again, Many of us spend much of our day sitting so the hips can become really, Really tight. Let the shape of this posture just start to work its medicine in the body without needing to do anything about it, Just receiving sensation. You might think of the skeletons of the body, All of the bones that hold our structure. And in this shape, You can just let all of the bones release, Release their holding. And in doing so, All of the soft tissue around the bones follows suit. Whole body unwinding, Unraveling, Melting. Notice if the jaw starts to clench or the hands start to grasp. Let these places also find softening, Knowing that they don't need to be held. Letting the mind float and dream and receive different pictures or images as they arise. Knowing that you always can return to the present moment through the breath, Through sensation, Through sound as it's happening in real time. If you folded forward, Press yourself up and find your way to tabletop or downward dog. If you're on your back, Just straighten both the legs and let your arms rest on the floor. Let your arms be by your side. Finding a moment of stillness to let the posture settle. Notice any differences between the right and the left side. And go ahead and find a little movement. You might bend and straighten your leg. Might move out your spine, Your neck. We'll take the other side. So this time, Moving the left knee forward. If you're on the back, Cross the left ankle on top of the right knee. And then moving that left ankle forward just a bit, Maybe placing any pillows or props underneath that left hip. And tucking the back toes. Lift the chest up for a moment. And then slowly fold forward. Releasing the body to the ground. Relaxing the head onto something. This side might feel quite different than the other side. This makes sense. We all have different patterns of mobility, Of walking, Maybe of a sport that asks for different motions from right to left. And just start to notice the results of these patterns by observing sensation. Building relationship with the patterns in the body. Letting the awareness drift to the front of the right hip. The outside of the left hip. Inviting these spaces to just surrender down into the earth. Letting the connective tissue start to begin the process of unwinding. Every cell in the body melting little by little. Letting all sensations be there. Stepping into that yin energy of receptivity. As we step into a night of receiving our dreams. Receiving the innate restoration of the body. You might notice how sensation kind of shifts on its own as time goes by. Time moves. So you might find an increase of sensation. You might feel the sensation move locations. If you folded forward, Pressing the hands down and tucking the back toes. Finding your way to tabletop or downward dog. Just letting the body be still for a moment. And go ahead and find a little movement. Bend and straightening the leg. If you're on the back, You could find a long body stretch. Maybe bending the knees into the chest. Then we'll find our way onto the back. We'll set up for legs up the wall. So I suggest if you have access to a wall here to scoot the hips towards the wall. And then extending the legs up to the ceiling. If you don't have access to a wall right now from where you're at, You can just go ahead and let your legs float. Arms can be wherever feels intuitive. Out to the side. Maybe place somewhere on the torso. Just let the eyes flutter closed here. And again, Many of us throughout our day spend most of our day sitting or standing or even walking a lot. But the feet are usually always below the heart, Below the hips. So let this powerful reverse embrace of blood flow kind of work its wonders in the system. Feeling extra fluid or lymph. Even feeling blood drain down the legs. You might start to notice kind of like a tingly feeling. Imagine the backs of the eyes softening. Knowing that the eyes connect directly into the brain. And feel a softening brain receive that connection. Eyeballs soften. Organs release. Tongue falls into the floor of the mouth. Noticing what it's like to receive gravity from the bottoms of the feet. You're welcome to stay here in this restorative shape. You might find your way to your final resting pose. Traditionally taken on the back, But you can also take it snuggled on the side or maybe even on the front line of the body. So legs long, Arms extend by the side. Feeling the whole body release onto the earth. Feeling how the earth holds you. You might imagine that you're lying in sand or soft soil. Notice what imprint the body might make on the ground. Whole body releases into the earth. And for this particular practice, I'll leave you here to self-guide out of the practice. I hope you have a beautiful rest. A beautiful night of sleep. Good night.