Whole Body Yin Yoga- 45 Mins

This Yin Yoga practice was recorded in the lead up to the Libra New Moon. The intention is gentle, loving & grounding for the whole body- to drop you into presence of your complete magic and worthiness. If you have a bolster- fantastic- if not- pillows will do just fine. Enjoy xx

Transcript

Hello and welcome to this yin practice. We'll really focus on the whole body in this practice. So moving into the glutes but as well as the spine and a little bit of upper body too. So go ahead and find yourself in a comfortable seat, If you prefer to be laying down that's so fine. But just take your time, Take any little movements to find the sweet spot. Once you've arrived fully. And set up your space so you won't be disturbed for the next 50 minutes to hour or so. I invite you to either take a soft gaze at one point, Or close down the eyes. If you're seated, Starting to feel into the seat, There's support beneath you. If you're laying, Feeling the support beneath your whole back body. Feel laying, Feel your front body soften You're seated. Gentle lengthening through the spine, Feel the shoulders relax down the back. And just imagine calling back all your energy, So all your energy coming back to you from all the places that you've been. All the conversating, All the doing, All your energy coming back. Allowing you to arrive fully. Here and now. This special practice just for you. To reset, To refill the cup, Realign. I start to notice the temperature of the air greeting your skin. Touch of your clothing. Contrast between the two. Notice all the sounds in your space. Any sounds from outside? Maybe it's imagined but can you make the soft sound of your breath? Switching the focus to feeling the breath come in through the nostrils and the body expand. And then the body softens as the breath flows out through the nostrils. Following the breath's journey from the nostrils into the body. And the body softens and the breath flows out through the nostrils. Let's take three more breaths, Deeper breaths in. And long breaths out. Next few breaths feeling as though you're breathing in and out of your heart space. So as you breathe in you feel your heart expand, Back door of the heart expand. And then as you breathe out, The heart softens. Couple more like this. And just noticing without making anything right or wrong as you keep breathing in and out of the heart, How is your heart feeling? There's a word come up. Perhaps formulating the basis for an intention. Perhaps that will come out throughout the practice. This practice, This time is a space to tend to your heart. Let's slowly draw the hands together at heart center, Feel your palms touching, Gentle bowing of your head towards your heart space, A more formal welcome here, Your time, Your practice. And if your heart did offer up a word or a few words, And you use them to create an intention, Perhaps it is, I am at peace. I am radiant, I am filling my cup. Ever feels right for you. A little visual of it, See it, See that version of you living it. Release the hands now. We're going to come straight into our first pose. So if you have a bolster, Amazing. If you don't, You can use some cushions, Some pillows, Anything that you have really. Our first pose, We're gonna be targeting through the outer hips and the glutes. So let's find a simple cross leg position. I've got left leg in front, So just notice which leg you've got in front. Kind of send the flesh back so you're right on the sit bones. If you need to lift the hips, The low back's a bit touchy, You always can be sat on something. And some of you might feel enough as you are sat in this position. So the invitation is just to breathe and relax, Maybe even support underneath the knee. If there is a little space to feel into some more sensation through the outer hips and glutes, The invitation is to fold forward. So I've got my bolster out in front. I'm just going to meet the first place that my body wants to stop. Knead it with bread. A little movement. Encouraging the hips heavy into the earth or into the support. This real anchoring through the lower body and a lightness through the upper body. Feel all the muscles on your face soft. Encourage the shoulders to relax. Feel that beautiful breath flowing in and out. You just notice the difference between the signs. So for me, Left leg in front, I'm really feeling this more in left leg, Left out of hip and glute, But it might be completely different for you. So just being curious, What are you feeling in your body? Can you use each breath to encourage a further softening in the parts that are calling your attention? At any point, Feel free to encourage a nice big sigh out. Coming into our last minute or so here. And the offer is to explore moving the torso a little from side to side once again to feel into different pockets of stretch or tension. Let's take our last five breaths here. Last one, Deepest breath in. The longest slower release. Really slowly starting to unwind. Take a little pause at the top. Might use your hands behind you to slowly stretch the legs out in front. Bring in any movement here so you might be feeling a bit through the knees, Through the ankles. Going to come for a rebound on our back. So take your time coming down, Take any little movements along the way. Then allow yourself to rest in a place of comfort. I'm taking constructive rest, So the feet out a little bit wider, Knees knocking in, But you can always have the legs long. And just notice those beautiful sensations moving through the body. Tingling movement, Change in temperature, All that blood and qi flowing. As you allow yourself to be so held by the earth. Breathing and observing. Let's take three last breaths here. Drawing in any movements your body's craving, So again that might be a little cuddle of the knees into the chest. Use some windscreen wipers with the feet on the mat. Just taking your time to return into a seat. So rolling to your preferred side, Let everything settle there. Gently easing your way up. So now I'll have right leg in front, Just moving into the opposite side. Noticing any difference between the sides so you can always have support underneath the knees, Pillows, Blocks, Whatever you've got and underneath the bottom to lift the hips. So feel yourself right on the sit bones. Heaviness through the lower body, Notice how that feels. And then if there is space, And gently fold forward a touch. Make your breath. Perhaps a little rocking side to side as we settle in. Softening of the shoulders, Relaxing of the forehead and the jaw. Nice deep slow breaths. So I'm really feeling this more on the right side now. So just noticing the part that's speaking to you. It could be upper body, It could be neck, Shoulders, Just getting curious. What and where are you feeling in your body? And can we use the breath as a tool to encourage that sweet release? Breath out offers us this opportunity to really let go on so many levels. Heaviness into the seat, Lightness through the upper body. We're into our last minute. Deep slow breath. Let's take our last four breaths here, Deeper breaths in. Long breath, Sarah. Really slowly starting to unravel. Taking that little pause at the top, Feeling sensations move through the body. Slowly easing our way down to the back, Take any movements that your body's craving as always. Resting down into your rebound. Beautiful sensations moving through, What are you feeling in your body? Working with the fascia, Connective tissue. It's also known as our second nervous system. It's the part of us that picks up a feeling or a sense of something when we enter a room. So much storing is going on here and this beautiful practice of yin yoga allows us to unwind. Feel free to enjoy stillness a little longer or bring in any movements your body might be craving. Perhaps rocking the head side to side. Once again when you're ready just easing your way over to either side take a moment there. And gently up to this time a tabletop position. So we have knees roughly underneath the hips, Wrists roughly underneath the shoulders and just take any free movement, Maybe still feeling the effects of those first couple of holds. The next pose is going to be a child's pose. So let's encourage the big toes together, The knees nice and wide and set the hips back towards the heels. So if it feels okay for you, The torso can come straight down to the mat, But you can always prop yourself up with any support underneath the torso or for some between the hips and the glutes. So that can be nice to rest your bottom on something. Arms can be straight out in front. You can always make a little pillow with the forearms to rest your head or some of you might even like the arms back towards the feet. Perhaps that little rock of the hip side to side as we settle in. Mating the breath. Once again noticing what are you feeling in your body For me this is largely through the groin, Kind of the hip joint. So I'm consciously with each breath out softening that area. You might also notice lots of length through the spine. Especially into the low back, We create that length. Just another option for any of those wanting to add a little stretch to the arms, You can always bring your hands into prayer and then reverse your prayer, So bring your prayer to the nape of the neck. I'm nearing the halfway mark now so just noticing any shift in this pose since the beginning of the halt. Let's take our last five breaths, Deep slow breaths. You. Taking your time to slowly unravel, You might be quite fragile through the hips. Knees come back underneath the hips and just take any movements here. When you're ready, Let's come for a rebound down on our tummy, If that's comfortable for you. I like to make a little pillow to rest my cheeks. A little sway of the hip side to side. You can really feel that sweet release for me, Especially through the hips, Through the groin, But just noticing where you're feeling it in your body. If you're on your tummy feeling your belly pressing into the earth as you breathe in and soften away as you breathe out. And also checking in on a mental level. So what have you observed throughout this practice so far? The mind noise, The quality of what's moving through the mind. Without making anything right or wrong, Just noticing. And an emotional level 2, So in the heart space, Any emotions that have presented. So feel free to enjoy stillness a little longer if you'd like any movement. You might like some windscreen wipers. So lifting the feet, Rocking the legs side to side. Stretching the legs out long. Come into our next pose from here. So we're going to stretch the right arm out beside us at shoulder height, Beautiful palm facing down. Left hand will come underneath the left shoulder lift the left foot we're going to press through this left hand and roll ourselves over that right arm so coming into an open wing So for me, I like some support there to rest my left leg on. We're looking for a subtle twist through the spine depending on how you position your legs. You might feel into some opening here too. But there's some compression through the right shoulder. Opening through the right side of the chest and that right arm. Find the sweet spot for this left arm wherever feels best you might like it behind your back you might use it in front as a bit of a pillow or somewhere in between Make your print. Take those little adjustments. And then encourage this heaviness into the shape. All the muscles on the face, Relax the jaw and clench. And you're even bringing this sense of relaxing your back teeth. Feeling the breath come in, The body expand. And the breath flows out as the body softens. We're coming into our last minute here. So a little check in, A little scan beginning at the crown of your head, Slowly feeling your way down. Are there any areas that you can soften a little further into? Important to check in with the pelvic floor. One last two breaths. Really gently slowly starting to unravel. If it's comfortable for you coming for a rebound on your tummy, You might turn your head in the opposite direction if it was turned one way previously. Of course, Always take any little movements your body's craving to begin. And just feel the difference between the arms. So the difference between right arm, Left arm. Any sensations through the hips, Through the spine? And as you breathe and notice. I invite you to come back to your intention. That truth vowel. Affirming it to yourself internally three times. Seeing it, Allowing it to bring a little smile to your face. Feel free once again to enjoy stillness a little longer or bring in any movements your body might be craving. Maybe that's lifting the feet, Taking some windscreen wipers. Or a little sway of the hips. Going to pivot round for the second side. Let's slowly start to stretch that left arm out beside us. We've got the palm facing down. Right hand underneath the shoulder, Lift the right foot, Press through that right hand and roll yourself over the left arm. Take any little adjustments, Have any support there to rest that right leg on. Find the sweet spot for you. When you're ready, When you've found that perfect spot, Just really letting yourself go here. Noticing any difference between the sides. As always you find the perfect spot for that right hand, Wherever that may be. Maybe with time it starts to ease onto the body or even behind the back a little. Checking in with the pelvic floor, Checking in with the jaw, The back teeth, All sending that direct signal to the nervous system when they are relaxed that you are safe. That you can soften. And coming into our final minute. Really starting to lean into the breath out, There's again this opportunity to let go on so many levels. Let's take our last two breaths here. Really slowly unwind and take your time. Notice any fragility through the body, Ease your way out. And from here I invite you to roll straight over to your back. Maybe a cuddle of the knees into the chest. Coming into our final relaxation, So you're so welcome to slide the bolster or any support underneath your knees, Maybe underneath your head. Make yourself warm, Cosy, Super comfortable. And firstly just observing the effects of that last shape. So what are you noticing through the left arm? What are you noticing through the lower body? Through the spine. All the beautiful sensation and movement beneath the skin. Fresh blood, Fresh energy flowing through the energetic lines. Bringing us back into balance. And what I really love about our yin practice is it invites us to notice the subtlety. Which is such a beautiful tool to take into everyday life. The subtle, What am I noticing in my body? What am I feeling? Bringing us back to the present, Back to ourselves. So feel the earth holding you. Give yourself permission to completely let go. A little scan beginning at the crown of your head and just slowly guiding your awareness down through the head, Softening all the muscles on the face, Relaxing behind closed eyes, The temple. Third eye space, Relaxing the jaw. The back teeth. Neck, Throat, Shoulders. The torso, Arms, Hands. Glutes, Pelvis, Pelvic floor, Relax. Relaxing through the quads. The lower legs, The ankles, The feet. All the way to the toe. And your beautiful breath flowing in and out. Belly rising and falling. Body expanding and softening. As you breathe and relax here. Notice what enters the mind. And that you have a choice to follow it or to come back to the breath again and again. Maybe even that sense of breathing in and out of the heart, Feeling your heart expand and soften. Feel free to just stay laying, Relaxing and being. You're ready to bring in a little movement gently through the fingers and the toes. Little rock of the head side to side. Slow stretch of the arms up lengthening the legs, Whole body stretching. And a little cuddling in of the knees towards the chest. Making your way to your preferred side, Letting everything settle on your side. Holding yourself in this nice embrace. Honoring yourself for taking this time to practice. Connect to your beautiful body, To stillness, To presence, To your truest essence. When you're ready, Slowly finding a seat or just stay as you are. There are no rules. Just honour you. Yourself in the place of comfort. Eyes closed if possible, Staying in this inward space. Just guiding your hands together at heart center. And please just know how truly powerful you are. You are so much more powerful than you know. Please know how truly worthy and deserving you are of all of life's treasures, Just because you are breathing that is it, Worthy. Fully deserving. Please know that you deserve a life of magic. To follow your dreams, To follow your heart. Come back to the intention that you set. You make it a little more clear, A little more specific. I am or I feel saying it like it's your truth. And if you have the space to do so, Say it out loud three times. Seeing it, Feeling it, Letting it bring a smile to your face. And then a little whisper to yourself, Thank you, Your name, I love you dearly. Thank you all so much for practicing with me, For taking this time. Truly such a pleasure. Namaste.