Acoustic Yin | Just Be and Breathe

Give yourself the time to just be and breathe into each of these simple yet effective yin yoga poses!

2 blankets + 1 bolster are the suggested props for this class. Household items of the same shape are great to use instead or in addition!

This class also features a playlist before the song played live at the end. The playlist is Beneath the Waves and Constellations and the live song is If Time Slows Down. Beneath the Waves can be found on The Light Meeting's page and Constellations & If Time Slows Down can be found on In the Flow's page.

Transcript

Hey everyone joining, Welcome. And this is an acoustic yin yoga practice. My name is Matt. And so for this one you'll need some props, At least a couple blankets and a bolster. You may need more depending on kind of how much support you may need. And then also, I just want to mention before we begin, So I've been inspired by a lot of different things, Like the seasons, Like autumn, Especially since we're in autumn right now in Arizona. And then also, The full moon. So these things have inspired practices and now we're around the holidays and I do think especially this time is a great time. For a relaxing practice like yin. And I think doing more stuff like that kind of gets your mind even more clear, Kind of moves some stuck energy. So I hope it works for you. So of course you can do this practice at any time, Not just the holidays though. So we'll start with. . . A supported butterfly pose. Sometimes it's called bound angle, But I like the imagery more with supported butterfly pose. So make a skinny diamond shape with your legs. So the outer edges of your feet come together. And then here's where the blankets or two can come in handy. So if you have a pretty tight low back and hip area, Those always kind of feel like too connected, You can place the blankets folded up. Like this. Kind of underneath your hips. I'm not going to do that today. But that'll help just kind of send your hips a little bit more forward and give you a little bit more length as you fold forward. So this can actually be great. You can use the blankets rolled up underneath your legs too. So for this practice, You know, You really just want to take the time to where you can relax into it and give yourself time to kind of find the stretch over time breath by breath. So I'm going to use the bolster and I think I'll just stick with that for me. So if you're following along with me, Just take a few breaths. Just notice how you feel right now. And then again, Staying upright is great or using your breath to lengthen through your torso. Try to keep that and then just relax yourself over your props. I'm realizing for me I'm going to need more supports, So I'm going to use a couple blankets. Fold those up in the same way that I just suggested, Going underneath the hips. And then I'm just going to place those like that. Thank you. For taking your time just to find your version. Just feel a gentle stretch. Where you feel that stretch kind of depends, But for this pose you ideally want to feel it in your hips. And then also in your low back, Kind of in a nice decompressed kind of way. So you let your knees fall towards the earth. Kind of releasing tension. But if you don't feel that. You can use the support underneath your legs. Once you've landed in your version, Long inhale through your nose. Long exhale, Sigh out your mouth. Let yourself relax even more onto your props. We'll be in each pose for about five-ish minutes. There's nothing else to do, But just relax. So once you're in your pose and you notice your mind kind of going from one thought to the next, And you're not quite as calm as you'd like to be, Just give yourself time to bring it back to your breath. And see if you can use those long breath cycles to relax a little bit more. And if you had your head turned to one side and that's feeling great, You can stay. Otherwise, Switch sides. I'm going to stay here just for mic purpose reasons. And again, If your mind is going from one place to the next still. Just bringing it back to those long ujjayi breath cycles. And for these last five breaths or so. Just notice if you're holding any tension that you don't need for this pose. See if you can let that go as long as you'd like. If you've just kind of landed there and now you feel great, You want to stay, You're welcome to stay, Of course. Once you are ready to come out. Press into your hands. Be mindful of your transition as you walk your way back up. And then with any yoga practice, Especially these more gentle ones like yin, We just want to take our time as we transition, So you want to stay in that calm space as best as possible. So moving your props off to the side, Taking your time to do that. And from there. . . Planting your feet down and then bring your hands behind you. And then once you're ready to move, Just cycle your knees side to side. Again, Taking your time to do that. We'll do about five more cycles. Maybe for these last couple you kind of lean into the twist a little bit more. So hands to the same side. Once you're equal there, Back to center. Then we'll come to lie down. The rest of the sequence will be lying down on our backs. We'll do my favorite pose, My favorite Ian pose at least. So supine half moon. Take your time to get there, That lying down position. And then. Stretch long, So bring legs together, Arms reach up overhead. Your choice, You can actually just relax there, So let gravity do the work. Otherwise, More actively press toes away from fingertips. A couple more deep breaths, Either option. And then we'll use that link that we just found to find Supine Half Moon going to the left in the Spirit of Yin. I'm going to start on the left first, But you can do the opposite side if you prefer that. So legs go to the left, Stacking one ankle. Torso, Arms, Neck, And head go to the same side. You're just making a c-shape from feet to hands and give yourself time to transition into that pose, Letting yourself land. Maybe gaze up underneath the right arm, At least having your head turned to that side, Maybe close eyes. And once you're in your version again, Deep inhale through nose. Long exhale, Sigh. Relax more into that. And again, Nothing else to do here, But just be brief. Again, Checking in if your mind's still going, Bringing it back to your breath. Seeing if you're holding tension, Seeing if you can let that go. Once you really found yourself in that more relaxed state here. See if you can tune into those more subtle sensations, Really allowing each inhale. Expand your right side. Exhale that just contracts back in. You're using your breath to find a deeper side stretch. And about five more good breaths or so. Again, Nothing to do but just be here and breathe. And if you feel like you need extra time staying, Take your time once you are ready to unwind back to center. Back to sensory. Breath for two, Stretch long. Again, Active or passive. Notice how you feel side to side, Maybe a bit longer on the right side. Again, Using that length that you just found in the center. Same pose, Opposite side. Again, Take your time to set up. Making that c-shape from feet to hands. Stacking opposite ankle. If you're going to the right side, Gaze up underneath the left arm. You can maybe close eyes. Again, Once you're in your version, Deep inhale, Long exhale, Sigh. And nothing else to do but be here and breathe. The same intention on the side. If you notice any tension, Seeing if you can let that go. Now that you really landed on this side, Tuning into those more subtle sensations. In each inhale, You feel the left side expand even more just by using your breath. Your exhale filling up, Pull back in. Just exploring that with your own breath cycle. And about five more good breaths on this side. As long as you need. Once you are ready, Unwind back to center. Back to center, Good. Breath for two, Stretch long. Again, Active or passive. And then set up for Shavasana. So the more traditional version for yin is just that starfish position with no props, Arms and legs out really wide. And I always feel like that, For me, Kind of integrates everything that just happens. On. So that's great, You can take that if that feels good to do that. Another option though is taking the bolster underneath your thighs. Helps keep your knees bent, Especially after that first pose. It can feel really nice for your low back. You can use a blanket folded up that same way that I suggested. If you have that rectangle shape you just fold it one more time. Placing it underneath your head, Or really anything else that you have with the props to find the most support to relax more. Now let's straighten your version, Long inhale through your nose. Long exhale sigh feel even more way to sink towards your props and your mat. You have no other responsibility right here, Right now. It's time and space for you to let go and relax. And I'll play a song called If Time Slows Down. Hold my hand like you hold my heart Hold me closer to you Breathing slow and. . . Breathe in deep. To this place that only we know But then we fall and we're buried in our heads But there is some hope in the now Time slows down just enough to be finally know what you mean to me The time stood still just to greet its time finally know who we are Was it you or her? Was it me? These fault lines cloud our eyes The ego drives, The heart cannot decide We are left wondering why And then a moment appears like a light We reconnect in that now If time slows down just enough to be Finally know what you mean to me If time stood still just to greet its start We finally know who we are Take a deep breath, Look into my eyes, There you'll find you. So take the deep breath, Look into my eyes There you'll see Time slows down just enough to be Finally know what you mean to me If time stood still just to greet its start We finally know who we are. Time slows down just enough be I finally know what you mean to me Time stood still just to create its time Finally know you who we are who we are Lying down position, Start to take some deeper breaths again. Allowing your awareness to come back into your space in an even deeper way. Let that tell you how to make some movements. Maybe it's fingers and toes moving just a bit. Maybe it's rolling wrists and ankles. Maybe it's a little rocking shoulder side to side. Anything that feels good and organic. Just bring back an even sense of energy for the rest of your day. Once you're back in that space. Legs back together, Reach your arms overhead, Backs of your arms land on the earth. Again, Good breath for two, Active or passive, Your choice. Maripola knees to chest. Stay center or give yourself a nice little rock side to side. Use that momentum as you're ready to roll to A-side. And a good breath on the side. Use your hands to press up. Find a comfortable seated position, So Sukhasana. You can use the bolster or blanket if you like to sit up on that. It can be nice, Otherwise straight down on your mat. And then we'll just do a simple breathing practice to balance before we end this practice. So this is Nadi Shodhana. So that's the Sanskrit for alternate nostril breathing. Take your first two fingers, So index and middle of your right hand in between your eyebrows. Press gently there. Close your right nostril, Inhale through your left. Close left, Exhale out the right. Inhale, Right. Close the right, Exhale out the left. So take a few more cycles just at your own pace. So inhale left. Exhale right, Inhale right, Exhale left. After your last exhale or next exhale out of your left nostril, Let that be your last cycle. Palms face down to thighs. Take a breath or two. Notice if you feel more balanced in the center. Hands to heart. Give yourself a thanks for making the time for yourself and your own sense of well-being. Appreciate those ripple effects by doing that to everything, Everyone around us. And we'll end this practice with one collective breath. So inhale through nose. Soft sigh out mouth. Let go there. And I just want to say thank you again so much for joining. I hope you feel a bit more relaxed. So that's when we first started. And enjoy the rest of your day. Namaste.

Reviews

Another great practice! I hope for more to be added to insight timer. 💚💚💚 Thank you!