Restorative Sleep

Join me for a slow flow and restorative practice to unwind from the day, rest the nervous system, and open space in the body. We begin with gentle, intuitive movement to create space in the spine and side body. Then, we'll transition toward rest.

Transcript

Welcome to this practice,

The practice of grounding,

Of replenishing,

Restoring the nervous system.

And as we arrive in our mat or on a blanket,

I suggest that you have either a couple blocks,

A couple blankets nearby,

Maybe even if you have an eye pillow.

Come onto your hands and your knees.

Make sure you bring the shoulders over the wrists and spread the fingers wide,

The hips over the knees.

We'll begin by circulating the hips to the right,

Back by the heels and up the left side.

And again,

To the right,

Back by the heels and up the left side.

While you go on this journey,

Bringing the hips and the shoulders in a clockwise motion,

Close your eyes,

Feeling the root of the ground,

Of the earth holding you here,

Surrendering some of the tensions of the day,

The activities of the day,

The busyness of whatever unfolded.

Often we spend so much time throughout the day busy in our head,

Chasing a thought into the future,

Into the past,

The nervous system spiking at a wrong look from someone.

Go ahead and change directions with the hips.

Now they circle to the left,

Back by the heels and up the right side.

Keep the eyes closed.

So this opportunity,

We put down our devices,

We put down all of the busy activity,

The outward looking of the day.

We feel our breath,

We feel our body.

We allow it as an opportunity to replenish the internal systems,

To settle from the activities and transition into slowing down,

Into rest.

Come back to neutral,

Hips over the knees,

Shoulders over the wrists.

And here,

Pick up that right knee and draw it into the chest and then we'll circle it open to the right,

Circle it back and then draw it back into the chest.

And again,

Making a big circle with that right knee,

Opening it to the right,

Taking it back and drawing it in.

Make three more.

Keep the breath steady.

Keep the shoulders squared over the wrists.

Last big circle.

Right knee comes down and change.

Left knee draws into the chest,

Opens to the left.

It comes up and around.

Four more.

Again,

That steadiness in the breath,

Steadiness through the fingers.

Last big circle with that left knee,

Setting the left knee down.

Here curl the toes under.

Bring the knees up level with the ankles,

Meaning they hover off the earth anywhere from two to five inches.

And then send the hips back and rock the hips a little side to side.

Knees are still bent.

Keep taking some of the weight from directly over the shoulders,

Drawing it back slightly.

From here we'll drop the heels toward the left,

Dropping that left hip lightly toward the earth.

It won't touch,

But it's just leaning to the left.

The right hand will pull into the ground,

Deep down and energetically drawing it back toward the back of the mat.

That whole right side stretching,

Waking up,

Using this isometric connection between the right hand and the right foot.

Come back through center,

Heels drop toward the right.

Left hand roots in and energetically draws back toward the back of the mat,

Meaning it stays rooted where it is,

But it hugs back.

Breath through the side body,

Pulling the hips back,

And then bring the hips back through center,

Straighten out the legs into downward facing dog.

When downward facing dog,

Bend that left knee,

Let the right heel go deep in.

Then we'll change out.

Straighten out the left,

Bend the right knee.

Let's heel heavy to the ground.

Beautiful.

Both heels go heavy.

And here,

Come up out of the balls of the feet.

Bring the shoulders over the wrists,

Bend the knees,

Bring the shoulders back toward the back of the room,

Bring them up and around as if you've placed your hips on a Ferris wheel.

They go forward,

Down,

Back,

And up.

Keep breathing as you come through about four more.

In this,

Bringing breath and attention around the shoulders,

Around the hips,

Knees,

Ankles,

And toes.

All the things that have propelled you throughout your day,

That have held you in your movements,

That have allowed you to get from point A to point B,

And to sit in the places in between.

Beautiful.

Coming back to downward facing dog.

We'll drop the knees down,

Inhale,

Look forward and up.

In that cow posture,

Exhale,

Come back to the downward facing dog.

As you straighten out the legs,

Bring the knees up and heels heavy.

Knees come down,

Inhale,

Look forward and up,

Belly drops toward the earth.

Exhale,

Pull the belly in,

Pull yourself back,

Downward facing dog.

Three more like that.

Knees drop down,

Look forward and up.

Knees come up,

Exhale,

Draw it back.

Again,

Inhale and exhale,

Drawing it back.

Last one,

Knees drop down,

Inhale and exhale,

Drawing it back.

Here,

Bring the right leg up to the sky and we'll make big circles with that right knee.

It'll draw into the chest or that left armpit.

Circles open to the right,

Up and around.

Four more like that.

Big circles with that right knee,

Mobility in the hips while staying strong through the hands and the shoulders.

Letting the mind stay down,

The head below the heart.

So this is an inversion.

Slowing down the thoughts,

Unwinding tensions in the hip,

Right foot comes down,

Rests into the earth,

Left leg goes up.

Big circles with that left knee.

Underneath the body,

It opens out to the left,

Up and around.

Four more.

Letting some of the blood come down instead of always congealing at the feet,

It rests now toward the head.

Last big circle,

Left foot lands down.

Inhale right leg up to the sky back behind you,

Left heel still heavy.

And bring that right foot through between the hands,

Setting it down.

Left knee comes down,

Untuck the toes and you'll fold over that right leg.

It's called ardha hanumanasana,

But it's just this folding in,

Getting the back of that right leg connected,

Breath filled.

Inhale will come up on the fingertips,

Lengthen the heart forward,

And then exhale,

Fold in as if the forehead would rest on that right shin or the crown of the head toward the top of the right foot.

Again,

Inhale,

Lengthen.

Exhale,

Fold in.

Take three more breaths like that.

Inhale,

Lengthen.

Exhale,

Folding.

Inhale,

Exhale,

Folding.

Last one,

Inhale,

Exhale.

Now take both hands inside that right foot,

Bending the right knee.

We'll make big circles with that knee bent.

The knee circles around to the right,

Big circles with that right knee,

Letting some,

Again,

Breath wash through that right hip,

Through the ankle,

Even around the base of the foot.

In this last circle,

You can let that right knee fall open to the right.

You can use that right hand high up on that inner right thigh to just press it away slightly.

So as the right knee falls away from your body,

The right hand pushes in,

Spin the heart up to the sky.

Again,

More of that space and breath through the side body.

Beautiful both hands down,

And we'll bring it back,

Downward facing dog.

Left leg up to the sky.

And bringing that left foot through between the hands,

Drop the back knee down,

Untuck the toes,

Folding over that left leg.

Inhale,

Lengthen the spine.

Exhale,

Fold in.

Inhale,

Curl the heart forward.

Draw the left hip back.

Exhale,

Fold in.

Three more.

Inhale,

Curl open.

Exhale,

Melt in.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Last one,

Inhale,

Exhale.

Both hands inside the left foot,

Bend the left knee.

We'll make the circles with that left knee.

So as if it's drawing a circle around that left ankle,

Just above it.

Again,

Bringing some spaciousness,

Breath through the hips,

Calming the mind,

Slowing down the busy of the thoughts.

Beautiful here.

Let that left knee fall open.

You're on the outer edge of that left foot.

You can simply just spin the heart to the left or take the left hand high up into that inner left thigh.

Give it a little extra push away and add to that twist.

Beautiful.

Release both hands down.

Come back onto your hands and your knees.

Here open the knees as wide as the mat and bring the hips back toward the heels.

We'll come into extended child's pose.

Here with the hips back by the heels,

Look forward.

Inch your fingertips forward.

Imagine they're moving away from the hips.

As they move away from the hips,

Hands come to prayer and then prayer up to the sky.

Meaning your fingertips face the ceiling,

Pressing the elbows lightly down and wrapping the shoulders open,

Washing breath through the shoulders.

From here,

Walk the hands way over to the right.

Place the left hand on top of the right,

Reaching through that side body,

Letting that left sit bone sink back and down.

Reaching the hands way over to the left,

Right hand on top of the left.

Reach,

Reach far from that right sit bone and slowly come back toward center.

Here come all the way up.

Sit back behind the heels.

Bring the base of the feet together and the knees open.

Baddha Konasana,

You can hold the thumbs on the inner arches of the feet.

Rise up through the crown,

Root through the sit bones and then exhale,

Fold forward.

You can use your elbows and the inner thighs.

Again,

More breath and space throughout the hips,

Forehead close to the ground or if not,

On the earth.

Resting the face,

Softening behind the eyes and the throat.

Imagine that a whole new day awaits you.

So in this moment,

Resting,

Softening,

Releasing.

Pull the chin into the chest,

Pull the belly back to the spine,

Slowly rounding up.

You'll come all the way back onto your back.

Keep the base of the feet together and the knees open.

Take the right hand under the heart,

The left hand under the low belly.

This is Supta Baddha Konasana.

This bound angle with the base of the feet together as we let the back of the head and the back of the body rest down into the ground.

Take a deep inhale into both hands.

Heart and intuition and low belly,

Sip it in.

Open the mouth,

Exhale.

Again,

Inhale.

Open the mouth,

Exhale.

Pick the hands,

Let them rest here heavy onto the chest.

You can remain here for Shavasana for a final resting the body in a Supta Baddha Konasana position or you can extend the legs out and come in,

Back to the hands on the earth.

This would be for the Shavasana variation.

The day that has passed is at your back,

Done,

Completed.

No way to relive it,

No way to redo it.

The day that is to come is somewhere in the future,

But no way to be there now.

So we rest in the moment,

We soften.

You can remain here a bit longer or when you're ready you can take your hands outside the knees if the knees are open,

Hug the knees into the chest and roll little circles around the sacrum.

Simply rolling softly to your right or if you're pregnant to the left and come seated.

Right hand under the heart,

Left hand under the low belly,

Feel your breath,

Feel your body,

Feel your heartbeat.

Feel yourself ready to let go.

Allow yourself to rest and restore.

The mantra Ganesha Sharanam is into the doorway,

The gateway,

The protection of a new breath,

A new moment,

Letting yourself move into that,

Letting go of past and future.

Thank you for joining me as we restore,

As we slow it down,

Allowing the body to move toward rest.

Om Ganesha Sharanam,

Sharanam Ganesha.

Thank you.