Yin Yoga Winter Practice

This is a slow, quiet practice for the winter - the most yin time of the year, when we naturally slow down and turn inwards. Postures are held for five minutes with long periods of silence and we take a long rest in child pose between many of the postures, allowing you the time and space to turn inwards for deep, meditative practice. We practice banana asana, child's pose, baby/low dragon, melting heart, dragonfly, reclining twist, and savasana.

Intro Music by NaturesEye
Photo by Raul Koženevski

Transcript

Welcome to your yin yoga practice.

Before we begin just take a moment to make sure that you have everything you need for your practice today.

You'll need a yoga mat and if you're in a cooler climate make sure you have a blanket to cover yourself with during the relaxation at the end.

You may also need to support your body with props in some of the postures.

If you have yoga blocks those are great but you can also use cushions or pillows or a folded blanket to support yourself and if you have a yoga bolster that may be useful too.

So make sure that you have some of those with you in case you need them.

Yin yoga is a passive practice where postures are held for several minutes to stretch into the connective tissues.

These tissues are delicate and can be injured if they're stretched too forcefully or intensely.

It's good to be able to feel that something's happening but you should never be forcing a stretch or pushing yourself into a position and you never want to be feeling any physical pain as you practice.

Pain is a signal from your body that the position that you're in is not safe or beneficial for you so if you do feel pain at any time come out of the pose.

You can come into a resting position until the next posture or you can move back into another posture from the class that you didn't experience any pain in.

If you have any injuries or health conditions make sure to consult with your doctor before starting a new practice.

Yin yoga can have many benefits for health and recovery but it is important that your body is suitably recovered,

That the stretches will benefit the tissues and won't potentially make the injury worse.

So do please check with your doctor first for your safety.

As this is an audio session I will talk you in and out of the postures verbally but if at any time you're unsure of the posture and don't know if you're in the right position you can always pause the recording and do a quick internet search to bring up a picture.

I've included names for all of the postures so that you can easily do this if you need to.

We're going to begin today's practice lying in Shavasana.

So come to lying on your back,

Taking your legs apart so that your feet fall out towards the corners of the mat and bring your arms a little away from the sides of your body with the palms of your hands facing upwards.

Close your eyes and bring your awareness to your breath.

As you watch the air flowing in and out of your body give yourself permission to put any thoughts or concerns from the day to one side for now and bring your awareness completely into your body for the practice.

Follow the flow of the breath and observe the gentle movements of the chest and the abdomen as you breathe in and out.

Today's practice is a practice for the winter time although it can be done at any time of the year.

The winter is the most yin time of the year.

It's dark,

Cold and a time when we naturally turn our energy inwards.

We'll be moving very slowly as we go through the postures today and you have plenty of time to rest in each posture.

And if you have an intention for today's practice bring that intention into your awareness now.

Whatever your reason for showing up to practice today,

Perhaps for a physical or energetic release,

For deep stretching,

For meditation and inner exploration,

Whatever your intention for practicing today,

Bring that intention into your awareness and take a moment to acknowledge it.

We'll just take a few more breaths here in Shavasana.

Continue to observe how the air flows in and out of your body.

Observe the changing shape of your body as you breathe in and out.

And from here we're going to move into banana pose.

We'll start with moving the right foot to the left.

So bring your right foot to meet your left foot.

You can either bring the ankles together or cross the right ankle over the left ankle.

Move your upper body towards the left so that your body comes into a curved banana shape.

Bring your arms over your head and take the right wrist into the left hand and relax the arms over the head.

Relax into the posture and feel into the sensations that arise in your body here.

Scan over your body to see if there are any muscles that you can relax a little more.

Perhaps in the thighs or the shoulders.

If there are any places that feel a little tight or uncomfortable,

Send a breath into those places to help encourage the release.

Inhale into the tight or uncomfortable area and feel the exhalation carrying some of that tension away.

We'll just take a few more breaths here.

And slowly come back out.

Bring the right foot back to the right corner of the mat.

Bring the upper body back to the centre.

Release the arms back to the sides.

And take some breaths here to observe how your body feels.

To notice any effects from the posture.

Now we'll go to the other side.

Bring the left foot to meet the right.

Either bringing the ankles together or crossing the left foot over the right foot.

Bring the upper body towards the right.

Take the arms over the head.

Taking the left wrist into the right hand.

And relax into the posture.

Keep breathing into any areas of tension.

Feeling the exhalation assisting with the release.

We'll stay here for one more minute.

Slowly make your way back out.

Bring the left foot back to the left corner of the mat.

Bring the upper body back to the centre.

Release the arms back to the sides.

And observe any after effects from that posture.

Slowly bend your knees to bring your feet to the mat.

Roll to one side and come up onto your knees.

Next we'll come into a wide child's pose.

So bring your big toes together and open the knees out to the side of the mat.

Sit down onto the heels and bring your chest forwards to the mat.

Extending your arms towards the front corners of the mat.

We're going to be coming back to child's pose to rest several times during this practice.

So take your time to make sure that you've found a comfortable child's pose for yourself.

If you find it challenging to sit all the way back to the heels,

Take some support onto the heels to sit on.

Either a block or a cushion.

And if your head doesn't comfortably come down to the mat,

Rest your head onto a block.

Or you can stack your forearms and rest your head onto your forearms.

Scan over your body here to see if there are any muscles that you can relax.

And observe the sensations that arise for you here.

We'll just take a few more breaths here.

Slowly walk your hands in to come back up.

And make your way up to your hands and knees.

Bring your knees under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders.

And next we're going to come into dragon pose.

We'll start by bringing the right leg forwards.

So step your right foot forwards between your hands.

Making sure that the right knee is aligned above the right ankle.

Turn the left toes under behind you,

Lift the left knee and take the left leg back.

Taking the left knee back to the mat with the weight just above the kneecap.

And relax into the posture here.

Remember to breathe into any uncomfortable areas.

If this position is giving you exactly what you need,

You're welcome to stay here.

Or if you'd like to go a little bit deeper,

Now bring the right hand to the inside of the right leg.

And step the right foot out to the right side of the mat.

If you have the flexibility and can come down to your forearms without feeling like you're forcing a stretch,

Come to your forearms here.

Otherwise stay on your hands.

Keep breathing.

We'll just stay here for a few more breaths.

Take your time to make your way back out.

Be mindful to move slowly and carefully.

We don't want to put any sudden stress on the tissues after stretching them so deeply.

Slowly take your right leg back behind you.

And from here we're going to come back into child's pose.

So bring the toes together,

Open the knees to the sides of the mat.

And sit back into your child's pose,

Taking any support if you need to.

Feel into your body and observe any sensations.

Any effects from that last posture.

We'll just stay here for a few more breaths.

Slowly walk the hands in to come back up.

And make your way back to your hands and knees to come into dragon on the other side.

Step the left foot between the hands.

Lift the right knee and take the right leg back.

Placing the right knee back down with the weight just above the kneecap.

And relax into the posture.

Often one side feels very different to the other.

So observe the new sensations that come up for you on this side.

You're welcome to stay here if this position is feeling best for you.

Or if you'd like to go a little deeper,

Bring the left hand to the inside of the left foot.

And step the left foot towards the left side of the mat.

Either staying on your hands or perhaps coming to the forearms if that's accessible for you.

Remember to keep breathing.

And slowly make your way back out.

Take care to take your time.

Bring the left leg back behind you.

And we'll come back to rest in child's pose again.

So bring your toes back together.

Sit back onto the heels.

Take your chest and head towards the mat.

Rest here and observe.

Slowly walk the hands in to come back up.

And bring yourself back to your hands and knees.

Next we'll move into melting heart pose.

So make sure that your hips are lined up above your knees and your toes are pointing backwards.

And keeping the hips in line with the knees,

Walk the hands forward so that the chest drops towards the mat.

You can take your forehead or your chin to the mat.

Or if it feels more comfortable,

Rest your head onto a block for support.

Relax into the posture here.

Make sure that the shoulders are relaxed.

That the thighs are relaxed.

And observe the new sensation.

In traditional Chinese medicine,

The winter is considered to be the season of the water element.

It is the most yin of all the seasons and elements.

And the organs connected to the water element are the bladder and the kidney.

So our postures today are targeting those energy channels.

And in this posture,

We're especially working with the kidney meridian.

Which runs from the little toes,

Up the inner legs,

Up the front of the body to the collarbones.

The kidney is considered to be responsible for our courage and wisdom.

And a healthy flow of chi through the kidney brings us clear perception,

A rational mind and gentleness.

And problems with the kidney energy can cause feelings of fear,

Paranoia,

Loneliness or depression.

So as we work to harmonise the flow of energy through the kidney meridian today.

Along with the physical release,

We're also encouraging these positive qualities of clarity,

Courage,

Gentleness and wisdom.

Slowly walk your hands in to come back up to your hands and knees.

We're going to take one more child's pose here.

So bring your toes together,

Open your knees to the sides of the mat.

Sit back to your heels and rest into child's pose.

Walk your hands in to slowly come back up.

And from here,

Make your way to sitting.

Next,

We're coming into dragonfly.

For dragonfly,

Come to sitting with the legs apart.

And if it's challenging for you to sit upright like this,

Sit onto a block or a folded blanket.

Take a breath in to lift your chest and lengthen your spine.

And exhale to fold forwards between your legs.

Come forwards until you feel your edge,

That point where you suddenly feel more intensity,

Like your body is saying stop.

And relax into the posture here.

Relax your thighs.

Relax your shoulders.

Allow your head and neck to relax.

Breathing into any areas of tension.

Exhale to feel some of that tension release.

The kidney meridian is paired with the bladder meridian,

Which is what we're working with in this posture.

The bladder meridian runs from the inside of the eye,

Over the top of the head,

Down the back of the body and the backs of the legs to the little toes.

A healthy flow of qi through the bladder can bring us confidence,

Courage,

Enthusiasm and healthy self-expression.

And problems with the bladder can cause feelings of fear,

Anxiety and an inability to make decisions.

So as we hold this posture and encourage qi to flow freely through the bladder meridian,

We're encouraging those positive qualities of courage,

Enthusiasm,

Confidence and healthy self-expression.

Slowly walk the hands in to bring the spine back up to straight.

Take your time to move slowly and carefully.

And from here bend the knees to bring the feet to the mat and gently rock the knees from side to side to feel any after effects from that posture.

Sometimes it's these few moments when we come out of the pose when we really feel the work that the posture has done for us.

And from here make your way to lying on your back for a twist.

Bend your knees and bring the knees in towards the chest,

Keeping the feet and the ankles together.

Take the hips a little towards the right so that you have space to move the legs to the left.

And keeping the knees and the ankles together,

Drop the knees to the left side.

Take the left hand to rest on the right thigh and bring the right arm up to a diagonal angle.

You can keep your head looking straight up or if it feels comfortable for your neck,

Turn to look over the right shoulder.

Relax into the twist here.

Take the left hand to the outside of the left leg and slowly push the knees back to the centre.

Take the feet to the sides of the mat and drop the knees in together.

And take some breaths here to observe.

And we'll twist to the other side,

So bring the knees back into the chest.

Shift the hips slightly over to the left and drop the legs to the right.

Rest the right hand onto the left thigh.

Bring the left arm up to a diagonal angle,

Either keeping the head looking straight up or turning to look over the left shoulder.

And relax into the twist.

This is our last posture before the relaxation.

Slowly come back up.

Bring the left arm back to the left side and the knees back to the centre.

Take the feet to the sides of the mat and drop the knees in together.

And take some breaths here to observe any effects from that posture.

And it's time for our final relaxation.

You're welcome to stay here if this position feels good for you.

Or otherwise,

If you want to come into Shavasana,

Bring the legs to straight,

Taking the feet a little wider than the hips.

Make sure that you're going to be warm enough here.

Put on any extra layers or cover yourself with a blanket if you need to.

And if you want to take any more support for your body,

A cushion or a block under your head,

Or a rolled up blanket under your knees,

Take anything that you need so that you can enjoy these next few minutes of relaxation.

To help you to relax more deeply,

I'm going to talk through some different parts of the body.

Allow your awareness to rest at each point,

As I name it.

There is nothing else that you need to do.

Nothing that you need to think about.

Just rest the awareness at each point as its name.

Beginning at the eyebrow centre.

Rest the awareness at the eyebrow centre.

And the space between the collarbones.

Rest the awareness at the space between the collarbones.

The right shoulder.

The right elbow.

The right wrist.

The right hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

The right wrist.

The right elbow.

The right shoulder.

The space between the collarbones.

The left shoulder.

The left elbow.

The left wrist.

The left hand thumb.

Index finger.

Middle finger.

Ring finger.

Little finger.

The left wrist.

The left elbow.

The left shoulder.

The space between the collarbones.

The centre of the chest.

The left side of the chest.

The centre of the chest.

The right side of the chest.

The centre of the chest.

The navel.

The lower abdomen.

The right hip.

The right knee.

The right ankle.

The right big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe.

The right ankle.

The right ankle.

The right knee.

The right hip.

The lower abdomen.

The left hip.

The left knee.

The left ankle.

The lower abdomen.

The left big toe.

Second toe.

Third toe.

Fourth toe.

Little toe.

The left ankle.

The left knee.

The left hip.

The lower abdomen.

The navel.

The centre of the chest.

The space between the collarbones.

The eyebrows.

The brow centre.

The top of the head.

Begin to make some small movements to reawaken the body.

Slowly move the fingers and the toes.

The hands and the feet.

And bring the arms up over your head to give yourself a long stretch down the sides.

Take your time,

There's no rush to come back up.

When you feel ready,

Bend your knees and bring the knees into the chest.

And rock gently from side to side to ease out the lower back.

Keeping your eyes closed,

Roll to one side and come up to sitting.

Come to sitting with the eyes closed.

And take a few breaths here to observe your body.

Notice any effects from your practice in your body.

And observe any effects on your mind and your feelings.

Notice how you feel right now.

And when you're ready,

Slowly open your eyes.

This brings us to the end of the practice.

Thank you for joining me today.