Evening Wind-Down | Yin Yoga

An evening Yin Yoga session to release tension from the day and encourage a peaceful night of deep sleep. You will need some props for this one: either an empty wall space or a chair, one or two blocks, and you may find a blanket useful too. We practice legs up the wall, supported bridge, snail/reclining butterfly, reclining twist, banana, and Savasana with a Yoga Nidra-inspired guided relaxation. Please note: As this practice encourages deep sleep, please do not listen while driving or operating heavy machinery.

Transcript

We're going to begin today's practice with legs up the wall. So find an empty wall space and bring your mat up to the wall so that the short end of your mat is lined up against the wall. To come up, Lie on your side next to the wall with your knees bent and swing the legs up so that the legs rest vertically against the wall and the upper body rests onto the mat. We're going to be in this position for a few minutes, So make sure that you're comfortable. If it feels better for you, You might like to place a folded blanket under the hips. Take the arms to wherever feels best for you, Perhaps by your sides or stretched out in line with the shoulders or up over the head. And if you don't have a wall space available or if this isn't right for your body today, You can also use a chair. Place the chair at the end of your mat with the front of the chair facing your body and lie on the mat with the legs lifted up onto the chair so that the lower legs rest onto the chair. Wherever you are, Make sure that you're feeling comfortable and relaxed. Close your eyes and feel into your body. This evening practice is intended to help you to unwind and release tension from your day and to help encourage sound and peaceful sleep. But the practice can be done at any other time of the day if that's more convenient for you. As you rest here, Observe how your body's feeling this evening. Just notice any sensations that are present in your body right now. And begin to send the breath into any areas of tension or discomfort. Scan over your body for any places that feel tight or uncomfortable. And as you breathe in, Send the breath into that area. As you breathe out, Feel the exhalation carrying some of that tension away. Continue using the breath to help encourage any tension to gently release. Send the breath into as many places as you need to, Feeling the exhalation encouraging each area to let go. There are many health benefits to lying with the legs up the wall. This position stimulates the lymphatic system, Encourages good circulation and supports the nervous system, As well as being a very supportive position for our legs to rest in to receive some rejuvenation and recovery if we've been on our feet all day. So we'll just stay here a little bit longer to continue receiving those benefits. And now slowly come out, Bend the knees and roll onto your side, Bringing the legs back down. And then move back on your mat to bring yourself to lying on your back with the legs extended. You can move your mat away from the wall now, If that gives you a bit more space for the rest of your practice. And if you've been using a chair, Just move the chair to one side for now, But keep it nearby as you may want it again later. We're going to come into supported bridge pose, So have your block nearby for this one. Staying on your back, Bend the knees to bring the feet to the mat at hip distance apart. Now press into the feet to lift the hips and thighs up towards the ceiling. And now take the block under the sacrum, Placing it in its lowest position so that it gives you the most space to rest down onto. And lower the back so that the sacrum rests onto the block. You can keep your knees bent here or straighten the legs. As we move through the different postures this evening, We'll continue using the breath to encourage the body to release. Scan over your body here and notice if there are any places that feel more tight or uncomfortable. Breathe into those areas and feel the exhalation carrying some of that tension away. We'll stay here for a minute longer. To come out, If your legs are straight, Bend the knees and bring the feet back to the mat at hip distance apart. Press into the feet to lift the hips and slide the block out from under you and slowly roll back down to the mat. Drop the knees together and take some breaths here to observe any feelings from that posture, Any sensations in the body. Our next posture is Snail Pose. Snail is an inverted position and it's not suitable for everyone. So if you have any neck issues, High blood pressure or for ladies on their cycle, Come into Reclining Butterfly instead. Bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees open out to the sides, Supporting the thighs with blocks or cushions if that's the most comfortable for you. And bring the arms to the sides or over the head, Keeping the elbows relaxed. If you haven't practiced Snail before and you're new to inverted postures, You may also benefit from practicing Reclining Butterfly today and learning Snail in an in-person class first, Just to be sure that you're practicing this one safely, As it is a little more complicated for the body and there is more risk of injury in this one. And if you are coming into Snail, Bend the knees and roll the knees over the head, Taking the feet to the mat behind your head. If your feet don't come all the way to the mat, You can support the feet with a block or a stack of blocks or with a chair. You can support the lower back with your hands or if it feels comfortable for you, Straighten the arms with the palms of the hands facing downwards. Keep the knees bent and the spine rounded and relax into the posture. For the safety of your neck, Keep the head still here. Keep the neck straight and don't turn the head. And if for any reason this position starts to cause any feelings of physical pain or if it just doesn't feel right for your body, Roll out of the pose and rest until the next posture. Inverted postures have many benefits, But we always want to make sure we're doing them safely and that we're feeling them as beneficial. Observe the sensations you feel in this posture. And now slowly come out. Bring the arms to the sides, Keeping the arms straight and the palms facing downwards and slowly roll down vertebrae by vertebrae, Feeling each part of the spine connecting back to the mat. Take the feet back to the mat at hip distance apart and we'll lift up into bridge as a counter pose. So keeping the arms by the sides, Press into the feet and roll the spine back up, One vertebrae at a time, To lift the hips and the thighs towards the ceiling. And slowly roll back down vertebrae by vertebrae, Making sure you feel the lower back is making a connection with the mat. Next we'll come into a twist. So now bend the knees and bring the knees in towards the chest, Taking the knees and the ankles together. Move the hips slightly over towards the right and we'll take the legs to the left first. So take the left hand to the outside of the right thigh and bring the legs all the way down to the left, Using the left hand as an anchor to keep the legs down. If it feels better, Support your legs with a cushion or a block and open the right arm up to the right, Taking the arm to a diagonal angle. Either keep the head looking up or turn the head to look over the right shoulder and relax into the twist. Notice if there are any places where you can relax the muscles even more, Perhaps around the thighs or the shoulders. As we release physical tension from the day, We also let go of mental tension, Allowing our minds to become calm and peaceful for the night. So just observe this natural slowing down of your thoughts happening as you remain in the posture for another two minutes. And slowly come back out. Take the left hand to the outside of the legs and push the legs back up to the centre. Bring the feet back to the mat at hip distance apart. Bring the arms back to the sides. Make sure that your hips, Spine and neck are all back to their usual alignment and drop the knees together. Take some breaths here to observe. We'll twist to the other side. So bring the knees back in towards the chest. Move the hips a little towards the left and take the right hand to the outside of the left thigh, Bringing the legs down to the right. Keep the right hand on the left leg. Bring the left arm up to the left corner of the mat. Keep your head straight or turn to look over the left shoulder and relax into the posture. Observing the new sensations that arise for you on this different side. We'll stay here for one more minute. Take the right hand to the outside of the legs and push the legs back to the centre. Bring the left hand back to the left side. Turn the head back to straight and bring the legs back to hip distance apart. Drop the knees together and observe any sensations, Any after effects from the posture. We're going to finish with banana asana. So straighten the legs, Bringing the feet out towards the corners of the mat and we'll move the right leg first. So take the right foot to meet the left foot, Either bringing the ankles together or crossing the right ankle over the left ankle. Now move the upper body towards the left, Bringing the body into a curved banana shape. Take the arms over the head and either take hold of opposite elbows or take the right wrist into the left hand and relax into the posture. Scan over your body to see if there are any places that you can relax a little more. Keep the hips and thighs relaxed, The arms and the shoulders relaxed. Keep sending the breath into any areas of tension and slowly come back out. Bring the right foot back to the right corner of the mat. Bring the spine back to straight and release the arms back to the sides. Take some breaths here to observe. Moving to the other side now. Bring the left foot to meet the right foot, Taking the ankles together or crossing the left ankle over the right ankle. Curve the upper body towards the right, Bring the arms over the head and either take the left wrist into the right hand or take hold of the elbows and remember to be sensitive to where your body wants to be on this side. Usually one side is much tighter than the other, So depending on your body, This side may be a different experience for you. And relax into the posture. This is our final posture before Shavasana and we'll be here for three minutes. Slowly make your way back out. Bring the left foot back to the left corner of the mat. Release the arms and bring the spine back to straight. Take some breaths to observe and it's time for our relaxation, So make sure that you're comfortable. If it feels good for you here in Shavasana, Then stay as you are, Making sure that you're warm enough, Taking a blanket over yourself if you need to. And if you'd like some extra support, You might like to take a pillow or a block under your head or a rolled up blanket under your knees or feet. If it feels better, You can also take the feet to the mat and drop the knees together. Close your eyes and feel your body beginning to relax. And if there's anything from your day that you're ready to leave behind you, Anything that you don't need to carry with you into the rest of your evening, Just picture that leaving you with every exhalation. Feel every exhalation carrying away anything that you no longer need from your day. Any concerns or problems that you don't need to deal with until tomorrow, Any worries, Any stressful events that have been and gone, Feel them leaving with each exhalation. There's no need to go into any details or even to think about what they are. Just know that every breath is carrying away anything that you no longer need for your evening. And to help encourage relaxation, I'm going to talk through different parts of the body. Just bring the awareness to rest at each point as it's named. There's no need to do anything. No need to think about anything. Just move the awareness from point to point. Starting at the eyebrow centre, The space between the eyebrows. And the space between the collarbones. The right shoulder. The right elbow. The right wrist. The right thumb. The right index finger. The right middle finger. The right ring finger. The right 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 thumb. The left index finger. The left middle finger. The ring finger. The little finger. The left wrist. The left elbow. The left shoulder. The space between the collarbones. The centre of the chest. The right side of the chest. The centre of the chest. The left side of the chest. The centre of the chest. The navel. The navel. The lower abdomen. The right hip. The right knee. The right ankle. The right big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth toe. The fifth toe. The right ankle. The right knee. The right hip. The lower abdomen. The left hip. The left knee. The left ankle. The left big toe. Second toe. Third toe. Fourth 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 eyebrow centre. The top of the head. And before we finish the practice, Just take a moment now to visualise the rest of your evening and the night that lies ahead of you and make a positive intention for the rest of your night. See yourself completing any evening activities with ease and peace. See yourself sleeping soundly, Receiving all of the benefits of deep rest. See yourself flowing through your night in the way you most wish to flow through it. And now slowly begin to reawaken the body. Make some small movements with the hands and the feet. And bring the arms up over the head to give yourself a long stretch down the sides. Bend the knees and bring the knees into the chest. Take the arms around the legs and rock gently from side to side, Easing out any tension that remains in the lower back. And when you're ready, Roll to one side and make your way back to sitting. This brings us to the end of our practice. Thank you for practising with me today.