We're going to begin the practice lying in Shavasana.
So make your way onto your back and come to lying with your legs a little wider than hip distance apart.
And with your arms at your sides,
With the palms of your hands facing upwards.
We'll be here for a few minutes.
So if you want to support yourself here you might like to take a pillow or a rolled up blanket under your knees or under your feet.
Or a pillow under your head.
This is a practice for the morning time.
And if you like,
You can even do this in bed.
And allow yourself to slowly wake up as you move through the postures.
But even though this is intended as a morning practice,
You can also do this practice at any time of the day if that works better for you.
So now just bring your awareness into your body.
And feel the feeling of your body lying upon your mat or your mattress.
Feel into your body and notice how your body is feeling this morning.
There's no need to analyse or think about anything that you feel.
Just observe whatever sensations are there.
Observe any feelings that arise as your body slowly wakes up this morning.
And now bring the awareness to your breath and notice how your breath is flowing this morning.
Follow the flow of your breath.
Watch the air as it flows into your lungs.
Watch your chest gently expanding with the inhalation.
And follow the breath back out again as you exhale.
Observe the way the breath is flowing for you right now.
Notice if your breath is fast or slow.
Notice if it flows more into your chest or more into your belly.
There's no need to think about it too much.
Just observe the breath however it is flowing for you today.
We can usually feel the breath flowing into the chest and into the abdomen with each inhalation and exhalation.
But the breath can also be felt all over the body each time you breathe in and out.
Notice the very subtle movements that happen throughout your body with every breath.
Can you feel the breath flowing into your arms and your hands?
Into your legs and your feet.
Into your faith.
As you breathe,
Feel the breath flowing into every part of your body.
Feel the breath entering into your hands and your feet.
Into your face.
Into your internal organ.
Energizing every cell of your body with fresh oxygen as you begin the day.
And if you like,
You might like to visualize golden rays of sunlight entering into your body with every breath.
Welcome the morning sunlight into your body.
Breathe the golden sunlight into every cell.
And now slowly bring your breathing back to normal.
And we'll begin with our first posture of the day.
We'll come into a yin version of the wind releasing pose.
So bring the legs together.
And then keeping the left leg straight,
Bend the right knee to bring the right knee in towards your chest.
Take your hands around the right leg.
Just below the knee.
And relax the legs Relax the right thigh.
Relax the left thigh.
Relax the feet.
Relax the shoulders.
Observe the sensations you feel in your body here.
And slowly release the right leg back to straight.
Take a few breaths here to observe any effects from that posture.
And we'll do the left side.
So bending the left knee now.
Bring the left knee in towards the chest.
Take hold of the left leg just below the knee.
And relax into the posture.
Remember,
In yin yoga,
We always want to be at our edge,
At the point where we begin to feel like there's something happening,
But where it's not so intense that we can't remain in the posture for a few minutes.
And we never want to be forcing the posture or pushing ourselves into a huge stretch.
Especially first thing in the morning,
Our bodies are usually a bit more stiff after being asleep all night.
So we want to be very gentle as we start to wake our bodies up.
Now slowly release the left leg back to straight.
And take some breaths to observe how your body feels after that posture.
Now let's bring both legs up together.
Bend the knees and bring the knees in towards the chest.
And clasp the hands around both legs.
Relax the leg.
Relax the feet.
Relax the arms and the shoulders as much as is possible whilst still holding the pose.
And observe.
Observe the sensations you feel in the posture.
Notice what your body feels as it slowly begins to awaken for the day.
There's no need to think about why anything in your body feels the way it does.
Just observe and feel.
And slowly release the leg.
Bring the legs back to straight.
And take a few breaths here to observe any sensations.
Any effects from that posture.
We're going to come into reclining pigeon pose.
So from here bend the knees and bring the feet to the mat keeping the feet and the knees at hip distance apart.
Now bend the right knee and bring the right foot to rest on the left thigh.
Keeping the right knee pointing out towards the right.
Bring the right ankle into a right angle.
And if you're already feeling some sensation here and this is giving you enough intensity.
You can remain here.
Otherwise bring the right hand between the legs.
And clasp the hands behind the left thigh.
Lifting the left foot and gently draw the left thigh in towards you until you reach your edge.
When you start to feel some more intensity.
And relax into the posture here.
Observe what you feel.
We often associate yin yoga with the evening.
As the night time is considered to be a yin time.
Where the mornings and the daytime are considered to be more young.
But first thing in the morning is a great time to practice yin yoga,
Because the muscles are usually cold after being still for the night.
So we can easily stretch into the fascia.
And beginning the day with yin yoga gives us the opportunity to release tension from the night.
And to feel more relaxed in our bodies for the whole of the day to come.
We're going to stay here for one more minute.
If your left leg is lifted,
Bring the left foot back to the mat.
Keeping the right foot on the left thigh.
From here we're going to move into a twist.
This one is usually called twisted root.
So now slide your right leg all the way over the left leg.
So that the right thigh crosses over the left.
If you have the flexibility you might like to tuck the right foot behind the left ankle.
Or otherwise just keep the foot on the outside of the left leg.
Bring the left hand to the outside of the right thigh and bring the legs all the way down to the left.
Keep the left hand on the right side to help anchor the legs down.
And open the right arm out towards the right.
If your right shoulder lifts up you can place a block or a pillow under the shoulder for support.
And relax into your twist.
Just scan over your body now and see if there are any areas that you can relax a little more.
Is there anywhere where the muscles are clinging?
Your thigh.
Your shoulders.
Are your feet relaxed?
It's when the muscles are relaxed that we can stretch more deeply into the connective tissues.
So continue to observe and encourage any areas of tension to relax.
We'll just stay here for a few more breaths.
And now slowly make your way back out of the twist.
Bring the right arm to your side.
Take the left hand to the outside of the left leg.
And push the legs back up.
Unwind the leg.
And bring the feet back to the mat or the mattress.
Keeping the feet at hip distance apart.
And just allow the knees to drop together here.
And take some breaths to observe your body.
Observe any sensations or effects from those postures.
Now we'll do the other side.
So bring the knees back to facing upwards.
And bring the left foot to rest on the right thigh.
Making a right angle at the left ankle.
You can stay with the right foot on the mat or bring the left hand between the legs.
Lift the right foot and take hold of the back of the right thigh.
Gently draw the right leg towards you until you reach your edge.
And relax into the posture.
Notice if there are any places that you can relax a little more.
Perhaps the hips.
This eye.
The shoulders.
And we'll just stay in this one for a few breaths more.
If your right foot is lifted,
Release the foot back to the mat.
And release your arms back to the sides of your body.
And we'll come into twisted roots on this side now.
So cross the left leg all the way over the right.
Perhaps hooking the foot behind the right ankle,
If that's accessible for you.
Take the right hand to the outside of the left leg.
And push the legs all the way down to the right.
Keeping the right hand on the left leg as an anchor.
And open the left arm up and out to a diagonal angle.
Looking over the left shoulder if that's comfortable for your neck.
And relax into the twist.
If there are any places that feel especially tight or uncomfortable.
You can use the breath to help encourage those areas to release.
As you inhale,
Breathe into those tight or uncomfortable places.
And as you exhale,
Feel the breath carrying some of that tension away.
Just a few more breaths here.
And slowly make your way back out.
Bring the left arm back to the left side of the body.
Take the right hand to the outside of the right leg.
And push the legs back to the centre.
Unwind the feet.
Take the feet back to the mat at hip distance apart.
And drop the knees back together.
Take some breaths here to observe.
And from here we're going to make our way up onto our hands and knees.
So bend the knees in towards the chest.
Roll over to one side and slowly make your way up.
Bring your knees under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders.
And we'll do a few cat cow stretches here.
To wake up your spine for the morning.
As you inhale,
Relax the belly towards the mat.
Arch the chest forwards between the armpits and look up towards the ceiling.
And exhale to draw the belly in towards the spine.
Bring the chin to the chest.
Round the back.
Inhale,
Drop to the belly.
Bring the chest forward.
Look up.
Exhale round the back,
Bring the chin to the chest.
To a few more of these in your own time.
Now bring the spine back to neutral.
We're going to do some dragon poses.
If you have sensitive knees and you want to give your knees some extra support,
You could take a folded blanket under the knees.
And when you're ready,
Bring the right foot forwards and step the right foot in between the hands.
Making sure that the knee is aligned with the ankle and isn't coming too far forward.
Turn the left toes under.
Lift the left knee and take the left leg back slightly.
Bringing the knee back to the mat with the weight just above the kneecap.
And relax into baby dragon.
Relax the hips and the thighs.
Relax the feet.
You're welcome to stay here if this is giving you exactly what you need right now.
Or otherwise now make your way into dragon flying glow.
Bring the right hand to the inside of the right foot.
And step the right foot out to the right edge of the mat.
Keep the hips and the thighs relaxed.
If you have the flexibility and it's accessible for you.
You might like to come down to rest on your forearms here.
Otherwise stay on your hand.
From here we'll move into Winged Dragon.
So just let the right leg open out to the right,
So that you come onto the outer edge of the right foot.
Staying on your hands or perhaps resting onto your forearms.
Sending the breath into any uncomfortable or tense area.
And now bring the right foot back to flat on the mat and we'll move into twisting dragon.
Take the right hand onto the right thigh.
Keeping the left hand on the mat.
And turn the head to look over the right shoulder.
There's no need to force yourself into a big twist here.
We're just coming to that place where you start to feel like something is happening.
And slowly make your way back out.
Bring the right hand back to the mat.
And step the right leg back behind you.
Take your time to move slowly and carefully.
Bring the right knee back under the right hip.
And we're going to come into downward facing dog as a counter pose So now turn the toes under and lift the hips up into the air.
Releasing the head towards the mat.
Come up onto the tips of your toes and press into your hands to lever your hips as high as you can.
Relax the neck and the head.
And now slowly begin to lower the heels towards the mat,
Keeping the hips lifted and the legs straight.
And exhale to bend the knees.
Bring the knees back to the mat,
Point the toes away and sit back onto the heels.
Coming into child pose.
Rest the forehead down to the mat.
Or support your head with a block or your folded arms.
Relax into the posture.
And observe any sensation.
Any feelings?
Any effects from those dragon poses.
Take your hands to the mat and slowly come back onto your hands and knees.
And we'll prepare to repeat those dragon postures on the opposite side.
So now step your left leg forwards between your hands.
Making sure that the knee is aligned with the ankle.
Turn the right toes under and step the right knee back.
Taking the knee to the mat with the weight just above the kneecap.
Relax into the posture.
We usually have one side that's much tighter than the other.
So this side may be a completely different experience for you.
Observe whatever's happening for you here today.
Either staying here or making your way into Dragon Flying Low.
Bring the left hand to the inside of the left foot.
And step the left foot out to the left edge of the mat.
Staying on the hands or perhaps coming down to the forearms.
But remember,
You never want to go beyond your edge.
Keep breathing into any areas of tension.
And from here moving into winged dragon Open the left leg out to the left.
Coming onto the edge of the left foot.
Continue to observe the sensation.
Keep breathing.
Bring the left foot back to the mat and take the left hand to the left thigh for twisting dragon.
Turn the head to look over the left shoulder.
And take your time to come back out.
Bring the left hand back to the mat.
And slowly step the left leg back behind.
And we'll come back into downward facing dog here.
So turn the toes under.
Lift the head.
And release the head.
Push the hips up towards the ceiling.
And keeping that height in the hips.
Slowly lower the heels towards the mat.
If you want to stretch out the backs of the legs.
Bend the right knee and straighten the left leg.
Pressing the left heel down to the mat.
And bend the left knee,
Straightening the right leg.
Do this a few more times.
And now bend the knees.
Bring the knees to the mat and sit back into child's pose.
Take the hands to the outsides of the knees.
And slowly curl the spine up to straight.
And next we're going to come into Dragonfly.
So bring yourself to sitting with the legs apart.
Open the legs to a comfortable distance where you'll be able to stay for the next few minutes.
And if it's challenging for you to sit with the spine upright.
Sit onto a block or the edge of a blanket.
If the backs of the legs are tight,
You can also support the knees by placing pillows or blocks under the knees.
Now take a breath in to lift the spine.
And exhale to fold forward.
Releasing the head to the mat between the legs.
Keep the legs relaxed.
The thighs relax.
The neck and the shoulders relax.
And observe what you feel We're going to stay in these last two postures a little longer.
So we've got two more minutes here.
Slowly walk the hands in to curl the spine back up to straight.
Take your hands to the backs of the knees and bend the knees bringing the feet to the mat.
And just rock the knees from side to side here.
Observing any sensations that arise after that posture.
And from here we'll come into caterpillar pose.
So now bring the legs to straight,
Keeping the legs together this time.
Again you can sit onto some support if it's challenging for you to sit upright.
Or take some support under the knees if the legs are tight.
Take a breath in to lift the chest.
And exhale to fold forwards over the legs.
Coming to your edge.
And once you reach that edge,
Stop here and relax into the posture.
Using the breath to help encourage the release observing the sensations that arise for you here.
Slowly curl back up and bring the spine back to straight.
And we're going to come into a back bend here as a counter pose.
So keeping your legs as they are.
Bring the hands to the mat behind you.
Turning the hands so that the fingers point back towards your feet.
Press into your hands to open the chest.
Lift the chest up towards the ceiling.
Feeling the whole of the front of the body opening.
And exhale to release and it's time for Shavasana.
So make your way down onto your back and come to lying with your legs apart and the feet falling open to the sides.
And if you'd like some support,
You could take a pillow under your head or a rolled up blanket under your legs or your feet.
And now bring your awareness to your breath.
And just watch the breath naturally flowing in and out.
Observe the chest gently rising and falling with the inhalations and exhalations.
As she breathes.
Imagine that your breath is like a wave.
Gently flowing over your body.
As you breathe in,
The wave washes from your feet up to your head.
And as you breathe out it washes from your head back to your feet.
And with every exhalation.
Feel that wave washing away any remaining tension from your body.
Feel it washing away any thoughts or feelings that you don't need to carry with you into your day.
Feel it washing away anything that doesn't serve your greatest well-being.
And now gently let the wave go as you permit yourself these next few minutes of complete relaxation.
Very slowly start to make some small movements to reawaken the body.
Begin to move the fingers and the toes.
The ankles and the wrists.
And bring your arms up over your head to give yourself a long stretch down the side Bend the knees and bring the knees in towards the chest.
Hug the knees.
And rock gently from side to side here.
Feeling the lower back massaging into the mat And when you're ready,
Keeping your eyes closed rolled to one side and come up the city.
Come to sitting with your back straight and with your eyes closed.
Bring the palms of the hands together in front of the chest.
And just take a moment here before we finish.
To make a positive intention for yourself for the rest of your day.
What quality would you like to invite into your day today?
Would you like to feel peaceful?
Happy.
Inspired.
Relax.
Connected.
Take a moment to invite that quality into your day.
And picture yourself moving through your day carrying that quality with you.
See yourself moving through all of the activities you have coming up today.
Embracing that quality.
See yourself flowing through your day with ease.
And see yourself carrying this quiet peacefulness that you've cultivated during your practice.
With you into every moment of your day today.
And when you're ready,
Gently open your eyes.
This brings us to the end of this morning's practice.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
