Deep Release & Relaxation Yin Yoga

Experience a slow-paced, deeply restorative practice focused on releasing tension throughout the entire body. Through long-held postures and mindful breathing, this 40-minute session is designed to unwind tight muscles, soothe the nervous system, and cultivate a profound sense of inner calm. Ideal for anyone looking to melt away stress and promote deep physical and mental relaxation.

Transcript

Hi there. Welcome to class. I'm Keith. It's nice to meet you on your mat again. We're going to do a very gentle yin practice right now. You could do it without props, But as always with yin, If you have a pillow or a block around the house, Feel free to grab it. I'll give you options to use it, But again you should be fine without. We're going to start in child's pose. So bring your big toes to touch, Your knees out nice and wide. Just start to wiggle your hips back toward your heels. Allow your forehead to rest. If you're newer to yin yoga, Very passive. You get time to connect with yourself, Your breath, And relax your body. Big breath into the back of your heart through your nose. Big sigh out the mouth. Two more, Just like that. Inhale. Last one. Exhale it out. Start to breathe deeply in and out of your nose. Just notice where your body can relax. Your face, Your chin. Maybe there's some sense of relief that you made it onto your mat, And this is a gentler practice. You get lots of benefit without having to push. Three more breaths here. Notice where your mind can relax. Again, Your hips. Big breath in through the nose. Open mouth. Exhale. Let it go. Just slowly start to crawl yourself back up into a tabletop position, And I'll open it up for you here to move any way that feels good in your body. So yin practice is mostly longer holds, But between sets right now, Just kind of notice any fluid movements your body wants. Take them. You can roll out the hips, Head, Neck, Cow. We might get into some places that feel uncomfortable, But try and let the practice feel good as you work out any kinks and cobwebs in the body. We're going to set up lizard next. So we're going to come into it from tabletop. Step your right foot to the outside of your right hand. Your toes can point out a little bit. Just check out your knees go in the same direction as your toes, And your knees feel safe. Choice to crawl the left knee back a little bit, And then right away movement might feel good just to kind of arrive, Feel into it. We're here for a little bit, So don't go to the edgiest most intense place in the yin practice. You can stay on your hands. You can even stay on fists if that feels better in your wrists. Choice to come on to your forearms, And then maybe a pillow or some blocks under your head. So just spend those first few moments to feel into your release point. A little bit of movement is good, And we're going to hold for a couple minutes. So you might get into a position and then realize it's too much. Back away a little bit. Big breath into your hips, Through your nose. Open mouth, Exhale, Sigh it out. Deep breaths in and out of your nose. Maybe close your eyes. The aim is to observe your body and allow it to open and relax in the pose versus force or effort into it. It's very different to other styles of yoga. You just continually scan your right hip, Your lower back. If there's anywhere you're clenching that you don't need to be, Soften, Unclench, Send breath moment by moment. We're here for a little while. How can your mind let go and deepen into the experience here? Can you relax just a little bit more into the shape around the tip of your tailbone, Your sacrum, The front of your pelvis. Unclench here. A few more moments. Take your time. If you're on your forearms, Be gentle. Coming back up. Choices for the counter pose. You might take movement. I like to come back in the tabletop, Even give the leg a quick little shake. Down dog is there. Just listen to your body. Notice what it wants after the long hold. No right or wrong here. You might notice your right and your left feel different. That's part of it. We'll get to the other side. So when you're ready, Take your left foot now to the outside of your left hand. Start to crawl your back knee a little bit further back, And then I like a little bit of movement just for the first few moments. Just kind of feel into it. One side might feel different to the other. Okay, So explore the right placement of your hands. Make sure your knees feel safe. Allow your head and neck to relax. You just kind of find that sweet spot where there's a little bit enough sensation. Plenty of breathing room though. Deep breath in through the nose. Open mouth, Exhale, Sigh it out. And then this is the shape for the next few minutes. It's really more of a meditation practice than a physical practice. You go into these containers. You might notice the urge to fidget or your mind gets busy. Take open mouth exhales. Keep coming back to your left hip with your awareness. And moment by moment, Notice where you can let your muscles kind of melt, De-stress, Unclutter. Just practice. All right, Oftentimes you feel like you've relaxed to the maximum in the pose, But then we stay for another minute, Several more breaths, And there's layers to kind of melt in more deeply. Just watch and allow inner experience here. A couple more breaths here. Take your time. Come back up and then gradually start to find your counter pose on the other side. Several breaths. Find movement or stillness and just let that settle. Big opening in the hips. We're going to stay with the hips for our next one. We're going to get into the outer hips here with pigeon pose. So you'll take your right knee to the outside of your right wrist, Ankle towards your left wrist. Crawl your left toes back. You could take a block under or pillow under your forehead, Your chest, Otherwise just start to crawl your chest down. Same deal. Feel into the release point for the first few moments and then settle in. I find an open mouth exhale at first in the pose. Let your nervous system, Your body know that it can relax and drop the armor a little bit and unclench. Relax your face. Relax around the tip of your tailbone and just sort of watch where energy can flow and open in your body. Where does this feel good? You melt in a little bit more. A few more exhales. Take your time. When you feel ready, Start to come back up. Good. Give your hips some movement. Same counter pose options as lizard. You can lift the leg, Shake it, Down dog might feel good. Make it a gentle one. If you do, I like to just come back in the tabletop, Move a little bit. We're going to go to the other side. Take your left knee to the outside of your left wrist. Start to crawl your right toes back a little and then take your time. Start to crawl forwards, Out, And down and feel into it. Keep this nice meditative focus. It's a different sort of conversation with your body in the end. Just giving yourself time to slow down, To let any stress that we might be holding drift away. Just send breath into your body. If your mind gets stuck or you feel like you come up against stuck energy in the body, You can use sound or an open mouth exhale. Give yourself what you need and you relax a little bit more. A couple more breaths here. End on a cleansing breath together. Inhale through the nose. Open mouth exhale. Take your time. Come back up and then find your counter pose again. Let's do a couple cat-cows here. Two rounds. Inhale, Cow, And exhale. Drop your tailbone, Lift the back of your heart, Cat. One more. Inhale and exhale. Good. Come back to neutral. We're going to do the heart opening pose, Sometimes called the puppy pose. So we'll stay on the knees. You can always put a blanket under them if they're sensitive. Take the tops of your feet down and then you'll just take your hands forward. Let your forehead come down. You can also take it to a pillow. You can take your chin down. It's a little intense for the inversion where we're holding. And then, Last variation, For some it feels better to take your hands to touch your thumbs to the back of your neck. You might adjust your elbows for that one. Deep breath in through the nose. Let gravity melt your chest as you exhale out the mouth. And then really breathe into the back of your heart, Back of your shoulder blades, Your armpits. Just notice where breath can get in. All those areas of your lungs, Bottom lungs, Top of your lungs. Just coming in with fresh energy every exhale, Letting any stagnation out. Notice if there's an urge to push or force or progress. Let that go. Notice what happens if you back off. Notice where your muscles can unclench. Can you create space in your middle back? Can you also relax in your hips? Not too much longer here. Open mouth exhale. Good. Roll forwards onto your belly. Take a little pillow for your forehead. Can wiggle the hips a little side to side. Just let that settle. Good. Take your right arm out. Come on to your right temple, Right side of your head, And onto your left fingertips. Bend your left knee and take it up and over to the right. Good. A couple choices here. You can make sure also that your right palm is face down. With your left hand, You can stay on fingertips. It's a nice support. You can take the palm down. You can take a half bind. Don't force it. It's mostly about your right shoulder blade. I like to keep the left fingers as a kickstand. I also find playing with the tilt of the head and the neck. Taking it back even like an inch could really deepen into the neck and upper shoulder. Then really breathe into that right armpit region. With your legs, For some, This approach with the bottom leg straight, Top knee bent doesn't feel good. You can do the opposite. Bend the bottom knee, Straighten the top leg, And just lay both legs on top of each other. Just kind of explore whatever feels most sustainable, And then breathe. Really good for posture. Reversing all that time on the phone where the shoulders tend to round fold. All you have to do is just be here. Let the benefits of the pose take effect on your body. You just get out of the way. Three more breaths. Deep breaths. Good. Roll back onto your belly. Just a minute with that. Not quite a minute, A moment rather, With a little pillow for your forehead. Switch it out. Take the opposite arm out. Come on to your right fingertips. Roll over onto your left. Play with the angle of the head and the neck, The bottom leg, And the top leg. Again, Rearrange to make it feel sustainable, And then start to breathe into your left shoulder blade, All the areas around your left lung. Create space in the shoulders. Visualizations welcome. You can take inspiration from nature. You can see the breeze behind me or the water. Just imagine your breath kind of moving into those tight parts of your body like a breeze. Just gently creating space, Not forcing. Cleansing. Inhaling. Full exhales. Good. Take your time. Roll back onto your belly. Make yourself a little pillow again. Just feel, Pause. Let that settle. A couple more. You're doing great. Sphinx. One more heart opener. So take your shoulders under your, I'm sorry, Your elbows under your shoulders. I'm nice and relaxed in the Yin mode here. Palms face down. Good. Relax your shoulders away from your ears. Take the tops of your feet down. Now without actually doing much, Just imagine your feet get heavier. They're like weights to anchor your legs, And then imagine the same thing with your tailbone. Let your tailbone be like a weight at the end of your spine. Good. Feel how that presses into the ground. There's a reverberation and a subtle lift of your heart. It's light. Imagine a light lift through the crown of your head. Relax the muscles in your face, And then the angle of your head and neck is really up to you, Right? You don't want to yank it all the way back or force anything. So just kind of feel what position of the head and neck is the least efforting for you. Find it, And then breathe into the front of your heart. Fronts of both lungs, From the bottom to the top of your lungs. Maybe close the eyes. Relax those muscles in your low back, Right next to your spine, Middle back, Upper belly. Same deal. You just scan your body from top to bottom, And notice all those places you can unclench without getting caught up on doing this correctly or perfectly. Let that go. A couple more breaths. If you want to go deeper, You can take seal where the hands extend out at 45 degrees. Lift the chest. We're not here long. You could always stay in Sphinx. A few more moments. Good. Exhale, Let it go. Let the forehead come down. Wiggle the hips as needed. Go ahead and press in the tabletop. Roll over onto one hip. Take your legs out in front of you. We'll do one more. We'll get into the legs. Forward fold. This could be a nice one for props if you like them. Again, It's not necessary. You can sit on a pillow or a block. You can also take a pillow or a block under the knees. And then we will fold forward. The last place is to take props under your forehead. But again, I'm showing you without props, So it's not your most intense forward fold where you're pulling. You can grab behind your calves, Maybe tops of your feet. A bend in the knees is okay. And then let your head and neck go. This one could get intense quick. Relax around your tailbone, Lower back, Forehead. Breathe. Relax through your face, Head and neck, Shoulders, Hips. And you relax right around the tip of your tailbone. Three more breaths. Good. Take your time. Let your head and neck be the last pieces to come up. Once you're there, Options for the counter pose. I like to just lean the head and the chest back. You could even lift the hips, But that gets much more active. Feel free to take your head and neck in a nice circle. And then come on to your back. Shavasana. Take your arms out, Palms face up. Take your legs out. Relax through your jaw. Let your bones be heavy. Give your whole body to gravity here. Big breath into your heart, Through your nose. Big sigh out. Let it all go. Just be. Be in this moment here, Right here, Right now. It's only here once. Nothing to change or do. Just settle and relax. Soften. I'm gonna leave you here. Take all the time you need. Even if it's one breath to seal in your practice, Do so. Go slow as you transition to the rest of your day. No rushing. You feel good. Much love. Namaste.