Gentle Yoga Flow For Stress Relief & Deep Relaxation

This 25-minute gentle yoga flow invites you to slow down, soften, and reconnect with your body. Through simple stretches and slow, mindful transitions, we gently release tension and create space—especially in the spine, shoulders, and hips. You’re encouraged to listen to your body and move with awareness, guided by breath rather than effort. Suitable for all levels, especially when you’re feeling stressed, tired, or in need of deep relaxation. Soft background music supports a calm, grounding atmosphere.

Transcript

Welcome and thank you for joining this gentle yoga flow.

This is a short and gentle flow designed to bring soft movement into the body and create space through simple nourishing stretches.

You are invited to move slowly,

Listen to your body and let this practice be guided by sensation rather than shape.

There is no rush,

No goal,

Only the invitation to feel,

To breathe and to move with kindness.

When you are ready,

Come to a comfortable space where you can move freely,

Perhaps on a yoga mat,

A carpet or a soft surface.

Let's start in a comfortable seated position,

Either cross-legged or on your knees,

Finding gentle length in the spine,

Softening the shoulders and you can let your wrists rest on your knees.

If it feels comfortable,

Gently close your eyes or keep a soft gaze on a point in front of you.

Now let's take a deep inhalation through the nose and sigh it out through the mouth.

Let's do that a few more times at your own pace and with every exhale softening the shoulders a little bit more,

Taking your moment to arrive here,

Arriving in your space,

Arriving on your yoga mat or carpet,

Noticing the contact with the surface below you,

The weight of your wrists resting on your knees.

Now bring your attention to your breathing without changing anything.

Simply observing the gentle movement of your breath within your body.

Feel how with every inhalation your belly,

Your sides,

Your chest gently expand and with every exhale they contract again.

Now make your next inhale a little deeper and through the nose,

Breathing in through the nose and out.

Now see if you can make your inhalation and exhalation even in length at your comfortable pace.

For example,

Inhaling for four counts and exhaling for four counts,

Stabilizing your breath a little bit more and set the intention to maintain this comfortable steady breathing throughout this gentle practice.

You can choose to keep your eyes closed or gently blink them open.

Now slowly bring your hands in front of your belly button,

Interlacing the fingers and on your next inhalation straightening out your arms,

Facing your palms all the way up towards the ceiling,

Finding length in your spine,

Gently opening the chest and breathing.

On your next exhalation,

Gently bend to the right side,

Keeping both sit bones grounded,

Opening the left flank and shoulder.

Maintain connection with your breath.

On the next inhalation,

Come all the way up again,

Find length in the spine and exhale,

Bend to the left side,

Opening the right flank and sending the breath towards your right side.

On the next inhalation,

Come all the way up again and exhale,

Gently lower your arms to the sides,

Bring the arms behind your back.

On the next inhalation,

Interlace your fingers behind your back,

Straighten your arms a little bit more,

Bringing the shoulder blades together and opening the chest,

Gently look up.

On the next exhale,

Starting from the pelvis,

Slowly fold forward,

Surrendering to gravity.

Relax the neck here,

Shoulders away from the ears and maybe lifting your fist a little bit more towards the ceiling.

On the next inhalation,

Very slowly come all the way up again,

Release your fingers and let your wrists rest back on your knees again,

Softening the shoulders.

Now on your next exhalation,

Lower your left ear towards your left shoulder,

Taking a moment to feel the gentle stretch reaching from the bottom of your right jaw to your right shoulder.

Keep breathing.

Maybe lower your right shoulder a little bit more if there is space for this.

On the next exhalation,

Gently roll your chin towards your chest,

Bringing the right ear towards the right shoulder.

Again,

Find stillness here and feel how with every exhale you're inviting a little bit more space on the left side of your neck.

On the next inhalation,

Roll your head back,

Make half a circle,

Left ear to left shoulder.

On the next exhalation,

Roll all the way to the front and make full neck circles here at your own pace.

Consciously noticing how the stretch shifts from the side of your neck to the front,

To the other side,

To the back.

On your next inhalation,

Change direction.

Notice how with every movement and every breath,

You bring more space,

More softness into your neck and throat.

Now gently begin to make the circle smaller and smaller,

Like a spiral,

And slowly coming to a standstill.

Take a moment here to notice the space and openness you've created in your neck and throat.

On your next inhalation,

Gently straighten your arms in front of you at shoulder height,

Spreading your fingers,

Palms away from you.

Maintain this position on your exhale,

And on your next inhale,

Open your arms to the side,

Bringing your shoulder blades together and opening your chest.

On the exhalation,

Gently bring your arms back to the front.

Let's do that two more times.

Inhale,

Opening the arms.

Exhale,

Gently closing.

One more time.

Inhale,

Opening while maintaining length in the spine.

And exhale,

Closing.

Now inhale,

Keep your arms in front of you at shoulder height,

Fingers spread.

On the next exhale,

Shift your weight forward,

Grinding your hands into the mat,

Finding your way to tabletop position.

Bring your shoulders over your hands,

Your hips over your knees.

Equalize your weight over both hands and knees.

Taking a moment to arrive here.

On the next inhalation,

Gently look up,

Lower your belly,

Roll your shoulders away from your ears,

Arching the spine.

On the next exhalation,

Present to your hands,

Bringing your chin towards your chest,

Looking towards your belly button,

Rounding the spine.

And make these gentle cat-cow movements at your pace,

Guided by your breath.

One more inhale and exhale here.

And on the next inhale,

Come back to your neutral tabletop position.

Exhale.

And on your next inhale,

Begin to circle your weight forward over your wrists.

On your exhale,

Gently shift your hips back towards your heels.

Inhale,

Circling to the front.

Exhale,

Circling to the back.

Feel how your weight shifts from one hand to the other,

From one knee to the other.

Move at your own pace,

Guided by your breath.

Now slowly change direction.

Inhaling to the front,

Exhaling to the back.

You might begin to invite a little more movement here.

Perhaps bringing your elbows,

Your shoulders,

Your hips,

Even your head into the circles.

Feel where your body is inviting more space.

It doesn't matter how it looks.

Simply move in a way that feels good.

Gently begin to make the movement softer.

Your circle smaller and smaller.

Slowly spiraling back towards the center.

And coming to a standstill.

Now bring your knees a little wider apart,

Big toes together.

And on the next exhale,

Lower your hips towards your heels.

Straightening your arms in front of you,

Finding your way into child's pose.

Connect with your breath,

Softening your shoulders,

Your lower back and hips.

Take a few gentle breaths in this safe position.

Stay here for two more breaths.

Now on your next inhale,

Softly bring your gaze forward to the space between your hands.

And bring your hips up and forward again.

Sliding your left hand back,

Your right hand back underneath your shoulders.

Placing your lower legs parallel again.

Equalizing the weight on hands and knees.

Now on the next inhale,

Curl your toes into the mat and gently straighten your legs.

Walking your hips from side to side.

Lowering heel by heel towards the mat.

Finding a gentle stretch in your calves and hamstrings.

Relaxing the neck.

And now step by step in your forward fold,

Start walking your feet towards the front of the mat.

Let your upper body relax a little bit more.

Your arms,

Your shoulders,

Your neck and your back.

Grab your elbows and gently rock from side to side.

Releasing tension with every exhale.

Lowering your chest a little closer to your upper legs.

Now come to a standstill.

Now very slowly and mindfully roll yourself up vertebra by vertebra.

Last part that comes up are your shoulders and your head.

Take a moment to arrive in your standing position.

Softening the shoulders.

Relaxing the arms.

The hands.

Now on your next inhale,

Gently circle your arms up to the sides.

Bring the palms together,

Finding length.

On the next exhale,

Turn your palms away from each other.

Circling the arms down while folding forward from the pelvis.

Arriving in your forward fold.

Relax your upper body again.

Letting your chest sink towards your upper legs.

On the next exhalation,

Start bending your knees as needed to place your hands into the mat.

And return to your tabletop position.

Equalizing your weight.

On the next exhalation,

Walk your hands step by step forward.

Keeping your hips above your knees.

Lowering your chest towards the mat.

Coming into puppy or melted heart pose.

Maybe grounding your forehead into the mat.

Find opening in your chest and shoulders.

Connect with the breath.

And stay here for two more breaths.

Now on the next inhalation,

Ground your upper arms into the mat.

Sending your hip forward.

Straightening out your legs behind you.

Coming into sphinx pose.

Relax the legs.

Your shoulders are on top of your elbows.

Bring your chest maybe a little bit more between the upper arms if there is space for this.

If this is too intense,

Walk the elbows slightly forward for a gentler backbend.

Connect with your breathing.

Softening the lower belly with every exhale.

Now stay here for two more breaths.

Now on the next exhalation,

Place your hands on top of each other.

Slide your elbows forward and rest your head on your hands.

Completely relax the front of your body.

Softening the shoulders.

Feeling gentle energy in your lower back spreading throughout your body.

You can choose here to wiggle your hips gently from side to side.

Creating a little more space,

A little more softness in your lower back.

Now gently wiggle out and come to a standstill again.

On your next inhale,

Lift your forehead from your hands and ground your hands next to your ribs.

Gently press into your hands,

Sending your hips back again towards your heels.

Lower your hips all the way down.

Ground your forehead into the mat and send your arms back to soften the shoulders.

Bringing complete softness to the lower back.

Stay here for three more breaths.

And feel how with every inhale your belly gently presses into your upper legs.

Massaging your organs.

And in this way we gently support our digestive system.

On the next inhale,

Bring your arms to the front and gaze towards the space between your hands.

Lift your hips up,

Finding your way back to tabletop.

On the next inhale,

Curl your toes into the mat,

Straightening the legs.

And walk the hips again from side to side.

And walk your feet back to the front of the mat in your forward fold.

And on the next exhale,

Soften your upper body,

Your shoulders and neck a little bit more.

And slowly roll yourself up,

Vertebra by vertebra.

Arriving in your standing position.

And on the next inhalation,

Circling the arms up again through the sides,

Palms together,

Finding length.

On the exhale,

Lower your hands into namaste in front of the chest.

On the next inhalation,

Circle the arms up again,

Gently opening the chest,

Look towards your thumb.

And on the next exhale,

Keep the palms together and fold forward from the pelvis.

Relax your arms,

Your upper body.

And on the next exhale,

Bend your knees,

Place one hand in front and one hand behind.

Lower yourself back into a seated position.

Gentle length in the spine,

Softness in the shoulders and let your wrists rest on your knees.

Close your eyes again if this feels comfortable.

Arriving back at your starting position.

Now take a moment to feel into the effects of this practice.

Can you notice any difference from where we started?

Maybe a physical difference?

An energetic difference?

Maybe a mental difference?

Accept whatever is present,

Without judgment.

Now reconnect with your breath,

Noticing the gentle movement.

Now begin to slow down your breathing.

Inhaling deeply,

Slowly.

And softly exhaling.

Bringing more calmness.

Preparing for our final position,

Savasana.

Feel with the inhale the space you're creating within your body.

And with every exhale a little more relaxation.

Notice the breath moving more and more slowly.

Now at your pace on your next inhalation,

Let's take a deeper long inhale here.

And on the exhale,

Lower yourself fully into the mat.

Let your legs fall open comfortably.

Arms away from the body,

Palms facing up.

Arriving in your well-deserved savasana.

Take your moment here to rest completely.

And integrate the benefits of the practice.

Let your body get heavy.

Held by the mat.

Allow every muscle and cell to soften a little more.

Enjoy your savasana.

And stay here as long as you need.

This is the end of this gentle yoga flow recording.

Thank you.

Namaste.