Yoga To Release Stress | A Calm Urban Practice

Step onto the mat and find your calm in this 15-minute Stress Relief Yoga sequence, designed to soothe both a tired body and a busy mind. Perfect for any time of day, this accessible practice will guide you through gentle yoga postures and breathing techniques that help calm your nervous system and clear away the stress and anxiety that can build up over time.

Feel the city rooftop vibes as you connect to your breath and create a peaceful moment just for yourself. No props or equipment are needed—just come as you are and let this session bring you back to balance and relaxation.

Transcript

Hi,

Welcome,

I'm Laia.

Today's class is perfect for times when you are stressed out,

Anxious,

And overwhelmed.

Those are feelings that can be very difficult to move through and it is important for us to gain tools and have resources that we can grab at a moment's notice to bring us back to being okay with the things that are going on in our lives.

Bring yourself to a comfortable seat.

You can sit however you want to,

Wherever you are.

Take a moment to move your neck,

Move your fingers,

Wiggle anything that needs to be wiggled,

And even let yourself look left and right,

Up and down,

Becoming aware of the space that you're in,

Whether you're indoors or outdoors,

And and eventually bring your head to center.

Now as you inhale,

Make fists with your hands,

Maybe curl your toes as well,

And squeeze your shoulders up toward your ears,

And on your exhale,

Relax the shoulders down and release all the tension.

Let's do that two more times.

Inhale to tighten.

You could even include the muscles of your face.

Exhale to relax.

One more.

Inhale,

Squeeze,

Squeeze,

Squeeze,

And exhale.

Inhale,

Take your arms all the way out and up.

Interlace your fingers and flip your palms up toward the sky or the ceiling.

Stretch out through the arms.

Breathe in,

And as you breathe out,

Lean a little bit toward the right,

Opening up the left side body.

Back to center as you inhale.

Lean to the other side as you exhale.

Bring yourself to center.

Breathe in,

Lengthen a little bit more from your sitting bones all the way up to the hands,

And then as you exhale,

Release the hands,

Making circles with your wrists as you bring the arms all the way down.

Bring your fingertips to the floor next to you.

Ground through the sitting bones again.

Notice the length of your body.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Bring your right ear to the right shoulder.

Inhale,

Bring your neck back to neutral.

Exhale,

Left ear to the left shoulder.

Inhale,

Neck back to neutral.

And on your exhalation,

Relax the shoulders down.

Bring your hands to your lap or your knees.

Take a moment here to perhaps soften your gaze down or close your eyes,

Whatever feels best for you,

And simply listen to the sounds around you,

Sounds of nature,

Of people.

Let yourself become aware of the temperature of the environment that you're in,

And start to notice the edges of your body.

What is it like to be right here,

Right now,

However you are,

However you feel?

Take a deep breath in.

Let it expand into the belly,

The ribcage,

The chest.

Maybe hold at the top.

Open your mouth and sigh it out fully,

Maybe making sound.

Now inhale halfway.

Inhale again.

Exhale fully.

Again,

Inhale with a count of two.

Open your mouth,

Exhale.

Again,

In,

In.

Out.

Do that a couple more times at your own pace.

In,

In.

Out.

One more.

Take a deep breath in through the nose,

Regular breath.

Maybe your arms lift up,

Unite your palms overhead.

And on your exhalation,

Draw your hands together in front of your heart.

Notice how you feel right here,

Right now,

Not just physically and mentally,

But also energetically.

Maybe you notice the energy moving through,

Like warmth,

Or a vibration.

Can you become aware of what is happening right here?

Gathering all the pieces of you that are scattered,

Worried about things of the future or the past.

And perhaps consider that right here,

Right now,

You are okay.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Open your eyes if they're closed.

Bring your hands behind your hips.

And start to bring your feet to the ground in front of you,

A little bit wider than your hips.

And just take a moment to move your knees from side to side,

Creating a little bit of movement into the legs and the hips.

One more breath.

Inhale.

And exhale.

Find another comfortable position.

Maybe you sit the same way.

Maybe you cross the opposite leg in front.

Maybe you choose a completely different seat.

And on your inhalation,

Take your arms all the way up.

And on your exhalation,

Lower your left hand down,

Soften your left elbow,

And reach over with your right arm,

Opening through the side body.

Perhaps your right hand rests behind your head,

Cradling it,

Gazing a little bit higher.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Back to center as you inhale.

Reach both arms up.

And as you exhale,

This time,

Take your right hand down,

Soften the elbow,

And reach over with the left arm,

Finding a little bit more space between each rib cage,

Finding a little bit more space for your breath.

One more inhale.

And exhale.

Go back to center.

Reach both arms up.

Breathe in.

And as you breathe out,

This time,

Take your right hand to your left knee,

Your left hand behind you.

Find length of the spine as you inhale.

And on your exhalation,

Notice if you want to deepen the twist.

It's not necessary,

Though.

But if you do so,

Let it be from the ground up.

Let this spiral of energy rise from the earth upward to the crown of the head.

Now,

Keep your right hand on your left knee,

And on your inhalation,

Take your left arm up.

And as you exhale,

Lean a little bit to the right,

Once again,

Opening the side of the body.

And as you inhale,

Come back up.

Now,

Cross your left arm over your right at the elbows,

And bring your hands to opposite shoulders here.

Maybe you let yourself sway a little side to side,

Giving yourself a hug.

Feel free to squeeze yourself a little with as much love as you can muster for yourself right now,

And then a little more.

Pause the movement.

Inhale,

Take your arms out and up,

Unravel,

Reach up.

And on your exhalation this time,

Take your left hand to the right knee and your right hand behind you for a twist.

Keep your sitting bones as evenly grounded as you can.

Keep your spine as long as you can.

Let the breath take up a little bit more space than you think you deserve.

One more inhale,

And exhale.

Keep your left hand on your right knee.

Inhale,

Reach your right arm up,

And on your exhalation,

Lean a little bit,

Creating some leverage with the arms,

Some more extension,

Some more opening.

Then as you inhale,

Come up,

Cross your right elbow over the left,

Hands toward opposite shoulders.

Stay in stillness,

Or maybe let yourself move a little side to side,

Giving yourself a gentle and loving hug,

Reminding yourself,

I'm doing the best I can.

Breathe in,

Breathe out.

Pause the movement,

Release the arms,

Take them out and up,

Inhale.

And on your exhalation,

Draw your hands together in front of the heart,

And then release them down and start to bring yourself toward a child's pose.

Bring your big toes together and your knees wide,

Send your hips back toward the heels as little or as much as you want.

You could always place a pillow between your hips and your heels,

And same with the forehead.

You could make a pile with your fists and rest your forehead down.

You could use a block,

Or perhaps you bring your forehead down to the earth.

One's not better than the other.

Stillness may feel okay,

But if you rather,

Feel free to move your hips side to side,

Massage your forehead from temple to temple,

Focusing on your breath.

Can you let the inhalation get deeper,

More profound,

More expansive into the body?

And can you allow the exhale to release you and soften you toward the earth,

Even if you just let go 1% more?

Deep breath in.

Long,

Slow breath out,

Softening,

Grounding,

Letting go.

There's nowhere else to be but right here in this moment.

Can you let that be enough?

One more breath here.

On your next inhalation,

Taking your time,

Begin to lift yourself up from child's pose,

And bring yourself to lie down on your back.

Bring your feet flat to the ground,

With your knees facing up toward the sky,

Arms next to your body with your palms facing down,

And then walk your feet a little bit wider than your hips,

And let your knees rest toward one another,

Gently pressing toward the outer edges of the feet.

Your hands could rest next to your body,

Or maybe you bring them to your abdomen,

Or one to the belly and one to the heart.

Letting the back body ground a bit more.

Noticing the support beneath you and around you.

Trusting that no matter what's going on in your life,

No matter what your mind is telling you that could potentially go wrong,

The only way out is through,

And you've got this.

Take a deep,

Deep breath in through your nose.

Fill up your entire body,

Front to back,

Side to side,

Top to bottom.

Open your mouth and let go as much as you can.

Let the earth catch you.

Take one more breath here.

In stillness,

And trust in presence.

Gently open your eyes if they're closed,

Or allow them to remain closed if you want to,

Pointing your knees up toward the sky,

And then slowly start to stretch your legs and your arms up toward the ceiling.

Give yourself a moment to roll your ankles and your wrists.

Maybe you do a little bit of gentle shaking,

Releasing any leftover tension.

Wiggle it out,

And then slowly roll toward either side,

Bringing yourself up to a seated position.

Let your hands rest on your lap or your knees.

Roll your shoulders down and back.

Lengthen through your neck,

And soften your gaze or close your eyes as you once again let yourself observe whatever it is.

The way in which you're seated,

The sensations in your physical body,

The way in which air,

Breath,

Life force is coming in and out,

Expanding and contracting,

Ebbing and flowing,

Just as a reminder of the expansion and contraction of life,

Of the ups and the downs,

Of the light and the darkness.

Take a deep inhalation through your nose.

Perhaps hold at the top,

Reminding yourself of this abundance,

Of this present moment,

Of this opportunity to pause and reconnect with yourself,

And let go.

Take a moment to repeat,

Within or without,

Thank you,

Thank you,

Thank you.

Once you feel complete,

You can open your eyes,

Find a little bit of movement.

I really hope that this practice has helped you release some stress and anxiety,

And that you come back to it anytime that you need just a few minutes to reconnect to the truth,

That you've got this,

That you have everything that you need,

And that you are enough.

Until we meet again,

Take care,

And be well.

Reviews

That was amazing! Exactly what I needed after a very stressful day at work.

Hello beautiful 🌺🎈🌺🎈🌺Thank you so much for the wonderful practice 🏝️🏝️it gives me a deep relaxation and sweet calm feelings 🗺️have a blessed day 🕉️Namaste