Evening Flow to Unwind and Release | Yoga for Sleep

End your day with this calming evening yoga flow designed to help you unwind, release tension, and prepare for a restful night’s sleep.
This gentle and soothing sequence focuses on mindful movement, stretching, and relaxation to melt away stress from your body and mind.
Perfect for all levels, this practice invites you to create a peaceful evening ritual and reconnect with yourself, no props needed.
Just breathe deeply, relax, and let go of the day.
Come as you are.

Transcript

Hi friend, I'm Laia. Welcome to this 20 minute evening yoga flow to help you unwind and release your day. Start in a comfortable seated position. Bring your hands to your knees or your thighs, Roll your shoulders back and down and lengthen your neck. And take a moment to move your head and your gaze from side to side, Over the right and the left shoulder, Back and forth a couple of times. And then also lift your gaze up and down, Just noticing the colors, The shapes, And the textures of the space that you're in. And eventually bring yourself to stillness, Softening your gaze down or perhaps closing your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose, Letting it expand front to back, Side to side and top to bottom. Open your mouth and slowly let it go. Emptying all the way out. Again, Inhale through the nose. Exhale through the nose or the mouth. Last one, Deep breath in, Letting it expand into every corner, Every crevice of you. And exhale, Softening, Letting a little bit go, Even if it's just 1% of the day. Ground through the sitting bones. Inhale, Reach your arms out and up. Grab your right wrist with your left hand as you lengthen a little bit more. And on the exhalation, Keep your sitting bones grounded and take your arms over to the left, Opening the right side body. Maybe your gaze goes over to the right. Back through center. As you inhale, Switch wrists, Lengthen. Exhale, Keep your sitting bones grounded and lean a little bit to the right, Opening the left side body and perhaps gazing to the left. Back through center as you inhale. And on your exhalation, Release your wrists and slowly roll them as you move your arms all the way down. On the next inhalation, Take your arms out and up, Rolling the wrists the other direction. Unite your palms overhead. And on the exhalation, Draw your hands together in front of your heart, Soften your gaze or close your eyes and just take a moment to consider your day. Perhaps you think of a good idea or you think about the things you did, The places you went, The people you spoke with. Or perhaps you choose to consider your day energetically. How did you feel throughout? And either way, Consider that every single thing in your day brought you here and now. Can that be enough? Deep inhalation. Slow exhalation. Open your eyes. Inhale, Take your arms out to the sides. Stretch through the fingertips. Gaze up if you'd like. And on the exhalation, Take your right arm over the left at the elbows, Bend them and take your hands to our opposite shoulders as you round your back and gaze down. Inhale, Lift your torso. Open your arms wide to the sides. Lift your gaze. Exhale this time, Left arm over right. Bend your elbows, Give yourself a hug and round. Inhale, Open up. Stretch your fingertips out to the sides. Exhale, Bring your hands to the floor behind you. Walk them back as much as you need. Feel the space here. Lift your chest and stay. Or maybe also lift your hips. Deep breath in. Exhale, Slowly lower your hips back down if you lifted them. Ground through the sitting bones and on your inhalation, Reach both arms all the way up. Stretch through the fingertips. Face your palms forward. And on the exhalation, Bend your elbows, Shoulders level, Coming into cactus arms. Lift through your chest a little more, Breathe in. Breathe out, Take a twist to the right, Staying here. Or maybe your left hand lands on your right knee and your right hand can land behind you. Lengthen through the spine a bit more as you inhale. Perhaps twist a little bit more to the right as you exhale. Inhale, Take your right arm straight up. And on the exhalation, Keeping your left hand on the right knee, Lean a little bit toward the left, Opening the right side body. Inhale, Come up. Reach both arms up, Face your palms forward, Stretch. Exhale, Bend your elbows into cactus. Lift your chest, Breathe in. Breathe out, This time twist to the left and stay here with cactus arms. Or release your right hand to the left knee and your left hand behind you on the floor. Inhale to lengthen more. Exhale, Perhaps to deepen the twist as long as that allows for your breath to be full, Expansive, Relaxed. Inhale, Extend your left arm up toward the ceiling. Exhale, Lean as little or as much as you want toward the right. Find a stretch on the side body. Inhale, Slowly back to the center. Reach both arms up. And on the exhalation, Lower your hands in front of you. You could stay with the legs crossed as they are or switch the cross for a moment just to switch it up. And then start to walk your fingertips forward. Maybe your elbows eventually find the floor and your forehead relaxes down. And you can stay in stillness or gently let yourself sway from side to side. The important thing is that you breathe and that you notice how it is that you arrive at the end of your day. One more breath. And then slowly pausing at the center, Lift your chest back up. Slide your legs to either side and bring yourself to a child's pose. Big toes together, Knees separate. Send your hips back toward the heels and either make a pile with your fist and rest your forehead down or extend your arms forward with your palms facing down and take your forehead to the earth. And just give yourself a moment once again to remain in stillness or maybe gently sway your hips side to side and massage your forehead from temple to temple as you breathe in and out. Letting yourself feel what's there to be felt and considering the spaces where you're holding on to tension that perhaps it has served its purpose but you're ready to release. Deep inhalation. Slow exhalation. Press yourself up, Coming into hands and knees, A tabletop position. Align your knees directly underneath your hips and spread your fingers wide underneath your shoulders or if you'd rather keep your wrists neutral, Make fist with your hands here. And take a moment to create any movement that serves you. This may be moving your hips from side to side. It could also mean creating circles with your hips. First one way and then the other. Any movement, Anything that serves you, What do you need? What will bring balance to your day right here on your mat as you are without having to put too much effort into it. Simply inviting release and gentleness. One more breath wherever you are and then eventually pause here. Take a deep breath in a new tabletop. And on your exhalation, Tuck your toes under and walk your hips back toward the heels. You could keep your hands on the ground. Notice the sensation that arises on the sole of the feet or maybe your hands come up to your thighs as you lift your torso up. Wherever you are, Notice the stretch through the soles of the feet and let yourself feel the sensation for as long as you want. Once you've had enough, Of course, Come out of the shape. And if you find discomfort here, Perhaps consider a point in your day today where you felt discomfort. And here on the safety of your mat, I invite you to just take a really deep breath in through the nose and really sigh it out, Making sound. Take your hands to the floor, Lift your toes off the floor and either tap them onto the ground or maybe create circles with your ankles one way and then the other. Inhale. And on your exhalation, Lower your toes back down. Slide your knees a little bit further back so that you can bring your entire body down onto the belly. Make a pillow with your hands and rest your forehead down. And for a moment, Wiggle your hips from side to side, Breathing in and breathing out. Extend your right arm straight out from the right shoulder, Palm faces down, Bring your right ear to the floor. Left hand under your left shoulder, Bend your left knee. Inhale. And on your exhalation, Press onto your left hand and roll toward the right side. Your left foot may plant behind your right leg. And your left hand could remain on the floor in front of you or perhaps on your inhalation, You take your left arm up. And on the exhalation, You let it open up and back, Keeping your palm facing up toward the ceiling as if you were holding a bowl of soup. Take a deep inhalation, Opening a little bit more. And on the exhalation, Slowly bring both hands back down, Bring your forehead back down. Hands underneath the shoulders, Press into the palms. Inhale, Lift your chest for a moment. Coming into Cobra. Exhale, Slowly lower down. And this time, Bring your left ear down. Extend your left arm straight up, Palm faces down. Bend your right knee, Right hand under the shoulder. Stay here. On your next inhalation, Press into your right hand and roll toward the left. Right foot will plant on the floor behind you. Knee faces up toward the ceiling. Breathe here. On your next inhalation, Right arm lifts up. And on the exhalation, It opens up and back. One more breath, Inhale. And on the exhalation, Slowly bring yourself back down to the abdomen. Both hands underneath your shoulders, Forehead to the floor. Or if you'd rather, Bring your arms next to the body with the palms facing down. And on your inhalation, Either way, Press into the palms and lift your chest. In one place, You are in Cobra, And the other, You're in Locust. If you're in Locust, Bring your big toes to touch. Maybe interlace your hands behind you and lift a little higher. Toes on the floor or lifted, But keep your big toes touching. One more breath, Inhale. And on your exhalation, Release any bind. Make a pillow with your hands. Lower your forehead down. Wiggle your hips side to side. Inhale. And exhale. Bring your hands underneath your shoulders. Lift your chest, Deep breath in. Exhale, Bring your hips back. Maybe stay in tabletop and walk your hands forward for Puppy Pose. Or if you'd rather have a more active pose, Lift your knees off the floor. Lift your hips up and back for Downward Dog. Whether you're in Downward Dog or in Puppy Pose, Take a couple more breaths. Last one, Breathe in. And breathe out. Now bring yourself to tabletop, Or if you're in Down Dog and you'd rather stay there, Stay there. And on your inhalation, Take your right leg behind you. Point your toes to the right and bend your knee. And take three circles with your right hip, Keeping the rest of the body stable. Switch directions with the circles. Inhale, Extend your right leg directly behind you. Point your toes down to the floor this time. Exhale, Right knee to your chest, Right foot between your hands. Perhaps you grab your ankle with your right hand and you help it forward. Your left knee can stay on the floor. You could lift it up. It's up to you. Frame your right leg with both hands. Lift your chest, Inhale. And on the exhalation, Extend your right leg as little or as much as you want. So if your knee is down, You're in Half Split. If your knee is up, You're in a fairly wide Pyramid Pose. Inhale to bend your right knee and lift the chest. Exhale to extend the front leg, Keeping the spine long as little or as much as you want. One more, Inhale for your lunge. Exhale for your Pyramid or your Half Split. This time, Let your heart melt over the right leg a little bit more. One more breath. And on your next inhalation, Plant your right foot, Lift your chest. Your left knee can be on the floor or not. Bring your right leg next to the left for a Plank or a Knee Plank. Breathe in. And as you breathe out, Lower knees, Chest and chin to the floor. Bend both knees, Flex your feet, Hands underneath your shoulders. And as you inhale, Lift your chest, Keeping your hands on the floor. Or maybe you reach your arms back, Thumbs face down as you catch the outsides of your ankles and you lift a little bit more. One more breath, Inhale. And on your exhalation, If you caught your ankles, Slowly first lower down. And then without letting the legs slingshot, Release the ankles, Hands underneath your shoulders. Inhale, Lift your chest for Cobra. Exhale, Press back to Tabletop or if you'd rather, Downward Dog. Take a deep breath in. Let go. This time from Tabletop or Down Dog, Take your left leg up and back as you breathe in. And as you breathe out, Turn your toes to the left and bend your knee. Take a couple of circles one way. And then the other. Inhale, Extend your left leg up and back, Toes point down to the floor. Exhale, Left knee to your chest, Left foot between your hands. Give it some help if it needs it. And again, You can choose if your right knee is on the floor or lifted. Lift your chest up, Breathe in. Breathe out, Extend your left leg as little or as much as you want. Inhale, Shifting forward into the Low Lunge. Exhale, Extend your left leg into Pyramid or into Half Split, Whether your knee is down or up is up to you. One more, Inhale. And exhale, This time letting yourself fold over the front leg just a bit more. One more deep breath in. And out. Bend your front leg, Find yourself in a Plank or a Knee Plank, Breathe in. Breathe out, Lower yourself down to your abdomen. Inhale, Lift your chest. Exhale, This time, Big toes together, Knees wide, Bring your hips back toward the heels into Balasana, Child's Pose. Maybe take a moment here to bend the elbows and roll your wrists. And then slowly press yourself up. Bring either hip to the floor and bring your legs around. You can take a moment here to shake your legs. Roll the ankles a little bit. And then start to draw your right leg over the left. So you bring your right knee directly over the left knee and you're on the outer edge of your right foot, Lengthening your spine here. For some folks, This is plenty of sensation. For some folks, Maybe you lean a little bit to the left and bring your left foot onto the outside of the right hip. So you're sitting between the heels, Yeah? Let your shoulders relax, Lengthen your spine as you breathe in. And as you breathe out, Perhaps you wave your spine forward, Bringing the fingertips to the floor. Feel free to do that two more times. Inhale to lift. Exhale to lower. Inhale to lift. And exhale to lower. Maybe your hands come in front of you on the floor. Perhaps your elbows lower down. Relax your head. Notice where you can soften, Whether that's physically, Mentally, Energetically. And on your next inhalation, Rise up. And you could keep your left leg bent or you could keep it extended. But now draw your right knee up toward your chest. You can even uncross the knee if you want to. Inhale to lengthen. And on your exhalation, Hug your right knee with your left arm, Right hand behind you on the floor and take a twist. Notice the difference between letting your left foot rest or flexing it. One more breath. Inhale. And exhale. Come back to center. Extend your right leg. Take a moment to ground through the sitting bones. Breathe in. And as you breathe out, This time cross your left knee over the right, Coming into the outer edge of your left foot and perhaps stay, Or maybe lean a little to the right and bring your right foot to the outside of the left hip, Sitting between the heels. Ground through the sitting bones, Lengthen. Lengthen your spine wherever you are. Inhale. Exhale, Stay or wave forward. Inhale, Wave up. Exhale, Wave down. Inhale, Wave up. And exhale, Stay or come down just for a couple of breaths here. Whatever sensation arises, Utilize your breath to consider where you can soften and let go or to place your attention. And on your next inhalation, Rise up. Lean a little bit back and either keep your right leg bent as you bring your left foot in front of you on the floor or extend your bottom leg. Inhale to lengthen. Exhale to twist toward the left this time. One more deep breath in. And out. Come back to center here. Extend both legs in front of you. Bend the knees enough that you can let your entire body melt forward and down. Relax your head. One more deep breath in. And out. Lift your head up. Begin to slide yourself down to the floor, Back on the ground. And then for a moment, Extend your legs up toward the ceiling. Extend your arms up toward the ceiling and roll your ankles and roll your wrists. Inhale deeply. And on your exhalation, Hug your knees into your chest. Give yourself an actual hug. Squeeze yourself. Maybe move a little side to side. And then I invite you here to lift your head up and perhaps kiss a shoulder or a hand. Or a knee. And if it feels odd, Do it again. Love yourself a little. Bring your head back down to the floor. Bring your feet back down to the floor. So maybe you stretch yourself out to Shavasana, Extending your arms and your legs and taking up space. Perhaps it's another posture that will bring you to more relaxation to help you fully unwind after this practice. But wherever you choose to go, Give yourself a few minutes here to soften, Release, And surrender. If you have extra time today, I invite you to stay here for three to five more minutes. Otherwise, Start to wiggle your fingers and your toes. Stretch yourself out. Yawn. And eventually roll to one side and bring yourself up. Bring one hand to your abdomen and one hand to your heart. Keeping your eyes closed or your gaze soft. And just notice how you feel after this evening yoga flow to unwind, To relax, To help you let go of the day. And just notice how you feel now. Anything you've released. Any awareness that has risen through this practice. Acknowledge what's truly here. And perhaps repeat within or without, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Take a nice, Deep inhalation through the nose, Filling front to back, Side to side, Top to bottom. And truly let it go. Wow. Once you feel complete, Release the hands, Open your eyes. May you have a relaxing evening. Thank you so much for practicing with me. And I look forward to practicing with you again soon. Take care of yourself and be well.