At The End Of The Day | Slow-Flow Vinyasa

A class sequenced for the evening hours and leading to Paschimottanasana (seated forward fold).
Learn a mudra to calm the nervous system and activate the relaxation response.
Move through Prostration Namaskaras inviting you to bow with gratitude and reverence to the end of another day and work with the best poses to lengthen the hamstrings and create strength and length in the low back.
This class is ideal for runners.

Transcript

Come to sit on your shins at the back of the mat.

If sitting on your shins does not serve you,

Feel free to place a block under your sit bones or sit cross-legged or even with legs stretched out in front of you.

Bring the hands out in front of you,

Curl the index finger into the root of the thumb and connect the tip of the thumb to the middle and ring finger of each hand.

Extend the little finger out and spin your palms up.

The mudra that you're holding is Apana Vayu Mudra.

Apana Vayu is the downward moving current of energy responsible for elimination.

Elimination not only of waste product on a physical level but also on an emotional level,

Allowing us to retain what we need from life experiences and discarding anything else.

Apana Vayu Mudra combines the benefits of Apana Mudra and Vayu Mudra and it lengthens both the inhalation and the exhalation.

It's one of the best mudras to take at the end of the day to release any stress,

Any tension,

Anything else that we don't want to take with us into the night or the following day.

Take a moment to consider what that might be and as you're ready release the mudra and come on to our fourth tabletop position.

I like to tuck my toes under to stretch out the arches of the feet but I'll leave that to you.

On an inhalation arch your spine,

Tilt your sit bones up,

Exhale chin to chest round.

Continue to move in and out of cat cow at your own pace,

Finding your own rhythm,

Using the breath as a guide.

Find stillness now,

Walk the knees three or four inches behind the hips,

Keep the toes tucked under and begin to draw circles,

Sufi grinds with your hips around your knees from right to left.

The idea is to loosen up the spine in preparation for asana practice.

Continue to slither in and out of your lower back,

Change direction of these Sufi grinds,

Feel free to get the head and neck involved,

Feel free to keep these circles really small.

Find stillness now,

Walk the knees under the hips,

Open the knees as wide as the mat,

Bring your big toes to touch behind you,

Sit back onto your heels and bow in between your legs for extended child's pose,

Reaching the arms forward.

Option to stack one palm on top of the other,

Rest your forehead there.

Begin to cultivate ujjayi pranayama,

Making your breath audible,

Begin to re-emerge from child's pose,

Come back onto all fours,

Parallel your knees,

Tuck your toes under,

Fill up with breath and press up and back into tiger dog,

Knees bent,

Heels lifted.

Option to modify with anahata asana,

Keeping the knees down,

Bend the left knee,

Lifting the left heel up and draw the right heel down as far as is comfortable,

Stretching out the back of the right leg,

Right hamstring.

Come high onto your left toes now,

Bring your right big toe and the toe beside it on the back of the left heel and push the left heel down,

Deepening the stretch in the left hamstring.

As you're ready,

Release the right foot next to the left and switch sides.

Bend the right knee,

Pressing the left heel down now,

Straighten your right leg,

Come onto the right toes and place the left big toe onto the back of the right heel and gently press the right heel down with the help of the left foot.

Release the left foot next to the right,

Open your feet as wide as the mat,

Walk the hands halfway through,

Stay high onto the fingertips or onto a block,

Unlock the knees and begin to counter-reach for a functional forward fold.

Your upper body is reaching forward as your lower body is drawing back.

Engage your inner thighs,

Draw the navel to the spine and feel the tension of opposites here at play.

Keep a strong core and focus on lengthening and decompressing your spine.

Arms are in line with the ears,

Root the inner and outer edges of your feet into the earth,

Walk the hands under the shoulders,

Heel to your feet,

Hip distance,

Bowing a little bit deeper,

Perhaps the knees are bent,

Hold opposite elbows and begin to sway from side to side.

Keep the knees bent and the core strong,

Sway,

Loosening through the side waist,

Come back to centre,

Release the clasp of your elbows and begin to unroll into standing,

One vertebra at a time,

Head comes up last.

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Join your prayer above your head,

Full body vessel mudra,

Exhale,

Draw the prayer to the heart.

And as we prepare to flow at the end of the day,

Take some time to consider what are you leaving behind.

Come to stand at the front of the mat,

Reach the arms out and up on an inhale,

Urdhva Astasana,

Upward salute,

Hold your left wrist with your right hand and on the exhalation,

Side bend to the right.

Keep both arms straight and in line with the ears,

Come back to centre on an inhale,

Switch wrist,

Holding the right wrist with the left hand,

Side bend to the left,

Press the right foot down,

As you lengthen up and over to the left.

Inhale,

Come back to centre,

Separate the hands,

Join your prayer above your head and lengthen.

On an exhalation,

Bring your prayer hands behind the head,

Reverse namaste.

Inhale,

Begin to fold forward,

Arching your spine and drawing your prayer hands in front of your third eye,

Your face,

Your heart.

Fold forward and down,

Uttanasana,

Standing forward fold.

Inhale into a halfway lift,

High onto the fingertips,

Exhale,

Walk it out,

Bring your knees down,

Belly down,

Face down,

Reach the arms forward,

Turn the palms up,

Rest your forehead onto the earth for full prostration.

Fold Dandabra now,

Bring the hands by the side of the chest,

Press everything down,

Inhale,

Reach your chest forward and up for cobra,

Exhale,

Come through bent knees,

Back into downward facing dog,

Lengthen.

Inhale,

Hinge forward into plank,

Bring your knees down,

Open your knees as wide as my big toes touching,

Sit back onto your heels and bow for extended child's pose.

Draw the hands towards you,

Parallel your knees and lift your knees and come into a forward fold at the back of the mat.

Begin to unroll into standing,

One vertebra at a time,

Head comes up last,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Join your prayer and exhale,

Draw your prayer hands behind your head.

Inhale,

Re-extend your prayer hands towards the sky,

Exhale,

Begin to bow,

Drawing your prayer through the central channel.

Inhale into a halfway lift,

Exhale,

Walk it out,

Bring your knees down,

Face down,

Belly down,

Your whole body down,

Full prostration,

Release your toes,

Reach the arms out and up,

Hands in prayer,

Third eye onto the earth,

Spin your palms up in a gesture of deeper offering,

Bring the hands by the side of the chest,

Press everything down,

Inhale,

Reach your chest forward and up for cobra,

Exhale,

Go through bent knees,

Back into tiger dog,

Down dog or anathahasana,

Yogi's choice,

Inhale,

Hinge forward,

Bring your knees down,

Open your knees as wide as the mat,

Big toes touching and bow in between your legs,

Extended child's pose,

Draw the hands towards you,

Parallel your knees,

Lift your knees up and come into a forward fold at the back of the mat,

Keep the knees soft,

Begin to unroll one vertebra at a time,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Join your prayer and lengthen,

Exhale,

Draw your prayer to the heart and close your eyes or rest them on one spot and simply feel into the effects of prostration namaskaras,

Release the arms by the side,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Join your prayer and exhale,

Bend your knees and forward fold,

Inhale into a halfway lift,

High onto the fingertips,

Exhale,

Walk it out to downward facing dog or tiger dog,

Option to drop the knees down and modify with child's pose or anathahasana,

Do what works,

Inhale,

Reach the right leg up and back,

Exhale,

Step your right foot through,

Bring your left knee down,

You're in a low lunge,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Lift out of your low back and exhale,

Release the hands down,

Walk the right foot a little bit more forward,

Come onto the right heel,

Curl right toes to shin and straighten your right leg as best you can for ardha anuman half split pose,

Keep your left hip stacked over your left knee and focus on length,

It's more important that the right leg is active than it's straight,

Continue to curl right toes to shin,

Walk the hands inside the right leg and kickstand your left leg to the right,

Begin to bow in between your straight right leg and your left bent leg in a diagonal,

Staying high onto the fingertips,

Reach back with your hips and feel the length here in your lumbar spine and the opening into the right pelvis,

Right glute,

Right hip,

Walk the hands under the shoulders,

Keep your right leg as it is,

Kickstand your left foot to the back of the mat,

Your back into this variation of half split,

Release the left hand inside the right leg,

Reach the right arm towards the sky for this open twist variation with the right leg straight,

Lean back and shrug both shoulders onto the back,

Release the right hand down,

Re-bend into your right knee,

Frame your right foot,

Hands at either side of the right foot,

Step back into plank with the right leg,

Release your knees,

Chest and chin down,

Inhale into cobra,

Releasing the tops of the feet down,

Exhale go through bent knees into downward facing dog,

Tiger dog or child's pose,

Recommit to ujjayi pranayama,

Notice if you've lost it,

Inhale your right leg up and back,

Exhale step through,

Keep your back knee lifted,

Straighten both legs,

Walk the left foot in about a foot,

Stay high onto the left toes and peel your right toes off the earth,

Curling right toes to shin,

Scissor the inner thighs toward one another and keep a long spine,

Stay high onto the fingertips or on blocks,

If you have the space walk your hands further forward and deepen this forward fold,

Walk the right foot down,

Walk the left foot in a little bit more,

Spin it at a 45 degree angle and bring the whole foot down,

Release the left hand inside the right foot,

Right hand onto the sacrum,

Inhale,

Lengthen your torso towards the front of the mat and exhale,

Twist to the right for this variation of parivrtta trikonasana,

Twisted trikonasana with the right hand onto the sacrum,

Press the outer edge of the left foot into the mat,

It will want to get super light in this pose,

Release the right hand down,

Frame your right foot,

Look forward and step onto your right leg with the left leg up for this variation of a standing split curl,

Left toes to shin and stay high onto the fingertips,

Bring your right hand to the back of the right calf and see if you can bring the left hand to the back of the right calf,

Embrace the wobbling,

Release the hands down,

Release the left foot next to the right and flutter through the lips,

Butterfly breath,

Bring the right hand to the right hip,

Left hand to the left knee,

Bend both knees and come up into standing,

Bringing the left knee into the chest,

Hug the left knee in with both hands now,

Firm up your standing leg and rest your drishti,

Your gaze on one spot,

Stay as you are or if you have the space in the least,

Index the middle finger around the left big toe and straighten your left leg out in front of you,

Stay here or open the left leg out to the side for rotita hasta padangusthasana,

Perhaps reaching the right arm out to the right,

Bring the left leg back to center,

Re-bend your left knee and release the left foot next to the right and shimmy and shake,

Inhale reach the arms out and up,

Urbha astasana,

Exhale bend the knees and fold forward,

Uttanasana,

Inhale into a halfway lift,

Exhale fold in,

Inhale here and on an exhalation step back into plank,

Hold plank for a moment and from the strength of the core press up and back into tiger dog or downward facing dog,

Inhale hinge forward into plank,

High onto your toes,

Bend the knees and press back for shakti waves,

Continue to undulate and making waves with your spine,

Change direction of these waves,

Pushing the knees forward and pressing back,

Doing the opposite of what you just did,

Find stillness in downward facing dog and simply feel,

Inhale left leg lifts up and back,

Down dog kick,

Exhale step your left leg through,

Bring your right knee down,

You're in a low lunge,

Inhale arms reach out and up,

Press the left foot down,

Exhale release your hands at either side of the left foot,

Walk the left foot forward two or three inches,

Come onto the left heel,

Straighten the left leg and bow over the left leg for half split pose,

Blocks are great here,

Keep your left leg active by curling left toes to shin,

Right hip is stacked over the right knee,

If you have the space walk the hands more forward and bow a little bit deeper,

Feel free to stay with the first option,

Walk both hands inside the left leg,

Kickstand your right leg to the left,

You're now facing the long edge of the mat and bow,

Reaching the arms forward,

Folding in a diagonal,

Really stick your butt out here and press the left heel down,

Walk the hands under the shoulders,

Kickstand your right leg behind you,

Come to face the front of the mat,

Release your right hand inside your left leg,

Reach your left arm towards the sky for this open twist,

Shrug both shoulders onto the back,

Draw the navel to the spine and scissor the inner thighs toward one another,

It will help with balance,

Release your left hand down,

Bend into your left knee,

Frame your left foot,

Lift your back knee up,

Step back into plank,

Hold plank and release your knees,

Chest and chin down on an exhalation,

Inhale into cobra,

Slither out of your low back and on an exhalation press up and back into tiger dog,

Down dog or modify with child's pose,

Inhale left leg lifts again straight up and back,

Exhale step through,

Keep your back knee lifted,

Step your right foot in about a foot,

Stay high onto the right toes,

Straighten both legs,

Curl left toes to shin and bow over your left leg for this variation of Parsvottanasana pyramid pose,

Blocks a great ear or stay high onto the fingertips if you have the space,

Walk the hands further forward and bow a little bit deeper,

Length is more important than depth,

Work for a long spine,

Bring your left foot down,

Walk the hands at either side of the left foot,

Step your right foot in about a foot,

Angle it at a 45 degree angle,

Release your right hand inside your left foot,

Left hand onto the sacrum,

Inhale to lengthen,

Exhale twist to the left for this variation of Parivrtta Trikonasana,

Twisted trikonasana with the left hand onto the sacrum,

Lean back and move the chin away from the chest,

Press the outer edge of the right foot into the earth,

Release the left hand down,

Walk the hands forward in front of your left foot,

Step onto your left leg,

Lift your right leg behind you,

Standing split variation,

Curl right toes to shin,

See if you can hold your left ankle with your left hand,

Maybe bring in the right hand to meet it,

Embrace the wobble,

Stabilizing all the small joints of the foot,

Release the hands down,

Release the right foot down,

Fold in and flutter through your lips,

Butterfly breath to release tension,

Bring the left hand to your left hip,

Right hand to the right knee,

Bend both knees,

Come into standing,

Bring the right knee into the chest,

Hug it in,

Stay here or wrap the index and middle finger around the right big toe,

Left hand onto the left hip for balance,

Straighten the right leg out in front of you,

Option to open the leg out to the right,

Releasing the left arm out to the left or simply keep the leg bent and open the right knee out to the right,

If you fall out of the pose,

Come back in,

Firm up your standing leg,

Strong drishti here,

Draw the right leg back to center,

Re-bend your knee,

Release your right foot next to the left and shimmy and shake,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Exhale,

Forward fold,

Inhale into a halfway lift,

Exhale,

Step back,

Downward facing dog,

Inhale,

Hinge forward into plank,

Bend the knees and press back for shakti waves or feel free to rest in downward facing dog,

If you're coming with me,

Three waves in one direction and the other,

Pushing the knees forward and pressing back,

Making waves with the spine,

Find stillness in downward facing dog and come back to ujjayi pranayama,

Allowing the breath to normalize,

Inhale,

Reach your right leg straight up and back,

Down dog kick,

Exhale,

Step through,

Bring your left knee down,

Walk the right foot to the left,

Come on to the outer edge of the right foot and begin to bend and straighten your right leg,

Massaging the hip socket with the femur bone,

Preparing for pigeon,

Walk the right foot to the left,

Bring the right shin down,

If this is too much bring the right foot closer to the groin,

This will mellow out the pose,

Feel free to stay upright or if you have the space,

Stack one palm on top of the other,

Make a pillow for your head and rest your forehead there,

Smooth long deep breathing,

Focus on the exhaling breath now,

Begin to re-emerge if you aren't sleeping pigeon and roll on to your right thigh,

Bring the left sole of the foot in your inner right thigh,

Janu Shushasana,

Leg head to knee pose,

Release your right hand down by your right hip,

Inhale,

Side bend to the right with the left arm overhead,

Exhale,

Left arm down,

Side bend to the left with the right arm overhead,

Continue to move from side to side,

Leaning to the right and to the left with the opposite arm alongside the ear,

Opening through the side waist like a water wheel feel free to stay with this option,

If you're coming with me,

Lift onto your right knee,

Straighten your left leg,

Left foot is parallel to the short edge of the mat and reach your left arm overhead,

Release your hips back down and fold over your left leg now with the right arm alongside the ear,

Inhale,

Come to stand onto your right knee and reach up and back with the left arm alongside the left ear,

Exhale,

Release the hips down and fold over your left leg,

Continue with this flow or stay with the first option,

Hold now this shape,

Standing onto your right knee,

Reaching up and back,

Press the outer edge of the left foot onto the earth and release slowly,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up,

Bring all 10 fingertips to touch for a Kini Mudra and exhale,

Bow in between your bent right leg and your straight left leg,

Feel free to stay upright if it is too much,

Option to stack one fist on top of the other,

Rest your forehead there,

Continue to curl left toes to shin,

Begin to re-emerge,

If you are laying down,

Release your right leg,

Open your legs wide,

Now take the flesh out of your sitting bones,

Curl the toes to shin,

Inhale,

Reach the arms out and up and lengthen,

Exhale,

Bring the prayer to your heart and fold or choose to stay upright,

Perhaps releasing onto the forearms,

Perhaps making a pillow with one fist on top of the other,

Resting your forehead there,

Continue to curl toes to shin and ensure that the toes are pointing straight up towards the sky,

Awareness to the exhalation breath,

Offering something to the exhaling breath for release today,

Begin to come up right with your torso,

If you're laying down slowly,

Come to face the back of the mat,

Bending the left knee out in front of you and bending the right knee behind you,

Keep the left foot to the right of the mat and begin to bend and straighten the left leg,

Staying onto the outer edge of the left foot,

Prying the hip open with the femur bone in preparation for pigeon,

Release the left shin and the left knee down,

Release the right leg behind you,

Stay upright with your torso for pigeon pose or recline onto your forearms,

Resting your forehead onto the palms for sleeping pigeon,

Energetically draw the hips toward one another,

Avoid collapsing onto the left thigh,

For less intensity draw the left foot closer to the groin,

Awareness to the exhalation breath for the remainder of this class,

See if you can lengthen the exhalation,

Come up right with your torso if you are reclining and roll onto your left thigh,

Bringing the left sole of the foot in your inner right thigh,

Curl right toes to shins,

Release the left hand down and on an inhalation side bend to the left with the right arm overhead,

Exhale side bend to the right with the left arm overhead,

Moving from side to side like a water wheel,

Keep the right leg active,

Keep the core engaged,

Continue this way or if you're coming with me,

Come to stand onto your left knee,

Reaching the right arm alongside the right ear,

Lifting the hips up for this variation of gate pose and on the exhalation fold over your right leg,

Inhale back into gate pose variation standing onto your left knee,

Exhale fold over your right leg,

Inhale lift,

Back foot is parallel to short edge of the mat,

Exhale lower and fold over your right leg,

Inhale lift onto your left knee,

Reach the right arm alongside your right ear and hold this shape now,

Right leg is super super straight,

Lean up and back,

Release your seat down,

Re-engage your right leg,

Inhale reach the arms out and up,

Join your prayer and on the exhalation fold in between your bent left knee and your straight right leg,

Any amount,

Option to stack one fist on top of the other and rest your forehead there,

Option to stay upright,

Come upright with your torso,

Re-extend your left leg,

Open your legs wide,

Curl toes to shins,

Take the flesh out of your sitting bones in preparation of wide-legged forward fold,

Inhale reach the arms out and up,

Join your prayer and on the exhalation fold in between your legs,

Any amount,

Continue to curl toes to shins and ensure that your spine is long,

You're welcome to stay upright with your torso and simply breathe into the stretch in the right and the left hamstring,

If you have the space and would like to lower a little bit more,

Feel free,

There's no pressure to go anywhere,

Forward folds are very soothing for the nervous system and they allow us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system,

Rest and digest in preparation for a good night's sleep,

Come upright with your torso,

Super slowly,

If you were reclining bring the left leg next to the right,

You're now facing the front of the mat,

Legs stretched out in front of you,

Take the flesh out of your sitting bones,

Inhale reach the arms out and up and exhale fold over your legs,

Any amount,

Option to bend the knees and stick one fist under one calf and one fist under the other,

Keeping the knees bent and resting your torso onto your thighs,

You're essentially building a support for your legs to avoid overstretching the hamstrings and pulling on the lower back,

Which can happen in this Paschimottanasana,

Seated forward fold,

Come back to the breath and focus on lengthening the exhalation,

Perhaps introducing a count,

Count,

Inhaling for three,

Exhaling for four,

With this pose we are physically and energetically bowing to the end of another day,

Turning inwards,

Begin to lift up if you were in this forward fold,

Come up right with your torso,

Neutralize the spine and then bend the legs and come to lay onto your back,

Bringing the knees into the chest,

Hug them in,

Lengthening the low back after forward folding,

Release the left leg down,

Curl left toes to shin,

Left leg is super active,

Draw the right knee into the chest,

Interlace the fingers behind the right thigh,

Take a deep breath in and on the exhalation straighten your right leg towards the sky any amount,

The right leg doesn't have to be straight but it's active,

Curl right toes to shins and spread your toes,

Energetically push the thigh into the hands and the hands back into the thighs,

Releasing the low back and grounding the femur bone,

Left leg is active too,

Re-bend your right leg,

Hug your right knee in one more time and release the right leg next to the left,

Straighten it,

Release the arms up to the side and just feel that for a moment,

Bring the left knee into the chest,

Now hug it in,

Curl right toes to shin,

Draw the left knee in a little bit more,

Lengthening the left side of the sacrum,

Interlace the fingers at the back of the left thigh,

Take a deep breath in and on the exhalation straighten your left leg towards the sky,

Curl left toes to shin,

Energetically press the thigh into the hands and the hands back into the thigh,

Grounding the femur,

That's your thigh bone,

Keep the right leg active too by curling right toes to shin,

Re-bend the left leg,

Hug the left knee in one more time,

Right knee comes to meet it,

Curl into a little ball,

Hugging the knees in,

Perhaps lifting the forehead towards the knees,

Curling,

Rounding one last time and exhale,

Release,

Straighten your legs,

Release the arms up to the side and settle into Shavasana.

Final relaxation,

Simply consider here if there's anything else you can let go of,

Visualize yourself becoming lighter as you lay down your bed and start to deepen the breath,

Bend one leg and the other,

Feet flat onto the earth,

Roll onto one side in fetal position and take a full breath in there,

Come into an easy seated position,

Perhaps closing the eyes or resting them on one spot,

Bring your hands in a prayer in front of your heart,

Thank yourself for practicing and doing the work,

Bow the head to the heart,

Namaste.

Reviews

Instructions were pretty easy to follow, good evening practice!