Hello my name is Melissa Kleehammer and here are two yin yoga poses that you can do when you're looking to relieve tension in your low back and in your hips or when you just need some space to breathe.
The first pose we're going to focus on lengthening our inhales and on the second pose we're going to focus on our exhalations.
So to get started if you'd like have a blanket across your mat we're going to be on the back the entire time so have your feet as wide as your mat hands on your belly take a big breath in and then exhale soften your knees to your left and we're just going to settle right here possibly depending on how this right top knee feels maybe walking that right foot just slightly to the right and then bringing your right arm up overhead as well now here please count your inhalations only inhale to the count of four exhale is natural do that again inhale to the count of four exhale release your breath naturally and then on your next two cycles of breath try to inhale to the count of five lengthening this right side and then after those two cycles if it feels like your body has invited you in a little bit try inhale to the count of six sending all of your breath all of your awareness into this right side armpit chest and ribs and if at any point it feels like the count it's just too much back off go back to the count of four or five on your inhale we're going to stay for a few more rounds of breath if you'd like you can try inhaling to the count of seven but it shouldn't feel forced it should feel very seamless very effortless let's do one more breath cycle here and then lower that right arm if you moved your right foot to the right please move it back to the left to it what feels like it's a natural position and then bring the knees back up that'll right here for a breath and then on your next exhalation lower your knees to the right and then if it feels okay with that left knee walk the left foot maybe half an inch to the left and then lift that left arm and then we'll start over on this side two cycles inhale to the count of four on your exhales trying to soften through the right side of your abdomen hip the leg and if four feels pretty easy two cycles inhale to the count of five exhales are soft and smooth and if it feels like you have a little more space inhale to the count of six at any point though move to move back to that count of five if it feels like you're forcing be more cycles here you can see if you have the capacity for an inhale for seven if not stick with a breath count that is again one very easy very fluid let's do one more breath cycle count to seven if you can and then on your inhale you can lower that arm and bring your knees back to center and then just rest with your feet on the mat turn slightly inward now we're going to take the knees out for a butterfly so walk your feet in bring the bottoms of your feet together and it's up to you how far you'd like your feet away from your body so now we're going to focus on the exhalation so on your next exhale exhale to the count of four do that again exhale count of four inhale is nice and smooth most likely longer now from the first pose and then inhale smoothly exhale to the count of five in a five feels easy for you do a couple rounds exhale to the count of six as you continue lengthening your exhale feeling a heaviness through the legs a sinking in your hips then although your body might be uncomfortable you're okay you can be here you enjoy this gentle moving toward intense stretch but there's no pain just a mild discomfort and as you continue to lengthen your breath that discomfort becomes in a way more comfortable if you can exhale to seven or possibly to eight if you're there already it's refreshing knowing that we can live with within a certain amount of discomfort that we don't have to move away from it or at least that's what we learn when we practice in yoga one of the things we learn take one more breath cycle here exhale to the count of eight if you can bring your hands to the outside of your thighs rest the knees back up rest with your feet flat on the mat once again walk your feet as wide as the mat turn the feet slightly inward so the knees rest toward each other just giving yourself a moment and then bring one arm overhead and roll on to that side and press yourself up give yourself a breath or two seated to get a sense for how these two poses have helped to shift your mindset the quality in your breath quality of your mind and I hope that you feel refreshed a little bit of release of tension thank you so much for practicing
