Yin Yoga For Small Spaces

This session is for when you have limited physical space to practise yoga or feel you need to create it in your head. It is designed to help you approach situations with a positive open mindset.

Poses is this class are Saddle, Half Dragonfly & Half Shoelace - find images on my website (see profile).

Victoria's Yin Yoga classes are designed to release tension and bring presence to body & mind. Bring a bolster (or pillow), some blocks (or books) and a blanket. Please make sure to listen to your body during the class and if anything doesn’t feel right, come out of the pose and rest. Your body is your responsibility.

Transcript

Hello,

My name is Vicky and I'm a yin yoga teacher here on Insight Timer.

Welcome to today's session.

Yin yoga,

For those of you who haven't tried before,

Is a still,

Passive,

Meditative practice.

We stay in poses for several minutes which allows us to get really deep into the body in both a physical and an energetic sense.

This also helps us to cultivate stillness in the body,

Which means in theory that we can then bring that stillness to the mind.

The way that I teach is I will first guide you into the pose,

A general shape of the pose and I'll give you lots of adjustments so you can change it to suit you and your body.

Please remember that yoga should be for you,

Not anybody else.

So I really want you to focus on what you're feeling in the body,

In these shapes,

Rather than what they look like to everybody else.

There is no perfect pose.

Yoga is for our health,

For us,

Not for others.

So after you've adjusted the pose so that it suits your body,

Then I would like you to relax into that pose.

We want to feel a stimulation in the body that's not too much,

Nor too little,

That you're feeling it but it's not hurting you.

If you feel at any point a pinching,

A stabbing,

A tingling,

Something that feels like pain or doesn't feel right,

Then try one of the other adjustments or just come out completely and lie down or move into child's pose.

So today's session is all about yin yoga for small spaces.

The idea for this yoga session came about in the summer when I was in a tunnel tent on top of a mountain,

As you do,

And I thought,

What happens if it starts pouring it down with rain for hours and I'm stuck in here,

Not able to move?

So this got me thinking about small spaces,

Be them physical or otherwise,

And how they don't actually have to be limiting.

It's all actually about your attitude to your situation,

Your small space,

And coming at it with an open,

Positive mindset can throw a whole new light,

Maybe even an enjoyable one.

So bearing this in mind,

Today's class has been designed for a small physical space,

Such as a tent or a small room or a coffin or whatever it is that you're inside,

And because it's all done either lying down or sitting up,

Then it can actually also be done in bed,

Which is always a positive,

Either in the morning or the evening or lunchtime,

Whatever.

We're going to start with saddle pose.

So start by sitting on your heels,

And let's begin with the knees a little bit open.

Now we're going to start moving backwards,

So I want you to move back to the point that suits you.

Our target area is the front,

Working the torso and the fronts of the thighs,

And bringing some compression to the spine,

Particularly at the bottom.

Yin pressure,

Gentle pressure,

Healthy pressure.

So let's start by putting the hands on the floor behind you,

Fingers pointing any direction,

And if this feels too much already,

You can always put something underneath the hands,

Blocks for example,

Or cushions.

If you're not getting much here however,

Then you might want to move down to your elbows.

Again,

If this feels too much,

But being on your hands is not enough,

Then put that support underneath the elbows instead.

One block,

Two blocks,

Pile it as high as you need to,

For something in between.

If your legs have separated here,

Or your knees have risen up a bit,

Then that's absolutely fine.

They don't need to be close together,

And in fact,

If you're feeling a pinching in your lower spine,

Then you can try opening the legs a bit,

To whatever point that stops that sensation.

For most people,

They'll be sitting on their heels,

But for some people,

It might suit you better to sit between the heels.

So if you know that's you,

Feel free to do so.

Please don't do it if you feel this in the knees though.

For many of us,

Our internal rotation of the hip socket just isn't suited for this,

So be careful.

If being on your elbows still isn't giving you enough stretch on the front,

The thighs for example,

Then your final option,

If it works for you,

Is to go down on your back.

Again,

This is an option for people that it suits.

It's not the advanced option that we're trying to reach.

Don't think that way.

This is just for the people that it works for.

So please don't do this unless you're able to relax in it.

Yin Yoga is passive.

We want to relax in the poses.

Practise in the way that it feels,

Not what you think is the perfect shape.

Now I have been talking quite a lot.

I've given quite a lot of adjustments for this,

Though some of you have probably been in this pose for a couple of minutes already,

At least a minute.

So what we're going to do is from here,

We're going to stay for two minutes.

Just bearing in mind at this point that with Yin Yoga,

Always remember to go to your natural stopping point,

Allowing yourself to relax into the pose,

And if you feel at any point that it's not working for you,

Then adjust it or come out completely.

As you're resting into the pose,

Check in with your body.

Is anything pinching,

Stabbing,

Tingling?

If it doesn't feel right,

It isn't right.

So just move out and lie down.

Don't make your body do things that are going to hurt it.

Pain is your body's way of telling you something isn't right.

Okay,

So now I want you to gently push yourself up off the floor.

Come back to a kneeling position.

Gently,

Gingerly.

And before we move into anything else,

Then just stay kneeling,

Or you can put the legs out straight if you like.

Put the hands either on the floor behind you,

Or you can gently fold forward over the legs.

With either position,

Close your eyes.

And just notice the after effect on the places you just worked.

Maybe the front of the torso,

The back of the neck,

And the back of the neck.

Okay.

And once you feel any sensations pass,

Give the legs a bit of a shake,

Just to bring a counter movement,

A bit of yang to the yin.

Push out the toes,

Push out the heels,

Point the toes,

Push out the heels,

Point,

Push and one more shake.

And then we are going to move into the next pose,

Which is called half shoelace.

Let's start with both legs out straight in front of us.

Then we are going to bend the right knee and bring the foot as far as we can towards the outer left hip.

You can certainly guide the foot there but just be careful not to yank on the knee.

Now bear in mind that some people might have their knees stacked here,

But others will have their top knee high up in the air.

Some people may have their foot next to the knee and some may have it much more towards the hip.

We all have completely different points of tension and of compression and we all have completely different skeletons so of course we will look different in our poses.

If you are finding this isn't good on the knee,

Then something you might want to do here is sit up on your support which tilts you forward and puts less pressure on the knee.

And if you wanted to put something in between the knees like a blanket,

If you feel that would be helpful then please do that as well or instead.

And then we are going to fold forward to the point where we are starting to feel a stretch on the back of the straight leg.

So for me personally in this pose I don't really have to fold forward very far at all to feel a stretch that's not too much,

Not too little,

But I can relax into.

But for others they may need to fold forward a lot to get that stretch.

And for those of you who still aren't feeling it at all or very much,

You might want to try moving the position of the body to the left,

To the right and see if that gives you a stretch in the back of the leg.

And if that's still not working,

Perhaps change the position of the top leg.

Maybe it might work better for you if you bring the ankle on the knee or above the knee for example.

And from here we are going to stay for another two minutes in your variation of the pose,

Which you may have been in for a while already.

Close your eyes,

Bringing your attention to the stretch on the back of the straight leg.

Keep the body soft,

Keep the muscles relaxed so that we can get past the muscles into the deep connective tissue.

The more we relax the muscles,

The more we are going to access them,

Otherwise the stress goes to the muscles more.

So let's breathe three deep breaths together.

Breathing in through the nose.

And out through the nose.

In again.

Out,

Letting the body relax.

In.

And out.

And now we are going to come up and move directly into our pose where we are stretching the inside of the straight leg.

Half dragonfly.

So this time we keep the left leg straight and we bring the right foot into the left leg,

The left thigh somewhere on the inside leg where it's comfortable.

And then we take the straight left leg out to the side.

You may be starting to feel a bit of a stretch already,

Maybe,

Maybe not.

And then we are going to fold forward.

So start by folding somewhere down the middle and then notice,

Are you feeling the stretch on the left inside thigh?

You don't need to fold off completely,

You just fold over to the point where you are feeling that stretch in the leg.

If it's too much,

If it's pulling on the back of the knee,

Then by all means bend it a bit.

You are always welcome to do that in anything that we have straight legs in.

Perhaps even putting a rolled up blanket underneath the knees if you want to.

And if you still aren't really feeling much stretch,

Play with the position of the torso.

Move it around,

Maybe it's actually better for you if you fold over the leg rather than down the middle for instance.

Or perhaps somewhere in between.

Play with the position of the torso,

Maybe of the leg.

Find that stretch in the inside thighs.

And then we are going to stay for just under 3 minutes.

Soften those muscles.

Relax into the pose.

Notice at this point if you've tensed anything,

If anything's become tight without you even realising it.

And see if you can release it.

Send your breath air,

Softening the muscles.

Again.

You you Let's take those three deep breaths together again before we come out breathe in through the nose And out through the nose out in out in and out And then we're going to come up and go directly to the other side So just take hold of that straight leg bend the knee and guide it gently in Just for a few moments notice how that side feels just for about 20 seconds or so The counter pose is actually the other side so we're going to move now to the other side and give this leg a bit of a rest So this time let's straighten out the right leg bend the left knee and bring the left foot over the right leg towards that hip like we did on the other side half shoelace Remember not to pull on the knee and if the knee is uncomfortable put something underneath it or sit up on something if you're tilted forward more there's less pressure on the knee then when you're ready fold forward over the leg Notice if you have stretch in the back of the straight leg and if you do and everything seems to be okay then just stay here in stillness relaxing the muscles passively otherwise if it's not really working again then play with the position of the torso see if that helps and if it doesn't help you can also try moving the position of the left foot maybe placing the ankle above the knee or even actually bringing the foot into the thigh if you do this however make sure you keep the right leg straight out in front of you rather than moving to the half dragonfly yet maybe that gives you more stretch in the back of the leg than half shoelace and if it does stay here choose your variation which gives you the right amount of stretch in that outstretched leg and then we'll stay here for two minutes Don't worry if you don't fold very far remember it doesn't matter what it looks like it's what it feels like and if it gets too much at any point then come up also if you feel like you've lost that stretch that opening at any point then you can just adjust the pose a bit move the hips maybe take hold of the foot and gently pull and then relax keep it gentle gentle gentle any movements you make and then again move into stillness so our time is up and on the next in breath we're going to be coming up paying attention to our movements and moving directly into the next pose half dragonfly on the other side so bring the left foot into the right thigh if it isn't already and the right leg straight and out to the side to your natural stopping point where you're starting to feel a stretch in the inside thigh a stretch that's not too much nor too little and you can stay in for around three minutes now folding down the middle maybe more to the side maybe folded down the straight leg play with the position of the torso adjust the position of the legs if you need to and i will now leave you in silence or with the birds for around two and a half minutes enjoy soften use the out breath if you like to help you relax that little bit deeper passively into the pose please you you you And for the last time let's take three deep breaths together here before we come out deep but natural in out in out in out And then I want you to slowly come up pushing into the hands bringing yourself up Taking hold of this right leg bending the knee bringing it in placing the foot on the floor and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out just for 30 seconds or so noticing how this side feels now compared to how it did before and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out just for 30 seconds and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out and keeping the knees bent or straightening them out And then finally we're going to move into Shavasana meditation if that's something you like to do Getting comfortable Adjusting the body as you need to Closing your eyes Staying warm Relaxed And I'm going to leave you now with the birds So please stay for at least five minutes Give yourself as much time as you need Allowing the body to take in the effects of the practice Don't rush off Allow yourself to sink into the floor Feel the connection with the earth And thank you for joining me in this small space I hope you enjoyed And I hope to practice with you again next time Namaste You You You You You You You You You You You You You

Reviews

Hello beautiful 🌺🌷🌺🌷🌺Thank you so much for the wonderfully yin yoga 🎈it makes my space airy and sunny 🗺️have a blessed day 🕉️ Namaste

A great flow for a small space! Will be wonderful for hotel rooms when travelling 🥰