Yin Yoga For Stress And Headaches

Stress has a way of taking over and leaving us feeling uncomfortable within our own body, and often with a headache. This short and sweet yin yoga practice is designed to release tension in the upper back, support headaches at the temples, and return the flow of energy through the body to its optimal levels.

Grab a blanket or cushion and join me for a 10-minute yin practice to release stress and relieve headache symptoms.

Transcript

Hi and thank you for joining me today on your mat. Today we're going to practice a short yin sequence aimed at reducing stress within the body and the mind. As we release stress within the body and mind it can help to ease the tension we might feel in the head as a symptom of headaches. So we're going to begin coming down into a modified child's pose. So come to the back of your mat, Take your toes together, Your knees as wide apart as the mat and please place a blanket under your knees or between your hips and your heels if that feels better for you. We're going to extend the right arm forwards and thread the left arm underneath the right, Coming into a bit of a twist. The right forearm can come down to the mat and the left side of the temple should come down to the mat too. If it doesn't come down then please use a cushion or a block or rolled up blanket. We're working with the meridian of the gallbladder here which begins at the outer corner of the eye and moves through the temple. So by restoring the flow of qi or energy in the gallbladder meridian we're helping to manage stress within the body, Within the mind, Maybe even release any of those niggling headaches that arise because of too much stress and tension. So we're going to be here for another minute, Allowing yourself to relax into the pose and finding some stillness within the mind. So as thoughts begin to come to mind, Allow them to drift away without becoming too involved. This is your practice, This is time you've carved out for yourself today to help restore your energy levels and give you a little boost. You can come back to the thoughts later on or you can leave them, The choice is yours. We begin now to prepare the body to move. We're going to come straight to the other side before we pause for a rest. So gently unravel the left arm, Extending both arms forward again and then threading the right arm underneath the left. Again you can place the left forearm on the floor to give a bit more stability and the right side of the temple will come to your cushion or the mat. Make any adjustments that you need to for this side of the pose and then we'll resolve to stay here again for another couple of minutes. In yin yoga we come into the poses mindfully and we try to find an edge, A place where we feel sensation within the target areas, Which today would be the side of the head, The side of the neck into the shoulder and the side of the body, The gallbladder meridian which is related to the wood element in the season of spring. And as we settle in here, Again trying to find that stillness within our mind, Calming our thoughts and slowing down, Pausing for just a moment or two to practice some yin yoga. And if at any point during your practice today you feel that you have reached the maximum benefits within a pose, You are very welcome to come out of that pose before I invite you to. This is your practice, So please adjust it in any way that works for you, Adapt it, Make it your own. These are all suggestions. You know you better than I do, So please make sure that you are caring for yourself and your own needs above making a shape with the body. We're going to begin to deepen the breath again as we prepare to come out of the pose. So taking several slow deep breaths in and out, Carefully unravel the right arm and we're going to come to a rebound pose which could be face down or lying on your back. We take rest here. The rebound pose allows us to let the tissues reset the areas that we've been working on because we've been holding the poses for a bit longer. They need a bit of time to return back to where they began, But with a little bit more elasticity, A little bit more movement now. We'll only have a short rebound here before we come to our next poses which again will work on the side of the body. So again draw your attention to your breath and if you're not lying on your back then please make your way there. We're going to come to banana pose. So lying on your mat, Lift the hips up and take them over to the left side of the mat. Just a little bit and then the legs and the feet come to the bottom right hand corner of the mat and the upper body comes to the top right hand corner of the mat. Making a curved shape with the body. This is your banana pose. From this point you can move the arms, Extending them above the head if that feels ok in your shoulders. If not you can take your arms out to the side to a place where they stay on the floor in contact with the ground beneath you and feel supported. This is a good point to use any blocks, Blankets, Bolsters, Cushions, Any props that you need to help you feel comfortable. We don't want to feel that we're holding the arms in mid-air. We want to feel that they're supported and we can allow them to soften and to relax. We're taking several slow deep breaths here in our banana pose where we're working the left side of the body. If you want to add some more sensation you can cross the left ankle over the right. If that doesn't add anything positive to the pose for you then please leave the ankles uncrossed. We have about another 20 seconds here before we come to the other side. So please take your time and begin to deepen your breath. Taking a slow deep breath in and exhaling the air out. Carefully returning the arms back down by the sides and bringing the legs back to the centre. So we're going to take the hips over to the right slightly this time as we take the legs down to the bottom left corner of the mat and the upper body to the top left. Coming into the banana pose on the other side. This side may look and feel very different. Please allow it to be. No judgement. Take your time to get into the pose to find a comfortable position for the arms and the legs. Again we come to an appropriate edge where we feel sensation in the side of the body perhaps and then we resolve to stay here for a length of time and to be still. This could be stilling the mind as we did earlier or it could be stilling the breath, Slowing the breath down, Paying attention to each inhale and exhale. Perhaps even trying to notice the small pause before the inhale becomes the exhale and again before the exhale becomes the inhale. Noticing. Having your attention, Your full attention in those moments. This is a short practice today and it's nice to try to hold on to the moments before we head back to our normal life afterwards. Take a deep breath in and slowly exhale all the air out. Begin to bring the arms back down by your sides. Take the legs back to the centre of the mat, Maybe hug them into your chest. Give yourself a walk and roll or a big hug. And then you can take a short shavasana, A short relaxation pose and I will leave you here to spend some time with your breath in relaxation. Thank you for practicing with me today. I hope you enjoyed this and if you did please hit that like button and subscribe for more yin yoga videos. Have a great day. Namaste.