Welcome to this yoga class to help you wind down at the end of the day.
The first pose we're going to come to is a squat.
Tuck the toes,
Bend the knees and squat down.
Perhaps your squat isn't as low as mine,
So you can remain up higher.
You can come forward and take the hands to the floor or place some rolled up blankets or cushions under your heels.
In this pose we can move about,
Loosening into the hips and the lower back.
So move from side to side if that feels okay for you.
Draw your attention to the breath.
Huyen yoga is about stillness.
It can be stilling of the mind.
It doesn't have to be a physical holding a pose without moving.
We're going to come to a dangling pose now.
So we're going to cross the left arm over the right to come into eagle arms.
If that doesn't feel good,
Bring the palms together and the forearms together.
I'm folding forward here with my knees quite bent and moving about.
Lifting the toes,
Moving from side to side.
So this pose is working into the arms,
Upper back,
The shoulders,
The hips and the feet.
There's a lot going on here.
Take it gently.
If you have high blood pressure or low blood pressure,
Please take your hands to your knees and keep your head in line with your hips.
That's an option for anyone that feels the need to take that,
It's always there.
And as always,
If any of these poses don't feel like they're working for the benefit of you,
You feel free to miss them out.
We've got another few breaths in our dangling pose before we come back down to another squat.
Bend your knees,
Move about,
Lift the heels,
Whatever feels best for you.
This is your chance to let go of the day and settle into your evening.
This is your chance to slow down.
Now we'll take the hands to the floor,
Unravelling the arms.
Just allow your body to hang,
Allow your spine to hang.
Taking a deep breath in,
Exhale all the air out.
Exhale out slowly,
Smoothly.
We're going to head back down to our squat pose.
Maybe this one looks the same as the first for you,
Or perhaps you've got your heels to the floor this time.
Again,
You can move around,
Take the hands to the floor,
Place the hands onto the legs,
Whatever feels good for you.
This is a yoga practice that's supposed to help you switch off and unwind.
So please take it easy,
Be kind to yourself and be kind to your knees.
Squat pose is a great pose to help stretch and strengthen the ankles and the feet.
And it's helping to loosen off the lower back and the hips,
Which is great if you've been sitting a lot throughout the day.
This might be where you store your tension.
Notice where you feel this pose.
Then we're going to come back up to our dangling.
We're going to cross the opposite arm,
The right arm,
Over the left.
We'll just bring the four arms together again.
You've got the option to come to the halfway lift if that feels better.
Perhaps you've noticed more stillness in this site.
Perhaps you want to wriggle around a little bit more.
After this pose,
We'll be coming down to the ground.
So please take your time here just to settle into the dangling pose,
The forward fold,
Which is also a slight inversion.
You can bend the knees as much as you need to here.
And loosen the arms off if you feel it's causing too much tension in the shoulders.
And we bring a smile to your face.
Notice how the smile helps your facial muscles relax and helps you feel a bit better.
Now we'll take the hands down to the floor,
Unravelling them again,
Just allowing the torso to hang.
Taking a deep breath in.
Gently exhaling all the air out.
Inhale again.
Inhale again.
And smoothly exhale as you bend the knees and we come down to lie on our backs.
This is another pose we're coming to to release the shoulders.
Take the left arm out to the side and place it behind your back.
Palm down if possible.
The right arm comes up behind your head,
Cradling the back of your neck.
If this doesn't feel good,
You can choose the option that suits best for you.
You can bend your knees,
Take the feet together into a butterfly position,
Or extend the legs out.
And if either of your arms are feeling that it's too much for you,
Try to find a position that works best with your range of motion.
You probably will feel that something's going on in the shoulders,
The back.
You don't want to be so distracted by it that you can't settle into the pose.
Take a bit of time here to find your breath,
To rest and relax.
To let the tensions of the day flow out with the exhales.
With the inhales,
You're breathing in all the goodness that you need,
All the relaxation for your evening.
Drawing the attention back to the breath,
Back to the present moment.
Taking a deep breath in here.
Slowly and smoothly exhale all the air out.
Inhale deeply.
And exhale again.
Feeling yourself settle.
We begin to move to the other side.
So the left hand comes behind your back,
Palm down.
The right hand cradles the back of your neck.
It's a bit awkward to get into,
But worthwhile when you're there.
As always,
You can adjust the feet to suit on this side.
Adjust the hands to a position that works best for you.
You can practice this pose with one hand behind your back or your head.
There's no right or wrong way to do your yoga today.
It's only what feels best and what's helping you unwind and prepare for a nice,
Calm evening.
As we head into the last minute of our practice together,
Reminding yourself that this is the right thing to do for you to switch off at the end of your day,
To take 10 minutes out from your to-do list to give yourself the gift of some yoga.
Helping you switch off will help you to start an evening routine that will lead to better sleep,
Better relaxation and a more even mood.
When you feel ready,
Unravel your arms,
Take your hands down by your side or take them to your stomach.
You can rest here for as long as you like.
