Gentle Yin Yoga To Relax & Reset After A Long Day

Feeling drained after a long day? Jeanne guides a gentle yin yoga practice that starts with legs up the wall, then moves through a thigh stretch, pigeon, child's pose, seated side bends, assisted fish on a block, and reclining twists, with options and props offered along the way. It finishes with a long Shavasana, where you listen to the sounds around you, scan the body, and count your breath back from ten. Move within your own comfort and range. Please do not listen while driving.

Transcript

Start right away with the legs up. So you'll need a block also for the. . . Practice. A pillow works, A bolster, Whatever you have. Let's put it on the side for now. We're going to use a wall so even the door works. You're going to lie down and put your legs up. You don't need to put your bum exactly along the wall. You can keep an angle. Like this. That's the wall, That's your legs. As long as your heels are higher than your knees or higher than your hips, You're fine. And then I place my arms like this, In a cactus shape. And take at least 10 breaths. I hope you could connect with your breath. That's what actually helps to relax a lot. So to get out, Bend the knees, Roll on the side. Then use your hand like this to press the floor. Second, We're going to stretch the thighs. When I'm tired after a long day, It's usually because I walked a lot or I was standing for too long and my thighs are very achy. Tight. I kneel like this if it pains on the ankle side or on the feet. You can always come like that. And practice it like this. I find it so uncomfortable. I'm not going to do it like this, But I prefer like that. It's up to you to adapt, Right? The goal is to stretch your thighs. So as long as it does that, You're in the right place. Tilt the pelvis floor with the tailbone down and the pelvis and the perfect bone. Pubic bone higher. And just that, You don't need to lift your pelvis high, Just bend it. Tilt it and you're going to feel the stretch. I hope you do feel it. If you want to feel it more, Lift the bum higher. But this is not the goal to hurt yourself, Right? So again, 10 breaths. Okay, Slowly release. Next, We're going into pigeons. So you start kneeling. And you're going to send the right leg forward like this The right foot is on the left side of the mat, But the knee is on the right side. So if you can place your tibial bone here like this, Like forward, Good for you. If it hurts the knee, Bring the foot a little bit lower. Keep the hips floating, Like this. The back leg is back on the knee and the top of the foot. If you're like this, It's not so good for the hip. So you can also place a block underneath the right hip. It's optional, Of course. Inhale, Lift up the back and exhale. Melt the upper body into the floor. I place both my hands like this, Flat, And my forehead on top. Five breaths. Allow your whole body to melt into the floor. Let's switch sides. Place your palms down. Inhale lift up, Bring the back leg slightly forward and free the forward leg. So this time the left leg goes across like this it should pull in the glutes, Right? So if it doesn't. . . Maybe you're in that low position. And the block you should place it like this under. The pelvis. If you need to. Inhale, Lift up. Bring the back leg back and exhale, Melt down. You. Slowly come back up. On both your hands. Bring the forward leg back. Let go of the block for now, Maybe. We're going to go into child's pose, Big toes together, Knees apart. Sit down on your heels. Hands forward, And maybe you'll need the block to place the forehead. If the forehead touches the mat, You don't need the black. Hands forward and breathe. With each exhale, You are a bit longer, A bit heavier. Slowly come back hands below the shoulders and press the floor away Next, We're going to. . . Using the length of the mat. Bend one knee down, The other leg straight. Inhale lengthen your back Place your hand like this on your leg, Wherever it reaches. The other hand up. Inhale, Grow tall. And exhale. Just a bit lower like this. Inhale, Lengthen this way. And exhale, Try to go a bit lower. Inhale, Lengthen. Exhale, Drop. Two more. Very good. Slowly come back up. Change the length. Micro-tool inhale. Place your arms and exhale, Go to the side. Inhale, Lengthen. Excel. Try not to drop the upper shoulder down like this. Try to keep it open. Last one. Okay, Slowly come back. Now you will need the block for sure. We're going to do assisted fish. So, Use the block in this height. A bolster or pillow also works. And you place it here, Like this, At the level of your shoulder blades. You lie down and you make sure it's centered. I'm going to center myself on the mat as well. And the top of the head should land towards the floor, Like this. So you're really extending the throat. Arms up. And open to the side. Extend the legs. And feel the heart opening. Even if you try to breathe only through the belly, You need to breathe through the chest for this one. And it's fine. Expand on inhale And let go on the Excel. Again. Last one. To get out of that posture, My favorite is to. . . Bend the knees and then roll to the side into a fetal position. You can remove the block. Keep it next to you. Roll onto the floor. Yeah, Okay. Catch your knees. We're gonna do a reclining twist. So keep the right knee up, Send the right foot onto the floor, Keep the knee off the floor, Open your arm straight in line with your shoulders, Look to the right. Follow your hand. The foot stays on the floor, The hand as well. And then with that left hand, You add just a bit of weight onto the knee. And you breathe. On the exhale. The right knee and the right elbow get closer to the floor. It's like you allow the twist to happen. Two more. And bring your right hand onto the left. And roll onto your back. Enjoy the feeling. Notice. The difference between left and right. Okay, The other side. Catch your left knee, Extend the right leg. Bring the left foot to the front. On the right. Open the left arm and follow the hand with your eyes Left foot is still on the floor, Right hand on the knee. And at the same time you allow gravity to bring the left shoulder and the left knee towards the floor. Close your eyes, Connect to your breath. Last breath. Left arm on the right. And roll onto your side. Catch your knees. Now take again the block, Place it underneath the pelvis, Lengthen the legs, Bring your arms up above the head. And breathe. 10 to 15 breaths here. Allow the front of your body to lengthen. Get out of the posture very slowly. I'm going to bend the knees. Bring your arms along the body. Lift the bum up. Slide the block away. We're now ready for Shavasana. Which is the most important posture in yoga. Allows you to reintegrate everything you just did. Let's start with. . . Listening. Listen to the noises around you. All the sounds, Starting from the furthest. Slowly focusing on the closest to you. There is my voice. That there is also the sounds of your body. Maybe your belly growling? No breath for sure. Maybe you can hear your heartbeat. Okay! Now be aware of your body. Do a body scan from the tip of the toes to end of your hair. Without forgetting the ears. Tip of your nose and your fingertips. Be aware of your body into the mat. Be aware of how your body is positioned. Now I suggest you focus on your breath. We're going to count backwards from 10 to 1. 10. Einhau Then I exhale. Nine, Inhale. 9, Exhale, Etc. Continue at your own rhythm. Wherever you are in the numbers you can Let go of that exercise. Let's take some moment to enjoy the present moment. To welcome it, And to live fully. Present moment. If you want to stay lying down, Feel free to do so. I'm going to sit up. Close this practice with me. Thank you so much for following this video and practicing with me.