Beginners BedTime Yoga, Full Yin Yoga for Good Nights Rest, Easy To Do, 20 Minute Workout

Hi, I'm Carly and this is your nighttime yin yoga routine. I recommend having a bolster for class today but if you don't have one at home you can also use a firm pillow and let's get started. If you don't have time to do this video right now just save it to your watch later playlist and join me when you can. Alrighty guys, we're going to get started today with our bolster long ways on the mat and we're going to lie down on the bolster with butterfly legs. So your hips are flat on the mat, soles of the feet together and knees out wide and then we'll roll our spine down on top of the bolster. So we're getting just a slight little back bend here and then bring your arms out to the side, palms face up. So this is gently going to open up the hips and also open up through the pectoral muscles, the front of the chest and the shoulders here with your arms out to the side. If you want even more opening in the upper body you can reach your arms up and back and this will be a little bit deeper. So if at any point that becomes too much bring your arms back out to the side. So if you're new to yin yoga, in yin yoga we hold each posture for a longer period of time than you would in a normal flow yoga class. So each posture is held from two to four minutes long. So make sure the spot that you choose to be in is somewhere that you can comfortably be for a long period of time. So on a scale from zero to ten in terms of how much sensation you're feeling, in yin yoga we really want to be at a four, five or six at most. By holding these postures for long periods of time we can really tap into some of the deeper tissue, the deep fascia and even the joints in the body rather than only targeting the muscles. This also allows yin yoga to be a bit of a relaxing practice because even though we're entering deep stretches we're not moving around as much. So once you find the place that feels good for you, you try to find some stillness in each posture. We allow our breath to just be nice and steady in and out through the nose. Whatever has happened today just start to allow it to wash away and be here in this moment with me. We'll wind down our days together. There's nothing we can go back and change now, but we can relax here and start fresh tomorrow. We'll be here for 30 more seconds in this first posture. Bring your palms outside of your legs and close your knees together like a book, nice and gentle. We'll gently remove our bolster and just place it off to the side and lie back down on your back. Hug your knees in towards your chest and then drop your knees over to the left. Gaze over your right shoulder into a spinal twist here. Now remember this does not have to be the full depth that you can twist at. It's somewhere that you can comfortably hold for the two minutes that will be here. You can start to close down your eyes. Another of the main principles in yin yoga is to enter and exit each posture very slowly and that is because since we are holding these postures for longer periods of time, it can make our bodies a bit more fragile when we're entering and exiting them. So every time I direct you to a new posture, just remember there is no rush to arrive. You take your time and join me when your body is called to. We have about 45 more seconds here in this twist. Yin yoga is one of my favorite practices to do before bed because you really go to sleep feeling nice and relaxed in your mind and nice and open in the body. If you ever feel any numbness or tingling in this practice, that is a sign that it may be time for you to take a little step out or even come out of the posture entirely. Remember we want to feel a nice stretch but never any numbness. All right let's gently bring the legs back up through center. Take a moment to reset in the middle and then the knees will fall to the right Spinal twist. Gently open up the left arm and you can gaze over the left shoulder if that feels okay on your neck. Find the spot of sensation that feels like a four five or six on your scale. Nothing too crazy and once you're in a spot that feels good for you, see if you can find magic in the stillness of this practice. Know that you are exactly where you're meant to be today. The pose truly begins when you want to leave it. So if you feel an urge to move, notice if it's because you are in real pain or if it's simply because sitting still is hard. That is really where the challenge of yin yoga is to find comfort in the stillness. We live in such a yang society, the opposite of yin, where everything is so go go go. So in yin we balance out our daily life by really honoring the pauses and the slowness. up through center once again and we'll come up to a nice seated position. Take any transitions you need to arrive and we'll get into a nice hip stretch. So extend your legs out wide into a wide forward fold. Have your bolster handy here. Now if you have trouble even sitting your spine up straight with your legs out, I would like you to sit on your bolster with the legs out wide and this will naturally help you to straighten your spine and hinge forward. If you can sit on the ground comfortably with your legs out, then you'll have you bring the bolster in front of you. So in either position we are going to hinge forward here. So I like to bring my forearms onto the bolster. You may like your hands on the bolster, your belly on the bolster or if you're sitting on it you just hinge forward with your hands forward. Now remember we're not going to our full extent, our full depth here. We're going to a place where we can be for minutes. So it's not going to be as deep as you would go if you're only going to hold it for a few seconds. So find the spot that feels nice for you. The intention here is a nice stretch on the inner thighs, the inner hips, maybe a little bit in the hamstrings. Now if you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, I do want you to keep a flat back as you hinge. If you are not suffering from those conditions, it is okay to round your spine here and relax the muscles in the face, relax your feet, relax the tension from your body. We've got two more minutes here. If it feels okay to let your neck hang, you can let your neck relax down. Amazing things are happening in your challenge to stay still here, but it is also a mental challenge. You are teaching your brain that you can accomplish hard things. You are teaching your brain that your body is more powerful and more resilient than you give it credit for. Remember if you are feeling pain, you can always adjust, but if you're feeling uncomfortable, try to Very slowly begin to walk your torso back up and we'll bring the legs back in together. You can give them a nice little shake. Now we'll move into a stretch for the outer hips here. We did the inner hips, so we'll come to the outer. This is deer pose. I'd like you to find approximately 90 degree bends in the knees here. I'm starting with my left leg in front and my right leg behind. My feet are flexed. This will help to protect the knee joint. Now we're going to hinge forward over the front leg. So I like to have my bolster honestly just on top of my left leg so I can hinge like this. Maybe bring your forearms down on top of your leg or you can crawl your hands out further and move your bolster further like you're going to go to sleep on a little pillow, but we're not going to sleep. We're just going to hold for a little over two minutes here. The intention now is to feel a nice stretch in the outer left hip. So find the spot that feels okay for you. This is the last hard pose we're doing on each side and we'll come into a nice restorative end together. Again here osteoporosis, osteopenia, you're gonna keep a flat back. Otherwise you may round down and relax the neck. If you've brought any tension back to your face, to your fingers, to your jaw, this is the moment here to relax it if you've created any space here. You can tap into that space and go slightly deeper for the next 20 seconds. Slowly crawl your torso up. Release your bolster to the other side and we'll switch to have the right leg in front or whichever side that you did not just do. Set yourself up for success here. Remember that your sides might not be even. That's okay. We are human so if you need to go a little bit deeper or a little bit less deep on this side, that is totally normal. So take a moment to find the spot that feels good for you. In yin yoga we say find your edge. Your edge is on that scale about a five, you know. And then we'll find our edge and find our stillness. Last deep hip opener here. Doing this practice before bed will also help you to wake up with a little bit less stiffness in the muscles and in the bones. We have less than a minute left on this side. Tap into any space you've created. Remember we create space in the body in yoga really so that we can create space in the mind. Everything is interconnected. Know that wherever you're at today is exactly where you're meant to be. Gently start to crawl the torso up. Excellent job and we're gonna bring the legs right over the bolster so that the bolster is underneath the knees here. And then roll down to your back with the bolster under the knees. This just provides a little extra release to the low back. And then just let your legs relax completely. Bring your palms down by your sides. Palms face up. Your hips might externally rotate so your feet fall out to the side. That's okay. I just want you to really melt into the earth here. Now this is where we will be for final shavasana. I deeply encourage you to pause this video and to stay here until you feel completely relaxed and ready for bed. And then whenever you're ready to move on with your night please know that I am so proud of you for doing this video with me. I know that yin yoga may look easy from the outside but I know the stillness is difficult. So be proud of yourself and know that the light in me honors the light in each of you. From my heart to yours namaste and good night. Thank you guys so much for joining me today. If you like this outfit and want to see more from our shop just click on the shelf below and I'll see you next time. Welcome to Yoga Plus. Courses available from pupil to yogi. Sort by yoga, fitness, and instructors. Create your own routines. Access the Pose Library. Yoga Plus by Psyche Truth. Available on Google Play and the App Store. Join us for 14 and 30-day programs, hour-long classes, and much more on our yoga app Yoga Plus by Psyche Truth. 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