Need to Unwind? 20-Minute Gentle Yoga Practice for All Levels, Stress Relief Flow

Hi, my name is Amanda and today we're going to be doing a 20 minute yoga session for relaxation. We won't need any tools today, so let's get started. If you're not in a place where you can do this video with me now, please save this to your watch later and join me whenever you can. Today we're going to get started in a seated meditation. So come on down to your seat, feel free to remove the excess flesh and just get comfortable. Set yourself up so that you can have a nice, straight, tall spine. Chin is tucked just slightly. If you're comfortable, you can feel free to lower your eyelids or maybe just make them soft. Start to slow down and deepen your breath. In and out, long, slow, even breaths. Maybe counting a slow count to four on each inhale, slow count to five on each exhale. Inhaling deeply, exhaling fully out through the nose. Feel the muscles in your face start to relax. Noticing any tension you're holding on top of your head, your forehead, your eyebrows, in your jaw. Release your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Let it all relax. Feel your shoulders melting down your back. Feel your heart start softening and opening. Set an intention for this practice for the rest of your day. Maybe it's to be conscious and present in the current moment, not living in the past or the future, focusing right. Maybe it's about your mindset, the way that you respond, personal. Take a couple of clicks. Release everything you have in your lungs. Take a deep inhale and then sigh it out of your mouth through your nose. Hold it at the top. Maybe you take an extra little sip there. Exhale it out of your mouth. One more time and I want to hear your loudest sigh yet. Inhale through the nose nice and slow. Hold it at the top. Another little sip there. Deep sigh. Down to your back. Knees into your chest. Grab them nice and tight and start to rock side to side. Gentle rocks. Feeling into that low back. Giving it a nice little massage. Relax your head down later. And then open your knees, grab for your feet, pull them out and flex the toes. You can rock a little bit side to side here in this happy baby, proving what a playful, happy baby you are. Or you can keep still, pulling your tailbone down, flexing those toes, pulling with your hands as you press out with your feet. Nice, big opening of the hips here. Keeping that nice deep breath going, keeping the left knee bent, gently straighten that right leg, pulling it out even more to the right, feeling that nice, gentle stretch in the back of the leg. Release it back to bend, and then gently straighten that left leg, pulling it out to the left, keeping the tailbone pulled down towards the mat. Soft bend back into happy baby. Rock a little bit massaging that low spine, opening those hips and then squeeze the knees back in through center. Send the legs high, flex and point the toes. Feel free to take a couple of circles with the ankles and then re-bend the knees back in. Roll your legs over to the right Dropping knee over knee. Extend your arms to a T, gaze over the left shoulder. Lying twist, try and press both of those shoulders down into the mat, breath in through center. Exhale them over to the left, open the arms back to a T, gazing over that right shoulder. Feel some nice little crackles and pops in that low spine. You can pull your knees higher if you wanna reach the upper back. or pull them a little bit lower, stretch out that low spine and breath. Inhale back up through center and gently rock and roll up to a comfortable seat. Extend your right leg long, pulling the left foot in. Inhale to reach up, right toes are flexed and then drop the right arm to the left knee, pressing it away as you side bend over that extended right leg. Heart is opening towards the sky, gaze is lifted, fingers reaching, toes flexed. Feel that nice opening in the side body, releasing tension, stretching it out. Inhale, back up. Turn your torso over that extended leg and fold in. Keep flexing those toes. Inhale to lift back up. And then switch the legs, extending that left leg long, toes flexed, right foot comes in. Inhale to reach the arms, drop the left hand to the right knee, pressing it down as you side bend over that extended left leg. Each side is going to feel different in every pose. Maybe the way that you slept, maybe the way that you're built. No judgment necessary. Inhale, back up. Turn toward that leg and fold over it. Comparison is the thief of joy. Comparing yourselves to others and comparing ourselves to ourselves. Every day is a different day. We wake up in a different body every morning. Yesterday, we may have been able to do the splits and today we may be feeling a little tighter in the hips. No judgment, just notice. Inhale, lift up. Extend both legs out long, inhale to reach, exhale, fold over your wide extended legs. Inhale to lift halfway, exhale to fold in a little bit deeper. Inhale to lift head and heart, walk it back, and then come onto all fours, tabletop position. Start to roll through the shoulders, dropping the heart, and then pulling them up. Through the shoulders, little circles, releasing any stress, any tension we're holding in those shoulders. A couple of cat-cows at your own breath's pace. Pulling the heart open on the inhale, curling and rounding on the exhale. Inhale to open, exhale, curl and round. Come back to neutral spine. Keeping your hips exactly where they are, walk your hands forward. Pull the shoulders and chest down. Maybe you land on your chin, your forehead. Wherever you are, let it feel sweet. Feel those shoulders opening up. Feel your hips pulling back. Feel your breath filling your belly, releasing tension. Inhale to lift head and heart, walking it back. Inhale, lift the right arm high, maybe taking some wrist circles at the top, and then thread that needle through, coming down onto that right shoulder. You can bring the left hand out in front of you, or reach it around the back. Rest here, opening that heart up. Unwind that arm, lift that right arm back up, place it down. Left arm lifts. Taking some swirls, come on down, thread that needle, come on down to that left shoulder. Right arm comes in front or around the back. Keep opening that heart. Keep that general twist in the spine. Deep breath, place that hand down. Go through a couple more cat counts. Little bit further forward, curl onto the balls of the feet, lift your hips to downward facing dog. Staying here for a moment, pressing those shoulder blades down and back, gazeless gazes toward the navel, breathing deep. Inhale the right leg high, and then swing it through, landing on that calf. Uncurl the back toes, lift your head and heart to set up, making sure your left leg is straight back behind you, not splayed out in any way. Lift your head and heart. And fold forward half-pigeon. Make sure the weight is evenly distributed between the hips, not falling over to either side. Letting all that tension release from that hip. Gentle and compassionate to our bodies today. Under and reset in downward facing dog. Left leg lifts on the inhale and swing it through, landing on that calf. Right leg is straight behind you. Lift the head and the heart, fold in, pigeon on the left, feel that nice release with the discomfort, but as soon as there if pain, with this little bit of discomfort, let it ease the tension out of your hip, sweep your right leg through and come on down to lying on your back, open your knees wide, feet together, standing in reclined butterfly. You can bring one hand to your heart, one hand to your belly, feeling your breath move in and out of your body. Extend your legs, extend your arms, taking this time for yourself, cherishing the rest. in this shavasana for as long as serves you Thank you so much for practicing with me today. 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