20-Minute Evening Yoga: Unravel, Exhale, Release

Hello,

I'm happy you're here with me today for this 20 minute yoga practice to unwind and relax.

If you've had a particularly busy day,

You're feeling tired,

If you simply want to gift yourself this space to relax,

Then you're in the right place.

For this practice,

All you'll really need is a space to move on the floor.

If you have a yoga mat,

That's a bonus,

But if not,

Don't worry.

If you'd like to pause the recording to grab anything you feel like you may need,

Extra layers to wear or a yoga mat,

Then you can do so now.

Otherwise,

We're going to start today's practice laying down.

So laying flat on your mat or onto the floor,

Feet a little bit wider than your hips and your arms out to the side with the palms of your hands facing up,

Shoulders down and relaxed away from your ears.

Tuck your chin in just slightly to bring some length to the back of your neck.

If you're experiencing any low back tension or pain in this posture,

Then bend your knees so your feet are flat on the floor and then bring your knees towards each other.

Take a moment to connect with all the points of contact between your body and the ground.

So your legs are out straight,

It'll be at your heels,

Your legs are bent,

It'll be the soles of your feet,

Other points along the backs of your legs or the backs of your hips,

The back of the ribcage,

Back of your shoulders,

The back of the arms and hands and the back of your head.

See if you can allow those points of contact and connection to get deeper,

Giving your body into the support of the ground just 1% more,

Arriving here and allowing your body to feel held here as you gently guide your attention towards your breathing.

Breathing in and out through your nose as best you can,

You can place your hands on your belly if you'd like to connect with that breath more and feel that rise and fall.

And we'll begin today's practice just by hugging your knees in towards your chest.

So hug your knees in tight.

If you'd like to,

Take a moment to rock gently side to side or maybe make some circles with your knees so you start to massage your lower back.

So making circles one way and then the other way,

Massaging the lower back and starting to open and ease the muscles of the hips.

Now keep hold of your right knee and stretch your left leg out so the left heel comes down towards the floor once again,

Your left knee starts to straighten.

Point your left toes and press your left toes away from you as you squeeze your right knee in towards your chest,

Opening through the front of the left hip and deep into the right hip,

Breathing slowly and smoothly.

If I haven't said so already,

You're welcome to keep your eyes closed for as much of this practice as you'd like to.

Now keeping your left leg out straight,

On your next exhale now bring your right knee a little bit out to the right side so your knee will be more in the direction of your right armpit.

Squeezing your knee towards your right armpit as you reach through your left toes,

Feeling that sense of opposition,

Left and right moving in opposite directions,

Opening up through the hips.

Now take hold of the back of the right thigh and begin to start straightening your right leg so your foot comes up in the direction of the ceiling.

Of course that knee doesn't have to straighten fully,

Just as much as you get a little bit of a stretch along the back of the leg.

Now once you've reached your limit there,

Start to make some circles with your right ankle,

So circling your ankle one way,

And then the other way,

And then gently bring your right knee back towards your chest,

And we'll swap legs so as you straighten your right leg,

Reach your left knee towards your chest.

So now your right heel is on the ground,

Your right knee is towards being straight,

Reaching through your right big toes as you hug your left knee towards your chest.

Each exhale allowing you to squeeze that left knee a little bit closer to your chest as you reach your right toes away.

On your next exhale now guide your left knee more toward the left side,

So your left knee is coming in the direction of your left armpit,

Again squeezing your left knee toward the armpit as you reach your right toes away from you.

Now take hold of the back of the left thigh and gently start to open out that left knee,

Reaching your left foot up toward the ceiling,

So your left leg is more at a right angle from the right,

Guiding that knee to begin to open,

But of course the left knee doesn't have to be fully open.

Once you've reached your limit,

Or as straight as that leg wants to be today,

Start to make some circles with your left ankle,

Circling your ankle one way,

And then the other.

And then gently just bringing both knees back in toward your chest once again,

Rocking a little bit side to side,

Before making your way up to a seat,

So you might want to roll onto one side and push yourself up with your hand,

Or just rock up straight away.

Once you're up,

Either sitting with your legs straight or your legs crossed,

Spine nice and long,

Shoulders down and relaxed away from your ears,

Chin parallel to the floor.

I'll move through some neck stretches here just to ease the shoulders at the end of a long day.

So as you inhale,

Keeping the back of the leg long,

Look up toward the ceiling,

So lift your chin,

Take your gaze up toward the ceiling.

As you exhale,

Bring your chin down toward your chest.

As you inhale,

Take your gaze up toward the ceiling.

As you exhale,

Bring your chin down toward your chest.

As you inhale,

Bring your chin back to neutral.

Now as you exhale,

Bring your right ear to your right shoulder,

Ensuring that your shoulder stays down,

It's just your head moving,

So you get that stretch along the left side of your neck.

Breathe into that.

Inhale your head back to neutral,

And then as you exhale,

Bring your left ear to your left shoulder,

Feeling that stretch across the right side of your neck.

Now as you inhale,

Bring your head back to centre.

And then placing your hands in front of you,

You're going to gently start to walk your hands forwards,

Coming to a seated hip and back stretch.

So if your legs are crossed,

Your hands will be in front of your shins,

Walking your hands forwards.

If your legs are out straight,

Your hands will be either side of your legs,

And just walking your hands forwards.

If your legs are straight,

You're welcome to bend the knees.

Breathing into the lower back,

Breathing into the hips.

If your legs are crossed,

Then inhale and walk yourself back up to a seat,

And then cross your legs the opposite way.

So if you had your right shin in front,

Now cross your legs with the left shin in front.

Exhale and walk your hands forwards once again.

As you inhale,

Walk your hands back up to a seat either way,

And then make your way onto all fours,

Into tabletop position.

In tabletop position,

Your hips will be right over your knees,

Your hands underneath your shoulders.

So your shoulders,

Your elbows,

Your wrist in alignment,

Fingers spread wide.

Just take a moment here in tabletop position to feel into that shape.

Once you're ready,

We'll move through some cat and cow stretches,

Just to mobilise and bring the blood through the spine.

So as you inhale,

Drop your navel toward the ground.

So you'll lift up through your tailbone,

Open your chest,

Look forwards or look up toward the ceiling.

As you exhale,

Push the floor away with your hands,

Round your spine so you tuck your chin in toward your chest,

Bring your navel back toward your spine and tuck your tailbone under.

Inhale,

Opening through the front of the body,

So drop your belly button toward the ground,

Lift your tailbone,

Open your chest.

As you exhale,

Round the spine,

Push the floor away.

Just take two more rounds of that movement in your own time.

Inhaling to arch,

Exhaling as you round.

Inhaling as you arch,

Exhaling as you round.

On your next inhale,

Find your way back to tabletop position,

So back to that neutral spine.

We'll move through a gentle twist we call threading the needle.

So on your next exhale,

Reach your right hand up toward the ceiling,

So you'll be opening up into an open twist,

Opening the chest up toward the right.

Then as you exhale,

Twist toward your left arm,

So you're threading your right arm underneath the left.

So your right shoulder and your right ear come down toward the floor,

Push the floor away with your left hand.

And breathe into that twist,

It's a nice upper back stretch,

Which is great if you've been sitting at a desk a lot today,

If you've been hunched over a computer,

This will really help to ease and open through the ribs.

We'll start to make our way to the other side,

So press yourself back up into all fours,

Press through the left hand,

Come back to all fours.

On your next inhale,

Come through that open twist first,

So reach your left arm up toward the ceiling,

Look up towards your left hand.

As you exhale,

Thread your left hand behind your right arm,

Or under your right arm,

Your left shoulder and your left ear come down toward the floor.

Push the floor away with your right hand,

So you really open up to that twist,

Twisting to the right.

And once you've found your shape,

Again just take a few breaths here.

Opening into this twist,

This upper back twist,

Drawing your navel toward your spine just to help protect your lower back.

And once you're ready,

Make your way back to tabletop position,

So pressing through your hand,

Come back to tabletop.

And then gently make your way into a child's pose position,

So the big toes will move towards each other,

You might want your knees to rest a little bit wider.

Sit your hips back towards your heels,

They don't have to make it all the way there,

As you reach your hands forwards.

Your forehead coming down in the direction of your mat.

If your forehead doesn't quite meet your mat,

It can be a good,

A nice thing to place a block or a book underneath your forehead,

Just so you have that feeling of pressure on your forehead,

It's very calming at the end of the day.

If you don't have one near you now,

Don't worry,

Just keep reaching your fingertips forwards as you reach your hips back.

Allowing that opposition once again,

That elongation between your hips and your hands to traction and lengthen away any tension that's built up through your lower back today.

Just to open up through the sides of the body,

Start to walk your hands over to the right side.

So you'll maintain the hips towards the heels,

Just as you walk your hands over to the right side of the body,

Feel that stretch along the left side of your torso,

From your left pinky finger all the way down to your left hip.

As you inhale,

Come back to centre,

And as you exhale,

Walk your hands over to the left side.

And just isolating that stretch to the right side of the body,

Right side of the torso.

Inhale your hands back to the centre once again.

Just take a breath or two here,

Back in child's pose,

And then gently start to walk your hands up to a seat.

Find yourself in a comfortable seated position,

Either legs crossed or legs straight.

Elongate your spine,

Relax your shoulders and close your eyes for a second if they're not already.

Settle through your breath,

Maybe lengthen your exhale.

If you've had a particularly long day,

Take a few breaths exhaling out through your mouth.

Just allowing the body to release,

To settle and to receive these relaxing effects of our practice today.

Take a moment to feel grateful towards yourself for carving out this time to unwind and relax today,

For prioritising yourself over the to-do list just for this 20 minutes.

Whenever you're ready,

Slowly start to open your eyes.

Enjoy the rest of your day and see you soon.