Lessons

Lesson Info

Sleep Well

Hi, Yogi. It's bright in this practice. For 20 minutes, we'll be working on sleeping well, so give you all of the tools that I use at home when I have trouble sleeping. And, yes, it does happen from time to time. So I would recommend using this practice right before bed so it could be the most effective for you as possible. Make sure you have one strap and a pollster and let's get started. All right, take your bolster off to the side. For now, Just make sure it's within arm's reach. Make sure you have your strap loot into a nice long loop and then lie down onto your back. Place the strap having the, um, what would this be called the buckle of your strap off to the right and take the arch of your foot right onto one part of the straps so that the buckles towards the right of your body and the, uh, way to tighten your strap is facing down so you can tighten it if needed. Then you're going to take the other part of the strap right behind your head so that the strap wraps above your um ear...

s and you're gonna tighten the strap until it's taught. Taught enough that you feel a stretch in your right hamstring and notice that I have my left knee bent. It's just a really nice way to get a stretch in the right hamstring without having to work too hard. Cain. Situate the strap on your head so that you can lay your head back comfortably and close your eyes. Take a deep inhalation through your nose. I'm let it go where? Opening the right hamstring that at the same time increasing the blood flow in your body to calm your nervous system. Deep breaths here want you to really focus on deep, long exhalation. So in him and exhale. Try to get your ex elation longer than the inhalation. One more time like that in him long X elation than one clearing breath together. Inhale fully sigh it out. Keep the strap on the back of your head. Just grab the strap off of the arch of your foot. Bend your right knee. Place the soul of your right foot on the mountain. Just switch sides arch of your left foot on the strap. You want the strap taught enough so that you feel a stretch in that left hamstring, but not so much so that you can't relax your head back or you can't relax at all. Take your arms out by your sides. Close your eyes. Relax your jaw. Let's take a few deep axel ations long exhalations together in him through the nose. Exhale. Still using that huge I breath in hand, try to lengthen that X elation even more. Relax your shoulders. Your job. You're back. Body inhale Longest X elation, yet one clearing breath together in him. Open your mouth. Beautiful. Don't take that strap off of the arch of your foot. Move this drop off to the side. Hug your knees into your chest. Roll to the right side of your body. Using just the strength of your left arm, Prop yourself up into a seat. Send your legs out in front of you. Grab your bolster. Bring your big toes to touch police your bolster right onto your legs and pull the boat. Bolster. Close enough so that's right in. Your tummy will unfold down. Turn towards the left side of your face and rest your head on the bolster in this forward fold now, if it's too low and you can't actually rest your head, you can always bring your forehead down and stay a bit rounded or use to bolsters or prop yourself up with an extra block. Just find a place where your head can relax freely down onto the bolster. Its supported release any engagement in your legs? Just enjoy this forward folds with each deep exhalation, each long X elation. See if you can allow your head to be supported by the bolster. You can allow your legs to melt down into the mat. You can release your arms. Release the grip of your feet. Just melt into the posture, still focusing on those long exhalations, just allowing any unneeded tension in the body to melt away As you exhale, turn your face to the other side just to even out your neck really began to take the practice inside, allowing the body to soft in allowing your mind to rest and just focus on relaxing and letting go, Letting go of your day, letting go of those thoughts in your mind that tend to keep it really busy. It's time for you to relax. Take a gentle inhalation through your nose. Let it go and slowly using your hands to prop yourself back up. Taking your bolster off to the right side of the map. You're going to come onto your belly placing the bolster underneath your belly. Now I'm short, so I can still have my face on the bolster. Well, keeping my pelvis supported. If you're taller than I am, you'll want to take your left leg out to the side. That's what we'll be doing here. Make sure that the bottom part of the bolster supporting from the pubic bone up you might need an extra ball. If you want to support your head or you can always hang your head off of the bolster, just rest your head on the mat. Your left leg is out to the side and 1/2 frog position. Just releasing any tension from the inner groin area. Just since we're using the left leg, you want to make sure that you're gazing towards the left just to balance out the spine. Take your arms out into a cactus position. Close your eyes, take a deep inhalation through your nose and let it go. I really believe in the power of Prana Yama. Sometimes I don't even use asana or moves that just lay in my bed and focus on my ex relations really relaxing my body. So imagine how effective it's going to be for you pairing these relaxing postures. Releasing this tension with your breath work on inhale taking your hands underneath your shoulders. Just sending your left like back. All we're gonna do is switch sides so left, like two straight right me out to the site. Turn towards the left side of your heads. You're facing the right and open the arms out wide. The more you move your right knee away from you, the deeper the stretch will be. But try not to engage your right glute. Just relax. Take a deep inhalation through your nose. Sigh it out. Does you inhale? Remember, allow your excell ations to be a bit longer and as you exhale, really allow all of that tension from your body to release. Let the floor let the mat hold you up Fingertips underneath your shoulders. Inhale stretch right leg back. Now you're gonna sit up just for a moment. You don't have to sit all the way up just onto the side of your hip. Now the bolsters going to stay where it is, turn towards the right side of your hips so both legs are together and you're going to twist. So you're gonna lay down with your legs out to the right with your tummy on the bolster. If you want a deep in the twist, you can turn your face towards the right. If it's more comfortable toe. Have your face turn towards the left. Do so I'm just enjoy very, very light twist. If you need the twist to be a little bit more intense, can always extend your left leg forward. You feel a deeper stretch in that right side body, but since we're really prepping herself toe wind down, practicing a little bit of that Ian so that it can take it from the physical realm into the mental room really feel relaxed. Couple more breaths, long exhalations and then inhale Prop yourself up to seated. All you're gonna do is switch directions nice and slow, taking your left hip to the bolster if your legs out towards the right, lowering your belly down on either turning towards the left for deeper twist maybe even extending your top leg. You're right. Or for more relaxing experience, just turn your gaze to the right. Take a deep inhalation through your nose, sigh it out each X elation. Allow your body to feel heavier to rest into the bolster. Relax your job. You're not your shoulders, all of the muscles in your face. One more breath fingertips underneath your shoulders. Inhale, lift yourself up. Now I would recommend practicing the rest of this practice actually in your bed, especially if you have your bed up against a wall or you have a taller headboard. You can use that as the wall, but if you don't and you'd rather stay where you are, then make sure you're I had a wall because we're going to use the wall for the rest of the practice. Now we'll still need the bolster in a moment, so set it off to the side, sit in front of the wall facing the wall and then lie down onto your back. Now you'll adjust how close your hips are, just based off of how much, um, sensation you want in this stretch, place your left foot on the wall with the knee bent. Cross your right ankle over the left knee. Now, from here, you can push your right knee away from you with your right hand. Or you can just relax back. If you want a little bit more sensation or a lot more, the closer you move your hips to the wall, the more useful the wall is going to be in creating a deeper stretch and releasing hypotension is a great way to just prepare yourself to sleep. Close your eyes, take a deep inhalation through your nose and let it go with each exhalation. Allow your hips your low back to really relax down into the mat. Let any tension around the jaw and the neck melt away. I'm just focus on those long exhalations two more rounds of long exhaling. Inhale and exhale. Just switch size. Take your right foot to the wall. Cross your left ankle over the right knee. Just make sure your hips air on the ground, though, especially if you're going for more sensation. Don't let your hips lift off the ground. Okay, so you might need to move your right foot up the wall a little bit. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in through your nose, sigh it out and come back to that deep breathing, inhale long X elation. Exhale. Do that a few times, really letting go of that tension in your body with each exhalation. One more breath cycle. Inhale slowly. Release bringing your feet to the wall, knees bent. What should a walk your hips all the way up to the wall? Take the soles of your feet together and open your knees out wide. Let the heels drop down low for a little more sensation. You can even use your hands to push the knees towards the law. But since we're relaxing here, maybe stretch the arms overhead, make a little box above your head, grabbing opposite elbows. If you need more, you can even open the legs out wide and enjoy a reclined Who. Boavista Corn ascena. Whatever feels good for you, take a deep breath in Let it go in helpfully. One more big long X elation, then slowly bend your knees. Place your feet on the wall, grab your bolster, lift your hips up. Make sure your hips are really close to the wall. Lift your hips up and slide the bolster underneath your pelvis, making sure that when you put your butt back down on the bolster that your sit bones are supported by the wall or the headboard on that, your legs are extended up. Victory to Karate This is one of the most comfortable. Inversions and inversions are really great way, like I said, to calm the nervous system. If you ever have swollen feet, maybe even after a flight, you could use this pose as well. Your head is below your heart, creating that calming sensation. Open the arms out wide. If you're in bed, maybe place your blanket on your chest to keep yourself warm. Close your eyes. Take a deep inhalation through your nose and let it go. This is your Shiva Sena. Here, the end of your practice. Feel free to take it for a long as it serves you. When you're done, just bend your knees, push yourself out of the position, curl up into a comfy little ball on your bed and focus on those exhalations until you drift off to sleep. Thank you so much for practicing with me on this day