Are you a morning or a nighttime yogi? If you like to do yoga right before you head to bed I have just the thing for you – the Evening Yoga Movement! It will help you to unwind from your day and slow down as you prepare for sleep.
These 7 poses come from the first class of a 30 day challenge over on my YouTube channel. If you want to try the whole challenge, sign up HERE! Or if you prefer, read on to work through these poses.
Get cozy and comfortable before you start. No props are required.
1. Child’s Pose – Start kneeling, bringing the big toes together and taking the knees as wide as you like. Settle the hips back towards the heels. Reach the arms forward as you fold down to the ground. Slide the shoulder blades down the back. Connect to your breath, releasing tension from the body as you exhale.
2. Cat/Cow – Push up to table top, with hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips. Spread your fingers wide. Inhale to drop the belly, lift the gaze and curl the tailbone up. Exhale to round and contract, nose towards navel. Take a few rounds of this to work the spine.
3. Downward Facing Dog – Walk the hands forward a couple of inches. Tuck the toes and lift the hips up and back. Draw your low belly in and relax the neck as you let the head hang. Bend the knees as needed, and keep the heels lifted if it feels good. Release the need to use any effort.
4. Lizard Pose – Kick your right leg up to the sky, then step the right foot to the outside of the right hand. The right knee should be aligned over the right ankle as you melt the hips down. Roll your shoulders down and away from the ears. Stay on the palms or come down on to your forearms. Minimize the tension here, nothing to prove. Repeat on the other side.
5. Puppy Pose – Return to table top. Keep the hips over the knees as you walk your hands forward. Melt the chest and head to the floor. Relax the arms to bring the elbows down to the floor. Feel your rib cage soften to the ground. Hold here, taking some slow steady breaths.
6. Forward Fold – Take a seat, stretching the legs out in front of you. This will be a passive pose, almost Yin style, with no pushing or pulling. Feet about hip width apart. Round in the spine as you fold down. Turn the palms up. Don’t worry how low you go, instead focus on feeling a stretch in the back body. Soften your belly and relax your thighs. Taking about 10 deep breaths here.
7. Seated Twist – Bend your left knee and cross the left foot over the right thigh. Hug the left knee with the right elbow. Take the left hand back behind you as you open into a twist to the left side. Reach the crown up to the sky drawing the right shoulder back. No slouching or rounding. Repeat to the other side.
These 7 poses come from the below 15 minute Evening Yoga Practice (Day 1 of the challenge)!
Namaste,
Kassandra
