winding down
WATCH YOUR BREATH
BECOME SLOWER AND DEEPER
AS YOU PREPARE FOR A RESTFUL
NIGHT’S SLEEP
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winding down
This sequence is designed to quiet your body and mind and ready you
for deep, restorative sleep. If you find you are still wakeful, shift any remaining
tension by lying on your back, repeating the Bound Angle or Bridge poses
and watching your breathing become slower and deeper.
If you do not have time for the whole sequence,
just lie in the final relaxation, or Corpse Pose and
systematically tense and release every part of your
body in turn. Start with your feet and work up
through your legs, buttocks, hands and arms, chest
and shoulders, and finally your face. This teaches
your body how to let go of its armor of physical
tension and helps you release unhelpful or
negative thought patterns.
THE EXERCISES
This sequence begins with mind-calming forward
bends. Just relax and let gravity and the out-breath
do the work for you—imagine it emptying you of
thoughts and concerns. If your knees will not
straighten, raise your buttocks on blocks or folded
blankets, or sit with your back against a wall and
listen to your breath. To stop your back from
hunching, loop a belt around the foot of your straight
leg, taking one end in each hand. On the inhale,
pull on the belt to help you sit tall; on the exhale,
hinge forward, aiming to walk your hands down the
belt toward your foot. Do not struggle to get your
head down—it doesn’t matter if you never manage
to bend forward. Instead, focus on sitting tall to
strengthen the lower back and lengthen the
hamstrings, cushioning the thigh of your bent leg
if your knee doesn’t reach the floor. If even this feels
onerous, just lie on your back with your legs crossed.
To relax your lower back after forward bending, lie
on your back, drawing your knees into your chest.
Then practice pelvic-floor lifts: lift the muscles
between your genitals and anus as you exhale and
release as you inhale. Progress to the supported
Bridge Pose: lying with your chest open and outer
shoulders and upper arms on the floor is quieting
and calming. Lower your back down slowly, taking
one block out at a time, and let the twists ease out
any tightness before lying in Corpse Pose and just
letting go. If you wish, raise your calves on a chair
or put a bolster under your knees.
TIPS FOR WINDING DOWN
•
Forward bends may be easiest at first if you
place a chair in front of you and simply relax
your forehead onto its seat.
•
Hinging from the hips is essential in
forward bending. If this seems tricky, tilt
your pelvis forward by placing blocks
beneath your buttocks to stop your
back from hunching.
•
For the Bridge Pose, make sure the height
beneath your buttocks feels comfortable so
that your back remains unstrained. Rest your
head and shoulders on the floor.
Enjoy the Side Angle Stretch, relishing the long extension
from your hip to fingertips as it eases out any residual tension
of the day.
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bound angle/neck rolls
soles of feet
together
hands on waist
arms away from body, palms facing upward
if your neck feels
tight, make the
circles smaller
1
Lie flat on your back with the soles of your feet
together for Bound Angle Pose. If you like, place
blankets and a bolster underneath you to help
open your chest (see inset). Close your eyes and
follow a breathing circuit: breathe in and wash the
brain with the inhalation. Exhale down your spine to
your tailbone. Inhale up your spine to in between your
eyebrows. Exhale through both your nostrils. Repeat
this circuit once more.
2
Roll to the side and
come up to sitting
on your heels. Place
your hands on your waist
for Neck Rolls. Imagine
you are drawing a circle
with the crown of the
head. Bring your chin
down toward your chest.
Inhale as you move your
head to the right and back.
Exhale as you move to the
left and forward. Repeat
and then reverse.
supported version
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82/83winding down
cross-legged poses
keep head
relaxed
shoulders relaxed and
away from your ears
sitbones firm on
the floor
3
Release your legs forward and sit cross-legged. Push
down and back with your sitbones and extend your torso
over your thighs. Put your hands on the floor in front of
you. With each exhalation, stretch forward with your fingers and
push down and back with your sitbones. Breathe naturally. If it
is too difficult to come forward, lie on your back with your legs
crossed (see inset).
4
Inhale and come back up for a Side
Angle Stretch. Place your right hand
on the floor by your right hip. Keep
your elbow bent and shoulder relaxed. Inhale
and sweep your left arm up and over your
head, keeping the left sitbone rooting down.
Exhale, feeling the stretch on your left side.
Inhale and exhale, feeling the stretch. Keep
your breathing relaxed. Inhale and come back
to the center. Repeat on the other side.
easier option
inch forward
on each
exhalation
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