Gentle yoga sequence full#
Gentle yoga sequence download#

Lie back lengthwise over your bolster and place your arms in any position of comfort. Tighten your strap until it’s taut and holds you in this shape. Take the same loop of your strap and swing it around your feet. You may wish to place blocks or blankets or pillows underneath your knees for added support. Place the loop over your head and let it land around your pelvis.ĭraw the soles of your feet to touch and open your knees out wide toward the sides of your mat. Make a wide loop in your strap and hold the loop with the “tail” of your strap facing toward you for easy adjustments. Place your bolster lengthwise behind you so that it is parallel to the long edge of your mat. Once you’ve created a space of relaxation within, slowly flutter open your eyes. Maintain this simple pattern and the mantra “one” throughout theīound Baddha Konasana (Captured Butterfly Pose) (10 minutes) Stay, focusing on your breath like this for five minutes.

Gentle yoga sequence full#

Continuously repeat “one” to yourself after every full breath. With each complete breath cycle, silently repeat to yourself “one.”ĭo not count your breaths. Take a full breath in and a full breath out. Deepen its rhythm and find a slow, steady pace. Simply find a place where you can soften your body and bring your awareness to your mind.Ĭlose your eyes and start to focus on your breath. You can sit cross-legged on the floor, on a blanket or bolster, or in a chair. Grab your yoga mat, a strap (or belt), and a bolster (or firm pillow or couch cushion) and get ready to let your body surrender and melt into relaxation.īegin in any comfortable seated position with one of the short edges of your mat against a wall. A 75-Minute Restorative Yoga Sequence to Initiate the Relaxation Response: The following sequence is intended to do just that: calm and relax the body and mind to initiate the relaxation response and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system.

Gentle yoga sequence download#

Related: Judith Hanson Lasater's Free Download on The Power of Restorative Yoga: Creating Presence & Fostering Gratitude

Relaxing the body can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, creating even more profound relaxation effects. As the name implies, the relaxation response triggers the release of the soothing, calming, and relaxing hormone acetylcholine to slow the heart rate and the breath to restore, relax, and rejuvenate.īecause the parasympathetic nervous system is used to create relaxation in the body, the reverse is also true. The relaxation response activates the parasympathetic nervous system, our “rest-and-digest” functions of the body-the exact opposite of the “fight-or-flight” sympathetic nervous system.

It’s a simple practice of self-care that stimulates the relaxation response within the brain and the body.