Evening Wind-Down

Sit on the floor with your knees bent and the soles of your feet pressed together. Let your knees fall open to the sides. Hold your ankles or feet with both hands.

1. Inhale — sit up tall, lifting through the crown of your head.
2. Exhale — gently hinge forward from your hips. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing steadily.
3. To exit, inhale and roll up to seated.

• Hinge from your hips, not by rounding your spine.
• Don't force the knees down. Let gravity work; if your knees sit high, place a folded blanket under each knee for support.
• Bring your heels closer to your body for more inner-thigh stretch, or farther away for more hip stretch.

Sit on the floor and open your legs wide into a comfortable V, with your toes and kneecaps pointing up. Sit on the front of your sit-bones, lengthening up through your spine, and rest your hands on the floor in front of you.

1. Inhale — lengthen your spine and lift your chest, reaching the crown of your head up.
2. Exhale — hinge forward from your hips, walking your hands forward along the floor and keeping your spine long.
3. Continue only as far as you can while keeping length in your back. Hold the position, breathing steadily.
4. To exit, inhale and walk your hands back to rise to seated.

• Hinge from your hips rather than rounding your spine; a short fold with a long back is plenty.
• Keep your toes and kneecaps pointing up toward the ceiling.
• Sit up on a folded blanket if your lower back rounds right away.
• Let each exhale gently ease you a little deeper.

Lie on your back. Bend your knees toward your chest.

1. Inhale — open your knees wider than your torso and bring them toward your armpits.
2. Exhale — flex your feet, point the soles up toward the ceiling, and reach your hands to grab the outsides of your feet (or your shins or ankles). Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing steadily.
3. To exit, release your feet and bring your knees together.

• Keep your tailbone and lower back resting on the floor; don't lift the sacrum.
• If reaching your feet rounds your back, hold your shins instead.
• Let your weight be passive — this is a release pose, not a strength pose.

Lie on your back with your legs extended along the floor.

1. Inhale — bend both knees and bring them toward your chest.
2. Exhale — wrap your arms around your shins or behind your thighs and gently draw the knees closer to your chest. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing steadily.
3. To exit, release your legs and extend them back along the floor.

• Keep the back of your head and your shoulders resting on the floor.
• If holding the shins compresses your knees, hold behind the thighs instead.
• Let the breath move into your belly and the back of your ribs.

Lie on your back with your legs straight along the floor. Extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder height with your palms facing up. Bend your right knee and hug it gently toward your chest.

1. Inhale — keep your left leg long along the floor and your shoulders pressed down into the mat.
2. Exhale — guide your right knee across your body toward the left side of the floor. Turn your head to look toward your right hand. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing steadily.
3. To switch sides, inhale and return the knee to center, then repeat with the left leg.

• Both shoulders stay rooted to the floor. Don't lift the shoulder of the twisted side to chase the knee down.
• The crossed knee doesn't need to touch the floor — let it land wherever your body lets it.
• Breathe into the side of your ribcage that lifts; the breath opens the twist more than effort does.

Sit on the floor with one side of your body against a wall. Lie back as you swing your legs up the wall. Adjust so your sit-bones are close to (but not necessarily touching) the wall and your legs rest vertically up the wall.

1. Inhale — settle your shoulders into the floor, palms facing up.
2. Exhale — soften the legs. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing slowly into the belly.
3. To exit, bend your knees and roll to one side; pause for a breath, then press up to seated.

• The legs should feel passively supported by the wall — they don't need to be perfectly straight.
• If your hamstrings tug, slide your hips slightly away from the wall.
• Place a folded blanket under your hips if you'd like a gentle pelvic tilt.

Lie on your back with your legs extended and feet relaxed open. Rest your arms by your sides with palms facing up. Let your shoulders settle into the floor.

1. Inhale — feel your whole body widen and settle.
2. Exhale — let the floor support your weight. Hold for the prescribed duration, breathing slowly and naturally.
3. To exit, draw a deep breath, gently move your fingers and toes, hug your knees to your chest, and roll to one side before sitting up.

• Make small adjustments to find true comfort: a pillow under the head, a blanket over the body, a bolster under the knees.
• Keep the jaw, brow, and tongue soft.
• Let the breath flow naturally; don't try to control it.