Go From Tight to Light In Just 5 Minutes With This Tension-Releasing Restorative Yoga Sequence

Sinking right into a restorative yoga sequence is like slipping right into a heat bathtub on the finish of a protracted day—pure bliss and whole rest. That is the place the magic occurs, permitting each your physique and mind to let go after bearing the brunt of your every day stresses (and even only a laborious exercise).

You may apply restorative yoga poses everytime you really feel like your physique wants a mild stretch, says Paige Willis, RYT-200, licensed yoga teacher and founding father of Undone, a pop-up yoga expertise.

“I usually apply restorative yoga after a tough exercise or at nighttime. That’s when it feels most supportive for me. The longer, extra mild stretches and meditation assist me floor and relax,” she says.

When your breath and motion sync up, it creates a deep sense of concord between the physique and thoughts, permitting for a extra conscious apply that enhances each bodily and psychological well-being.

Willis is the host for our April 2024 Motion of the Month Membership, specializing in yoga. This week 4 yoga move—designed and demonstrated by Willis, under—is about bringing concord to your physique, mixing mild stretches with deep breaths to launch pressure and construct energy in essentially the most soothing means potential.

Be part of the Motion

Should you’re following together with our Motion of the Month Membership, you’ll do one pose every day, Monday via Saturday. Then on Sunday, you’ll do the complete 5-minute routine.

Do every pose for 50 seconds (25 seconds on either side, the place vital) earlier than shifting on to the subsequent one, for a complete of 5 minutes. Should you’re feeling particularly tight or in case you have extra time, be at liberty to do every transfer for so long as feels good.

1. Baby’s Pose (Balasana)

Flip your focus inward with little one’s pose. Although it appears easy, its advantages are many: opening your hips, lengthening your backbone, and activating your physique’s rest response.

1. Start in your palms and knees in a tabletop place, along with your wrists beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips.
2. On an exhale, decrease your hips again towards your heels, bringing your brow to relaxation on the mat.
3. Hold your knees collectively or unfold them barely aside, relying in your consolation stage.
4. Lengthen your arms ahead in entrance of you, reaching actively via your fingertips.
5. Permit your chest to sink towards the bottom as you lengthen via your backbone.

2. Bridge Circulate (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

This pose works your again, glutes, and hamstrings, whereas stretching your chest and creating a sense of fluidity and strengthening your mind-body connection.

1. Lie flat in your again along with your knees bent and toes flat on the ground. Place your toes hip-width aside and parallel to one another, heels drawn in towards your sitting bones.
2. Place your arms at your sides with palms going through down.
3. Press your toes and arms firmly into the ground. As you inhale, elevate your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes and thighs.
4. As you elevate your hips, increase each arms straight above your head towards the ground.
5. Decrease your again to the ground vertebra by vertebra, decrease your arms again all the way down to your sides on the identical time.
6. Repeat.

3. Supine Windshield Wipers

Present reduction to your hips and decrease again with supine windshield wipers. The transfer gently stretches your hips via inside and exterior rotation.

1. Start by mendacity in your again on a snug floor, similar to a yoga mat.
2. Lengthen your arms out to the edges barely decrease than shoulder peak, palms going through up or down, whichever is extra comfy
3. Bend your knees and plant your toes on the mat, hip-width aside, holding your knees pointed towards the ceiling.
4. On an exhale, decrease each knees towards the suitable facet of your physique, permitting them to return as near the bottom as feels comfy.
5. Hold your higher physique and shoulders grounded on the mat, sustaining contact between your shoulder blades and the ground.
6. Inhale as you come back your knees to the middle, bringing them again to the beginning place.
7. Exhale as you decrease each knees towards the left facet of your physique, feeling a mild stretch via your hips and decrease again.

4. Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrasana)

Construct on the feel-good spinal actions of windshield wipers with a supine twist. It stretches the again, core, and hips, relieving pressure within the again through the twisting movement.

1. Lie in your again and lengthen your arms out to the edges at shoulder peak, palms going through up or down.
2. Bend your proper knee and drop it throughout your physique, twisting to the left facet so far as is comfy.
3. Press your palms or the backs of your palms into the ground to assist stabilize you as you gaze again to the suitable.
4. Twist again to the middle and repeat on the opposite facet.

5. Glad Child (Ananda Balasana)

On this pose, you’ll look precisely like a cheerful child! And your hips and decrease again will likely be comfortable, too, as this pose helps decompress the backbone as you pull your knees towards your armpits.

1. Lie in your again, bending your knees and drawing them towards your chest.
2. On an exhale, separate your knees wider than your torso.
3. Attain your arms via the within of your knees and maintain onto the outsides of your toes or ankles.
4. Flex your toes and draw your knees towards your armpits, bringing them nearer to your torso.
5. Draw your bellybutton to your backbone to maintain your decrease again on the mat.

6. Corpse Pose (Savasana)

Corpse pose is a deeply restorative and rejuvenating pose that permits you to give up and let go. In case your thoughts wanders throughout this pose, gently carry your focus again to the current second.

1. Lie in your again in your yoga mat. Lengthen your legs out lengthy on the mat, permitting your toes to fall open naturally.
2. Place your arms alongside your physique, palms going through up and fingers curled naturally.
3. Shut your eyes gently and permit your complete physique to calm down.
4. Let go of any pressure in your muscle mass, beginning out of your toes and dealing your means as much as your head.
5. Carry your consciousness to your breath, observing the pure rhythm of your inhales and exhales.
6. Stay right here for so long as you’d like.
7. If you’re able to transition out of savasana, start to deepen your breath and gently wiggle your fingers and toes to carry motion again to your physique.