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A couple of years ago, I noticed that I used to be practicing yoga only within the mornings. That happened to be after I had probably the most time, and by then yoga been a part of my routine for therefore long, I hadn’t thought of after I was practicing. But after that, I flipped my schedule and commenced practicing evening yoga. I discovered that a 10-minute evening yoga practice was enough and kept it realistic and doable so I wouldn’t be tempted to search out excuses to skip it, and I’d often practice it just before bed (or, plenty of the time, actually in bed).

Not long after, I began to share the sequence on my YouTube channel so others could end their day with evening yoga stretches.

Advantages of a 10-Minute Evening Yoga Practice

The next poses are a brilliant easy, beginner-friendly sequence of seated and reclined poses to quiet the nervous system. I work my way down the body, releasing tension one part at a time, starting with the neck and shoulders after which moving along the spine before heading to the hips, hamstrings, quads, and lower body to do away with all of the aches and pains from the day.

It doesn’t require any props and could be done anytime, including right before you fall into bed (and you may actually practice it from bed). It’s low effort, so it’s not going to overexert you or cause you to be awake afterward. It’s very relaxing and laid back. I consider it to be my 10-minute evening yoga ritual, and so do many others.

A ten-Minute Evening Yoga Practice for a Full-Body Stretch

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Neck Stretch

Begin in a cushty cross-legged seated position or whatever is comfortable for you. Let your head tilt to at least one side, then draw your chin down in front of your chest, and circle your head to the opposite side to create a half-moon shape. You possibly can lean your head back barely on both sides, but there’s no must take all of it the way in which back or in an entire circle. Proceed along with your half circles. Notice where you are feeling the stretch in your body. It’d feel good to carry a selected position, respiration into any tension. Calm down your jaw so there’s no clenching. Repeat this as repeatedly as you want.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Shoulder Shrugs

Bring your chin back to center. Shrug your shoulders all the way in which up toward your ears after which draw them back and down as you squeeze your shoulder blades behind you. Then repeat no less than a pair times.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

You can even place your fingertips on the mat behind your hips, bend your elbows, and take a look at to squeeze your elbows toward one another as you lift your chest. Take a giant breath in and are available all back to your seated position.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Seated Cat-Cow

You possibly can change the crossing of your legs to even out the stretch in your hips. Bring your hands to the tops of your knees for a seated Cat-Cow. As you inhale, expand the front of your chest and puff it forward in Cow.

(Photos: Yoga With Kassandra)

As you exhale, around the spine and contract as you drop your head and drop your chin toward your chest in Cat.

Repeat. Inhale, to open your chest. Exhale and around the spine. Practice two more rounds here after which come back to your sitting position.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Sure Angle or Butterfly Pose

Straighten your legs in front of you after which bring the bottoms of your feet together and let your knees lower to the edges. Slide your heels further away from you to create a less-intense diamond shape along with your legs. As you inhale, fold forward with a flat back and straight spine. When you reach your edge, where you may now not hold your back straight, let yourself round and release down.

As you exhale, roll all the way in which back as much as a seated position. Repeat this technique of falling forward and coming back up a couple of more times. Then reverse the motion and exhale as you round, contract and dive down. After which, with a flat back, inhale and are available all the way in which back up. Round your spine and repeat two more times.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Reclined Twist

From a seated position, lower yourself onto your back. Extend your right leg straight on the mat and convey your left knee in toward your chest. It is advisable to sway your left knee side to side, roll your left ankle, or flex and point your toes.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

As you exhale, cross your left knee across your body to the correct. Reach your left arm straight out to the side and keep as much of your left shoulder in touch with the mat (or the bed) as possible. You may turn your head toward your left shoulder. Come back to center and hold onto the back of your left thigh.

As you inhale, straighten your leg toward the sky after which exhale and bend it a little bit. Inhale press and straighten. Exhale bend it in. Do that two more times. Repeat this motion on the opposite side.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Half Completely happy Baby

Out of your back, exhale and bend your left knee. Grab your left foot or your left big toe, keeping your arm to the inside your left leg and your elbow pressing against your inner thigh. Try to tug your thigh down toward the ground as you furthermore mght push that knee a little bit wider to the side. Keep pressing your right hip down so that you’re not rolling over onto your left side, resting your right hand gently in your right hip flexor as a mild reminder. Calm down your shoulders and take some slow, regular breaths, drawing all of them the way in which into your lower belly.

(Photos: Kassandra Reinhardt)

Reclined Pigeon

From Half Completely happy Baby, keep your left leg because it is and bend your right knee to bring your right foot flat on the mat. Cross your left ankle excessive of your right thigh in Reclined Pigeon Pose. Reach along with your arms on either side of your right thigh and draw your right knee toward you. It is a big stretch on your glutes and outer hip. Pause here.

Release and switch sides, so your left leg is straight. Draw your right knee in toward you and sway your knee a little bit side to side and perhaps take a couple of ankle rolls along with your right foot, flexing and pointing it. Attempt to disengage your upper body and chill out your arms and your shoulders. Move into Reclined Twist on this side, followed by Half Completely happy Baby and Reclined Pigeon.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Sphinx Pose

From lying in your back, straighten your legs and roll onto your belly. Bring your legs hip-distance apart or wider and point your toes toward the back of the mat. As you come onto your forearms, consider lifting your chest and shrugging your shoulders back so there’s expansion across the front of your chest. Gently push the front of your pubic bone into the bottom and push into the tops of your feet to search out a little bit more lift through your chest.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Stay here or, for a rather deeper backbend, straighten your arms and lift your chest.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Child’s Pose

From Sphinx Pose, shift yourself back right into a wide-legged Child’s Pose. Press your big toes together and spread your knees as wide as you want to them, leaving enough room on your torso. As you walk your hands forward, reach your hips towards your heels and melt down through the chest.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

A variation of Child’s Pose that I like is to press your hands together in prayer, bend the elbows, and convey your thumbs toward the back of your neck, excessive of your head.

(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)

Easy Pose or Savasana

Begin to walk your hands back toward your knees. You possibly can either come to a seated position, like firstly of this practice, or you may slip under the sheets and are available into Savasana there.

Whether you’re seated or reclined, close your 10-minute evening yoga practice by inhaling through your nose after which releasing a giant breath through your mouth to, prepare for an ideal night’s sleep.

RELATED: 15 Yoga Poses to Help You Get Higher Sleep

About Our Contributor
Kassandra Reinhardt is an Ottawa-based Yin Yoga and vinyasa yoga instructor whose YouTube channel has grown to 2.2 million subscribers and has greater than 230 million views. Kassandra recently released her guided yoga journal, My Yoga Journey: A Guided Journal, her each day affirmation card deck, I Radiate Joy, and her book, 12 months of Yoga.