Yin Routine · All Levels

The Day After

23 minutes for legs that ache this morning

20 min · 5 poses · no props

For the morning after a long run or a race, when the stairs are the hardest part of your day. Everything here happens lying down — no kneeling, no weight through sore legs, nothing that asks anything of you. It will not make the soreness disappear, and anyone who tells you a stretch can is selling something. What it will do is get the blood moving, unclench the bracing that soreness creates, and make the day feel a good deal more liveable. Find a bit of wall and come as you are.

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Before you press play

The 15-Minute Post-Run Reset

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Press play and follow along — each hold is timed, with a gentle chime and a moment to ease out before the next pose. Use Skip or Prev to move at your own pace.

What's in this routine

  1. Legs Up the Wall Legs up the wall, arms soft. Five minutes. Let the blood drain back out of heavy legs.
    5 min
  2. Reclined Swan Ankle across the opposite thigh, draw the leg in — the glutes and outer hip, without kneeling on them.
    3 min each side
  3. Reclined Twist Knees to one side, shoulders heavy. A slow wring-out for the whole back.
    3 min each side
  4. Banana Walk feet and shoulders to one side into a long crescent — the side body that gets missed entirely.
    2 min each side
  5. Corpse Lie long and do nothing. This is the part that actually helps you recover.
    2 min

Common questions

Should I stretch when my legs are sore?

Gently, yes — but not to fix the soreness. Stretching hasn't been shown to prevent or cure delayed-onset muscle soreness, so anything promising that is overselling. What gentle movement does do is keep you from stiffening up around it, and it feels considerably better than lying still all day.

How long does soreness after a run last?

It usually turns up 12 to 24 hours after the effort, peaks somewhere around 24 to 48 hours, and eases off after that. If it's still there at day four, or it's sharp rather than achy, that's worth a physio's opinion rather than another stretch.

Can I run on sore legs?

An easy run often makes ordinary soreness feel better, oddly enough. But sore is different from painful — if something is sharp, one-sided, or changes how you move, take the day.

Do I need props for this?

No, just a bit of clear wall. A cushion under the head is welcome, and a blanket over you for the last few minutes if you're the sort who gets cold lying still.

Is this different from a post-run stretch?

Yes — this is for the next morning, not for straight after. Everything is done lying down, because sore legs don't want to kneel, and nothing goes deep, because deep isn't what a recovering muscle is asking for.

For your next run

The 15-Minute Post-Run Reset

✦ A free follow-along class, with a hold timer

This one is for the morning after. For straight after a run, I'll send you my free 15-Minute Post-Run Reset — a follow-along Yin class with a hold timer and written cues, yours to keep.

No spam, ever. Unsubscribe any time. I'll only send Yin.

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