Yin Yoga · Energy · Beginner · Back · Flexibility
A morning class that never asks you to stand up
Watch the full class on YouTubeBefore you go
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe any time. I'll only send Yin.
Check your inbox 🌙 your two-hour retreat is on its way.
A morning class that never asks you to stand up.
Child’s Pose for two minutes to start, knees close together so the back rounds, a cushion under the hips if they’re complaining. Then the knees go wide, the hands reach forward for the shoulders, and you walk both hands over to one side for a minute and then the other — a side bend through the ribs, which after a night lying still is usually where the stiffness has settled.
Sphinx for three minutes. This is a strong backbend first thing, so the elbows slide as far forward as you need, and lying flat on your belly is an honest version of it.
Then Crocodile, and while you’re there the legs get some attention — reaching back for one foot at a time for the quad, then holding the ankle and circling the foot both ways, toes spread wide. Ankles wake up stiff and almost nothing addresses them.
Seal for a minute if the deeper backbend is welcome, Crocodile again with the other cheek down, and a few quiet breaths sitting up.
The whole thing is deliberately unhurried. It’s twenty minutes for a body that isn’t ready to be efficient yet.
Tap a time to jump to that moment on YouTube · tap a pose to open its page.
A gift from me
✦ A members-only class — free for you
Enjoyed this class? I'll send you my free two-hour Yin, restorative and Yoga Nidra retreat — two slow hours to properly switch off, yours to keep. Just pop your email in.
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe any time. I'll only send Yin.
Check your inbox 🌙 your two-hour retreat is on its way.
It can be, as long as it's gentle — and this one is built that way. Katie repeats throughout that the body is stiffer in the morning, so the elbows go further forward in Sphinx, the knees go wider in Child's Pose, and lying flat on your belly counts as a complete version of the backbend.
Slide the elbows further away from you, which lowers the whole backbend. Or simply lie flat on your front — Katie offers that explicitly here, and you still get a gentle stretch through the spine.
Because they wake up stiff. Lying in Crocodile you reach back for one foot at a time for the quad, then hold the ankle and circle the foot both ways and spread the toes. It takes a minute and it's the part most morning routines leave out.
From Child's Pose with the knees wide, you walk both hands over to one side and stay a minute, then the other. It opens the side of the ribcage — which, after a night lying still, is usually where the stiffness actually is.
Not especially. Nothing in it requires balance, standing or strength, and the whole class happens on the floor. It's designed for the twenty minutes where you're not quite functioning yet.
Or browse every class in the library.
