Yin Yoga · Sleep · Nervous-system · Hips
Hips first, shoulders last, and the day's thinking done
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A bedtime class that does the hips first and the shoulders last, which is the right order if you’re heading straight to bed afterwards.
The round is three shapes, two minutes each. Sleeping Swan for the glute and outer hip, front foot flexed to look after the knee, weight kept even rather than collapsed into the front hip. Shoelace — full or half — with a side-body reach added for the last few breaths, one hand walking out and the other arcing over. Then Half Butterfly, one leg long, folding over it with a pillow under the bent knee if it floats.
All three again on the other side.
Then Thread the Needle for two minutes each way, which is where the upper back and shoulders let go, and a few rounds of Cat-Cow with the hips swaying side to side to finish.
The line worth taking to bed is the one Katie offers during Shoelace: the day is over, and all your thinking is done for today.
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Katie's reason during Shoelace is that we hold a lot of tension in the hips, so opening them is a way of releasing stress and letting the body calm down — not just a stretch. The shoulders come last because that's what you want loose as you get into bed.
Straighten the bottom leg out and cross only the top one — that's half Shoelace, and it's offered here. Sitting up on a pillow or cushion helps either version, and the thing to check is that both seat bones press down rather than you sitting on your own foot.
A side bend added to the last few breaths. One hand walks out to the floor beside you, the other arcs overhead in the same direction, and you keep both hips down. It opens the side body, which almost nothing else in the sequence reaches.
Put a pillow under it. Katie suggests exactly that as she sets the pose up — the bent knee doesn't need to reach the floor, and supporting it lets the hip actually release rather than brace.
In the shoulder and upper back, not the neck. The ear and shoulder rest on the mat, and you can use the free hand to add a little weight if it feels good. If the neck complains, take the weight off and come out slowly.
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