Wellbeing with Bec
Home practice guide

Autumn Letting Go

Thank you for practising with me. Here is the session to take home, so you can return to that slow, quiet feeling whenever you need it. Use as much or as little as you like. Nothing here is a test.

Before you begin

What you will need

  • Two or three firm pillows or cushions, or a bolster
  • A blanket, and a second one if you feel the cold
  • A belt, dressing gown cord or scarf, in place of a strap
  • A sturdy chair or the edge of the sofa
  • A folded towel or a pile of books, in place of a block
  • An eye pillow or a soft scarf, if you like

Please look after yourself

  • Aim for a gentle stretch, never sharp pain or pinching in a joint
  • Breathe easily throughout, and never hold your breath
  • Come up slowly after lying down, and pause if you feel light-headed
  • Practise when you feel comfortable, perhaps after a light snack, and keep water nearby
  • If you have an injury or a health concern, choose the gentler options and check with your doctor or physio first
  • You can ease out of any pose at any time, and resting is always an option

Your breath for the whole practice

Let the breath out be a little longer than the breath in. It is a simple way to tell your body it is safe to slow down.

Breathe in for fourBreathe out for six

There is no need to hold your breath at any point. If counting feels like effort, just let each breath out be slightly longer than the one in.

The practice, pose by pose

Yin yoga holds poses on the floor for a few minutes so the body can soften slowly. Set a gentle timer for each pose, and ease out early whenever you need to. The full sequence takes about 75 to 90 minutes with a minute or two between poses. For a shorter practice, see the 30-minute version below.

Arrive and settle

5 minutes
How
Lie down or sit comfortably, with a blanket close by. Let your body be held by the floor. Breathe in for four and out for six.
While you hold
For the next little while, there is nothing to fix and nowhere to be.

Gentle warm-up

3 minutes
How
On hands and knees, move slowly between rounding and opening your back, in time with your breath. Add a few small circles of the hips.
At home
Pad your knees with a folded blanket.
Gentler
Sit on a chair and do the same movement seated, with your hands on your knees.
While you hold
Trees don't fight the wind. They bend, sway and let some leaves go.

Child's pose

5 minutes
How
Kneel, with knees wide or together. Sit back towards your heels and fold forward, resting your forehead on a cushion. Turn your head to the other side halfway.
At home
Stack two pillows lengthways in front of you, and fold a blanket behind your knees if they feel pinched.
Gentler
Sit on a chair and fold forward over a pillow on your lap or on a table. Keep your hips higher than your knees.
While you hold
Let the back of your body widen with each breath in, like a sail catching a little wind.

Sphinx

3 minutes
How
Lie on your tummy and prop yourself on your forearms, elbows under your shoulders. Let your belly soften towards the floor. Rest on one cheek afterwards.
At home
Put a pillow under your chest, or a folded blanket under your hips if your lower back feels pinched.
Gentler
Prop a firm pillow on a few books to make a slope, and lie back on it, with your head supported and your forearms resting on blankets. This keeps pressure off the front of your hips.
While you hold
A little effort, a lot of ease. We look for just enough, and no more.

Thread the needle

3 minutes each side
How
From hands and knees, slide your right arm under your chest, palm up. Let your shoulder and the side of your head rest on the floor. Breathe into the back of your shoulder, then switch sides.
At home
Rest your cheek on a folded blanket.
Gentler
Lie on your back and give yourself a hug, with your hands on your opposite shoulders. Swap which arm is on top halfway.
While you hold
Threading a needle takes patience, not force.

Sleeping pigeon, or figure 4

4 to 5 minutes each side
How
For figure 4, lie on your back with your knees bent. Cross your right ankle over your left thigh and let your knees come gently towards you. Hold behind your left thigh, or loop a belt round it. Then switch.
At home
Use a belt or scarf round the thigh so you don't have to grip. Rest your head on a pillow.
Gentler
Skip this pose if you have a hip concern, and spend the time on the shoulder release below instead.
While you hold
On each breath out, imagine something loosening, the way a leaf lets go. No effort, just ready.

Shoulder release

3 minutes each side
How
Sitting tall, reach your right arm up, bend the elbow and let your hand rest between your shoulder blades. Bring your left hand up behind to meet it, using a belt if your hands don't touch. Then switch.
Gentler
Cross your arms and give yourself a hug.
While you hold
Let your shoulders drop away from your ears. You are allowed to put some weight down.

Side bend over a cushion

4 minutes each side
How
Sit on a cushion with your legs crossed, and a firm pillow beside you. Reach the nearest arm over it and lean gently. Breathe into the top ribs, then switch.
At home
Stack two pillows for more height if you are stiff.
Gentler
Sit on a chair with your feet flat and lean over a pillow on a table.
While you hold
What is soft and yielding tends to outlast what is hard and stiff. A tree that bends in the wind doesn't break.

Supported bridge

5 minutes
How
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet hip-width apart. Lift your hips and slide a firm cushion or folded towel under the flat, bony part at the base of your back. Rest your weight onto it.
At home
Use a pile of books under a towel, or a firm pillow folded in half. Keep it low.
Gentler
Lift just a little, or skip and rest flat with your knees bent. Skip it if you feel dizzy or light-headed.
While you hold
A bridge connects one place to another. Autumn is a bridge between light and dark, and you are held as you cross.

Happy baby

3 minutes
How
Lie on your back and draw your knees wide towards your chest. Hold your shins or the backs of your thighs. Rock gently side to side if it feels good.
At home
Loop a belt round the arches of your feet, so your hands don't have to reach.
Gentler
Lie with your arms out in a cactus shape, resting on pillows, and let your chest soften instead.
While you hold
Allow it to be a little silly. Nobody is watching, and nobody is keeping score.

Reclined twist

5 minutes each side
How
Lie on your back with your knees bent and a pillow between them. Slide your hips slightly to one side, and let both knees drop to the other, with your arms open like a T. Breathe into the side that is lifted.
At home
Add a second pillow under the top knee if it floats in the air.
Gentler
Make the drop very small, with your knees staying on the pillow.
While you hold
Imagine the day being gently wrung out, like a cloth. Whatever is held tightly can soften.

Legs on a cushion, then rest

5 to 10 minutes
How
Lie on your back and rest your calves on a sofa seat, a chair or a stack of pillows, so your knees bend gently. Cover yourself with a blanket and rest your eyes.
Gentler
Keep your legs hip-width apart and your knees from falling outwards.
While you hold
Rest is not the reward for the work. It is part of the work.

A 30-minute version

On busier days, choose five poses and keep the breathing the same.

  • Arrive and settle, 3 minutes
  • Child's pose, 4 minutes
  • Sphinx, 3 minutes
  • Figure 4, or the shoulder release, 4 minutes each side
  • Reclined twist, 3 minutes each side
  • Legs on a cushion and rest, 5 minutes

A short letting-go rest

Lie down, warm and covered. Read this slowly to yourself before you start, then repeat it from memory. You can also ask someone to read it to you, or record it in your own voice and play it back. It takes about 5 to 8 minutes. If you fall asleep, that is welcome. Your body may have needed it.

Feel your whole body held by the floor. You don't have to hold yourself up any more.

Take a slow breath in, and sigh it out. Once more. Now let the breath find its own rhythm.

pause for a few breaths

Choose a short, kind sentence for yourself, such as I let go gently. Say it silently three times.

pause

Bring your attention to your right hand, then your arm and your shoulder. Your left hand, arm and shoulder. Your feet, your legs, your hips. Your back, your belly, your chest. Your face and the crown of your head.

pause

Imagine you are walking a quiet path in autumn. The light is low and golden. Leaves are falling, one at a time, unhurried.

Bring to mind one small thing you are ready to set down. See it as a single leaf in your hand. Thank it, if you wish. Then open your hand and let the breeze take it.

pause, and watch it drift away

Notice the space where it was. Light, open and quiet. The tree is not sad. It is resting, and trusting the cycle.

pause

Come back to your sentence. Say it silently three times.

Take a deeper breath. Wiggle your fingers and toes. Roll onto your right side and rest there. When you are ready, press up slowly to sitting.

Come again

Gentle yin yoga and breathwork on Sundays at Walsall Academy of Dance, Butts Street, WS4 2BJ. Two sessions each day (1:45pm and 3:30pm), with an optional Yoga Nidra to finish the later one.

15 November29 November13 December
Book your space

Say hello

I would love to hear how the practice felt for you. Just reply to my email, or write to me at hello@bec-wellbeing.co.uk. You can also find me on Instagram at @wellbeingwithbec.

This guide is general information for gentle practice at home and is not medical advice. Please check with your doctor or physiotherapist if you have an injury or a health condition, and always listen to your body.