What is Wind Down Yoga?

Before I launched my Online Yoga and Meditation Membership over the pandemic, I spent time considering my program structure. I knew my own daily life experience of “sheltering in place” was isolating, stressful, and similar to many others.

As part of my membership, I wanted to include a physical modality to help students navigate the internal tension building in their bodies as the days passed.

Everything was happening at home, and so much of it was online. Isolating while sick, working, “attending” school, shopping, visiting with extended family, animal caretaking, and childrearing were all coming together in a big overwhelming heap! Beyond this, those who contracted the illness and first responders found themselves facing even more unknowns.

To counteract this stress, I decided to offer two weekly yoga classes in my membership. One to invigorate and strengthen and another that offers restorative modalities.

I created my Wind Down Yoga class to provide this restorative practice. It offers an escape into calm…  A practice to help shift us out of high-stress mode and into a deeply restful state.

My midweek offering, a late evening class occurs at the tail end of a stressful time in many homes. Most of my students found themselves at their limit by this time of day and were ready to call it quits.

I developed an overall softer practice to help us slough off the remnants of our day and consciously transition into stillness. My Wind Down Yoga classes can be utilized any time of day, but it is intended to be a practice that prepares you to sleep.

Sometimes I include gentle stretching, In other classes, we practice Yin Yoga sequences, and once in a while, I lead a Restorative Yoga class, a practice spelled with a capital R. It’s often a blend of all three yoga modalities.

When planning, I tend to “go with the flow,” and take into account the season, consider what’s going on in the world, check my mood, and then choose a practice to embrace and balance that energy.

The Wind Down Yoga class falls in the category of what yoga teachers call restorative “with a lowercase r.”

Since not all of you are familiar with these restorative (with a lowercase r) yoga terms, and they are a touch confusing, I will clarify how I define restorative modalities. 

• Restorative Yoga (with a capital R): A mostly still practice where we utilize supports and props like bolsters, blankets, pillows, blocks, and straps to rest our body. This is not about stretching. It’s about arranging the body in a way that feels super supportive and cozy so that you can completely release the weight of your body and fully rest.
• Yin Yoga: A series of long held, passive postures that are often centered around a physical part of the body or energy line. Yin Yoga postures are held for several minutes to create a slow, steady load to gently stretch connective tissue in the body.
• Yoga Nidra: Often called “yogic sleep,” Yoga Nidra is simply guided relaxation. It requires no movement at all, you create a comfortable, supported place to rest and journey inward. Some find this guided practice more restful than taking a nap!

I invite you to find out what it is all about. Take a peek at a class and join in.

I’ve created this special, recorded Wind Down Yoga class to demonstrate my weekly practice. 

It’ll help ground you in the “now” and find some quiet.

Find the details about my Online Yoga and Meditation Membership and connect with me if you have questions.

If this already sounds like a community you are ready to join, you can register here.

We’d love to practice with you!