Daily Relaxation Yoga: 24-Minute Gentle Full-Body Unwind

Some days you don't need a workout. You need somewhere to put the day down. In this class Rasika Sampath guides a slow, mostly floor-based practice that you can come back to whenever you feel the need to wind down: after a tiring, packed day, on a day when you feel a little low, or as a cool-down after a more intense yoga session or any other exercise. Nothing is rushed and nothing is a test. The whole practice is built on one idea she returns to again and again: stay wherever it feels relaxing.

Who this class is for

This class suits beginners and anyone returning to movement, as well as experienced practitioners who want a gentle day. Most of it happens lying on your back, with a short stretch on hands and knees and a few minutes sitting up at the end. You'll need a mat and, ideally, one or two yoga blocks. If you don't have blocks, Rasika suggests using any sturdy box or a firm cushion instead. Allow about 25 minutes and wear something you can move in comfortably.

How the practice unfolds

Arriving in Savasana

You begin lying in Savasana, feet and hands apart, eyes closed, letting the ground take your full weight. Rasika points out that most of us don't even notice where we hold tension during the day, so she takes you slowly through the jaw, the forehead and the shoulders and asks you to soften each one and breathe into it. As the body settles, you will usually find the breath slows down on its own. The opening ends with one clearing breath: in through the nose, then out through an open mouth with a sigh.

Releasing the lower back and hips

Next you hug both knees to your chest in Wind-Relieving Pose (Pavanamuktasana), keeping the chin gently tucked so the neck stays relaxed and the lower back can soften. From there you open into Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana), holding the feet or ankles with the soles facing the ceiling and drawing the knees towards the armpits while the lower back stays heavy on the mat.

Then the class works one side at a time. With one knee drawn in, you guide it across the body into a reclined twist. Rasika's cue here is worth remembering: it doesn't matter whether your knee reaches the floor (hers doesn't either). The work is in keeping the opposite shoulder blade rooted. You then let the bent knee fall out to the side for an inner-thigh stretch, with a block under it if that feels kinder, while the other hip stays grounded. Next you straighten the leg towards the ceiling for a hamstring stretch, holding the calf or ankle. Finally you return to a one-sided Happy Baby before resting and noticing the difference between the two sides. The same sequence follows on the left.

Supported Bridge

With a block slid horizontally under the sacrum, at whatever height feels stable, you rest in a supported Bridge Pose. From here one leg lifts and then lowers with control, keeping the knee straight, until the heel touches the floor. The other knee then hugs towards the chest, giving a gentle stretch across the front of the extended hip. After both sides you remove the block and roll down one vertebra at a time, then hug the knees and rock side to side to massage the lower back.

A little movement, then rest

To bring some circulation back, you move into Downward-Facing Dog with the knees as bent as you need, pedalling the legs. Then comes a gentle wave: knees, chest and chin to the floor, sliding forward into Cobra, and back to Downward Dog. This is done twice before you settle into Child's Pose. Rasika suggests letting the centre of the eyebrows rest on the floor, a point many people find helps the face and jaw let go.

Seated release for desk-tired joints

The class finishes sitting in Vajrasana with simple movements most of us need after a day at a screen. First come wrist rolls in both directions. Then slow neck movements: up and down, side to side, ear towards shoulder. Shoulder circles follow with the fingertips on the shoulders, and the practice ends with three shrugs that release on a sighing exhale.

Practising safely

Keep every stretch at a level that feels relaxing rather than intense. That is the stated aim of the class, not a compromise. Rasika specifically warns against shrugging the shoulders or gripping when a hamstring stretch gets strong; bend the knee instead. If you have a recent back, hip or knee injury, are pregnant, or have high blood pressure or glaucoma (which makes head-below-heart positions like Downward Dog worth checking first), ask your doctor or a qualified teacher which parts suit you. You can always skip the Downward Dog flow and simply rest in Child's Pose.

Making it a habit

Because it is gentle, this practice works well daily, and Rasika encourages exactly that. Use it in the evening and go straight to bed afterwards, or use it mid-day and carry on with what you were doing. If you'd like a structured week of evening practices, try the 5-Day Evening Wind-Down, or explore our guide to yoga for stress and anxiety.