Winter evenings flow

YOUR EVENING RESET
After a full day of activity, decision-making, and stimulation, it’s normal to feel mentally wired or physically tense. A gentle evening ritual helps release the day’s buildup and prepare your body and mind for rest. Moving with intention slows the nervous system, supports deeper sleep, and creates space to ease into relaxation.

Yoga is one of the most effective ways to wind down in the evening. Gentle movement, paired with conscious breathing, activates the parasympathetic nervous system – your body’s “rest and restore” mode. This response helps lower stress hormones, eases muscle tension, and creates a sense of calm that prepares you for sleep. Evening yoga often targets areas where stress accumulates, such as the spine, hips, shoulders, and jaw, gently encouraging release.

A consistent evening yoga practice supports your body’s natural circadian rhythm. It can enhance melatonin production, aid digestion, reduce inflammation, and ease you into a more restful and regenerative sleep. Even just 15 minutes of slow, mindful movement can become a powerful signal that your day is ending and it's time to relax and reset.

EVENING YOGA IN WINTER
As daylight fades early and temperatures drop, the body naturally turns inward. Similar to nature, this is a season for conservation and restoration. An evening yoga practice in the winter months becomes a powerful way to warm gently, settle deeply, and support resilient rest.

Cold weather can leave muscles feeling stiff and joints less mobile, especially if you’ve been sitting more or bracing against the chilly, wet weather. Gentle breath led movement gradually builds heat, supports circulation, nourishes connective tissue, and helps fascia stay supple during colder months. Unlike summer’s need to cool down, winter evenings benefit from contained, cocooning postures – think blankets, bolsters, and layers that allow you to soften without losing heat.

Breathwork is especially powerful in winter. Slow nasal breathing gently warms the air before it enters the body, while extended exhales activate the parasympathetic nervous system, easing you out of the day’s demands. Deep belly breathing supports digestion and signals safety and calm to the nervous system.

Your winter evening practice is less about output and more about nourishment. Dim the lights, wrap yourself in warmth, move slowly and intentionally. Let your mat become your comfort blanket against chilly winter days. When you honour the body’s need for steadiness and rest in winter, you cultivate resilience that carries you through to spring – you’ll waken from winter hibernation feeling restored and nourished.

EXPLORING WINTER EVENINGS FLOW IN YOUR PRACTICE
This gentle evening practice stays close to the ground to help dial down your nervous system and prepare your body for sleep.

Row One begins with self-myofascial release (MFR) for the sides and back of the hips. Hips often feel achy and stiff by the end of the day, whether you’ve been active or sitting for long periods. Hip tension can also contribute to unsettled sleep. MFR helps rehydrate the tissues and ease built-up tension, making it more comfortable to settle and rest at night.

Rows One and Two focus on gentle mobility for the hips, spine, and shoulders, releasing the accumulated tension of the day. The movements are slow and steady, supporting both recovery and nervous system regulation.

Row Three keeps you low to the ground but introduces a slightly wider range of movement. If you’re feeling exhausted, you can simply repeat Row Two and skip this section. If you’re still carrying restlessness or mental busyness from the day, Row Three offers just enough variety to help discharge that energy and quiet the mind.

The Final Row brings you into seated shapes, includes targeted shoulder MFR for common areas of stiffness, and finishes with a soothing restorative pose to ease you fully toward sleep.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the MFR and restorative techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
1 x bolster - or 2 towels, wrapped around a horizontally rolled pillow and tied to secure.
2 x yoga blankets - or any wool, thick cotton or fleece blanket with density.
2 x yoga bricks - or two thick similar sized dictionaries.

Restorative
MFR
No.1 - Hips (gluteus medius)
Compression - from side lying up on your forearm, stack 2 x balls behind your frontal hip bone on your outer hip, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower your leg x 5.
Roll & cross fibre - roll up and down on your outer hip.

No.2 - Glutes (gluteus maximus & piriformis)
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls in the centre of each buttock muscle, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5. Place your right foot on your left knee and lower and lift your right knee.
Roll & cross fibre - roll around the whole buttocks area.

No.3 - Shoulders (trapezius & supraspinatus)
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls in the centre of each upper shoulder, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly circle arms overhead and back to the ground x 5. 

No.4 - Back of skull 
Lie on your back and place a brick on its lowest high just below the curve at the back of your skull (occipital ridge). Extend your legs out, arms slightly away from your body, palms facing up. Legs slightly apart and feet fall out to the side, soften your shoulder, back of the neck long. Gently roll your head from side to side to ease out tension in the muscles at the back of the skull. Roll your head mid way to your right, pause and make small circles, repeat on the left side. Remove the brick, soften the muscles across your forehead, your temples, the back of your skull. Let the whole body become heavy and melt into the support of the ground.

Restorative
No.5 - Mountain brook
Half roll a four fold blanket and place it at the top of your mat. Accordion fold the other blanket and place it below your top blanket where your shoulder blades will lie. Place the bolster towards the bottom of your mat where your knees will be. Lie supine on your back, nestle the rolled part of the top blanket in the curve of your neck, place the accordion folded blanket under the lower tips of your shoulder blades and the bolster under the creases of your knees. Legs and arms extended, palms facing up, feet fall out to the side. Feel the rise and fall of the props supporting your back body.

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Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Winter mornings flow

YOUR MORNING RESET
After a night of rest, it’s common to wake up feeling a little stiff or sluggish. Gentle movement first thing in the morning helps shake off that heaviness, re-energise the body, and set the tone for a more grounded, vibrant day. Morning movement releases endorphins, increases oxygen flow, and boosts circulation – leaving you feeling more awake, clear-headed, and ready to meet the day.

Yoga is one of the most effective and accessible ways to get moving in the morning. It gently stretches and strengthens the entire body, mobilises the spine in all directions, and opens up the hips – especially helpful if you spend much of your day sitting. By focusing on key areas like the spine, hips, and shoulders, yoga helps relieve tension, improve posture, and support pain-free movement. This physical reset also uplifts your mood and cultivates a sense of emotional clarity and openness.

A consistent morning yoga practice does more than just wake you up. It supports digestion, balances hormones, boosts metabolism, and strengthens your immune system. Most importantly, it creates intentional space for self-care before the demands of the day begin – grounding your energy, aligning your body and mind, and helping you show up with more presence and resilience.

MORNING YOGA IN WINTER
Winter invites a more contemplative, inward rhythm — shorter days, cosy evenings at home, and a naturally slower pace of life. A morning yoga practice gently balances this seasonal slowing with steady, flowing movement that warms the body and clears the mind.

Standing poses, balance challenges and mindful core work build strength, heat and concentration. Fluid transitions, twists, gentle backbends and balance challenges boost circulation, increase energy and help wake up the thinking brain.

At the same time, winter is a season where we can honour the body’s instinct to hibernate. Gentle breathwork, hip openers and supported inversions allow us to soften and restore. Supporting yourself with consistent yoga practice during winter helps lay the foundations for a resilient immune and respiratory system, often under greater challenge at this time of year. This is not usually the time for deep backbends or strong inversions, but rather for practices that are warming, grounding and nourishing — moving slowly, like warm honey. 

Your winter morning practice can help you stay uplifted and positive through the darker, colder days. There is something quietly beautiful about stepping onto your mat and greeting the day as it slowly awakens in the early morning light.

EXPLORING WINTER MORNINGS FLOW IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence starts in the first row with MFR on the feet followed by breath led spine, shoulder and hip mobility to warm up the muscles and get circulation going. The second and third row are your standing flows, continuing with 3 in and 3 out beathe led flow. Take your time and transition from pose to pose with control. Each standing row starts with a balance challenge where you will take tree pose and gaze up, down, left, right. Remember to do this on both sides. Complete each full line with the right leg forward and then repeat the line with the left leg forward – this is one full round of the flow. For a longer practice you can repeat these two standing flows. The final row offers core work to complete your practice with some deep internal warmth and posture support for the day ahead.

Instead of ending in the traditional Savasana, the sequence closes with Samavritti Pranayama – equal breath – to focus the mind and regulate the nervous system. Morning breathwork sets you up for the day in the present moment and helps calm the mind from racing ahead to the next task.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the MFR and pranayama techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
1 x MFR balls - or 1 tennis ball.

MFR Feet
Compression - from standing or seated, place 1 x ball at position No.1, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths and move on to No.2. Continue to No.5.
Roll & cross fibre - with the toes on the ground place 1 x ball at No.5, roll the ball across your heel x 5. Place 1 x ball at No.6, roll the ball across the knuckles of your toes x 5. Place 1 x ball at No.6, roll in one direction from toes to heel x 5.
Scribble - roll and scribble across the sole of the foot. Repeat all steps on the other foot.

Pranayama
Sit in a comfortable position – cross legged, sitting up on a brick or straddling a bolster.  Inhale for the count of 4, exhale for the count of 4 x 3 rounds. Inhale for the count of 4, pause for 2, exhale for the count of 4, pause for 2 x 3 rounds. Inhale for the count of 4, pause for 4, exhale for the count of 4, pause for 4 x 3 rounds. 

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru

Christmas sprinkles

SPRINKLE MOVEMENT INTO YOUR CHRISTMAS
Over the years, I’ve shared all kinds of Christmas and New Year practices – gentle December flows, grounding New Year resets, and quick mini-sequences you can squeeze in between festive plans. This year, I’m giving you a sequence you can dip in and out of whenever you need it, helping you sprinkle movement and rest into your Christmas – just enough to feel energised and supported

The holidays have a rhythm of their own – busier days, richer food, more sitting, and routines that seem to shift depending on who’s visiting or what’s on the calendar. It’s easy to tell ourselves we’ll restart our practice after the holidays, only to reach that point feeling stiff and out of balance. This year, try the opposite approach!

LITTLE + OFTEN
Instead of waiting until you feel uncomfortable, weave movement into your Christmas before sluggishness creeps in. You can practice the full sequence or, when time is tight, sprinkle it throughout your day. “Little and often” goes a long way to keep you feeling energised and ready for all the festive fun.

Gentle movement and MFR help keep your fascia hydrated, your joints gliding smoothly, your circulation flowing, and your digestion supported. Pranayama and restorative yoga regulate your energy, lift your mood, and offer a supportive reset for your nervous system.

Think of these practices as tiny, intentional investments in your body that prevent the holiday slump before it starts.

This sequence is designed to meet you wherever you are and however much time you have. Your Christmas Sprinkles might include some or all of:

• Begin your day with some grounding breathwork.

• Take some standing mini-flows after a winter walk.

• Roll out with some MFR once the house settles in the evening.

• Unwind with a restorative pose before bed.

Or:

• Wake up your fascia and muscles with some morning MFR.

• Followed by some energising standing mini-flows.

• Sneak in a restorative pose to recharge your battery before evening festivities.

• Optimise recovery with some light breathwork in bed to help you sleep.

Even five minutes can make a huge difference in how you feel – in your body and your mood. Personally, I love starting my day with breathwork and book-ending it with a few minutes of MFR in the evening to help me wind down.

THE CHRISTMAS TOOLKIT
This year’s sequence is built from the four tools I’ve been using most with students and in my own practice – movement, breathwork, MFR, and restorative yoga.

The standing section has a slightly different flavour from my usual flow – four mini-flows, each made up of four poses, linked with the breath. You can practice all four together when you have time for a longer practice, or pick one or two when you need a little “movement snack” to decompress, melt stiffness, or gently support digestion. These mini-flows are designed to stretch, strengthen and be easy to return to.

Alongside these mini-flows, I have weaved in breathwork to reset the nervous system, MFR to soften tension, and restorative yoga to help you truly switch off. Together, these four elements create a simple, well-rounded, time-efficient way to look after yourself – taking the guesswork out of what to do to feel your best over Christmas.

• Movement - Hydrates fascia, prevents stiffness, wakes up sleepy muscles and supports the natural movement of the gut.

• Breathwork - Faster breaths and longer inhales lift you up; slowing the breath and lengthening your exhale brings calm and can help soothe the digestive system.

• MFR - Eases aches, increases range of motion and helps release abdominal and back tension that can affect digestion.

• Restorative yoga - Down-regulates the nervous system and supports immunity, digestion, hormone balance and deep rest.

Your Christmas sprinkles sequence blends all of these elements into one simple, nourishing practice – a little holiday toolkit you can return to whenever you need it.

The Christmas sprinkles formula: movement + breathwork + MFR + restorative yoga.

EXPLORING CHRISTMAS SPRINKLES IN YOUR PRACTICE
This sequence starts with some pranayama. You can use this simple breathwork practice on its own anytime of day – morning wake up, during the day for a quick reset, or an evening wind down. Next up is some MFR – rolling the feet is by far the most popular MFR technique in my public and private classes. You will wonder how you ever practised yoga, exercised, or went through your day, without waking up your feet first!

The second and third rows are your four pose mini-flows. Go through each of them with the right leg forward first and then the left leg forward, repeat 2-3 times. You can choose to practice all three for a longer practice, or pick one or two to flow through for a shorter practice. Move slowly, with control and use the ‘+’ and ‘-’ in the sequence as a guide for your inhale and exhale.

Your final row is a luxurious lower back and hip MFR session which will really help with stiffness from extended periods of sitting. You’ll finish with a lovely supported restorative pose – as with the pranayama and standing flows you can choose to just do the restorative pose to balance the festive period with some calming ‘me time’.

ALIGNMENT CUES
Below are the pranayama, MFR and restorative techniques used in this sequence. The props you’ll need are:
2 x MFR balls - or 2 tennis balls.
2 x yoga bricks - or 2 thick similar sized dictionaries.
1 x bolster - or 2 towels, wrapped around a horizontally rolled pillow and tied to secure.
2 x yoga blankets - or any wool, thick cotton or fleece blanket with density.

Breathwork
No.1 - Pranayama
Sit in a comfortable seated position. Inhale for the count of 4, pause for the count of 2, exhale for the count of 4, pause for the count of 2 x 3 rounds. Inhale for the count of 5, pause for 2, exhale for the count of 5, pause for 2 x 3 rounds. Inhale for the count of 6, pause for 2, exhale for the count of 6, pause for 2 x 3 rounds. 

MFR
No.2 - Feet
Compression - from standing or seated, place 1 x ball at position No.1, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths and move on to No.2. Continue to No.5. 
Roll & cross fibre - with the toes on the ground place 1 x ball at No.5, roll the ball across your heel x 5. Place 1 x ball at No.6, roll the ball across the knuckles of your toes x 5. Place 1 x ball at No.6, roll in one direction from toes to heel x 5. 
Scribble - roll and scribble across the sole of the foot. Repeat all steps on the other foot.

No.3 - Lower back (quadratus lumborum & erectors)
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls above the back of the hips either side of the spine, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5.
Roll & cross fibre - roll up and down the lower spine below the ribs.

No.4 - Glutes (gluteus maximus & piriformis)
Compression - from supine with knees bent, place 2 x balls in the centre of each buttock muscle, gently press down with an inhale and release on the exhale x 5 breaths.
Sheer - slowly lift and lower one knee at a time towards your chest x 5. Place your right foot on your left knee and lower and lift your right knee.
Roll & cross fibre - roll around the whole buttocks area.

Restorative
No.5 - Reclined seated
Place two bricks horizontally at the top of your mat, One at its highest height and the other at its mid height. Lie your bolster over the bricks along the centre of your mat and place a folded blanket on the far end of your bolster where your head will rest. Sit with the back of your hips along the short end of the bolster. Roll up a folded blanket and place it under your knees. Gently lie back onto your bolster. Feel a gentle opening across the chest.

To save the images for personal use click and hold down the image until the ‘save image’ option appears; on Mac hold down ‘control’ and click the image to get the option box; on PC right click on the image to get the option box. Scroll down in the ‘option box’ and click ‘save image’.

Ruth Delahunty Yogaru