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Body Rebalance — Form Guide
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Quick reference for yin yoga poses & warm-up additions. Less thinking, more doing.
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🧘 Yin Yoga Sequence (10 min)
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Hold each 60–90 seconds. Breathe into the tight side — right shoulder, right hip, right QL. These aren't stretches to push into; settle into them and let gravity do the work.
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1. Thread-the-Needle
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Start on right side (the tight one). 60–90s each side.
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+ - Start on hands and knees, tabletop position
+ - Slide right arm under left arm, palm facing up
+ - Rest right shoulder and side of head on the floor
+ - Keep hips stacked over knees — don't let them drift
+ - Feel the stretch in right shoulder and upper back
+ - Breathe into the tight spots between shoulder blades
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2. Pigeon Pose
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Right leg forward first. 60–90s each side.
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+ - From downward dog or plank, bring right knee toward right wrist
+ - Right shin at a comfortable angle — doesn't need to be parallel to mat edge
+ - Extend left leg straight back, hips square to front
+ - If hips don't reach floor: place a cushion or folded blanket under right hip
+ - Walk hands forward and fold over front shin if comfortable
+ - Right hip is the anchor of the whole chain — this is priority #1
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3. Sphinx Pose
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60–90s. Passive lumbar extension.
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+ - Lie on belly, elbows under shoulders, forearms parallel
+ - Press forearms into floor, gently lift chest
+ - Keep shoulders down away from ears
+ - Glutes relaxed — don't clench
+ - Low back should feel decompressed, not compressed
+ - If sharp pain in low back: slide elbows further forward
+ - Right QL gets a chance to relax here — let it
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4. Cat/Cow
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10 slow reps. Extra rotation to right on extension.
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+ - Hands and knees, tabletop. Inhale = cow (belly drops, look up)
+ - Exhale = cat (round spine, tuck chin)
+ - On cow (extension): deliberately rotate a little extra to the right
+ - This re-calibrates "center" — your default center is tilted left
+ - Move with breath, not speed
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💪 Day A Warm-up (Mon/Fri — Strength Focus)
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Add to beginning of workout. ~5 min total.
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Dead Hang
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15–30 seconds, 2 rounds. Pull-up bar or sturdy doorframe bar.
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+ - Grip bar at shoulder width, palms facing away
+ - Let body go completely dead — shoulders up near ears
+ - Feet off floor (bend knees if bar is low)
+ - Passive shoulder decompression — gravity does the work
+ - No active pulling. No flexing. Just hang.
+ - If grip fails before 15s: that's fine. Build it.
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Calf Step Stretch
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90 seconds each side. Edge of a step, curb, or thick book.
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+ - Ball of foot on step edge, heel drops below step level
+ - Stand upright — don't lean forward
+ - Hold something for balance if needed
+ - Straight leg targets gastrocnemius; slight knee bend targets soleus
+ - Tight calves → ankle pronation → hip tilt. Loosen the chain from the ground up.
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💪 Day B Warm-up (Wed — Rotational/Core Focus)
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Add to beginning of workout. ~5 min total.
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Single-Arm KB Carry
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1 minute each side. 15–20 lb KB.
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+ - Hold KB in one hand at your side like a suitcase
+ - Walk normally — keep shoulders level, don't lean away from the weight
+ - Engage opposite-side obliques to stay upright
+ - The loaded side's shoulder stabilizers work to keep the joint centered
+ - Forces each side to stabilize independently — can't cheat with right-eye dominance
+ - Farmers walk (both hands) is fine too, but single-arm is the key progression
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Face Pulls
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15 reps. Light resistance band or cable at face height.
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+ - Anchor band at face height. Grip with both hands, palms facing down or toward each other.
+ - Pull band toward your face — elbows go wide and high
+ - Squeeze between shoulder blades at the end position
+ - Hands finish beside ears, not below chin
+ - Wakes up posterior delts, external rotators, lower traps
+ - Counteracts the forward-rounded shoulder pattern from desk work
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