A 15-minute evening yoga sequence for winding down
Slow shapes, long exhales, and nothing that wakes you back up.
Evening practice has a different job than morning practice. In the morning you are trying to wake the body up. In the evening, you are trying to help it let go of the day.
That means slower movement, longer holds, supported shapes, and a lot of attention on the exhale. This sequence takes about fifteen minutes and works on a mat or a rug.
The sequence
- Two minutes: seated or lying down, breathe in for four counts and out for six.
- Two minutes: cat and cow, slower than you think, following the breath.
- Two minutes: child's pose with knees wide, forehead resting on a block or cushion.
- Two minutes: low lunge, one minute each side, to release the front of the hips.
- Two minutes: seated forward fold with bent knees, letting the head hang heavy.
- Two minutes: supine twist, one minute each side.
- Three minutes: legs up the wall, or lying flat with a cushion under the knees.
Why the exhale matters
Slow breathing with a long exhale is widely used to help the body settle, which is why the opening pattern makes the exhale longer than the inhale. You do not need to force it. Just let the exhale take a little more time each round.
Throughout the sequence, if you notice yourself holding your breath or gripping in a pose, take that as a cue to soften or come out a little. Evening practice should not feel like effort.
What to avoid before bed
Strong backbends, fast flows, inversions you are still learning, and intense core work can all be energizing, which is the opposite of what you want at night. Save them for earlier in the day. Bright screens are worth avoiding too.
Practicing without the screen
There is a tension in evening practice: following along with an app or video usually means looking at a bright screen, which is not ideal before sleep.
Kova solves this with audio-only mode. Every session can run with full breath pacing and verbal cues, so you can dim the lights, set the phone face down, and simply listen. On nights when you want form feedback on a pose you are learning, camera coaching runs on device and your feed never leaves your phone. And because Kova remembers how sessions felt, a long, tiring day can lead to a gentler practice tomorrow.
Make it a cue for sleep
Doing the same short sequence at roughly the same time each evening can become part of how you wind down. Over time, simply rolling out the mat starts to signal that the day is ending.
An evening practice is not about doing more. It is about finishing the day well.
Questions this guide answers
Is it good to do yoga before bed?
Gentle, slow yoga before bed can help many people wind down. Avoid intense or energizing practice close to bedtime.
What yoga poses are best before sleep?
Supported, restful poses work well, such as child's pose, supine twists, forward folds with bent knees, and legs up the wall.
Can I do yoga in bed?
Some gentle poses, like supine twists and knees to chest, can be done in bed. Others work better on a firmer surface.
A coach that sees you move.
Pre-order Kova on the App Store. It downloads automatically on release day, and your first practice is free.
