Calm your nervous system with yoga: a gentle 15 minute practice
This 15 minute yoga video is a gentle practice for anyone in Glasgow who feels wired after a long day. It starts seated, with the instructor asking you to notice your breath without changing it, then moves through a few simple movements and finishes with some slow, smooth breaths. If you step off the subway with a clenched jaw and shoulders near your ears, press play and take it at your own pace.
This video originally appeared here: Regulate Your Nervous System | 15 Minute Yoga Practice
What to watch for as you calm your nervous system
The video begins by asking you to sit comfortably and simply notice the quality of your breath, whether it is quick or slow, and whether it sits in the chest or the belly, without trying to alter it. Later it adds hands on the belly and ribs, a side-body stretch and a few deeper, smooth breaths. Follow the instructor’s cues rather than counting; there is no set breath pattern in the video, and nothing should feel forced.
The common advice for stress is to stretch deeper or hold each pose for longer. In our experience, staying at an easy intensity and noticing your breath as you move suits most people better. We’ve seen clients push hard into a forward fold while holding their breath, and they leave just as wound up as they arrived, so there is nothing to prove here.
Jariya sees it often with stressed clients: they hold their breath without noticing. Halfway through a session she’ll mention that they’re breathing normally again, and that’s usually when they realise how much tension they’d been carrying in their breath alone.
Desk workers and evening runners tend to feel the difference most. After hours at a laptop your breath gets shorter and your chest rounds forward, and hard training can leave you wired long past bedtime. A few minutes of easy movement and quiet breathing before sleep can be a pleasant way to end the day.
Picture finishing a long shift near St Vincent Street, then sitting on a packed train home from Queen Street. You don’t need a mat to start. On the train, simply notice your breathing until your stop, without trying to change it. Then press play on the video when you get home.
If the video helps but your neck and shoulders stay stubbornly tight, book a Thai massage session with Glasgow Thai Massage on West Nile Street. Traditional Thai massage uses assisted stretching and sen line work while you stay fully clothed. Maliwan hears from regulars that their hour on the mat is the only time their mind stops planning the next thing.
Keep the practice going at home, and let Maliwan and Jariya help with the tension that yoga alone can’t shift. If stress is affecting your sleep or daily life, or you feel dizzy or unwell during any practice, stop and speak to your GP. Book your session today with Glasgow Thai Massage, a short walk from Buchanan Street subway.