15-Minute Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TSY) Practice

This is a 15-minute guided seated trauma-sensitive yoga (TSY) practice to ground, connect, and calm your nervous system.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga is an evidence-based intervention for mental health. It uses invitational language, choice choice-making, and will offer awareness of your body sensations and breath. It is always your choice how you move your body, this practice is just a possible invitation to connect with yourself.

Transcript

Kia ora,

This is Jillian Hodgson and this is a 15 minute guided trauma sensitive yoga practice to ground and reconnect with yourself.

Everything will be invitational and you always have a choice to do something different.

Wherever you are in your space,

Maybe you find yourself in a seat that's comfortable.

That might be seated cross-legged or you might have another way of sitting,

You could be on a chair and you're welcome to notice where your body is sitting in the space that you've chosen.

And that could be noticing maybe the ground underneath you or the chair underneath you.

You're welcome to notice the space by maybe moving your toes or feeling the floor underneath your feet.

Maybe you bring some movement through your torso here,

That could be movement forwards or backwards.

Maybe you move through your centre line or your midpoint,

Could be forwards or backwards.

You might notice some changing pressure underneath your legs or your feet if you are moving.

And then in your own time,

Maybe you come back towards your upright space or your midpoint.

And you might,

If it's available to you,

Notice that you're breathing.

And as we move through our practice,

There's no need to change your breath,

You breathe just normally and perfectly for your body.

Maybe you take three of your breaths here to ground into your space.

You might release through your jaw for two.

Maybe finding some heaviness through your body for three.

And then possibly finding some movement through your head and your neck here.

And one way you could move through your head and your neck is creating circles and that might be dropping your chin down towards your chest.

Maybe you roll your chin up towards the ceiling.

You might find some movement here through your head or your neck.

That could be creating circles,

Maybe you drop through your head and then roll your head up.

And you can always choose how big or small you move through your body.

If you're creating circles here,

You might shift in the other direction,

Maybe creating circles in the opposite direction.

That could be dropping your chin down,

Maybe raising your chin up.

And you're welcome to move as fast or slow as you like.

And then when your head next comes upright,

Maybe you find stillness here for yourself.

And you could move through your shoulders.

One way you can move through your shoulders here could be rolling through your shoulders.

So that might be rolling your shoulders forwards or backwards.

Maybe you roll through your shoulders,

Creating circles,

It could be forwards or backwards.

You might notice some clicking or crunching and that's normal.

If you're creating circles,

You're welcome to reverse your circles in the other direction,

If that works for you.

Maybe creating circles through your shoulders in the opposite direction.

And you might bring your shoulders to a space of rest for your body.

And maybe finding some length through your whole body and your arms.

You might raise your arms over your head.

You might interlace your hands if you'd like and press your hands up towards the ceiling.

There could be some length through your arms,

Maybe through your spine.

And you're welcome to stay here in stillness or maybe you shift from one side to the other.

You might shift from one side to the other or maybe you stay in stillness.

And then possibly releasing through your hands,

You might lower them back down towards your legs.

And from here,

You might create some side to side movement through your body.

And that might be creating a side stretch.

So one way to create a side stretch could be bringing your hand down to the floor on one side of your body.

You might raise your other hand over your head.

You might be creating some form of a side stretch through the side of your body.

And maybe you can notice some sensation down the side of your body in your side stretch here.

You might be noticing sensation down the side of your body if you're in a side stretch.

If you don't notice anything,

That's normal as well,

Just being curious.

In your own time,

You might come through center.

Maybe you find a side stretch on the other side.

That could be bringing your opposite hand down to the floor,

Maybe one hand over your head.

There could be a side stretch here that you find through your body.

And you could notice if it feels the same or different.

There could be sensation down the side of your body.

Maybe you don't notice anything,

And that's okay.

Maybe exploring a side stretch here for your body.

And then in your own time,

You could come back up towards center and maybe finding a twist through your body here for yourself.

And you can always adjust how you're seated if you'd like to rearrange how you're seated to be more comfortable.

One way to create a twist could be bringing one hand to your opposite knee,

Maybe bringing your other hand behind you to the ground.

There could be some movement through your upper body or your shoulders that might create this twisting form through your body.

Maybe you're creating a twist through your upper body here and you're welcome to bring some link through your spine if you'd like to.

And possibly from here,

You might come through center and find a twist on the other side.

That could be bringing one hand to your opposite knee.

Your other hand might come behind you to the floor.

Maybe there's some movement through your shoulders or your upper body that creates a possible twist here.

Maybe there's a twist through the top of your body and you're welcome to bring some link through your spine if you'd like to.

And maybe from here,

You come back towards your upright forward-facing space.

You might find your spot of balance or a moment of stillness here for yourself.

And maybe you bring your awareness to your breath and you're welcome to find some movement with your hands and your breath here.

One way you could do that is lifting your hands up towards your heart as you breathe in.

Maybe you lower your hands back down to your lap as you breathe out.

Maybe you bring your hands up towards your heart as you breathe in.

You might bring your hands back down to your lap as you breathe out.

Maybe you bring your hands up towards your heart as you breathe in.

You might lower your hands back down to your lap as you breathe out.

You might find your own rhythm here with your breath and your movement,

Maybe for three more of your breaths or movements.

Maybe for two,

Possibly for one more.

And then from here,

Maybe taking a moment to find a forward fold for yourself.

If you're seated or in a chair,

That could be bringing your torso,

Your body forwards over your legs,

Or you're welcome to adjust how you're seated into a different form of a forward fold that might work for you.

Maybe there's a forward fold for yourself here that you're sitting in.

You can find that might be folding your hands and your body forward over your legs.

You might invite some heaviness through your head and through your shoulders.

Maybe you can be aware of your hands on the mat or on your legs.

You might move your hands or your fingers to notice them.

If it's available to you here,

You might be aware of your breath.

Maybe noticing where your breath enters and exits your body and there's no need to change it.

You might stay in a forward fold for yourself here for three,

Maybe for two,

Maybe for one more.

From here,

You might press yourself back up towards the seat,

Maybe noticing if there's anything else that you'd like to move through here before possibly setting up for a rest for ending your practice.

You might invite some other form of movement,

Or maybe there's something that's already been offered you'd like to do again.

You might take 30 seconds here for yourself to notice if there's anything more that your body would like to move through before coming to the end of your practice here.

There's no right or wrong way to move through your body.

And then possibly from here,

Setting yourself up in a space that feels restful for your body.

That could be staying where you are,

Or maybe you shift into a different space,

Lying down or standing.

And rest could be continuing to move,

Or maybe you find stillness through your body.

And once you've set yourself up in a space of stillness,

If it becomes uncomfortable or you want to move,

There's no expectation to stay still.

You're welcome to shift and move.

Wherever you are in your space,

You might notice your body and where you've chosen to set yourself up here.

That might be bringing your awareness to your head,

Maybe you can invite some softness across your eyebrows,

Through your jaw.

You might bring some heaviness through your shoulders,

Possibly inviting gravity or the floor to support you.

Maybe you can be aware of your whole spine,

Down to your hips.

And you might be aware of your legs and your arms.

All the way down to your fingers and your toes.

You're welcome to move your fingers and your toes,

If you'd like to be aware of them.

Another way to end your practice can be noticing your breath.

Maybe you notice where your breath enters and exits your body.

And I'm going to be quiet here for 30 seconds,

So you can focus on what works for you.

And wherever you are in your resting space,

You might choose to stay there.

That's your choice.

Maybe you choose to move.

Wherever you are,

You might bring some kindness through your breath.

Maybe into your heart space.

Possibly bringing some gratitude and acknowledgement to yourself for showing up and being present here.

And thank you for sharing in this practice with me.

Sending kindness your way.