Trauma Sensitive Mindful Movement / Yoga

I invite you to join me for this gentle and mindful yoga practice, with simple poses and stretches, suitable for everyone. The purpose is not to exercise per se, but to cultivate a relationship with the body in motion. Coming into the present moment, offering kindness and compassion to the body as you find it today. Feeling free to adapt the movements to suit your needs. Not striving to achieve anything, simply showing up for yourself with presence, offering perhaps a path for emotions to be expressed through motion, giving yourself choices and options, noticing your discomforts and difficulties and beginning to explore moving ever so slightly outside of your comfort zones in a way that is caring and kind.

Transcript

Welcome to your mindful movement practice.

Though this is not a strenuous practice,

If you have any physical concerns or conditions,

Please consult with your doctor to make sure that these movements are suitable for you.

As we begin,

I invite you to find a quiet space where you can lie down comfortably without distractions.

Using a mat or other soft surface to support the body and perhaps choosing clothing that allows you to move easily and freely.

Gently lowering yourself now into a lying down position on your back.

Feeling the weight of your body sinking into the floor and bringing gentle awareness to your breath as you listen to my words.

This movement practice is not meant to be physical exercise per se,

Though it can certainly provide some lovely gentle stretching.

Its true purpose is to give you the opportunity to bring awareness to the body while it is in motion and to do so in a way that is kind and non-judgmental.

Neither is this practice a competition with yourself or with anyone else.

Letting go of any goals or outcomes and using this time to simply explore the body sensations that arise in each moment.

Allowing whatever happens to happen.

Feeling whatever arises while at the same time listening to what your body tells you and honouring its signals.

Never pushing your body beyond its limits.

Though I will guide this as a lying down practice,

You can adapt the movements to suit your needs in whatever way you choose.

You may wish to carry out the practice seated or standing.

I invite you to modify the movements to suit your own needs.

If a posture feels too intense,

I encourage you to adapt it or hold it for shorter periods.

You may even like to simply visualise a movement if physically completing it does not seem right for you.

When you become familiar with this practice,

You can make it your own by choosing your own sequence of movements.

It is not the movements themselves that are important,

But giving yourself the opportunity to tune into your body as it moves with awareness and curiosity and without judgment.

Throughout this practice,

You may find your mind wandering.

This is completely natural and normal,

Even if it happens over and over again.

This is what the mind does.

Congratulating yourself each time you notice your mind has wandered.

Congratulating yourself because you noticed.

This is part of your mindfulness practice.

Then gently and kindly,

Without judging yourself,

Returning your attention to the present moment,

The movement and sensations in the body.

Sometimes you may encounter intense or challenging sensations.

These may be due to old or new ailments and injuries,

Or because your body is stretching beyond its comfort zone.

If you are,

It may be appropriate for you to move a little closer to difficult sensations in the body,

Breathing into them and allowing yourself to feel a little bit of the intensity,

The edge of the intensity.

Not pushing yourself towards pain,

But just playing with the edge of challenging sensations and pulling back when needed.

Each mindful movement is an invitation to connect with yourself more deeply,

Exploring the edges of your comfort and capabilities without crossing too far into discomfort.

Practicing exploring the edges of physical difficulty in this way can prepare us to move towards exploring emotional stress also.

However,

Remembering always that it is important not to try too hard and to adapt each posture to suit your own needs,

Showing kindness and gentleness towards yourself throughout.

And now,

Lying on your back,

With your arms and legs extended if that feels comfortable for you,

Allowing the feet to fall away from each other and the palms facing up,

Bringing attention to your breath,

Noticing the rising and falling of the abdomen or the chest,

Or feeling the movement of air going in and out through the nostrils.

Just placing gentle attention on the breath as you lie here,

Or placing attention on your hands or on the contact of your body with the ground.

Not trying to control or change the breath in any way,

Simply noticing it,

However it is in this moment.

And now,

If it feels right for you,

Slowly,

Very slowly,

Raising the arms until the fingers are pointing towards the sky and letting them pause here for a few seconds.

And then,

Ever so slowly,

Continuing to move the arms back and over the head until they rest on the floor behind you,

Feeling the gentle stretch as you reach with the fingers,

Elongating the arms and gently engaging the muscles.

At the same time,

Extending the legs and pointing your heels away from the body,

Creating a gentle but firm stretch along the entire length of the body,

Breathing naturally,

Stretching,

Feeling all sensations that arise throughout the body,

Perhaps a gentle pulling,

A warmth in the muscles or tingling sensations as your body awakens through the stretch.

Then slowly,

On the next out-breath,

Moving the arms back over the head all the way back down to the floor,

Moving in slow motion,

Relaxing the heels and the legs and allowing the body to sink back into and be supported by the floor beneath you.

Just breathing and noticing what the body feels like now,

What sensations are present,

If any,

After the stretch.

Remembering that at any time it's OK to adapt my instructions or simply visualise them,

I invite you now to play with tensing and relaxing the muscles in the body,

Choosing to squeeze the muscles in the entire body or certain parts of the body for a few seconds.

Squeezing tightly now and then,

On an out-breath,

Relaxing the muscles,

Letting the body come to stillness on the floor,

Breathing.

Then again,

Squeezing the muscles,

The muscles in the legs,

The buttocks,

Squeezing the hands,

The arms,

The shoulders,

The muscles in the face,

Choosing to squeeze some or all of the body muscles and then relax.

Noticing how the body feels against the ground at each point of contact,

How the ground supports you at each point of contact,

Lying here,

Still.

Breathing.

And bringing awareness to the legs in particular,

Noticing how the legs are in this moment.

Are there any particular sensations present?

Noticing where the legs make contact with the ground beneath you,

At the heels or the calves perhaps,

Or at the backs of the thighs.

When you're ready,

And only if this feels right for you,

Beginning to prepare the muscles to raise the right leg from the ground,

Feeling the abdominal muscles engage and sensing the muscles in the hips and the quads at the front of the thigh,

Engage as you slowly raise your right leg from the floor and point it towards the ceiling.

Breathing.

Lifting it only as far as is comfortable for you.

Reaching round to the back of the thigh with the hands and supporting the leg that way if you wish.

Noticing how the right leg feels now.

Perhaps playing with movement in the right foot,

Making little circles with the foot in one direction.

Then in the other direction.

Where is the mind now?

It may have wandered,

As the mind does.

Noticing when the mind wanders,

Noticing where it goes,

Returning the mind to the sensations of the body and congratulating yourself each time you carry out this process.

Now allowing the right foot to be still and slowly,

Lowering the right leg back to the floor,

Noticing any changes in sensation as it returns.

Then noticing the right leg touch the floor,

Make contact and allowing the muscles to relax once more.

Breathing.

Noticing the breath.

Noticing the body lying here in stillness.

And now the left leg.

Remembering that it's perfectly okay to choose a different option or to simply visualize the process if you like,

Or just skip it completely and lie here,

Focusing on your breath or other place of anchor.

I invite you now to repeat the leg raise on the other side.

Raising your left leg to the ceiling,

Or as far as it will go.

Slowly.

Noticing the muscles engage and stretch.

Supporting your leg with your arms if you would like to.

Perhaps sensing where the stretch becomes slightly uncomfortable without straining and playing with this edge of discomfort.

Noticing the stretch,

Not pulling away from it if this is okay for you,

Yet not pushing too far into it either.

Just taking a little look.

Noticing what it feels like just at this boundary of ease and discomfort.

And now,

Making little circles with your left foot in one direction.

Then in the other direction.

And finally,

Lowering your left leg back to the floor.

Nice and slowly.

And allowing it to rest.

Allowing the whole body to rest on the mat.

Let's try some gentle knee hugs now.

And of course,

Feeling free to adjust the movements as needed.

Starting with the right leg.

Slowly bending the knee and drawing it towards your chest.

Extending the arms if you would like to and wrapping them round the right thigh,

Gently holding on to the leg.

Allowing the knee to come as close to the chest as feels right for you today without forcing the movement.

Noticing the stretch in the lower back and also getting curious about any sensations present in the left leg which is still extended on the mat.

Playing with gently lifting the head and shoulders.

Bringing the forehead towards the knee.

Enhancing the stretch.

Emphasising the importance of moving within your comfort zone not pushing into difficulty,

Yet exploring your edges.

When you're ready,

Gently lowering your head and shoulders back onto the mat and allowing the right leg to slowly return to the ground.

Pausing to notice any sensations in your body.

Any differences now between the left and right legs.

Noticing the breath.

And remembering that if at any time what arises in your breath or body is difficult for you exploring an anchor outside of the body.

Perhaps noticing sounds.

Are there any sounds?

Inside the room or outside the room?

And even noticing any stretches of silence between sounds.

Allowing yourself to be present with sounds or the breath or the body.

Giving yourself permission to be in the present moment in whichever way you choose.

And now repeating the process with the left leg.

Drawing the left knee up while keeping the right leg relaxed and extended.

Encircling the left thigh with your hands and gently pulling the knee toward the chest.

Only as far as feels good.

And if you choose,

Gently lifting your head and shoulders towards the knee and checking in to see how the body feels now in this posture.

From here,

Carefully lowering the head back down.

Placing the arms by your sides and extending the left leg back down onto the mat.

Resting here for a moment.

Noticing the effects of the stretch on both sides of the body.

Allowing the floor to support you fully.

Embracing the stillness and the present moment.

Then,

When you're ready,

Drawing both knees up.

Hugging them into your body if you like and experimenting with rocking the body from side to side.

Massaging the lower back or perhaps moving in a circular movement and raising your head and shoulders up towards your knees.

Or if you prefer,

Letting them stay relaxed on the mat.

Adjusting this movement to suit the needs of your own body in this moment.

Moving both legs back to the floor now.

Finding yourself again in a lying down position.

Breathing naturally,

Not trying to change or force the breath in any way.

Simply showing up to the body,

To the breath,

To whatever way they are for you in the present moment.

If you wish to now,

Drawing up both legs once again but this time keeping the feet on the floor.

Moving them close to the buttocks with the legs bent at the knees and the feet together.

Stretching the arms straight out from the body at shoulder height or if you are short on space,

Interlacing the fingers and placing them behind the head.

Letting the elbows fall out on either side of the head.

Then letting the knees drop gently to the floor on the right side.

It doesn't matter if the knees stay together or not or how far down the knees fall.

Just allowing the position that feels best for you.

Turning the head to the left side,

The opposite side to the knees and gazing out along the left arm.

Observing the sensations of the twist with each breath.

Embracing the pull of gravity.

Notice sensations in the body along the spine perhaps or either side of the spine.

Perhaps noticing the stretch at the hips or more at the chest and shoulders.

Not thinking about the sensations but really sensing what is happening in each area.

Does the stretch feel challenging at any place?

Giving yourself permission to move to the edge of this challenging sensation or to gently ease away from it if that is what you need.

Giving yourself what you need,

Knowing that at any point you can change this posture to your liking or place your attention on the breath or the sounds around you.

When you're ready,

Bringing the knees back to centre and preparing to turn to the other side.

Slowly,

Intentionally.

Keeping your attention on the body.

Beginning to drop the knees to the left side.

Keeping your shoulders grounded to the mat and turning the head to look out along the right arm.

Take all the time you need.

Breathing.

Noticing.

Not striving or trying too hard to reach a certain position.

Letting go of wanting things to be a certain way.

Noticing where the mind is.

Returning your attention to the body if the mind has wandered.

Noticing sensations.

And breathing.

Breathing.

And now coming back to the centre.

Drawing the knees up towards the chest and hugging them close to you with your arms and hands.

Stretching and massaging the back.

Then allowing the legs to return to the floor,

Keeping the knees bent and the feet flat.

Allowing the hands to return to your sides.

Taking care as always to do what is right for you in this moment.

Now moving the feet apart while the knees are still pointing towards the ceiling.

Pulling the feet in close to the buttocks but just leaving a bit of space in between the feet themselves.

About hip width apart.

Feel your feet on the ground,

Solid and supported by the floor.

Keeping your arms on the ground also.

Lying straight alongside your body and turning your palms downwards to face into the floor.

Feeling the palms of your hands against the floor,

Perhaps pressing them gently downwards.

And noticing what this feels like.

Remembering that my words are just a guide and adapting your posture to suit yourself.

Engaging the muscles of the buttocks,

The glutes.

Engage the strength of your legs.

Pressing down through the heels and gently lifting the hips from the mat.

Then rolling the spine off the floor,

Vertebra by vertebra.

Allowing the body to form a gentle arch,

A bridge.

Feeling the sensations in the body now.

Noticing the openness in the abdomen.

The engagement in the thighs.

The grounding in the heels.

The shoulders.

The arms.

Noticing the space around the body.

The air.

Is it warm or is it cool?

Exploring your limits,

Staying with the edges.

Just enough.

Just enough so that you can experience these boundaries gently.

Not pushing too hard.

Not backing away too much.

Gently exploring your limits.

Trusting the wisdom of the body.

Trusting yourself.

When you play with exploring physical edges like this,

You also pave the way for becoming more open.

To moving a little closer to emotions.

To the edges of emotions.

Giving yourself permission to return to the mat whenever you need to.

When you feel ready to come down,

Doing so with the same attentiveness with which you raised up.

Gradually lowering the spine back to the mat.

Feeling each vertebra make contact until the hips softly land.

Letting the legs stretch out long.

Letting the arms relax.

What are the effects of having done those movements?

How does the body feel now?

Lying here.

Breathing.

Resting.

Taking care of yourself.

When you're ready now,

Rolling onto one side.

Cradling your head with your arm.

Allowing a moment to pause and connect with this gentle shift.

Then using the support of your hands,

Press yourself up into a seated position.

Taking a moment here.

Then pushing yourself up a little further until you are squatting on your heels.

If this is a suitable option for you.

Perhaps even widening the knees and opening the hips.

Just noticing how this posture feels for you.

What sensations are you aware of?

Remaining here for a few seconds if it's comfortable.

If it's not the right option for you,

Remembering not to judge yourself.

Just adapting the posture to suit your needs.

Ultimately the aim is to find your way slowly onto all fours.

Beginning to hinge at the hips and walking the hands forward.

Until you find yourself kneeling on the mat with the hands behind you.

Feet planted firmly under the shoulders and the knees beneath the hips.

Then moving into child's pose.

Easing the hips back towards the heels.

Moving slowly.

While at the same time allowing the hands to slide forward.

Guiding the chest down between them.

And allowing the forehead to drop to the mat.

If your forehead does not comfortably reach the mat.

Resting it on a folded blanket or cushion.

Allowing the elbows to touch the ground.

If this feels okay for you.

Or stretching the arms out ahead.

Or even moving them back to lie alongside your body.

With the palms facing upwards.

Adjusting the distance between the knees to suit your preferences.

Either keeping the knees close or widening them.

Playing with this posture and noticing all the time what is happening in the body.

In the present moment.

Non-judgmental,

Present moment awareness of the body.

Letting the body become heavy.

Grounding through the hips and legs.

While the arms and head are softly supported by the floor.

Listening to the messages your body is giving you.

And honouring these messages.

With kindness.

Easing gently back onto all fours now.

Planting the hands beneath the shoulders about shoulder width apart.

And the knees beneath the hips about hip width apart.

Forming a position resembling a table.

Remaining here for a moment.

Tuning in.

Getting curious.

Sensing the body.

Not thinking about the body.

Not judging it.

But feeling what is present.

Any sensations.

Tightness.

Relaxation.

Tension.

Softness.

Cold.

Heat.

Tingling.

Numbness.

Whatever sensation shows itself to you.

Become aware of that.

When you're ready,

On an exhale.

Letting the back rise up like a cat arching its back.

And allow the head to drop down between the arms.

Giving the back a thorough stretch.

Then,

On an inhale.

Allowing the head to rise.

And the back to lower.

So that the abdomen moves closer to the ground like a cow.

On the next exhale.

Moving into another cat stretch.

Arching the back.

And lowering the head between the arms.

Then on an inhale.

Allowing the back to lower.

Moving slowly into the reverse position.

Continuing this pattern.

Alternating between cat and cow poses.

Exhaling while stretching and arching the back.

Inhaling while lowering the abdomen and raising the head.

Moving with the rhythm of your own breath.

Staying in the here and now.

Noticing what is happening now.

Just now.

And then.

When you're ready.

Returning to all fours on your hands and knees.

Then raising the left leg and stretching it out behind you as far as it will go.

At the same time,

Stretching the right arm out in front of you.

And raising the head a little to look out beyond the hand.

So now you are balancing on the right knee and the left hand.

Noticing what the body feels like now in this posture.

Balancing.

Breathing.

The subtle moment to moment adjustment of the muscles keeping you stable.

And now,

Lowering your arm and leg back to the floor.

Finding yourself on all fours once again.

And beginning to repeat the movement on the opposite side.

Stretching the right leg behind you this time and extending the left arm in front of you.

Looking out beyond the outstretched fingers of your left hand.

Balancing on your left knee and right hand.

Feeling the stretch throughout the body.

Breathing with the sensations and challenges of this balancing act.

As always,

Adapting this practice to meet the needs of your body and mind as they are today.

Being patient and kind towards yourself,

I invite you now to lower the body slowly into a lying position on the belly.

With the toes pointed behind you and the forehead gently resting on the mat.

Now,

Placing the palms of the hands on the mat directly under the shoulders and keeping the elbows close to the body.

Gently pressing your palms into the mat,

Engaging the muscles in the lower back and lifting the chest a little off the ground.

Remembering that this is not a competition,

Not with yourself nor with anyone else.

Letting your body be.

Be however it is in this moment.

In this position.

Keeping the elbows bent and engaging the muscles in the back.

Only lifting the chest as high as is comfortable.

Choosing where to place your gaze.

Straight ahead,

Slightly upwards or even downward.

Remembering to hold this pose and all of the poses for only as long as feels right for you.

Now gently lowering your chest back down to the mat,

Releasing the pose.

Resting your forehead on the mat.

Returning your head to one side and resting on a cheek.

Resting here for a moment.

Then repeating this movement if you wish.

Easing yourself back up into this low cobra posture.

Or remaining on the mat on your belly,

Resting.

Or choosing any posture that is suitable right now.

Not judging yourself.

No comparing,

No competition.

Just showing up to however you are in this moment.

And tuning in to what that is for you right now.

Noticing what is happening in the body.

Noticing the lower back.

Noticing the upper back.

The shoulders,

The arms,

The abdominal area,

The legs.

Noticing the breath.

Now returning to child's pose.

Slowly lowering the chest back down to the mat.

Softening the shoulders.

And releasing any tension held in the back.

Using the hands to press into the mat.

Beginning the movement back towards the knees.

Drawing the hips back towards the heels and the upper body folding forward.

Allowing the hips to sink back and down.

Opening the knees if that feels good.

Stretching the arms out long in front.

Or letting them rest alongside the body with palms up.

Allowing the forehead to rest softly.

Either on the mat or on a folded blanket or cushion.

Reminding yourself that each posture is an opportunity to explore and honour the body's needs and boundaries.

Moving in ways that feel supportive to you in this moment and adapting as required.

What does the body feel like now?

Do you notice any differences?

Lightness perhaps?

Or heaviness?

Heat?

Cold?

A sense of ease?

Or agitation?

Feeling loose or tight?

Just showing up with compassion to whatever is present for you right now.

Slowly uncurling from Child's Pose.

Using the hands to support the body as you slide forward.

Coming to rest on the stomach first.

Then stretching the legs out behind you.

Lying on your front.

Taking a moment here.

Allowing the floor to support every part of the front body.

Feeling the gentle rise and fall of the chest and the belly against the mat.

Now gradually rolling over onto the back.

Taking your time.

Moving slowly.

Noticing each body movement and how it feels.

Lying on your back.

Then bending the knees and placing the feet flat on the floor,

Hip width apart.

Now moving into a reclining butterfly posture.

Bringing the soles of the feet together.

And letting the bent knees fall gently to each side,

Like the wings of a butterfly.

The hands can rest on the belly or by the sides,

Whichever feels good for you.

Adjusting the position of the feet closer or further from the body.

Finding the sweet spot where the stretch feels present,

But not intense.

You may also like to use cushions or a folded blanket,

Positioned under the head,

The neck,

The lower back or the knees.

Or perhaps using multiple cushions to support your body with kindness and generosity for what it needs.

Noticing sensations now.

Noticing the breath.

Noticing thoughts.

Letting go of any judgement for how things should be or aversion to how things are.

Just letting your body be however it is today and giving it what it needs.

And now,

Finally,

Releasing the feet.

Allowing the legs to stretch out along the mat and adjusting the body so that it lies flat with the arms resting by the sides.

Palms facing upwards.

Encouraging the feet to flop gently outward and the shoulders to melt into the ground.

Closing the eyes or softening your focus.

Letting the breath flow naturally without trying to shape or control it.

Simply observing its tide ebbing and flowing.

How is the body now?

How is the mind now?

Just observing.

Remaining here for a few moments or for as long as you wish.

As this practice comes to an end,

Taking the time to acknowledge your body,

Accepting it just the way it is,

Perhaps thanking it for all it has done for you.

Knowing that the body has knowledge and wisdom and often has information for us that the conscious mind may not even be aware of.

Taking this time,

As you have just done,

To be fully present with the body allows you to become more practiced at reading its signals and tapping into its knowledge.

Helping yourself to become more aware and to make better choices for yourself,

For your well-being,

For your life.

Not striving for perfection,

Nor to fix everything,

But as you return to your day,

Taking the opportunity to be more fully awake to all of your experiences.

Slowing down a little,

Allowing yourself to be patient and kind to yourself,

Without judgment.