Thank you for joining me for practice today.
My name is Alicia.
My pronouns are she and her,
And I'm a 500-hour certified yoga teacher.
I'm practicing with you today on the native lands of the Tunahaha,
Spokane,
And Chisholm tribes,
Now known as Spokane,
Washington.
Let's get started by finding a comfortable position.
Depending on how you are feeling today,
This position might be seated in a chair,
Or down on the floor with a blanket or bolster beneath your bum to bring your hips above your knees.
Maybe you feel more like lying down with a folded blanket or pillow under your head,
A bolster beneath your knees,
And a blanket to cover you for warmth.
Check in and decide what will give you the most ease for your practice today.
I'll give you a few moments to get yourself situated.
One of the first ways we can start to work with the breath is simply by becoming aware of it.
That is my intention for our time together,
To invite you to become more aware of your breath and then to observe and explore it with curiosity.
Please know there is no right or wrong way to do this.
Your experience will be unique to you in this moment.
Anything that I offer are simply invitations.
As always,
Please know that this is your practice,
And please feel empowered to let your own bodily wisdom and your own inner teacher be your primary guides.
I will now invite the bell to drop us in to begin our practice.
Option to keep your eyes open,
Closed,
Or simply soften your gaze down.
As you start to settle in,
Take two or three full breaths to arrive in this moment.
Inhale through your nose and then sigh your exhale out through your mouth.
Taking your time and doing this at your own pace.
After your third exhale,
Whenever it comes,
Now let your breath return to its own natural rhythm.
If it's available to you today,
Let the breath enter and exit through the nostrils.
Feel where your body is in contact with any support beneath and around it,
To help ground both your body and your attention into this present moment.
What sensations do you notice in these places?
If you are seated,
Feel into your base of support and let your spine lengthen up comfortably tall from there.
Whether seated or lying down,
You can take one hand to your belly to begin tapping into the movement and sensations of your breath.
Encourage your belly,
Heart,
Throat,
Jaw,
And tongue to be soft.
If you notice any areas of gripping or tension in your body,
Invite them to soften as well.
Settle back and allow your breath to find its own pace.
Imagine each inhale takes your awareness deeper inward and each exhale is a releasing and a letting go into the support beneath you.
Allow each inhale to expand your softening belly into the palm of your hand.
With each exhale,
Allow your belly to relax back towards your spine.
There's no need to try to control your breath,
Just let it come and go in its own time.
Now that you are aware of your breath,
Let's approach it as a witness,
An observer.
Letting go of any judgment and any expectation.
With newfound curiosity,
What do you notice about your breath in this moment?
Everything is welcome here.
Where do you feel your breath most easily?
Maybe you feel the rise and fall of your chest or belly.
Maybe you feel air entering and leaving your nostrils or air swirling in the back of your throat.
Maybe you feel something completely different.
What is true for you?
What do you notice about the rhythm of your breath?
Is it fast or slow or somewhere in between?
What do you notice about the depth of your breath?
Is it shallow or deep or somewhere in between?
What do you notice about the texture of your breath?
Is it rough or smooth or somewhere in between?
Ride the ebb and flow of your natural breath for the next few moments,
Relaxing back and being open to the journey of exploring.
Let yourself be curious about whatever you notice.
If your mind starts to wander away from your breath,
Simply bring your awareness back with gentleness and begin your exploration again.
You might do this many,
Many times.
There's no need to get discouraged if your mind is busy.
That's okay.
It's all part of the practice.
I will let you continue here for the next few minutes and we'll bring you out with three sounds of the bell.
See you soon.
.
.
.
As you feel ready,
You can slowly open your eyes if they want to move the body in any way that might feel good.
If you'd like to join me to close this practice,
You can place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
This closing is from my teacher,
Anna Guest-Gelly of Curvy Yoga.
May I greet my body with gentleness.
May I soften when life invites me to harden.
May I listen to my intuition with wisdom and trust it with ease.
And may I appreciate my body a little more in this moment,
Just as it is.
Let's take one breath together.
We'll inhale and exhale.
Thank you so much for sharing your time and your practice with me today.
