MBSR Hatha Yoga-finding stillness even in turbulance

In this practice, you will be encouraged to discover your edges while using the breath. In this time uncertainty, we come to find stillness and calm while coming home to the body. Take note to not push past an edge that causes pain so as to not harm the body.

Transcript

Okay,

This is a mindfulness hatha yoga that will all be in a lying down position.

And there are some things to remember.

So this is a body movement meditation and the movements will be simple.

And considering and encouraging you to think about using this every day or every other day just for overall well-being.

Do what you can with the movements within your capabilities.

There may be some movements that just are not possible and that is okay.

In these moments or in these postures,

I encourage you to visualize yourself doing them in your mind.

Just going along with the meditation in your mind's eye.

And very important to know your limits or your edges.

So when or should you experience pain,

That is a sign to stop.

Yoga should not be painful and actually at the moment that you experience pain,

It is no longer yoga.

And also paying attention to the difference between discomfort,

Something not being comfortable and pain.

So there is the ouch or the ugh.

So kind of understanding that pull,

Feeling a muscle stretching and knowing when you are doing damage.

So being mindful of that.

And as you integrate this in your day to day life,

You will notice that your limits change or the edges change.

And again it is not a goal but you will most likely begin to note some things.

Now when you are in a pose,

Also encouraging you to ask yourself,

What am I feeling?

Or what is this feeling in my lower back,

In my neck,

In my leg?

Looking at it with curiosity.

Looking at the exactness of the sensation or the feeling.

And again knowing your parameters like what are the sensations,

What are the pulsations,

What is uncomfortable.

And again,

Where are the ouches and backing off when there are ouches.

And then also bringing your breath.

So when you are in a pose that is going to a limit,

Bringing your breath to those spaces and staying in that space for a bit.

Allowing possibly a few breaths.

And you will be following your breath versus my breath.

So as we begin,

I encourage you to get into what is known as the corpse pose.

So this is lying down with your feet apart.

And you let your feet naturally drop to the side.

And you have your arms beside you,

Not touching the body,

So they are out a little bit.

And if comfortable,

Palms up.

Again if not comfortable,

Finding a position that is comfortable.

And as you are in this pose,

Beginning sensing where your body touches the mat or the floor.

Also noting where your heels are,

Your calves,

Thighs,

Tush,

Back,

Shoulders,

Arms,

Hands,

Head,

Neck.

Noticing those points of pressure.

Also experiencing that pull of gravity.

And also going to your breath,

Noticing possibly a relaxation with each exhale.

As you just fall into this pose.

Becoming curious about your body in this pose.

Maybe noticing air,

Touching areas where the skin is exposed,

Where it is not covered up with clothing.

And also engaging the diaphragm.

So in this pose,

When you inhale,

Allowing the belly to rise.

And then on the exhale,

The belly falls.

Then noticing,

You have your next exhale,

So finding that.

And then on your inhale,

Bringing your arms above head,

Following the inhale,

Following the pace of the inhale.

And then on the exhale,

Bringing arms back down.

Feeling this.

Bringing arms back up on your next inhale.

And then bringing them down on your exhale.

Doing this two more times with your breath.

And then after that,

Bringing arms up above head on your inhale and keeping them there as knowing your body's limits.

If there's pain,

Change your position,

Do what's comfortable.

And then we're going to stretch.

So it's as if your hands are going to touch the wall.

That's like towards your fingertips and maybe heels pushing against the next wall.

Just feeling the stretch deeply.

And then on your exhale,

Next exhale,

Bringing your arms down.

Just noticing what you've created in your body.

Just notice how the body feels at this moment.

So on this next pose,

Inviting you to bring your arms out to the side.

So kind of in a cross position.

Again to the areas as is comfortable for you.

And then you're going to bring your feet up.

So your feet are touching the mat,

Knees pointing towards the ceiling.

And we're going to do pelvic tilts.

So on the inhale,

Rolling that pelvis,

So you're bringing your tailbone up.

And then the exhale,

Bringing it back so that you create a space between your back and the floor.

And on the inhale,

The back should touch the floor.

And on the exhale,

Curving the back.

And doing this with your own breath,

Paying attention to muscles that are engaging,

What the back feels like.

And doing the movement as is comfortable with your breath.

So it might be the opposite.

The inhale with the arch,

The exhale with the rounding of the back.

And then coming to a place of stillness again,

Noticing what has been created in your body,

Scanning the areas that were moving.

And then now,

With those bent knees,

We're going to bring those bent knees up towards our chest.

And then we're going to bring our arms around our knees.

And so making sure to not pull on your knees,

But bringing your arms possibly just below your knees.

And then bringing your head up towards your knee.

And breathing,

Just holding this position.

Again recognizing areas of pain and then backing off if there's pain.

And then coming back down,

Bringing legs down to the floor and noticing what has been created in your body.

What are you experiencing right now?

And another reminder that as you have awareness with these movements,

Mind may start thinking about other things.

And again,

That's when we gently but assertively bring the mind right back to the movement,

Being with the body moment to moment.

So on this next pose,

I invite you to bring up your left leg.

Much like we did with both knees up.

Taking both arms and grasping this left knee that's up.

Just right below the knee.

And then bringing your head up.

Just noticing this feeling.

Bringing your head up,

Noticing your limits.

Noticing if there's thoughts of needing to compare or this isn't right or I shouldn't be in this spot.

Just recognizing it and then coming right back here knowing there's no right or wrong way to be at this moment.

And then finding your next exhale,

Bringing your leg down.

Bringing head down and noticing what is there.

And inviting you on your next exhale to bring that right knee up.

Wrapping arms around the knee,

Right below the knee and then bringing head up to your knee.

Breathing,

Continue to breathe,

Notice the breath.

Invite your mind to the areas of the muscles working or stretching,

Becoming curious.

And then bringing the leg down and then noticing what you've created at this moment.

What is the heart doing?

Do you feel any warmth?

And then next we're going to do a movement often known as the bicycle.

So we bring our hands behind our head and then bringing your,

We'll do it in very slow motion but bringing your left knee up.

You're going to bring your head up and then bring your right elbow towards your left knee.

And then very slow,

Intentional movements going back and forth.

So right knee to left knee and then straightening the left leg out and bringing the left elbow to the right knee.

Taking your breath,

What this feels like if there's ouches,

Backing off.

Doing five more of these or more or less,

Again no right or wrong.

And then bringing feet and legs down and being with your body at this moment.

What is present?

Noticing the breath,

Possibly the heart,

Warmth or coolness.

And when those thoughts or judgments come in,

Bringing yourself back to this moment with your body.

So now inviting you to come to hands and knees.

So we're going to bring our hands right below our shoulders and our knees right underneath our hips for a pose known as cat cow.

And reminding you that the abdomens should actually be engaged right now versus hanging loose and so this protects the spine.

So bringing that navel center up towards the spine.

And then on an inhale,

Arching your back,

Looking up as if a sway back of a cow.

And then on your exhale,

Rounding your back and bringing your chin to your chest as if an arched Halloween cat.

And then just going back and forth with your breath as it feels right for you.

Noticing the pauses of the breath,

Noticing what parts of the body are engaging and remembering also that your hands are pushing away from the floor,

So not falling into the floor.

So this is an active pose.

You might note that the breath maybe changes throughout this posture,

That it gets slower or faster.

And now coming to a place of stillness,

Noticing what is present.

Again,

Making sure that abdomen is engaged to protect the spine.

But what is present?

Are arms tired?

Can you notice muscles that were working?

So then next we're going to continue in this pose and this is a bit of a balance pose.

And again,

Knowing your limits.

If you need to stop at any time,

That is okay.

Don't push yourself further if there's any like falling out of a pose,

That is okay.

This is a practice.

This is a learning.

And so with this pose,

What I'm going to invite you to do is to extend your left arm forward so it's parallel to the ground and then bringing your right leg out behind you.

Maybe noticing wobbling,

Noticing the breath and again engaging that core to help keep steadiness.

Noticing I don't want to do this or oh I like this.

And then coming back to just what is going on with the body at this moment.

Maybe noticing fatigue.

And then on your next exhale,

Bringing your left hand and your right leg down to the floor.

And then now bringing your right arm out.

So doing the opposite,

You know on the other side,

Bringing the right arm out with the left leg out.

Engaging your core,

Pressing that belly button to the spine.

Noticing is the breath changing,

Is it staying the same,

Is there shakiness,

Is there tingling,

Heat,

Coolness.

Making me very curious about what's going on without judgment.

Again engaging that core,

Noticing have shoulders hunched towards your ears and pulling those shoulders back.

And on your next exhale coming out of the pose with all hands and knees on the floor.

And then so with this next pose,

Again actually first noticing what you've created.

What is,

Has something heated up in the body?

What is going on with your system?

What is the breath doing?

And then going to your back again.

So here we're going to bring the feet up so the knees are pointing towards the ceiling.

And if it is within your limits,

Bringing arms above head.

And this is the bridge pose.

And so bringing,

So maybe using your feet or hamstrings to bring your pelvis up so that it comes off the floor.

Arms are above head and so you're pushing.

So you might notice some pushing against your feet.

Maybe thighs are bringing you up.

Noticing what is going on.

What muscles are active in the body?

What does it feel like?

Are there areas that are uncomfortable?

Maybe you notice shaking as these muscles are engaging as they're waking up and breathing.

Getting into uncomfortable spaces.

And also making effort to keep knees so that they're not falling off to the sides but keeping them straight.

And then slowly coming down one vertebrae at a time.

And then coming up again.

Mindfully rising that pelvis,

Abdomen up so it's off the floor.

Arms above head.

Experiencing the body as it is in this moment.

Noticing the breath.

Then again slowly one vertebrae at a time.

Coming down.

Bringing arms back to your side.

Noticing what has been created in this moment.

What are you experiencing right now?

So for our next pose,

Inviting you to bring up your left leg towards the ceiling and possibly pushing your heel towards the ceiling and just notice what muscles are being engaged.

And again this can ignite an area that tends to be tight in a lot of people.

The hamstring and calf area.

Bringing breath to those possibly uncomfortable spaces and again noting the difference between pain and discomfort or the pulling,

You know the comfortable pulling of a muscle.

It may not be so comfortable but noticing what's there.

Getting into the areas that aren't perfectly comfortable.

And then next bringing your hands up to your calf.

Both hands coming up to your calf.

And within your limits bringing your head up towards your knee.

Again there's no right or wrong with this.

You may be two feet away or your nose might butt right up against your knee.

There's no right or wrong.

Noticing what is here.

What is your breath doing?

Breathing into areas that feel maybe wonky or uncomfortable.

Allowing versus resisting.

And then bringing the left leg down with the knees still bent.

And then letting your right leg come up so that the heel is kind of pushing towards the ceiling.

And here you might notice that one leg feels different than the other.

It's quite common for one leg to be tighter than another.

Also visualizing,

Seeing those tight areas,

Bringing breath to those spaces.

And now bringing hands up to your calf,

To your lower leg.

And then rising your head towards your knee.

Breathing into the uncomfortable places where it's activated or a muscle is being engaged or there's a pull.

Knowing your limits,

Not pushing beyond,

But going to the edge.

Where is that edge?

Breathing into those spaces.

You might notice that as you're breathing into a space that the edge changes.

And then bringing the right leg down.

Bringing head back.

And just lying here,

Noticing what is going on in the body.

Does it feel warmer than when you began?

Is the heart going,

Moving differently?

Are hands warm or cold?

In the breath.

So now inviting you to turn to your left side.

So you're going to be on your hip.

With your hand,

Your left hand supporting your head and your right hand in front of you to support you.

And also encouraging you to roll forward a little bit so you don't,

To keep the spine straight.

And then you're going to bring your leg up.

So now you have a V.

Not super high.

And then you're going to bring your leg down.

And you can do this following your breath.

With your breath so,

You know,

The inhale maybe up and the exhale down or vice versa,

Whatever feels comfortable for you.

Doing this five to ten times.

Noticing the movements.

Noticing the support or wobbling.

Noticing thoughts.

I like this or I don't want to do this.

And then coming back to the movement.

Maybe waking up some muscles that haven't worked in a while.

Just noticing what's there.

Noticing how the core or the abdomen is engaged to support you,

To keep you from tipping over.

And then bringing the leg down.

Just noticing what does that right leg feel like right now?

What is there?

And then turning to the other side to move on to your right hip.

Again your right hand is supporting your head.

Your right leg is on the floor.

And then your left leg is going to come up creating that V.

So again,

Following your inhale and exhale.

Experiencing each moment,

Each movement with curiosity.

Reminding yourself you cannot be anywhere else than you are.

Noticing maybe the core engaging.

Is the right arm getting tired?

Or does this feel like an easy flow?

Again there's no right or wrong.

Noticing those glute or butt muscles engaging.

What does the foot feel like?

Then bringing the left leg down.

Noticing what is going on right now.

What do you experience right at this moment?

Now inviting you to go into a pose where you are on your stomach.

If this is comfortable for you.

So mindfully moving to your stomach.

Bringing your head down so that you're looking to your left.

And bringing your arms to your side.

Noticing feelings of relaxation or tension.

Again knowing your limits if anything is painful.

Backing off.

Maybe noticing the diaphragm engage as you breathe and you feel that tummy expand towards your mat or the floor.

Feeling the weight of your arms on the mat.

And inviting you to bring your head up and turn your head to the other side.

Again noting does it feel the same?

Does it feel different?

Noticing the breath.

Is it quick?

Is it slow?

Reminding yourself there's no right way to breathe.

You're entering in as to how the breath represents or comes to us at this moment.

And now rolling to your back again into the corpse pose.

Moving intentionally noticing what your body is doing to change positions.

Using feet to roll out to the side,

Arms to your side,

Palms up if it's comfortable for you.

And then just noticing the feeling within the body after doing these movements.

Allowing the body to sink.

Allowing that gravity to pull.

Noticing it,

Noticing points of contact.

Noticing toes.

The sole of your foot and the top of your foot.

Bringing attention to the heel,

To the calf.

Noticing your thighs and your lower back.

Your middle back.

Is there a space between the floor?

Is it touching the floor?

Noticing mid-back,

Upper back.

Noticing the pelvic region and the stomach and the chest,

The arms.

Noticing points of contact for the shoulders,

Elbows,

Forearms,

Wrists,

Hands.

Noticing jaw,

Mouth,

Nose,

Forehead,

Top of the head,

Back of the head.

Then experiencing this body as a whole after it's been through these movements.

Congratulating yourself for taking some mindful time for the goodness of your body and your mind.

And lying here,

Staying here as long as you need,

As long as it's comfortable.

Thank you.

Reviews

Just what I needed before work.🙏