Thanks for tuning in.
This week's yoga series,
We're going to be exploring the theme of starting exactly where you are.
This means really paying attention in the moment to what's going on for you.
Noticing your experience unfolding just as it is.
For many people that have experienced a traumatic event.
Most of the time is not spent exactly where you are.
I know when I think about my experience,
So much energy has been spent on avoiding,
Distracting myself,
Doing anything possible to rid myself of that.
Familiar feeling of threat and fear.
What I've noticed is long after my traumatic experience has happened,
There's times in my life where that similar sensation of anxiety and fear still reappear.
So this week's session is designed to get you out of the mindset that you should be someplace different than where you are right now.
To get you out of that mental talk that.
You shouldn't be feeling the things that you're feeling,
Or you should be over it by now.
This week's movements are really designed to help you get out of the mind and into the body just a little bit more.
Knowing that there's no right or wrong sensation to feel,
There's no place that you need to get to,
Other than just experiencing right now exactly as it is.
So get yourself ready.
And tune in.
As we explore.
So whenever you're ready,
Find yourself in a comfortable position.
You can choose to sit cross-legged,
Gently on your knees,
Or even if you'd like you can lie completely on your back as we begin.
There's no right or wrong way.
Listening to what your body needs in this moment and choosing to do that.
So as you come to settle in,
Take a couple of moments to make the adjustments that you need to.
If you need to brush a piece of hair away from your face or adjust your clothing in any way,
Whatever those small movements that you need so that you can fully settle into this experience,
Do that now.
And just naturally.
Take a couple of deep breaths into the body and deep breaths out.
Giving yourself permission to Fully tune into this experience.
If you feel comfortable,
You can gently take the eyes to a close or just softly direct the gaze downwards off the tip of the nose.
The idea here is to eliminate as much external distraction as possible.
So that you can fully tune into the experience as it's unfolding.
And when you're ready,
Gently directing the attention to the flow of breath as it comes into the body.
And gently directing the attention to the flow of the breath as it leaves the body.
Knowing that there's no special way that you need to breathe.
Your body already knows.
Just finding your way into your own natural rhythm of breath.
And as you start to pay attention to the breath.
Just taking a moment to notice where you are.
And what your experience is in this moment.
Are you outside?
Are you indoors?
What is the temperature of the air on your skin?
What sounds do you notice that are really obvious?
And can you tune in to any of the sounds that might not be so obvious?
Maybe you hear.
Something outside.
Maybe you subtly hear your own breath as it comes into the body.
Just tuning in to the experience exactly as it's unfolding.
Remembering that there's no right or wrong sensation.
That you should or shouldn't feel.
We're just taking a moment to check in.
So with that in mind.
Gently drawing the attention to the body.
So whatever the position you're in,
Can you notice any sensations emerge through the joints,
The muscles.
And is there one thing,
One adjustment or movement that.
You could do to make yourself feel a little bit more comfortable.
Keeping this gentle awareness of the breath coming in and out of the body as we begin our movement.
Knowing that the mind is really clever and can attempt to distract us.
From this attention,
So anytime that you notice.
That you've drifted off.
Gently bring yourself back to this natural rhythm of breath that you found for yourself.
And it might be a couple of times,
It might be a hundred times.
It doesn't matter how many times.
That gentle noticing.
And bringing yourself back each and every time to the breath.
Let's begin with some gentle neck rolls.
You get to choose the side.
We're gently going to drop one ear over to the shoulder on that same side.
Just checking in with any of the sensations that arise through the neck.
You can choose to stay here as long as you wish or if you'd like you can perhaps try reaching the opposite arm out just as I'm doing here.
So that the fingertips lightly touch the mat.
Notice.
The sensations that emerge.
With that movement.
And you get to choose if you'd like to stay here for a while.
A while or if you need to do any adjustments.
Beginning with a gentle neck roll,
We're going to take the chin to chest,
Lengthen through the back of the neck.
And then draw our opposite ear to the opposite shoulder.
And again,
If you'd like,
The invitation here is to reach both arms out to the side so the fingertips are lightly touching the mat.
And we're just going to take the next side to side,
Remembering that you get to choose the pace.
You can speed this up if you'd like.
You can slow it down even more.
And just noticing.
Sensations that emerge.
Does one side feel a little bit different?
Both sides feel the same.
Remembering there's no right or wrong way.
That you should or shouldn't be feeling.
And just allowing that to settle whenever you're ready.
From here,
If you'd like,
You can begin to bring the gaze up towards the sky so that we get a nice stretch through the front of the neck.
You can experiment with keeping the mouth open and then gently closing the mouth.
Notice how that feels through the front of the neck.
Hang out here as long as you'd like.
And then gently bringing yourself chin to chest.
Notice what that feels like as we open up through the back of the neck.
And again,
Going at your own pace.
There's no right or wrong here,
We're just.
.
.
Exploring and uncovering.
What it feels like to open the neck.
Good,
And just let that settle.
If you'd like,
You can experiment with full neck rolls all the way front and back.
Or continue to do side to side,
Whatever feels the best for you in this moment.
Now we're going to move to shoulder rolls.
We're lightly going to draw the shoulder caps up towards the ears and you get to choose how small or how big you want these rolls to be.
You can experiment with really subtle tiny movements in the shoulders,
Gradually making them bigger.
Or some variation in between.
It's your choice.
Again,
Just noticing what do the shoulders feel like.
And if you'd like,
You can change directions.
Notice what it feels like to go.
Front to back.
And for another variation if you'd like,
You can.
.
.
Alternate.
Rolling one shoulder at a time.
And going in opposite direction.
Yes,
Loosening up through the shoulders,
However feels comfortable for you today.
And again,
Choosing the pace that feels right for you in this moment.
Remembering that you can continue doing the shoulder rolls as long as you'd wish.
And whenever you're ready,
Just coming to let that movement settle in the body.
We're going to move to some spinal curves and this allows us to awaken through the spine.
And going at your own pace.
The invitation is to take the hands to the knees.
And we're going to anchor,
Use this as our anchor here.
So the hands connect to the knees.
Leaning back as far as you're comfortable.
I invite you to curl the tailbone underneath you.
Draw the belly button to spine,
So this scooping sensation.
Really round through the shoulders and taking the chin to chest.
Notice what it feels like between the shoulder blades and the upper neck.
And perhaps imagining through each of the vertebrae of the spine.
When we're doing this position,
We're creating just a little bit more space between each of the vertebrae.
When you're ready,
We're gonna take it through center.
Glide the tailbone far behind you.
Draw the chest forwards and taking the gaze to the sky.
Again.
How far you want to draw the chest forward is up to you.
And we're going to come back into that original position,
Rounding through the back.
So tailbone tucks underneath you,
Belly button draws towards the spine,
Round through the shoulders.
Chin to chest and you can experiment with leaning back maybe a little bit more.
Just noticing what sensation that brings to the surface.
Or if you'd like,
You can ease off.
It's entirely up to you.
And then gliding the tailbone back behind you,
Taking the chest forward,
The gaze to the sky.
And back to neutral whenever you're ready.
Coming now into some seated twists.
You can choose whichever side works best for you in this moment.
Take one hand behind you,
Right behind the hip on that same side.
The other hand is going to cross over top of the body.
We take a big inhale,
Grow the spine tall.
And experiment with twisting on the exhale as far as you'd like.
Remembering to find your own natural rhythm of breath.
It's not uncommon in a twist too.
Hold on to the breath.
And just seeing if you can continue to find your natural flow.
And whenever you're ready,
Gently beginning to unravel nice and slow.
And we'll just come right into the opposite side.
So the hand on that side goes right behind the hip.
We take an inhale,
Grow tall through the spine.
And exhale,
Gently drawing a twist.
And much like we wring out a towel when it's wet,
This is exactly what we're simulating with the spine.
So when we unravel this fresh flow of oxygen and blood rushes right back into the body,
To the organs and to muscles.
I like to think it's rushing to the places that we need it most.
So because that felt really good,
I'm going to go ahead and just do.
.
.
One more rotation of twists.
This is also a really nice posture to help.
If you notice that you have any digestion issues.
Butterflies in your stomach.
And it just feels good.
Gently coming back to your neutral seated position.
Resting the hands either in your lap or on the knees.
The invitation here is to.
Grow the spine tall.
But emphasizing comfort here.
So not trying to aim for perfect posture,
But rather.
Alert and comfortable.
And just directing your attention back to the breath.
Flow of the in-breath into the body.
And the flow of the out-breath as it leaves the body.
And just noticing what might the sensations feel like now in your body.
And if there's any other movements that you'd like to do.
Before we end,
Take a moment now to do that.
Maybe you want to stretch the hands above the head,
Get a big morning stretch.
Or maybe there's a position that we did today that you'd like to redo.
Let's take a moment to Let the body tell you what it needs.
I want to thank you for tuning in to this.
First edition of your yoga series.
I wish you an amazing day ahead.
And I hope the sensation of today carries with you throughout the rest of your day.
