Hello and thanks for tuning in.
It's Megan here and I'm so glad you joined me today.
For today's session,
We're going to be exploring this idea of truly and honestly expressing gratitude towards ourselves.
When I ask you,
When was the last time you acknowledged or thanked yourself for something,
What comes to mind for you?
For many people that have experienced trauma,
It's a really difficult task to actually send ourselves some self-love and acknowledgement.
Most of the time we're spent sitting thinking that we don't deserve joy or happiness.
That we're unworthy somehow or that we're simply not good enough.
That we have to make it to some point in order to begin to be kind to ourselves.
So as we explore these next movements.
The invitation here is to find ways to.
.
.
Express appreciation and gratitude for all the work that you've committed to to get yourself feeling better.
I don't take it lightly that you've chosen to make it to your match.
And I want to thank you.
It doesn't matter how much or how little you do on your mat,
But the fact that you've chosen to spend some time doing something that may make you feel a little bit better.
Is worth giving yourself gratitude for.
So let's get started.
Find yourself in a comfortable position and here we go.
As we get started,
The invitation is to find yourself in a comfortable seated position.
Taking a couple moments to make any adjustments that you need to so that you can fully settle into this experience.
Take a couple of moments to give yourself permission to be fully present for the next several moments here.
Maybe softly directing the gaze downwards on a focal point.
And if you'd like,
Starting to pay attention to the sensation of breath coming into the body on an in-breath.
And paying attention to the sensation of breath leaving the body on an out-breath.
Bye!
Notice what it also might feel like to bring a little more dynamic movement to the breath.
By extending the tummy outwards on an in-breath.
And on the out breath,
Drawing the belly button in towards the spine to release any stale air in the body.
You can continue to stay here as long as you'd like.
And the invitation now is to take the hands to the knees so that we can begin to warm up the spine.
So on the next exhale,
You're gonna lean back here using the hands to guide you.
Curl the tailbone beneath you,
Scoop through the belly,
Round through the shoulders.
And if you'd like,
Taking the chin to chest.
Getting a nice C-curve through the spine here as we open up through the back body.
Taking an in-breath,
We'll come through center.
Glide the tailbone long behind you.
Open the heart.
Take the chin and throat up towards the sky.
Let's exhale,
Come through center.
Round through the shoulders,
Scoop through the belly,
Curl the tailbone beneath you,
Leaning back as far as you're comfortable with.
And then inhale through center.
Take the tailbone long behind you,
Take the eyes,
Chin and throat towards the sky.
And just coming through two or three more of those rotations on your own time,
You get to choose how fast you want to do these.
You get to choose how much you want to drop forward,
How much you want to lean back.
It's entirely up to you just as we warm up the spine.
I'm just allowing that movement to settle into the body.
Whenever you're ready,
Choosing whichever side is most comfortable for you to start,
We're going to extend one leg long at about 45 degrees.
The other leg is going to tuck in towards your center line.
Drawing the toes towards the knees helps protect the knee joint here.
And as you're comfortable,
Take the elbow on the arm on the same side as the leg that's extended and connect the elbow to the knee.
And if you need to bend that knee so that you can connect the elbow,
Always feel free to do that.
The elbow-knee connection is key to this next movement.
So pressing the elbow into the knee allows us to rotate the torso so that the heart faces towards the sky.
Whenever you're ready,
Float the top arm up and over top of the ear as if it's trying to reach towards the toes of the extended leg.
Keeping that elbow-knee connection,
Just experiment if you'd like with what it feels like to draw the elbow into the knee and just take tiny little rotations so that the chest and heart open to the sky.
If you'd like,
You can also experiment with what it feels like in your body to draw the top shoulder back behind you and at the same time draw the bottom shoulder tucking it underneath you towards the front.
Just as if we're trying to stack the shoulders here.
Always remembering that you get to go at your own pace.
You get to decide how much or how little you want to twist.
Remembering to take some long slow deep breaths all the way down that side body.
Wherever you could use a little extra breath.
And as you're ready,
We're going to float the top hand now just behind the hip on the same side.
We're going to press through the palm to lift the hips high and then reach the free arm back behind you while we point the toes of the extended leg.
See what it feels like in your body to find the longest line from the tips of the toes all the way through the fingertips here.
And if you'd like.
.
.
See what it feels like to extend the hips up towards the sky as you take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath.
All the way into the front body.
And then exhale,
Slowly release back down.
Just allowing that to settle,
Slowly making your way now.
Into a wide-legged seated position.
So both legs are approximately 45 degrees.
You can have them closer together if you'd like or a little further apart.
Whatever feels best for you.
Rooting down through the seat so that we can grow the spine tall.
On your next in-breath,
Take a long slow breath in,
Arms raised to the sky.
Drawing the belly button to spine,
We're going to hinge forward at the hip.
As far as we're comfortable and when we get to our comfort zone then draw the hands and arms towards the floor and slowly,
Slowly tuck the chin towards the throat.
Remembering that there's no end point that we have to get to.
There's no better or worse way to do this movement.
We're simply noticing the sensations in our body.
And we're choosing the option that feels best for us today in this moment.
Knowing that tomorrow you might feel entirely different.
So just being kind and gentle here.
Allowing the lower back and the inner thighs to open here.
Be soft in the neck.
What does that feel like for you?
And continue to find your breath.
You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like.
Getting a nice opening here through the legs and as you're ready,
Slowly tiptoeing the hands back towards your center.
As we lift up and let that movement settle.
Coming onto the opposite side now,
We're going to tuck the leg in that we didn't the last time in towards our center line.
And now we have the opposite leg extended to about 45 degrees.
Remembering the toes actively drawing towards the knee,
Just to protect the knee joint.
And as you're comfortable,
Connecting the elbow of the arm on that same side to the knee joint here.
And this is key.
We're going to press the elbow into the knee to get this nice,
Beautiful rotation of the heart up towards the sky.
Again,
Choosing the intensity that works for you.
Float the top arm up and over top of the ears now as if it's drawing towards those toes.
And just notice here if one side feels a little bit different than the other.
Oftentimes we carry a little more tension in one side of the body,
Totally normal.
Not trying to judge it as right or wrong.
We're just simply noticing here.
And if you'd like,
Taking the top shoulder,
Rolling it back towards the back wall or the back of the mat behind you,
As the bottom shoulder tucks underneath you,
As if we're trying to stack the shoulders right on top of each other.
Always remember that you get to make the adjustments that you'd like so that you feel comfortable here.
Long,
Slow,
Deep breath all the way into the side body.
And whenever you're ready,
We're going to float the top hand now behind the hip on the same side.
We're going to press through the palm to lift the hips high.
Extend the top arm long behind you as you point the toes of the extended leg.
As much as you reach the arm back,
We're reaching the toes forward.
Get a nice long line here.
And notice what it feels like to send the hips one more inch up towards the sky.
Long,
Slow breath into the tummy.
And exhale,
Slowly release all the way down and let that movement settle.
Has to be one of my favorite movements.
I always feel good after that.
Both legs long out in front of you now.
Legs are going to be together.
We're going to prepare for our deep seated forward fold.
So just rocking the hips side to side to really feel that connection to the mat.
We're going to send the hips down so that we grow the spine tall.
On your next inhale,
Float the arms up above head.
And with a nice flat back,
We're going to hinge forward at the hip.
Allowing gravity here to do its work.
Bringing the hands wherever you are comfortable.
So they could be on the thighs,
Around the knees.
The hands could be around the shins or ankles or even around the feet.
Remembering there's no right or wrong,
There's no better way to do this movement.
We're just simply listening to our body in this moment and choosing that option.
Checking in with the shoulders here,
It's not uncommon to have the shoulders scrunch up to the ears.
See if you can draw the shoulders away from the earlobes.
As you bow to the legs and open up through the low back.
And then finally,
If you wish,
You can tuck the chin to throat.
And just notice how that changes the sensation for you.
Always remembering that you get to choose how long you want to spend here,
How deep you want to fold forward.
Knowing that you can make any adjustments that you need to at any time to make yourself more comfortable.
Very slowly and mindfully we're going to tiptoe tiptoe the hands all the way back to center.
And just give the shoulders a little shoulder roll and allow that movement to settle.
Great job.
Spinning our way now onto the mat,
We're going to plant both soles of the feet and walk ourselves onto the spine.
Just taking a couple of breaths here.
As we allow the body to melt into the mat.
We're going to prepare for a movement called Little Bridge.
So shimmy the heels and ankles up towards the tailbone by tiptoeing the feet closer towards you.
At the same time,
You can also draw the shoulders down,
Lengthen the arms.
And shimmy the hips down towards the ankles as well.
As you're comfortable,
Lifting all five toes of the feet so that the entire sole of the foot on each side is rooted into the mat.
This is where the energy is going to come from.
On your next inhale,
You're going to press through the soles of the feet to lift the hips up off the mat,
As if we're trying to create a straight line from the tips of the knees all the way to the shoulders.
The arms can continue to lay flat on the mat or if you'd like,
Notice what it feels like to roll the shoulders underneath you,
Interlacing the fingers and pressing the arms into the floor.
Keep drawing the energy up through the heels and ankles.
We're engaging the thighs,
Engaging the hamstrings,
The core and the back are engaged.
And notice what it feels like to completely let go and soften the glutes.
Recruiting all the other muscles,
The thighs,
The tummy,
The back.
To hold you into Little Bridge.
If you'd like,
Pay attention to the knees here,
Seeing if they contract towards each other as if you're carrying or holding a brick or a block between the knees.
On your next exhale,
Slowly release back down one vertebrae at a time.
And if you'd like,
You can tuck the knees up towards the chest,
Take the hands around the knees and just give a little rock side to side to flush it out,
Massage the spine.
And we're going to set up for one more rotation of Little Bridge.
So walking the feet towards the tailbone,
Extending the arms long.
Almost as if the fingertips want to graze the heels and ankles.
When you're ready,
Lifting all five toes so that the entire sole of the foot is rooted to the mat.
Pressing through the feet,
Lift the hips high.
Interlace the fingers underneath you,
Reach the arms long and extend the arms into the mat.
Even if you'd like,
Tuck the chin right in towards the throat and notice the rise and fall of the tummy with each breath.
Remembering to engage the thighs,
Engage the hamstrings,
The tummy and the back.
Let's see what it feels like to let go and soften the glutes.
And as you exhale,
Slowly come down one vertebrae at a time,
Hugging the knees in towards the chest.
Taking a moment now,
We're going to gently rest the feet back on the mat and we're going to take the soles of the feet together.
As you take the soles of the feet together,
Allow both knees to splay open so that the knees are in almost a diamond form.
The arms can extend to about 45 degrees out to the side or anywhere that you feel most comfortable.
We're just getting a passive hip opening here.
As we move through the next series of movements,
It's important to remember that you are safe here and that you are in control of every movement you choose to do or choose not to do.
Altogether,
We're going to lift the knees about three inches up towards the sky.
And just slowly and gently find your way into your own natural flow of breath.
It's not uncommon to start to feel a little bit of vibration.
A little shaking.
As we are potentially using muscles that we haven't used for a really long time.
Remember that you're safe here.
Remember that if you need to make any adjustments,
If you need to stop for a moment,
You're welcome to do that.
You are safe.
Continue to keep the knees lifted.
And you can choose to stay exactly where you are if you'd like.
Extend the knees three more inches up towards the sky,
Keeping the soles of the feet connected.
Might be pretty powerful or overwhelming to observe and feel the sensation emerging through the hips and the legs.
Sometimes this activates a tremendous amount of vibration or shaking in the body and sometimes not at all.
So being open to the experience exactly as it's meant to be in this moment.
There's no right or wrong.
There's no sensation you should or shouldn't be.
Remembering that you get to come out of this at any time.
If you need an extra moment of breath,
Always remembering that you are safe on your mat.
Continue to stay exactly where you are as you're comfortable.
Extend the knees about three more inches up towards the sky,
Keeping the soles of the feet together.
Just observing the sensation exactly as it is.
Without judgment,
Without expectation.
Just being curious.
Knowing that the body is always working for us to bring us into balance.
Even when it feels Like it's chaos.
Always remembering.
The body is working.
To bring us into balance.
It's always on our side.
You can choose to stay in this movement as long as you'd wish.
Very slowly and mindfully begin to extend both legs long off the edges of the mat.
Notice what it feels like to own the space on your mat.
So maybe taking the legs.
A little bit wider than perhaps you're used to.
Allowing the feet and ankles to splay off to the side.
The arms are extended at 45 degrees or out into a T formation.
Do,
Do,
Do.
Always remembering that the body is working for you.
Even when it feels like it's in absolute chaos.
It is working to keep you into balance.
Take three.
Always remember that the body is working.
It's on your side.
Even on the days where it doesn't exactly feel like it.
It is always working to bring you into balance.
To bring you into peace.
You're welcome to hold this movement as long as you'd wish.
And as you're ready,
Slowly begin to extend the legs long off the edges of the mat.
And notice what it feels like for you in this moment too.
Own the space on your mat.
Perhaps taking the legs a little bit wider than you're used to and maybe extending the arms out a touch longer than you'd normally do.
Do in the past.
Only if that feels comfortable for you.
Take up space.
Own your space.
Allow the sensations of all the movements we did to wash over the body here.
Using your in breath to revitalize and bring fresh breath to any areas of the body that could continue to use a little TLC today.
And using your exhale.
To release any tension,
Any emotion.
Any sensation that may have emerged today.
That you want to let go of.
Let your inhale be a fresh start,
A new beginning.
And let your exhale be a releasing,
A letting go.
It's awesome.
Inhale a new beginning.
Yeah,
Let it go.
Bringing some small movements to the fingertips and the toes.
Remembering that you can stay lying down as long as you'd like.
Slowly making your way on your own time.
Into a seated position.
And just taking a couple of moments to make any small movements that would feel good for you in this moment.
Allowing all of the sensations to settle into the body.
Maybe taking the right corner of your mouth up to the right corner of the eye.
And the left corner of the mouth up to the left corner of the eye.
Giving yourself an opportunity to thank yourself.
For choosing your mat today.
When there's so many other competing forces that you could have chosen.
You chose your mat today.
You chose you.
See if you might be able to extend thanks and gratitude.
Towards yourself for making that decision.
I wish you an amazing day ahead.
Thank you for tuning in today.
Have an awesome day.
