MBSR Standing Yoga

This is the standing yoga guidance for the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program.

Transcript

Welcome to the standing yoga sequence for the mindfulness-based stress reduction program.

Like the floor yoga,

This practice is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the mind-body connection and enhance our health and well-being.

Setting our intention to be present and aware throughout these movements and postures strengthens our ability to bring mindfulness into daily life.

As we become more and more familiar with the experience of being present and awake,

As we go through these postures and movements with eyes open,

We are building a bridge between silent,

Solitary formal practice and our usual activities and interactions.

And as always,

Bringing awareness to our limits and noticing like any experience,

Our limits are changeable.

Whatever our limits were yesterday as we did the postures,

They may be really different today.

So not being governed by thoughts or views of how we are or how our body is,

But truly noticing what the experience is right now.

And as well,

Bringing awareness to thoughts or emotions that may arise.

In particular,

We may notice thoughts and energies of striving or trying to achieve a particular idealized form.

We may notice a sense of competing,

Even with ourselves.

If we notice such thoughts,

We recognize them in a matter-of-fact way,

Knowing these are just habits of mind that we've practiced for years.

So there's no reason to beat ourselves up about them.

As a matter of fact,

There's every reason to practice acknowledging and allowing such thoughts if they come up.

Because as we do,

We are strengthening the mind's capacity to see what truly is without needing to quarrel with it.

So coming to the first posture,

The mountain pose,

Standing with the feet facing forwards,

The body relaxed but erect.

And finding our center,

So perhaps tilting forwards and backwards a little bit,

And left to right.

And when you're ready,

Coming to stillness,

Coming to a balanced center.

And sensing in to the posture of standing,

Noticing the weight of the body being supported by the legs,

Aware of movement of the breath.

And bringing the attention to the feet,

Spreading the toes if you like,

Feeling the connection to the floor or the ground supporting us,

And aware of the muscles in the lower legs,

Calves,

And the thighs.

Feeling the knees to be soft,

So there's a gentle bend in the legs.

And noticing the position of the pelvis,

Should be neutral,

The tailbone neither pointed outwards or pulled in too tight,

Balanced,

The back is straight,

The spine balanced and supported.

Allowing the shoulders to sink,

Feeling gravity act on the body,

And as well feeling the support and uprightness of the skeletal structure.

If it's comfortable for you,

Allowing the palms to face forward,

Opening the chest,

Sensing in to the sensations of breathing,

And the head is level with the chin neither up nor down,

In balance and supported by the rest of the body.

So fully coming into this body,

Into the sensations of standing and breathing,

Aware of how the body feels right now.

And when you're ready on an in-breath,

Lifting the arms to the sides and then overhead,

Lengthening the arms and the body,

Not forcing a stretch,

But allowing the body to come to its full length and breathing.

And when you're ready on an out-breath,

Allowing the arms to slowly come down until they're resting at the sides.

And then once again on an in-breath,

Reaching out with the arms up and above the head,

Reaching towards the ceiling,

Towards the sky,

And breathing.

Starting on an out-breath,

Allowing the arms to come down,

Staying present with the movement all the way through until the arms are at the sides.

And then continuing in your own timing,

Your own rhythm,

Raising,

Breathing,

And lowering the arms.

And then coming to stillness,

Returning to mountain.

And then on an in-breath,

Raising the right arm up and feeling the body lengthen along the right side.

You may like to lift the left heel off the floor slightly or not,

But carrying the weight of the body on the right leg and breathing.

And rather than using the muscles to stretch,

Noticing areas of tension or holding,

And seeing if it's possible to allow the body to lengthen,

To come to its true extension.

Almost as if you're extending the body from the middle out,

As if the foot could push through the floor,

As you're reaching up with the right hand,

And breathing.

And when you're ready on an out-breath,

With awareness,

Bringing the arm down to the sides and returning to mountain.

Once you're now noticing sensations in the body after exercising muscles on the right side,

Perhaps noticing differences between the right side of the body at this point and the left side.

Just noticing what's here,

Not trying to make anything happen.

And so when you're ready,

Repeating with the left side.

So on an in-breath,

Raising the left arm out and straight up over the head,

Carrying the weight of the body on the left leg.

And if you like,

Raising the right heel slightly off the floor,

Sensing into the body and allowing expansion,

Allowing the body to lengthen.

And breathing.

And then whenever you're ready,

On an out-breath,

Returning to mountain,

Maintaining awareness.

And now raising both arms overhead on an in-breath.

And if you like,

Clasping the thumbs and tilting the arms to the right side as the hips move to the left,

And creating a gentle C shape.

And holding as long as is appropriate for you.

And breathing.

Allowing the body to settle into the posture.

And on an in-breath,

Raising the arms,

Returning the body to straight up.

And then allowing the arms to tilt towards the left side.

Allowing the middle of the body angling to the right.

Settling into the posture.

Breathing.

Settling into the middle of the body's limits as they are right now.

Holding the posture as long as is appropriate for you.

And then returning the arms straight up.

And on an out-breath,

Allowing the arms to return to the sides.

Returning to mountain.

And now some shoulder rolls.

On an in-breath,

Pulling the shoulders back,

Opening the chest wide.

And then rotating the shoulders downwards as we meet the out-breath.

Pulling the shoulders forwards.

And continuing the circle.

Bringing the shoulders up towards the ears.

And in your own time,

Continuing the motion.

Noticing perhaps if the body is in need of staying in one of the positions.

And if so,

Holding the shoulders as you would like and breathing.

Exploring the range of motion in the shoulder joint.

Seeing what the body needs at this point.

And alternating.

Being in the other direction whenever you feel there's a need.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to stillness.

The shoulders neutral.

Feeling the pull of gravity.

And now slowly turning the head to the right.

As far as you're able to comfortably go at this time.

Holding the position and breathing.

And then while keeping the head level,

Bringing the head facing forwards.

And turning to the left.

Bringing the chin over the left shoulder.

Noticing where the shoulders are.

And if they've come up.

Allowing the pull of gravity once again to allow the body to settle into the position.

And then slowly bringing the head back to neutral.

And repeating,

Turning over the right shoulder.

Slowly aware of the movement throughout its range.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to neutral.

Turning to the left shoulder.

And finally coming back to center.

And now slowly and gently.

Allowing the head to tilt forwards.

Turning downwards.

The chin going towards the chest.

Taking care not to over extend the neck.

And when you're ready,

Bringing the head up to neutral position.

And now allowing the head to tilt to the right.

Bringing the ear towards the right shoulder.

Aware of the position of the shoulders.

And breathing.

And then allowing the head to roll forwards.

The chin coming towards the chest.

And slowly rolling around.

With the head tilted to the left.

The left ear pointed towards the left shoulder.

And then bringing the head up straight.

And rather than tilting the head back or compressing the spine in any way.

Just looking up towards the ceiling.

And then continuing tilting the head to the right.

So making a circle in your own time.

And when you're ready,

Changing the rotation in the other direction.

And then coming back to mountain to stillness.

So coming back to mountain and sensing into the entire body.

Head and neck,

Shoulders,

Torso and arms,

Legs,

The feet.

And the movement from the activity of breathing.

Present with what's here.

Next we'll be doing a standing balancing posture.

So if you need the support of a chair or the wall,

Positioning yourself for that now.

And the eyes should be open for this posture.

And it can be helpful to find a spot directly in front of you on which the eyes can focus.

Something that's steady and stable.

So bringing the weight of the body onto the right leg.

And then raising the arms to the sides straight out.

And bringing the left foot off the floor while keeping the legs straight.

And for you right now it might be just to raise the heel off the floor,

Keeping the toes in contact with the floor.

Or if possible raising the leg higher than that.

And coming into the balance posture.

Noticing the dynamic nature.

The right leg muscles,

The arms,

Balance with the left leg.

And breathing and settling into the posture.

And if you need to touch down,

Then doing that and just starting over.

Holding as long as is appropriate for you.

Noticing thoughts.

Any emotions that may be coming up.

And if it happens already,

Allowing the arms to come down and the leg to come down touching the floor.

And then shifting the weight onto the left leg and raising the right leg off the floor and raising the arms out to balance.

Noticing perhaps difference between this posture on the left leg supporting the body versus the right.

Breathing.

Noticing how the body adjusts.

Really lots of micro adjustments.

The dynamic process,

Balancing the body on the left leg.

Holding as long as is right for you.

And returning to mountain.

And when you're ready,

Repeating the sequence.

Supporting the body with the right leg.

Raising the left leg off the floor.

And balancing with the arms extended.

Holding the position and breathing.

Restarting if necessary.

And whenever you're ready,

Shifting onto the other leg.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to mountain.

And now moving to some standing twist postures.

So putting the hands on the hips.

And turning just from the waist to the right.

Exploring the range of motion.

Breathing out over the right shoulder.

And breathing.

And then slowly turning to face forwards.

And repeating,

Turning from the waist to the left.

Understanding differences in range of motion between the two sides.

And then returning to center.

And this time starting the twist from the ankles.

So turning to the right,

Ankles,

Legs,

Hips,

Waist,

Shoulders.

Finally the head.

Holding the posture and breathing.

And then returning to center.

And once again initiating from the ankles.

Twisting to the left.

And returning to face forwards.

And with the arms at the sides,

Preparing for a gentle forward bend.

Now throughout the bend,

Being careful not to lock the knees.

So the legs are slightly bent.

If you know you're unable to reach the floor,

Then possibly having something to support the upper body,

A chair,

Or a small stool.

So initiating the bend forward from the top of the head.

Curling the spine downwards.

Vertebrae by vertebrae.

The hands reaching downwards.

And stopping wherever feels appropriate.

Not forcing the stretch.

Breathing.

Allowing tension in any muscles to release.

Allowing the body to extend through whatever the full range is at this time.

And breathing.

And then when you're ready,

Coming up slowly,

Uncurling,

And returning to mountain.

And so now moving into chair pose.

So raising the arms straight before you for balance.

And the feet should be about hip width apart.

And then as if you're sitting in a chair behind you,

Bringing the hips slowly down.

As far as you're able to do in a stable and supported way.

But not bringing the hips any further than the knees.

And taking care that the knees are not extending forwards any further than the front of the feet.

And not pushing the tailbone out,

Keeping the pelvis in a neutral position.

And noticing what muscles are required to be tense to support the body in this position.

And what muscles are not involved,

Perhaps in the face.

Holding the position and breathing.

And then slowly coming up whenever is appropriate for you.

And bringing the arms down and returning to mountain.

So repeating the sequence.

Bringing the arms up in front of you.

And allowing the hips to sink downwards.

Finding the position that's right for you.

Settling into the posture.

Breathing.

Aware of sensations.

Aware of thoughts.

Aware of emotions.

And when you're ready,

Coming back to the standing mountain pose.

So we'll be moving to another balanced posture,

A tree.

So once again,

Finding a wall or a chair if you would like the support.

And now bringing the weight of the body onto the right leg.

Lifting the left leg off the floor.

The knee bent,

Pointed out towards the left.

And bring the sole of the foot against the right leg.

So that could be at the ankle or further up the calf.

Or even the upper leg.

Taking care not to put pressure on the right knee.

And then if you like,

Bringing the hands together in front of the chest in prayer position.

Using a spot across from you to focus the eyes and assist with the balance.

And if you like,

Raising the hands above the head,

The thumbs could be interlocked.

And if you need to touch down with the foot,

In doing so,

And just starting again.

Aware of everything that's going on involved in the balance.

And when you're ready,

If the hands are above the head,

Bringing them down slowly.

And then bringing the foot to the floor.

And now bringing the weight onto the left leg.

Raising the right foot off the floor.

Bring it against the left leg.

Focusing again,

Differences between the two sides of the body.

And bringing the hands in front of the stomach or chest.

Or if you like,

Raising the hands above the head.

And aware of the body in this posture.

And when you're ready,

Slowly coming back to mountain.

Aware of the body transitioning as the arms and leg comes down.

We'll be moving now to a couple of seated poses.

And you may find that having a rolled up towel or blanket or small cushion may be helpful to raise the hips off the floor.

So coming to a seated position.

And if you're using a prop,

The hips should be forward on the cushion or blanket.

And now bringing the soles of the feet together.

The hands on either side of the feet.

Pulling them towards you.

And allowing the knees to fall towards the floor.

Not forcing them in any way.

The back should be upright.

And just feeling the gentle extension of the muscles in the legs.

And now extending the left leg out straight in front of you.

And the right foot should be tucked in.

The sole of the right foot against the upper left leg.

And reaching up straight with the hands.

And then reaching forward.

Not forcing the stretch,

But allowing the body to extend however far the body is able at this time.

So reaching towards the foot.

And then grabbing hold anywhere on the leg.

Being careful not to be pulling the shoulders or the spine.

Allowing the head to come down.

Noticing perhaps on each out breath,

There may be an opportunity for a little more release into the posture.

Breathing and settling in.

Being present.

And then on an in breath,

Slowly coming up.

And then reversing.

Extending the right leg.

Bringing the left foot against the upper part of the right leg.

And then reaching up with the arms and extending out.

Allowing the body to come forward.

Holding on to the leg wherever you can.

If you can reach the ankle or the foot,

Great.

If it's the upper thigh,

That's perfect.

And breathing and holding the posture.

And when you're ready,

Releasing up,

Bringing both legs in front of you.

And maintaining awareness throughout these next movements,

Coming to lie on your back in corpse pose.

The arms are at the sides,

Relaxed.

With the palms turned up if you're able.

Legs are relaxed,

The feet falling away from each other.

Sensing into the entire body.

Feeling the sensations of the breath,

The movement of the abdomen rising and falling.

And so resting the awareness in the sense of the body lying,

Breathing,

Being supported.

Acknowledging all that's right with the body.

Feeling that we've made this time,

This important investment in our well-being.

In a moment,

The bells will ring signaling the end of this practice.

So perhaps setting the intention to bring awareness,

To bring mindfulness into whatever activities will follow.

Reviews

Thank you for this well paced, MBSR standing yoga meditation. I was looking for one that was free of unnecessary chatter from the speaker, & this is it.

I really liked thia

Thank you for your clear guidance throughout the practice. It was very easy to follow, very calming and settling. I will definately be coming back 🙏

Slow pace allows for good attention to breath and awareness of body.

So slow so perfect

So, so wonderful

Very clear instructions and very soothing session. Thanks

Although already knew and made those asanas before, this time I felt them so diferent, every move... so good

A thorough upper body yoga session.

Great awareness and workout

Great! Thank you 😊.

mindfulness in motion. completely accessible and fulfilling at all levels. Thank you.

Excellent guided yoga. Slow and precise.

Very gentle and a lovely way to start the day

Slow... but just what was needed today... awareness

On the slow side but pleasant. Good for developing balance

This practice was very relaxing, grounding and centering for me. Thank you!