Come standing and bring your palms together near your heart.
Close your eyes if you'd like and observe your breath.
How are you feeling in this moment?
Describe it with one word.
Where's your mind right now?
Connect to any thoughts that are coming up and then let them go with your breath.
Feel the soles of your feet on the earth.
Root yourself down.
Connect to any sensations within your legs,
Your calves,
And thighs.
Observe the breath in the diaphragm.
As you inhale,
Your diaphragm expands.
As you exhale,
It contracts.
Your palms are together to balance the right and left hemisphere of the brain.
Relax your shoulders down.
Whatever struggle that's weighing you down,
Just invite it in with your inhale.
Perhaps by quietly saying,
Hello struggle.
Acknowledge what is and then exhale and let it go.
Use this class to release any suffering,
Heartbreak,
And negative thinking and feelings.
Just connect to whatever struggle that you're going through and hold that space with compassion and bring your hands to your sides.
Let's begin with a warm-up.
Inhale,
Mountain.
Lift your hands up to the sky.
Exhale,
Feel grounded to the earth.
Inhale,
Stretch.
Lift up out of your waist.
Exhale,
Relax your shoulders.
Deep inhale.
Exhale,
Gentle backbend.
Elbows down.
Gaze up and open your heart.
Keep breathing.
Deep inhale.
Exhale,
Bring your elbows down.
Open your heart.
Inhale,
Reach your hands up.
Exhale,
Palms together.
Hands through heart center.
Fold forward and down.
Shake out any tension in your shoulders and neck.
Inhale,
Halfway lift.
Hands to your calves or thighs.
Lengthen your spine as if you were looking over a ledge.
Keep breathing as you elongate your spine and neck.
Deep inhale.
Exhale,
Squat and curl.
Bend your knees.
Heels lift.
Hands at your mat.
Bring your forehead towards your knees.
Breathe into the back part of your lungs and throat.
In a moment,
We're going to be flowing breath to movement to warm up our body.
Deep inhale.
Exhale,
Forward fold.
Heels down.
Hips lift.
Inhale,
Sweep your arms up over your head.
Exhale,
Gentle backbend.
Open your heart.
Inhale,
Arms rise.
Exhale,
Hands through heart center.
Fold forward and down.
Inhale,
Halfway lift.
Lengthen your spine.
Exhale,
Squat and curl.
Bend your knees.
Heels lift.
Forehead towards your knees.
Hold there with a deep inhale.
Exhale,
Forward fold.
Heels down.
Hips lift.
Again,
Inhale,
Rise up.
Lift your hands to the sky.
Exhale,
Gentle backbend.
Heart offering.
Inhale,
Arms stretch up.
Exhale,
Palms together.
Dive forward and down like you're moving through liquid.
Inhale,
Halfway lift.
Hands to your legs as you lengthen your spine.
Exhale,
Squat and curl.
Bend your knees.
Forehead towards your knees.
Hold there.
Deep inhale.
Exhale,
Forward fold.
Heels down.
Hips lift.
And one more time at your own pace.
You can do what we just did or do something completely different.
Just go at your own pace.
This is your practice.
Just organically flow with whatever feels good for you right here,
Right now.
And slowly rise to stand.
Head will be the last thing that comes up.
Take your time.
And bring your feet parallel and hip-width distance apart.
One more warm-up.
Inhale,
Reach your hands up.
Grab and hold opposite elbow over your head.
Then lean to one side and down center.
Then move up the other side.
Arms above your head and flow around to the other side.
And connect to your core strength as you go to the side and down center.
Then to the other side,
Rising up.
One more time.
Inhale,
Stay up center.
Exhale,
Go the opposite way down and up.
Again,
Down one side and forward,
And then up to the other side.
And one more time at your own pace.
And release your elbows.
Stay standing with your palms together near your heart.
This next exercise,
Use the vibration of your voice and breath to let go of any struggle.
Sink your hips low,
Fists to your heart.
Exhale,
Throw any struggle behind you.
And keep going.
Fists to the heart.
Exhale,
Release.
Let go of any disappointments of the past.
Use the vibration of your voice and breath to release.
Let go any fear of the future.
Release any fear of another person dying.
Let go of the fear that's weighing you down.
Three more times.
Inhale,
Rise fully,
Hands up.
Exhale,
Bend forward,
Release behind you.
Again,
Inhale,
Rise.
Windmill your hands behind you and let go.
Keep your knees bent.
Keep going at your own pace.
Let go of the past.
Denial is hoping for a different past.
Release the dreams of the future that you hoped would be.
Let it go.
Release the dreams that will never be.
Three more times.
Stay in a forward fold,
Knees bent.
Just breathe and shake out any tension in your shoulders and neck.
And slowly rise to stand.
Take your time.
Hands at prayer at your heart.
We have to release the old life so we can create a new one.
Let's flow.
Inhale,
Arms rise.
Exhale,
Elbows down,
Open your heart.
Inhale,
Arms rise.
Exhale,
Hands through heart center,
Fold forward.
Inhale,
Halfway lift,
Lengthen your spine.
Exhale,
Downward facing dog.
Plant your palms near the top of your mat.
Bring your back feet down.
Embody an upside down V,
Lifting the hips up.
Breathe.
Exhale,
Child's pose.
Bring your knees down,
Big toes touch,
Knees spread wide and sink your hips toward your heels and stretch your hands forward.
Do you have any assumptions or beliefs that are causing you suffering?
Perhaps it's a belief that bad things shouldn't happen to good people.
You and your loved one did everything right and they still died.
And slowly rise to a tabletop position.
And come to a comfortable seated position.
Bring a pillow under you for support if you'd like.
Balance both of your sit bones down and allow your hands to rest at your knees.
Just breathe.
And close your eyes if you'd like and just check in.
Bring your hands to your sides.
Inhale,
Sweep your hands up.
Exhale,
Palms together over your head.
Exhale,
Hands through heart center.
Again,
Lift your arms up.
Exhale,
Palms to your heart.
One more time.
Inhale,
Arms rise up,
Palms touch.
Exhale,
Hands to your heart and stay there.
Inquire within.
Do you blame someone for your struggle?
Do you blame yourself for the things that you did or you didn't do?
Or do you suffer in what you should or shouldn't have done?
Let's release any blame,
Guilt or anger.
The only way out of the pain is through it.
So allow the pain to move through you using your breath and the vibration of your voice to let it go.
Inhale,
Bring fists to your heart.
Exhale,
One hand out,
Release it in front of you.
Inhale,
Both fists to your heart.
Exhale,
Other hand out,
Let it go.
Keep going.
Release with your breath and the vibration of your voice.
Exhale,
Release any blame,
Guilt or regrets.
Push it out,
Discharge it and release it out in front of you.
Let it go with your hands.
Release it with your hand and discharge it with your breath.
Go at your own pace.
Let go of the hurt and the anger.
Release the pain.
Release the things that you did or you didn't do.
Let go of what you shouldn't have done.
Release the disappointments of how life should be.
Rest whenever you need to and listen to your teacher within.
Remember,
I'm just your guide here.
This is your practice and sometimes being still is enough.
Use the pain as fuel for healing.
Whenever you're ready,
You can return.
Release any negative,
Fearful ideas from your mind and your body and your life.
Release the fear of never falling in love again.
Let go of the blame.
Or sometimes we just feel guilty that we're glad that the struggle is over.
Maybe it's the illness or the pain is over,
The addiction or mental illness.
And then you feel guilty for having those thoughts.
Stop holding on to it.
Release it with your hands.
Bring fists to your heart.
Exhale both hands out.
Let it go.
Again,
Fists to your heart.
Exhale,
Release it in front of you.
Bring your hands to your knees or thighs and just come back to your natural breath.
Relax.
Just let all your feelings flow through you.
I let go of my sorrow,
But I connect to the love that still lives within.
And let's open the heart.
Bring your hands behind you,
Fingers pointing back.
Relax your shoulders and look up to the sky.
And draw a line down towards the back and breathe into your heart and throat.
Today,
I choose love.
I choose to heal.
And slowly bring your hands center and forward.
Reach towards the top of your mat.
Fold over your hips.
Breathe deeply and relax your shoulders and neck.
I bow down to the sorrow.
I will be compassionate to myself in my grief.
I feel it fully.
And then I move on to the next feeling.
And I choose not to wallow in any one emotion.
Gently come up to a neutral seated position.
Hands rest at the knees.
Our deepest struggle can come from our thinking.
Our negative thoughts and judgmental mind can be so cruel in times of grief.
And some of the thoughts could be,
You messed up.
No wonder everyone leaves.
You're unlovable.
You don't matter.
You're not good enough.
These thoughts,
They're so cruel and they do not serve us.
So let's just treat them like they're weeds in our life.
And they take up our soil of our peace and our prosperity.
So let's pull out any weeds of negative thinking and just create some space in our soil for some flowers to bloom.
And let's release some weeds of judgment and critical thinking.
Inhale,
Grab a hold of that weed.
Acknowledge your critical thought.
Exhale,
Throw it up over your head.
Other hand,
Inhale that judgment.
Exhale,
Throw it away.
Keep going at your own pace.
Release with your breath and the vibration of your voice.
Release the negative thinking.
I'm not enough.
I'll never love again.
I'm not good enough.
I'm unlovable.
I'm all alone in the world.
These subconscious thoughts and feelings are stuck in your body.
Let them surface.
Release them and let them go.
If there's physical pain,
Rest.
But if there's an emotional struggle,
Release it with your breath in the body.
One more minute.
Let go of these negative thoughts.
They do not serve you.
Embody it by letting it go.
Release them.
Inhale,
Fists to your heart.
Exhale,
Throw anything else behind you.
Let it go.
Two more times.
Fists to the heart.
Let it go.
And let's gently open up the hips.
Bring one foot back under your sit bone and then the opposite foot into your opposite thigh.
Grab a pillow if you'd like and fold down over your front bent knee.
Breathe into your hips.
In this space,
Where does forgiveness live?
Can you be willing to forgive yourself or another for the mistakes that you've made?
Just forgive yourself.
You did the best that you could.
And forgive anyone close to you who has died.
Bless the person who has disappointed you the most.
All you need is willingness.
And moving to the other side,
Slowly rise up.
Bring the back foot in.
Release the front leg back to your other sit bone and allow the other foot to come to your opposite thigh.
And shift your pillow,
Fold forward and breathe.
Just connect to something that you are thankful for.
What is something that you can appreciate in your life?
And even if it's just something very small,
Just acknowledge it and breathe that in here.
I am thankful for the time that I have shared with my loved one.
Thank you for touching my heart and helping me to love.
I have lived and loved.
I give and receive love today.
Thank you,
Body,
For holding my soul.
Thank you,
Wisdom,
For leading the way.
Thank you,
Spirit,
For your eternal grace.
And slowly come up to a seated position and get comfortable.
Hands at your knees and observe your breath.
Now,
Because grief can be exhausting and drain our energy,
I want to focus a little bit on resilience and embodying empowerment to discover new strengths within and to break free wherever it is that you're feeling stuck.
So let's find liberation from our suffering.
Inhale,
Bring your hands parallel over your chest with tight fists.
Exhale,
Push your elbows back.
Again,
Chains over the chest,
Break free.
Now,
Keep going at your own pace.
Use the vibration of your voice and breath to release and connect you to your warrior roar.
Keep your shoulders relaxed,
Your sit bones balanced.
Find a powerful release.
I am powerful.
There is no obstacle that I cannot overcome.
I am resilient.
I transform this pain into empowerment.
I am enough.
I matter.
Find your courage to break through any fears.
Rest whenever you need to and just move at your own pace.
And as you connect to your roar,
You also open your heart.
One more minute,
Break free.
Last part to let anything go.
Inhale,
Bring both fists to your heart.
Exhale,
Throw away behind you.
Three more times.
Inhale,
Fists to the heart.
Exhale,
Throw it away.
Keep going.
Let it go.
And remove your pillows from you.
Stretch your legs.
Come all the way down into your back.
Just surrender here and let go.
Deep inhale.
Exhale,
Sink your body into the earth.
Deep inhale.
Soften everything.
Let everything go.
Relax your legs and thighs.
And sink your hips and lower back.
Arms and hands melt into the earth.
Relax the shoulders and just allow whatever thoughts to come in.
Let them pass by like clouds in the sky.
And just soak in all of the benefits by just being still.
Within your mind's eye,
See your loved one and reflect on them at a happy time.
To see them full of life,
Connecting with you.
The glow of their face.
Even if it's just for a few moments or a minute,
Stretch the time out and see them in their happiness and their joy.
Just watch this closely.
Enjoy it.
When your loved one died,
You didn't stop loving them and they didn't stop loving you.
You loved them in their presence.
Now love them in their absence.
Send them love right now.
You still have so much love inside for them.
Send it to them.
Just quietly in your mind,
Just say,
I'm sending you love.
I'm sending you my love.
And now feel their love.
Their love did not die.
Feel them loving you.
That love still lives.
Just picture your connection with them.
A connection of just love.
And what would it be like now if your connection with them was just love?
No struggle.
No pain.
Just love.
When they died,
A part of you died with them,
But a part of them lives on in you.
So picture your life after their death.
A life that will honor them.
A peaceful life.
Part of them lives on in you.
They will still see what you see,
Will still do what you do.
They will still be a part of your life through your eyes.
Envision a peaceful life that honors them.
Just breathe it in and let it go.
You
