Lying Down Yoga Sequence For MBSR

This Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction recording guides the listener through a 45-minute mindful movement sequence. Through these gentle, restorative postures, we have the opportunity to become more intimate with our lived moment-to-moment experience of our bodies and to explore our limits (and ideas about our limits).

Transcript

Welcome to the sequence of lying down yoga postures for mindfulness-based stress reduction.

We'll be following the sequence on your handout from the book,

Full Catastrophe Living by the founder of MBSR,

Jon Kabat-Zinn.

And we'll begin by coming into a lying down posture.

Legs outstretched,

Arms at the sides,

Noticing the places that the back,

The bottom,

The legs,

The feet,

The head,

All make contact with the floor.

It may be that you have had a busy day or a busy mind up until this moment,

And we can take a pause to set a personal intention for this practice today.

As we let the body relax against the floor,

We can go inward,

Each of us,

And we can take a pause to set a personal intention for this practice today.

In general,

The lying down yoga postures offer an opportunity to sense the body from the inside out while experiencing movement.

And there's an opportunity to notice the body not just in the postures that we'll come into,

But also to stay with the experience of the body as we move between postures as well.

It may be that while doing these postures,

You'll come into contact with your physical or mental edge.

And it is not our intention here to push beyond limits of the body,

But rather to come to know the body as it is just in this moment.

To pay attention to movement,

To sensation,

To breath,

Maybe even coming into awareness of mental states,

Thoughts that come and go,

Emotions that rise and pass.

As we prepare to move,

We also bring into awareness,

Sensitivity to each body's own history,

Nuances,

And oftentimes trauma.

We can also move into awareness,

Which is the most important part of our body.

We can move into awareness,

And oftentimes trauma.

We try to honor this body's history by moving with kindness,

Gentleness,

And curiosity.

And if there's a moment where you notice either physical challenge that goes beyond your edge,

Or a sense that something isn't good for your body,

The invitation is simply to do the movements in the mind's eye to visualize these movements instead of moving the body.

And perhaps also it can be skillful to bring a hand to the heart,

If you notice particular discomfort.

Taking a few intentional breaths now,

Experiencing inhale and exhale,

Perhaps noticing the ways that the body shifts against the floor as air enters the belly,

The chest,

And releases.

And then allowing the breath to come to a natural rhythm,

Not needing to change anything or force anything.

Letting the breath drift to the background,

And bringing the body as a whole to the front of our awareness.

Sensing the hands along our sides.

On the next inhale,

We'll raise the arms outstretched toward the ceiling,

And then keep moving them until they reach the ground behind our heads so that our arms are as far away from our feet as possible.

Either placing the hands on the ground behind our feet or keeping them an inch or two off the ground and experiencing the stretch of the arms,

Pulling the body,

The chest,

Perhaps doing a pull as well,

Stretching the legs at the same time.

And then if your hands are off the ground,

Letting them sink into the ground,

Relaxing them,

Relaxing the stretch,

And pausing,

Breathing.

We'll now stretch the left side of the body so if you'd like,

Reaching the left arm,

The left hand as far back as it can go,

Simultaneously moving the left leg as if to push against the wall that's closest to it,

Stretching this left side of the body,

Stretching this left side of the body,

Breathing,

And then releasing that stretch,

Noticing what,

If any,

Difference can be felt or sensed between the left side of the body and the right.

And then we'll engage the right side of the body in a similar way,

Reaching the right arm,

The right hand straight back,

Pulling it as far back as it can go,

Engaging the right leg,

The right foot,

Stretching that in the opposite direction,

Sensing the experience of this in the hand,

The arm,

The side body,

And the leg,

Breathing,

And releasing.

Gently,

With intention now,

Raising the arms,

Both arms,

Back above the head toward the ceiling,

And bringing them to rest one more time alongside the body,

Coming back to this resting position.

We'll now prepare to do a bit of pelvic rocking,

Bringing your arms out into a T position,

And bringing the legs in toward the body,

Soles of the feet toward the bottom,

Knees pointing up.

We'll bring our attention to the base of the spine,

The places that the body is making contact with the floor,

And particularly,

Particularly in the back,

The bottom,

The space in between.

For some of us,

We might experience a little space between the floor and the lower back,

And for others of us,

We might not.

Either one is fine.

On an inhale,

We'll tilt the pelvis toward the belly,

Pulling the belly button in and down,

And if the mid or lower back is not making contact with the floor,

Pressing toward the floor,

Continuing to breathe,

And then letting the pelvis tilt in the opposite direction,

Belly button moving away from the floor,

Creating a gentle tilt in the back,

More space between the back and the floor.

No need to lift the bottom or do anything particularly visible to anyone else.

This is a subtle gesture,

A subtle motion,

Simply rocking the pelvis,

And you can do so a few times at your own pace.

And pausing,

Coming back to a neutral back,

And then you can do so a few times at your own pace.

And pausing,

Coming back to a neutral back,

Scanning the body for whatever might be here,

Tingling,

Pulsing,

Sensations,

And then you can do so a few times at your own pace.

And pausing,

Coming back to a neutral back,

Scanning the body for whatever might be here,

Tingling,

Pulsing,

Sensations that are pleasant,

Maybe that we're also noticing sensations that are unpleasant.

And if so,

To come back to our true intention as we move into another posture.

So if it works for your body,

We'll now bring both legs in toward the chest,

Wrapping our hands or arms around the legs if possible,

Either around the shins or the backs of the thighs.

Not trying to make this look a particular way or get to somewhere we're not,

Simply offering ourselves the experience of bringing our knees to the chest.

And for some bodies,

It can be interesting if you'd like to lift the head now off the floor and tuck it toward the knees,

Caring for the neck,

Breathing,

And then releasing the head back to the floor.

We'll now hang on to the right leg as the knee is toward the chest,

But we'll release the left leg down,

Extending it fully,

And come into a movement in which we compress or pull the right leg in toward the chest while the left leg stays outstretched,

Keeping the hands along the back of the thigh or front of the shin,

Noticing where this can be sensed.

If there's back pain doing this,

It can also be skillful to bring the left leg in,

Left sole of the foot near the bottom,

Knee toward the chest,

And bring the left leg in toward the chest.

And on the next breath,

We'll either bring the right leg alongside the outstretched left leg or alongside the knee toward the ceiling.

And on the next breath,

We'll either bring the right leg alongside the outstretched left leg or alongside the leg that is tucked in toward the bottom,

Knee toward the ceiling,

Pausing,

And then bringing the left knee in,

Hugging it toward the chest,

And releasing the right leg,

Extending it fully or keeping the sole of the right foot on the ground,

Right knee toward the ceiling,

Toward the ceiling,

Checking for your edges,

And then releasing the right leg,

Bringing it alongside the left leg.

We'll now come into what is commonly known as the cat and cow posture.

So we will mindfully turn our bodies over and come into a hand and knee position,

Arms and hands directly beneath the shoulders,

Knees below the hips,

Hips width apart.

If it works for your wrists,

Hands outstretched,

Grasping the floor.

And in this posture,

There should be a relatively flat back,

Creating stability.

And on the next inhale,

Lifting,

Pulling the belly button in until the back makes an arch like a scared cat,

Hips,

Bottom may tuck in a bit,

Pelvis may tuck in as well,

Head may fall between the arms,

Breathing,

Staying with the experience of the body.

And then on an exhale,

Tilting the pelvis out,

Letting the stomach,

The back,

Pull toward the floor,

Belly button falling toward the ground,

Head,

Chin,

Tilting up into a cow posture,

Noticing the spine,

The pelvis,

The shoulders,

And noticing too if there are any parts of the body that are working that might not need to,

Muscles on the face,

The feet,

Relaxing what's not needed.

And coming into a few more of these cat and cow postures if you'd like at your own pace,

Bringing the belly button or navel toward the ceiling,

Dropping the head,

Tilting the pelvis inward,

And then releasing this effort,

Letting the back arch in the opposite direction,

Tilting the head,

The chin up.

And then coming into a tabletop position once more,

We'll experiment with a balanced posture,

Beginning by bringing the left leg behind us,

Straightening it until just the ball of the left foot and the left toes rest on the floor.

And this may be the posture today,

Giving yourself permission for that to be true,

If that's what's right for your body.

It also could be that you'd like to try lifting the left leg off of the floor,

Raising it a few inches or a few more inches,

So that the body is supported by the right knee and the hands.

And then if you so choose,

You can raise the right hand off of the ground,

Bringing the arm outstretched,

Straightened out in front of you,

So that the left leg is reaching behind you,

And the right arm is reaching in front of you,

Balancing on one knee,

One hand,

Noticing the breath,

If it's gotten caught,

Going slower or faster,

Being held,

And then releasing,

Bringing the hand back underneath your shoulder,

Bringing the leg back in,

Placing the knee alongside the other knee,

And resting for a moment,

Sensing into the body and stillness.

And then trying the other side,

Bringing the right leg behind the body until just the ball of the foot,

The toes of the right foot are touching the floor,

Giving yourself permission for this to be your balance posture today,

If that's what's natural for your body,

Honoring the edges that we all come across.

And then if you'd like,

Choosing to lift that right leg off the ground,

Maintaining that extension,

And moving,

If you choose,

The left arm,

So that the left arm is outstretched in front of you,

Right leg outstretched behind you.

It may be possible to notice that even within this one pose,

The movement of the body continues as it tries to maintain balance.

You might be experiencing the subtle sensations as the body tries to come back to equilibrium,

Balance over and over and over again,

Never static.

And then bringing the arm in alongside the other arm,

Bringing the right leg back alongside the left leg,

And pausing in tabletop position once more.

With mindfulness,

We'll now turn over onto the floor,

Coming back into a lying down posture,

Staying present to the adjustments as we turn,

And then bringing the soles of the feet near the bottom,

Knees toward the sky once again,

Preparing to come into a bridge pose.

Arms may be alongside the body or in a T position or above the head,

And we'll be lifting the bottom,

The pelvis,

The belly off the floor,

Creating a bit of a bridge.

So we'll breathe in using the strength of the legs to lift our middle parts of the body off the floor.

This can be a smaller movement or a larger movement,

Noticing what's right for you in this moment,

Letting the weight of the body be held by the legs,

The feet,

The upper back,

The shoulders,

And releasing what may not be necessary in terms of effort,

Relaxing the arms,

The face,

Any other unnecessary effort.

And then slowly,

Gently lowering the bottom,

The belly,

The mid-back,

Down to the ground,

Releasing the bridge,

Pausing and breathing,

And then keeping the legs and knees where they are,

Feet on the ground,

We'll come into a gentle spinal twist,

Allowing the knees,

The legs to lean over toward the left side,

And it may be they lean just a few inches or it might be that they move all the way so that the legs,

The sides of the legs,

Even perhaps the left knee,

Are making contact with the floor.

Gently turning the head in the opposite direction,

Turning the head to the right while the legs are leaning to the left,

Experiencing this stretch for the spine,

And breathing,

And bringing the legs back toward center,

Moving the head back toward center.

And we'll try this on the other side,

So bringing the knees and legs to the right,

Not pushing them beyond their limits,

But seeing what the limit is today,

And bringing the head toward the left,

Stretching the spine in the back,

Experiencing the breath in this posture,

And then coming back toward center so that the knees are toward the ceiling once more,

Head facing forward,

And we'll shift into what's next.

So keeping the left leg firmly on the ground,

We'll come into an extension of the right leg,

So stretching the right leg out in front of us,

And then lifting it up toward the ceiling,

As if to make it a column holding up the ceiling,

A support.

For some of us,

This may involve fully straightening the right leg,

And for others of us,

The leg may stay bent,

And either is totally fine.

We might choose to use our arms to wrap around the leg,

Around the thigh or the shin,

Breathing,

Aware of not just physical sensations,

But of what thoughts,

What emotions might be rising,

Might be present,

And then releasing this effort and releasing the right leg back to the floor,

And then bringing the sole of the right foot back toward the bottom,

So that the right knee is facing toward the ceiling like the left knee.

We'll now do this with the left leg,

So outstretching the left leg and then lifting it as best we can toward the ceiling,

Noticing our limits,

Our edges,

And maybe even noticing our thoughts,

Our feelings about these limits and edges,

Taking the arms to hold the leg at the shin or calf,

Experiencing the stretch,

Cultivating non-judgmental awareness,

And then releasing the leg,

Stretching out both legs,

To come briefly into the pose we started with,

Arms at the sides,

Lying down,

Legs outstretched,

And then paying attention to the movements of getting from one posture to the next,

We'll now come onto the left side of the body,

Cradling the head in the left hand,

We're letting it rest on the left arm,

Bringing the right hand in front of the torso,

So that it can provide a bit of a balance,

And bringing our right leg into a stretch by lifting it off the ground,

Pulling it away from the other leg,

Breathing,

Relaxing what's not needed,

And then bringing that leg all the way back down,

Turning to the other side of our bodies,

We'll repeat this,

So head in the right hand or resting on the right arm,

Legs either straight or slightly bent,

We'll straighten the left leg and lift it above the ground,

Stretching it,

Creating distance between the legs,

Breathing,

And coming back,

Bringing the leg all the way back,

And turning the body so that we are resting on our stomachs,

Taking a moment to notice the places that the body is making contact with the floor,

And now we'll prepare to do some leg lifts from this position,

So with arms alongside the body,

We may tighten the stomach area,

Pressing the pelvic area against the floor,

Keeping the legs outstretched,

Lifting the left leg above the ground,

To a height that's right for you in this moment,

Head facing forward,

Chin or forehead either on the ground or slightly lifted,

And then relaxing this effort,

Bringing the left leg back down to the ground,

Turning the head so that the head is resting on one cheek,

Left or right,

Sensing any differences now between the left side of the body and the right side,

Once again we'll engage the pelvic area,

The stomach,

The legs,

And we'll lift this time the right leg,

Bringing the head to the center,

Head slightly lifted or resting the weight of the head on the forehead or the chin,

Extending that leg above the ground,

Breathing,

And then bringing the leg back down,

Bringing the head to rest on the other cheek,

Relaxing all effort,

Knowing what's true for your body in this moment,

What's true about your mind in this moment.

We'll do one final lift,

So bringing the head back towards center,

We'll prepare for a gentle lift of the chest instead of the legs this time,

So tightening the legs,

The stomach,

The bottom,

Head front and center,

On an in-breath we'll raise the upper chest,

Raise the head off the ground,

Coming into a slight arch,

Breathing,

Noticing what parts of the body are working and what are at rest,

And then on an exhale releasing the effort,

Bringing the chest and the head back to the ground,

Resting the head on one cheek.

With intention,

We'll now roll over back onto our backs,

And we'll come into a little bit of a spinal rock,

Bringing the legs around the backs of the thighs or the shins,

And gently rocking forward or side to side or both,

Releasing the effort of the back.

And if there's anything else that your body needs in this moment,

Taking a minute to follow the lead of the body,

If there's a stretch that has not yet been done,

Coming into whatever it is the body needs,

And then when it's time,

Coming back into a lying down position on the back,

Arms,

Alongside the sides of the body,

Ending where we started,

Coming back into rest,

Once again,

Noticing the places that the body is making contact with the floor.

There may be curiosity about what,

If anything,

Has changed in the last 40 minutes of this practice.

There may be a noticing of relaxation or drowsiness or restlessness or impatience,

Allowing whatever's here and acknowledging the effort that you have shown today,

Coming back maybe to the intention that you set at the beginning,

Practicing being with the body,

A body in stillness,

A body in movement,

The body that is with us throughout our lives.

We'll end this lying down yoga sequence by wiggling the fingers and the toes,

Beginning to let the body move in the ways that it wants to,

And if the eyes have closed,

Slowly opening them,

Finishing this practice.