Recharge, Reset, Relax
Connect with yourself with full-body movement increasing mobility. This 30-minute class is followed by a powerful Yoga Nidra or yoga sleep meditation. This relaxing meditation plants a seed in the fertile soil of your mind to bring about transportation.
Transcript
Let's take a nice deep breath and get started.
I'm Sherry.
Today's class is recharge,
Reset,
And relax.
We're going to do about 30 minute class.
We're going to do 15 minutes of movement and stretching,
Working on our mobility,
And then we'll do a 15-20 minute powerful yoga nidra meditation and we'll talk about that when we get there.
So we're going to start out standing.
So let's get moving first.
Standing at the top of your mat or find a quiet spot.
Feet are just about hip distance apart.
Open the palms,
Engage the triceps,
Feel the shoulder blades slide down the back,
And a soft smile and a big smile across those shoulders.
Shoulders are wide,
Navel is gently drawn in,
And let's begin to breathe in and out through the nose.
Just smoothing out the breath beginning to tune inward and let's move.
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Exhale bring them down together heart center.
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Smooth breath,
Preferably in and out through the nose.
Exhale,
One more inhale,
Exhale feeling awake.
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Grab your left wrist and stretch over to the right and inhale.
Reach the arms up,
Grab the right wrist,
Stretch over to the left,
Reach in the bicep back by the ear,
Lift up,
Bend the elbows,
Bring the elbows forward,
Palms back,
Tips of the shoulder blades tucked,
Squeeze the shoulder blades together in a slight arch,
Warming up,
Bring the hands together,
Heart center.
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Interlace the fingers and steeple the fingers pointing the fingers up,
Squeezing biceps to the ears and then roll the shoulders down,
Ribs come together,
Navel in,
Lean over to the right,
Lift up,
Lean over to the left,
Lift up,
Come to center,
Make some tiny circles clockwise feeling the ribcage,
The intercostal muscles awakening,
Moving and then reverse those circles,
Making space in the torso to ease our breath.
Release the arms center,
Interlace the fingers behind,
Squeeze elbows and shoulder blades together,
Arch back,
Maybe look up this time,
Engage the abdominals and lift up,
Bring the right arm across,
Press the shoulder down away from your ear and lift that arm up,
Walk the fingers down the center of your back and lean over to the left and lift up,
Take the left arm,
Bring it across the body,
Press the shoulders down away from the ear,
Bring the elbow to the ear,
Walk the fingers down the center of your back,
Lean over to the right,
Feeling pretty warm here,
Lift up,
Hands come together,
Heart center,
Relax the shoulders and just return to your breath,
Conscious breathing during our yoga practice,
If anytime you have to open the mouth that's fine but let's try to breathe in and out through the nose,
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Exhale,
Bend the knees,
Take it down to a forward fold,
Bend the knees as much as you need to,
Let the top of the head release and then let's roll up,
Bone by bone,
Knees over ankles,
Hips over knees,
Shoulders over the hips,
Open the palms,
Tadasana stance,
Mountain pose,
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Take it down,
Exhale,
Bend the knees as much as you need to,
Head drops down,
Relax,
Just let everything roll off the spine,
Inhale,
Lift halfway up,
Exhale,
Nose to knees,
Inhale,
Lift halfway up,
Exhale,
Nose to knees,
One more,
Inhale and exhale,
Place your hands on the mat,
Bend the knees as much as you need to,
Step the right leg all the way back and then bring the back knee down,
Press the left big toe into the mat,
Exalt the arms,
Reach through the fingers,
Shoulders,
Press down,
Breathe,
Nice extension,
Heart opener,
Bring the palms down,
Lift the back knee and step forward,
Stand up a little bit quicker,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Soft smile,
Hands to heart,
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Exhale,
Take it down,
Fold,
Look up halfway,
Exhale,
Fold,
Step the left leg all the way back,
Bring the knee down,
Press the right,
Mound of the right foot into the mat,
Squeeze the inner thighs,
Exalt the arms,
Simple movements helping us with mobility,
Bring the palms down,
Lift the back knee,
Step forward,
Stand up,
Inhale,
Reach the arms up,
Exhale,
Hands to heart,
Let's do that fun move again,
Inhale,
Reach up,
Exhale,
Fold,
Look up halfway,
Exhale,
Fold,
Step the right leg back,
Bring the knee down,
Exalt the arms a little bit quicker now,
Arch back,
Bring the palms down,
Lift the back knee,
Step forward,
Stand up,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Hands to heart,
Other side,
Here we go,
Inhale,
Exhale,
Fold,
Look up halfway,
Exhale,
Fold,
Step the left leg back,
Bring the knee down,
Reach the arms up,
Arch back,
Bring the palms down,
Lift the back knee,
Step forward,
Stand up,
Inhale,
Hands to heart,
Exhale,
Inhale,
Reach up,
Exhale,
Fold,
Look up halfway,
Exhale,
Fold,
Step the right leg back,
Bring the knee down,
Same thing,
Exalt the arms,
This time we're going to stay here just a minute longer,
Take some breaths and grab the right wrist,
Reach up and then maybe over to the left,
Bring the palms to square the foot like we did before,
Reach the hips back using the abdominals in a half split,
Half hana manasana,
Maybe draw the toes towards the nose and then walk the hands over to the left side of the leg,
Looking over the left shoulder,
Getting an IT band stretch on the left leg,
A right side body stretch,
Square that foot again,
Make some circles with the foot one way and then the other way,
Bring your weight forward into the foot,
Lean forward,
Right foot meets the left,
Stand up,
Inhale,
We're moving,
Waking up the body,
Exhale,
Hands to heart,
Inhale,
Reach up,
Preparing us for meditation,
Fold,
Look up halfway,
Exhale,
Fold,
Step the left leg all the way back,
Bring the knee down,
Exalt the arms like we did before,
Reach fingertips but shoulders press down away from the ears,
Grab the left wrist,
Reach that arm up,
Maybe stretch to the right,
Continue to press the mound of the right foot into the mat using the inner thighs,
Breathing in and out through the nose,
Beautiful left side body stretch,
Square the foot using the abs,
Hips reach back,
Draw the toes towards the nose,
The front,
This knee can be always bent,
Don't mess around with the hamstrings and then walk the hands over to the right side,
Looking over the right shoulder,
Left side body stretch,
Bring square the foot,
Make some circles one way with the ankle and the other way,
Step forward,
Lean forward,
Lift the back knee,
Look forward,
Your eyes go where you go,
Folding at the top of the mat,
Let's hold this fold for a moment,
Bend the knees nice and deep so that your chest melts onto the thighs,
So they may be really deep but keep the hips up,
Go elbow to elbow behind the thighs,
Squeezing chest to thighs and then maybe lift the tailbone up a little higher,
Squeeze,
Squeeze,
Squeeze and press the shoulders away from the ears and now release the arms,
Bend the knees slightly,
Roll it up,
Keeping the chin to the chest,
Open the palms,
Shift your weight into the right foot and simply float the left leg up into tree pose,
Maybe it's on the shin,
Maybe it's above the knee,
Just not right on the kneecap,
Hands come to heart center and Anjali Mudra,
Balance pose,
Forefinger to thumb,
Reach the arms,
Roll the shoulders down,
Find something to look at,
Breathing in I calm my body,
Breathing out I smile,
Dwelling in the present moment,
This is a wonderful moment,
Hands come together and just step down,
Shake the legs out,
So these balance poses immediately bring us into the present moment,
Focus,
Shift your weight into the left foot,
Float the right leg up,
Pressing heel into thigh,
Thigh into heel,
Maybe exalt the arms or keep the hands in Anjali Mudra,
Breathing in and out through the nose,
Find something to look at,
Hands to heart,
Step down,
Shake it out,
We're going to take a big step to the left,
Parallel the feet,
Bring your hands to the hips,
Inhale,
Arch back,
Exhale,
Wide legged forward fold,
Come all the way down,
Bend the knees if you need to,
Top of the head to the earth,
Maybe grab the outside of the feet or the big toes,
Draw the shoulders away from the ears and relax,
Recharge,
Reset,
Relax,
Bring your hands to the hips,
Draw the knee caps up,
Make your legs strong,
Lift all the way up,
Chin first and slight arch back,
Come to stand up,
Heel toe the feet together just a couple of times and turn the toes out,
So toes are out wide now,
Hands come together,
Heart center and we're going to come to squat all the way down into Malasana,
This is a wonderful,
Healthy,
Healthy pose for everyone,
So the heels can be down or up,
Doesn't matter,
Your hips may be up high,
Maybe up low,
Use the arms to push the knees apart,
Maybe making a slight arch in the back,
So it's an active pose,
Working so many things,
Stretching the low back,
The groin,
The ankles,
The feet,
A couple of breaths here and release,
We're going to come to a seat,
Straighten the legs out to the front of the mat,
Shake them out,
Pull the right knee into your chest,
Give a squeeze,
Sitting up tall,
Take the right leg and bring it over the left,
Grab the right knee,
Draw it into your chest or bring the elbow over the knee,
Look over the right shoulder in a twist,
Squeezing the right shoulder blade,
Breathing and release,
Take that right leg,
Bring it inside the left,
Just like your tree pose,
Relax through the hips,
Through the glutes and just stretch forward towards the left leg,
So if you're really tight,
Your hips are tight,
Maybe you're using the support of your arms just to sit up tall or maybe you're stretching forward,
And then walk the hands back and simply switch sides,
Bring the left leg over the right,
Draw the knee into your chest,
Look over the left shoulder and release that twist,
Bring the left leg inside the right,
Relax through the hips and stretch towards the right leg,
A couple of deep breaths,
Slowing down the breath now,
Breathing in and out through the nose and notice how great you feel after that movement that we did,
Our heart rate went up,
We're going to be perfectly set and ready for our yoga nidra meditation,
That's the reason why we practice the physical practice in yoga,
Release,
Walk the hands back and now make your way to your spine,
So go ahead and lie all the way back,
Slide the legs forward,
Get really comfy,
Maybe put something underneath your knees,
Palms are facing up and we're going to begin to relax and let go,
So yoga nidra is between awake and asleep but we remain awake during the practice and this practice helps us,
It improves our sleep,
It releases tension and anxiety,
It helps you to connect with yourself,
It's our natural resting state,
We detach from our thoughts and it helps us to enjoy life to the fullest,
So go ahead and lie back,
You can do this meditation seated as well and begin to slow down the breath,
Breathing in and out through the nose and just begin to listen,
Allow your hearing to move outward,
Finding any sounds that are far away,
If you're inside maybe you hear something outside,
If you're outside maybe you hear the birds,
Far far away sounds,
Become very in tune with the sound and then allow your hearing to come closer and closer to the sounds that are close by and begin to visualize yourself lying or sitting there on the mat,
Visualize your body,
Notice,
Think about your hair,
So in this practice we're going to,
I'm going to be naming,
We're going to go on a journey of sensory awareness and I'm going to say the names of parts of your body and we're going to remain still during the whole practice,
So noticing yourself,
Visualizing yourself on the mat and now begin to tune into your breath,
So we're breathing in and out through the nose,
Let's breathe in for four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Exhale four,
Three,
Two,
One,
Inhale,
Exhale,
So smoothing out the breath,
Exploring your breath,
Samarita breath,
Same breath,
So the inhale is the same length as the exhale,
It can be whatever you want,
Maybe it's three,
Maybe it's eight,
Begin to exaggerate that exhale a little bit,
Inhale same length and now we're going to state our sankalpa,
Our resolve,
So this is a simple statement,
A positive statement and you're going to just say this to yourself three times,
Your sankalpa,
Positive statement,
Your sankalpa plants a seed in the fertile soul of your mind,
Brings about transformation and healing and now say to yourself,
I am practicing yoga nidra,
I am aware and relaxed,
I am practicing yoga nidra,
I am aware and relaxed,
The practice begins on the right side,
So simply say and feel the words but don't become too attached to them,
Right hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Palm of the hand,
Top of the hand,
The wrist,
Elbow,
Shoulder,
Right side waist,
Right hip,
Right thigh,
Knee,
Shin,
Top of the foot,
Right big toe,
Second big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
The entire foot,
Left hand thumb,
Second finger,
Third finger,
Fourth finger,
Fifth finger,
Top of the hand,
Palm of the hand,
The wrist,
The elbow,
The shoulder,
The waist,
The thigh,
The left knee,
The shin,
The ankle,
The top of the foot,
The left big toe,
Second toe,
Third toe,
Fourth toe,
Fifth toe,
Now we go to the back of the body,
The right heel,
The left heel,
The right calf,
The left calf,
The right thigh,
Left thigh,
Right glute,
Left glute,
Low back,
Mid back,
Upper back,
The whole back,
The whole back,
The back of the neck,
The back of the skull,
The top of the head,
The forehead,
The right temple,
The left temple,
The right eyebrow,
Left eyebrow,
Right eye,
Left eye,
Right cheek,
Left cheek,
The right nostril,
The left nostril,
The jaw,
The upper lip,
The lower lip,
The throat,
Right collarbone,
The left collarbone,
The chest,
Upper abdomen,
The navel,
The lower abdomen,
The front of the hips,
The groin,
The pelvic floor,
The whole right leg,
The whole left leg,
The whole right arm,
The whole left arm,
The whole face,
The whole head,
The whole torso,
The whole body,
The whole body,
The whole body,
And now begin to feel lightness.
Feel the body becoming light as if it could float away from the floor towards the ceiling or the sky.
The head is light and weightless.
The limbs are light and weightless.
You're rising higher and higher and now begin to feel heavy.
Each part of the body is sinking,
Feeling heavier and heavier.
The body,
Gravity is doing all the work.
The body is sinking through the floor.
Awaken now to the experience of cold,
Chilly,
As if you're outside on a winter's day.
This cold is permeating through your entire body.
And now begin to feel the warmth,
Remembering the heat on a summer's day,
Feeling heat radiate into your entire body and all around the body.
And now begin to recollect an experience of intense anxiety and worry.
Feel the stress throughout the entire body but don't concentrate on its source.
Create that experience of anxiety as clearly as possible.
And now begin to feel calm.
Calm completely envelops you.
This calm is in your entire mind,
Body.
You are relaxed,
Aware,
Completely calm.
Now begin to name a number of things and just think about them on a level of emotion and memory and imagination as best you can and just jump from image to image again without taking it too heavily or seriously.
Red desert,
Peacock feather,
Buddha meditating,
Doctor's office,
A good night's rest,
A full moon,
Your reflection in the mirror,
A foggy morning,
Waiting for results,
The sun shining overhead,
A tall tree receiving help from others,
Cool clear water,
Making appointments,
A relaxing afternoon,
Laughing with friends,
A warm embrace,
A burning candle,
A path in the woods,
A vibrant sunset,
Taking a deep breath,
A beautiful garden path,
Your favorite song,
The sound of my voice,
Your body lying on the floor.
So now it's time to repeat your sankalpa,
Your positive statement,
Three times to yourself as we did in the beginning of our practice.
Now begin to notice the coolness of the inhale and the warmth of the exhale in and out through the nostrils,
The breath,
And begin to visualize once again your physical body,
Maybe from far away,
Lying on the mat or sitting on a chair,
And begin to notice the heaviness of the body,
And very slowly,
Mindfully begin to find some movements in the fingers and the toes,
The wrists and the ankles,
Point the toes,
Reach the arms overhead and stretch like you're first waking up in the morning,
Only way better,
And then
