Yoga For Recovery | Step 4: Self-Honesty

In this session, Vivekadevi connects the 12 Steps to the spiritual principle of Self-Honesty and the niyama of Svadhyaya (self-study). This gentle yoga for recovery practice invites us to check in periodically, listen deeply, and heighten our self-awareness without judgment.

Transcript

Hello, Great souls. Welcome to our sadhana. Continuing with exploring step four. So this is the practice of inventory. The spiritual principle of self-honesty, And swadhyaya, Which is self-study. So as we're practicing yoga postures today and movement, Conscious movement, I was thinking it might be nice for us to. . . Kind of take stock as we go periodically, Beginning with taking stock at the start of class. Noticing how you feel. So I'll guide us through just some practice to listen. And then periodically through our practice, Our focus today will just be I'm kind of heightening. Perhaps heightening for you, Self-awareness of your experience in the practice. So I think that's. It's enough to say about it. And I'll put this to the side over there. So let's begin by taking some. Breathing as deeply as is comfortable for you. In and out through the nose if you can. And as you breathe. Notice the breath. Quality of breath, How easy. Or perhaps challenging. It is to breathe in this moment. Notice the length of your breath, Not necessarily counting. I mean, You could. But more just noticing, Are you able to take a deep breath? Does the breath feel shallow? And where in your body do you notice it? Is it high in the chest? Is it low in the abdomen? When you inhale and exhale. Kind of noticing. You can help move the breath down toward the abdomen, Engaging the diaphragm by, When you inhale, Pushing the belly out a little bit and drawing the belly in. And you may have already started to do that. Just notice, Even if you haven't started, Where is the breath first before working with it? And then if you like, You can move the abdomen consciously in and out. You exhale, You consciously draw it in. Inhale. Pushing it out a little bit exaggerated. And then after a few times, Just let that go and keep breathing. Notice. I'll have us practice some upper body movements. So notice how it feels to move the shoulders, Lifting the shoulders up towards the ears. And down. We'll do that a few times. How's it feel? Move the shoulders up and down. And then rotation of the shoulders, Kind of rotating them either forward or back. Just start in one direction. And then go the other direction. Notice how it feels. And just pause for a moment. And scan the whole body, Whether you're on the floor, In the chair. Where is the body right now? What are you aware of as we begin our practice? Bring awareness to the heart center. Noticing the heart. How it feels. Maybe there's emotion there, Or maybe there's a physical feeling in the heart center. Is taking note of that. Same thing with the body, Just noticing. How it feels overall, If it's tense in any particular area. And bring awareness to the mind. Noticing. Where the mind is right now. You take a few more breaths. Okay, Very good. So we'll move into some more gentle movement and then we'll check in again with the body in a little bit. So inhale, Lift the crown of your head toward the ceiling. And as you exhale, Bring the chin down towards the chest. Gently stretching the back of the neck. The weight of your head helps to give a stretch to the back of the neck. As you breathe, Notice how far down. The spine, You can feel the stretch. So do you feel it in the neck? Can you feel it in the upper back? Just bringing awareness to the gentle stretch. And then we'll inhale up to center. And as you exhale, Turn to look to your left. Looking over the left shoulder. Keep the shoulders relaxed down from the ears and notice how it feels to turn the head. Are you able to turn the head without turning the torso? Or do you, Without realizing it, Turn the torso? As a way of turning the head. We'll inhale back to center. This time when we turn the head, Make sure to keep the torso stable. Don't turn the torso and just notice how it feels to turn the head. So exhale, Turn. This time turning to look to the right. Body and breath relaxed. Noticing how it feels to turn the head and if you can sense the stretch that's happening as you do so. And then inhale, Bring the head back to center. We'll lift from the crown of the head again as you inhale up toward the ceiling. And this time as you exhale, Tilt your left ear toward the left shoulder. I'm sorry, Right ear towards the right shoulder. Gently stretching the left side of the neck. You can let the weight of your head give you the stretch, Or you can gently be reaching. Right ear toward the right shoulder. As you draw both shoulders down. Just find the stretch alongside the neck that feels right for you. Careful not to overstretch. Then inhale up back to center. Inhale, Lift the head. Exhale to the opposite side. So now the left ear goes down toward the left shoulder. Drawing both shoulders down. And just notice how this feels. Sometimes we have tension in the neck and don't even realize it until we stretch it. Nice, Deep, Relaxed breath. Just helping the body. Move into the stretch. And then inhale back to center. And just pause. You can kind of move your head side to side. We'll do some circle rotations. Rotate the head without any tension in the neck. Notice how that feels. And reverse directions. And come back to neutral. Nice. We'll interlace fingers and bring them behind the head for butterfly. So we inhale, Expand the arms, Lift the heart, And create a slight arch in the spine. And then exhale, Bringing the elbows and the chin towards the chest. And you can draw your body down a bit if you like. Coming down as far as is comfortable. And inhale when you're ready and expand. You can go back as far as you like. And then find your own rhythm. Exhaling, Elbows come towards each other, Chin comes towards the chest. You can pause in either direction. So when you're inhaling, Expanding, Lifting the heart, If that feels good, You can hang out there for a few breaths. When you come forward, If you want to stay there for a few breaths, You can. In here. The next time you come up reach the arms of love you exhale down. And bring the hands to the legs and just pause for a moment. Notice how it feels. Very nice. From here, We'll practice circle of light, Circle of joy. So if you're in a chair, You might want to sit a little towards the front of the chair so that your arms don't bump into the back. Well inhale fingers interlaced elbows lift up exhale hands move out in front. Inhale, Lift and lengthen, Stretch tall. Exhale, Hands come down, Visualize light and joy surrounding you. Hands come behind the back, Fingers interlaced. Draw the arms back. Exhale, Release. Arms float. Palms together, Hands at the heart. We'll do this a few more times. You can follow me or go at your own pace. Inhaling. And exhale, Hands out. Inhale, Lift and lengthen, Stretch tall. Exhale, Light and joy surround you. Hands come behind the back, Draw the arms back. And exhale, Release. Noticing how it feels to move in this way one more time. Inhaling. And exhale. Inhale, Lift and lengthen, Stretch tall. Release light and joy. Surround the body with light and joy. Hands come behind the back, Fingers interlace. Draw the arms back. Exhale, Release. Palms together, Hands at the heart. Very nice from here will practice hugging and this helps open up the upper back. So you bring your arms out extend that's the inhale as you exhale arms cross. Holding the back of your shoulders. And if you'd like, You can lift the elbows once you've started the hug. The eyes can be open or closed. Breathing into this and just notice how you feel. Do you feel a stretch? Don't always feel one. And then inhale, Open. Expand and exhale the opposite. Opposite arm on top. Sit arm below. Once you hug, Lift the elbows. Just to the point where you feel like it's the right stretch for you. So you just find what feels best. Breathing into this. Very nice. Inhale, Expand. Exhale back, Hands come in, And just take a moment to notice how you feel. So closing the eyes if that's comfortable. Notice the upper body, Any changes from when we started. Any more space. Within the upper body. From these simple stretches, Simple practices. You can notice the heart and the mind as well. Just a moment to notice. Very good. Then from here, Practice side-to-side stretching. So the right hand can be on the floor or the side of your chair, The seat of your chair. Inhale, Left arm up. And exhale over, Reaching through the fingertips. So looking straight ahead or rotate your head to look up to the sky. Opening up all along the left side of the body. See if you can sense that opening happening. As you're stretching. We can borrow the affirmation from Parigasana. The gate pose. Waves of joy surge upward in my spine. Waves of joy. Surge upward in my spine. I don't know if you can sense, Imagine. Visualize joyful waves of energy rising within you. We'll inhale up. Exhale down. And go to the other side. Left hand on the floor, The seat of your chair, Right arm comes up, Lengthen. Exhale and reach. We can look straight ahead. Rotate to look up toward the sky. Breathing into the stretch. Visualizing joyful waves of energy rising within you. Waves of joy. Surge upward in my spine. A few more breaths. Very nice, Inhale up. And exhale down. Okay, We'll come into cat-cow practice. So if you're on the floor, That's tabletop position. And if you're in a chair, You can stay seated in your chair. Arching and swaying the spine. If you want, You could put a blanket down for a cushion. I think I'm okay without a blanket. Let me put that here. You can also practice this standing with your hands on the back of your chair. So what we're doing is arching the spine as we exhale, Chin to chest. Tailbone tucks under, Belly button draws it to the back of the spine. Inhaling, Lift the head and lift the buttocks. Swaying, Kind of relaxing the belly. So find your own pace, Exhaling into the arch, Tailbone tucks under, Chin to chest. Belly button comes up to the back of the spine. When you're ready to inhale, Lift the head, Lift the buttocks, Sway the back. Kind of imagine the buttocks and the head could touch each other. Now you can pause in either direction. You can stay in the sway or stay in the arch if that feels good. If you do stay, Keep the breath flowing. Don't hold the breath. And just take some time to notice how it feels to move the spine in this way. Can you feel it stretching as you move? Does it feel good? Is there a sense of release, Of tension? As you arch and sway. Is one direction, Kind of feel more helpful. Than the other. Very nice. We'll come back to neutral. And from here, We'll do stirring the pot. So again, You can do this standing with your hands on the back of the chair or seated in a chair. Just moving the torso in circles. Let me face you. Sometimes it's easier to see. We exhale when we go backward. Inhale when you come forward. And then reverse directions. Just notice how that feels. Very nice. So from here, If you're on the floor, Bring the buttocks back towards the heels and the arms out in front for extended child, Releasing the forehead down to the floor. If you're standing, You can step away from the chair or sit in the chair and relax yourself forward, Laying the torso across the thighs. That might be more relaxing. And release the head and neck. Very nice. We'll come back up to neutral. We'll stretch out the legs so you can remain seated in the chair if you're sitting in the chair. If you're on the floor, You can come on to your back. We're going to stretch one leg at a time. So. . . If you're in the chair or on the floor, The right leg is extended and the left knee comes toward the body. So you can do this seated in the chair or lying on your back on the floor. Starting with the left leg. If you started with a different leg, Don't worry about it. Just stay with that leg and then you'll switch. Nice, Deep, Relaxed breath. And then release. Left leg extends out, Slide the right foot up and draw the right knee in. Towards the belly. Towards the chest. Deep, Relaxed breath, Just notice how it feels. Then release the right knee. If you're on the floor, Let the foot come to the floor. Well, Either way, Let the foot come to the floor. And we're going to gently stretch the left leg. So on the floor, Slowly raise the left leg up. If you're in the chair, You can slowly raise the left leg up off the floor and use your hands underneath to support the leg if that's helpful. You can also. On the floor, You can keep the right knee bent or extend that leg out. Gentle stretch. Nice, Relaxed breath. Just notice how the breath is in this moment. Imagine yourself sending the breath to any part of the body. That you experience tension and see if the breath can help the body. Open. And relax. We'll point and flex the left foot a few times. Ankle rotation, Rotate the ankle a few times each direction. Lift and lengthen and exhale down. And then we'll go to the other side. Left knee is bent, Right leg extended. Then inhale the right leg up. Noticing just the body, The breath. We'll point and flex the right foot a few times. Ankle rotation. Rotate the ankle a few times each direction. Lift and lengthen and exhale down. We'll slide the right foot up, So both knees are bent, Both feet on the floor. If you're in the chair, Same thing, Both knees bent, Both feet on the floor. And we'll come into figure four stretch, Taking the left ankle and cross it over the right thigh. So whether you're in the chair or on the floor. And the torso is on the floor, You're relaxed. You're just relaxing the upper body as you gently stretch the lower body. Same thing in the chair. And then you can keep your right foot on the floor if you like, If you're on the floor, Or draw that knee towards you. And in the chair, You can keep your torso vertical or exhale leading with the heart. Towards the legs. So just notice what feels right for you as you practice. Borrowing the affirmation for royal pigeon pose. Rajika Potonasana. I rise above. All thought of. Past and future. Into the eternal now. I rise. Above all thought. Of past and future. Into the eternal now. And then release and uncross and we'll go to the other side. So right ankle crosses over the left thigh. And just notice how that feels. And if you're on the floor, You can decide to keep your left foot on the floor or raise that leg. Towards the belly, Towards the chest. In the chair, You can keep the torso vertical. Or exhale leading with the heart coming toward the legs. I rise above all thought. Of past and future. And to the eternal now. And then release and uncross. Thank you. And if you're on the floor, You can practice pelvic tilt, Tilting the pelvis toward the face. That's the exhale, And then tilting the pelvis toward the feet, Just isolating the low, The sacral spine. Just do that a few times. And then stop, And we'll come into a spinal twist. So we're going to do this as a flow and then hold the position. If you're in the chair, You're going to be twisting the torso. If you're on the floor, The arms come out to the side. And you release the knees toward the right to begin with. That's the exhale. Inhale center, Exhale left. And just find your own rhythm. Easing the body into a spinal twist. You just warm it up. Notice how it feels. And come back to neutral. And now, So the arms are to the side and the feet are on the floor, Or if you're seated, Your knees are bent, You're facing forward. We're going to twist towards Okay, So let me describe the floor and then the chair. So on the floor, The feet are side-by-side, Knees are side-by-side, Or you can take your left leg and cross it over the right, Which increases the spinal twist. And either way, So knees side-by-side or left leg over right, And then when you're ready, Release your knees toward the right. If you need to adjust your upper body, Lift the head and turn to look over the left shoulder. If you're in the chair, You're inhaling, Your knees go to the right and your torso twists to the left. Nice relaxed breath. The affirmation is, I open to the flow. Of God's life within me. Jatara Parivartanasana, The supine twist. I open to the flow of God's life. Within me. I radiate love and goodwill. To soul friends everywhere. A seated spinal twist. I radiate love and goodwill. To soul friends everywhere. Divine energy awakening within you and flowing through you. It's a gentle blessing out to all. To come out of the pose, Inhale, Bring your spine back to neutral, Whether you're on the floor or in the chair. If you're on the floor, Press down on your feet, Lift the hips and buttocks, Bring the spine back down to neutral. And then we'll go to the other side, So feet. On the floor, Knees side by side or right leg crosses over left. Inhale. And then as you exhale, Both knees go toward the left. You rotate. And turn the head to look to the right. In the chair, The knees go to the left, You twist toward the right. I open to the flow of God's life within me. I open to the flow. Of God's life within me. To come out of the pose, Inhale, Unwind. Bring your body back to neutral again on the floor, Press down on the feet, Lift hips and buttocks and bring the spine back to neutral. And then draw the knees. In and away from the body. In the chair you could do one knee at a time. Rock side to side. Come back to neutral. We'll bring the knees together and the feet above us. This can be similar to if you're in the chair laying your torso across the thighs as you come into child's pose. On the floor, You draw your hands can be behind the thighs, Behind the calves, Or holding the feet. Draw the knees down towards the chest. Stretching out the spine. This is the supine. Pavana Muktasana. Releasing energy in the spine. By releasing tension. The affirmation is, I release my spinal energies to rise in light. I release my spinal energies. To rise in light. And then bring the legs into a wide stance. You can do the same thing seated in a chair. Legs are in a wide stance and then come forward. On the floor. This is known as Blissful Baby. It's a nice stretch for the legs and the back and the hips. Deep, Relaxed breath. And then bring the legs back in. If you're in the chair, Just come back up to neutral. You can draw the knees in and away if you're on the floor, Side to side. And then roll to your right side and use your left hand. To bring you up. We'll come into a seated position and just take a moment to notice how you feel. Just scanning the body. Lower body, Upper body. Aware of the flow of your breath. Awareness of the heart center. Awareness of the mind. Just noticing your experience. There's no right way or wrong way to feel. As being present to what is. Present to yourself. I rise above all thought of past and future. And to the eternal now. Very nice. Okay, From here we're going to come into the Virabhadrasana on the floor, But you can practice this standing. So if that's better for you, You're welcome to do that. It's a lunge. So on the floor, Let me face you this time. The left leg comes behind you and the right knee is forward. If you're standing, You could stand. You could use the back of your chair for support. So if that's better to be off of your knees, You can choose that. If you're on the floor, Pay special attention to the stretch in the front of the left thigh. Be careful you don't go too low so that you overstretch the groin area. Hands can be on the thigh, At the hips, Or above you. And then the gaze of the eyes is relaxed and uplifted. The affirmation is, I attune my will. To the source of all power. I attune my will. To the source. Of all power. As we practice yoga, All the various practices, It strengthens. The magnetism within us to draw divine energy to us, Prana and life force. Veerabhadrasana, Spiritual warrior. It's a practice of drawing divine energy. I attune my will. My life, My consciousness. To the source. Of all power. Very nice. Inhale, Lengthen. Exhale, Arms down if they're above you. Extend the right leg flexing the right foot, And you can stay vertical with your torso, Or inhale and leading with the heart, Come forward a little bit, Stretching the back of the right leg. It's a nice balancing stretch for the body. And just notice how it feels. Swami Kriyananda said that the muscles behind the legs hold worry and anxiety. So as you're gently stretching, Just imagine that being released. From the body. Very nice. We'll go to the other side. Show you a side view. So now we have the left leg is behind. Let's see. Left leg is behind and the right leg is forward. Hands are on the thigh, At the hip, Or above you. I think we already did left leg behind, Sorry. If that felt wrong, Shift it for yourself. There we go. The right leg is behind. I attune my will to the source of all power. Feel yourself consciously drawing divine energy into the body. Into the heart, Into the mind. Welcoming. Divine flow of energy. I attune my will, My life, My energy to the source of all power. Inhale length and exhale down will flex the left foot now. Gently stretching the back of the leg. Staying neutral with the torso or exhaling forward. Finding the stretch that feels right for you. Very nice. Inhale up. So from here, We'll come into downward facing dog. And a reminder is that you can use the seat of your chair for that, Placing your hands on the seat of the chair and walking back away from it. I'll start on the floor and then I might show you it in the chair. So on the floor, Toes are turned under. We press down on the feet, Lift hips and buttocks towards the sky. Ears are in alignment with the upper arms. The heels can be off the mat or on the mat. Breathing deeply. The affirmation is calmness radiates. From every fiber of my being. Rawr. Huh. To come out of the pose, Walk the feet towards the hands. If you're on the floor, Hands towards the feet. Tuck chin to chest. And slowly inhale and bring yourself up to standing. And pause for a moment in Tadasana. Just take a moment to notice how you feel. Mentally scanning the body, The heart, The mind, The flow of breath. Very nice. From here, We'll practice Natarajasana, Dancing Shiva. So I'm going to bring this chair forward. To practice using the chair, You have your hands on the back of the chair. You're standing on the right leg and the left leg comes behind you. And you draw that leg back. You can keep your hand on the chair or raise that arm up. Coming into the pose. So take a moment. And you can alternate. You can have your hand up and bring it back down. To the chair if you need. While I move through life. I remain anchored. In my highest self. While I move through life. I remain anchored. In my highest self. While I move through life. I remain anchored in my highest self. Oops, When you're ready to come out, You'll inhale back. Come to Tadasana and pause for a moment. Notice how the body feels. Notice the flow of breath. The heart, The mind. Lifting the inward gaze. Drawing energy to the spiritual eye. Mentally affirming while I move through life. I remain anchored. In my highest self. Very nice, We'll go to the other side. So now standing on the left leg. And the right leg comes behind. Holding the chair or raising the arm. Keep the breath flowing. While I move through life, I remain anchored in my highest self. When you're ready to come out, Release the leg. Come back to Tadasana. Pause for a moment, Notice how it feels. Very nice. From here, We'll practice Trikonasana, The triangle pose. Chair a little closer. So we stand. Wide stance, Turn the left foot out. Bend the knee. Now, If you want to stay seated in the chair, You can. And you could practice parigasana, Having left leg turned to the side and the right knee going forward and go in a side stretch that way, If that's better for you. So look down if you're standing and make sure there's, Just imagine a visible line between the heel of your left foot and the instep of your right. Then straighten the weight, Keep the knee bent, Turn the torso back to the front and straighten that leg. This helps to open the hips. Inhale, Arms up, Palms together, Lengthen. Hands towards the front, Exhale down to shoulder height. Tilt the hips in reach, Left arm is above the head. Just take your time coming to the side. You can eventually have your hand on the back of the chair, The seat of the chair, Or on your leg. Looking straight ahead. Or rotate your head to look up to the sky. Visualize a waterfall of divine energy. Filling every cell of the body. Mentally affirming energy and joy. Flood my body cells. Joy descends to me. Energy and joy flood my body cells. Joy descends to me. Inhale bring yourself back up arms come up to the shoulder height exhale down. And let's step the feet in. Let's come back. Sometimes we pause in a wide stance. Let's just pause in a. . . Traditional Tadasana, Pause for a moment. Notice if you can feel a difference between the right and left side of the body. And just how the body's feeling. And then we'll go to the other side. So I'm going to move this chair just a little bit. A wide stance. This time. Left foot turns out. I'm sorry, Right foot turns out. And so we line that up, Bend the knee. Bring the torso back to the front. Straighten the leg, Arms come up. Lengthen, Hands to the front, Exhale down to shoulder height, Tilt and reach. And when the body just comes to a point of stopping, Bring it down. Hand can come to the chair or to the leg. Looking straight ahead, You could look down to the floor, Or you can rotate your head to look up to the sky. So see what feels right and best for you. Visualize that waterfall of divine energy. Revitalizing every cell of the body. The heart and mind. Energy and joy flood my body's cells. Joy descends to me. Inhale, Bring yourself up. Arms are wide, Bring the arms down, Step the legs in. And pause for a moment. And Tadasana, Just noticing how the body feels. Take some deep, Full breaths in and out. From here, We'll practice using the chair, The Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward facing dog. So I'm going to have my hands on the seat, Walk my legs away. And bring my ears in alignment with the upper arms. Mentally affirming calmness radiates. From every fiber of my being. Calmness radiates from every fiber of my being. To come out of the pose, Walk the feet towards the chair. Slowly inhale, Bring yourself up, And pause into Dasana. Once again, Take a moment to just scan the body, Heart and mind and notice how you feel. Each of the affirmations working together with you. The postures, The various conscious stretches and movements. To nourish the body. The heart and mind. To lift the consciousness to super conscious awareness. Every cell flooded with light and joy. Deep breath in and out. Very nice. We'll come into deep relaxation now. So you can come onto the floor or sit in your chair with a pillow behind you supporting you. I'll show you today the legs over the chair. I think it's been a little while since I've shown that. But you can practice traditional Shavasana if that's better for you. When I practice legs over the chair, I like to have a blanket under my head. For a little extra support for the neck. So to come into the pose, I think this is a good length away, I sit close to the seat of the chair. And then I. . . Swivel Put my legs over it. And I have the blanket here. I can lift my hips and buttocks. And then come back to a comfortable position. And just, You can adjust your chair if you need. For comfort. You could also have a blanket over you. But once you come into. . . The position for relaxation. Begin to consciously let go of the body. Consciously. Let go of. First, The physical body. Than mental and emotional body. And allow yourself to rest in a deeper place. Within you. The inner oasis. Of the soul. The affirmation is bones, Muscle movement. I surrender now. Anxiety, Elation and depression. Churning thoughts All these I give. And to the hands of peace. Bones, Muscle movement, I surrender now. Anxiety, Elation, And depression. Churning thoughts. All these I give. And to the hands of peace. Allow yourself to dive deeply. To feel held and supported. Hands of peace. Bringing awareness now back to your breath. Begin to visualize the breath. Like a gentle flow of energy. Washing through the body. Through the heart. Through the mind. With each breath, A breath of peace. A breath of healing energy. A breath of light. Easing your awareness back into. The body, The physical realm. You can help the body reawaken. By wiggling fingers, Wiggling toes. Gently stretching and moving the body any way that feels good to you. And then bring yourself up into a comfortable seat. For us to come into meditation practice now. Meditate for about five or six minutes. Whatever practice. Feels best for you, Could sit in the silence, In the stillness. Observing the breath. Practicing Hang Sar, Kriya. For a few minutes if you like. Always make sure to leave some time. The end of practice just to be. I'll chant Aum to guide us out. Let's take a moment before we close our class today to notice how you feel. Just take a moment to scan your body, Bring awareness to the heart, To the mind, To the flow of your breath. Take some deep, Full breaths in and out. Without any, As much as possible, Without any sense of judgment, Just noticing. A practice of inventory. How's the body? How's the heart? How's the mind? How's the breath? Any changes, Any shifts. Anything you're aware of, Maybe gifts you've received from your practice today. Just a moment of noticing that. Appreciating it. And then we'll send out the light consciously. Any blessings we've received, Let's send that out as a gift to all. Rubbing the hands together, We'll raise the hands and chant Aum three times. Ahhhhhh Aum Aum. Peace. Amen. So great to be with you, Great souls.