Gentle Hatha Yoga to Soothe Overwhelm & Body Tension | YWM 667

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This gentle hatha yoga class will support you in dealing with information overload, overstimulation, overwhelm and nervous system regulation. By easing your way back into your body with gentle and grounding yoga practices we can support nervous system dysregulation symptoms like anxiety, energy drain, and releasing intense emotions. Gentle and supportive movements will reduce physical tension and the muscular holding patterns that often accompany nervous system dysregulation. Gentle hatha yoga practices like this support us in self-regulating allowing us to respond to the ongoing stresses of life so that we can increase our capacity to navigate this strongly transitional time.

Gentle Hatha Yoga to Soothe Overwhelm & Body Tension Sequence

Somatic Breathing with Grounding Touch
Reclined Somatic Embodiment
Sleeping Pigeon
Reclined Twist
Knee to Chest Pose
Cat Pose
Lunge Pose
Eye Yoga
Tadasana
Qigong Inspired Sequence
Dancer
Standing Pigeon
Cobra
Malasana
Reclined Twist
Somatic Breathing with Grounding Touch

Poem: Returning to Stillness by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

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Intro to 5 Element Theory Yin Yoga Wood Element | YWM 666

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This is the second class in a 5-class series that will introduce you to 5 – element theory in 1 hour yin yoga classes. We will begin by describing what 5 element theory is. From there we will go into wood element, its organs, meridians, the emotions associated with it, the colour and direction.

Intro to 5 Element Theory Yin Yoga Wood Element Sequence

Centering
Butterfly
Bananasana
Hand to Big Toe Pose
Broken Wing Pose
Eye Yoga
Reclined Butterfly

Props Needed: Bolster, 2 blocks, yoga strap, meditation cushion

Poem: Forgiveness by Mary McCue

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Yoga Nidra to Soothe Chronic Pain | Yoga with Melissa 664

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This transformative Yoga Nidra practice designed to soothe chronic pain. In this session, I offer an alternative approach that doesn’t involve suppressing or denying your suffering, nor does it require you to reach some elevated spiritual state.

Instead, I invite you to embark on a journey of curiosity and courage, gently exploring uncharted territories within yourself. As you navigate the waves of pain, you will be invited to witness how your heart contracts and observe the stories woven by your thinking mind in response to this perfectly natural human response to pain.

This intimate and honest exploration provides new ways to relate to your physical pain. Visualize this Yoga Nidra as a compassionate embrace, tenderly holding your heart’s suffering and facilitating the release of the narratives created by your mind.

By freeing yourself from the stories generated by your mind, a shift occurs. The pain transforms from an overwhelming burden to a dynamic field of sensations. Embrace the openness and presence that arises when you allow yourself to be fully present with this field of sensations.

Join us in this practice and discover the potential for change within your relationship with chronic pain. Embrace the courage and empathy that resides within you. Those who endure chronic pain are some of the bravest and most compassionate individuals I know.

Note: This Yoga Nidra practice is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Please consult with a healthcare professional before engaging in this practice, ensuring it aligns with your unique circumstances and needs.

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Nurture a Peaceful Heart Full Body Yin Yang Yoga | YWM 662

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In this yin yang yoga class to nurture a peaceful heart, we will dedicate the first 30 minutes to gentle and intentional yin postures to cultivate tranquility and inner peace.

Beginning with wide-legged child’s pose, we will surrender to the present moment and gather the yin energy required for the yang portion of the class in our sea of tranquility.

Next, we target your heart meridian with broken wing pose and begin our exploration of the principles of yin. In each of the yin poses, I will give you the anchor of a unique loving kindness mantra to nurture a peaceful heart.

As we move through the yin portion of the class, we cultivate softness, gentleness and compassion within ourselves and radiate that kindness outward into the world.

In heart-melting pose, we lovingly surrender into the realm of non-doing, embracing stillness and cultivating peace within ourselves. Finally, in supported-fish pose, I will teach you an acupressure point to regulate your emotions in fire element season.

In the second half of our yin yang yoga class, we fuse the elements of hatha and qigong to nurture a peaceful heart. The second half of our 60 minute journey includes integrating movement, breath and intention to awaken the peaceful energy within us.

We begin by offering ourselves self-care and love by gently hugging ourselves in knee to chest pose. In cat pose, moving from our hearts fosters a sense of peace. In our lunge pose, I will challenge you to maintain a peaceful presence as we incorporate balancing elements throughout the movement.

As we come into standing, I will ask you to release any burdens that are getting in the way of your experiencing peace. There are several movements from standing that will balance your yin and yang energies.

We will explore warrior one as a way to release impatience, anxiety, restlessness and excess emotions. As well as a way to clear the path to a peaceful heart. We will also practice peaceful warrior to nourish our peaceful hearts.

We will conclude this yin yang practice with a nourishing yin massage and some gentle movements from your heart in a seated position to connect with the peace in your heart.

As always, I will share some beautiful poetry in savasana to uplift your heart.

Yin Yoga Portion for Nurture a Peaceful Heart Full Body Yin Yang Yoga
Wide-Legged Child’s Pose
Broken Wing Pose
Half Melting Heart Pose
Supported Fish Pose

Yang Portion of Nurture a Peaceful Heart Full Body Yin Yang Yoga

knees to chest pose
cat pose
lunge pose
tadasana
Side bending
Warrior one
Peaceful warrior
Goddess Victory Squat
Wide-Legged Standing Forward Fold
Malasana
Easy Pose
Savasana

Poem: what I really need by Julia Fehrenbacher

Props Needed: 2 yoga blocks

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Blissful Heart Effortless Full Body Restorative Yoga | Yoga with Melissa 661

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Blissful Heart Effortless Full Body Restorative Yoga is a 60 minute, deeply rejuvenating and heart-centered practice. You will experience a unique blend of restorative yoga poses and inspiring poetry for your heart chakra, your heart organ system, your heart meridian, and fire element in summer that is deeply soothing and nourishing during the most yang time of year.

As you effortlessly rest into your restorative yoga postures, I will read you contemporary, spirit-infused poetry designed to touch your heart and encourage introspection and self reflection. May these inspiring words from contemporary heart-felt spiritual poets resonate with you and awaken a sense of inner peace and tranquility.

To calm your heart, we will engage breath practices or pranayama as a gateway to calm your heart, body and mind. Through various breath practices from gentle cleansing breath practices, to more soothing breath practices we will invite in a sense of surrender and release tension from our bodies. You will explore the purifying power of Ha breath, the balancing power of square breath and the calming and soothing qualities of alternate nostril breathing.

This restorative yoga sequence and class is designed to invite in surrender and deep rest. This profoundly relaxing and heart-centered restorative yoga class combined with the power of poetry, pranayama and restorative yoga poses guides you on a journey of inner-peace. May this class rejuvenate your body, nurture your heart and unite you with your bliss body.

Props Needed: Wall, Bolster, Blocks, Yoga Strap, Eye Pillow, Blanket

Blissful Heart Effortless Full Body Restorative Yoga Sequence

Legs Up the Wall
Supported Child’s Pose
Supported Locust Pose
Supported Shoulderstand
Supported Reclining Pose

Poetry:
In Search by Rosemerry Whatola Trommer
Listening for Your Name by David Graham
Yin by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Hold Out Your Hand by Julia Fehrenbacher
A Prayer for Everyday by Julia Fehrenbacher

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Yin Yang Yoga for Self Love | Yoga with Melissa 660

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This 60 minute class begins with a 30 minute yin yoga sequence for your heart meridian to invite in self love followed by a 30 minute qigong inspired hatha yoga full body yoga flow that will leave you feeling refreshed and full of self love.

Our consumer culture is highly competitive and values certain types of intelligence, bodies, and achievements. The standards set by the dominant culture cause us to feel like we can’t measure up in a way that is incredibly painful for our psyches.

This causes us to live in what Tara Brach calls a “trance of unworthiness.” This continual sense of feeling that we are falling short of the person we should be, when what we really want is love and approval.

With loving awareness and kindness we can choose to let go of the belief that we are unworthy. When we feel filled with judgment, shame, confusion and inner criticism, there are ways that we can come back to compassion and loving kindness.

Our ego-self believes that we do not have a place within the beautiful whole of our universe. From this place of fear, it strives to control and causes a lot of trouble. When we make contact with the deeper, truer parts of ourselves, we can relax into the greater divine whole instead of one day waiting for the conditions for self acceptance to appear.

This class will explore the difference between whole and perfect. You are an imperfectly perfect human being with a whole set of limitations, difficulties, obstacles, weaknesses, difficulties balanced with goodness, aptitudes, passions, skills, capacities and uniqueness that is ready to step into the wholeness of its expression.

Yin Yoga Sequence for Self Love
Centering
Child’s Pose
Broken Wing Pose
Child’s Pose Side Bend

Yang Sequence Hatha Yoga with Qigong Inspiration/Flow for Self Love
Reclined Twist
Dead Bug
Cat Pose
Hip Opener
Lunge Pose
Dolphin
Downdog
Shake the Tree
Meridian Tracing
Wood Chopper
Warrior 2
Warrior 1
Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold
Dancer
Cobra
Easy Pose
Garland Pose on block with thoracic rotations
Butterfly
Wide-legged seated forward fold
Savasana