The underpinnings of yoga include the philosophy of the Yoga Sutras, an old text that continues to inspire modern yogis. One of the suggestions for creating inner contentment is the cultivation of "dharana" the Sanskrit word for concentration. Explore techniques to support this skill within a complete, full body hatha practice.
EFT, or "tapping" is an evidence-based technique that soothes obsessive thinking with a somatic interruption (the tapping of meridian points on the body) along with a cognitive skill to reframe worries and cultivate self-compassion. With continued use, you may experience more freedom from thoughts that create suffering.
The tapping protocol: Top of head, outer eyebrow, inner eyebrow, above the lip, the top of the chin, above the collarbones, sides of upper torso, below the breasts, wrists “karate chop”, tips of fingers and thumb.
In May's workshop, I offered you a bounty of ideas for helping you to start your day vibrant and tranquil.
We explored an exercise where we examine what we already do each morning, and where we could add in small new habits that can add up to big changes over time.
Workshop notes:
-New habit ideas from bed: Breathe into right side nostril/right side body to encourage a new day of energized activity, eye exercises, joint freeing. Cultivate a thought as your feet hit the floor, like: "May something wonderful happen today".
-Let the light in, a ritual while opening blinds, windows, standing joint freeing and shake off the night's sleep.
-5 essential yoga postures: Plank, Cobra (or Locust), Leg Lifts, Bridge Pose, Bow Pose (with modifications and options. Body Brushing
-Turning aspirations into reality through habit change (written exercise)
-Prana Nidra: a supine guided meditation intended to encourage presence, (the wellspring of vitality) and balance our energy.
For those who wish to include meditation and movement in the morning routine but aren’t able to create a habit, here’s an efficient way to add short and simple practices that can make a big impact over time.
This practice invites you to question habitual stories you tell yourself with specific questions designed to soften self-loathing tendencies. It features a breath technique that symbolizes linking the heart to the mind and movements that strengthen the upper back, countering rounded shoulders, allowing us to feel more "open" at the chest and maybe even open at the heart.
Here are three more ideas for tiny, easy habits that you could connect to activities you already do each day. This week, I offer inspirations for shower time, the moments we spend waiting and a quick pre-meal ritual that can turn eating into a sacred moment of gratitude.
Many come to yoga to create stronger bodies, which is one of the many benefits of the physical practice. However, we soon discover that we also strengthen our ability to question our habitual thoughts, hold broader perspectives and cultivate more compassion for ourselves and others. This 60 minute practice strengthens weak areas of the body where we often feel discomfort (neck, upper back, core, glutes) while offering a breath visualization and inspiration to strengthen our kinder inner voice.
Small practices to help you let go of one activity before shifting into another are threaded through this 45 minute mellow practice intended to release the tension of the day and past events to arrive back in the present moment, refreshed and renewed.
Throughout the month of May, I will be offering simple, accessible ideas to add to your daily routine to help you stay connected to your wellness goals, even in tiny ways. Watch this resource page each Monday this month for a new short video inviting you to sample small habits that can add up to big results.
A calming, grounding 60 minute therapeutic hatha practice that intends to connect you to the undercurrent of peace that exists within us no matter what is happening around us. Expect to explore mindfulness and presence throughout mellow movement and breath and relax deeply with a guided meditation.
A short practice including a breath technique, mantra and grounding, gentle movements to reconnect with the present moment and an undercurrent of tranquility within resistance to change.
A 90 minute experience featuring alternative ideas to bring into your mornings to counter habitual thoughts and feelings.
-An inspirational reading to encourage new thoughts and feelings. I shared the classic poem, The Guest House by Rumi. (text to follow)
-Focus enhancing breath to support the body and mind
-The "welcoming" of intentions during a joint freeing series
-Morning movements to promote energy and refreshment
-A guided meditation utilizing the imagination to help actualize your intentions.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
A 60 minute breath and movement experience that invites you to sensitize yourself to the felt sense of your body, a practice that cultivates presence, the doorway to healing.
A micro practice featuring an easy breath technique to soothe critical thinking along with self-inquiry to cultivate self-compassion when you need it.
A quick breath technique and set of movements to energize the body and remind the brain to take in the sweetness of life a little more often.
Our practices can be a good time for cultivating specific qualities and thoughts we'd like to grow in our minds and our lives. That focus is threaded through this 75 minute therapeutic hatha flow using posture, breath visualization and guided meditation to support the concept.
An engaging 60 minute practice that encourages your awareness to tether to sensations of the hands inviting an opportunity for presence and an embodiment of receiving what the moment offers. A therapeutic and balancing sequence for the body, blended with the opportunity for acceptance for the mind.
An offering of movements to provide flexibility where there is chronic tightness and strength where there is often weakness along with techniques for the breath and focus skills for the mind. Practices that cultivate balance can help part of us stay tethered to the consistency of contentment in the face of inevitable change.
We know that presence is the heart of healing, restoration, authentic contentment and confidence, but it’s not an easy place to settle. Here’s 10 minutes of focus-enhancing movement to drop you into the here and now.
Every moment of this 50 minute offering is intended to invite you back to the breath, the body and present-centered thinking. A focus on the sense of sound and an invitation to create your own inner sound using your intention, meets a full body refreshing hatha practice.