Living your Yoga with Dr Melissa West

💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 

✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 

Join me for a soothing Full Moon Yoga Nidra as we honor the luminous Full Beaver Moon, the final supermoon of the year, shining larger and brighter in the sky. This unique full moon calls us to gather our inner resources and prepare for the darker winter months, a time of deep rest and gentle reflection. Just as the beaver diligently constructs its lodge in preparation for the cold, we, too, can use this time to clear emotional and mental tension, creating spaciousness within ourselves. By releasing what we no longer need, we open up space for true rest, inviting peace and stillness into our hearts and minds.

In this Full Beaver Moon Yoga Nidra, we’ll explore the symbolism of the beaver’s cozy, protective lodge as a source of inspiration for creating safe, supportive environments around and within us. Winter invites us to slow down, conserve energy, and embrace the quiet transformation that comes with inward reflection. As we transition from autumn’s dynamic, transformative energy into the introspective stillness of winter, this practice will guide you to settle into your own inner sanctuary—a place where rest, renewal, and gentle growth can unfold. Let this yoga nidra be your time to pause, to connect with your natural rhythms, and to prepare for the season of quiet introspection ahead.

Yin Yoga for Sleep | Yoga with Melissa 711 

💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 

✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 

Prepare to ease into rest with this 60-minute yin yoga for sleep class designed by Melissa West. This evening yin yoga for sleep and relaxation invites you into a receptive, passive state to cultivate deep relaxation. With calming 5-minute holds and abundant options, Melissa West’s Yin Yoga gently guides you through poses that support letting go, softening, and allowing gravity to do the work, mirroring the process of sleep itself. This yin yoga for better sleep class honors the transition to night, encouraging you to welcome stillness, tune into the quietude of yin energy, and align with your body’s natural sleep cues.

In this yin yoga for good sleep session, you’ll embrace darkness and enter a healing state of release, guided by Melissa West’s approach to yin yoga for better sleep. By creating an atmosphere of reverence and calming mental activity, this yin yoga to sleep well fosters a sense of inner peace and prepares the body for restful sleep. Melissa West’s Yoga is your companion for slowing down, connecting with your natural circadian rhythms, and opening yourself to the deep restorative powers of yin yoga for sleep. Let this 60-minute yin yoga for sleep journey invite you into a state of surrender and restoration.

Yin Yoga for Sleep Sequence 

Legs Up the Wall 

Keyhole

Frog

Bananasana 

Half Shoe Lace 

Cat Pulling It’s Tail 

Savasana

Props Needed: Wall, Blanket, Bolster

Restorative Yoga for Back Pain Relief | Yoga with Melissa 710

💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 

✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 

In this restorative yoga class, we’ll gently explore ways to relieve back pain by cultivating patience, compassion, and self-kindness. Using restorative yoga poses for back pain, we’ll focus on accepting our current experience without forcing change, inviting a sense of openness and ease into the body. 

This practice is about creating space—both physically and emotionally—to release the layers of tension that often accompany chronic back pain. As we breathe deeply, we’ll calm the mind, activate the vagus nerve, and transition from a state of stress to relaxation.

Healing back pain is a journey, not a quick fix. I encourage you to celebrate each small victory, whether it’s finding comfort in a pose, feeling a subtle shift in pain, or noticing an increase in your emotional resilience. Restorative yoga gives us the space to be still, to release stored emotions, and to acknowledge that healing is not linear. Take this time to slow down, breathe deeply, and restore balance, as we allow the body to soften and open to its natural healing.

Legs up the Wall 

Keyhole 

Supported Bridge Pose 

Hand to Big Toe Pose 

Supported Bridge Pose 

Reclined Twist  Child’s Pose in Center Reclined Twist 

Savasana 

Props Needed: Wall, Block, Bolster, Yoga Strap

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

In this yoga nidra practice, we will explore the deep restorative power of rest to heal from the exhaustion that comes from chronic stress and overwhelm. This session is designed to address dorsal vagal shutdown, a response in the nervous system where the body "shuts down" to conserve energy after prolonged periods of stress. This shutdown can manifest as profound fatigue, emotional numbness, and a need to withdraw from daily life.

Many of us, especially those who habitually overwork, over-give, and push past boundaries, experience this kind of depletion. When our nervous system is constantly activated, it can lead to a state of collapse, where both body and mind feel deeply drained.

Yoga nidra offers a pathway back to balance. Through this practice, we will create space for deep rest, allowing the nervous system to reset and recover. You will be guided through gentle body awareness, breathwork, and sensory relaxation, inviting your body to move from exhaustion into a state of healing. This practice is a powerful antidote to overdoing, helping you reconnect with your inner reserves and nourish yourself from within.

Rest as  remedy is central to this yoga nidra, emphasizing the importance of self-care and boundaries as essential tools in preventing further shutdown. Allow yourself the time and space to experience true rest, replenishing your energy and restoring your body’s natural rhythm.

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Playlist for the Navigate Your Nervous System Series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdFcYtDajz211W6al_imYcQfdPOL9l7Gn&si=IAA2LjVl1gOEOIVj

Yoga Nidra for Burnout

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Welcome to the second month of our Navigate Your Nervous System Series. This is the fifth class in the series.  

Burnout occurs when our body gets stuck in the dorsal shutdown freeze response of the nervous system, triggered by prolonged periods of stress and activation. It arises when we push past our limits, exhausting our physical, mental, emotional, and energetic bodies beyond their capacity to rest and restore. Burnout is more than just physical fatigue—it's a deep soul exhaustion, a sign that the nervous system is in need of regulation.

This isn’t your fault. We live in a world that constantly pressures us to be productive, with financial and personal responsibilities pulling us in different directions. It's no wonder we don’t always take the time to recover fully, which only deepens the cycle of depletion.

We often override our natural rhythms, pushing through stress and fatigue without proper recovery. But there is hope. By tuning into the body’s natural rhythms of repair and restoration, we can heal from burnout. This yoga nidra practice will not only help you recover from burnout but also prevent future episodes. Yoga nidra goes beyond simple rest—it restores your nervous system, reconnecting you with your body’s innate wisdom. The more we embrace slowness and moments of stillness in our lives, the more we heal and build resilience.

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Playlist for the Navigate Your Nervous System Series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdFcYtDajz211W6al_imYcQfdPOL9l7Gn&si=IAA2LjVl1gOEOIVj

Yoga Nidra for Depression | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #4 | YWM 707

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Welcome to the second month of our Navigate Your Nervous System Series. This is the fourth class in the series.  

This Yoga Nidra for Depression is a compassionate practice designed to support those navigating the weight of depression by fostering gentle connection, self-compassion, and a sense of safety. Drawing from the teachings of Deb Dana and Polyvagal Theory, this guided journey helps you tune into your body’s natural intelligence, acknowledging the protective role of the nervous system. 

Through mindful awareness, you will be invited to explore the dorsal vagal response, which can manifest as disconnection or numbness, and gradually shift toward states of connection and ease. With each step, you'll be guided to honor your body’s responses with kindness, without rushing or forcing change.

In this practice, we use tools like mindful breathing, awareness of opposites, and a compassionate body scan to gently reconnect with yourself. As you move through the practice, you will be invited to hold space for yourself with compassion, curiosity and non-judgment. The practice encourages a deep sense of self-compassion, allowing you to return from the experience with a renewed sense of connection and safety, both within your body and in your external world.

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Playlist for the Navigate Your Nervous System Series: CLICK HERE

12 Yoga Poses for Positive STRESS Response | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #3 | YWM 706

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

In the third class of the navigating your nervous system series, we will explore sympathetic activation. Over the last two weeks we have explored the “negative” sides of the “fight and flight” responses of your sympathetic activation. However, in this class we will explore how sympathetic activation can often be employed for positive outcomes in our bodies and throughout our day. 

In this class, we explore the concept of navigating the nervous system through mindful movement and breath, embracing the sympathetic nervous system’s activation as a natural and necessary part of life. Stress, when managed with care, can become a source of growth, learning, and resilience. By working through postures that activate and release stress, we practice balancing sympathetic arousal with relaxation, recognizing that stress signals engagement in meaningful aspects of our lives. Throughout this practice, we cultivate compassion, allowing ourselves to move through stress with kindness and a deeper understanding of its role in our personal evolution.

12 Yoga Poses for Positive Stress Response Sequence

Spinal Warm Up

Kapalabhati Breath

Frog Pose

Lunge

Pyramid

Knocking on the Door of Life

Knocking on Meridians

Breath of Joy

Uttanasana

Camel

Child's Pose

Reclined Twist

Props Needed: Yoga blocks, bolster, meditation cushion 

Go to 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/   to download your Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat sheet

Yin Yoga to Release Anger & Frustration | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #2 | YWM 705

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 

Welcome back to the Navigate Your Nervous System Series! This will run through September & October here on YouTube and in our membership community. This week, we will continue exploring your Flight Response of your nervous system, with anger, frustration and irritation. 

Physiological responses of your nervous system under threat “fit in, fawn, fight, flight and freeze” have corresponding emotions and behaviors 

Your Sympathetic Nervous system fight response begins with irritation, moves to frustration, then anger, then rage as the threat or perceived threat escalates 

Anger, frustration, irritation and resentment are the emotions associated with the liver organ system and wood element season. Throughout this class I will guide you into yin yoga postures and teachings about anger and the nervous system from my book, Five Element Yin Yoga. 

Our members will get and an elevated, deep dive into a PREMIUM ELITE TIER where they navigate fitting in responses of the vagus nerve in September. This week they will receive teachings on boundaries and a yoga class on having Strong and Flexible Boundaries. 

Props: Blocks, Blanket, My book 

Poem: A Great Wild Goodness by Annie Lighthart 

Go to 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/   to download your Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat sheet 

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/

Yoga for Anxiety | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #1 | YWM 704

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/ 

Welcome to the Navigate Your Nervous System Series! This will run through September & October here on YouTube and in our membership community. We will begin by exploring the Flight Response of your nervous system with Anxiety. 

This class has several nervous-system sensitive tools to bring to the yoga class from grounding, resourcing, orienting, sounding, breathing, self-contact, and as always trauma informed cueing. 

This class combines the best of classic hatha yoga along with some qigong inspired flows. 

I have a gift for you - a Navigate Your Nervous System PDF download - today we will be going through the Flight Response in the Sympathetic Nervous System - September on YouTube we will focus on Sympathetic Nervous System 

Our members will get and an elevated, deep dive into a PREMIUM ELITE TIER where they navigate fitting in responses of the vagus nerve. 

Go to melissawest.com/navigate to download your Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat sheet 

Props Needed: Yoga Strap, yoga blocks, 

Poem: Primary Wonder by Denise Levertov

💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/

✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/

In this Yoga Nidra for sleep session, inspired by modern sleep science and ancient yogic wisdom, we will explore the essential, non-negotiable nature of sleep as described in Matthew Walker’s book, "Why We Sleep." Sleep is crucial for the daytime functioning of our brains and bodies, but in today's fast-paced world, we find ourselves not just physically tired, but also mentally and emotionally exhausted. Our nervous systems are overworked, and our spirits are in dire need of regeneration. This Yoga Nidra session will guide you into a deep, restorative sleep by addressing not only the physical need for rest but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion that many of us face.

As yogis, we recognize that sleep transcends the material world. Our physical bodies are just one aspect of our sleeping experience. In this Yoga Nidra practice, we will step into a realm where our energy bodies, mental bodies, emotional bodies, and intuitive and imaginative capacities are also nurtured and restored. By allowing total relaxation to permeate all dimensions of our being, Yoga Nidra offers a profound level of rest and recuperation. This multidimensional rest is what makes Yoga Nidra so effective in enhancing our sleep quality. Join me, Melissa West, as we journey together into a state of complete relaxation, allowing every aspect of our being to be rejuvenated and restored.

There will be no close-out in this yoga nidra so you can drift off into deep sleep. As always, there will be an audio download of this yoga nidra for members in our membership community.