Body scanning involves paying attention to parts of the body and bodily sensations in a gradual sequence from head to feet. By mentally scanning yourself, you bring awareness to every single part of your body, noticing any aches, pains, tension, or general comfort or discomfort. Developing greater awareness of bodily sensations can help you feel more connected to your physical self and gain greater insight into potential causes of unwanted feelings. This knowledge can make it easier to address what’s wrong, leading to improved wellness in body and mind. 

Body scans are commonly practiced right before bed to prepare for sleep, but can also be utilized during the day to reduce stress and anxiety.

Your respiratory system works hard, logging 20,000 breaths daily. Breathe in. Breathe out. We do this all day, every day without a thought. Ask yourself, when was the last time you took a deep breath? Probably not as frequently as you think. I would venture to say only a few times a day. But did you know that deep breathing is one of our easiest, most convenient and natural tools to combat issues like stress and anxiety, reduce pain, high blood pressure and even aide in digestion? Extra oxygen does wonders for the body and mind. It cleanses, opens and soothes different parts of our being and is overall something extremely healthy we can all do. Enjoy this very quick guided meditation where I walk through a three deep breath meditation.

This is a slower pace half hour practice where we go back to basics, and work through the complications of "simple" poses like downward facing dog and warrior 1. I put these in air quotes because even the most used and most common poses in yoga are quite complicated. 

We begin with a breathing exercise to warm up the body and calm the mind. Then we will move through several poses on both sides to get in touch with the mind-body connection. Anyone can find a benefit in this practice, whether you are a beginner, or you are looking for a gentle morning stretch to wake up the body and mind for your day ahead. The music on this track is also FIRE.

Music by: 

Lalinea from the album [ctrl] and After Hours 

Ottom from the album Cherry Blossom 

I am Fowler from the album Roots

In this quick practice we do a counting breath practice, also called box breathing, in a seated position. We will then lie on our back where we will do belly breathing, breathing solely into our belly as we relax in a restorative yoga pose.

We will then end the quick exercise in savasana where we will meditate and let the music wash over us. Box breathing, belly breathing, and meditation ca lead to decreased stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure, greater feelings of happiness, and reduced feelings of depression.

Fall, being a season of transitions and change, is a perfect time to reflect and let go to the past to leave room for the present. With a mantra of letting go, we let go of the things that keep us weighed down, like a tree shedding it's dead leaves to nourish the roots beneath it.

We then end with a meditation lying in savasana as we let the music wash over us and practice the act of releasing in stillness.

In this practice I focus on calming and grounding asanas that help us get in touch with our own gratitude. Some of the poses in this flow include asanas where arms are stretched outwards, to  symbolize receiving blessings in our lives.

Gratitude can improve our health by boosting our immunity, improve our sleep, and lower our blood pressure. It can improve our relationships, make us more compassionate, and ultimately make us happier. Gratitude creates a space where we can allow positive and transformative growth to occur.

This is a really fun mix of breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga asanas that will have you feeling confident and ready for the seasonal transitions. I start with a mantra based on the theme of fall, transitions, and change, and then we move through three sun salutations to some soft jams. We then move into our final resting post, savasana, as we think about not only the seasons changing, but also ourselves, and how we must recognize that the only consistent thing in this world is change.

Let the soothing piano music wash over you during this alternate nostril breathing exercise and meditation. This exercise may help to relax your body and mind, reduce anxiety, relieve tension and stress, and balance the left and right sides of the brain. These benefits, in turn, may help you to be more focused and aware.

You can use this breathing technique to help manage stresses in your daily life. You may also find that practicing alternate nostril breathing helps you to be more mindful of the present moment. I talk about how this practice activates our third eye chakra and how that may benefit us.

This is a half hour flow to equalize any imbalances you have experienced throughout the day. This sequence has a combination of upbeat music and energizing balancing poses and can ground and stabilize the body and the mind. Ground down into the earth and move with me as the sun sets. Take care.

Join Kristen with a morning yoga flow. This episode's theme is focused on letting go of the past to make space for new beginnings.