Yoga with Melissa

This is the first 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 water element, its organs, meridians, the emotions associated with it, the colour and direction.

Intro to 5 Element Theory Yin Yoga Water Element | YWM 665 Sequence

Wide Legged Child’s Pose

Sphinx Pose

Half Happy Baby pose

Half Caterpillar

Dragonfly

Reclined Bound Angle

Savasana

Props Needed: Bolster, Yoga Strap, Folded Blanket, Blocks

Poem: Wintering by Sandra Lim

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.

Welcome to a powerful Yin Yang Yoga class, focused on cultivating full-body self-connection. This practice combines elements of strength and surrender, offering a balanced experience for your body and mind.

We begin with 30 minutes of yin yoga and Butterfly pose, encouraging self-connection and the recognition of our inner refuge. Trusting in our own presence, we can navigate life's complexities with more ease and find contentment in caring for ourselves.

Moving into Pigeon pose, we explore appropriate edges, embracing grace, gratitude, and acceptance. Stillness becomes our guide, allowing the magic of yin yoga to unfold, nurturing our bones, joints, and meridians. Surrender to gravity and the sensations, experiencing the power of non-doing. In Bananasana, we deepen our self-connection, building trust in ourselves and our lives.

Transitioning to the 30 minute yang/hatha portion, we engage in a series of dynamic poses, including Hand to Big Toe Pose, Bridge Pose, Dead Bug Pose, Cat Pose, Side Plank, Downward Dog, Warrior 3, Dance Pose, Uttanasana, Easy Pose Twist, and more. These poses further support self-connection and confidence.

Finally, we conclude with a restful Savasana, allowing the benefits of this practice to integrate fully into your being. In savasana, we invite you to reflect on the wisdom of the poem "New Trust" by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. It beautifully encapsulates the essence of building trust within ourselves and our lives.

Join us on this journey of self-connection and empowerment. Embrace the balance of yin and yang, and discover the transformative power of finding refuge in your own presence in this 60 minute yin/yang yoga class.

Yin Portion of Powerful Full Body Self Connection Yin Yang Yoga

Butterfly

Pigeon

Bananasana

Yang/Hatha Portion of Powerful Full Body Self Connection Yin Yang Yoga

Hand to Big Toe Pose

Bridge Pose

Dead Bug Pose

Cat Pose

Side Plank

Downdog

Warrior 3

Dance Pose

Uttanasana

Easy Pose Twist

Alternate Nostril Breathing

Savasana

Poem: New Trust by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

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

https://youtu.be/0fhoJOC9BL4

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

https://youtu.be/n2yeVNgKLWw

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

Poem: Aspen at Heart Rosemerry Whatola Trommer

https://youtu.be/9PPXDsEMNEA

We all know how difficult it is when you can’t fall asleep or you fall asleep and you can’t stay asleep. Fatigue and exhaustion settle in. Sleep anxiety becomes real. Nobody want to spend their nights tossing and turning. Whether you have difficulty falling asleep or experience fragmented sleep, this yoga nidra is here to support you through your insomnia.

Yoga nidra is a state of deep relaxation that allows your mind and body to unwind, releasing the stress that contributes to insomnia. It will activate your parasympathetic nervous system known as rest and digest, promoting a sense of calm, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. By entering into the state of deep relaxation offered in yoga nidra, it can lead you into a more restorative rest or sleep, allowing you to feel more rejuvenated when you wake.

Throughout this yoga nidra, you will be invited to feel the gentle guidance and protection of your ancestors, guardian angels and spirit guides surrounding you with protection and loving presence as you enter into the state of deep relaxation and rest. Knowing that you are being watched over physically and spiritually throughout the night can support you to enter into a state of deep relaxation and rest. This will allow you to awaken refreshed and rejuvenated.

May this yoga nidra envelop you in a cocoon of tranquility, allowing you to drift into a serene and restful sleep.

May your sleep be undisturbed, free from worries and anxieties.

May your sleep be a sanctuary of deep rest, nurturing your body, mind, and spirit.

With love and blessings, Melissa

https://youtu.be/qMT0-QIO6u8

Fire element season, summer, is the most expansive, yang, outward focused, with its long, hot, social days. It can ignite the fire of anxiety in our bodies. Throughout this yin yang 60 minute yoga class, we will bring in the gentle, balancing and harmonizing qualities of five element theory to neutralize anxiety. We will bring in the moderating influence of water, to quell the expansiveness of fire and anxiety. We will pull and pressurize the tissues of the small intestine meridians to clear the mind of worry and judgment.

This class begins with a 30 minute yin portion to tune into the always present and nourishing earth element so that you can release the accumulated physical tension from anxiety into thte ground. You will experience several calming and relaxing yin yoga postures to support you in neutralizing the fire of anxiety.

From there, we will move into the yang portion of the class which will be a gentle and intentional 30 minute hatha yoga session. We will bring in qigong influences to release and purge the stress of anxiety and invite in inner peace and contentment.

Yin Yoga Sequence to Neutralize Anxiety

Crocodile Pose

Child’s Pose

Revolved Child’s Pose

Yang Portion Gentle Hatha Yoga Sequence to Neutralize Anxiety

Dead Bug Pose

Cat Pose

Downdog

Warrior 1

Warrior 2

Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold

Tree Pose

Standing Forward Fold

Eagle Pose

Easy Pose

Greeting the Earth Pose

Row the Boat Pose

Savasna

Poem: Self-Care by James Crews

https://youtu.be/mKk2m7NBCPc

This hatha yoga full body deep stretch will support you in releasing tension and sore muscles at any time of day but is great for mornings. We will support our nervous system in this deep stretching using a technique called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF). PNF stretching involves a combination of stretching and contracting muscles to improve your flexibility by creating a feeling of safety in your nervous system.

We will start this full body deep stretch hatha yoga class with wrist-free sun salutations to improve circulation and blood flow throughout your body so that you have enhanced delivery of oxygen and nutrients in your muscles and organs as we move into our deep stretching. This dynamic warm up will help prepare your body for the rest of the class and improves the flexibility and mobility of your spine.

This deep stretching class will improve the flexibility of your side bends which will help to stretch and lengthen the muscles and connective tissues along the sides of your torso, including the intercostal muscles, obliques, and quadratus lumborum, which can become tight and restricted due to poor posture, prolonged sitting, or repetitive movements

Uttanasana or Standing forward fold will provide a deep stretch for your hamstrings and improve hamstring flexibility. Cobra will increase the flexibility of your spine, open your chest and stretch the muscles of your chest, shoulders and abdomen, countering the hunched postures from keyboarding. Cobra is also fantastic for alleviating back pain.

Puppy Pose is an excellent stretch for the chest and shoulders, which are common areas of tension and tightness due to poor posture, stress, and long hours of sitting. It opens the chest and shoulders, releasing tension and promoting better posture.

We will spend some time with some neck stretches which can help release tension and tightness in the neck and shoulders, both are common areas of stress and tension due to poor posture, stress, and daily activities.

Easy Pose Twist involves a deep rotational stretch that requires movement in the hips and shoulders, helping to improve mobility and flexibility in these areas. This can be particularly beneficial for those who have tight hips or shoulders due to sedentary lifestyles or other factors.

We will stretch your lower body in Wide Legged Seated Forward Fold or Upavistha Konasana which provides a deep stretch to the inner thighs, hamstrings, and groin. It helps to open the hips by stretching the adductor muscles (inner thighs) and external rotator muscles of the hips.

This class even includes a few wrist stretches to support you in improving your wrist flexibility which can help prepare your wrists for more advanced yoga poses that require greater wrist flexibility and strength, such as handstands, arm balances, and inversions. Proper wrist preparation can reduce the risk of injury and promote safe and effective practice of advanced poses.

We will finish our full body deep yoga stretch class with savasana to allow your body to release tension and induce a state of calmness and relaxation, activating your parasympathetic nervous system, your rest and digest. This will allow you to integrate your deep stretch.

Full Body Deep Stretch Sun Salutation Sequence

Sun Salutation

Side Bend

Uttanasana

Wrist Stretches

Cobra

Puppy

Neck Stretches

Easy Pose Twist

Figure Four

Pigeon

Savasana

Poem: Getting Out by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Welcome, this guided healing energy yoga nidra meditation is designed to bring deep relaxation and awareness to different parts of your body, supporting your immune system and your body's natural healing abilities. The yoga nidra or non-sleep deep rest will support you in letting go of tension, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, and stimulating your body's healing response.

Throughout the meditation, you'll be encouraged to focus on your breath, allowing it to flow naturally and deeply, promoting relaxation and activating your parasympathetic nervous system. You'll also be guided to set an intention for your practice, such as "my body is already healing itself" or "I am filled with vibrant health and vitality," to cultivate a deeper mind-body connection and support your immune system.

We will use visualization to circulate healing energy through your body. Several studies have shown that visualization and intention can enhance your body’s natural healing abilities.

"Effect of Guided Imagery with Relaxation on Healing of Wounds" (Study by Klein et al., 2003): This study examined the effects of guided imagery combined with relaxation techniques on wound healing in a sample of breast cancer patients undergoing surgery. The results showed that the group receiving guided imagery with relaxation had significantly faster wound healing compared to the control group.

"Effect of Guided Imagery on Length of Stay, Pain and Anxiety in Cardiac Surgery Patients" (Study by Zahr et al., 2018): This study investigated the effects of guided imagery on length of stay, pain, and anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. The findings revealed that the group receiving guided imagery had shorter length of stay, lower pain scores, and reduced anxiety levels compared to the control group.

"The Effects of Guided Imagery on Immune Functioning in Women with Breast Cancer" (Study by Lengacher et al., 2012): This study examined the effects of guided imagery on immune functioning in women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy. The results showed that the group receiving guided imagery had improved natural killer cell activity, a marker of immune function, compared to the control group.

"Imagery Training and Self-Hypnosis in the Management of Hand Contact Dermatitis: A Randomized Controlled Study" (Study by Barabasz et al., 1999): This study investigated the effects of imagery training and self-hypnosis on hand contact dermatitis, a type of skin condition. The findings revealed that the group receiving imagery training and self-hypnosis had significant improvements in symptoms and faster healing compared to the control group.

May all beings be healthy and free. May this yoga nidra support your body’s natural healing ability.