Yoga with Melissa

Yoga for Mood Swings

Drawing on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh we will bring mindfulness and compassion to the emotions of irritability, impatience, aggression, lack of motivation, difficulty concentration, stress, tension, nervousness, anxiety, sadness, depression and melancholy. This Restorative Yoga for Mood Swings with props will have long 10 minute holds. These restorative yoga poses will calm your emotions and support you in emotional regulation.

This restorative yoga class is great for emotional release, stuck emotions, emotional overwhelm, coping with strong emotions, and emotional healing.

Restorative Yoga for Mood Swings Pose Sequence

Burrito Savasana

Supported Child’s Pose

Supported Bridge

Front Lying Twist

Burrito Savasana

Props Needed: Blanket, Bolster, 2 blocks, Yoga Strap

Yoga Nidra for Chronic Pain

Welcome to this yoga nidra for chronic pain. Living with chronic pain can become all-consuming, affecting all aspects of our lives and over time it can feel like there is no way out. No matter how hard we try there is no escape. It is easy to feel hopeless and helpless. I have found that offering myself self compassion and attending to the secondary bracing that can come from the pain can help to create some space around the physical, mental, emotional and energetic effects of chronic pain.

Please know that you are not alone in this experience. Unfortunately, globally it is estimated that about 1 in 5 people or 1.5 billion people worldwide experience chronic pain. I know that pain can be so isolating, but you are not alone. Others feel this too.

May you offer yourself the compassion that you need in your chronic pain

May you accept yourself, exactly as you are, even in the midst of chronic pain.

May you forgive yourself for experiencing pain and know that you are worthy just for being alive.

May you be patient

May you known your strength

Resources:

Kristen Neff: Self Compassion The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself

Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3z1iTrT

Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3shH8iM

Yin Yoga for Creative Fuel Part 2

This yin yoga sequence for creativity we will practice yin yoga poses to generate creativity. The poses will be accompanied by readings from Chris-Anne’s Sacred Creator’s Oracle Deck to inspire creativity and innovation in your life. 

Yin Yoga Sequence for Creativity 

Centering 5 mins 

Pigeon - 5 mins each side

Dragon - 3 mins each side

Twisted Roots - 3 mins each side 

Savasana - 5 mins 

 

Resources: 

Sacred Creators Oracle by Chris-Anne 

Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2XjSB5V 

Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3siKnGJ 

 

To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue 

Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3shHciu 

Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3k1kk3f

Yin Yoga

In this yin yoga sequence for creativity we will practice 4 yin yoga poses to generate creativity. The poses will be accompanied by readings from Chris-Anne’s Sacred Creator’s Oracle Deck to inspire creativity and innovation in your life. 

Yin Yoga Sequence for Creativity

Centering - 5 mins 

Butterfly - 5 mins 

Shoelace Legs with Eagle’s Arms - 3 mins each side 

Bananasana - 5 mins each side 

Savasana - 5 mins 

 

Resources: 

Sacred Creators Oracle by Chris-Anne 

Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2XjSB5V 

Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3siKnGJ 

 

To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O’Donohue 

Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3shHciu 

Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3k1kk3f

Restorative Yoga

We are going through a profound time of spiritual awakening. Even for those of us who have been on the spiritual path for many years, decades even, are being asked to awaken to new and deeper levels of trust, love and peace. Our souls are encouraging us to let go of old habitual ways of being where we hustled for our worth, listened to our inner critic, pushed to do more and be more, and were caught up in people-pleasing. To a certain extent we put our trust in our reactivity and our inner critic, This is a transitional time. It is one where the old ways have not fully let go even though we can see clearly to embrace trusting peace and calm.

The intention in this class is to trust being peaceful, calm, warm, non-reactive, loving and kind towards ourselves more than we trust our reactivity, distress, stress, suffering, anxiety and depression. Can we trust the place of CALM within us and TRUST that that place of peacefulness is a WISE place to be. There is safety inside of us. As we gradually surrender more and more to this place of peace and safety within us, we no longer need to invest in the habitual ways of rushing, anxiety, pushing ourselves, inner criticism, and being in conflict with our reality.

Props Needed: Bolster, Blocks, Meditation Cushion, Eye Pillow, Yoga Strap, Blanket

Trust in Calm Restorative Yoga Sequence

Gentle Legs up the Wall

Front Lying Twist

Supported Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold

Reclined Twist

Supported Bridge

Gentle Legs Up the Wall

Poetry:

De Colores by Angie Trudell Vasquez

At This Age by Mary Wehner

To Friends by Michael Koehler

Over the Weather - Naomi Shihab Nye

10 Min Morning Yoga

In this morning yoga class to align with spirit we will cultivate a greater integrity of our heart by slowing down the pace of our lives. By approaching our yoga practice in a more relaxed and gentle way we can be more in tune with our spirit. When we slow down we feel the flow with spirit and feel a deeper connection with our more inspired and heart centered selves. This short class invites you to connect with your femininity, fluidity and intuition as you move and draws on the teachings of Matt Kahn. This class includes alternate nostril breathing pranayama.

10 min Morning Yoga

If you are experiencing perimenopausal, menopausal or postmenopausal mood swings you are not alone. Anger, frustration, irritation, anxiety, depression are common emotions that move through our bodies during the menopausal years. In this class, we will draw on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh to embrace our emotions with kindness and compassion. Rather than struggling against our emotions or trying to understand them logically, we will simply meet ourselves where we are and take good care of ourselves with this yoga class that will feel like a mindful hug. 

Props Needed: Block

Qigong Yoga Fusion

This is a 10 min Women’s Morning Qigong Yoga Fusion to clear heat from your body. Heat that might cause perimenopause, menopause and postmenopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, migraine headaches and sleeplessness.

We will tap the body to release anger, frustration, and irritation. There is also tapping to relieve depression. Focusing on relieving heart heat will support us in relieving anxiety and emotional overwhelm.

There are no props needed for this practice, not even a yoga mat!

Whatever goodness we have accumulated from our practice may we dedicate it towards the happiness and welfare of all.

This restorative yoga video is intended to support women in their perimenopausal, menopausal and postmenopausal years who don’t sleep well in the night. Not sleeping well during the normal sleeping night hours is incredibly common for women over forty-five. Sleeping peacefully through the night, is no longer the norm and so in this class we bring awareness to the outcome of sleepless nights. We begin by offering ourselves acceptance to kindness instead of fighting the fatigue with the habit of productivity. Turning to restorative yoga allows us to greet our fatigue and exhaustion with gentle and tender care. Dropping the struggle allows us to let go of unrealistic expectations and drop into compassionate restoration.

Yoga Nidra for Winter

Winter gives us pause to become aware of our own energy reserves and the way we conserve them. Yoga nidra allows us to drop into meditative rest to conserve our energy. This yoga nidra for winter will allow you to contemplate the blessings of rest and the gift that it is to be able to restore our energy reserves with practices like yoga nidra. In this yoga nidra we will embrace the quiet stillness that winter gives us, sending forth prayers of restoration for all those who need rest including yourself.

For this practice all you need is a comfortable place to rest. Maybe a bolster or a pillow for under your knees if your low back bothers you when you lie on your back. A blanket to pull up over you can provide extra warmth and comfort. An eye pillow can align you with the darkness of the winter season. Let yourself be cozy.

I want to acknowledge you for setting aside the time to tend to your energy reserves at this time. For this nourishing self care.

What is the best time to do yoga nidra?

According to traditional Chinese medicine, from 1-3 pm fire element and your small intestine meridian is most active. Your small intestine meridian is often overworked from “sorting the pure from the impure.” This is an excellent time of day to bring in conscious rest, such as yoga nidra, to provide your mind a break from all the mental processing you do through the day.

Winter is one of the best times to practice yoga nidra. According to traditional Chinese medicine, winter is the season of water element and the kidneys which are responsible for your source energy. When we do practices like yoga nidra we can tend to our energy reserves.

What are the stages of Yoga Nidra?

These are the stages of Yoga Nidra that I teach, however I sometimes vary the order and may not include every stage in every yoga nidra.

1. Centering/Permission/Introduction of Theme: Allows students to become comfortable and Prepare for Practice

2. Sankalpa or Intention Setting

3. Body Sensing/Body Scan/Circulating Awareness Through the Body

4. Breath Awareness

5. Awareness of Opposites

6. Resting in Yoga Nidra

7. The Return

What happens if you fall asleep during yoga nidra?

It is not a problem. It means that you need the sleep and I am glad that you got the rest. When your body is rested you will experience yoga nidra as sleep with awareness. Dr. Sarah C. Mednick, a Harvard trained research scientist and a pioneer in nap research found that even if you do “fall asleep” in yoga nidra, you will receive the same nourishment to cognition and wellness as a full night’s sleep.

What happens in Yoga Nidra?

Yoga nidra is a guided meditation that allows you to rest deeply in a state of consciousness that is somewhere between waking, dreaming and sleep. Through this guided meditation your attention is drawn inward a body scan, breath awareness, and awareness of opposites, inviting your mind into a conscious deep sleep.

What is the difference between yoga nidra and meditation?

Yoga nidra is a form of guided meditation where you rest back and you are guided into a conscious sleep. With meditation you often practice seated and your awareness is often on a single point, such as your breath. Generally in meditation the hope is that you stay alert and conscious, whereas in yoga nidra you go into a sleep-like state.