Yoga with Melissa

10 min Morning Yoga Stretch

Hello sweet hearts, this is yoga for real people, yoga that you can do! This week's bonus video is another gentle and quick 10 minute morning yoga full body stretch that even beginners can do. I love this class to ease into your day without control. It is great to do first thing in the morning. I love the spinal release, hip openers, balance, and creativity in this sequence.

This class uses 2 yoga blocks. This gentle, full body morning yoga stretch will ease your body into the day with loving kindness and compassion. I have included some gentle phrases of loving kindness to start your day as well.

“May ease in your body translate to ease in your mind, ease in your heart and ease in your day today.”

10 min Morning Yoga Stretch to Ease into Your Day Sequence

Staff Pose

Cat Pose Variation

Toe Stand

Lunge Variation

Pyramid Pose

Standing Knee to Chest Pose

Dancer Pose

Tadasana

15 min Qigong Yoga Flow for Winter

This is a short qigong inspired yoga flow to bring energy to the kidney organs and water element this winter season. We will learn some fun “bear” inspired qigong movements and create a yoga fusion class that will build your energy reserves this winter.

Is Qigong the same as Tai Chi?

Qigong is a skillful way to cultivate and work with your energy. Tai Chi on the other hand is a martial art.

What is Qigong good for?

Qigong will lubricate your joints, improve your circulation, help you to improve your focus and your intentioned awareness, encourage optimal diaphragmatic breathing, lower your stress hormone cortisol, stimulates digestion, calms anxiety.

Does Qigong really work?

Qigong uses your own body weight in a series of standing postures that flow from one to the other. These flowing movements stimulate the acupuncture meridian lines and their organ systems to create healing in your body by moving blood and oxygen through your body.

Because of the way you focus your mind and intention on your physical movements, your mind will calm which relieves emotional stress and mental anxiety. The flowing poses create a moving meditation that helps to lower stress and improve your mood.

Which is better yoga or qigong?

Yoga and qigong are complementary practices, both of which are focused on cultivating and working with our internal life force energy or qi. Yoga focuses on building strength and flexibility with their postures. Whereas yoga corresponds to the Ayurvedic school of medicine, qigong refers to the Traditional Chinese school of medicine. Generally yoga puts more emphasis on static stretches and qigong focuses more on flowing movements.

Can you do qigong at night?

You can do qigong at night. Focus your attention on calming your energy to prepare for a deep night’s sleep and to cultivate your energy for the following day.

Can I do Qigong everyday?

Yes you can do qigong everyday.

What time of day is best to do qigong?

There are two times of day that could be good for your qigong practice.

7-9 am is the time of Earth Element and your Stomach Meridian

Good time to exercise, have breakfast, good time to receive nourishment (on all levels - physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, spiritually) This is a good time of day for a moderate and nourishing qigong practice.

11 am - 1 pm is the time of Fire Element and your heart meridian

This is your most expansive energy of the day. It is a good time to be active, connect with others and a good time for exercise again. This would be a good time for a more vigorous qigong practice.

How long should you do qigong?

You can practice qigong anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. As long as you are cultivating qi and not draining yourself of qi.

How long should you practice qigong daily?

You can practice qigong anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. As long as you are cultivating qi and not draining yourself of qi.

What is the best Qigong exercise?

I think the best qigong exercise is whatever your present favourite is.

Does Qigong help balance?

There are many qigong exercises that come onto one foot and support you in cultivating balance. Poses like crane, Soaring Dragonfly, Buddha Praying, bouncing ball, walking on clouds are all balancing poses.

Does Qigong build muscle? Can Qigong make you stronger?

Qigong helps you build muscle and grow stronger, especially in your legs when you move low and slow. Poses like retrieving the moon from the sea, pushing mountains, swimming dragon, embracing moon, bear pushing a wall, yin opens yang closes, twist to look at the moon, all build strength in the legs.

4 Yoga Poses Before Sleep

I learned recently from one of my students that if physical therapy clients were given 5 or more exercises by their physical therapists there is no chance they will do them. However if physical therapists give their clients 4 exercises, not only will they do them, but they are much more likely to do them multiple times a day.

This sparked an idea in me to prepare classes that were only 4 poses in length and see what they did not only in my motivation to prepare them as a teacher (it went through the roof by the way) and also your motivation to practice them as my students. I’m looking forward to seeing the results.

Here are 4 yoga poses to do before sleep organized into a full hatha yoga class sequence

Legs Up the Wall

Child’s Pose

Janu Sirsasana or Head Beyond Knee Pose

Moon Channel Breathing

Savasana

Yoga Nidra for Relaxation

This yoga nidra for relaxation will guide you into inner peace and calm. A full body relaxation yoga nidra intended for relaxation, release and letting go. Yoga with Melissa offers some of the best yoga nidra on YouTube for relaxation. So if you are searching for yoga nidra for complete relaxation and stress relief, yoga nidra that will support you in relaxation and sleep, you are going to love this yoga nidra. 

Yoga nidra guided meditation supports you in doing less. It teaches you how to stop doing more and start being. Through guided breathing and body awareness techniques you will be guided into progressively deeper states of deeper relaxation and non-doing. It is said that just 45 minutes of yoga nidra can be as restorative as 3 hours of sleep. You will step away from this yoga nidra deeply relaxed and restored.

Morning Yoga Stretch

Hello sweethearts, this is yoga for real people, yoga that you can do! This week's video is a quick 10 minute morning yoga full body stretch that even beginners can do. If you are short on time, but want a great full body stretch, you are going to love this yoga class. Relieve the aches, pains, and stiffness that are lingering from the night as you move into your morning. This class is beginner friendly. It will bring positivity to your day. If you have flexibility goals, this is a great class to do on a regular basis to improve shoulder flexibility, open your chest, and hips. It will release neck tension and strengthen your core.

Pick A Card Yoga

You loved my last pick a card yoga class and I loved creating it. Today I am creating a pick a card class with the Urban Crow Oracle and the Earthbound Oracle. Links to where you can purchase these decks are below.

Same as before, there will be 3 piles each one represents a different yoga class. Tae a few moments to center yourself and focus on the three card piles. Choose the pile that you resonate with the most and then click on the time stamp in the description for your yoga class.

These hatha yoga sequences are suitable for level 1 or level 2, beginner or intermediate level hatha yoga students. The first two classes are more hatha yoga in style and sequencing. The first class you will need a wall. The second class you will need a yoga strap. The second class is mostly standing postures.

 

Poem: Still Life by Kristin Lee from Collective Wisdom Magazine September 2020 edition 

https://www.collectivewisdommagazine.com/

 

Within you for you by Justine Beck from Collective Wisdom Magazine 

https://www.collectivewisdommagazine.com/

 

Deck Used in these Videos 

Urban Crow Oracle https://crowtarotshop.com/products/4th-printing-urban-crow-oracle-pre-order-releases-june-2021

CALM your NERVOUS SYSTEM

This restorative yoga class to calm your nervous system will support your parasympathetic nervous system, in particular healthy ventral vagus and dorsal vagus activation of your nervous system so that you leave feeling “zenned out, ” meditative and contemplative. 

Props Needed: Bolster, 2 blocks, blanket, yoga strap, eye pillow  

Restorative Yoga Sequence Poses to Calm Your Nervous System 

Restorative Cat Pose 

Front Lying Twist with Bolster 

Restorative Yoga for Your Eyes 

Restorative Downward Facing Dog 

Side Lying with Bolster 

Supported Shoulderstand 

 

Poem: Mary Oliver, The Swan 

In our membership community we have a 5-class series for Ventral-Vagus Activation that will further support your nervous system in safety, connection, & resilience. 

Link for members: https://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/ventral-vagus-activation/ 

Link to become a member: https://melissawest.com/membership-landing-page/

Ease Gas & Bloating

Here are 4 yin yoga poses for gas and bloating. These yoga exercises will pressurize the colon or large intestine. They will also lengthen the large intestine or colon to relax it so you can release the gas and bloating. This is a yin yoga class with long five minute holds.

yin yoga poses for lungs

Yoga with Melissa 596. Join Melissa in another beautiful location on Vancouver Island to practice yin yoga to boost the immune system with these 4 yin yoga poses that will support you in boosting your immune system this autumn season. Immediately boost your immune system with simple yin yoga you can do for real people just like you. This is an easy 4 yin yoga pose sequence that you can follow along with senior yoga teacher Melissa West, Ph.D. while she demonstrates how to pull and pressurize the lung meridian in a way that will boost your immune system. Melissa’s calming demeanor, explanation of the poses and their uses, poems and quotes will provide you with a great overall experience.

One of my students told me that if physical therapy clients were given 5 or more exercises by their physical therapists that there is no chance they will do them. However if physical therapists give their clients 4 exercises, not only will they do them, but they are much more likely to do them multiple times a day.

This sparked an idea in me to prepare classes that were only 4 poses in length and see what they did not only in my motivation to prepare them as a teacher (it went through the roof by the way) and also your motivation to practice them as my students. I’m looking forward to seeing the results.

Here are 4 yin yoga poses for lungs. These yin yoga poses are ideal for lung health. They will expand your chest, relieve lung congestion and pull and pressurize the lung meridian. This is a yin yoga class with long five minute holds.

4 Yin Yoga Poses for Your Lungs Sequence

Broken Wing Pose

Seal

Melting Heart Pose

Supported Fish Pose

Salty Absolution by Estora Adams

From the October 2020 edition of Collective Wisdom

Yoga Poses for Your Low Back

One of my students told me that if physical therapy clients were given 5 or more exercises by their physical therapists that there is no chance they will do them. However if physical therapists give their clients 4 exercises, not only will they do them, but they are much more likely to do them multiple times a day.

This sparked an idea in me to prepare classes that were only 4 poses in length and see what they did not only in my motivation to prepare them as a teacher (it went through the roof by the way) and also your motivation to practice them as my students. I’m looking forward to seeing the results.

Here are 4 yin yoga poses for lower back pain relief. These yoga exercises will release back pain and help you to feel better. This is a yin yoga class with long five minute holds.

Yin Yoga Sequence for Lower Back Pain Relief:

Keyhole

Child’s Pose

Dragon Pose

Half Happy Baby Pose