Yoga with Melissa

Opening to All of Life with Yoga

Often we come to our spiritual practice as a way out of our troubles, as an escape from our mental anxiety or our physical pain altogether. Spirituality can often be presented as a way to escape from our lives. This kind of teaching actually strengthens the aversion and fear of our lives and leads us further from freedom. We can use our yoga and meditation practices to retreat and escape our life.

When we connect with what is happening in our bodies, both our suffering and our awakened nature, we find freedom. When we get stuck within the polarity of good and bad we fail to accept our wholeness.

We wall off aspects of our life that we feel are not spiritual or yogic, or maybe they are just too plain overwhelming to us; things like our personal pain. We create alignments and enemies with with people through clinging, control and fear. We feel separate from others as if they are different from us. We compare what we have to what others have and see who has more, less or the same as us. Or we withdraw and feel altogether indifferent, losing the capacity to care at all, a kind of protective mechanism and resignation in order to not let life affect you.

When we practice yoga without boundaries we can love without attachment, loving ourselves and others without as we and they are, without any expectations or demands. We can experience compassion for our fellow human beings knowing that together we experience the same suffering and sorrows of life. With sympathetic joy we experience genuine happiness for the delight of others. We allow oursevles to be open to the 10, 000 sorrows and the 10, 000 joys.

Our culture teaches us that we are strong and independent. We are taught to have a stiff upper lip, a strong spine and a thick skin. We think we are shielding ourselves from the pain and yet we are also cutting ourselves off from the wonder of interconnection. I’m reminded of something that my teacher Neil McKinlay often recounts. A student once asked Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, “Are we trying to have a thin skin?” Apparently Rinpoche answered, “Not a thin skin, no skin.” True practice is not a defense against uncertainty, pain and danger in life. As Joseph Campbell says, it is not a “vaccination”

Yoga without boundaries means we let go of the belief that we are going to be protected from the difficulties and conflicts of life. No amount of yoga will save us from the inevitability of suffering and confusion that is part of being a human. Even the greatest yoga teachers will not avoid the troubles of their bodies, sickness, old age or death. Each one of us will face the messiness of emotions and human relationships. Yoga without boundaries invites us to embrace all of our life.

How do we practice yoga without boundaries? There is no special training. We open to the mystery of life. It is not about fixing ourselves, there is nothing to fix.

This class was inspired by the writings of Jack Kornfield in A Path with Heart and as always by my teachers Neil McKinlay, Reggie Ray and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Supported Fish Pose or Salamba Matsyasana, Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana, Pigeon Pose or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana, Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana, Standing Twist, Breath of Joy, Goddess Victory Squat or Utkata Konasana, Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold or Prasarita Padottanasana, Downdog to Updog, Adho Mukha Svanasana to Urdva Mukha Svanasana, Dying Warrior, Wide Legged Seated Forward Fold or Upavista Konasana, Savasana or Corpse Pose, Anahata Chakra Mudra

Weekly Yoga with Melissa 389 Photos of Yoga Poses

Opening to All of Life with Yoga Often we come to our spiritual practice as a way out of our troubles, as an escape from our mental anxiety or our physical pain altogether. Spirituality can often be presented as a way to escape from our lives. This kind of teaching actually strengthens the aversion and […]

Opening to All of Life with Yoga

Often we come to our spiritual practice as a way out of our troubles, as an escape from our mental anxiety or our physical pain altogether. Spirituality can often be presented as a way to escape from our lives. This kind of teaching actually strengthens the aversion and fear of our lives and leads us further from freedom. We can use our yoga and meditation practices to retreat and escape our life.

When we connect with what is happening in our bodies, both our suffering and our awakened nature, we find freedom. When we get stuck within the polarity of good and bad we fail to accept our wholeness.

We wall off aspects of our life that we feel are not spiritual or yogic, or maybe they are just too plain overwhelming to us; things like our personal pain. We create alignments and enemies with with people through clinging, control and fear. We feel separate from others as if they are different from us. We compare what we have to what others have and see who has more, less or the same as us. Or we withdraw and feel altogether indifferent, losing the capacity to care at all, a kind of protective mechanism and resignation in order to not let life affect you.

When we practice yoga without boundaries we can love without attachment, loving ourselves and others without as we and they are, without any expectations or demands. We can experience compassion for our fellow human beings knowing that together we experience the same suffering and sorrows of life. With sympathetic joy we experience genuine happiness for the delight of others. We allow oursevles to be open to the 10, 000 sorrows and the 10, 000 joys.

Our culture teaches us that we are strong and independent. We are taught to have a stiff upper lip, a strong spine and a thick skin. We think we are shielding ourselves from the pain and yet we are also cutting ourselves off from the wonder of interconnection. I’m reminded of something that my teacher Neil McKinlay often recounts. A student once asked Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, “Are we trying to have a thin skin?” Apparently Rinpoche answered, “Not a thin skin, no skin.” True practice is not a defense against uncertainty, pain and danger in life. As Joseph Campbell says, it is not a “vaccination”

Yoga without boundaries means we let go of the belief that we are going to be protected from the difficulties and conflicts of life. No amount of yoga will save us from the inevitability of suffering and confusion that is part of being a human. Even the greatest yoga teachers will not avoid the troubles of their bodies, sickness, old age or death. Each one of us will face the messiness of emotions and human relationships. Yoga without boundaries invites us to embrace all of our life.

How do we practice yoga without boundaries? There is no special training. We open to the mystery of life. It is not about fixing ourselves, there is nothing to fix.

This class was inspired by the writings of Jack Kornfield in A Path with Heart and as always by my teachers Neil McKinlay, Reggie Ray and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Supported Fish Pose or Salamba Matsyasana, Bridge Pose or Setu Bandhasana, Pigeon Pose or Eka Pada Rajakapotasana, Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana, Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana, Standing Twist, Breath of Joy, Goddess Victory Squat or Utkata Konasana, Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold or Prasarita Padottanasana, Downdog to Updog, Adho Mukha Svanasana to Urdva Mukha Svanasana, Dying Warrior, Wide Legged Seated Forward Fold or Upavista Konasana, Savasana or Corpse Pose, Anahata Chakra Mudra

Weekly Yoga with Melissa 389 Photos of Yoga Poses

Dancer Pose

We tend to identify with a limited sense of self and this causes us not only a lot of suffering but it also causes us to miss a lot of our lives as they are actually unfolding. Our bodies, emotions, sensations, awareness and experiences are always changing so we do not actually exist in a fixed or static way.

When we identify with our bodies, feelings, or thoughts as me, myself or mind, then we created a fixed identity. Perhaps we identify as being a mother, somebody who is kind, somebody who helps or somebody who is available. The problem with this is that we have to protect and defend these identities, strive to fulfill them. Or we find ourselves deficient in these identities or even fear or experience their loss.

In truth we are not our relationships, our things, our family, or our jobs. We are only in relationships with our things, our family, our jobs and these things are continually changing and never fixed. People and tasks change. Our thoughts and feeling come and go. Our bodies age, get sick and will eventually die.

This hatha yoga class is called the dance of experience. Experience comes into being for a little time, in a certain form, then it ends and a new form replaces it moment by moment. Our dance with experience arises in the present moment, does it dance and then disappears. We are a constantly changing process, not a fixed being. In this way, we can appreciate the mystery of our lives as they unfold in each moment.

The teachings in this class are inspired by Jack Kornfields book, A Path with Heart

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Front Lying Savasana, Front Lying Twist, Locust Pose or Salabhasana, Ardha Dhanurasana or Half Bow Pose, Cat Pose or Marjaryasana, Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana, Downward Facing Dog, Dancer Pose or Natarajasana, Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold, Ardha Dhanurasana or Half Bow Pose, Child´s Pose or Balasana, Marichyasana or Marichi's Pose, Paschimottanasana or Seated Forward Fold, Savasana or Corpse Pose, Bhairava Mudra

If you liked today’s class on acceptance, please press that like button

Let me know what experience is alive for you right now in the comments.

If you know somebody who would benefit from this class please feel free to share the video with them.

Today we did a lot of backbending. If that is challenging in your body, we have several connective tissue videos in our membership community that help to soften the tightness in your upper back, neck, shoulders and psoas.

I´ve included a comprehensive playlist of the connective tissue videos for our members:

Not a member? Click below for more Info

https://www.melissawest.com/membership/membership-sign-up/

Weekly Yoga with Melissa 388 Photos of Yoga Poses

Dancer Pose We tend to identify with a limited sense of self and this causes us not only a lot of suffering but it also causes us to miss a lot of our lives as they are actually unfolding. Our bodies, emotions, sensations, awareness and experiences are always changing so we do not actually exist […]

Dancer Pose

We tend to identify with a limited sense of self and this causes us not only a lot of suffering but it also causes us to miss a lot of our lives as they are actually unfolding. Our bodies, emotions, sensations, awareness and experiences are always changing so we do not actually exist in a fixed or static way.

When we identify with our bodies, feelings, or thoughts as me, myself or mind, then we created a fixed identity. Perhaps we identify as being a mother, somebody who is kind, somebody who helps or somebody who is available. The problem with this is that we have to protect and defend these identities, strive to fulfill them. Or we find ourselves deficient in these identities or even fear or experience their loss.

In truth we are not our relationships, our things, our family, or our jobs. We are only in relationships with our things, our family, our jobs and these things are continually changing and never fixed. People and tasks change. Our thoughts and feeling come and go. Our bodies age, get sick and will eventually die.

This hatha yoga class is called the dance of experience. Experience comes into being for a little time, in a certain form, then it ends and a new form replaces it moment by moment. Our dance with experience arises in the present moment, does it dance and then disappears. We are a constantly changing process, not a fixed being. In this way, we can appreciate the mystery of our lives as they unfold in each moment.

The teachings in this class are inspired by Jack Kornfields book, A Path with Heart

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

Yoga Postures/Asanas: Front Lying Savasana, Front Lying Twist, Locust Pose or Salabhasana, Ardha Dhanurasana or Half Bow Pose, Cat Pose or Marjaryasana, Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana, Downward Facing Dog, Dancer Pose or Natarajasana, Uttanasana or Standing Forward Fold, Ardha Dhanurasana or Half Bow Pose, Child´s Pose or Balasana, Marichyasana or Marichi’s Pose, Paschimottanasana or Seated Forward Fold, Savasana or Corpse Pose, Bhairava Mudra

If you liked today’s class on acceptance, please press that like button

Let me know what experience is alive for you right now in the comments.

If you know somebody who would benefit from this class please feel free to share the video with them.

Today we did a lot of backbending. If that is challenging in your body, we have several connective tissue videos in our membership community that help to soften the tightness in your upper back, neck, shoulders and psoas.

I´ve included a comprehensive playlist of the connective tissue videos for our members:

Not a member? Click below for more Info

http://www.melissawest.com/membership/membership-sign-up/

Weekly Yoga with Melissa 388 Photos of Yoga Poses

Full Body Yin Yoga with Aprille

Today we have a special guest on Yoga with Melissa - Aprille Walker from The Yoga Ranger Studio. Aprille offers a variety of practices online including Yin Yoga, Restorative, Flow, Pranayama (breath regulation) and Meditation. Aprille invites a turning inwards and quiet reflection in her yoga classes. Her yin yoga offers long holds so that you can be with your own inner experience and that is what I appreciate most about her teaching style.

This practice is all about connecting with your body, mind, and breath through longer held, ground bound poses. We will be beginning at the top of the body and working our way down for a "head to toes" Yin Yoga experience - releasing tension, connecting to our breath, mobilizing our connective tissue, strengthening our bones/joints, and sensing our entire body as a whole.

Yin Yoga is different from more active practices in that you release your muscles in order to mobilize and strengthen your connective tissue, joints and bones - ultimately making these tissues healthier and more stable. There are three main tenets of Yin Yoga:

* Come into the pose at an appropriate depth (differs for each and every person each time they practice) - 2/3 of your maximum pose

*  Resolve to remain still

* Hold the pose and breathe

What is an appropriate depth? Each person has a range of motion (changes day to day, hour to hour sometimes). In Yin, the idea is to find your edge, that point where you at your deepest and take a few steps back to maybe 2/3 of your full depth in the pose. During the hold, you can check in with your body and see if this is enough - sustainable for the whole period of the hold - or if you need to checkin at the "gate". The Gate Theory of Yin Yoga holds that as you check in with your body during the pose, you may find that it is releasing and you can open the gate and go deeper OR you may find you are perfectly well where you are at OR you may find you need to pull back a little more. Each person much gauge this for themselves. Any pain - sharp, shooting, causes breathlessness - is BAD and you should back out of the pose or come out altogether. However, feeling pulling, deep stretching, tightening is completely normal.

Resolve to remain still. In a world where we are overwhelmed and overbooked, this concept can be quite hard to put into practice. In Yin Yoga, we are in the pose for and extended period and most people find themselves fidgeting quite a bit. I always suggest you get your "settling in" movements out in the first minute and then focus on your breath and checking in with your body to keep you still and in the moment.

Hold the pose. Here's where the first 2 principles really come in. Beginners often hold the poses 1-3 minutes. More experienced practitioners of Yin will hold poses 4-8 minutes. If you are at your appropriate depth and are settled in to stillness, time will not be a huge issue for your body but your mind might feel otherwise. This is where my 4th principle comes in - be patient with your mind and body, breathe deeply, notice how you feel and resolve to use this time to turn inwards and find peace and quiet. Some poses are more difficult some days and you will need to really focus!

One last note on HOW to practice Yin Yoga - focus on releasing the tension of the muscles, the body as a whole - while breathing into those areas with the most tension. This will facilitate your overall experience and you will experience more softness in the poses.

Thank you for practicing with me today - Peace & Namaste, Aprille

Poses or Asanas in this practice: Supported Fish or Matsyasana (variation), Banana Pose or Bananasana, 1/2 Twisted Ropes,

Full Body Yin Yoga with Aprille Today we have a special guest on Yoga with Melissa – Aprille Walker from The Yoga Ranger Studio. Aprille offers a variety of practices online including Yin Yoga, Restorative, Flow, Pranayama (breath regulation) and Meditation. Aprille invites a turning inwards and quiet reflection in her yoga classes. Her yin […]

Full Body Yin Yoga with Aprille

Today we have a special guest on Yoga with Melissa – Aprille Walker from The Yoga Ranger Studio. Aprille offers a variety of practices online including Yin Yoga, Restorative, Flow, Pranayama (breath regulation) and Meditation. Aprille invites a turning inwards and quiet reflection in her yoga classes. Her yin yoga offers long holds so that you can be with your own inner experience and that is what I appreciate most about her teaching style.

This practice is all about connecting with your body, mind, and breath through longer held, ground bound poses. We will be beginning at the top of the body and working our way down for a “head to toes” Yin Yoga experience – releasing tension, connecting to our breath, mobilizing our connective tissue, strengthening our bones/joints, and sensing our entire body as a whole.

Yin Yoga is different from more active practices in that you release your muscles in order to mobilize and strengthen your connective tissue, joints and bones – ultimately making these tissues healthier and more stable. There are three main tenets of Yin Yoga:

* Come into the pose at an appropriate depth (differs for each and every person each time they practice) – 2/3 of your maximum pose

*  Resolve to remain still

* Hold the pose and breathe

What is an appropriate depth? Each person has a range of motion (changes day to day, hour to hour sometimes). In Yin, the idea is to find your edge, that point where you at your deepest and take a few steps back to maybe 2/3 of your full depth in the pose. During the hold, you can check in with your body and see if this is enough – sustainable for the whole period of the hold – or if you need to checkin at the “gate”. The Gate Theory of Yin Yoga holds that as you check in with your body during the pose, you may find that it is releasing and you can open the gate and go deeper OR you may find you are perfectly well where you are at OR you may find you need to pull back a little more. Each person much gauge this for themselves. Any pain – sharp, shooting, causes breathlessness – is BAD and you should back out of the pose or come out altogether. However, feeling pulling, deep stretching, tightening is completely normal.

Resolve to remain still. In a world where we are overwhelmed and overbooked, this concept can be quite hard to put into practice. In Yin Yoga, we are in the pose for and extended period and most people find themselves fidgeting quite a bit. I always suggest you get your “settling in” movements out in the first minute and then focus on your breath and checking in with your body to keep you still and in the moment.

Hold the pose. Here’s where the first 2 principles really come in. Beginners often hold the poses 1-3 minutes. More experienced practitioners of Yin will hold poses 4-8 minutes. If you are at your appropriate depth and are settled in to stillness, time will not be a huge issue for your body but your mind might feel otherwise. This is where my 4th principle comes in – be patient with your mind and body, breathe deeply, notice how you feel and resolve to use this time to turn inwards and find peace and quiet. Some poses are more difficult some days and you will need to really focus!

One last note on HOW to practice Yin Yoga – focus on releasing the tension of the muscles, the body as a whole – while breathing into those areas with the most tension. This will facilitate your overall experience and you will experience more softness in the poses.

Cycles

Those of you who have an ongoing yoga practice will recognize that your spiritual journey is a endless journey of transformation. Today´s hatha yoga is about the cycles on our path. Whether these cycles come from our inner needs or our external circumstances we can respect the changes that these cycles bring about in our lives.

The cycles of our yoga and meditation journey will take us high and low and in and out. Sometimes it will feel like we are riding the roller coaster of the ascending and descending journey. We will experience a beautiful spiritual high and coast for awhile and then descend into the darkest depths. Our spiritual journey directs us on inner and outer cycles as well. There are times when we will be pulled towards our own inner work and other times when we want to be involved in our outer lives.

These cycles parallel the cycles of our bodies from waking and sleeping, to women's menstrual cycles, our breathing and the cerebro spinal fluid that bathes our brain. In nature there are the cycles of the moon, the tide, day to night, the seasons. Cycles are all around us. There are times when we are called to grow, sustain and let go and we can honour the timing of those cycles in our lives.

Our yoga and meditation practice gives us the ground of calm abiding so that we can clearly see what cycle we are in and accept its spiritual task. Reflect on what cycle you are in right now? Currently I am going through a cycle of inner work spurred on by outer relationships. I am going through a period of clear seeing. During this cycle I can see all the ways I continually turn away from my own pain and hurt and how I contribute the the anger, aggression and drama in my closest relationships. It is a powerful and painful realization and one that is causing much grief, sadness, tenderness, compassion and a desire to pull inwards.

Jack Kornfield says that often we wish our own emotional work was done wo that we could open to the next level. However he urges us to honour the rhythms and cycles of our feelings and emotions as well.

Yoga Postures or Asana: Keyhole or Figure Four Stretch, Luv Vinyasa, Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana, Half Squat, Moon Salutation or Chandra Namaskar,  Janu Sirsasana or Head Beyond Knee Pose, Savasana or Corpse Pose, Kilaka Mudra II

This class was inspired by Jack Kornfield´s A Path with Heart

Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu

If you liked today’s class on acceptance, please press that like button

Today I shared what cycle I am currently experience in my spiritual practice. I would love to hear what cycle you are currently experience in your life in the comments. Are you on an inner or outer cycle, an ascending or descending journey. Let me know.

If you know somebody who would benefit from this class please feel free to share the video with them.

Thank you so much for your donations: Sonja from Australia, Diane from Nova Scotia, Donna from Saskatchewan, Renee from Amanda Ohio.

Your donations help us to make this yoga podcast available to you each week by paying Tim and I a living wage and we appreciate that!

Today we focused on cycles. We have a moon cycle group within our membership community that supports you through the moon cycle each month with bi-monthly reflection and supporting yoga classes on the new moon and full moon as well as lively discussions. We would love to welcome you into our yoga community and support you through the cycles of your life.

https://www.melissawest.com/membership/membership-sign-up/

Weekly Yoga with Melissa 386 Photos of Yoga Poses