Yoga with Melissa

Yoga Nidra for Depression | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #4 | YWM 707

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Welcome to the second month of our Navigate Your Nervous System Series. This is the fourth class in the series.  

This Yoga Nidra for Depression is a compassionate practice designed to support those navigating the weight of depression by fostering gentle connection, self-compassion, and a sense of safety. Drawing from the teachings of Deb Dana and Polyvagal Theory, this guided journey helps you tune into your body’s natural intelligence, acknowledging the protective role of the nervous system. 

Through mindful awareness, you will be invited to explore the dorsal vagal response, which can manifest as disconnection or numbness, and gradually shift toward states of connection and ease. With each step, you'll be guided to honor your body’s responses with kindness, without rushing or forcing change.

In this practice, we use tools like mindful breathing, awareness of opposites, and a compassionate body scan to gently reconnect with yourself. As you move through the practice, you will be invited to hold space for yourself with compassion, curiosity and non-judgment. The practice encourages a deep sense of self-compassion, allowing you to return from the experience with a renewed sense of connection and safety, both within your body and in your external world.

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

Playlist for the Navigate Your Nervous System Series: CLICK HERE

12 Yoga Poses for Positive STRESS Response | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #3 | YWM 706

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

In the third class of the navigating your nervous system series, we will explore sympathetic activation. Over the last two weeks we have explored the “negative” sides of the “fight and flight” responses of your sympathetic activation. However, in this class we will explore how sympathetic activation can often be employed for positive outcomes in our bodies and throughout our day. 

In this class, we explore the concept of navigating the nervous system through mindful movement and breath, embracing the sympathetic nervous system’s activation as a natural and necessary part of life. Stress, when managed with care, can become a source of growth, learning, and resilience. By working through postures that activate and release stress, we practice balancing sympathetic arousal with relaxation, recognizing that stress signals engagement in meaningful aspects of our lives. Throughout this practice, we cultivate compassion, allowing ourselves to move through stress with kindness and a deeper understanding of its role in our personal evolution.

12 Yoga Poses for Positive Stress Response Sequence

Spinal Warm Up

Kapalabhati Breath

Frog Pose

Lunge

Pyramid

Knocking on the Door of Life

Knocking on Meridians

Breath of Joy

Uttanasana

Camel

Child's Pose

Reclined Twist

Props Needed: Yoga blocks, bolster, meditation cushion 

Go to 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/   to download your Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat sheet

Yin Yoga to Release Anger & Frustration | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #2 | YWM 705

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/  

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 

Welcome back to the Navigate Your Nervous System Series! This will run through September & October here on YouTube and in our membership community. This week, we will continue exploring your Flight Response of your nervous system, with anger, frustration and irritation. 

Physiological responses of your nervous system under threat “fit in, fawn, fight, flight and freeze” have corresponding emotions and behaviors 

Your Sympathetic Nervous system fight response begins with irritation, moves to frustration, then anger, then rage as the threat or perceived threat escalates 

Anger, frustration, irritation and resentment are the emotions associated with the liver organ system and wood element season. Throughout this class I will guide you into yin yoga postures and teachings about anger and the nervous system from my book, Five Element Yin Yoga. 

Our members will get and an elevated, deep dive into a PREMIUM ELITE TIER where they navigate fitting in responses of the vagus nerve in September. This week they will receive teachings on boundaries and a yoga class on having Strong and Flexible Boundaries. 

Props: Blocks, Blanket, My book 

Poem: A Great Wild Goodness by Annie Lighthart 

Go to 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/   to download your Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat sheet 

📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/

Yoga for Anxiety | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #1 | YWM 704

Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/ 

Welcome to the Navigate Your Nervous System Series! This will run through September & October here on YouTube and in our membership community. We will begin by exploring the Flight Response of your nervous system with Anxiety. 

This class has several nervous-system sensitive tools to bring to the yoga class from grounding, resourcing, orienting, sounding, breathing, self-contact, and as always trauma informed cueing. 

This class combines the best of classic hatha yoga along with some qigong inspired flows. 

I have a gift for you - a Navigate Your Nervous System PDF download - today we will be going through the Flight Response in the Sympathetic Nervous System - September on YouTube we will focus on Sympathetic Nervous System 

Our members will get and an elevated, deep dive into a PREMIUM ELITE TIER where they navigate fitting in responses of the vagus nerve. 

Go to melissawest.com/navigate to download your Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat sheet 

Props Needed: Yoga Strap, yoga blocks, 

Poem: Primary Wonder by Denise Levertov

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In this Yoga Nidra for sleep session, inspired by modern sleep science and ancient yogic wisdom, we will explore the essential, non-negotiable nature of sleep as described in Matthew Walker’s book, "Why We Sleep." Sleep is crucial for the daytime functioning of our brains and bodies, but in today's fast-paced world, we find ourselves not just physically tired, but also mentally and emotionally exhausted. Our nervous systems are overworked, and our spirits are in dire need of regeneration. This Yoga Nidra session will guide you into a deep, restorative sleep by addressing not only the physical need for rest but also the mental, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion that many of us face.

As yogis, we recognize that sleep transcends the material world. Our physical bodies are just one aspect of our sleeping experience. In this Yoga Nidra practice, we will step into a realm where our energy bodies, mental bodies, emotional bodies, and intuitive and imaginative capacities are also nurtured and restored. By allowing total relaxation to permeate all dimensions of our being, Yoga Nidra offers a profound level of rest and recuperation. This multidimensional rest is what makes Yoga Nidra so effective in enhancing our sleep quality. Join me, Melissa West, as we journey together into a state of complete relaxation, allowing every aspect of our being to be rejuvenated and restored.

There will be no close-out in this yoga nidra so you can drift off into deep sleep. As always, there will be an audio download of this yoga nidra for members in our membership community.

Yin Yoga for Kidney Meridian | Rest & Reset Series #5 | YWM #702

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The kidneys are the essence of your energy body, serving as the root of your life force and the reservoir of your deepest nourishment. By pulling and pressurizing the tissues of the kidney meridians in our yin yoga practice, we gather all the scattered energy and draw it inward to connect with our true nature. This practice allows us to slow down, breathe into our lower back and kidneys, and cultivate the deep, quiet pool of energy in our lower dantien. This is a practice of rest and deep renewal. Our practice honors the softer edges, nurturing ourselves for authentic healing and rejuvenation.

In this yin yoga class, we will use our breath and visualization to gather and direct the flow of qi in our bodies. The principles of yin guide us to find a balance between comfort and challenge, fostering change and ease simultaneously. The kidneys, work overtime when we are stressed, pushing on even when we are exhausted. By cultivating an appropriate rhythm and living in balance, we can rebuild our vital life force. This class allows us to pause, move qi into the bones and deeper connective tissues, and create space for energy and inspiration to emerge within us. Through stillness and softening, we support our kidney meridians, recharging our energy.

Yin Yoga for Kidney Meridian Sequence 

Centering 

Child’s Pose 

Butterfly 

Dragonfly

Reclined Twist

Savasana 

Poem: Self-Care by James Crews

In this Nervous System Yin Yoga class, part 4 of our Rest & Reset Series, you'll embark on a transformative journey designed to release stress, tension, and anxiety. By focusing on the Bladder Meridian, which runs along either side of your spine and down the backs of your legs, we will pull and pressurize the tissues to affect your nervous system.

This practice will release stress, tension and anxiety as it helps to relieve muscle tension, improve the flow of qi, and stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system. You will learn to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is essential for rest and recovery, allowing you to move away from the constant state of fight-or-flight that depletes your energy and leaves you feeling exhausted.

Pulling and pressurizing the tissues along the Bladder Meridian releases emotional tension. By the end of this session, you will feel a deep sense of calm and relaxation, ready to face life with renewed energy. Join me, Melissa West, for this soothing yin yoga practice with a special focus on restoring balance and harmony in your nervous system.

Nervous System Yin Yoga Sequence:

Toe Stand

Hand to Big Toe Pose

Half Happy Baby Pose

Reclined Twist

Half Dragonfly

Savasana

Poem: In the Flow by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

Props Needed: BLocks, Bolster, Blanket, strap

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Restorative Yoga to Replenish Energy Reserves | Rest & Reset Series # 3 | YWM 700 

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Welcome to a very special milestone, my dear Yoga with Melissa YouTube Yoga Community! This is the 700th episode of Yoga with Melissa, and I am so grateful to have you all with me on this daily yoga journey. To celebrate, I have a special class, designed to deeply replenish your energy reserves.

In this restorative yoga class, we will embrace the art of restoring our energy with LONG holds—700 seconds per pose, which is about 11.5 minutes each. These extended holds are a tribute to our 700th episode, symbolizing not only the depth and longevity of our practice together over the last 15 years, but also the potential of restorative yoga to replenish our energy reserves. 

What to Expect:

Deep Relaxation: Each pose will be held for 700 seconds, allowing you to sink deeply into relaxation and truly let go. These long holds will help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, promoting profound rest and recovery.

Energy Replenishment: Through these restorative poses, we'll focus on gently opening the body and encouraging the free flow of energy. This practice is designed to help you recharge your energy reserves, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Stillness & Silence: The extended time in each pose will give you the space to cultivate quiet and peace, creating a parasympathetic nervous system state that supports both rest and renewal.

Let’s honor this incredible journey together with a practice that embodies the essence of restorative yoga—long, luxurious holds that allow you to reset and recharge deeply. 

Thank you for being part of this yoga with Melissayoutube community, and here’s to many more episodes of yoga nidra, restorative yoga, yin yoga, hatha yoga and qigong yoga flows.

Join me for this special class, and let’s celebrate the 700th episode of Yoga with Melissa in the most relaxing and rejuvenating way possible.

Yours in Yoga, Melissa

Restorative Yoga to Replenish Energy Reserves Sequence: 

Restorative Locust Pose 

Restorative Child’s Pose 

Restorative Twist 

Restorative Fish 

Savasana 

 

Poem: Of Goodness by Mary Oliver 

 

Props Bolster, Blocks, Blankets, Eye Pillow

It is easy to feel burned out and running on fumes, especially in summer when high temperatures make doing life even more exhausting. This qigong yoga flow is designed to nourish the kidneys so that we can recover and store energy.

Our kidneys are responsible for storing and distributing our vital energy throughout our body, so if we are looking to recover energy, this is the best place to create an energy reserve within.

The kidneys are the root of life and provide the fundamental energy we need for our physical strength and endurance. Join me for this qigong yoga flow class where we will recover and store energy in our kidney organ system.

Yoga Nidra | Healing Power of Rest | YWM 698

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✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 

Welcome to the first class in the Rest and Reset Series. 

This 70 minute yoga nidra for healing is a deeply healing and restorative guided meditation for when you need physical and emotional healing. Deep rest is essential to our overall physical, mental and emotional well-being. When we take time to deeply rest, our bodies can be healed at a cellular level. Our parasympathetic nervous system, lymphatic system and organs can do their natural work of repair. When you are experiencing illness, pain and emotional depletion this guided meditation for deep inner healing will allow you to tap into your own body’s innate capacity for healing. 

In this yoga nidra meditation for healing we will trace your awareness through the network of cells, tissues, and organs to improve the free flow of energy along the pathways for your body’s wellbeing. This meditative sleep yoga allows you to open your awareness into different parts of your body to mobilize your own innate healing power. This free flow of energy will greatly assist your body’s innate healing capacity.

This return to your inner world for healing is a kind of revolution. One that puts aside the demands of our capitalist consumer culture, one that demands that we are aways producing and doing. Because there is a part of your inner being that knows there is deep value in rest and repair, we can call upon it to support us in our healing. This is a radical act of reclamation and the first step towards healing our world. 

I hope you enjoy this extra long yoga nidra. 

May all beings be healthy. 

May all beings be at ease. 

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