Yoga with Melissa: Recent Episodes
Dr. Melissa West
Every Friday morning Dr. Melissa West releases a one hour free yoga class for you to enjoy. She is a yoga instructor who helps people to surrender to peace in their lives by connecting to the vital energy within their body through breath, cultivating optimal functional movement by harnessing the power of gravity and increase overall mobility by creating more suppleness in the spine.
When lower back pain makes it difficult to sit, stand, walk or even lie down comfortably, it can feel as though there is no safe way to move. Maybe the pain returns every morning, flares “out of nowhere,” or has left you carefully monitoring every bend and twist. Perhaps you have tried stretching, strengthening, physiotherapy or chiropractic care and still feel at your wit’s end. This gentle 35-minute yoga practice offers a simple place to begin, with easy-to-follow movements to help ease tension, mobilize your spine and hips, and help your body feel less guarded. At the end, I will guide you through a short somatic experiment that may reveal how much effort you are using to protect your back and what else might be possible.✨ The real gold is inside my Inner Radiance Membership, where we move beyond temporary relief and explore how to rebuild comfort, movement choice and confidence.In Lower Back Pain Relief | Somatic Movement Education, our new 60-minute class, you will discover how to move so your lower back does not have to do everything.In Lower Back Pain Flare-Up Relief | When Every Position Hurts, you will receive a gentle 30-minute practice for those difficult moments when sitting, standing and lying down all feel uncomfortable. Join the membership to access both complete classes and learn how to inhabit and move with your back differently: https://www.melissawest.com/membership#yogaforbackpain #lowbackrelief #gentleyoga
state and finding your baseline of safety.Month 2: Expand Your Capacity – Learn to grow your nervous system’s resilience so you can handle life’s stressors with more ease.In addition to these programs, members enjoy an extensive library of somatic movement education classes designed to help you inhabit your body with more freedom and less pain.Join us here and start your journey: https://melissawest.com/membership
or unnecessary tension. In this class, we move away from high-intensity precision and instead focus on ease, coordination, and relational movement.Many traditional Pilates classes focus on isolating muscles, which can often lead to aching shoulders and neck strain. Through my somatic lens, I’ll show you how to distribute effort throughout your entire body, allowing your core to strengthen naturally as part of a whole-body symphony.In this 30-minute somatic pilates session, you will: Learn to move with ease rather than force. Widen participation across your body to reduce muscle over-recruitment. Improve coordination and find your natural alignment. Build sustainable core strength that feels good in your body.Whether you’re new to Pilates or looking to rediscover it through a gentler, somatic approach, this class is for you. We start with total body awareness, ensuring every movement is easeful and effective.If you enjoyed this somatic approach to strength, let me know in the comments! How did your body feel moving with ease today?#beginnerpilates #corestrength #somatics
Release the grip of exhaustion through gentle, easy attention. Support your nervous system’s natural recovery. Experience deep rest that refreshes your energy.This is a practice of total permission. Over the next 30 minutes, you have nothing to do and nowhere to be. Whether you stay awake or drop into sleep, you are exactly where you need to be. All parts of you, including your exhaustion, are welcome here.
for those struggling with seasonal sleep disruptions. Whether you are dealing with a busy mind or a restless body, join me on the mat to exhale the day’s tension and prepare your entire being for a night of profound, cooling, and uninterrupted sleep.For more nourishing practices to support your seasonal well-being, our Yoga with Melissa membership offers a library of Qigong yoga flows and a dedicated 4-week Fire Element course to help you stay balanced all summer long. If you’d like to dive deeper into the theory and practice of the seasons, my book, 5 Element Yin Yoga, features an entire section on the Fire element with specific sequences for the Heart and Small Intestine meridians.Explore more here: Book: melissawest.com/book Membership: melissawest.com/membership
Rest Your Body | Yoga with Melissa 764🌙 If your body is tired but your mind keeps going… this Yoga Nidra is for you.This practice is an invitation into quiet. You are already whole and complete. You have the inner resource of quiet and rest within you. In this Yoga Nidra we explore:✨ quieting mental noise✨ resting the nervous system✨ sensing opposites✨ receiving support✨ allowing the breath to soften naturallyIf you practiced today, I’d love to hear:What shifted for you during the practice? 💛And if you want more support for deep rest, sleep, nervous system regulation, and restoration…Inside my membership community there are over 100 downloadable Yoga Nidra recordings you can listen to anytime in your earbuds 🌙✨ Join us here:https://melissawest.com/membership
Prop-Free Mobility: A full-body Hatha flow that is entirely wrist-free and no-mat friendly. 12 Essential Poses: An updated look at the daily poses you’ve told me have become a cornerstone of your practice. Somatic Grounding: Techniques to help you feel centered and connected to nature.This practice is ideal for those who prefer standing yoga or have limited mobility. Whether you are a beginner or a long-time practitioner of Hatha yoga, these movements will help you maintain balance and vitality every single day.Resources mentioned in this video: My Original 12 Poses Routine: https://youtu.be/5R1CG84aRkI?si=smjXJfVZrWz6ndp9 More Nervous System Support: https://youtu.be/tvceg8unRPQ?si=amM7NBZHKPTqe3ET Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership
to save your day or as a deep evening recovery session, this practice is your safe space to land.✨ Ready to go deeper into Nervous System Regulation? ✨If you are looking for long-term resilience, I have two comprehensive, month-long programs inside our Membership Community specifically designed to heal your nervous system and recover from burnout.Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership
Curious? 👉 https://melissawest.com/membershipIf your neck and shoulders keep tightening even though you stretch, do yoga, and try to relax… you’re not alone. For years I’ve taught yin yoga classes focused on deeper stretching and long holds, and I found in my own body those same strategies were actually creating more tension and even triggering migraines.In this class, we use a simple yin yoga shape to slow things down and notice how tension is being created in your body. You’ll explore small changes in how you use your shoulders, arms, and head so the tension in your neck and shoulders can reorganize. The result is not just temporary relief, but a different way of moving that reduces how much tension builds up throughout your day.If this felt different, this is the somatic movement education approach we return to inside my membership, where you learn how to build this into your everyday movement:👉 https://melissawest.com/membership
Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership If strength training leaves you sore, depleted, or needing days to recover, this class is for you. You can build strength without burning out.You can get stronger. You can build strength without burning out.In this 30 minute gentle yoga class, we work with strength in a way your body can actually take in and respond to. You will move in a way that stays within your energy envelope, so you are building strength without triggering tension, over-effort, or flare ups.This class is for you if: strength workouts leave you exhausted or needing long recovery your body tightens when you try to build strength you are managing fatigue, pain, or low capacity you want to feel stronger in a way that supports your nervous systemWhat you may notice after this class: your body feels stronger, but not depleted stronger joints with more integrity less gripping in your neck, shoulders, and jaw a gradual building of energy rather than crashingThis is a different way of approaching strength. I love teaching my students to build capacity over time, instead of pushing through the messages of your body.If you want more support with this approach, including somatic movement education and myofascial release, you can join me inside the membership here: https://www.melissawest.com/membership Poem: Almost Effortless by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Tension practice gives your body the time and space it needs to soften those patterns.In this class we stay in poses longer so the deeper connective tissues of the body can respond. We allow your body to gradually release holding in the hips, spine, shoulders, and feet. As the muscles relax, the deeper tissues begin to rehydrate and regain resilience.You may notice: less tension in the neck and shoulders• more space in the hips and spine• relief from chronic tightness patterns• a calmer nervous system• your body feeling more open and supportedThis is a slow, grounding practice that helps unwind the accumulated effort we carry through the day.If this class helps your body feel better, inside our membership we go deeper with myofascial release and somatic movement education. These practices help you get to the root of the tension patterns so they do not keep returning.💕 Join the membership here:https://www.melissawest.com/membershipFor members:Myofascial Release Classeshttps://www.members.melissawest.com/connective-tissue-practices-2/Somatic Movement Education Classeshttps://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/somatics/You can also find my Yin Yoga book here:https://melissawest.com/book/Thank you for practicing with me.
Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Spring invites energy in the body to rise and move again after the quiet stillness of winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this upward movement is governed by the Wood element and the Liver and Gallbladder meridians. When this energy flows smoothly we experience clarity, creativity, and inspired action. When it becomes constrained, it can show up as stress, headaches, irritability, migraines, neck tension, or PMS.This Spring Yin Yoga practice for the Liver and Gallbladder meridians gently opens the inner legs, hips, and side body where these pathways run. As you settle into longer held poses, the nervous system begins to downshift and space is created for qi to circulate more freely. Many students notice that pressure in the head softens, emotional tension settles, and the body feels lighter and more spacious.This class was taken directly from my book Five Element Yin Yoga and offers a seasonal practice designed to help you move with the natural rhythms of spring rather than pushing against them.You will experience: Release of tension along the side body and inner legs • Reduced pressure in the head, neck, and shoulders • Support for hormonal balance during spring • A calmer, more spacious nervous system • A sense of clarity and forward movementWhen we practice in harmony with the season, the rising energy of spring becomes supportive rather than overwhelming.Props Needed: Yoga Strap, blanket, bolster, Poem: Instructions on Not Giving Up - Ada LimónContinue the PracticeThis class is part of a complete 6 week Wood Element Yin Yoga course inside my membership where we explore the Liver and Gallbladder meridians in depth.🌿 Wood Element Yin Yoga Course: https://www.members.melissawest.com/wood-element-course/💕 Join Our Membership Community: http://bit.ly/ywmmembership My Book: This practice comes directly from my book.Get Five Element Yin Yoga here🙏 https://melissawest.com/book/
Wired Nervous System | YWM 757Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership If you feel exhausted but unable to settle…If your body is tired but your mind is still scanning…If you feel wired, tense, or overstimulated…This Yoga Nidra is designed to help your nervous system to downshift into regulation.This yoga nidra practice supports: Improved vagal tone• Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system• Relief from stress and anxiety• Enhanced mind-body awareness • Deeper rest and recovery• Reduced hypervigilance• Greater ease falling asleep• A more regulated nervous system baselineThrough this yoga nidra you will train your nervous system to settle.Even a small shift matters.With repetition, this practice strengthens your capacity to move from wired and braced to steady and supported.Practice regularly to help your body learn how to return to regulation more quickly and with less effort.If you’d like deeper, progressive nervous system training, join us inside the membership community:https://melissawest.com/membership
Deep Nervous System Reset | YWM 756 | 30 mins Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership If you are feeling foggy, mentally tired, or like your thoughts are moving through mud, this restorative yoga practice gives your nervous system the conditions it needs to reset.In this vagus nerve restorative yoga, we rest into fully supported postures to reduce background stress load and settle your mind. Many people notice that when your body is deeply supported, attention naturally becomes more clear.This is a slow practice designed to help you feel mentally clearer. In this class you will: Settle your nervous system through supported restorative poses• Ease mental fatigue and reduce overwhelm• Support clearer attention and steadier energy• Create space for your mind to feel more open and focusedThis practice is especially helpful if you are experiencing: Brain fog or mental fatigue• Stress or cognitive overload• Feeling wired and tired• Difficulty focusing• A need for deep restIf you would like to go deeper, you are warmly invited to join my membership where we explore nervous system stabilization, restorative yoga, somatic movement education, and practices to build real capacity over time:💕 Join here: http://bit.ly/ywmmembershipLet me know in the comments how you feel after the practice. Your experience helps others know they are not alone.Members Link to Glymphatic Self Massage: https://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/yoga-for-cleansing-detox/glymphatic-self-massage-25-mins/
MORNING Yoga for VAGUS NERVE Regulation | Yoga with Melissa 755 Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Start your day with this 30 minute morning yoga practice focused on vagus nerve regulation and nervous system flexibility.In this vagus nerve yoga class, you will explore how breathing and movement support the vagal brake, the mechanism that helps regulate heart rate, breathing rhythm, digestion, and your ability to shift between activation and ease. As you move through this practice, you will experience how the nervous system can mobilize for action and then return to steadiness and calm. This flexibility helps daily challenges feel more manageable and supports sustainable energy throughout the day.This morning yoga class includes gentle vagus nerve stimulation through breath awareness, and mindful movement. The sequence focuses on releasing and strengthening the inner thighs, hip flexors, and pelvis while exploring variations of Warrior I and Goddess pose to build both stability and adaptability in your body and nervous system.This class is suitable if you are looking to reset your nervous system, support vagus nerve activation, and begin your day feeling grounded. In this class you will explore:• Vagus nerve breathing exercises• Gentle vagus nerve stimulation through movement• Warrior I variations to build strength and regulation• Goddess pose and hip opening to release stored tension• Nervous system reset through slow, intentional yogaThis Yoga with Melissa morning yoga practice supports nervous system awareness in a practical and embodied way, helping you carry steadiness and responsiveness into the rest of your day.Poem: A Great Shining by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
30 min Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest | Yoga with Melissa 754AD-FREE Yoga Nidra Audios in our membership library: https://melissawest.com/membership This Yoga Nidra for Deep Rest is an invitation to step out of effort and allow your system to settle on its own. The practice is not demanding, guiding you into a state where thinking naturally quiets, your body softens, and vigilance eases without needing to focus, analyze, or try to relax. You may notice a sense of being held, supported, or gently organized from within, whether you remain awake, drift, or fall asleep. Nothing needs to happen for the practice to be effective.Over time, this kind of deep rest supports your nervous system in remembering how to stand down from constant readiness. You may return to this Yoga Nidra when you feel tired but wired, emotionally full, physically depleted, or simply in need of a rest. The effects tend to unfold quietly, influencing sleep, energy, and how you move through your day, without needing to track or manage the outcome.AD-FREE Yoga Nidra Audios in our membership library: https://melissawest.com/membership
Low Back | Slow Release for Tension | YWM 753Over 1, 000 videos in our membership library https://melissawest.com/membership This yin yoga class is designed to gently ease tight hips and lower back through long, supported poses that allow your body to soften rather than brace. We will gradually open the hips from multiple angles and release common holding patterns around the pelvis and spine. Instead of pushing for flexibility, you will give your joints, muscles, and connective tissue time to relax, which helps reduce stiffness, gripping, and that familiar sense of compression in the low back.Over the course of the class, many students notice less pulling in the hips, more ease when standing or walking, and a quieter, more settled feeling in the lower back. This yin yoga for hips and lower back supports long-term comfort, not just a short stretch. The practice helps your body stop compensating through the spine when the hips are tight, which can ease ongoing lower back pain and tension. If you are looking for yin yoga that feels slow, grounded, and genuinely supportive, this class offers a calm, steady way to restore ease and mobility in your hips and low back.Poem: I Thought This Was a Poem about a Lemon by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerOver 1, 000 videos in our membership library https://melissawest.com/membership
Restorative Yoga for a CALM NERVOUS SYSTEM | Yoga with Melissa 752For more nervous system healing: Link to sign up: https://melissawest.com/membershipThis 60-minute restorative yoga class is designed to calm your nervous system. Through restorative yoga with props we will move your nervous system from sympathetic activation, stress and anxiety to a state of calm. This is restorative yoga for the nervous system, oriented toward parasympathetic settling. This restorative yoga is designed to calm you down. This is a full restorative yoga 1 hour practice designed for nervous system regulation and healing. This class sits inside a larger framework I teach in my membership through the 1 month Settle Your Nervous System program. That program looks at how activation shows up across the body, thoughts, speech, and daily actions, and how regulation is rebuilt slowly over time. If this restorative yoga class resonates, the program offers a way to work with nervous system healing. Link for members: https://www.members.melissawest.com/roadmap/nervous-system-stabilization-settle-your-nervous-system/ Link to sign up: https://melissawest.com/membership
Transitioning into Winter’s Deep Rest Yoga Nidra | Yoga with Melissa 751💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Receive emails from me: https://bit.ly/melissamail As the light fades and winter draws us inward, this Yoga Nidra supports a deliberate transition into long, deep rest. Winter is a gestation phase, a return to the dark where energy gathers and reorganizes. In nature, hibernation is a biological necessity. Bears slow their heart rates, breathe less often, and conserve life force so that renewal becomes possible. We carry the same seasonal intelligence. When we choose rest, our cells repair, our immune system recalibrates, and the nervous system settles into coherence. This practice invites you to question the cultural push toward constant output and instead attune to stillness, intuition, patience, and the quiet reset that winter naturally offers.Before you settle in, create your own hibernation den. Dim the lights. Support your body with a pillow or bolster under your knees if needed. Add a blanket for warmth and an eye pillow to help you drop into the winter darkness. This Yoga Nidra is a sanctuary for retreat, restoration, and receiving. As you rest, you align with the earth’s rhythm rather than resisting it. Choosing deep rest in winter is not withdrawal; it’s participation in a larger cycle. It’s a way of honouring your place in nature and letting your body remember its own timing.I’m enjoying the winter section of my book right now: Five Element Yin Yoga. Go to the blue tabs for water element and winter. Book: ➡️ https://melissawest.com/book/
ll focus on poses that gently open the hips and back, key areas for holding stress, while naturally activating your parasympathetic nervous system. By holding these shapes, we stimulate the vagus nerve to foster deep regulation, relaxation and a calm mind. Use this time to unplug, find inner peace, and release emotional tension from your body.Timeline:Figure Four Pose Child’s PoseReclined Twist Butterfly Forward Fold (Half Butterfly) Legs up the Wall Savasana Props: Wall, bolster, 2 blocks, blanket, (options will be given if you don’t have these) Poem: A Prayer for Everyday by Julia Fehrenbacher
Breathwork for when you feel 😩DRAINED 🥱YWM 748Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipBook: ➡️ https://melissawest.com/book/When you’re feeling emotionally exhausted, overstimulated, or simply too tired to push through another thing, this Restorative Yoga and Breathwork for when you feel drained offers a cozy space to rest deeply and recover your energy. In this 60-minute Melissa West restorative yoga class, we’ll combine gentle breathwork and fully supported postures using props like a bolster, blankets, and pillows to help your nervous system shift from depletion to calm. You’ll soften tension in your low back, slow your breathing, and reconnect to an inner sense of safety and peace.This restorative yoga for overwhelm and burnout is designed to help you melt stress, soothe your emotions, and reset your nervous system. It’s perfect as a restorative yoga for emotional healing, a restorative yoga for anxiety, or simply a cozy restorative yoga session at the end of a long day. Whether you’re practicing for peace, nervous system regulation, or emotional renewal, this class will guide you back to grounded presence. 🕯️🌙Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipBook: ➡️ https://melissawest.com/book/
❄️WINTER months Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipBook: ➡️ https://melissawest.com/book/Welcome to this morning yoga to start your day with me, Melissa West 🌅 In the darker, shorter days of autumn and winter, it can be hard to get moving. This gentle morning yoga to wake up sequence is designed to help you ease into your day.. Through soft, mindful stretches, you’ll awaken your body, open your lungs, and bring circulation to your whole system so you can begin your day feeling balanced, and centered.This beginner-friendly morning yoga routine includes cozy movements to stretch stiffness, boost energy, and help you feel good in your body as you move from rest into action. This autumn morning yoga and winter morning yoga flow invites you to meet the day at your own pace. You could practice this in your pajamas!✨ Deepen your seasonal practice In my membership, I guide you through yoga practices that align with the rhythms of the seasons, helping your body and nervous system stay in harmony all year long. Join here ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership📘 Explore the 5 Elements through Yin Yoga In my book 5 Element Yin Yoga, autumn corresponds with the Metal Element (white section) and winter with the Water Element (blue section). Discover how each season supports your energy, emotions, and overall well-being ➡️ https://melissawest.com/book/
Strengthen Your Core |YWM 746 Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership This beginner morning Pilates class is designed to wake you up and help you connect with your core in a way that feels grounded, kind, and sustainable. My intention is to make Pilates accessible for everyone, whether you’re new to it, rebuilding strength, or looking for a more mindful approach that honors your body’s limits. In my own experience, many real-life classes move too fast or expect you to already be strong enough to keep up. They’re often expensive, and lack modifications, so I find I end up with neck pain or even migraines. This class is my offering to bridge that gap so you can experience the benefits of Pilates without strain and I will slowly build while offering lots of modifications and options.We’ll move gently through foundational Pilates exercises that engage your core, wake up your spine, and bring strength and mobility into your morning. You’ll build warmth from the inside out while staying connected to your breath and body. My aspiration is that this practice helps you feel stronger and more at home in your body, while also reminding you that accessible, high-quality movement doesn’t need to be expensive.
Yin Yoga for TIGHT HIPS | Yoga with Melissa 745 Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership✉️ Receive emails from me ✉️ https://bit.ly/melissamail Meet the deep tension that gathers in your hips with this yin yoga class. Through long-held, floor-based poses, you’ll explore the principles of Yin Yoga: choosing an appropriate edge, softening, being still, and staying awhile. These four anchors guide your body to release resistance, deepen your breath and downshift your nervous system into safety. As the connective tissues around your hips, pelvis, and lower back begin to hydrate and unwind, space and ease naturally return to your movement and breath.Energetically, the practice supports the smooth flow of Qi through the Liver, Gallbladder, and Kidney meridians that run through the hips and inner thighs. These pathways are linked with flexibility, emotional release, and grounded vitality.This yin yoga for tight hips is designed to gently unwind deep-seated tension and restore mobility through the hips and pelvis. Invite your body to release long-held tightness in the fascia and connective tissues that surround the hip joints. The extended holds allow these tissues to rehydrate and regain elasticity, improving circulation, nourishing the joints, and expanding your natural range of motion.Beyond the physical release, Yin Yoga supports your nervous system in shifting out of stress and into a state of deep rest. As your body settles, your parasympathetic response is activated, calming the mind and dissolving habitual guarding patterns. Poem: In the Quiet After by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerProps: Blocks, Blanket, Bolster Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership✉️ Receive emails from me ✉️ https://bit.ly/melissamail
Melt Away Stress | Cozy Restorative Yoga | YWM 744Settle into deep calm with this cozy restorative yoga class designed to help you unwind and destress. Through gentle, supported postures and slow, steady breathing, you’ll soothe your nervous system and create space for ease. This class offers a soft landing for when life feels full, helping you release layers of tension, anxiety, and overwhelm while grounding back into the body’s natural rhythm of rest and repair.As you linger in each pose, your body will begin to melt open, your mind will quiet, and your breath will lead you toward peace. This is your invitation to slow down, to reconnect with the quiet underneath the noise, and to experience true anxiety relief. Perfect for evenings or anytime you need a reset, this restorative practice helps you return to balance, supported, soothed, and deeply at ease.Props Needed: bolster, block, chairPoems:Between the Lines by Jeff Foster (adapted)Tree by Jane HirschfieldSitting in a Quiet Room by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerJanuary by Betty Adcock
This ROOT CHAKRA VAGUS NERVE YOGA is SO nourishing 🌿 safety, calm + ease in your body | YWM 743 Full month vagus nerve + nervous system practices inside ➡️ https://melissawest.com/membershipWhen life feels like it’s rushing you forward and your body responds with tightening, bracing, and agitation, this Root Chakra Vagus Nerve Yoga practice will help you slow down and reconnect to safety. Fear, rushing, fixing, and the feeling of being wired or overstimulated are all signs of sympathetic activation in the nervous system. This class is designed for anyone who wants to shift out of fight-or-flight and back into calm, ease, and resourcing. If you struggle with anxiety, low back tension, digestive discomfort, or a constant scanning for “what’s wrong,” this practice will support you in softening those patterns and coming home to your body.In this nourishing class we’ll connect the Root Chakra and Vagus Nerve through gentle movement, grounding awareness, and emotional regulation. Like the roots of a plant, your root chakra invites you to reach down into the ground for nourishment and stability. By pairing this with vagus nerve yoga you’ll invite your body into a state of calm where you can not only survive, but thrive. This practice is ideal for beginners and experienced students alike who want a safe, grounding, and resourcing yoga class. Join me, Melissa West, for this root chakra yoga for beginners, hatha yoga, and vagus nerve reset yoga to experience safety, calm, and ease in your body.🌿 If you love this class, I’ve dedicated an entire month to the vagus nerve and nervous system inside our Revive and Thrive Incubator. You’ll find a full library of practices designed to restore balance, regulation, and resilience. Become a member today ➡️ https://melissawest.com/membership
Autumn Yoga Nidra | Yoga with Melissa 742 Prepare to Conserve Your Energy this Autumn: https://melissawest.com/membership This Melissa West Yoga Nidra for Autumn is a 30-minute yoga nidra meditation created to help you align with the natural rhythm of the fall season. In autumn, nature turns inward light fades, leaves fall, and the season reminds us of impermanence and the preciousness of our human life. This autumn yoga nidra invites you to let go of busy-ness, productivity, and the weight of what no longer serves you. By releasing into stillness, you create space for renewal and conservation of energy, preparing for the deeper rest of winter. Whether you are searching for Melissa West Yoga Nidra for autumn sleep, fall yoga nidra, or yoga nidra for sleep, this practice will guide you into profound restoration.As you rest, your nervous system is gently restored, your energy conserved, and your body attuned to the wisdom of the season. Allow yourself to be supported as you plant seeds of stillness and clarity that will carry you through the months ahead.If you feel called to go deeper, our REST Incubator will support you in preparing to conserve your energy this autumn season, offering you a container of practices, guidance, and community: https://melissawest.com/membershipAlready a member? This is the perfect season to take advantage of your REST incubator: https://www.members.melissawest.com/r-e-s-t-incubator/
GENTLE PILATES for BEGINNERS | At-home Mat Pilates (No Equipment) YWM 741 Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership Discover the foundations of Pilates in a way that is truly accessible for complete beginners. This gentle, mat-based class is designed to support your body and your nervous system, offering a calm and steady introduction you can return to anytime. With no equipment required, you’ll be guided step by step through simple movements that build strength and stability while keeping your body and mind at ease.Together, we’ll explore five key principles of Pilates in a supportive way: awareness of sensation, guiding your movement with care, centering from your core, attunement to your body’s feedback, and breathing that feels natural and unforced. These principles create a safe, steady foundation so you can move with more clarity, confidence, and connection.
Post-Walk Yoga Stretch | Ideal for 10,000-Step Days | YWM 740Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipIf you walk 10,000 steps a day, this beginner-friendly yoga for walkers class is the perfect way to recover, release tension, and keep your goal of walking 10 000 steps a day. This yoga for walking sequence includes walking stretches and walking stretching exercises designed specifically for after you walk. We’ll focus on walking stretches that relieve muscle soreness in your lower body and open your upper body for better posture. This class includes after walking stretches like a walking quad stretch, walking hamstring stretch, walking calf stretch, hip flexor release, glute and IT band stretches, plus simple myofascial release for your feet to care for your plantar fascia.This walking stretching workout supports the muscles most active during walking while also helping you stand with better posture. Alongside the lower body focus, you’ll open your chest and shoulders to counteract rounding from long walks or daily posture habits. If you’re looking for walker’s stretch to support a 10,000 steps stretching session, or walking yoga for beginners, you’ll find this routine will help with those sore muscles. Practice it after walking to keep your 10, 000 step walking routine sustainable.In this class, I introduce some MFR (myofascial release) techniques, and inside our membership community I go into much more depth with many more videos to support your connective tissue health.Members can access all of these here: https://www.members.melissawest.com/connective-tissue-practices-2/Not a member yet? Join here: https://melissawest.com/membership
Wake up your whole body and feel your best with this energizing morning yoga practice. In this class, you’ll move through a dynamic flow designed to open your hips, lengthen tight hamstrings, strengthen your core, and challenge your balance. You’ll also work on releasing tension from your upper back and shoulders, helping you start the day with more ease, freedom, and vitality. This well-rounded sequence combines strength, mobility, and mindful movement so you can feel both grounded and uplifted when you step off the mat.This class is perfect for mornings when you want to boost circulation, improve posture, and bring your mind into sharp, present focus. Whether you’re easing into your day or preparing for a busy schedule ahead, the intentional combination of hip openers, balancing poses, and targeted strength work will leave you feeling centered, mobile, and strong. Grab a block, roll out your mat, and let’s practice together.Poem: The Once Invisible Garden by Laura FoleyProps: Yoga Block and strap
Calming Vagus Nerve Yoga | Hatha into Yin Practice YWM 738 Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipThe intention behind this class is to start standing to down regulate your nervous system from a state of activation into a state of regulation so that you can be more comfortable being still. If you come to your yoga mat, especially a class where there is a lot of stillness like yin yoga or restorative yoga and you find a lot of restlessness, it is incredibly important to move that trapped or repressed energy through first before you become still. Then it will be more comfortable when you are still. This combination of hatha followed by yin gives the space to downregulate your nervous system, to release the excess energy that wants to fight or run away to prepare you to become still. So we will start standing with standing postures that release excess energetic tension from the body and gradually make our way to some seated yin yoga poses to be more comfortable in stillness. This is a great practice to release the day, at the end of the day to prepare for bed so you can make that gradual transition from alert and maybe even buzzy to prepare your body to relax, rest and restore through sleep. Props Needed: Yoga Strap, blanketPoem: The Crystal Gazer by Sarah Teasdale We have 22 vagus nerve classes in our membership designed to navigate regulating your nervous system with yoga. Here’s a link for members: https://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/ventral-vagus-activation/ Here’s a link to become a member: ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership
Restorative Yoga When Sick 🤧| Yoga with Melissa 737This restorative yoga class is designed for when you're under the weather, whether it’s a cold like I have or your immune system is struggling. Every pose is supported to help ease congestion and exhaustion, with your head elevated to reduce sinus pressure and gentle postures that encourage lymphatic drainage in the armpits and groin.Throughout the practice, you'll be guided by the poetry of Jeff Foster, his words offer a kind of presence that meets your illness with softness rather than resistance. This class will give you the permission to rest rather than feel any need to push through. Yoga for Immunity Videos on YouTubeBest Video to Prevent Illness Before You Get Sick – Immunity Boost This class is designed to support your immune system by activating your thymus, spleen, and lymphatic pathways while strengthening your energetic boundaries. You’ll finish the class feeling more resilient and grounded.🔗 Members: Click HereBest Yoga Videos Once You Are SickYoga for Recuperation Series: Restorative Yoga for Illness Acceptance – 36 mins Yoga Nidra for Healing – 32 mins (member favourite) Yoga for your Spleen – 25 mins Yoga for your Thymus and Tonsils – 23 mins🔗 Members: Click HereI also love our lymphatic massage videos for prevention and recovery: 🔗 Members: Click Here🧘♀️ Become a Member: https://www.melissawest.com/membership/membership-sign-up/
This MORNING YOGA is SO GOOD ✨ bright, easy + lingers all day | YWM 736 Join our Membership: https://melissawest.com/membershipWake up this morning with a bright, easy, hatha yoga class that will linger all day! This class will open your hips and hamstrings, and release your spine and shoulders. The class builds to variations on triangle pose. There are also some great core strengthening exercises, invigorating breath practices to energize you for the day and a fun forward fold sequence to round out the class. If you are looking for a 45 minute hatha yoga class for your morning routine, I’ve got you covered. Want more like this? Our membership library with over 1,000 ad-free videos, has an entire Morning Yoga section and monthly calendars to support your daily practice.Join us here: https://melissawest.com/membershipPoem: Savasana In Less Than Fifteen Minutes Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer Props Needed: Yoga Strap, Block
This beginner hatha yoga class is actually doable. Designed in my real yoga for real people supportive style, this class invites you to slow down. Don’t worry, this class has only simple movements and an unhurried pace. You’ll find a spaciousness in each posture. You don’t need any previous experience or any props.Expect a kind and confidence-building approach that doesn’t rush or overwhelm. You’ll move through foundational poses that relieve stress and tension, restore your energy, and leave you feeling more at ease in your body. This class is both relaxing and low-effort and is suitable for beginners, but I think my more seasoned students will appreciate its simplicity as well! Oh! And for those of you who are looking for a morning yoga class, this is a great class to start your day.Poem: U PICK by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
10 minute Yoga Nidra Full Body Scan | Yoga with Melissa 734Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipThis 10 minute yoga nidra is a short guided practice that will take you through a full body scan.In this 10-minute Yoga Nidra, I’ll guide you through a deeply restorative body scan to help you feel both grounded and renewed.Yoga Nidra is a guided meditation that supports your nervous system and offers profound rest. It can be especially helpful for insomnia, anxiety, stress, adrenal fatigue, and more.In this practice, you’ll be invited into a state of conscious rest physically relaxed, mentally calm, and emotionally at ease, while staying awake and aware. You’ll gently move through waking, dreaming, and deep sleep states, all while anchored in the present moment. This guided meditation often brings clarity, stillness, and spacious insight.Research suggests that an hour of Yoga Nidra may be as restorative as four hours of deep sleep. In just ten minutes, allow your body to release tension, your breath to soften, and your awareness to settle into calm.🌿 Ready to go deeper into rest, renewal, and nervous system nourishment?Join us for our month-long REST incubator inside the membership, where you'll be supported with daily restorative practices and a space to truly exhale.Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipYou can find my full yoga nidra playlist on youtube here: Yoga Nidra Playlist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhoiKGTgfb0&list=PLdFcYtDajz23N4cwJUNgJtFsV0wyz7L-D
Morning Deep Wake Up Stretch | Yin Yoga | YWM 733Join our Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipStart your day with deep presence and poetic nourishment in this gentle Yin Yoga practice designed to awaken your body and spirit. Inspired by John O’Donohue’s A Morning Offering, this class invites you to meet the dawn not with urgency, but with reverence. Through long, supported holds and mindful stillness, we soften into the invisible geography of a new beginning, stretching deeply into your side body, shoulders, and hips while tuning into the quiet presence of your breath.Each pose: Broken Wing, Bananasana, Dragon (Lunge), and Fish offers a space to find your appropriate edge, soften into sensation, and stay awhile. These 3-minute holds help rehydrate your fascia, release habitual tension, and invite in emotional clarity. You’ll close the practice with Fish Pose and a re-reading of John O’Donohue’s A Morning Offering, letting the resonance of poetry settle into your cells. Let this be a meditative start to your day.🧘 Props: 2 blocks3 minute holds in posesPoem: John O’Donohue’s A Morning Offering🌊 Ready to go deeper?Join us inside the Yoga with Melissa Membership this June where we’re devoting the entire month to Myofascial Release (MFR) a gentle, science-backed way to hydrate your fascia, restore mobility, and reconnect with your inner energy matrix.You’ll learn how to reorganize your tissue.✨ It’s not just about flexibility. It’s about coherence.✨ It’s not just physical. It’s energetic.When your fascia is hydrated, you don’t just move better you feel more connected, more alive, more in tune.Come experience the transformation that happens when fascia is met with love, pressure, and presence.👉 https://www.melissawest.com/membershipLet’s melt the tension and reawaken your body's living light together.
15 Min Morning Yoga STRETCH to Feel CALM All Day | YWM 731Join Our Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipBegin your day by gently coming home to yourself. In this 15-minute morning yoga stretch, we move with softness and presence, tuning into the steadiness beneath the surface. As you arrive on your mat, you’ll be guided to attune your body, breath, and energy to a grounded rhythm—one that invites clarity, calm, and centeredness to naturally unfold throughout your day.This is a nourishing practice to support emotional regulation, nervous system balance, and inner spaciousness. Whether you woke up feeling rushed, scattered, or just needing a moment of quiet connection, this class offers a steady anchor. Let calm become your resting rhythm and carry it with you into whatever the day brings.🌿 Want to take your stretching to the next level? In June inside our membership, we’re diving deep into fascia-focused yoga. You’ll learn how slow, sustained myofascial release (MFR) can hydrate your tissue, restore elasticity, and support long-term flexibility and emotional resilience. If you’ve been feeling stiff, stuck, or overstimulated, this month is designed to gently unwind and reorganize your system—at the cellular level.✨ Join us for a full month of guided fascia release practices, live sessions, and somatic support: Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership
Restorative Yoga for Digestion & Deep Nervous System Reset | YWM 730 This class is a gentle invitation to return to your body’s natural intelligence. When life feels too fast, too demanding, or too much to process, your digestion often reflects it — through tightness, bloating, or sluggishness. In this practice, we soften the nervous system’s need to control, brace, or push through. You’ll be guided to shift from sympathetic overdrive into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state — where healing, nourishment, and true integration become possible.This class supports both physical digestion and emotional release, using restorative shapes, energetic cues, and frequency alignment to remind your system: you are safe to receive. You don’t need to earn rest. You don’t have to fix or force anything. Let sensation move through without labeling it. Let your breath and presence do the digesting. In this space of allowing, regulation becomes your boundary, trust becomes your medicine, and love becomes your inner rhythm.💛 Want more support for your digestive health? We have a whole section in our video library for members dedicated to digestion — including myofascial release, pranayama, self-massage, restorative yoga, and more. 🧘♀️ 13 classes in total to help you regulate, release, and receive.🔗 Members, access the full digestion series here: https://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/yoga-for-digestion-constipation/🌿 Not a member yet? Join us here: https://www.melissawest.com/membership
Yoga Nidra for Deep Energy Healing | Frequency Repair | YWM 729Embody Your Energetic Blueprint melissawest.com/embody-your-energetic-blueprintThis deeply restorative Yoga Nidra is designed to support energetic healing and frequency repair across all levels of your being—physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and ancestral. Everything you’ve ever experienced leaves an imprint on your body. Over time, these imprints can distort your natural energy flow, creating patterns of pain, fatigue, emotional overwhelm, or disconnection from your soul’s path. Through guided awareness, intention, and subtle sensing, this Yoga Nidra helps you gently release these distortions and reconnect with your original energetic blueprint—the coherent, radiant essence of who you are.Whether you're navigating chronic illness, emotional trauma, spiritual awakening, or ancestral entanglements, this practice invites you to soften into a healing field of coherence and clarity. You'll rotate awareness through your body, reprogram limiting patterns, and allow your nervous system to seal in a new frequency—one aligned with vitality, peace, and truth. This is a safe space to recalibrate, restore, and remember your light. ✨🌟 Ready to take this healing work even deeper? Join me this summer for Embody Your Energetic Blueprint, a powerful 9-week journey through the 9 centers of your Human Design—blended with nervous system wisdom, quantum healing, and deep energetic alignment. This is for empaths, sensitives, and seekers ready to attune to their true frequency.✨ Early bird pricing ends May 15 → melissawest.com/embody-your-energetic-blueprint
Calming Yin Yoga Before Bed | Yoga with Melissa 728🔗 Sign up here to explore your Human Design Energetic Blueprint this summer: https://melissawest.com/embody-your-energetic-blueprint/In this calming yin yoga before bed class, we will gently soften the subtle undercurrents of tension and control that often surface at the end of the day. Through slow, nurturing poses and invitations into wonder, surrender, and deep trust, you’ll soothe your nervous system and open to the quiet healing currents available to you as you drift toward sleep. This practice honors the wisdom of your body’s natural rhythms, allowing you to lay down the day’s burdens and receive the profound support of the Earth and stars that are already holding you.Bedtime is a sacred, liminal threshold where your body, mind, and spirit become deeply receptive. This calming yin yoga practice will help you unwind from mental loops of "fixing" or "doing," and instead guide you into a space of pure receiving — magnetizing nourishment, wisdom, and repair during your sleep. Through breath, stillness, and gentle self-trust, you'll remember: you don’t have to hold it all together. You are already being lovingly carried by the greater field of life itself.Poem: Surrender by Claudia CumminsProps Needed: Yoga Blocks, bolster, blanket 🌟 Ready to go deeper this summer? 🌟 Join me for Embody Your Energetic Blueprint, a 10-week Nervous System-Informed Human Design Summer School! You'll explore how to regulate and honor your energy in a way that's aligned with your soul’s true blueprint — gently, sustainably, and with deep self-trust. Learn more and sign up here: https://melissawest.com/embody-your-energetic-blueprint/ I'd love to journey with you! 🌿✨🙏 If this practice nourished you, I want to thank you so much for being here. Every time you watch, share, or comment, you're helping co-create a space where healing, rest, and true self-expression are possible. By supporting this channel, you're not just watching a yoga video — you're helping grow a community rooted in nervous system gentleness, soul alignment, and deep embodiment. So if you feel called, I invite you to like this video, subscribe to the channel, and share it with someone you care about. It's such a simple way to be part of something meaningful — and it truly means the world to me. 💗
🌈 June – Embody Your Energetic Blueprint: a 9-center Human Design Summer Immersion https://melissawest.com/embody-your-energetic-blueprint/Gratitude as a profound, embodied state that aligns us with the cosmic heart and our multidimensional essence. Gratitude is not just an emotion but a transformative force that connects us to the divine and facilitates our evolution. When we embrace gratitude, we activate a form of prayer that transcends traditional boundaries, leading to a deeper connection with the present moment and the universal flow.Gratitude is a transformative force that fosters healing, clarity, and a harmonious resonance with the universe. When we are humble and surrender in the practice of gratitude, it allows us to receive the full spectrum of light and love available to us. In this class we can wake up with gratitude, recognizing the sacredness in every moment and aligning ourselves with the higher dimensions of consciousness.This gentle full body morning stretch is designed to awaken your body and open your heart. In this class, we meet the day with reverence. We allow gratitude to move through the breath and fom that place of embodied presence, we infuse our day with the energy of devotion and the sacredness of being alive.☀️ Whether you’re just waking up or simply arriving more fully into your day, this class invitesyou to experience gratitude as a frequency… a gentle current beneath every breath.Props: Yoga StrapPoem: Gratefulness by James Crews🌀 Want to go deeper?If the way I teach resonates with you🌞 May – The Solar Plexus Portal: A Nervous System Map for Empaths & SensitivesMembers, this is available as part of your membership.Click here to become a member: https://www.melissawest.com/membership🌈 June – Embody Your Energetic Blueprint: a 9-center Human Design summer immersion. https://melissawest.com/embody-your-energetic-blueprint/I’d love to have you with us.
This Yoga Nidra for Cellular Healing is a portal into deep restoration—where your body’s innate wisdom can come forward and remember how to heal. In this guided practice, you’ll be gently attuned to the intelligence of your cells, the rhythm of your breath, and the quiet coherence of your inner field. Through awareness, golden light, and the frequency of stillness, your nervous system softens, your energy recalibrates, and healing becomes a lived experience.✨ If you’d like to take your rest even deeper, join our Yoga with Melissa Membership. Members receive audio downloads of all my Yoga Nidras, plus access to our month-long REST Incubator—a supportive space to soften, release, and truly restore. You can learn more and join us here: https://www.melissawest.com/membership
Restorative Yoga for Headaches 🤕| Yoga with Melissa 725 If you’re in the middle of a headache or migraine, this class is for you. As someone who experiences them weekly, I know how exhausting and overwhelming they can feel. I also know that most yoga classes marketed for headaches simply aren’t doable when you're actually in it. That’s why I created this minimal-cue restorative yoga class — a quiet, prop-supported practice designed to meet you exactly where you are, without asking anything of you.You’ll remain in inclined, supported positions to reduce head pressure, with optional extras like a heating pad for your neck and shoulders, an ice pack for your head, and an eye pillow if you’re light sensitive. There’s no talking once you are in the poses — just gentle guidance into stillness. My hope is that this practice can be a sanctuary when you need relief, softness, and permission to rest.Props Needed: Bolster, Blocks, Blankets, Chair Optional Extras: Eye Pillow, Heating Pad, Ice Pack 🌿 Looking for more gentle support for headaches and migraines? Inside my membership, you’ll find exclusive classes like:🌀 Headache Soother – using a soft foam roller to gently release fascia around the skull, neck, and shoulders 🌸 Yoga for Headaches & Migraines – blending acupressure, self-massage, myofascial release, and mindful movement to retrain pain pathwaysThese practices are crafted with care from someone who truly understands. You’re so welcome to join us here: ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership
In this slow flow yoga class, we explore the connection between physical flexibility and nervous system adaptability—a key to staying steady in times of change. You’ll move through standing postures that mirror the grounding qualities of lying-down poses, bringing a sense of ease and release into your flexibility practice. This dynamic yet soft sequence includes hip openers, shoulder releases, and flowing movements that encourage a free and easy flow in both body and mind. By embracing flexibility on the mat, we practice meeting life with openness and resilience.We are also in wood element season, the time of spring renewal and growth. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver meridian governs flexibility—not just in our muscles, but in our ability to adapt and flow with life’s transitions. If you want to dive deeper into seasonal wisdom and meridian-based yoga, check out my book on 5 Element Yin Yoga! 📖 💚📖 Explore the Wood Element & Liver Meridian in the green section of My Book ➡️ https://melissawest.com/book/💡 Track Your Nervous System & Recovery with Ultrahuman RingFlexibility isn’t just about movement—it’s about understanding how your body responds to stress and recovery. I’ve been using the Ultrahuman Ring to track my HRV (Heart Rate Variability), sleep quality, and overall nervous system balance, and it has been a game-changer in my practice! If you're curious about biofeedback for your well-being, check it out here.🔗 Ultrahuman Ring ➡️ https://www.ultrahuman.com/ring/buy/global/?affiliateCode=yogalifestylewithmelissa💰 Use Discount Code: MELISSAWEST10 for savings!
Yin Yoga for Liver & Gallbladder Meridian | YWM 723 🌿Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membershipSpring is the season of the Wood Element, when the Liver & Gallbladder meridians guide the smooth flow of Qi (energy). When these meridians are in balance, we feel ease, clarity, and emotional flexibility. However, when Qi stagnates, anger, frustration, and irritation can build up. This Yin Yoga practice supports emotional detox for spring, helping you release stuck emotions, restore flow, and soothe irritation. Using Internal Family Systems (IFS) inquiry, we will explore anger and frustration, allowing them to be seen and gently transformed.This class includes a reading of “I Remember You” by Dave Ursillo and uses blocks and a blanket for support. Let go of tension, clear stagnant Qi, and connect with the free flow of energy within. ✨📖 Want to go deeper? The green section of my book, Five Element Yin Yoga, explores the Wood Element in full depth. ➡️ Get the book: https://melissawest.com/book/🔆 Join us LIVE this Sunday for a Spring Equinox workshop-style class inside our membership! 🌿 Membership ➡️ https://www.melissawest.com/membership
🌙✨ Download this Yoga Nidra for Deep Sleep (Audio Only) & Access Our Full Library: http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 😴💤Yoga Nidra for Deep Sleep | Release Tension & Restore Your Body 😴✨In times of accelerated awakening and transformation, deep rest is more essential than ever. This Yoga Nidra for Deep Sleep is designed to help you release tension, stagnation, and unprocessed emotions held in the body. As we navigate daily stressors, our nervous system may become overwhelmed, activating states of anxiety or shutdown. This practice offers a gentle and supportive space to unwind, process, and surrender into profound relaxation, allowing your body to fully restore during sleep.Through guided awareness and soothing breathwork, you’ll be invited to soften into safety, deepen your rest, and experience cognitive and physical repair throughout the night. Whether you struggle with overactive thoughts, restlessness, or simply want to cultivate more peaceful, nourishing sleep, this practice will guide you into a state of deep stillness—where healing naturally unfolds. 🌙💤📊 Want to Track Your Sleep & Recovery? I use the Ultrahuman Ring to monitor my sleep cycles, HRV, and recovery—helping me optimize deep rest! Get yours here :http://ultrahuman.com/yogalifestylewithmelissa Discount code: MELISSAWEST10📖 Love Yin Yoga? Explore the wisdom of the Five Elements and deepen your practice with my book: 5 Element Yin Yoga – Get Your Copy Here: https://melissawest.com/book/
👉 Join our membership for guided morning yoga practices that fit your energy level—plus 900+ videos to support you all day long! 🧘♀️ ➡️ http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 🔗 Get the Ultrahuman Ring AIR with my special link → http://ultrahuman.com/yogalifestylewithmelissa Discount code: MELISSAWEST10✨ Feeling stretched and open? Take your practice deeper with my book, 5 Element Yin Yoga, where you’ll learn how to balance your energy through the wisdom of the five elements! 🌿📖 👉 https://melissawest.com/book/Start your day with softness and presence in this gentle full-body yoga morning stretch. This 50-minute hatha yoga practice with Melissa West is designed to help you ease into your morning with slow, mindful movement, releasing stiffness and awakening energy. Perfect for beginners and those looking for a calm, grounding start, this sequence focuses on opening your body with gentle stretches that bring balance and flow to your entire body. Whether you're looking for a morning yoga stretch, a beginner-friendly hatha yoga session, or a full-body yoga stretch, this practice will set the tone for a peaceful and centered day ahead.If you love this morning yoga for beginners, explore more with Melissa West's 50-minute yoga classes inside our membership community, where you’ll find a full library of yoga designed to support your body and nervous system every day. Want to take your practice deeper? My book, 5 Element Yin Yoga, is perfect for learning how to balance your energy and cultivate a sense of harmony through yin yoga. Join me on the mat and embrace the day with ease! 🌿✨ Props Needed: Yoga Strap, folded blanket Poem One Morning by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Restorative Yoga for Hips & Low Back | Yoga with Melissa 720 🌿 Ready to take this deeper? Join our membership for a structured journey into nervous system regulation through yoga. ➡️ http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Our hips and lower back hold the energetic tension between flexibility and stability, expansion and support. This restorative yoga practice invites you to explore the deeper psycho-spiritual meaning of these areas through somatic experiencing and Internal Family Systems (IFS), offering space to gently unwind patterns of control, tension, and holding. By settling into long-held, supported postures, we create an opportunity to notice where we grip, where we soften, and where we can invite more fluidity, creativity, and trust in the body's wisdom. Rather than focusing on stored emotions or trauma, this class embraces the hips as a center of life force energy, adaptability, and creative flow, while the lower back reminds us of the balance between personal strength and the need for external support.Through guided awareness and intentional pauses, you will have space to listen to the quieter parts of yourself—the parts that strive to hold everything together and the parts that long to release. With a nervous system-informed approach, this practice encourages small, sustainable shifts in how we meet resistance, how we recover, and how we expand our capacity to move through life with greater ease. Whether you’re feeling physically tight or energetically overwhelmed, this class is an invitation to trust your body's natural rhythm, find grounding amidst change, and cultivate a deep sense of spaciousness within.If this class resonated with you, inside my membership, we are taking this even deeper this month with a guided pathway for Nervous System Regulation Through Spiritual Ascension. Each week, we integrate practices like this one into a supportive community where you can ask questions, receive guidance, and deepen your experience. You can join us inside. 📖 Deepen Your Practice with Yin Yoga – Winter is the perfect time to nourish your low back, kidneys, and water element through deep, replenishing rest. My Yin Yoga book is filled with poses to support your hips and lower back, bringing balance to your body and mind. Get your copy here 👉 https://melissawest.com/book/
Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership This transformative 10-minute yoga nidra is designed to gently clear and renew your energy. Guided by the compassionate and purifying energy of the violet flame, this practice helps release fear, anger, resentment, and guilt while transmuting energies from past traumas, unresolved emotions, and stress into higher vibrations of love, peace, and clarity.Through deep relaxation and guided visualization, you'll invite the violet flame to flow through your body, clearing energetic blockages and creating space for emotional balance and restoration. This practice offers a sanctuary of calm to reset your nervous system, release tension, and reconnect with your inner light. Whether you’re seeking to let go of heavy emotions or refresh your energy, this yoga nidra provides a nurturing, empowering experience of renewal.This 10-minute yoga nidra reset is a condensed version of a powerful energy transmission I did with our members designed to clear and reset your nervous system pathways. In this shorter practice, you'll gently release unresolved patterns, but in the membership version we cleared blockages in your aura, chakras, and energy field, and purified their physical body, thoughts, and emotions. If you are interested in creating space for alignment with your divine essence, supporting spiritual growth, creativity, and a deep sense of inner peace consider becoming a member. 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿Yoga with Melissa recommends consulting your physician or other healthcare provider before starting any yoga or movement program. You should understand that there is a risk of injury associated with participating in any physical movement. This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. By voluntarily participating in this exercise program or using the information provided, you assume all risk of injury to yourself and release and discharge Yoga with Melissa/Melissa West from all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising from use of this video or information therein.
Calming Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga | YWM 718Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉💕Join Our Membership Community 💕This soothing restorative yoga class is designed to gently support your parasympathetic nervous system, focusing on cultivating a healthy balance of ventral vagus and dorsal vagus activation. By the end of the practice, you'll feel deeply relaxed, meditative, and grounded—a state many describe as feeling truly “zenned out.”Calming Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga Sequence Vagus Nerve Reset Restorative Child’s Pose Eye Yoga Restorative Locust Diaphragmatic Breathing Restorative Bridge Mudra for SecurityProps Needed: Bolster, 2 Blocks, meditation cushion or chair
Beginner Yin Yoga Full Body Stretch | Yoga with Melissa 717💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ In this beginner-friendly full-body yin yoga class, we’ll explore the principles of yin: finding your edge, softening, becoming still, and staying for awhile. This quiet, introspective practice focuses on the deeper layers of the body—connective tissues, ligaments, and joints—primarily in the hips, pelvis, and spine. Through longer holds and gentle surrender, you’ll cultivate patience, trust, and a sense of ease while encouraging your nervous system to relax and reset.Whether you’re new to yin yoga or returning to your practice, this class offers a supportive space to slow down, soften, and let gravity do the work. I’ll provide options for props and show you how to use everyday items like pillows or blankets if you don’t have yoga props at home. Join me to release tension, find balance, and welcome the yin qualities of stillness, rest, and compassion.Props Needed: Wall, Blanket, Block, Strap, Bolster (options will be given if you don’t have these props)Poem: After Softening by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
Full Moon Yoga Nidra | December Cold Moon | YWM 714💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ This Full Moon Wolf Moon Yoga Nidra is designed to support your nervous system and guide you through a transformative practice of clearing and release. The Wolf Moon, named for the howling wolves of winter, symbolizes survival, resilience, and the instinctual need for connection and renewal. Under the light of the full moon—when energy builds to its peak—we are invited to let go of fear, resentment, guilt, and other accumulated stressors that weigh on our nervous system. Through this deeply restorative yoga nidra, you’ll access the unconscious patterns and beliefs that keep you stuck in survival mode, using intention and awareness to transmute them into higher vibrational states of love, peace, and vitality.This yoga nidra is not just for the full moon; you can return to it anytime you need to support your nervous system, release stress, or create space for growth and transformation. With the power of the full moon, we’ll clear the energetic pathways in your body, bringing balance and resilience to your nervous system and aligning with your true essence. This practice is a gentle reminder of your capacity to reset, restore, and reconnect with the highest version of yourself. Take this time to honor your need for rest and renewal, and embrace the opportunity to clear what no longer serves you.
Morning Yoga for Winter | Qigong Yoga Flow | Yoga with Melissa 715 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ This 30-minute morning yoga stretch is designed to help you shake off the sluggish, low-energy that comes with winter’s dark, short days. ❄️ The perfect morning yoga for beginners or seasoned practitioners, this qigong yoga fusion class combines simple movements and breathing exercises to bring balance and vitality to your mornings.Transform the stuck, stagnant, slow energy of the most yin time of year into uplifting, flowing energy. This gentle yet powerful morning yoga flow will:✨ Boost vitality✨ Awaken your natural energy✨ Clear mental fog✨ Shake off stagnant emotions✨ Uplift your spiritBy stimulating circulation and breaking up stagnation, this class helps energize your body and awaken your spirit, so you feel ready to take on the day. 🧘♀️Whether you’re feeling lethargic or need to clear stuck energy, this morning yoga for energy will leave you feeling refreshed, focused, and balanced without exhaustion.📌 Perfect for: 30 minute morning yoga sessions Morning yoga for energy and focus Morning yoga for winter morningsJoin me to energize your body, uplift your mood, and awaken your natural vitality with this revitalizing qigong yoga flow. Let’s transform winter’s low, slow energy into vitality and flow. 🌟
Full Moon Yoga Nidra | December Cold Moon | YWM 714💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/This yoga nidra is for your deep rest, an internal retreat designed for the colder months of winter. Consider it a time to recharge, nourish yourself and conserve your energy for the inevitable growth that will arrive in spring.This full moon is a perfect time to rest, recharge, nourish yourself and conserve your energy for the growth of the coming spring.I’m Melissa and here on this channel I offer yoga nidra for deep rest and nervous system resilience.This time of year is a perfect time for visioning and planning your new year and Yoga Nidra is a transformative practice that goes so far beyond rest. It leverages receptive brainwave states to embed intentions deeply, fostering profound personal growth and healing.As always there will be an audio download for our members in our membership community. We have over 80 yoga nidras in our video library and a month-long rest incubator to renew your energy.Like, Subscribe, & Share this practice to inspire others, and together let’s create a ripple of transformation. Let me know in the comments what you are visioning for 2025.
Neck & Shoulder Pain Relief | Yoga Qigong Fusion | YWM 713💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ Start your day feeling relaxed and pain-free with this gentle yoga and qigong fusion class. Suitable for beginners and anyone looking to relieve neck and shoulder tension, this session focuses on moving your body to improve blood flow, release stagnation, and minimize pain. You'll learn how to move with ease, replacing tension with relaxation in every movement.This practice isn't just about your neck and shoulders—it engages your whole body to create a sense of flow and balance. Perfect for the morning, it will leave you feeling refreshed, restored, and ready to take on your day. 💖✨I’m Melissa and here on this channel I offer qigong yoga flows like this that you can practice outside with no props, not even a mat. Imagine a world where people experienced the pain relief of yoga—let’s make that vision a reality together. Like, Subscribe, Share with somebody you love who experiences neck and shoulder pain and put “my neck and shoulders feel so much better in the comments.
💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ Join me for a soothing Full Moon Yoga Nidra as we honor the luminous Full Beaver Moon, the final supermoon of the year, shining larger and brighter in the sky. This unique full moon calls us to gather our inner resources and prepare for the darker winter months, a time of deep rest and gentle reflection. Just as the beaver diligently constructs its lodge in preparation for the cold, we, too, can use this time to clear emotional and mental tension, creating spaciousness within ourselves. By releasing what we no longer need, we open up space for true rest, inviting peace and stillness into our hearts and minds.In this Full Beaver Moon Yoga Nidra, we’ll explore the symbolism of the beaver’s cozy, protective lodge as a source of inspiration for creating safe, supportive environments around and within us. Winter invites us to slow down, conserve energy, and embrace the quiet transformation that comes with inward reflection. As we transition from autumn’s dynamic, transformative energy into the introspective stillness of winter, this practice will guide you to settle into your own inner sanctuary—a place where rest, renewal, and gentle growth can unfold. Let this yoga nidra be your time to pause, to connect with your natural rhythms, and to prepare for the season of quiet introspection ahead.
Yin Yoga for Sleep | Yoga with Melissa 711 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ Prepare to ease into rest with this 60-minute yin yoga for sleep class designed by Melissa West. This evening yin yoga for sleep and relaxation invites you into a receptive, passive state to cultivate deep relaxation. With calming 5-minute holds and abundant options, Melissa West’s Yin Yoga gently guides you through poses that support letting go, softening, and allowing gravity to do the work, mirroring the process of sleep itself. This yin yoga for better sleep class honors the transition to night, encouraging you to welcome stillness, tune into the quietude of yin energy, and align with your body’s natural sleep cues.In this yin yoga for good sleep session, you’ll embrace darkness and enter a healing state of release, guided by Melissa West’s approach to yin yoga for better sleep. By creating an atmosphere of reverence and calming mental activity, this yin yoga to sleep well fosters a sense of inner peace and prepares the body for restful sleep. Melissa West’s Yoga is your companion for slowing down, connecting with your natural circadian rhythms, and opening yourself to the deep restorative powers of yin yoga for sleep. Let this 60-minute yin yoga for sleep journey invite you into a state of surrender and restoration.Yin Yoga for Sleep Sequence Legs Up the Wall Keyhole Frog Bananasana Half Shoe Lace Cat Pulling It’s Tail SavasanaProps Needed: Wall, Blanket, Bolster
Restorative Yoga for Back Pain Relief | Yoga with Melissa 710💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ In this restorative yoga class, we’ll gently explore ways to relieve back pain by cultivating patience, compassion, and self-kindness. Using restorative yoga poses for back pain, we’ll focus on accepting our current experience without forcing change, inviting a sense of openness and ease into the body. This practice is about creating space—both physically and emotionally—to release the layers of tension that often accompany chronic back pain. As we breathe deeply, we’ll calm the mind, activate the vagus nerve, and transition from a state of stress to relaxation.Healing back pain is a journey, not a quick fix. I encourage you to celebrate each small victory, whether it’s finding comfort in a pose, feeling a subtle shift in pain, or noticing an increase in your emotional resilience. Restorative yoga gives us the space to be still, to release stored emotions, and to acknowledge that healing is not linear. Take this time to slow down, breathe deeply, and restore balance, as we allow the body to soften and open to its natural healing.Legs up the Wall Keyhole Supported Bridge Pose Hand to Big Toe Pose Supported Bridge Pose Reclined Twist Child’s Pose in Center Reclined Twist Savasana Props Needed: Wall, Block, Bolster, Yoga Strap
Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/ In this yoga nidra practice, we will explore the deep restorative power of rest to heal from the exhaustion that comes from chronic stress and overwhelm. This session is designed to address dorsal vagal shutdown, a response in the nervous system where the body "shuts down" to conserve energy after prolonged periods of stress. This shutdown can manifest as profound fatigue, emotional numbness, and a need to withdraw from daily life.Many of us, especially those who habitually overwork, over-give, and push past boundaries, experience this kind of depletion. When our nervous system is constantly activated, it can lead to a state of collapse, where both body and mind feel deeply drained.Yoga nidra offers a pathway back to balance. Through this practice, we will create space for deep rest, allowing the nervous system to reset and recover. You will be guided through gentle body awareness, breathwork, and sensory relaxation, inviting your body to move from exhaustion into a state of healing. This practice is a powerful antidote to overdoing, helping you reconnect with your inner reserves and nourish yourself from within.Rest as remedy is central to this yoga nidra, emphasizing the importance of self-care and boundaries as essential tools in preventing further shutdown. Allow yourself the time and space to experience true rest, replenishing your energy and restoring your body’s natural rhythm.Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/ Playlist for the Navigate Your Nervous System Series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdFcYtDajz211W6al_imYcQfdPOL9l7Gn&si=IAA2LjVl1gOEOIVj
Yoga Nidra for BurnoutNavigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/ Welcome to the second month of our Navigate Your Nervous System Series. This is the fifth class in the series. Burnout occurs when our body gets stuck in the dorsal shutdown freeze response of the nervous system, triggered by prolonged periods of stress and activation. It arises when we push past our limits, exhausting our physical, mental, emotional, and energetic bodies beyond their capacity to rest and restore. Burnout is more than just physical fatigue—it's a deep soul exhaustion, a sign that the nervous system is in need of regulation.This isn’t your fault. We live in a world that constantly pressures us to be productive, with financial and personal responsibilities pulling us in different directions. It's no wonder we don’t always take the time to recover fully, which only deepens the cycle of depletion.We often override our natural rhythms, pushing through stress and fatigue without proper recovery. But there is hope. By tuning into the body’s natural rhythms of repair and restoration, we can heal from burnout. This yoga nidra practice will not only help you recover from burnout but also prevent future episodes. Yoga nidra goes beyond simple rest—it restores your nervous system, reconnecting you with your body’s innate wisdom. The more we embrace slowness and moments of stillness in our lives, the more we heal and build resilience.Navigate Your Nervous System Cheat Sheet 👉 📄 https://melissawest.com/navigate/ Playlist for the Navigate Your Nervous System Series: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdFcYtDajz211W6al_imYcQfdPOL9l7Gn&si=IAA2LjVl1gOEOIVj
Yoga Nidra for Depression | Navigate Your Nervous System Series #4 | YWM 707Navigate 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 706Navigate 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 TwistProps 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 705Navigate 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 704Navigate 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
💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/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💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 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 StandHand to Big Toe PoseHalf Happy Baby PoseReclined TwistHalf DragonflySavasanaPoem: In the Flow by Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerProps Needed: BLocks, Bolster, Blanket, strap💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get My Yin Yoga Book Here 👉https://melissawest.com/book/ ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/
Restorative Yoga to Replenish Energy Reserves | Rest & Reset Series # 3 | YWM 700 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership ✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 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, MelissaRestorative 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💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership ✨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. Sign up for my Emails to stay in the loop about the Reset and Reset Series: https://melissawest.activehosted.com/f/3Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/
Vagus Nerve Reset Yoga to Welcome Abundance 697✨1:1 Abundance Code Readings ✨https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership This hatha yoga qigong fusion class will combine hatha yoga with qigong. We will begin by releasing the scarcity and poverty thinking with qigong purging exercises. Then we will focus on the kinds of abundance that you want to draw into your life. Additionally, this class will open up your lungs so that you can breathe in more inspiration and good quality and integrity of qi. We will practice fountain pose from easy pose and finish our class in savasana with a poem by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer. This short yoga class for abundance will focus on drawing in prosperity and abundance in a simple and easy way. It would be a great class to practice during the full moon to celebrate abundance and prosperity and to release the scarcity and poverty mindsets that are keeping you from experiencing abundance in your life.
Emotional Release Qigong Yoga Fusion | YWM 696💸Abundance Code 1:1 Reading 💸 https://melissawest.com/abundance/ 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 📕Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ Cleanse, Clear & Heal your Emotional Body in this qigong yoga fusion class. Emotional pain often manifests in our bodies as tension, tightness, or even chronic discomfort, particularly when emotions become stuck and unexpressed. This can leave us feeling heavy, burdened, and disconnected from our true selves. In our Emotional Release Qigong Yoga Fusion class, you will be guided through a gentle yet powerful practice designed to help you release these trapped emotions and cleanse your emotional body.Drawing from both Qigong and Yoga, this class will support you in letting go of emotional burdens that may not even be yours, creating space for healing and renewal. Through mindful movements and guided visualizations, you will activate the flow of healing energy, clear emotional blockages, and restore balance within your emotional body. Whether you are dealing with emotional dysregulation, nervous system dysregulation, stress, sadness, anger, anxiety, or other challenging emotions, this practice offers a compassionate and nurturing space to support your emotional well-being. Join me for a powerful emotional cleansing, release and healing class.
Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Thank you so much for your feedback. Thanks to your requests, we are re-releasing this yoga nidra with VOICE ONLY for your enjoyment. Our yoga nidra practice opens our neuroception to be grounded in the present moment, to be more regulated, calm and spacious. By gently moving our awareness around our body, we anchor in the present moment and create a sense of calm and presence. In this calming Vagus Nerve Yoga Nidra practice, we invite deep relaxation. As I guide your awareness through your body, I invite a profound sense of stillness to envelop you. Breath awareness and practice will regulate your vagus nerve. With each breath, we nurture connection to the present moment, fostering a sanctuary of peace within ourselves. Through this practice, we cultivate a harmonious balance between body, mind, and spirit, tapping into the healing power of the vagus nerve to restore inner calm.
Yoga Nidra for Deep Healing 70 mins | Yoga with Melissa 694Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership 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.I hope you enjoy this extra long yoga nidra. May all beings be healthy. May all beings be at ease.
VAGUS NERVE Restorative Yoga | YWM 693 Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership This calming vagus nerve restorative yoga 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.Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga SequenceRestorative Locust Pose Restorative Hand to Big Toe Pose Restorative Child’s Pose Restorative Twist Ra Ma Da Sa Sa Say So Hung: The Ultimate Healing Tool(https://www.3ho.org/meditation/ra-ma-da-sa-sa-say-so-hung-the-ultimate-healing-tool/ )Savasana Props Needed: Bolster, 2 Blocks, eye pillow/blanket/or pillow, yoga strap meditation cushion or chair
This vagus nerve yoga nidra is designed to reset your nervous system from sympathetic activation or or dorsal shutdown. Whether you are feeling anxious and stressed or disconnected, depressed & drained of energy, this yoga nidra will engage neuroception to follow the three streams of awareness: inside your body, outside your body and in between to reset your vagus nerve.In this Vagus Nerve Reset yoga nida, we invite deep relaxation. As I guide your awareness through your body, I invite a profound sense of stillness to envelop you. Breath awareness and practice will regulate and reset your vagus nerve. With each breath, we nurture connection to the present moment, fostering a sanctuary of peace within ourselves.Through this practice, we cultivate a harmonious balance between body, mind, and spirit, tapping into the healing power of the vagus nerve to reset and restore inner calm.Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/💕Revive & Thrive Incubator 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership
Join me for a calming nervous system yoga session designed to soothe your nervous system. This gentle practice focuses on nervous system regulation, incorporating gentle and calming yoga poses, breath practices, and mudras to support your parasympathetic nervous system and vagus nerve. With Melissa's guidance, you'll activate your vagus nerve, promoting a sense of calm and relaxation. This is yoga for a calm and healthy nervous system. Leave feeling "zenned out," meditative, and contemplative.Props Needed: Yoga Block
Our yoga nidra practice opens our neuroception to be grounded in the present moment, to be more regulated, calm and spacious. By gently moving our awareness around our body, we anchor in the present moment and create a sense of calm and presence.In this calming Vagus Nerve Yoga Nidra practice, we invite deep relaxation. As I guide your awareness through your body, I invite a profound sense of stillness to envelop you. Breath awareness and practice will regulate your vagus nerve. With each breath, we nurture connection to the present moment, fostering a sanctuary of peace within ourselves.Through this practice, we cultivate a harmonious balance between body, mind, and spirit, tapping into the healing power of the vagus nerve to restore inner calm.
Yoga to Let Go Into Love | Yoga with Melissa 689 Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership This yoga class is about being connected to the presence of love in moving meditation. When we take this time each day to be in the presence of love, we will feel the expansiveness of unconditional love in our lives. It is not a doing, but a letting go and softening that allows us to connect into the expansiveness, vibrance and radiance of our hearts. When we align with the unconditional love that already exists in our hearts we can let go of the striving to try to be better people. This yoga class allows us to slow down and make space for the love that is always and already present in our hearts. It is a devotional practice to love itself. The gentle standing yoga postures in this class will align you and your body so that your aura is attuned to the essence of love for your own healing and for all those you connect with in all directions and kind. This loving healing is gentle, grounding, warm, expansive, soft love and love that is always safe. Additionally we will tend to anything that is in the way that is blocking us from connecting to the love in our heart. Anything that is keeping us from serving from our hearts and allowing us to be connected to the frequency of love throughout our day. Join us in this gentle yoga flow as we trust and follow the currents of love inside to lead others with the heart, this including ourselves and our own internal guidance. It is an honour to practice with all of you spiritual healers, teachers and guides. Props Needed: None - this entire class is done standing Poem: For a New Beginning - John O’Donohue
In this Yin Yang Yoga for your liver and gallbladder we balance the dynamic bursts of yang wood element energy with soothing yin. In this session, we blend the gentle, introspective practice of yin yoga with the fluid movements of hatha flow qigong, all centered around the theme of connecting with your vision/intention/aspiration in a balanced way.In spring, your liver and gallbladder organs are the most dominant organs and so it is a great time to focus on planting your seeds of intention. In our culture we love to focus on outward actions of doing, however in this class, I will encourage you to cultivate more inward qualities of being.In this class, we'll focus on the liver and gallbladder meridians, exploring how emotions like anger, frustration, and irritation can be signs of disconnection from our true vision. The liver loves movement, free flow, and moving towards what we love. Through gentle poses and flowing sequences, we'll invite ease and fluidity into our bodies, embodying the qualities of water - flowing around obstacles with simplicity and harmony.This class brings balance between yin and yang, movement and stillness, action and contemplation. Discover how embodying these qualities can bring greater harmony, joy, and fulfillment into your life. Let's flow, breathe, and yoga together towards balance and wholeness.Props Needed - BlanketPoem Spring by Mary Oliver
🌙Middle-of-the-Night Sleep Support 🌙Waking up in the middle of the night is completely normal, but it is also completely normal for your mind to be racing and worrying and then it can be really hard to fall back asleep.🌌This yoga nidra guided meditation is meant to be a gentle guide to ease you back to sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night. Through gentle breathing and intentional relaxation, I will support you in letting go of concerns about sleep duration and trust in your body’s natural ability to receive deep sleep and restoration. 🌌Think of this guided meditation like a gentle companion in the middle of the night to guide you back to sweet sleep whenever sleep is elusive. You can fall back asleep peacefully knowing that you are supported.The best thing about this meditation is that it finishes in silence so that when you fall back asleep, I won’t wake you up again. 🌠
In this gentle and nurturing class, we'll explore the profound benefits of Yin Yoga while using the support of the wall to deepen our practice. 🧘♀️This class combines the best of upper body, chest opening and shoulder releasing yin yoga along with hip opening yin yoga with the wall.We will begin by releasing your chest and shoulders with your heart meridian and the lung meridian. These yin yoga poses will improve your posture and breathing mechanics and also release your upper back, neck and shoulder tension. 💫We will move into some legs up the wall and deep hip releases that will relieve low back pain as well as calm and soothe your nervous system. 💫🌸 Wallflower Yin Yoga Sequence 🌸❤️ Heart Melting Pose🐦Broken Wing PoseLegs Up the Wall🔑Keyhole❤️Heart Melting Pose🐦Broken Wing PoseLegs Up the Wall📖 Poem: Poem: Insight by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
🧘 Dive into the healing practice of vagus nerve restorative yoga 🌿Find peace amidst the chaos of overstimulation by embracing slow, still movements that ground you in your body. 🌟 In a world constantly pushing for hustle and achievement, restorative yoga offers a sanctuary to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and embrace rest and digest mode. 💆♀️Moving slowly is an intentional practice, especially in a culture that values speed and constant advancement. 🐢 In restorative yoga, we quiet our minds by being still in our bodies, nurturing our well-being with compassion and gentleness. 🌸Yoga is powerful medicine, but it works slowly. When we regulate our nervous systems, life becomes more spacious, allowing us to connect deeply with our hearts and express our truth authentically. 💖As we slow down and care for ourselves, we model this possibility for others, creating environments of safety and resonance for collective healing. 🌿 By taking time for these gentle poses, you're not just nurturing yourself but also shifting the frequency of your community towards co-regulation. 🌱 By embracing softness and kindness, we inspire others to live from their hearts as well, fostering a frequency of trust and co-regulation. 🕊️🙏Vagus Nerve Reset - Basic Exercise Restorative Twist Diaphragmatic BreathingRestorative Side Bend Restorative Locust - with blanket on diaphragm Restorative Child’s Savasana Poem: On a Day When Stillness Seems Possible by Rosemerry Whatola Trommer
You guys LOVED the first 45 minute Daily Hatha Yoga Routine 12 Poses You Should Do Daily | Yoga with Melissa 479It has over 46K views, so I made a second one 12 Poses You Should Do Every Day in 30 minutes - Wrist Free YWM 639 and it has over 7K views.I hear from so many of you that you put these 2 classes into your regular rotation.So, I decided to create yet another version of daily hatha yoga poses that you should do everyday.The way I think about yoga has changed a a little bit over the years, and this class reflects that thinking. It includes more mobility practices for your joints. It focuses on strengthening your body. It focuses on connecting you with your spirit. It has a focus on pranayama and regulating your nervous system.However, I still care about making sure you are rested and that your spine moves in all directions, it is just that I understand better about how to move your body so that you are not in pain and so that your nervous system stays regulated.So here is my gift to you, an updated, 12 poses you should do every day!Props Needed: Block, Wall, Yoga Strap12 Poses You Should Do Every Day Sequence:1. Centering with Nervous System Regulation2. Abdominal Strengthening3. Cat Pose4. 90/90s5. Lunge Pose6. Standing Twist7. Standing Side Bend8. Shoulder Flossing9. Shoulder Clocks10. Cobra11. Malasana12. Savasana or Legs up the WallPoem: One Big Perspective by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
You Deserve Rest! This 30 minute yoga nidra sleep meditation is for deep rest. Yoga nidra powerfully heals and restores your body on a physical level giving you an opportunity for deep rest in a reclined meditation. This yoga nidra is designed to give all parts of your body deep rest. All the organs and systems of your body from your ventral vagus nervous system, your heart, your lungs, your kidneys, your liver, and your brain rest and rebuild. It is a deep rest meditation that will guide you for 30 minutes into a yoga nidra healing experience. Allow Melissa West to guide you on this healing yoga nidra journey into deep restorative sleep and into a deep rest frequency. Yoga Nidra meditation is easy because it takes your brain into the same frequency when you are in deep sleep even though you are awake allowing for deep rest. Your body will naturally begin its process of rejuvenation and healing. Your vital, rested, and restored body is the first step towards releasing stress and finding inner peace. This guided yoga nidra meditation will take you to brainwave states where your entire body and mind will have a chance for deep rest and rejuvenation.
Yoga nidra is a guided meditation where you lie down and are led through a calming experience that is a mix of a nap and reclined meditation. It is a way for your body and mind to take a break that feels super relaxing. 😴💤🌙😌During yoga nidra you focus on your breath and sensations in your body. This helps your brain take a break from constant external stimuli and find joy in simpler quieter moments. It is like giving your brain a little rest. It will help you enjoy the smaller and more peaceful things around you. Yoga nidra creates a deep restorative state that triggers the brain to release neurotransmitters including dopamine. Studies show that Yoga Nidra techniques increase the endogenous release of dopamine in the system by up to 65%. Dopamine helps us to feel pleasure, feel rewarded and helps us to maintain focus. It is an antidote to depression and amplifies your motivation and positive outlook on the world. When your body releases its own dopamine, it heightens your body’s ability to manage the impulse to act on unhelpful habits and addictions. Things like constant digital stimulation from social media. Through the sense withdrawal of yoga nidra, you are giving your brain a chance to recalibrate and restore sensitivity to more subtle and natural sources of pleasure.
This calming vagus nerve restorative yoga 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.Calming Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga SequenceVagus Nerve ResetRestorative TwistEye YogaRestorative Down DogDiaphragmatic BreathingPsoas ReleaseMudra for Emotional BalanceProps Needed: Bolster, 2 Blocks, meditation cushion or chair
Surrendered Heart Hatha Flow is an all-levels hatha yoga class, suitable for beginners, dedicated to cultivating love, healing, and opening your heart through the practice of bhakti yoga.In this session, we'll embark on a soulful exploration, focusing on yoga for heart opening, heart healing, with mobility for your shoulders and hips. The fusion of asanas such as Supported Fish Pose, Dancer Pose, and Standing Twist will create a beautiful flow that encourages the awakening of your heart chakra.Bhakti yoga, the path of devotion, will be woven throughout the class, making it accessible for beginners while offering an enriching experience for seasoned practitioners. Together, we'll explore the profound impact of bhakti yoga through a heartfelt flow that includes elements of surrender, self-compassion, and devotion.Our practice will delve into shoulder mobility and hip mobility, enhancing your range of motion and bringing fluidity to your movements. The incorporation of Tejas Mudra, a gesture representing the inner fire of transformation, will add depth to your journey, fostering a sense of surrender and connection.This yoga class is a sacred space for healing and heart opening. We will allow our practice to be a celebration of bhakti, of love that unfolds when we surrender to the wisdom of our hearts through yoga.Props Needed: Yoga BlocksSurrendered Heart Hatha Flow - SequenceSupported Fish PoseShoulder MobilityHip MobilitySpinal Mobility & Hip StrengthHalf BowLocustCatBoatDown DogStanding TwistDancerTejas MudraPoem: Self-Compassion by James Crews
This yin yoga class is a beginner’s guide to fully body stretching. But actually in yin yoga, stretching is not the goal. We're not trying to stretch our tissues; we're trying to give them a gentle stress. This stress helps our body make important changes at a small level, keeping our joints and tissues healthy.Most types of yoga focus on our muscles. But in Yin Yoga we go deeper into our body to affect the ligaments, joints, and deep fascial networks.In Yin Yoga, we do things slowly. We sit or lie down on the floor and hold poses for a longer time, like 2 to 8 minutes. In this beginner’s guide to full body stretching, we will do 6 yin yoga poses, taking short breaks between them. This helps stress the connective tissues in our body.Now, let's talk about stress and stretch. Stress is like the pull or push we put on our body parts, and stretch is how much they get longer because of that pull or push. But here's the thing: just because we stress something doesn't always mean it will stretch. Ligaments, especially, can be stressed in Yin Yoga, but they are not as stretchy as muscles. So, we're not trying to make them stretch; we're trying to give them a little challenge to stay healthy.Gentle Yin: A Beginner's Guide to Full Body Stretching Sequence:Supported FishBananasanaButterflyDeerDragonHalf DragonflyReclined TwistPoem: Hold Out Your Hand by Julia FehrenbacherProps Needed: 2 Blocks
🌌✨ Winter Night Sky Yoga Nidra, is a guided meditation where we'll immerse ourselves in the beauty of the stars, the moon, and the quiet of winter.To circulate your awareness through your body, we will illuminate each part of your body like stars lighting up the night sky. Poetry from Mary Oliver and John O’Donohue will inspire our winter journey. As we approach the end of 2023, this yoga nidra is a reflective pause. We will illuminate our body with bija mantras, or seed sounds like soft snow falling from the winter night sky. This will be the last Yoga with Melissa and last yoga nidra of 2023. It is the perfect way to say goodbye to 2023 and plant the seeds of intention of 2024, enveloped in the beauty of the winter night sky. 🌙❄️ #YogaNidra #YearEndReflections
Order my Book 📙👉https://melissawest.com/book/💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembershipInspired by the wisdom of nature, this restorative yoga class embraces the stillness and darkness of winter season. This restorative yoga class will create a warm and cozy sanctuary for you to burrow into a den of relaxation. Just like animals hibernating in burrows, we'll draw from the cocooning qualities of winter, preserving warmth and promoting internal contemplation.In winter, yin energy is most dominant. The kidneys and bladder meridians are the key organs of water element season. Resting and conserving your energy during this season will support your overall vitality. When we attune to the short days and long nights, we can make adjustments to our practice. This is a reflective and introspective practice that aligns with the stillness of winter.You will emerge from this Winter Cocoon of Comfort Restorative Yoga class feeling replenished, grounded, and ready to welcome the approaching seasons with a revitalized sense of energy.Props Needed: 2 blankets, wall, bolsterPoem: Snow Day by Billy Collins🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿
Order my Book 📙👉https://melissawest.com/book/💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembershipThis Yin Yoga class designed for Winter Rejuvenation is practiced entirely at the wall. As we descend into winter and water element season this practice focuses on the kidney and bladder meridians.This yin yoga class focuses on winter rejuvenation by encouraging introspection and replenishment. We delve into the essence of the winter season, exploring its connection to the water element and the organs associated with this time - the kidneys and bladder.In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of jing, emphasizes the importance of preserving our life force. This class explores several ways of focusing on smart energy use to nurture our well-being.Yin yoga is one of the best practices we can offer our bodies in winter to replenish our kidneys (our internal batteries).Legs Up the Wall Yin Yoga Winter Rejuvenation Yin Yoga SequenceLegs up the WallKeyholeBroken WingDanglingDragonSquatLegs up the WallProps Needed: Wall, BlanketReading: ― John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
Hatha Yoga to Cultivate Gratitude | Yoga Sutra 2.30 Ahimsa | YWM 675Order my Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembershipThis full body hatha yoga class is focused on cultivating gratitude through the practice of ahimsa as outlined in Yoga Sutra 2.30 translated by Nischala Joy Devi in The Secret Power of Yoga.In this 60 minute full body hatha yoga class for yoga, we delve into gratitude through the lens of reverence, love and compassion for all beings. We explore the depths of our True Nature as we embrace the principle of Ahimsa. This allows us to embrace a sense of interconnection with all living beings.Through this full body hatha yoga class we uncover our innate capacity for reverence that resides within each one of us allowing us to connect with the spiritual vitality present in every living being.The yoga postures in this class focus on heart opening to heighten your sensitivity to the spirit that flows through all life forms. Together, we will rediscover the beauty of the present moment and reawaken our natural state of reverence.2.30 Yama, reflection of our true nature is experienced through:Ahimsa: reverence, love, compassion for all2.35 Embracing reverence and love for all (ahimsa) we experience onenessHatha Yoga to Cultivate Gratitude | Yoga Sutra 2.30 Ahimsa SequenceSupported Fish PoseBridgeReclined TwistSide BendCobraHalf BowCat PoseGate PoseDowndogTadasanaDancerWide Legged Standing Forward FoldSeated TwistSupported Fish PosePoem: Lost by David WagonerProps Needed: Bolster
Attune to Autumn Energy Restorative Yoga | YWM 674 Order my Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership There is a dissonance between the overactive demands of our external world and the inner peace of our True Nature. In this restorative class, we slow down, allowing our awareness to settle within the present moment, reconnecting with the boundless and limitless energy that resides within us.As nature transitions into a period of internal alchemy, we align our practice with the rhythms of the season, embracing the call for inner reflection and replenishment. Acknowledging the perpetual overactivity of our lives, our restorative yoga practice offers us the significance of dynamic stillness. Here, in this peaceful state of awareness, we allow our energy to renew and replenish, preparing ourselves for the nurturing hibernation of the upcoming winter. Join us in this restorative yoga practice as we gather our energy and embrace the seasonal rhythms of autumn.Gathering Energy in Autumn Seasons Restorative Yoga Sequence Legs Up the Wall Restorative Locust Restorative Child’s Restorative Shoulder StandSavasana Poem: Fall Song by Mary Oliver Props Needed: Wall, 2 blocks, bolster, eye pillow, blanket
This Yin Yoga practice is designed to release your painful and aching neck and shoulder tension. In one hour yin yoga class, we'll focus on gentle yin yoga stretches and poses that target the connective tissues responsible for neck and shoulder pain.Several of the yin yoga poses are chosen to open up the chest and shoulders. Opening your chest, helps in improving shoulder mechanics and reducing strain on the neck and shoulders caused by muscular imbalances.I have also sequences in yin yoga poses that strengthen the scapular stabilizers, including the Serratus Anterior and Lower Trapezius. This will aid in stabilizing the shoulder blades and promoting better posture.Yin yoga poses will stretch the shoulders, upper back, and between the shoulder blades. We will also focus on gentle decompression of the neck and upper back which can also alleviate neck pain and discomfort.Throughout the practice, we will to focus on your breath and the principles of yin. I will encourage you to use props like blocks, chairs, and bolsters for extra support and comfort. Listen to your body and make adjustments as needed to ensure a supported and beneficial practice.By the end of this Yin Yoga session, you'll experience increased flexibility, improved posture, and a sense of release from neck and shoulder pain.Yin Yoga to Release Painful, Aching Neck & Shoulders Sequence:Supported FishSphinxChild’s PoseBroken Wing PoseHeart Melting PoseThread the NeedleReverse PrayerSupported Fish PoseProps Needed: 2 blocksPoem: On a Day When Stillness Seems Possible by Rosemerry Whatola Trommer
This is an Empowered Beginner Yin Yoga class for full-body vitality! In this Yin Yoga class for beiginners, we will explore the transformative power of yin to create bring balanc to the deeper connective tissues of your body.Yin yoga targets the yin tissues of the body, such as ligaments, bones, and joints. Unlike yang styles that focus on warming and stretching the muscles, yin yoga applies gentle pressure for extended periods, stimulating the deep connective tissues to grow stronger and more flexible.In this yin yoga class, we will gently pressurize the tissues to strengthen your ligaments nad joints to increase your mobility as you age.Additionally we will begin to explore some of the organs and meridians of yin yoga to empower your vitality. Overall we are focusing on connecting with yin qualities of yielding and allowing in a world of constant activity and achievement.I will introduce you to the four principles of yin: finding an appropriate edge, softening, and being still, allowing the tissues to be gently stressed and nurtured.This yin yoga class is designed especially for beginners with 3 minute holds. Modifications and Alternatives will be given.Empowered Beginner Yin Yoga: Full Body Stretch for Vitality SequenceButterflySphinxSealChild’s PoseFigure FourHappy BabyDragonflyHalf ShoelaceSavasanaProps Needed: 2 blocks, bolster, yoga strap, folded blanketPoem: Yin by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
This Yoga Nidra meditation for immune support will offer you profound healing and rejuvenation. Deep rest is the cornerstone of physical, mental, and emotional well-being, allowing your body to heal at its core. During this meditation, you will nurture your parasympathetic nervous system, lymphatic system, thymus, tonsils and spleen, enabling them to carry out their natural immune functions. This guided practice is especially beneficial during times of illness, discomfort, or emotional exhaustion, unlocking your body's innate healing potential.Within this Yoga Nidra meditation, you will breathe and body scan through your cells, tissues, and organs, promoting the flow of vital energy along your body's pathways. By opening your awareness to various areas within, you'll activate your body's intrinsic healing power. This enhanced flow of energy empowers your body's innate capacity for healing, offering profound support for your immune system.
In this healing nervous system restorative yoga class we focus on the healing power of support through self-regulation. In this class, we create the conditions for support and nervous system healing with the wall. The wall and the earth together are the foundations that will invite deeper nervous system healing. When we find ourselves fully supported by props, such as the strap and the wall, a co-regulated relationship with ourselves emerges. This class invites you into a nervous system healing protocol that offers an easy step by step process for healing.Legs Up the Wall Yoga for Nervous System Healing SequenceLegs up the WallHamstring Stretch R & LHalf Happy Baby R & LFigure Four R & LTwist Right and LeftGoddessLegs up the WallAn Autumn Day Perfect for Getting Things Done, Butby Rosemerry Wahtola TrommerProps Needed: Wall, Yoga Strap
This 60-minute Restorative Yoga class designed to support your immune system. In this session, we'll explore therapeutic poses that are designed to activate your lymphatic system, thymus glands and vagus nerve.By activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the restorative yoga poses encourage relaxation and reduce the production of stress hormones which suppress your immune system. There are several poses which support lymphatic drainage and production which aid in toxin removal and enhance your immune system's effectiveness.Throughout the class we will also focus on postures and breath practices to support your respiratory health and activate your parasympathetic nervous system which will also improve sleep quality, and reduce inflammation.These restorative yoga poses are designed to assist in improving lymph production and therefore toxin removal and support immune cell circulation in your body.Restorative Yoga Immune Support Pose Sequence1. Legs Up the Wall2. Supported Fish Pose3. Body Tapping4. Breath Practice5. Half Happy Baby Pose6. Twists7. Legs Up the Wall with Breath Practice
Our vagus nerve sends signals from our internal organs to our brain. When it is balanced and engaged we feel open and curious, compassionate and mindful, in the present moment, we are able to ask for help and offer it in return, we feel safe and connected (to ourselves and our environment). Sometimes we need to “reset” our vagus nerve if we are experiencing sympathetic arousal of our nervous system (anxious & irritable, angry, fight or flight, stuck in worry) or if we are stuck in shut-down (which can look like sleeping a lot, lack of motivation, depression, dissociation, numbness and helplessness). This yoga class is a great class to practice daily to bring you back into ventral vagal activation so that you can go with the flow, meet the demands of the day, be grounded in the present moment and give and receive help with and from others.
This gentle hatha yoga class will support you in dealing with information overload, overstimulation, overwhelm and nervous system regulation. By easing your way back into your body with gentle and grounding yoga practices we can support nervous system dysregulation symptoms like anxiety, energy drain, and releasing intense emotions. Gentle and supportive movements will reduce physical tension and the muscular holding patterns that often accompany nervous system dysregulation. Gentle hatha yoga practices like this support us in self-regulating allowing us to respond to the ongoing stresses of life so that we can increase our capacity to navigate this strongly transitional time.Gentle Hatha Yoga to Soothe Overwhelm & Body Tension SequenceSomatic Breathing with Grounding TouchReclined Somatic EmbodimentSleeping PigeonReclined TwistKnee to Chest PoseCat PoseLunge PoseEye YogaTadasanaQigong Inspired SequenceDancerStanding PigeonCobraMalasanaReclined TwistSomatic Breathing with Grounding TouchPoem: Returning to Stillness by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
This is the second 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 wood element, its organs, meridians, the emotions associated with it, the colour and direction.Intro to 5 Element Theory Yin Yoga Wood Element SequenceCenteringButterflyBananasanaHand to Big Toe PoseBroken Wing PoseEye YogaReclined ButterflyProps Needed: Bolster, 2 blocks, yoga strap, meditation cushionPoem: Forgiveness by Mary McCue
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 SequenceWide Legged Child’s PoseSphinx PoseHalf Happy Baby poseHalf CaterpillarDragonflyReclined Bound AngleSavasanaProps Needed: Bolster, Yoga Strap, Folded Blanket, BlocksPoem: 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 YogaButterflyPigeonBananasanaYang/Hatha Portion of Powerful Full Body Self Connection Yin Yang YogaHand to Big Toe PoseBridge PoseDead Bug PoseCat PoseSide PlankDowndogWarrior 3Dance PoseUttanasanaEasy Pose TwistAlternate Nostril BreathingSavasanaPoem: 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.
This 60 minute hatha Yoga for Strong Glutes & Flexible Hips is a great strength and flexibility class to focus on internal and external rotation of your hips as well as build your glute strength.By focusing on the flexibility of your hips, you will improve the range of motion of your joints, muscles and connective tissues, making it easier to move in your everyday life. Flexibility training will support you in releasing muscle tension, reducing stress and promoting relaxation. A relaxed physical body will also relieve your mental stress and improve your overall relaxation.By focusing on building strength in our glutes in this hatha yoga class for strength and flexibility we will build muscle tone to support your body in better posture, core strength and overall movement patterns. Strength training improves bone density and your overall bone health. Strengthening any muscle group will increase your metabolism, supporting your body in burning more calories at rest.Strong glutes will support you in stability and balance, improve your posture and core strength, support you in jumping, lifting and movements like walking, sitting and standing. Hip flexibility gives you greater freedom of movement in walking, sitting and standing and can support you in having better postural alignment through your pelvis.Yoga for Strength & Flexibility: 💪Glutes & 🧘Hips SequenceBridge PoseInternal Rotation ReclinedKeyhole StretchLocustFrog Internal RotationPigeonTadasana with internal rotationChair PoseStanding KeyholeCow’s FaceSavasanaPoem: Lay down the fight by Estora Adams Collective Wisdom Magazine
In this restorative yoga practice we will focus on being as cozy as possible to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and allow your body to fully release tension. This restorative yoga class with props, including the furniture from your living space will allow your body to recover from stress and tension. By creating a comfortable environment and using props such as your couch or a chair and a bolster to support your body in each pose, this restorative yoga class will support your body to release tension and promote relaxation.Cozey Restorative Yoga SequenceLegs Up the ChairHand to Big Toe PoseFront Lying TwistWide Legged Seated Forward FoldLegs Up the ChairProps Needed: Chair or Couch, Yoga Strap, Bolster, BlockPoem: Spring Blessing by ~ Oriah Mountain Dreamer ~Thank you to Cozey for gifting me:The Ciello - Sunset Beige 1-Seater / With Ottoman / Sunset BeigeThe Solis Adjustable Table in Eclipse
Are you ready to start your day feeling energized and refreshed? This 10-minute morning yoga flow is designed to wake up your body and mind for a great way to start your day. I have been teaching real yoga for real people for over 20 years and I love supporting you in getting on your mat every day for a full body-yoga routine that will wake up your body.This class is a full-body yoga work-out that requires no-props. We will strengthen your legs, release your back and shoulders, open your chest. This class will leave you feeling ready to take on whatever comes your way today!I’ve designed this class for you to practice it first thing in the morning before you start your work-day, but you can practice it whenever you need a boost of energy. Come back to it again and again and you will notice a difference in your energy and overall well-being.I hope you enjoy this class and have a great day!
This 15 minute morning yoga practice will support you in alleviating neck and shoulder pain. It is perfect for those of you, who like me, suffer from chronic neck and shoulder pain. I didn’t even realize how exhausting and energy draining it was to have neck and shoulder pain until I built these simple yoga exercises into my daily routine. It is a perfect way to start your day.This yoga sequence of simple yoga poses will help to release tension in your neck and shoulders, improve your shoulder mobility, increase flexibility and free up energy that has been stagnant in your shoulder joints.All you need is a yoga strap and you can do this practice anywhere because all the poses are done standing. So this is a simple yoga sequence that you can take with you when you travel, because you don’t even need a yoga mat!I will talk you through the movements and demonstrate the neck and shoulder yoga exercises in real time for each pose. Remember, when it comes to neck movement, a little is a lot.I hope you find this practice as beneficial as I have! I can’t wait for you to try it!Props Needed: Yoga StrapBeginner Hatha Yoga for Neck and Shouldershttps://youtu.be/XcGIKBYohfcNeck and Shoulder Pain Yogahttps://youtu.be/igJhu4c9Eiw10 min Beginner Yoga Stretches for Neck and Shoulder Painhttps://youtu.be/5NyHB__AhL4Restorative Yoga for Neck and Shouldershttps://youtu.be/XhGcNzne03MBecome a Memberhttps://www.melissawest.com/membership/
This short 10 minute yoga nidra meditation or NSDR (non-sleep deep rest) is a guided journey of deep relaxation and restoration for your body and mind.In this guided meditation, I will guide you through a body scan and breathing to support you in releasing tension, soothing your nervous system, reducing stress, and cultivating a sense of inner peace and tranquility.Yoga nidra is an effortless meditation that will support you in surrendering the pushing, striving and hustling that keeps us from rest.Find a comfortable place to lie down, gravy a cozy blanket and get ready for 10 minutes of deep restorative self care. Feel free to make any adjustments and modifications along the way to make the practice even more restful for you.May this practice bring you calm, soothe your nervous system, reduce anxiety and detach stress from your body.
In this 60 minute restorative yoga class we will stimulate the vagus nerve through restorative yoga poses, breathing, sounding, and self massage to relieve anxiety. By stimulating the vagus nerve we will activate your parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for calming your body and reducing your stress response. Props Needed: Wall, Bolster, Blocks, Yoga Strap, Eye Pillow, Blanket
Are you looking for the perfect daily hatha yoga class that you can do anywhere? For this yoga class you don’t even need a yoga mat and you could do it outside or when you are travelling on vacation. The entire class is done standing so it is incredibly versatile to be able to practice this class whenever and wherever you want!We begin with a standing twist to stimulate energy flow and circulation throughout your entire body, plus it will take your spine through rotation and release your back.Standing Cat/Cow takes your spine through flexion and extension and will open up your chest, release your diaphragm and improve your breathing.Our dynamic lunges will release your back, groin, and support you in balance and releasing what no longer serves.The wide-legged side bend takes your spine through lateral flexion and will continue to open up your breathing capacity.Standing Knee to chest and figure four pose will allow you to continue to practice your balancing and offer a deep opening of the hips. Additionally it will support you in digestion.I hope you love this variation of extended tadasana where you will roll through your feet to strengthen your arches, open up your chest for breathing, add some jumping to stimulate your bone density, metabolism, increase the circulation of lymph, strengthen your heart, and increases vitality.Our variation of chair pose not only builds strength in your legs but opens your chest and improves shoulder mobility.Dancer pose is fantastic to release your psoas/hip complex and quads. It will also open your heart and activate your thyroid.We did a fun variation of boat pose to build your core strength and balance.Our final pose was malasana and uttanasana to open your hips, lower back, and hamstrings. It was also good for digestion and we added some thoracic rotations to the malasana.Of course we finished with some sitting meditation where we offered some loving awareness to our nervous system through breath awareness.Props Needed - BlockDaily Hatha Yoga Sequence1. Standing Twist -2. Standing Cat Cow3. Lunge side to side with ball toss -4. Wide Legged Side Bend5. Knee to Chest to Standing figure four6. Tadasana7. High Lunge8.Chair Pose9. Dancer10. Boat11. Malasana to Uttanasana12. Sitting Meditation
Our back becomes tight and painful with injury but also in response to stress and tension.When we are tight with fear, anxiety, and stress, we try to control our lives and our body tenses. When we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to succeed our body seizes up in responseAlways working hard, trying to do better, building up pressure to prove yourself personally and professionally takes its toll on your body and often can result in back pain.Tension myositis syndrome - weak, painful, aching muscles that get worse over time, as a result of tension and anxiety, usually occurs between 30-60 years of age, when you have the most responsibilities and pressures to succeed.When things feel out of control in our lives, our sympathetic nervous system activates and creates and maintains tension in our bodies. Through yoga we can gradually, step by step, shift from the anxiety, control, and physical tension to step by step trusting the mysterious unfolding of our lives. The habitual tendency to strive, grip and hold on tight only creates more of the same. Letting go and trusting is hard. But we don’t have to do it all at once. Plus we can have the support of each other. We are definitely not alone. We are all perfectly imperfect beings, trying hopelessly to control our lives.The pain that we experience is a messenger. It is a sacred opportunity to pause, be still and listen. As Rachel Krentzmen says, pain is our body’s way of asking us to “stop forcing and start feeling.” While slowing down and being in the physical postures of yoga, we can breathe, feel, and be present to our lived experience.Healing is not a quick fix. It is a process. Yoga is not a way to mask your pain or fight your pain. It is not like taking a “pain killer.” Instead we are present to the sensations in our body, including pain, with courage, patience, persistence, kindness, practice and acceptance.Gentle Yoga to Relieve Acute Back Pain SequenceLegs up the ChairChild’s PoseKnee’s to Chest PoseCobraBack Support BreathingHip ReleaseChild’s PoseLegs Up the ChairProps Needed: Chair, Blanket, Block
This 30-minute Yin Yoga Full Body Deep Stretch Beginner class is just what you need to find balance in our hustle culture. Unlike most forms of yoga, yin yoga focuses on the deeper connective tissues in your hips, pelvis, and lower spine, helping you release tension and find stillness.In this class, you'll learn the three principles of yin yoga: finding your edge, resolving to be still, and staying for a while. With gentle, slow movements, you'll explore the yin qualities of surrender, ease, and relaxation, allowing gravity to take the weight of your body and access the deeper layers of your connective tissues. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced yogi, this class will help you drop into your body and find balance in your life.If you are brand new to yoga and get frustrated with other yoga classes on YouTube that don´t give modifications and are too hard to follow, don´t worry, our beginner yin yoga classes are actually for beginners, people who have never done yoga before. We offer slow, easy to follow, step by step instructions with lots of modifications.Props: 2 blocks, bolster (or pillows)30 min Yin Yoga Full Body Deep Stretch Beginner SequenceButterflyBananasanaKeyholeBroken WingSupported Fish PoseSavasanaPoem: What Silence Said by Julia Fehrenbacher
Welcome to a 30-minute Yin Yang Yoga class for Neck & Shoulder Pain Relief! If you're dealing with neck and shoulder pain, this class will help. My intention is to help you release tension, increase mobility, and find relief from discomfort.In this class, we'll start with a gentle Yin sequence to apply appropriate stress to the tissues that wrap around the joints of your body. We'll move through Supported Fish Pose, Heart Melting Pose, and Broken Wing Pose, focusing on finding an appropriate edge, softening, and being still. Remember, not every pose will be possible for every body, and that's okay! I’ll offer alternatives so you can find what works best for your body.Then, we'll transition to the Yang portion of the class, where we'll focus on building flexibility and mobility through standing postures such as Tadasana and Warrior One, and movements like shoulder circles and spinal mobility. We'll end with a relaxing Savasana to let the body integrate the benefits of the practice.Remember, it's not about what the pose looks like, but how it feels in your body. This is real yoga for real people.Yin Yang Yoga Sequence for Neck and Shoulder ReliefYin PortionSupported Fish PoseHeart Melting PoseBroken Wing PoseYang Portion - HathaNeck and Shoulder Mobility from TadasanaChest Opening from Warrior OneShoulder Release from Wide-Legged Standing Forward foldBow PoseChild’s PoseSavasanaPoem: The Knots Prayer Anne & Bill Degnan
This 30 minute restorative yoga class is designed specifically to boost your immune system. In this class, we will focus on yoga poses that help increase your internal resistance and immunity so that you can remain healthy and vibrant.We will begin with legs up the wall pose, which allows the lymph nodes in our neck, armpits, and groin to work more efficiently. Next, we will practice supported fish pose to stimulate the thymus gland, which is responsible for producing T cells.We will also practice a restorative side bend to stimulate the spleen, which filters germs from our bloodstream. Finally, we will end with bound angle pose to open up the thymus and groin lymph nodes.Restorative yoga has a tonifying effect on the body and helps increase the activity and efficiency of the cells in our immune system. By strengthening our internal body and trusting its innate potential for maintaining health and to overcome illness, we can heal from within and restore balance to our bodies.This is real yoga for real people to experience the healing power of restorative yoga for your immune system.30 min Restorative Yoga for Immune System SequenceLegs Up the WallSupported FishSide Bend Over BolsterBound Angle PoseProps Needed: 2 blocks, bolster, yoga strap, blanket, eye pillow, wallPoem: The Cure for it All by Julia Fehrenbacher
Are you ready for an hour of rejuvenating, invigorating, and soul-nurturing hatha yoga poses that you should do daily? This class is packed with the top twelve yoga poses you should do every day to transform your mind and body.Melissa West, your clear-seeing yoga guide will take you through inversions, backbends, twists, forward folds, balancing poses, side bends, and resting postures to give you a complete real yoga for real people experience . You'll strengthen your legs and glutes while opening up your chest and relieving back pain from hours of screen time.Hip openers will release tension, making them perfect for athletes and those who sit for long periods. You'll also give your immune system a boost and recharge your batteries with restorative poses, which will leave you feeling refreshed and energized.Throughout the class, your spine will be taken through the four movements of flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and rotation to relieve back pain and soothe stress and anxiety. Balancing postures and core strengthening exercises add an extra challenge while toning breast and armpit tissue and supporting breast tissue health by encouraging lymphatic flow.Join me for a hatha yoga class that will not only take care of your physical well-being but will also calm your mind, improve your emotional and mental well-being, and leave you feeling incredible. Don't miss out on this 1 hour version of 12 poses you should do daily that you have grown to love so much!
This healing yoga nidra combines the best of yoga nidra and forest bathing and was filmed and recorded on the Rainforest Trail in Pacific Rim National Park in Tofino. Yoga nidra calms your thinking mind, improves your sleep, improves your physical health, releases stress, anxiety and depression, and releases chronic pain. It promotes deep rest and relaxation that isn’t available in your average guided meditation practice. Forest bathing reduces stress hormone production, improves feelings of happiness, frees up creativity, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, boost your immune system and supports you in recovering from illness. In this yoga nidra you will imagine you are on the Rainforest trail with us. Through this guided meditation, done in a reclined position you will explore your symbiotic and healing relationship with the forest.
This healing yoga nidra combines the best of yoga nidra and forest bathing by an ocean and was filmed and recorded on the Wild Pacific Trail in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Yoga nidra calms your thinking mind, improves your sleep, improves your physical health, releases stress, anxiety and depression, and releases chronic pain. It promotes deep rest and relaxation that isn’t available in your average guided meditation practice. Forest bathing reduces stress hormone production, improves feelings of happiness, frees up creativity, lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, boosts your immune system and supports you in recovering from illness.In this yoga nidra you will imagine you are on the Wild Pacific Trail with us. Through this guided meditation, done in a reclined position you will explore the depths of your soul, your soul’s desire and flow through your fluid body.
Join me for this calming yoga nidra. I wrote this original script to target and activate your vagus nerve. Your vagus nerve is part of your autonomic nervous system. It plays a role in regulating your body’s internal environment, including your heart rate, digestion, breathing and immune response. It can support you in feeling less anxious and depressed. Through this guided meditation your nervous system will be calmed, reducing anxiety and depression and supporting an overall sense of well-being. Your sleep will also be supported.The guided meditation takes you through a rotation of parts of your body with a focus on your vagus nerve. This meditation is perfect for all levels of experience from beginner’s to advance. You do not need any prior yoga experience. You can choose whatever position you want for this meditation. In fact most people do it lying down. Enjoy the gift of restoration with this Vagus Nerve Yoga Nidra to Calm Your Nervous System.May this practice support you in feeling regulated so that you can respond with flexibility to the ordinary and stressful challenges of day to day life.With love and many blessings, Melissa
You guys LOVED the first 45 minute Daily Hatha Yoga Routine 12 Poses You Should Do Daily | Yoga with Melissa 479. It has over 40K views and I hear from so many of you that you put it into your regular rotation.So, I decided to create a 30 minute version of daily hatha yoga poses that you should do everyday. The inversions, backbends, twists, forward folds, balancing poses, side bends and resting poses in this hatha yoga class will give you the most complete yoga class for your body that will attend both to your physical well-being and health, but also calm your mind, improve your emotional and mental well-being, give you more energy and leave you feeling rested.The resting postures in this class will recharge your batteries, release tension from your body, boost your immune system, relieve fatigue and help to deepen your breathing. There are poses in this class which will help to strengthen your legs, butt and glutes. Backbends will open up your chest and counteract rounded and poor postural habits from hours of screen time. Hip openers will relieve tight hips, back pain, sciatica, are great for athletes and are great for those of us who spend long hours sitting. Throughout this class your spine is taken through the four movements of flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation. These movements will not only help to relieve back pain, but because the spine houses the central nervous system they are also calming and help to relieve stress and anxiety. Several of the poses in this class support breast tissue health by encouraging lymphatic flow through the armpits and breast tissue as well toning breast and armpit tissue.I have changed up a few poses in this updated version of 12 poses you should do everyday. It is a wrist free class! The balancing pose is different. I have added a dedicated core strengthening pose and a dedicated seated forward fold to calm your nervous system.12 Poses You Should Do Every Day in 30 minutes - Wrist Free Sequence1. Legs up the Wall with 3 part Breath2. Bridge Pose3. Knee to Chest Pose4. Keyhole Stretch5. Cat/Cow6. Plank7. Lunge8. Tree Pose9. Side Angle Pose10. Locust Pose11. Janu Sirsasana12. SavasanaPoem: Hold Out Your Hand by Julia Fehrenbacher
In this vagus nerve yoga class for morning we will become familiar with our vagus nerve and the vagal brake through breathing. This will allow our nervous systems to move flexibly through our day, to meet the demands of our day. When our nervous systems are flexible, the vagal brake can release to allow us to move into action and then have the resilience to return to ease and calm so that the challenges of life feel more doable. This yoga class focuses on stretching the adductors/inner thighs and hip flexors. We will practice several variations of warrior one pose and goddess victory squat throughout this vagus nerve yoga class for the morning.Vagus Nerve Restorative Yogahttps://youtu.be/v5iNPPr9BcwVagus Nerve Exercises for Relaxationhttps://youtu.be/o7Qa4EqB-gcVagus Nerve Massage for Stress & Anxiety Reliefhttps://youtu.be/MMaWEUuwoZYVagus Nerve Massage for Insomniahttps://youtu.be/mZmJ_Sdks6MBecome a Memberhttps://www.melissawest.com/membership/
30 min Yin Yoga for Urinary Bladder Meridian | Energy Reserves & PurificationThis 30 minute yin yoga for your urinary bladder meridian will support you in building your energy reserves and purifying your body of toxins. Your urinary bladder meridian starts at the inner corners of your eyes, goes up and over your head, down either side of your spine, and down the backs of your legs.In this class we will focus on your urinary bladder meridian as a powerful meridian line for storing energy reserves and purification.Props Needed: wall, yoga strap, folded blanket, bolster30 minute Yin Yoga Sequence for Urinary Bladder MeridianEye yoga acupressureLocustHand to big toe poseCaterpillarSavasanaPoetry:Where Many Rivers Meet by David WhyteAt the River Clarioin by Mary OliverIn Praise of Water by John O'Donohue Yin yoga for HSP | Urinary Bladder Meridian-489https://youtu.be/UzPck6DnMPE Kidney and Bladder Meridians 21https://youtu.be/U-D2QvteBgU Qigong Flow for Water Element Kidney and Bladder Meridianhttps://youtu.be/p3xx4KaktZ0 Juicing for Bladder and Kidneys : Help for Urinary Tract Infectionshttps://youtu.be/aBQuPGt4ktU Become a Memberhttps://www.melissawest.com/membership/
Winter solstice occurs between December 20 and 22nd in the Northern hemisphere and June the 20 and 22nd in the Southern hemisphere. It represents the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Here we sink into the depths of darkness and most likely tiredness envelopes us. It is a perfect time of year to practice the rejuvenating restorative style of yoga. In this class we will focus on restorative yoga poses with props to renew our energy when the darkness and cold of winter envelopes us completely. Legs up the wall, restorative child’s pose, supported bridge pose and supported locust pose with draw your energy back into your kidney and adrenals, leaving your feeling refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to welcome the slow return of the light.Winter solstice marks the beginning of water element season and winter. It is a season of darkness, mystery, and inner listening. The seasonal transitions is the theme of my forthcoming book. In this class we will resist the urge to prove that we accomplished something in this past year and the need to define our upcoming year. We do this by aligning with the seasons with the support of restorative yoga.Poetry:Winter Meditation by Denise LevertovAdante Grazioso by Clea RobertsTo Know the Dark by Wendell BerryProps Needed: wall, 2 blocks, a bolster, eye pillow and blankets for this restorative yoga class for winter solstice.
In this 30 minute hatha yoga class Melissa West will connect you to the warrior archetype as part of her Masculine and Feminine Polarity Series. Regardless of our gender we all have masculine and feminine energy within us. The masculine and feminine energies within us create polarity within us. When they are in balance and harmony we feel better! Throughout this series, we will bring the unhealthy and wounded aspects of our masculine and feminine sides out of the shadows. The wounded masculine and feminine from our ego, fear and darkness and cause us to suffer. When we bring the light of awareness to the shadow sides of our masculine and feminine wounding, we can heal and transform into healthy and divine energy.This 30 minute hatha yoga class will feature the warrior poses: warrior one, warrior two and warrior three as a way to connect with the sacred masculine warrior archetype. Balanced warrior energy provides the divine masculine with an unsurpassable power source which will fuel the inner masculine to reach their goals, fight for worthy causes, achieve greatness, and leave a lasting legacy.In its balanced state the masculine warrior energy combines effort, energy and initiative.
This restorative yoga class combines restorative yoga postures including reclined bound angle pose and simple, easy reclined flowing yoga poses to connect with our divine feminine energy and in particular our womb wisdom. Regardless of whether you have a womb or not, we can all connect with our womb wisdom.Regardless of our gender we all have masculine and feminine energy within us. The masculine and feminine energies within us create polarity within us. When they are in balance and harmony we feel better! Throughout this series, we will bring the unhealthy and wounded aspects of our masculine and feminine sides out of the shadows. The wounded masculine and feminine from our ego, fear and darkness and cause us to suffer. When we bring the light of awareness to the shadow sides of our masculine and feminine wounding, we can heal and transform into healthy and divine energy.Through our wombs we can explore, express, release and reveal any emotions that have been lurking underneath, waiting to be seen. Anything unfelt, ignored, denied or avoided will arise so you can access your true self.We actually try to avoid unpleasant and overwhelming feelings by blocking them out and other coping strategies. But, it takes more effort to keep the pain at bay than to express it. When we contract our bodies, hold our breath, this constricting and holding, protecting creates tension in our bodies, locks up life force energy and we resist the very emotions that might liberate us. Emotional stress is often felt in the digestive system as well. We we fully feel these emotions and let them travel through us, we will feel empowered, sustained energy, a sense of wholeness and integrity. When we soothe ourselves and heal our emotions we can surrender and feel content.If you would like an infographic of the qualities of the divine masculine and feminine in balance go to: melissawest.com/balance
Regardless of our gender we all have masculine and feminine energy within us. The masculine and feminine energies within us create polarity within us. When they are in balance and harmony we feel better! Throughout this series, we will bring the unhealthy and wounded aspects of our masculine and feminine sides out of the shadows. The wounded masculine and feminine from our ego, fear and darkness and cause us to suffer. When we bring the light of awareness to the shadow sides of our masculine and feminine wounding, we can heal and transform into healthy and divine energy.In our wounded state, we may get triggered by an outside experience or person. The wounded masculine may feel: competitive, controlling, aggressive, withdrawing, intimidating or defensive. When we heal our emotional wounds and traumas, we are able to be present and compassionate with ourselves in difficult and triggering situations. Then the divine masculine is: supportive, present, focused, holds space, assertive, resilient, protects boundaries, lets go of judgment and centered.Poem: Witness by Denise Levertov
The push to hustle and grind is burning out the Divine feminine energy. We know our inner feminine is imbalanced when we experience ourselves pushing to be more productive and trying to make things happen. This leaves the feminine feeling tired and worn out. Perhaps you are feeling caught up in comparison and no longer feel like you can trust the mysterious unfolding of your life. This tension shows up as mistrust in your physical body, pain, and lack of self love and self nourishment. This yoga nidra will activate your Goddess energy to be release the wounded feminine. Regardless of our gender we all have masculine and feminine energy within us. When they are in balance and harmony we feel better!
The feminine waters are restored through slowing down, rest, focusing internally and receiving nourishing energy. In short, by being rather than doing. This healing yoga nidra will soften and unwind the unconscious programming that the feminine could ever find their worth in productivity and allow you to unravel into deep restoration. Step into the healing powers of your Divine intuition with this divine feminine sleep meditation.
Regardless of our gender we all have masculine and feminine energy within us. The masculine and feminine energies within us create polarity within us. When they are in balance and harmony we feel better! Throughout this series we will bring the unhealthy and wounded aspects of our masculine and feminine sides out of the shadows. The wounded masculine and feminine from our ego, fear and darkness and cause us to suffer. When we bring the light of awareness to the shadow sides of our masculine and feminine wounding, we can heal and transform into healthy and divine energy.
The wounded masculine is withdrawn, avoidant, and unstable. We experience the wounded masculine when we are disconnected from our feelings, abandoning ourselves when we are stressed, anxious, depressed, dysregulated. When we heal our inner divine masculine we are fully present for ourselves, no matter what is happening in our lives, with non-abandoning attention, with loving kindness and without judgment. We are our own biggest supporters. We protect our physical, mental, emotional, energetic and spiritual bodies. We are literally devoted to their well-being. Our inner divine masculine offers us the stability and security we have been longing for. Restorative yoga is the perfect yoga to activate your divine inner masculine because your body is fully supported by the props, the ground and the wall.
This gorgeous yoga nidra meditation will support you in surrendering into sacred space. It is a beautiful yoga nidra meditation that you can practice to start your day so that you inhabit your day with devotion and sacred attention. You may choose to practice in the early afternoon to support your digestion. You may choose to practice in the evening to support your sacred sleep.
The yoga nidra meditation invites you into the sacred space of your body with poetry by Jeff Foster and beautiful quotes by John O’Donohue. Through breath and gently easing your awareness into your body and the sacred space all around you, I will guide you through conscious circulation through your body, contemplation of opposites and finally dropping into the liminal space of yoga nidra.
May this practice support you in letting go into divine and sacred rest.
This 15 minute Morning Qigong Yoga Fusion reminds us that we can wake up each morning and that we do not have to earn love or acceptance. We do not have to receive from anybody else. We are already receiving from life before we even get out of bed in the morning.
We begin this gratitude qigong yoga fusion by cultivating gratitude energy through the meridian lines, the door of life and the sense organs. Every moment that you are alive, this life has been given to you. When we practice qigong we can feel our life force moving through our body.
After generating the energy of gratitude we release all the assumptions, expectations, comparison, jealousy, scarcity, and entitlement that gets in the way of us experiencing gratitude with qigong purging movements.
Finally we will circulate the energy of gratitude with heart-centered flows.
Allowing Inner Joy Yin Yoga
In this 30 minute yin yoga class we will open your heart to allow inner joy by pulling and pressurizing the tissues of the heart and small intestine meridians. This yin yoga class is a great chest opener for the heart chakra. You will not need any props for this yin yoga class.
Yin Yoga Sequence to Allow Inner Joy
Bananasana 5 mins Sphinx Pose Thread the Needle Sphinx Pose Thread the Needle Seal Savasana 5 mins
(All holds are 2 mins except where noted)
Yoga Nidra for Inner Joy
Inner joy is a spontaneous upwelling that arises when we are rested, and our minds are quiet and spacious. Through yoga nidra we can sink deeply into our unconditional hearts and become absorbed by our inner joy over time.
Practices like yoga nidra are a quiet act of opposition that let go of the external demands of striving and achieving and advocate for a resting of our minds, bodies, and spirits. When we let go of the struggle to achieve happiness outside of ourselves, inner joy is a wellspring that naturally becomes our more frequent companion. When we are no longer seeking happiness through doing more, achieving more, and accumulating more, we can relax and be saturated in the joy that is right here right now when it chooses to grace us with its presence.
Members I have an audio download in our membership that you can listen to absolutely anytime and anywhere in your earbuds.
10 min Morning Yoga
In July I will support our members in sympathetic joy with our monthly calendars, daily yoga connection, and live yin class on sympathetic joy. We have something super special coming up in August so be sure to subscribe.
This quick 10 minute morning hatha yoga stretch and flow will leave you full of joy. We will start lying on our mats and release our necks with 10 Tigers Running Through the Forest, which will leave our necks and our scalps so happy! From there we will focus on keeping our guts happy with knee to chest pose.
When we come to kneeling we will release our spines and open up our hearts with some flexion, extension, sidebending and backbending in cat pose and gate pose. This will leave our spines happy and joyful.
In lunge pose we will focus on happy hips by parting yin and yang and further releasing our spine and psoas.
When we come to standing we will do some shoulder flossing with a yoga strap, breath of joy and dancer pose. All these poses will leave you full of joy.
We will round out our practice with easy twist, circulating our joy with fountain pose.
Remember to subscribe to the channel because I have something super exciting coming for you in August!
Morning Yoga Qigong Fusion
In July I will support our members in sympathetic joy with our monthly calendars, daily yoga connection, and live yin class on sympathetic joy. We have something super special coming up in August so be sure to subscribe.
This qigong yoga fusion flow will begin with cultivating the energy with a heart massage and getting the energy flowing through the heart and small intestine meridians.
From there we will move into warrior one pose to do prayer wings to warm up our spine and open our hearts to joy even further.
We will cleanse and release stagnant energy with arm swings in chair pose and come into tadasana to circle the radiant joy with a joy facial. Stepping back into warrior one, we will part the clouds to clear the way for radiant joy.
In Goddess Victory Squat we will circulate joy with cloud hands to calm our mind and clear our emotions. The lotus flow will continue to circulate the joy through our bodies and radiate joy out into the world. Big Bear Circulates the moon together with chair pose, allows us to circulate the joy that we have cultivated in the class.
We will finish our class by gathering and storing our radiant joy for our day.
Yin Yoga
This 30 min yin yoga will open your heart and pressurize the tissues of your heart meridian to create the conditions for compassion and self compassion to naturally arise within you. This 30 minute yin yoga class will focus on your upper body, fire element and is great for your posture as well.
We all innately embody compassion. We have been taught to take refuge in our minds, and to not embody the heart space of the body. What is most fundamental in our lives is love. Compassion is when we meet some internal or external suffering. With compassion, there will be a felt sense of tenderness in our bodies.
In yin yoga we are not trying to get somewhere or get over anything. We are interested in allowing the felt sensation of gentle pressure of the qi in our bodies to be our compassionate guide through our class.
Yin Yoga Sequence
Fish Pose Half Heart Melting Pose Broken Wing Pose Fish Pose
Props Needed: 2 blocks
Non Sleep Deep Rest for Beginners
In this non sleep deep rest I will gently guide you through a body scan to help you relax, reduce stress and fall asleep more easily.
Non-sleep deep rest, or yoga nidra, is the kind of rest you get when your body is in a relaxed state, but your mind is still awake. NSDR involves slowing down your brain wave frequency, similar to what happens during sleep, only that in this case you're awake.
Non sleep deep rest is a very easy guided meditation that you do lying down. It will take you into deep non-REM delta wave sleep while you are completely awake and aware. It is deep awareness, stillness, rest and relaxation that you can do at any time of day or night. Think of it like a relaxing body scan.
Non sleep deep rest is recommended by Stanford neuroscientist and researcher Dr. Andrew Huberman. According to Dr. Huberman, non sleep deep rest can put the body in a restorative state, similar to sleep. I feel grateful to have been listening to Dr. Huberman’s podcast for several years and to have heard him lecture here at University of Victoria here in Victoria BC.
Vagus Nerve Qigong Exercises for Emotional Regulation
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SHAKE THE TREE
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PALMS MASSAGE at HEART
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SWIMMING DRAGON
Shake the Tree - Releases sympathetic activation, that feeling of anxiety or anger, the need to fight or flee which will bring you into ventral vagus activation and a feeling of resilience, connection and safety.
Palms Massage at Heart - Rotate Palms at heart. When we are feeling emotionally regulated we feel safe to connect within, with our pets, with people, nature and in harmony with spirit.
Swimming Dragon - Place hands in prayer position. Push Hands one way and rotate head the other way. The vagus nerve travels through the neck. Healthy vagal tone means better emotional regulation.
- Remember, the most important thing for vagus nerve function is safe connection. HUGS! belonging helps you to feel safe and secure. When you are connected, you are calmer and more positive
10 min Morning Qigong
This beginner qigong yoga fusion flow will combine some of the best yoga and qigong from a standing position. No props are needed, not even a yoga mat. The sequence will begin with knocking on the door of life to generate the vitality and life force energy that you need for your practice. You will follow with some purging qigong exercises to release sympathetic activation and negative qi so that you can move pure qi through your body during your morning practice to set you up for your day. From there we will follow up with several movements that will release your shoulders and your neck combining qigong movements in your upper body, with yoga shapes in your lower body. We will round out our qigong morning routine with a soothing yin massage and drawing down the heavens so that you can gather in whatever energy you need for the day.
Morning Qigong Yoga Flow for Beginners Sequence:
KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF LIFE
SHAKING LIKE A TREE
DROPPING THE POST
ROOSTER SPREADS ITS WINGS in WARRIOR ONE
COMPETING DRAGONS in WARRIOR TWO
WHITE CRANE SPREADS ITS WINGS from TADASANA
YIN MASSAGE
DRAWING DOWN THE HEAVENS
10 min Morning Mudra Flow
This moving mudra series along with guided meditation and affirmations for your day will support you in self trust, trusting your inner guidance, finding freedom, harmony, balance, connecting with your inner truth, centering and grounding in your radiance light.
Props Needed: Meditation Cushion or Chair for Sitting
Mudras in the Series:
Vajrapradama Mudra Hridaya Mudra Garuda Mudra Matsya Mudra Samputa Mudra Trimurta Mudra Prithivi Mudra Surya Mudra Bhu Muda
Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga
The pathway of the vagus nerve runs from the brainstem through the neck, throat, lungs, heart and digestive system. This restorative yoga class for the vagus nerve will focus on regulating your vagus nerve so that you can move through your days with more safety, connection, and ease.
When your vagus nerve is regulated you will be able to go with the flow, feel safely embodied, connected with yourself, people, pets, spirit and nature. You will feel at home in your environment and in harmony with your spirit. The common irritations of the day will not bother you and life will feel more manageable.
In this restorative yoga class for your ventral vagus nerve, we will focus on regulating your vagus nerve through the use of supportive props like a blanket, bolster, eye pillow, and blocks.
Restorative Yoga Sequence for Your Vagus Nerve
Vagus Nerve Reset
Myofascial Release for Diaphragm
Psoas Release over Bolster
Supported Fish Pose
Supported Twist
Savasana
Poem: From Blossoms BY LI-YOUNG LEE
Yin Yoga Grace
This 30 minute full yin yoga class with props will support you in cultivating grace with long holds. The focus will be on hips and hip openers with the support of props and lots of modifications. This full yin yoga class is great for back pain and lower back pain. It is suitable for beginners and intermediate level yin yogis and suggestions will be given for each level with props and modifications.
30 minute Yin Yoga Sequence for Grace:
Centering Sleeping Swan Shoe Lace with Rotation Savasana
Oceanside 🌊 Yoga Nidra
This oceanside yoga nidra is a sacred and spiritual practice that is always available to carry you over the troubled waters of your life. In this oceanside yoga nidra, I will lead you in a guided meditation through the layers of your body that might feel like the womb-like space in a sea of rest. When the tide moves away from the shore of you of your day to day activities, your brain waves will let go of mental activity such as problem solving, thinking and decision making. Your brain waves will slow down to the deeply relaxed theta state associated with sleep while still maintaining a trace of awareness. This form of meditation will allow you to let go of physical tension and emotional stress by calming your nervous system. You will descend deeply into the sweet waters of yoga nidra.
This oceanside yoga nidra was filmed on Long Beach in Tofino, BC Canada.
Qigong Yoga Fusion
This hatha yoga qigong fusion class will combine hatha yoga with fountain pose from qigong. Starting in mountain pose, moving to tree pose. We will focus on the kinds of abundance that you want to draw into your life. Additionally, this class will open up your lungs so that you can breathe in more inspiration and good quality and integrity of qi. We will practice fountain pose from easy pose and finish our class in savasana with a poem by William Bly. This short yoga class for abundance will focus on drawing in prosperity and abundance in a simple and easy way. It would be a great class to practice during the full moon to celebrate abundance and prosperity.
Poem: The Shocks we Put Our Pitchforks Into William Bly
Morning Energy Boost
In this short yoga class we will create an energy boost for focus and relaxation. By starting with centering we will gather the energy in stillness, connect with the energy of the earth and breathe into the deep resource of your kidneys to draw on the integrity of your qi.
Moving on to the spinal energy series we will release your spine and draw on the deep well of energy in your lower dantien, moving in through your body with ease.
Inspired by qigong, we will shake our body to draw energy into our organs and our joints. Locust pose will focus on the deep resource of prenatal qi available to us in our kidneys. Finally with matsyendrasana we will release excess qi and come back to our centers. Our poem for today is:
I am laid bare by Zoey Quiney
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.
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Centering/Permission/Introduction of Theme: Allows students to become comfortable and Prepare for Practice
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Sankalpa or Intention Setting
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Body Sensing/Body Scan/Circulating Awareness Through the Body
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Breath Awareness
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Awareness of Opposites
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Resting in Yoga Nidra
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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.
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
Restorative Yoga Sequence Receiving Grace
In this restorative yoga class for grace we will focus on the receptive qualities of grace such as yielding, opening and flowing with all of life. By resting deeply in our bodies and experiencing the sensations without effort, force or trying we can yield to the healing qualities of grace. Allen Snapp says that “grace needs to be the air we breathe and the atmosphere we live in.” In this restorative yoga class, grace will be the air we breathe and the ground that holds us. Join us for a restorative yoga class that invites you to open to grace with readings, quotations and poetry that will inspire grace to enliven your soul.
Savasana, Standing Forward Fold, Reclined Goddess, Reclined Twist, Savasana
Props Needed: 2 blocks, bolster, eye pillow, yoga strap, blankets
Member Bonus:
Our members will have the option to meet directly after the livestream for a reflective journal writing in their yoga journals. We will begin by collectively reviewing the front of our journals. From there we will do a journal writing practice that will support us in contemplating how we can personally expand the themes from the class based on the yoga journaling we are doing in our community.
Yoga Nidra
This 30 minute yoga nidra sleep meditation for deep rest. Yoga nidra powerfully heals and restores your body on a physical level giving you an opportunity for deep rest in reclined meditation. This yoga nidra is designed to give all parts of your body deep rest. All the organs and systems of your body from your ventral vagus nervous system, your heart, your lungs, your kidneys, your liver, your brain and rest and rebuild. It is a deep rest meditation that will guide you for 30 minutes into a yoga nidra healing experience. Allow Melissa West to guide you on this healing yoga nidra journey into deep restorative sleep and into a deep rest frequency.
Yoga Nidra meditation is easy because it takes your brain into the same frequency when you are in deep sleep even though you are awake allowing for deep rest. Your body will naturally begin its process of rejuvenation and healing. Your vital, rested, and restored body is the first step towards releasing stress and finding inner peace. This guided yoga nidra meditation will take you to brainwave states where your entire body and mind will have a chance for deep rest and rejuvenation.
Members Only Audio Link
Chair Yoga for Balance
Join special guest, Sherry Zak Morris, who specializes in Yoga for people with movement limitations, chronic conditions and age-related degeneration.
Today's Chair Yoga class is focused on Improving your Balance. Balance is one of the first things that degrades as we age and it is something we can improve with practice.
A special thanks to Dr. Melissa West of Yoga with Melissa for sharing this video on her channel. Come on over to Sherry's YogaJP's channel and enjoy a Beginner Yin Chair Yoga class with Melissa that will help release your fascia and connective tissue so you have less pain and stiffness.
In this Balance-focused class, we will work on 3 aspects to good balance:
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Your Vision and Eye Health - so you can see and anticipate your surroundings
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Your Proprioception - knowing where your body is in space so if you stumble, you won't fall
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Your Muscular Strength - to keep you strong, steady and sturdy
As always, check in with your doctor before starting any new exercise program. We will be using a chair throughout this class, so find one that is sturdy with no arms, and let's begin.
🌟 Check out Sherry's YogaVista.TV streaming Video Library with over 500 videos 🪑👉 Click Here 🌟 Chair Yoga Dances with Sherry with no commercial or ads 🪑👉 Click Here
Throat Chakra Yoga
This 30 minute hatha yoga class will unblock your throat chakra and support you in following your truth. It is a 30 minute hatha yoga sequence that is suitable hatha yoga for beginners or hatha yoga for intermediate. This hatha yoga class is a that yoga level 1 or hatha yoga level 2.
The hatha yoga sequence includes:
Supported fish pose with blocks Neck and Shoulder Release Cat Pose with Lion’s Breath Thread the Needle Eagle’s Pose with Options and Modifications Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold Sphinx Reclined Twist Savasana
Lots of options and modifications are given in this throat chakra yoga. Big thanks to Anodea Judith for her teachings on the throat chakra
Restorative Yoga for Autumn
Slow down and align with the autumn season with this restorative yoga sequence for fall. These autumn restorative yoga poses will prepare you to restore for winter’s long rest. With readings and poetry from John O’Donohue, Mary Oliver, David Whyte and Melissa West’s forthcoming book: The Elemental Self | Five Element Yin Yoga you will be soothed in fall restorative yoga poses while slowing down to prepare for a season of hibernation.
Member Bonus:
Our members will have the option to meet directly after the livestream for a reflective journal writing in their yoga journals. We will begin by collectively reviewing the front of our journals. From there we will do a journal writing practice that will support us in contemplating how we can personally expand the themes from the class based on the yoga journaling we are doing in our community.
Let Go
In this yoga nidra for letting go, I will lead you in a guided meditation through the layers of your body into a calming sleep-like state. Your brain waves will let go of mental activity such as problem solving, thinking and decision making. Your brain waves will slow down to the deeply relaxed theta state associated with sleep while still maintaining a trace of awareness. This form of meditation will allow you to let go of physical tension and emotional stress by calming your nervous system. It may also improve the quality of your sleep, improve your mental focus, let go of resentment, control, anger and guilt. We will begin our yoga nidra practice with a beautiful letting go quote by Jeff Foster.
Readings from:
Jeff Foster, You Were Never Broken Poems to Save Your Life
Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3AMObmJ
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3jNTyuY
Yin Yoga for Letting Go
In this yin yoga practice for letting go I will provide you with yin yoga poses for letting go alongside yoga quotes for letting go. The quotes for letting go will support you in letting go of the past, letting go of fear, letting go of resentment, letting go of shame, letting go and moving on. While you are in your yin yoga poses for five minutes at a time I will read you beautiful, meaningful and moving quotes and poetry on letting go.
Yin Yoga Sequence for Letting Go
Centering - 5 mins
Revolved Child’s Pose - 5 mins each side
Reclined Cow’s Face Arms - 5 mins each side
Savasana - 5 mins
Readings from:
Jeff Foster, You Were Never Broken Poems to Save Your Life
Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3AMObmJ
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3jNTyuY
Daring to Take up Space by Danielle Koepke
Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/37XasSx
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3iLVGUB
You Are Worthy
In this meditative restorative yoga class for self worth we will allow beautiful quotes about self worth to wash over us as we deeply rest and let go into our restorative yoga poses for self worth. These self worth restorative yoga quotes will act as self worth affirmations in the context of a restorative yoga class. Consider this a self worth meditation in the setting of a deeply restful restorative yoga class. We will explore the meaning of self worth as we rest into a sequence of yoga poses for self worth and listen to the beautiful, poetic words of John O’Donohue and Danielle Koepke reminding us that we are worthy, no matter what.
Restorative Yoga Sequence for Self Worth
Supported Savasana - 5 mins
Restorative Frog - 5 mins
Supported Child’s Pose - 10 mins
Supported Pigeon Pose - 5 mins each side
Supported Reclined Twist - 5 mins each side
Gentle Reclined Twist - 5 mins each side
Supported Savasana - 5 mins
Readings:
John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3AKy0GC
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3iLVGUB
Daring to Take up Space by Danielle Koepke
Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/37XasSx
Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3iLVGUB
Yoga Nidra
We are not at our best when we are depleted. This yoga nidra is designed to revitalize your body from the inside out, breathing new life and energy into your being. Restoring your mental, emotional and spiritual landscape. Welcome to the power of being well-rested.
This 30 minute yoga nidra is a guided meditation practice that will take you through a full body scan. You can find my full yoga nidra playlist on YouTube here: Yoga Nidra Playlist
In this 30 Minute Yoga Nidra for rejuvenation, I will guide you through a body scan that will leave you feeling re-energized when you are depleted.
Yoga Nidra is a form of meditation that helps with insomnia, anxiety, stress, adrenal fatigue, PTSD and so much more.
Through this guided meditation I will lead you into a form of conscious sleep where you will be physically, mentally and emotionally relaxed and yet aware. You will move through your waking state, travel through the dreaming state and enter into a deep sleep state, all while remaining fully awake. In this state of deep relaxation you will receive clarity of mind, stillness and calm. The restorative quality of this meditation often leads to deep insight.
Research on yoga nidra suggests that just one hour of yoga nidra is equivalent to four hours of healthy sleep. Prepare to release tension and anxiety while being rejuvenated to a state of inner calm in this 30 minute guided yoga nidra meditation full body scan.
What is the best time to practice 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.
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.
Centering/Permission/Introduction of Theme: Allows students to become comfortable and Prepare for Practice Sankalpa or Intention Setting Body Sensing/Body Scan/Circulating Awareness Through the Body Breath Awareness Awareness of Opposites Resting in Yoga Nidra The Return
What happens if you fall asleep during yoga nidra?
It is not a problem. It means that you need 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 through 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.
Yoga Abs for Women Over 40
In just 15 minutes I will take you through an easy and doable yoga sequence to strengthen your abdominals. These are beginner yoga poses that will help you strengthen your core. It is designed for women and men over 40.
This is a 15 minute yoga routine that you can do daily as a great way to strengthen your back and core. Contrary to the instagram six pack models, your core muscles are not just pretty muscles. They help our back to stay strong and they also support us in having good posture all day long.
When you have strong abdominals you will prevent back pain, protect your internal organs, and have better posture.
Add this 15 minute yoga abs routine into your rotation and notice the difference yourself!
4 Yoga Poses for Lower Back Pain
If you suffer from lower back pain, these 4 hatha yoga poses for the lower back can provide you with lower back pain relief. Back pain can be caused by a number of things from the shapes our bodies take sitting long hours in cars or in chairs hunched over our computers and laptops, strained muscles and ligaments from lifting heavy objects or a sudden movement during a sports activity, to whiplash damage from a car accident. No matter the cause, back pain can be debilitating and it can be helpful to have 4 simple hatha yoga poses that you can do in a short amount of time to relieve your pain.
In this short hatha yoga class you will be guided through the following hatha yoga poses to relieve low back pain:
Knee to Chest into Knee Down Twist Locust Lunge Pose Cobra Pose
The above hatha yoga poses for low back pain will take your spine through rotation and extension and also bring your hips into extension which will help to relieve low back pain.
Full Hatha Yoga Class
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 for tight hips sequenced in a full hatha yoga class.
Keyhole Stretch
Pigeon Pose
Lunge Pose
Cow’s Face Pose
4 Yoga Poses for Rounded Shoulders
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 little 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 for rounded shoulders sequenced in a full hatha yoga class.
4 yoga poses for rounded shoulders full hatha yoga class sequence: Supported Fish Pose Half Bow Pose Bridge Pose Cobra
Yoga Nidra for Energy
We are living with a lack of energy. Our minds are tired from overthinking. The sensory overwhelm from screen time is exhausting. In just 10 minutes you can experience the restorative quality of sleep while resting back and allowing yourself to be guided through a full body scan. Yoga nidra will allow you to reclaim your energy by giving your mind a rest and decreasing sensory input.
This simple reclined meditation is deeply nourishing and revitalizing. By bringing awareness to your breath and body you will step away from this practice rested, restored and revitalized in just 10 minutes.
Pick A Card Yoga
Pile 1 01:14
Pile 2 26:47
Pile 3 51:38
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.
Spoiler! If you don’t want to know what yoga poses are in your classes don’t read below!
Pile 1 Hatha Yoga Sequence:
Props Needed: 2 Blocks and a Bolster
Reclined Bound Angle
Pigeon or Figure Four
Lunge to Standing
Savasana
Poem: Still Life by Kristin Lee from Collective Wisdom Magazine September 2020 edition
https://www.collectivewisdommagazine.com/
Pile 2 Hatha Yoga Sequence:
Constructive Rest
Dying Warrior
Sphinx Pose
Cat Pose
Child’s Pose
Savasana
Pile 3 Yoga Sequence
Props Needed: Yoga Strap, Blocks,
Hatha Yoga Sequence:
Hand to big toe pose
Pigeon or Figure Four
Lunge Pose
Tree Pose
Half Moon Balancing Pose
Over the Moon Pose
Savasana
Poem Back Home by Ricardo Agrasso from Collective Wisdom Magazine Jan/Feb 2021
https://www.collectivewisdommagazine.com/
Decks Used in this Video:
Fauna, Flora and Fantastic Being
https://www.aveclavie.com/the-decks
Restorative Yoga for Beginners at Home
If you have never practiced yoga or restorative yoga before, are recovering from an illness or an injury or are looking for an awesome way to relax then restorative yoga is a great way to practice yoga at home on YouTube. Drawing from a simple sequence of easy supported yoga poses you will be whisked away into deep relaxation so that your mind can enter into a calm oasis of peace and ease.
This introduction to restorative yoga will include restorative yoga poses to reduce your lower back pain, restorative yoga for tight hips, restorative yoga poses for digestion, restorative yoga to support you in getting a deep sleep.
Each restorative yoga pose will set you up for deep relaxation so your mind can settle, you can release tension and pain in your body and improve your emotional well-being. Restorative yoga will both nourish and sustain your vital life energy. Through the poses you will enter into a state of deep relaxation where your energy will be restored. The gentle, relaxing poses are shapes that anybody can make with their bodies. They are incredibly soothing for your nervous system and calming for your mind.
4 Yoga Poses for Beginners
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 for beginners that will motivate anybody to begin yoga or start again. These poses will release back pain, help you with your balance, help you with your flexibility and strength. More importantly I hope it is an easy class to start yoga any day or any time! 4 Yoga Poses for Beginners Hatha Yoga Sequence:
Knees to Chest Pose Cat Pose Tree Pose Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold
4 Yoga Poses to Start the Day
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 start your day which are a great way to energise your morning and start your day right. These poses will bring flexibility to your spine and energy to your whole body. You will practice two energizing breath practices or pranayama. There is also a beautiful heart opening pose to open to your day. I hope you enjoy this short yoga class as much as I did making it. More importantly I hope it is an easy class to start your day when you are looking for a great way to start your morning! Morning Hatha Yoga Sequence - All Levels Spinal Energy Series
Kapalabhati Breath
Breath of Joy
Cobra or Bhujangasana
Poetry from Collective Wisdom Magazine July 2020 Edition https://www.collectivewisdommagazine.com/
Better Help https://www.betterhelp.com/
4 Yoga Poses for a Fresh Start
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 on that.
Here are 4 yoga poses for a fresh start which will be a great way to start your day or get back on your mat after a break. These poses will support you in your digestion, letting go of the old, strengthening your lower body, opening your heart and chest, and releasing your tight hips. I hope you enjoy this short yoga class as much as I did making it. More importantly I hope it is an easy class to incorporate into any day when you are looking for a fresh start! 4 Yoga Poses for a Fresh Start Hatha Yoga Sequence: Apanasana/ Knee to Chest Pose
Bridge Pose/Setu Bandhasana
Anjaneyasana/ Lunge Pose
Warrior One/ Virabhadrasana One
Restorative Yoga for Coronavirus
Many of my students are experiencing the fatigue and general malaise of receiving the covid vaccine. Some are less fortunate and have long haul coronavirus symptoms. The overwhelming symptom of receiving both the vaccine and long haul coronavirus is fatigue. Restorative yoga is a perfect style of yoga to bring compassion and kindness to the fatigue in your body. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms from your vaccine such as chills, fatigue, joint pain, headache, and muscle aches, restorative yoga is a gentle and nourishing style of yoga using props and the wall to bring energy and comfort to your body.
If you are a long hauler and are experiencing coughing, ongoing debilitating fatigue, body aches, joint pain, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, headaches and brain fog, this restorative yoga class will gently support your body with props and bring healing and recuperative energy to your body.
Poetry from Collective Wisdom Magazine
Here is my playlist of 24 recommended restorative yoga and yoga nidra (sleep yoga) classes to support you in recovery from COVID 19, long haul COVID 19 and recovery from COVID 19 vaccine -
Yin Yoga
This 30 minute yin yoga sequence is a full and complete yin yoga class that will support you in letting go. This mindful yoga will guide you into deep yin yoga stretches that will support your relaxation and release symptoms of anxiety as well so that you can surrender to your inner flow.
This yin yoga class will support your full body with the use of props including bolster, blocks, blanket, yoga strap and eye pillow.
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Hatha Yoga
This hatha yoga full class on youtube will get you up and moving. It is a class that is appropriate for beginners with lots of modifications but will also challenge intermediate level yogis as well. This is a great guided hatha yoga practice that will bring joy to your morning practice and one that you could practice daily as well. Melissa West is a trained hatha yoga teacher and is known for her hatha yoga videos here on YouTube.
You are going to love this hatha yoga sequence which will combine standing postures with some hatha yoga clow. It is a 30 minute hatha yoga class that includes some standing twists, side bends, eye yoga, breath of joy. You will be doing a hatha yoga flow between chair pose, warrior three and revolved warrior three.
There will be another hatha yoga flow sequence between wide legged standing forward fold and goddess victory squat along with some variations of goddess victory squat.
This class includes some movement in warrior two and cobra. Work your core with boat pose. Modifications will be given for those with back issues. We will finish with twists in easy pose and a poem in savasana. Our poem today is: Don't Allow the Lucid Moment to Dissolve - Adam Zagajewski
Pick A Card Yoga
01:48 - 14:52 Pile 1 14:54 - 24:17 Pile 2 24:18 - 35:36 Pile 3
Today I am coming out of the spiritual closet with one of my favourite glimmers - oracle cards! You may or may not have seen the pick a card videos on YouTube. One of my favourite channels is Teacup Tarot. It got me thinking, why not create a pick a card yoga class. Basically there will be 3 piles each one represents a different 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 third class you will need a block. The third class is more restorative in nature. There are some
Spoiler! If you don’t want to know what is in your class don’t read below!
Pile 1 Hatha Yoga Sequence:
Legs Up the Wall with Alternate Nostril Breathing Legs Up the Wall with Eagles Legs and Eagles Arms Lunge Pose or Anjaneyasana Warrior 1 Savasana
Pile 2 Hatha Yoga Sequence:
Cat Pose Breath of Joy Goddess Victory Squat Savasana
Pile 3 Props Needed - Block Supported Bridge Pose with Block Supported Locust Pose Basic Exercise Savasana
Yin Yoga Wall
This 60 minute yin yoga sequence with minimal cues will get into your hips, shoulders and upper back. It is a deep stretch that is calming and will provide you with stress relief. Over 60 minutes we will give you a deep stretch in your upper and lower body through this yin yoga wall sequence. Consider this a full body yin yoga sequence that is deep stretch for your upper and lower back using the wall. At the same time it is gentle yoga at the walm that will leave you feeling calm and relaxed.
We will be holding each of the yin yoga poses at the wall for five minutes.
Legs Up the Wall - 5 mins
Keyhole - 5 mins
Dangling 5 mins
Broken Wing Against the Wall 5 mins
Melting Heart Against the Wall 5 mins
Legs Up the Wall 5 mins
Yoga Nidra for Anxiety
This full length guided yoga nidra/sleep yoga for anxiety and insomnia will help you let go of anxiety and stress to experience a deep inner peace and calm for a night free of insomnia. Through the practice of yoga nidra we can surrender the ceaseless running of the restless mind, let go of the accumulated tension in the body, stop, let go of controlling the uncontrollable and rest into our body's own well-being for deep night’s sleep.
When we are caught up in a cycle of anxiety, we are often trying to do too much. We are caught in a cycle of doing, doing, doing. It is excessive urgency. We feel like we have to control everything and manage everything by doing. To control the anxiety we just try to do more.
Through yoga nidra your body and mind will be led into a relaxation response and excess stress hormones such as cortisol are removed from the system. Your muscles relax, your heart slows down, your breath deepens. Your body releases GABA which is calming, as well as melatonin and serotonin. Yoga nidra restores the parasympathetic nervous system balance, reversing the tendency to move into anxiety under stress allowing you to have deep sleep and let go of insomnia.
In this yoga nidra video for anxiety and insomnia you are going to connect you with your capacity for self and emotional regulation to relieve anxiety and insomnia.
This will give you a small taste of my 5 day #clearyourmindchallenge from April 19-23.
We live in a world of noise, excess, overwhelm, overload, overrun with too much of a good thing and our bodies, minds, emotions, energy bodies and spirits cannot possibly adapt
The result is anxiety, insomnia, poor memory, confusion, poor concentration and difficulty prioritizing
Each day we will practice one yin yoga postures which will support you in absorbing the exact nutrients and dosage that you need each day to radiate the balanced expression of your True self in the world.
We will step back from overfeeding ourselves or feeding ourselves the wrong things - physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, spiritually. Through yin yoga, one posture a day our bodies will be able to tune in #clearyourmindchallenge
Register at https://melissawest.com/fire/
There will be no close out today so that you can enjoy the peace in your body or drift into sleep, so thank you for putting “I am calm and relaxed” in the comments, subscribing and liking this video before your start.
I will put the direct link to the downloadable audio file for our members in the show notes and a link to become a member if you would like access to the downloadable file which is just the yoga nidra without any YouTube advertising or promotion, it starts right with the spoken guided yoga nidra that you can download onto your phones and devices to listen anywhere in your earbuds.
Today you are going to need: 2 blankets, bolster, eye pillow.
Member Only Yoga Nidra Audio Downloads
Yoga Nidra for Anxiety and Insomnia Audio Download 30 mins
Yin Yoga for Small Intestine
This 30 minute yin yoga class for your fire element and small intestine meridian will pull and pressurize the tissues of your upper back, shoulder and neck supporting you in clearing your mind. By pulling and pressurizing the deep tissues of your upper back, shoulders and neck you will be stimulating the flow of chi along the energy pathways of your small intestine meridian which will leave you with a clear mind.
Your small intestine meridian starts at the outside of your baby finger and runs up the outside of your forearm to the back of your shoulder, the back of your neck. One branch runs internally through your heart, through our stomach and to your small intestine. Another branch runs externally across your neck, to your cheek, to th router corner of your eye and then enters your ear. There is a third short branch which runs to the inner corner of your eye which connects with the bladder meridian.
Qi stagnation is causes pain. In terms of pain in your upper back neck and shoulders we can look to your small intestine meridian channel. Biologically your small intestine meridian is responsible for breaking down your food and absorbing its nutrients. From the traditional chinese medicine perspective, your small intestine meridian system supports you in breaking down your experiences, relationships, thoughts, and emotions.
This yin yoga class will support you in taking a small step back to reflect on the root causes of anxiety, insomnia, and circular thoughts by making sure that we are not overfeeding ourselves or feeding ourselves the wrong things - physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, spiritually.
If you would like to go further and explore the teachings of this class in depth, I invite you to join me for my 5 day #clearyourmindchallenge 5 Day #clearyourmindchallenge April 19-23, 2021 We live in a world of noise, excess, overwhelm, overload, overrun with too much of a good thing and our bodies, minds, emotions, energy bodies and spirits cannot possibly adapt
The result is anxiety, insomnia, poor memory, confusion, poor concentration and difficulty prioritizing
Each day we will practice one yin yoga postures which will support you in absorbing the exact nutrients and dosage that you need each day to radiate the balanced expression of your True self in the world.
We will step back from overfeeding ourselves or feeding ourselves the wrong things - physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, spiritually. Through yin yoga, one posture a day our bodies will be able to tune in #clearyourmindchallenge
Register Here
Yin Yoga
This 30 minute yin yoga class for your fire element and small intestine meridian will pull and pressurize the tissues of your upper back, shoulder and neck supporting you in clearing your mind. By pulling and pressurizing the deep tissues of your upper back, shoulders and neck you will be stimulating the flow of chi along the energy pathways of your small intestine meridian which will leave you with a clear mind.
Today’s class is a 30 minute minimal cues yin yoga to clear your mind. There will be no instruction except when to come in and out of the yin yoga poses. In this class we assume you have knowledge and experience of the yin postures and the principles of yin. You will be holding your yin postures for 3-5 minutes. Modifications and Options will be given, but briefly to honour minimal cues.
If you would like to go further and explore the teachings of this class in depth, I invite you to join me for my 5 day #clearyourmindchallenge
5 Day #clearyourmindchallenge
We live in a world of noise, excess, overwhelm, overload, overrun with too much of a good thing and our bodies, minds, emotions, energy bodies and spirits cannot possibly adapt
The result is anxiety, insomnia, poor memory, confusion, poor concentration and difficulty prioritizing
Each day we will practice one yin yoga postures which will support you in absorbing the exact nutrients and dosage that you need each day to radiate the balanced expression of your True self in the world.
We will step back from overfeeding ourselves or feeding ourselves the wrong things - physically, mentally, emotionally, energetically, spiritually. Through yin yoga, one posture a day our bodies will be able to tune in #clearyourmindchallenge Register at https://melissawest.com/fire/ Better Help https://www.betterhelp.com/
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Yin Yoga
Today’s class is a 60 minute minimal cues yin yoga to support you in coming home to your heart and taking a mental break. There will be no instruction except to cue you to come in and out of the yin yoga poses. In this class I assume you have knowledge of the yin postures and the principles of yin. You will be holding your yin postures for 5 minutes. Modifications and Options will be given, but briefly to honour minimal cues.
Props Recommended: bolster, blocks, eye pillow, blanket, yoga strap
Yoga with a Strap
This is a 30 minute, real time yoga class on how to use a yoga strap. In this class we will use a yoga strap or a yoga belt and I will demonstrate several yoga strap yoga exercises that are suitable for yoga beginners to intermediate yoga practitioners.
The focus will be on using the yoga strap in yoga postures to release your hips and hamstrings. So we will be using the yoga strap for hips stretches and we will be using the yoga strap for hamstring stretches. Additionally I will be using the yoga strap to for shoulder stretches and to improve your shoulder mobility. A lot of focus will be given to how to use the yoga strap for posture as we practice our standing yoga poses. I will show you how to use your yoga strap in boat pose to strengthen your abdominals.
Time throughout the class will be given to show you how to tie the yoga strap in the various postures from savasana or corpse pose, to boat pose, to yoga poses for posture.
Props Needed: 8 or 10 foot yoga strap
Yoga Strap Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3ax7Xs8 Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/358Y4hG
If you choose to purchase a yoga strap from the above link, Melissa earns a small percentage.
10 min Yoga Breath to Purge Inner Anger
In just 10 minutes I am going to offer you 3 yoga breathing techniques to support you in purging inner anger, rage, frustration & resentment. These simple and easy to perform yoga breathing techniques will support you in releasing anger when it feels stuck inside you. According to traditional chinese medicine, anger resides in our liver and so we will spend extra time with yoga breathing to release anger from our liver organ for when anger feels stuck inside our bodies. This is a 10 minute guided yoga breathing to purge the repressed anger, to calm resentment and frustration. You do not need any props for this class. It is all done from a standing position.
How to Advance Your Yoga Practice This is the perfect yoga class to gently guide your beginner yoga practice to the intermediate level. In this yoga class I will show you several tips and tricks for taking your beginner level yoga practice to the intermediate level. There are simple ways to progress your yoga practice and in each pose I will show you how to deepen, advance, elevate and take your practice to the next level.
Poses: Hand to Big Toe Pose, Figure Four Pose and Pigeon Pose, Cat Pose, Lunge Pose, Tree Pose, Chair Pose, Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold, Bridge Pose, Knee to Chest Pose, Reclined Twist Pose, Savasana
Modifications and Variations will be given to listen to your body and to support you in advancing your practice.
Props Used: Yoga Strap, Blocks, Blanket
Yin Yoga Release the Day
Today’s class is a 60 minute minimal cues yin yoga to release the day. There will be no instruction except when to come in and out of the yin yoga poses. In this class we assume you have knowledge of the yin postures and the principles of yin. You will be holding your yin postures for 5 minutes. Modifications and Options will be given, but briefly to honour minimal cues. Props Recommended: bolster, blocks, eye pillow, blanket
Daily Guided Breathing Exercise for Anxiety
This is a short, simple and uncomplicated yoga sequence that will allow you to release anxiety with yoga breathing and movements. By moving your spine in all directions you will open up your thoracic spine and lungs so that letting go of your breath on the exhalation will become even easier. Then we will focus on a “sigh of relief” to let go of anxiety. For this class you will need a chair.
30 minute Yin Yoga Sequence for a Happy Liver Organ System
Today’s class is a Yin Yoga Sequence for a 😄 Happy😄 Liver Organ System
Welcome to Yoga with Melissa, 🥰 Real Yoga for Real People 🥰 Today you are going to need a blanket, blocks, and an eye pillow
I want to let you know that the teachings that I am sharing today are coming out of my forthcoming 📖 book 📖 The Elemental Self: 5 Element Yin Yoga. I know many of you are also teachers and take inspiration from these classes and I would ask that if you do so, to let your students know that they will be able to learn more about themselves, the five elements and yin yoga from my 📖 book 📖 when it comes out. I am currently in the 🖋️ revision 🖋️ phase but hope to finish it this year.
Your liver meridian begins at your big toes, then runs up the inside of your legs, through your torso, throat, lips and ends at your eyes.
Our liver meridian organ system is about our vision for our lives. Right now a lot of us are experiencing anger, frustration, and irritation, or liver out of balance because given our current conditions with many countries in second and third lockdowns the growth and upward movement that normally experiences freedom of movement has been restricted right now.
The yin yoga sequence will be toe stand, revolved bound angle, sphinx, toe stand and will explore how to find happiness through your liver organ system given the current restrictions in our world right now and how that relates to five element theory.
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Yoga with Melissa recommends consulting your physician or other healthcare provider before starting any yoga or movement program. You should understand that there is a risk of injury associated with participating in any physical movement. This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such. By voluntarily participating in this exercise program or using the information provided, you assume all risk of injury to yourself and release and discharge Yoga with Melissa/Melissa West from all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising from use of this video or information therein.
30 minute Yin Yoga for Self-Compassion
In this short yin yoga class for self compassion we will practice child’s pose, broken wing pose, heart opening pose and savasana to offer ourselves self compassion.
We will begin with the principles of yin with a focus on self compassion. We will find an appropriate edge in a way that brings the qualities of self compassion. We will soften with self compassion so that there is a tenderness as we ease into the expression of your yin poses. We will be still in our yin poses so that we do not escape sensations or try to intensify them and we we will stay for awhile allowing ourselves to offer ourselves self compassion.
During the long five minute holds in each of the yin yoga postures we will explore: What is self compassion? We will explore how self compassion does not lead to laziness but joy, happiness and optimism. We will finish with a long savasana and a self compassion poem that I wrote myself. These teachings are based on the teachings of Kristin Neff and her book Self Compassion.
60 minute Yin Yoga to Cultivate Your Divine Feminine Energy
This 60 minute yin yoga class is about cultivating your divine feminine. You are going to need 2 blocks, a blanket, an eye pillow and a yoga bolster.
We all have masculine and feminine energy within us. In order to balance our masculine and feminine energy we need to spend some time cultivating our divine feminine energy. It is no secret that most of our lives are spent in our masculine energy: focused on productivity, logic, actions and results.
When we take the time to cultivate our divine feminine energy we bring the masculine and feminine energies into union and this gives our masculine action and productivity inspiration.
The quiet, still, receptive, feminine practice of yin yoga is one of the most perfect styles of yoga to practice cultivating the divine feminine qualities that are already within each and every one of us, whether you are a man or a woman.
My intention in this 60 minute yin yoga class to cultivate the divine feminine is to spend 5 minutes being in each yin yoga pose to RECEIVE the qualities of the divine feminine. Those qualities are BEING, RECEIVING, FEELINGS, BODY WISDOM, INTUITION, CREATIVITY. This class will be inward focused, it will allow you to connect with your innate wisdom, and to surrender to the healing energy of the sacred feminine that flows up from the earth.
We will begin our class reclined with a 5 minute centering. The yin sequence to cultivate the divine femiinine in this class are: wide knee child’s pose with a side bend, psoas release over the bolster, figure four, figure four twist, malasana or squat, savasana. Each yin yoga pose will be held for five minutes and options and modifications will be given throughout the class.
Our poem in savasana today is called: “A Few Words On The Soul” by Wislawa Szymborska
20 minute Daily Eye Yoga Class
This is a 20 minute, real time yoga class that you can do daily for your eyes. These six exercises will reduce the eye strain that we experience from staring at our computer screens for hours on end and focusing on objects that are close in.
Eye yoga also stimulates your vagus nerve. When we mindfully practice eye yoga, we are actually stimulating the ventral vagus nerve and sending a message to our brain that it is okay to relax.
So when you stimulate your vagus nerve with eye yoga, you are actually sending a message to your body that it is time to relax and de-stress, which will lead to long-term improvements in mood, well-being and resilience.
If you are looking to reduce the eye strain from screen time and reduce stress, improve your relaxation response, this eye yoga video is for you.
30 minute Daily Yin Yoga for Constipation
In this 30 minute daily yin yoga class I am going to teach you the best yin yoga poses for constipation relief. If you experience bloating and cramps due to constipation, this short yin yoga sequence will help to relax your colon and then put pressure on your colon to move the feces along. This is the best yin yoga for digestion and constipation. If you have gastric constipation or constipation due to IBS, then these yin yoga positions for constipation will help to relax your stomach, intestines and relieve your chronic constipation. If you are looking for better digestion, the components of relaxation and compression that I offer here with these yin yoga poses will improve your digestion.
Dr. Melissa West, from Victoria B.C. Canada has been releasing an hour long video every Friday on this YouTube channel since 2009. On her Yoga Lifestyle with Melissa channel she releases a she answers your questions on Wednesdays. She specializes in helping you let go of all the tension, anxiety and stress in your life through yin yoga, restorative yoga, hatha yoga and yoga nidra/sleep yoga. If you are looking for a reprieve from the burdens of everyday life, Melissa’s videos offer the best in relaxation, peace and calm.
Thank you so much for watchin this video, giving it a thumbs up, leaving your comment and sharing it with a friend who would appreciate it. Subscribe for a video like this every Wednesday at 9 am PT.
Restorative Yoga for Stress Relief
For this 30 minute daily restorative yoga for stress relief you will need a bolster, 2 blocks, a blanket, an eye pillow and a yoga strap. This short restorative yoga class is perfect to practice daily for stress management, anxiety relief and depression. It is short enough to put on every day so that you can release the daily stressors of life. These restorative yoga poses will slow you down and relieve the tension that comes from the accumulation of stress and anxiety in just 30 minutes.
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Chair Yoga Class for Back Care with Sherry Zak Morris
Whether you are dealing with back pain, a back injury or want to keep your back healthy, Chair Yoga can help! Join Sherry Zak Morris, a Certified Yoga Therapist who specializes in helping people gain back mobility, as she guides you through safe and effective movements that will support and nourish your spine and its supporting structures.
Hi, I’m Sherry with YogaVista.TV. I am grateful to be a guest once again on the Yoga with Melissa YouTube channel. Today I share a Chair Yoga class that is easily accessible and effective for those who are dealing with back issues. If you come over to my YogaJP YouTube channel , you will see the Yoga Nidra for Sleep that Melissa has created for you.
If you want more Chair Yoga VIdeos with Sherry, visit YogaVista.TV.
Back Pain Playlist on Yoga with Melissa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7nfAnX_WiQ&list=PLdFcYtDajz238Q2FNZttgIjUrYQ9POqYV
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Gentle Yoga for Relaxation from Yoga with Bird
This is a 20 minute gentle yoga routine to help you find relaxation from special guest Yoga with Bird.
In this restorative style yoga class we will explore gentle movements and stretches that you can do anytime you feel stressed, anxious or simply need a bit of mind and body restoration.
Restorative yoga styles are especially great to implement into your evening routine to help you sleep better throughout the night.
For this class we will be using 1 yoga block however if you don't have a block simply use a firm pillow and of course if you'd like to modify have a few extra pillows or bolster nearby.
So join me, for this gentle yoga for relaxation.
Melissa’s 60 minute Restorative Yoga for Mental Health on Bird’s Channel https://youtu.be/zoHPJh95CCQ
Yoga with Bird Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxYVPua6HC46HzgT8IIn3vg
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Guided Meditation for Pain Relief
This guided meditation was inspired by my own experience with chronic pain and was specifically designed to bring compassion and kindness to those of you who are going through the physical and emotional challenges of dealing with pain. Pain is a normal part of our human experience. Globally it is estimated that about 1 in 5 people or 1.5 billion people worldwide experience chronic pain.
This meditation is designed to bring acceptance, relaxation and softening to the experience of pain in your body. Each time you listen you will deepen the loving kindness, compassion, acceptance and softening around pain that is possible through breathing and visualization. Repeated listening is recommended.
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60 min Restorative Yoga for Immune System | Yoga with Melissa 551
This 60 minute restorative yoga class for your immune system will focus on 3 primary organs of your immune system: your thymus, lymph nodes and your spleen.
Your thymus is located behind your breastbone above your heart. Your thymus is responsible for T cells which move through your body and continually monitor the surface of your cells for changes. We will practice restorative backbend to stimulate your thymus glands.
Your lymph nodes occur anywhere there is a crease in your body. Think armpits, groin, elbow, behind your knees. Your lymph nodes act as filters trapping germs and activating antibodies in your blood. If your lymph nodes are swollen your immune system is active and fighting and infection. We will practice restorative yoga poses to access the groin, armpits and knees in this class.
Your spleen is located in your upper left abdomen underneath your diaphragm. It stores immune cells called scavenger cells that filter germs that get into your bloodstream. We will be practicing a restorative side bend to stimulate your spleen in this restorative yoga class for your immune system.
Our Poem Today is: 'All that is gold does not glitter' by J.R.R. Tolkien
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More Restorative Yoga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkNYjO5ztQ8&list=PLdFcYtDajz223XO-PG40a2dalVOSv96Dv
Hatha Yoga for Immunity
https://youtu.be/BkijquQ6iGs
Hatha Yoga for a Strong Immune System https://youtu.be/1k2uGws6Re8
Healing Yoga Nidra https://youtu.be/0cBdC6yyn6k
Gratitude Sleep Meditation Fall Asleep with Gratitude
By giving our attention to the simple but profound miracle of our body we can pause to surrender our day before falling asleep. This guided gratitude sleep meditation will allow you to fall asleep with gratitude each night.
Through this guided meditation you will be given a moment to pause and reflect on your day. Each listening will deepen your reverence and appreciation of the simple things in your life that you may have previously taken for granted. Gratitude will light up what is already present in your life. You don’t have to improve yourself, you don’t have to do more or work harder. Through this guided meditation we will shine the light of awareness on the blessings that are present in our lives. This meditation is designed to support you in releasing the day with gratitude and surrendering into rest.
Yoga Videos for Sleep
Gratitude Yoga Classes
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The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a life of happiness and wellbeing by giving thanks
Gratitude Works!: A 21-Day Program for Creating Emotional Prosperity
10 min Yoga Nidra Full Body Scan
This 10 minute yoga nidra is a short guided practice that will take you through a full body scan.
You can find my full yoga nidra playlist on YouTube here:
Yoga Nidra Playlist - Click Here
In this 10 Minute Yoga Nidra, I will guide you through a body scan that will leave you feeling relaxed yet energized.
Yoga Nidra is a form of meditation that helps with insomnia, anxiety, stress, adrenal fatigue, ptsd and so much more.
Through this guided meditation I will lead you into a form of conscious sleep where you will be physically, mentally and emotionally relaxed and yet aware. You will move through your waking state, travel through the dreaming state and enter into a deep sleep state, all while remaining fully awake. In this state of deep relaxation you will receive clarity of mind, stillness and calm. The restorative quality of this meditation often leads to deep insight.
Research on yoga nidra suggests that just one hour of yoga nidra is equivalent to four hours of healthy sleep. Prepare to release tension and anxiety while being rejuvenated to a state of inner calm in this short 10 minute yoga nidra full body scan.
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7 Days to Better Sleep
30 minute Yin Yoga to Relax | Yoga with Melissa 548
Today’s class is a 30 minute yin yoga class to relax. For this 30 minute YouTube yin yoga class you will need a folded blanket and 2 blocks.
This 30 minute yin yoga class is designed to support you in slowing down so you can feel your embodied sensations, emotions and allow relaxation to unfold.
The yin yoga class begins with a centering so you can slow down and breathe, feel the always present support of the earth and the sensations that are present in your body. We will move into wide-knee child’s pose to feel the release in your low back and breathe deep into your low belly and low back. Easy pose twist will allow you to further release tension in your back and allow time for your emotions to be digested. Butterfly pose will give more space to relax and allow the energy to be gathered into your lower dantien.
All yin poses will be held for five minutes. We stay for a while to pull and pressurize the deeper connective tissues that wrap around the joints and bones. Our poem is Today by Mary Oliver and will be enjoyed in savasana.
Yin Yoga Class Playlist - Click Here
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If you liked this video definitely check out Relaxed Yin https://youtu.be/G_RVvze0SYk
Relieve Frozen Shoulder Pain
One thing about having a frozen shoulder this time around is the constant pain. It has meant that lying down on the ground is less accessible and legs up the wall is mostly out of the question.
Or is it?
What I have learned from having frozen shoulder for second time is that the way I recovered the last time is not necessarily the way I am going to be able to recover this time.
If any of you have frozen shoulder or have had frozen shoulder you will know that sleeping is difficult and over time that leads to exhaustion. As yogis, our go-to pose for exhaustion is legs up the wall.
This time, with a frozen shoulder, lying on the ground is painful. What I share in this class, is what if restorative yoga doesn’t have to look like it always did? What if we gently move our shoulders in these inverted “up the wall poses” to keep our shoulders happy?
The result is a restorative yoga class at the wall to relieve frozen shoulder pain and exhaustion.
If you would like my best 7 days of yin, restorative and short yoga videos for your upper back, neck and shoulders click here:
Chair Yoga Class with Sherry Zak Morris - Neck, Shoulders & a Whole Lot More!
Everyday functional movements require shoulder mobility that we may take for granted. In this class, we will explore your range of motion in every joint. Sure it is always nice to feel the power of a strong Warrior 2 pose, but Yoga also helps us to go about our everyday activities with less aches and pains. In Yoga class, we get to move in different ways so that our joints stay limber and our muscles stay strong. Here's some shoulder love for those every day movements! And of course we include the full body too!
Sherry Zak Morris Founder, www.YogaVista.com CEO, www.YogaJP.com Director, www.YogaVistaAcademy.com
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30 minute Modified Hatha Yoga Class for Frozen Shoulder
These are 7 Poses You Can Do Right Now, no matter how much pain, stiffness or lack of mobility you are experiencing.
My name is Melissa, I have been teaching yoga on YouTube for the past 11 years. I am going to do something I have never done before. I am going to teach without a script or a plan and share with you my process for yoga practice when I come to my yoga mat. This class is not going to be for people who do not want to hear talking as I share a lot of my inner process, insights and awareness as I go through this class.
If you are still with me, this is a wrist free, hand free, shoulder free class that evolved during filming in response to my experience with frozen shoulder by tuning into the needs of my body in the moment. It includes 7 poses that you can do now if you are experiencing a shoulder injury or frozen shoulder. It is not a practice about rehabilitation or recovery, rather it is about tuning into the inner wisdom of our bodies and responding to their needs, moment by moment, on all levels from our physical body, mental body, emotional body, energetic body and spiritual body.
In this class I talk about how injury is a gateway to letting go of old ways of being. One of the old ways of being that is being released right now is the hierarchy between teacher and student. We are all our own teachers and this is why I felt it was so important to share my process as a student in an open and vulnerable way. I also speak about how their are seasons to our practice, literally from autumn, through winter, spring and summer, but also in various seasons of our lives. May this class be of benefit.
What is an Emotional Release in Yoga? What do you do when you have an emotional release in yoga?
When I trained with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy as a yoga therapist, yoga teacher and group facilitator my teacher and mentor there, Elissa Cobb explained all about how emotions get held in our bodies. In fact I trained for several years as a yoga therapist, yoga teacher and group facilitator on how to help people to release emotions that were held in the body.
In this video I am going to talk to you about how emotions get held in the body, why emotions come out in yoga classes, what to do when emotions come out in yoga classes, what not to do when emotions come out in yoga classes and some general energy emotional maintenance that you can do so that emotions don’t start coming out at inopportune times.
Namaste, Melissa
Yoga Nidra to Calm Your Mind, Soothe Your Heart & Rest Your Spirit
In this yoga nidra you are going to move from alpha to theta to delta brainwave states to calm your mind, soothe your heart and rest your spirit.
Today you are going to need a yoga mat, blanket, bolster, and eye pillow.
There will be no close out today so that you can sink into the inner temple of your calm mind, heart and restful spirit, so thank you for subscribing, liking before watching and leaving the comment, ¨My brain waves are slowing down” in the comments.
For those of you who are following the Yoga & Simple Mindfulness Practices for Everyday Life series, this week we are focusing on the place where our spirit rests, our altars. This is the place in our homes where our heart and soul is eased and where we can express gratitude. So take the time to tidy, clean, clear the clutter and dust your altars this week.
If you would like my 7 days of yoga for sleep my best yoga, ayurveda, self massage and breath practices to fall asleep go to: melissawest.com/sleep put your email in and we will deliver that right to your inbox
I will put the direct link to the downloadable audio file for our members in the show notes and a link to become a member if you would like access to the downloadable file which is just the yoga nidra without any YouTube advertising or introduction, it starts right with the spoken guided yoga nidra that you can download onto your phones and devices to take to listen in your earbuds.
Link Here
May this guided yoga nidra meditation be of benefit calm your mind, soothe your heart and rest your spirit.
Namaste, Melissa
Yoga Mobility for Stiff Joints
30 minute Yoga Mobility for Stiff Joints with Yoga & Simple Mindfulness Practices for Everyday Life Yoga with Melissa 543
In this class we will focus on bringing mobility to our stiff joints through yoga. We will take familiar yoga postures like bridge pose, knee to chest pose, cat pose, lunge pose, mountain pose, warrior one pose, triangle pose, and forward folds to bring mobility to our stiff joints. We will focus on mobility of our ankle joints, knee joints, hip joints, spine, wrist joints, and shoulder joints through this 30 minute yoga class.
In this series we will focus on simple mindfulness practices that you can incorporate into your daily life to calm your mind and sweep the dust from your heart.
On our mats we will reflect on something that we do everyday in our day to day lives. During our practice time I will give you a contemplation that you can take with you this week into your day to day life. A way to be present with ordinary tasks.
In our yoga class we will be present with our movements. These movements will create a kinesthetic imprint of what we will be meditating on during our day to day life. When we live mindfully our mind will become calm and content, we will not be stressed with overthinking.
7 Irresistible Restorative Yoga Poses for Instant Calm at Home
I don’t know about you but between the air quality and a shoulder injury over the last couple of weeks I have been turning to restorative yoga again and again to try to find some rest and recovery.
I have been mostly settling into my tried and true favourite restorative yoga poses that I am going to share with you LIVE on Friday September 25 at 9:00 am PT on YouTube for our 11 year celebration.
My favourites are:
- Legs Up the Wall
- Child's Pose
- Restorative Locust
- Restorative Twist
- Restorative Shoulderstand
- Reclined Baddha Konasana
- S A V A S A N A
I share this with you so that you can join us for an amazing class of irresistible restorative yoga poses that you can practice at home for instant calm.
Tag a friend to join us or share this post and let me know in the comments YOUR favourite restorative yoga pose.
Hatha Yoga
This 30 minute Hatha Yoga for Large Intestine will include Yoga & Simple Mindfulness Practices for your Everyday Life and is episode 540 of yoga with Melissa..
This is a new series where we will focus on simple mindfulness practices that you can incorporate into your daily life to calm your mind and sweep the dust from your heart.
On our mats we will reflect on something that we do everyday in our day to day lives. During our practice time I will give you a contemplation that you can take with you into your week and into your day to day life. A way to be present with ordinary tasks.
In our yoga class we will be present with our movements. These movements will create a kinesthetic imprint of what we will be meditating on during our day to day life. When we live mindfully our mind will become calm and content, we will not be stressed with overthinking.
In this hatha yoga class for our large intestine we will pull and pressurize the tissues of our large intestines with simple hatha yoga poses like apanasana or knee to chest pose, knee down twist, cat pose and its variations, downward facing dog, boat pose and variations, easy pose and variations, seated twists such as marichyasana and variations and wide legged seated forward fold and variations. We will finish with a long savasana for relaxation with a beautiful poem by Amanda Merritt.
qigong inspired yoga flow
In today’s class we are going to protect our hearts with a qigong inspired yoga flow along with a simple practical tip to be present to your heart with an ordinary everyday task.
This is a brand new series where we will focus on simple mindfulness practices that you can incorporate into your daily life to calm your mind and sweep the dust from your heart.
On our mats we will reflect on something that we do everyday in our day to day lives. During our practice time I will give you a contemplation that you can take with you this week into your day to day life. A way to be present with ordinary tasks.
In our yoga class we will be present with our movements. These movements will create a kinesthetic imprint of what we will be meditating on during our day to day life. When we live mindfully our mind will become calm and content, we will not be stressed with overthinking.
The qigong inspired flows in this practice will help you to protect your heart, opening your heart to experiences that are life giving and closing your heart to experiences that are toxic.
60 Minute Restorative Yoga Sequence
This restorative yoga sequences will allow you to focus on your breath. Breathing in and breathing out. You will be able to cherish moments of being-ness and let go of doing. Through this class we will be inspired by Lorin Roche’s translation of the Radiance Sutras.
A lot of you have asked what happened to verse 3 of the radiance sutras in this series. I have been saving it for a restorative yoga class. In this 60 minute restorative yoga sequence we will allow the words of verse 3 to wash over us. Our mind will dissolve into our heart and our heart will dissolve into space. Our body will become a shimmering field.
As we delve into the sutras you will hear that they are playful and exploratory. They are meant to be explored by your sense perceptions. Allow yourself to be lighthearted as you open yourself to this divine exploration. Be serious about taking yourself lightly as my friend Anita Goa says. Lorin Roche says, “Through play, find your way, freedom, revelation, illumination.” He suggests that this text will open you to being at home in the universe, “to bring radical acceptance to every intense experience, ever sensual delight, every ordinary moment, as a gateway into deep and intimate contact with the forces of life.” So without further ado, let’s go “deeply into experience, embracing it fully without reservation.”
60 min Yin Yoga for Spinal Flexibility
This 60 minute yin yoga for spinal flexibility will focus on side bends and twists. If you have back pain and back stiffness, you are going to love this class. Because our spine supports our nervous system, this class will also release stress and tension. This is a wonderfully gently yin yoga sequence that will be of benefit to your whole spine including your thoracic and lumbar spine.
This is part of our Radiance Sutra Series inspired by Lorin Roche’s translation.
Over the next several weeks our yoga practice is going to be inspired by Lorin Roche’s translation of the Radiance Sutras. I highly recommend you purchase this book. The radiance sutras are 112 techniques for enlightenment through everyday lived experience. Each of the sutras is a way of attending to the divine energy that is always flowing through us and of which we are made. It is a conversation between the God and Goddess, Shiva and Shakti. They are the divine masculine and feminine, inseparable partners and their favourite dwelling place is in the human heart.
As we take time to immerse ourselves in these sutras over the next several weeks our bodies, minds, emotions, energy and spirit will awaken to the sacred that permeates our entire being. It is important to note that the radiance sutras are not a to do list or a manual or a how to, but is a relationship that will emerge between your Self and your Lived Experience.
As we delve into the sutras you will hear that they are playful and exploratory. They are meant to be explored by your sense perceptions. Allow yourself to be lighthearted as you open yourself to this divine exploration. Be serious about taking yourself lightly as my friend Anita Goa says. Lorin Roche says, “Through play, find your way, freedom, revelation, illumination.” He suggests that this text will open you to being at home in the universe, “to bring radical acceptance to every intense experience, ever sensual delight, every ordinary moment, as a gateway into deep and intimate contact with the forces of life.” So without further ado, let’s go “deeply into experience, embracing it fully without reservation.”
Thank you to all of you who joined us for our 5 day grounding earth element challenge. The next step is to join us for our earth element retreat from Thursday September 3rth through Monday September 6th in our membership community.
30 min Hatha Yoga Chakra Flow
In this simple hatha yoga chakra flow yoga class we will begin by grounding through the root chakra with a bridge pose flow. Once we are grounded we will release the stuck qi in our pelvis with a pelvic flow. We will be spending some time in a gate pose flow to open up your solar plexus chakra and your heart chakra. Options will be given in a chair and standing if you have knee issues. From standing we will release your neck with some lateral rotations for your throat chakra and do a standing flow for your crown chakra.
This series focuses on the radiance sutras translated by Lorin Roche.
You can access the entire series here
5 Day Grounding Earth Element Challenge
So far 2020 has been physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically ungrounding. We need time to settle and calm our overactive minds and excessive worry.
In just 5 days we will focus on the main organ system of the earth element and the stomach meridian, to anchor us through this transitional time.
Each day we will take specific actions to encourage the overactive, top-heavy worry that rises up into your head and encourage that qi to anchor down and into the earth.
Go to melissawest.com/earth
Yoga for Radiant and Energetic Posture
This 30 minute hatha yoga for radiant and energetic posture focuses on energizing your spine. It is part of our Radiance Sutra series based on Lorin Roche’s translation. This class will focus on verse 5. Throughout the class we will use breath and movement to release your spine. There are some fun variations on cat pose, Goddess Victory Squat, downdog and pigeon, warrior one, and easy pose. Plan on feeling the energy move through your released spine and neck. I personally loved the way we moved from three legged down dog to a hovering pigeon. I also have another addition of our fireworks pose. Let me know what your favourite movements were in this class.
Thank you to: Carla, Ruth, Cornelia, Gabriela, Viola, Ainize, Sean, Donna, Matthew, Pamela, Christine, Sandy, Ameeta, Karen, Christin, Alyson, Fiona, Guila, Robin, Eelke, for your donations since March of 2020. We appreciate your support in helping us make these videos available through YouTube.
5 Day Grounding Earth Element Challenge
So far 2020 has been physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically ungrounding. We need time to settle and calm our overactive minds and excessive worry.
In just 5 days we will focus on the main organ system of the earth element and the stomach meridian, to anchor us through this transitional time.
Each day we will take specific actions to encourage the overactive, top-heavy worry that rises up into your head and encourage that qi to anchor down and into the earth.
Go to melissawest.com/earth
Deeply Nourishing Meditation
Radiance Sutra vs. 4
This yoga nidra focuses on verse 4 of Lorin Roche’s translation of the Radiance Sutras. I recommend having an extra blanket underneath you and one to pull up overtop of you because your body may cool over the course of this reclined meditation. An eye pillow can help you relax your eyes more as well.
This deeply nourishing meditation is part of our radiance sutra series. Remember there will be an audio download for our members so that you can listen to this wherever you want in your earbuds.
Remember, our community is so much more than a video library, for example, in September of 2020 yoga nidra will be an integral part of our Earth Element retreat experience during the fire element/small intestine part of your day when it is an ideal time of your day for resting and napping. This is just one example of how we support each other by doing things together in our community instead of reinforcing the illusion of separateness when we practice in isolation.
Thank you for liking, subscribing and putting, "I emerged renewed" in the comments.
30 Minute Purification Yoga Flow
This 30 minute yoga flow class includes classic hatha yoga, hatha yoga twists and qigong inspired influences including swimming dragon to clear your mind and purify your body to experience your radiance.
Over the next several weeks our yoga practice is going to be inspired by Lorin Roche’s translation of the Radiance Sutras. I highly recommend you purchase this book. The radiance sutras are 112 techniques for enlightenment through everyday lived experience. Each of the sutras is a way of attending to the divine energy that is always flowing through us and of which we are made. It is a conversation between the God and Goddess, Shiva and Shakti. They are the divine masculine and feminine, inseparable partners and their favourite dwelling place is in the human heart.
As we take time to immerse ourselves in these sutras over the next several weeks our bodies, minds, emotions, energy and spirit will awaken to the sacred that permeates our entire being. It is important to note that the radiance sutras are not a to do list or a manual or a how to, but is a relationship that will emerge between your Self and your Lived Experience.
As we delve into the sutras you will hear that they are playful and exploratory. They are meant to be explored by your sense perceptions. Allow yourself to be lighthearted as you open yourself to this divine exploration. Be serious about taking yourself lightly as my friend Anita Goa says. Lorin Roche says, “Through play, find your way, freedom, revelation, illumination.” He suggests that this text will open you to being at home in the universe, “to bring radical acceptance to every intense experience, ever sensual delight, every ordinary moment, as a gateway into deep and intimate contact with the forces of life.” So without further ado, let’s go “deeply into experience, embracing it fully without reservation.”
30 min Yoga Breathing Exercises For Stress
This 30 minute hatha yoga class will open your body to breath. We will focus on releasing your spine in twists and sidebends to open your body to deeper and more organic breathing patterns.
Over the next several weeks our yoga practice is going to be inspired by Lorin Roche’s translation of the Radiance Sutras. I highly recommend you purchase this book. The radiance sutras are 112 techniques for enlightenment through everyday lived experience. Each of the sutras is a way of attending to the divine energy that is always flowing through us and of which we are made. It is a conversation between the God and Goddess, Shiva and Shakti. They are the divine masculine and feminine, inseparable partners and their favourite dwelling place is in the human heart.
As we take time to immerse ourselves in these sutras over the next several weeks our bodies, minds, emotions, energy and spirit will awaken to the sacred that permeates our entire being. It is important to note that the radiance sutras are not a to do list or a manual or a how to, but is a relationship that will emerge between your Self and your Lived Experience.
As we delve into the sutras you will hear that they are playful and exploratory. They are meant to be explored by your sense perceptions. Allow yourself to be lighthearted as you open yourself to this divine exploration. Be serious about taking yourself lightly as my friend Anita Goa says. Lorin Roche says, “Through play, find your way, freedom, revelation, illumination.” He suggests that this text will open you to being at home in the universe, “to bring radical acceptance to every intense experience, ever sensual delight, every ordinary moment, as a gateway into deep and intimate contact with the forces of life.” So without further ado, let’s go “deeply into experience, embracing it fully without reservation.”
Yin Yoga for Unconditional Love
Are you ready for an unconditional love fest? This 60 minute yin yoga class will guide you through a journey of yin yoga complete with poetry and quotes to inspire the innate unconditional love within you. We will pull and pressurize the tissues of the heart meridian which run along the inside of your arms and the center of your torso throughout this class. Expect heart openers like supported fish pose, melting heart pose, and also seal or sphinx. However I will also include some twists to prepare us for these gentle backbends and to help us release from these gentle backbends including broken wing pose and reclined twist pose. We will bookend our practice with supported fish pose. We will also reflect on the principles of yin from the perspective of unconditional love. I will offer support and lots of choice for placing your attention during the five minute holds. Thank you for joining me for this yin yoga class for unconditional love, may it be of benefit to all beings. Poetry by Antionio Machado, George Elliot Clarke and Robert Bly
Hatha Yoga
In this 30 minute hatha yoga class we will ask ourselves what it would be like to offer ourselves love without conditions, in other words, unconditional love. We will practice poses for our heart chakra, to open our chest and bring mobility to our shoulders. Our hatha yoga class will begin with a centering to bring awareness to the support of the earth, our breath and our body. Then we will focus on shoulder mobility and stability as well as thoracic mobility in cat pose.
When we begin to transition to our standing hatha yoga poses we will open up our hips, focus on hamstring flexibility and leg strength. Our standing postures today will include variations of parsvottanasana, triangle pose, half moon balancing pose and warrior two. These variations will focus on shoulder mobility and visualize centering our energy in our heart. When we return to seated we will practice a seated twist with a visualization that will clear our central channel to receive unconditional love. In savasana you will receive a short poem on love by Sri Nityananda
Yoga Nidra
Is it possible to love yourself in a way that is free from all conditions? Free from the striving and expectations. Are you running on the hampster wheel of feeling incomplete, searching for something outside of yourself, some achievement, some accolade, some experience, some relationship which will bring you to some future where you imagine you will be more loveable?
Do you judge yourself harshly when you make mistakes? Do you manipulate yourself into some kind of unachievable perfection? What would it be like to love yourself without conditions, completely and totally as you are without any expectations for the future or hoping you were different. Regardless of what you do or do not do, could you offer yourself that kind of love?
In this yoga nidra, we will circulate your awareness through your body. 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. Imagine this like a meditative acupuncture treatment as you open your awareness into different parts of your body to mobilize your own innate unconditional love.
There will be no close out today so that you can be with your own experience
Be sure to give yourself that LIKE for taking the time for your yoga nidra
Leave the comment, ¨I offer myself unconditional love” in the comments.
If you would like my 7 days of yoga for sleep my best yoga, ayurveda, self massage and breath practices to fall asleep go to: melissawest.com/sleep put your email in and we will deliver that right to your inbox
I will put the direct link to the downloadable audio file for our members in the show notes and a link to become a member if you would like access to the downloadable file which is just the yoga nidra without any YouTube advertising or promotion, it starts right with the spoken guided yoga nidra that you can download onto your phones and devices to take it to bed with you so you can call right asleep.
Member Yoga Nidra for Unconditional Love Audio Download 30 mins
Link to become a member: Click here
Sign up here for 7 days to better sleep with yoga and I will send you 1 video a day for 7 days with the best of yoga, ayurveda, self massage and pranayama (or breath practices) to help you get the best night’s sleep.
Yoga Nidra Full Class https://youtu.be/1cb-aRJTrDQ Short Videos about Yoga Nidra https://youtu.be/saPGPmxtoQ8
Yin Yoga
This 30 min yin class will pull and pressurize the tissues of the liver and gallbladder meridians and the urinary bladder meridians to support you in being easy with yourself during difficult times. Throughout the class we will review the principles of yin in an in depth way as an additional way of drawing in tools to go easy on ourselves. This yin yoga class will have five minute holds and will use props. You will need a blanket, a strap and a bolster.
Because of the kindness of your contributions we have been able to make these Yoga with Melissa classes available for the past ten years. Thank you for supporting us through our membership and donations.
Membership: Click Here
Donations: Click Here
Restorative Yoga
In this one hour restorative yoga class for self regulation I will teach what it means to find regulation and resilience in a time of uncertainty. Teaching from polyvagal theory we will cover ventral vagus activation, sympathetic mobilization and dorsal immobilization. Drawing on the teachings of Stphen Porges and Deb Dana, we will contemplate ways that we can savor and deepen the times that we are already in ventral vagus activation. We will ask ourselves how we can discharge energy when we are in sympathetic activation and how we can gently activate our energy when we are in dorsal immobilization.
The long held restorative yoga poses in this class are mostly prone (front facing) and super gentle on the nervous system. You will need a bolster, 2 blocks, blankets, and a meditation cushion.
This class is in preparation for our next 4 months which will focus on Ventral Vagus Activation: Safety, Connection and Resilience. in our membership community and in particular June 2020 in our membership community which will focus on Widening the Window. Our members will be receiving 5 new classes for ventral vagus activation at the beginning of June.
Ventral Vagus Activation for Beginners Intermediate Ventral Vagus Activation with a 9” Inflatable Ball Ventral Vagus Play Qigong Inspired Ventral Vagal Yoga Flow Ventral Vagal Mudra Flow
Want to join us? Click Here
Hatha Yoga
Connect with your center with this 30 minute grounding hatha yoga class. This hathat yoga class will combine breath and hatha yoga asana to help you find your inner foundation. It will support you in letting for of restlessness and will return you to calm and centered ground, so that you can support yourself, your family and your community.
This class will combine grounding postures like bride pose and standing postures like tadasana, warrior one and goddess victory pose with grounding breath practices and movements to bring us back to the core of our body. Simple hand placement and breathing will emposer you to clear your mind, connect with your power and connect with your heart. May this hatha yoga class for grounding connect you to your center and be of benefit to all beings. Namaste, Melissa
These weekly classes are made possible by the generosity of our members and because of your donations. We are extremely grateful for your support in whatever way you feel inspired to reciprocate.
Free Goodies
Membership Info
Covid-19 Survival Playlist
Yin Yoga Classes
Staycation
Yoga for Joy
I saved one of the best classes of the whole 30 day beginner yoga challenge for last. Beginner yoga for joy is a super fun hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free yoga class. There is happy baby pose, clapping and singing in warrior two, breath of joy, Goddess victory squat, a beautiful flow from standing and a gorgeous poem in savasana by Mary Oliver. The poem is: Joy is Not Made to be a Crumb by Mary Oliver
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga for Abundance
The penultimate day of our 30 day beginner yoga challenge is a yoga class for abundance. All the beginner yoga poses in this class are hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free. This is another one of my favourite classes in the series. You will feel like you are immersed in abundance in this class! The simple heart opening beginner yoga poses in this class will open you to your abundance in all forms, an abundance of love, material wealth, understanding, healing, connection, wisdom, any form of abundance your heart desires. Set your intention to receive, release the resistance and open to receive the abundance. Our poem today is ABUNDANCE by Amy Schmidt
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga for Heart Radiance
This beginner yoga class for heart radiance is a prop free and inversion free yoga class. It is day 28 of our 30 day beginner yoga challenge. This is another one of my favourite classes from the series. It is influenced by my love of five element theory and the fire element. The poses are simple beginner yoga poses and include easy heart openers like bow pose, cat/cow, lung pose, a variation of camel pose that is simple accessible and cobra. We will finish in savasana with a poem called: All the Hemispheres by Hafiz
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga for Energy Boost
This short 10 minute beginner yoga class is perfect to boost your energy. All the poses in day 27 of our beginner yoga challenge are hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free. We will start with some dead but pose to wake up your fire in your energy center. Cobra building will open your chest and invite breath into your lungs, energizing you. Breath of joy is an invigorating breath that strengthens your legs and brings energy to your body, mind and spirit. In warrior two we will talk about the importance of drawing our arrows back to be able to release them forward. Our poem in savasana is Awake Awhile by Hafiz. You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Release Stagnant Energy
This beginner yoga class will help you to release stagnant energy. It is a hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free yoga class. This is day 26 of our beginner yoga challenge. The next few classes are some of my favourite of the whole 30 day challenge. They are qigong inspired flow. This one will help you to release depression, stress and anxiety, and mood swings. From there we will promote better flow of energy in body, increase your vital life force energy, improve your mood and the overall function of your body’s organs. When you rest back for centering you will focus on your exhalation to release stagnant energy. Knee down twist will support you in releasing stagnant energy from your body. When you come to standing you will do variations on chair pose and goddess victory squat to release stagnant energy. In warrior two you will draw in vital life force energy into your heart center and release stagnant energy. Your poem in savasana today is called: The Well by Denise Levertov
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
No Mat
No yoga mat? No problem! This beginner yoga class is a hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, inversion free and mat free class! This is day 25 of our beginner yoga challenge. We will start with a seated centering. If you are in a park you can lie down on the grass, or sit on a park bench. From there we will do boat pose to strengthen your abdominals. If you have back problems, please take an abdominal curl instead. :) Most of this class is done standing with tree pose, warrior two, goddess victory squat, and breath of joy. We will return to seated for an easy twist. This one is great to do sitting in a chair as well. Our poem today is: Draw alongside the silence of stone by John O'Donohue
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Quick Beginner Yoga
Join us for a 10 minute quick beginner yoga class. This is a hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free class. It is day 24 of our beginner yoga challenge. We will start with a short centering to transition you from the busy-ness of your day to your yoga class. From there we will release your spine and back with some bridge pose. Keyhole stretch is a great way to release your hips. We will strengthen your core and obliques with a modified side plank pose. When you come to standing you will practice palm tree pose and tree pose. Two tree poses! When you come to seated you will do a twist called matsyendrasana, lord of the fishes pose that releases your hips, spine and back. Your poem in savasana today is called Sweet, Un-tetherable Bird by Jeff Foster.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Full Body Flow
This 10 minute beginner yoga class is a simple full body yoga flow. Day 23 of our beginner yoga challenge is a hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, inversion free, and prop free beginner yoga class. We will start with a centering to feel the flow of our breath and tension flowing out of our body. From there we will do a bridge flow followed by knees to chest pose with some flowing movements to release your low back. In chair pose you will rotate in a flowing way to release your low back. There is a Goddess Victory Squat flow to create protection in your auric field. When you lie down you will do a rolling flow to strengthen your abdominals. Our poem today is untitled and it is by Osho.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga with a Strap
This 10 minute beginner yoga video with a strap is a hand free, wrist free, knee free class. It day 22 of our 30 day beginner challenge. If you do not have a yoga strap, no big deal. You can use a man’s necktie or the strap from your bathrobe. Straps can create a sense of stability and support so that you can let go more fully in your body. The yoga strap is a great way to extend your limbs and create a connection. If you cannot reach a part of your body on your own, you no longer need to overextend yourself.
We will begin with hand to big toe pose using your strap. This is one of my favourite ways to stretch my hamstrings. We will also do half happy baby pose using the yoga strap. I also think this makes this pose a lot more approachable. I love using a strap to support me in opening up my chest from tight chest muscles with screen time and keyboarding. Again, from seated, a strap can help us to stretch tight hamstring muscles. Our poem today is called Eternity by William Blake.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
May this yoga class be of benefit to all beings.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Easy Morning Beginner Yoga
This is an easy beginner yoga class for the morning. Day 21 of our 30 day beginner yoga challenge is a hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free. We will begin with a centering to wake up our body with some breathing. Rolling open into a twist will also open up your thoracic spine and breathing and release tension from your back. Bridge pose will strengthen your legs and glutes, open your chest and heart and create flexibility in your spine. In crescent lunge pose you will open your hips and your chest and heart. During chair pose you will practice a twisted flow to strengthen your legs and release your spine and back. Locust pose will strengthen your backline and open your heart to the day. In savasana you will receive your day with a poem called What to Remember When Waking by David Whyte
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Beginner Yoga for Digestion
This beginner yoga class for digestion is day 18 of our beginner yoga challenge. All the beginner yoga poses in this class are hand free, wrist free, knee free, and prop free. We will begin this class by tuning into our digestive system and allowing it to relax and soften. Knee to chest pose will release constipation by pressing on the ascending and descending colon. Bananasana will lengthen and relax your digestive system. When we take the time to attend to our digestive system with yoga we are focusing on digesting all of life, take in what you need - nutrients, support, relationships, release what you don’t need. Lunge pose with rotation and opening both compresses and relaxes your digestive system. We will finish with a knee down twist that will massage your digestive system. In Savasana I will read you a poem called Sunset by Rainer Maria Rilke
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
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Full Body Beginner Yoga
This full body beginner yoga class is a prop free and wrist free yoga class. It is day 19 of our 30 day beginner yoga challenge. We will begin with some centering to connect with our body and breathing. As we continue to rest back we will move our hips to release tension and then come up to lunge to further release our hips and hamstrings. Our standing posture today is warrior two with some interesting side bending to open up your thoracic spine. A wide legged standing forward bend will release your spine, back and hamstrings. In sphinx we will strengthen your back and open your chest. We will finish with a simple knees to chest pose to release your low back. In savasna your poem today is: I Will Be Your Sun by DAVE URSILLO from I AM WE: POEMS
Today’s 10 minute yoga class is designed for the complete beginner. You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
This 30 day beginner yoga challenge with short 10 minute beginner yoga videos will support you in coming to your mat every single day for a month. I will help you to improve your flexibility, strength and posture. You will stretch and tone your muscles with beginner yoga poses that I will teach you step by step in an easy to learn way.
Yoga for Relaxation
Day 18 of our beginner yoga challenge will leave our beginner yogis feeling relaxed. All the beginner yoga poses in this beginner yoga class for relaxation are hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free. We will start this relaxing yoga class with a centering followed by some knee sways to relax your hips. Knee to chest pose will relax your low back and then hand to big toe pose will relax your hamstring muscles. When we come to standing side angle pose will open up your side body and intercostal muscles allowing you to breathe in a more relaxed way. Our balancing pose, tree pose, will allow you to relax into the present moment. Knee down twist will release tension from your spine, back and organs, adding to the overall relaxation of this class. In savasana I will read you a relaxing poem by Mary Oliver called Breakage.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga for Strength and Flexibility
This beginner yoga class for strength and flexibility is day 17 of our beginner yoga class. All the beginner yoga poses in this yoga class for beginners are hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free. After a short centering to transition from your day we will start by opening up your hips with keyhole stretch. Modified side plank will strengthen your core and obliques. Modified plank will strengthen your core. We will come to standing to practice high lunge with a side bend and chest opener which will stretch your hips, side body and chest. Chair pose will strengthen your legs and glutes. We will add a twist to release your spine and back. We will finish in savasana with a poem called Kiss The Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: https://melissawest.com/begin/
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Neck and Shoulder Pain
Day 16 of our 30 Day Beginner Yoga Challenge is a Beginner Yoga Class for Neck and Shoulder Pain. All of these beginner yoga poses for neck and shoulder pain are hand and wrist free, kneeling free, inversion free, and prop free. We will begin with a centering to bring awareness to your neck and shoulders and to soften that area of your body with mindfulness. We will stay in a reclined position to do some yoga neck releases including one of my favourites called 10 tigers running through the forest and a fabulous yoga shoulder release. When we come up to standing I have some wonderful yoga hand and arm positions that will allow you to release your neck and shoulders. From there we will come back down to a small beginner backbend called sphinx pose to strengthen your back to support your shoulders and neck. We will also add in some neck circles here. We will finish our short 10 minute class in savasana with a poem by Mark Nepo called Accepting This.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
How to Breathe
Day 15 of our beginner yoga challenge is a beginner yoga class on how to breathe. This beginner yoga class is an inversion free and prop free yoga class. We will begin with some reclined centering to bring some awareness to breath movement in your belly. Throughout the class we will open up your thoracic area with side bends and gentle backbends. Our poses today are bananasana which is a side bend. In cat pose we will circle our ribs to bring awareness to your diaphragm. We will do a simple and dynamic variation on gate pose to open up your breath. When we come to standing we will continue with the side bends with side angle pose and reverse warrior. In Goddess Victory squat we will bring awareness to your diaphragm again with qi belt breathing. Our poem today is On Change by Jeff Foster.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga for Posture
Day 14 of our beginner yoga challenge is a yoga class for posture which is kneeling free, prop free and inversion free. This beginner yoga class has many beginner yoga poses to open up your chest and strengthen the muscles along the back of your body to improve your posture. We will begin with bridge pose to open your chest and strengthen your glutes and legs. Locust pose is another pose that strengthens your back body while opening up your chest. Boat pose will strengthen your core and alternatives will be given if you have back issues. We will practice a variation of warrior one from standing with chest opening arms and then cobra pose is another pose to open your chest and strengthen your back. This pose is a perfect antidote to screen time and sitting. It will boost your confidence. Our poem today is called The Journey In by David Whyte.
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Yoga for Sleep
Day 13 of our 30 Day Beginner Yoga Challenge is a quiet yoga class to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. This beginner yoga class is a wrist free, prop free class. We will begin with a centering and focus on your exhale to help you release into deep relaxation and sleep. Relaxing poses like wide knee child’s pose will help you to deepen your rest. We will practice a moon channel breathing to help invite in deep sleep. A standing forward fold will invite relaxation and a reclined twist will help to release tension from your body before sleep. In savasana I will read an excerpt from Rubin Naiman’s book, Hush (which I highly recommend).
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here
Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.
Gentle Beginner Yoga
Day 12 of our 30 Day Beginner Yoga Challenge is a 10 minute gentle beginner yoga class that is hand free, wrist free, kneeling free, prop free, and inversion free. We will begin with some centering to bring awareness to our breath with one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart center. Some eye yoga will release the tension from your eyes, giving you some relief from screen time. Gentle yoga poses like knee to chest pose, easy twist and butterfly pose will release your low back. There are also some neck releases to gently release tension from your neck and shoulders. We will finish our short yoga class with a poem on gentleness by Sri Chinmoy
You can do this class if you have never done a yoga class before in your life. I will give you slow, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions and tell you exactly how to get in and out of each and every pose. Detailed instructions will be given for even the most basic poses and how to breathe. You will be given lots of cues of how to pay attention to your body and where to feel the effects of the yoga poses. You do not have to be athletic, flexible, strong, balanced, skinny or coordinated to do this class. The slow, step-by-step instructions will give you the confidence to let go of your self-judgment and stay focused with commitment and motivation.
Sign up for the 30 day beginner yoga challenge: Click Here Remember Members Receive an Ad-Free Version of this 30 Day Challenge
Thank you for Subscribing and Sharing to Help us Reach our Goal of 100K Subscribers by our 11 year anniversary on YouTube.