• Check in, centering, balanced hatha yoga set considering contraindications, relaxation (with imagery as appropriate),
• Balanced pranayama considering contraindications, meditation/centering.
• Include at least one suggestion from Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client.

Continue asana practice while on vacation at the beach:

Vriksasana

Trikonasana

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: option to use a pillow/block/book between the thighs above the knees to feel more steadiness through the hips. Start with arms long at your side. Keep the back of the head and the shoulder blades connected to the ground. Spread your toes, ground your feet. As you inhale engage the glutes, keep the spine long - and lift the knees up and away from the hips, the hips up and away from the ribs. Take 1-5 deep breaths at the top, feeling the warmth and effort of the muscles in the lower body and engagement of your core. Lower with control.

Salabhasana: keep the navel, the pelvis, and the tops of the feet connected to the ground. Keep your hands connected as well for support. As you inhale, feel the abdominal pressure as the belly expands down into the ground. Engage your shoulder blades, and lift the heart and ribs up and away from the hips. Take at least one full deep breath, expanding to 3-5 as your capacity grows.

Supported Supta Matsyendrasana: make sure to gather whatever support you might use: pillows, blankets, towels - and have them next to you to the side your legs will rotate. Encouraging the back of your head and shoulder blades to stay connected to the ground, as you exhale let your legs fall to one side - the inhale and draw them back up. Do this a few times just to "loosen" the rotation, and when you feel ready, let your legs fall and pause. Notice if it feels like you are working to hold your legs up in space - if so, add support under them until that sensation subsides. Rest there for as long as you desire (2-8 minutes). Explore where it feels best to let your arms land - whether further away from the body, overhead, hands on belly or chest. Allow whatever movement you bring to your arms to enhance your experience of the pose. Observe the movement of your breath in your body.

Practice: the Awareness Practice - use it as a check in with yourself at least once/day. As you become more easeful with the practice, you can explore it at different moments in your day: when you feel anxious or emotionally triggered, before a call or conversation with a sponsee or client, upon waking or before bed...

Practice: Nadi Shodhana - you will use your right hand with the practice, gently pressing above the nasal flares to close the nostril (use the minimum effort necessary to do so.) Before you begin, notice which nostril is dominant by holding your hand horizontal below your nose, back of your palm facing up. Also notice how you're feeling - physically, energetically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Take several comfortable breaths, and after an inhale, gently close the right nostril. Exhale through the left, inhale through the left - then gently close the left nostril. Exhale through the right, inhale through the right - then gently close the right nostril. Continue the pattern, focusing on the movement of the breath for as long as comfortable (perhaps 2 -5 minutes per practice). After an exhale, relax your right hand and return to comfortable breathing. Once again, notice how you're feeling across all of your koshas after the practice.

Check In & Homework Review

PSS & PEG assessments

Awareness Practice

Asana: Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, Salabhasana, Supported Supta Matsyendrasana

Pranayama: Nadi Shodhana

Shavasana and Yoga Nidra

Client presented slightly rajasic, stating she was still feeling the effects of COVID, finding herself "more deeply bothered" this week by the "fatigue and malaise," - yet when she noticed these thoughts, choosing to "surrender and accept" where she is. Physically she did not exercise much, and only practiced the asana poses from last week the night before our session, and with a "great deal of support." Yesterday she did some housecleaning, sweeping and bleaching the floors.

Bedtime is still a struggle for her, sharing that the past two nights she did not go to bed until almost midnight. She did realize this week that when her husband, Harry follows his bedtime routine (which he begins at 8:00pm), she has noticed herself feeling a "void of companionship." I offered the suggestion that, what if she used it as an encouragement to begin her bedtime routine a little earlier instead of allowing herself to sit/remain in that "void" for hours ruminating?

She has felt very successful in maintaining relational boundaries with sponsees, clients and certain friends who are newer in recovery/sobriety. She is also taking a beach vacation next week, taking time for just herself the first few days - which is the first time she has done this - and being joined by her daughter the final few days. She shared previously she would drive 10 hours round-trip to pick up a friend to make sure the friend had the opportunity to go to the beach, and she realized her motives for this were not in her best interests.

PSS: 10/40, PEG: 5/30

After the Awareness Practice she shared having a "victim thought" of "Why was this [COVID] happening to me?" - and at the emotional layer experiencing what she described as an "emotional body scan." She felt a connection to several emotions in her belly/abdomen which she named as "disgusted, sad, angry and resentful." She also noticed "tightness in the neck, face, adding pressure like it was encasing the emotions in my stomach." After noticing and naming these emotions, she shared having the thought, "It's ok to be where you're at and have grace [for myself]." Then she shared "feeling vacant in my head," and said this was the first time that she had let go of thoughts - "allowing myself to fully identify emotions and be ok to sit in it."

During practice of Setu Bandha Sarvangasana client shared this had also been an exercise during her pelvic floor physical therapy, and she felt the warmth and engagement of her glutes and hamstrings especially, as well as the engagement of her core and pelvic floor. She used a block gently held between the thighs above the knees, controlling the elevation and descent of her hips with each repetition, taking 1-3 breaths at the top of the pose.

During practice of Salabhasana client kept the belly connected to the ground, engaging the muscles of the upper back to lengthen and lift the thoracic spine. Advised for this variation focused on her spinal osteoporosis diagnosis she will keep her hands on the ground the entire practice of the pose for support.

While seated twist is included with Dr. Fishman's series, knowing her spinal osteoporosis but still wanted the benefit of a gentle twist, I guided her to a Supported Supta Matsenydrasana, supporting the legs with a bolster to that she felt no effort to hold the legs up or the weight of the lower body against gravity.

The client loved Nadi Shodhana, sharing "I love how that made me feel...more connected to my body," and describing the balancing effect of the practice as allowing her to experience "refreshing calm."

When the client shared that she was still battling the fatigue and malaise from COVID, I changed the plan from working with the next three standing asana of the Fishman Osteoporosis series to introducing the supine and prone postures. With both she and I being out of town next week, we will resume our sessions on 13 September.

Check In & Homework Review

Awareness Practice

Asana: Virabhadrasana II, Pavritti Trikonasana

Pranayama: Nadi Shodhana review - explore extending the exhale to a ratio of 2:1

Japa: breath meditation

Shavasana and Yoga Nidra