• 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.

For this week I asked MM to spend some time journaling and reflecting.

1. Reflect on the concept of Satya (truthfulness). Write about one area in your life where you feel you haven’t fully expressed your truth—whether it’s a conversation, an emotion, or a need. What might shift if you gave yourself permission to be more honest or clear?

2. Revisit the journal prompt from our session: “What are the things you wish you could say to your mother?” Look back at what you wrote and underline or highlight anything that feels particularly charged. Choose one or two of those reflections and write a few lines about how you might begin to let go of the weight they carry.

Check in upon arrival (5 min)

Centering (5 min): spent a few minutes grounding and arriving in a seated position. Practiced our "om"

Breathwork (7-10 min): practiced 3-part breath and Nadi Suddhi; introduced Brahmari Breath - demonstrated it then had MM try it. Discussed how Brahmari breath can be means to invite in calmness and reduce stress and anxiety.

Yoga Philosophy (10-15 min): reinforced concepts of Aparigraha and introduced the concept of Satya and the importance of truthfulness to oneself and to others and how expressing oneself, one's needs, etc. are all a form of Satya and standing in one's own self-confidence

Journal Prompt (10-15 min): Spend 10 min writing down all the things you wish you could say to your mother now if you had the chance. Write down any of these things that you're holding onto that are not serving you.

Relaxation (10-15 min): Placed MM into a restorative reclined bound angle pose supported w/ props; led Meditation for Healing Maternal Trauma w/ affirmations (something I wrote)

Closing (5 min): discussion around the session and as well homework.

This session was particularly emotional and brought up a lot. I felt good about the progress we made, and I felt honored that my client was able to open up about a lot of the things she was holding onto from her childhood and that I was able to hold space for her while she worked through some of it. She mentioned multiple times how she hasn't thought about this stuff in a long time, and has never been asked any of it. It's also clear that a lot of it is bottled up inside and unresolved. Again, in hindsight, it's also interesting that she mentioned she's not spoken about any of this in all these years which aligns with her inability to speak up and advocate for herself.

I'm curious to see how her "homework" works out for her and any discoveries she might have during the week.

I was grateful to hold a safe and compassionate space for her as these memories and emotions came to the surface. The connection between her unspoken past and her difficulty with speaking her truth (both emotionally and physically, as we’ve discussed through the lens of the throat chakra) became even more apparent. I’m especially curious to see how the journaling prompt resonates with her over the coming week and what inner shifts may begin to take place as she continues reflecting and integrating.

My plan for session 4 is to continue building off of everything we've been doing including reinforcing breathwork techniques as tools for her to draw on when she's out on her own and feeling stressed and overwhelmed, asana practice In order to gain physical and emotional strength as well as teaching her concepts from yoga philosophy as tools to work through and heal from her past.

In next week's session I plan on reinforcing non-attachment, truthfulness and if time permits, Svadyaya - one of the guiding principles of yoga or “self-study.” I want to introduce this to MM in order to increase her curiosity towards moving inward to better understand her thoughts, emotions, and patterns— and learning about why we do what we do as human beings.