• 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.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT (Client Plan)
KR acknowledges a longstanding tendency to prioritize external responsibilities (work, parenting, household tasks) over personal self-care and restoration. As part of her homework, she is tasked with intentionally incorporating a daily home practice that prioritizes her own well-being.

I offered KR 1-2 guided Letting Go or Surrender meditations per week, utilizing the Insight Timer platform, as an accessible entry point for developing greater consistency with internal awareness, relaxation and ways to start dealing with her grief.

In addition, the client identified the need for regular, gentle physical movement that supports her well-being without exacerbating existing physical limitations (SI Joint flare up). We both recognize that Hot Pilates is no longer suitable at this time. With the arrival of nicer weather, I suggested she plan to join her husband on more daily walks with their dogs, both as a form of physical self-care and as a way to nurture connection within her relationship. (She also noted awareness that she frequently declines these invitations due to being overly absorbed in work responsibilities and intends to shift that pattern.)

June 9: Session 1
DAILY HOME PRACTICES
KR reports that her daily home practices were minimal and identified as an area for improvement. However, she demonstrated self-awareness by utilizing breathwork intermittently throughout the week, especially in moments of overwhelm. This shows an emerging ability to apply simple tools in real-time when distress arises.

WEEKLY PRACTICES
In her weekly practices, KR made significant progress on her decluttering goal. She completed a thorough sweep of her home, removing items no longer needed, and thoughtfully evaluated next steps. Notably, she packed and donated clothing to Goodwill, signaling a willingness to begin releasing what no longer serves her and creating space for moving forward. This shows a move towards Saucha, finding cleanliness and a blank slate in her home for new memories and a new path forward.

KR attended her weekly psychotherapy session, which remains in the early stages of rapport building. The session focused heavily on grief processing and exploring communication patterns within her marriage. The client is beginning to apply "I statements" as a method to express her needs with greater clarity and less defensiveness — an important step in building skillful communication.

KR reported actively engaging with Pratipaksha Bhavana throughout the week. She demonstrated growing capacity to recognize unhelpful thought patterns and redirect her mind through breathwork or reframing toward a more positive narrative. This practice was also modeled and shared with her daughter, particularly around lingering attachments to their previous life in Jersey City. The client showed mindful leadership in guiding both herself and her daughter toward embracing their present life with gratitude and openness and moving more into a space of Santosha, contentment with what is, as we all demonstrating Aparigraha, by making steps towards letting go of “old stuff.”

DHARMA EXPLORATION
In the area of Dharma exploration, the client faced a physical setback. From taking many Hot Pilates classes, KR experienced severe lower back and right hip pain and is currently being evaluated for possible SI Joint Dysfunction. Despite this challenge, the client redirected her energy into creative exploration. She has recently immersed herself in learning photography, completing Skillshare tutorials and initiating her first two photo shoots. The subjects — a friend who is an amateur bodybuilder and another who is a yogi — offered meaningful opportunities for her to engage both artistically and relationally.

She has also created a dedicated Instagram account to share her photography journey. This re-engagement with her creative self has reignited a sense of passion, purpose, and joy that she expressed as having been dormant for some time. The meaningful impact of making art, sharing it with others, and receiving positive feedback appears to be nourishing an important part of her identity.

PROGRESS SUMMARY
KR reports she feels she is off to a decent start in implementing changes but acknowledges the process has been somewhat slow. She attributes this to experiencing multiple transitions occurring simultaneously and is still in the process of finding her footing. Despite these challenges, the client expresses genuine optimism and a sense of forward-looking anticipation for what’s ahead.

At this stage, she is gradually incorporating new practices and adjustments into her routine; however, she observes that she is not yet approaching these changes with the level of intention or mindfulness she ideally desires. The client demonstrates self-awareness in recognizing these early patterns and is actively working to give herself grace and patience as she adjusts, learns, and integrates new habits into this evolving chapter of her life.

A revision will be needed for the movement portion of KRs daily home practice. Incorporating gentle movement and asana that will foster surrender and empowerment, yet not exacerbate the SI Joint will be added in for future sessions.

I supported KR with the progress she has made in getting started. It Is clear she has been going through a lot, and just the small shifts she has made have been a huge step in the right direction for her. I will continue to hold space and guide KR as she navigates through each week with discovery and curiousity.

PLAN FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
I encouraged KR to work on more consistency with her daily home practice, even if it is a shortened or modified version of what was originally outlined in her Care Plan. This will include the addition of guided meditation sessions once or twice per week as part of her ongoing mindfulness practice. Gentle movement and asana that is safe for her SI Joint will be added into the home practice.

KR will continue her home decluttering efforts, with the upcoming week focused specifically on organizing and clearing her home office space.

KR will also continue to actively pursue her creative photography work, scheduling additional photo shoots as a means of cultivating joy, personal fulfillment, and creative expression with no expectation other than enjoying the process.

She plans to maintain consistency with her weekly psychotherapy sessions as scheduled.

Overall, the client expresses a desire to approach the week with greater intention, remaining mindful of her ongoing personal growth and the larger journey she is undertaking.