• 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.

Physical practice: Legs in the chair for 15/minutes at the end of the day
Breathing practice: Rectangle breathing at the end of the day before bedtime
Centering/Meditation practice: Rolling Om chanting for three rounds followed by one minute of meditation at the beginning of the day. Also complete the setup of the altar area for meditation at home.

Centering

Check In

Balanced Hatha Yoga considering contraindications:
Eye Movements
Joint Freeing with emphasis on head/neck/sensing into feet and body awareness
Sun salutations with focus on body awareness and without kneeling on knees
Half waist wheel pose
Wind relieving pose
Legs up the wall

Balanced Pranayama considering contraindications: Window/rectangle breathing to help the client regulate their breathing into a more consistent breathing pattern.

Meditation/Centering: Chanting based meditation utilizing Om to calm the limbic system and trigger a parasympathetic response in preparation of relaxation.

Relaxation: Contract and relax (Laura Mitchell method) to help the client feel a sense of relaxation, followed by Yoga Nidra witnessing practice.

Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client/group: Chanting will be part of an introduction to Bhakti yoga practice and I will encourage the client to setup their altar as homework.

The client reported that they didn’t do any of the suggested practices from the intake session, which was having some self awareness about the physical movement of the body, setting up the altar and finding a word/phrase that was comforting and meditating one minute in the morning each day. She self reported that she doesn’t prioritize herself and self-sabotages, which we talked about during our session and I’ll offer teachings to address in another session. Client indicated during MI that she feels that she is a high achiever and is often more focused on achieving then on self.

The client was extremely anxious in our intake session, about meeting with a stranger but also about being open about emotions. She indicated that she didn’t like “talk therapy” when she’d done mental health counseling, so I was concerned that our discussions that happen in yoga therapy sessions might be too much. This is why I didn’t incorporate formal yoga philosophy in this first session and that was the right choice. She really opened up just with casual conversation and with my MI style and said she’d be open to deeper discussion in future sessions.

Centering: Guided Awareness

Check In

Balanced Hatha Yoga considering contraindications:
Eye Movements
Joint Freeing with emphasis on head/neck/sensing into feet and body awareness
Sun salutations with focus on body awareness and without kneeling on knees
Utkasana at wall with block between the knees
Bridge pose with block for support
Constructive rest pose

Balanced Pranayama considering contraindications: Square breathing to help the client regulate their breathing into a more consistent breathing pattern.

Meditation/Centering: Chanting based meditation utilizing Om to calm the limbic system and trigger a parasympathetic response in preparation of relaxation. Guided meditation of placing emotions on leaves.

Relaxation: Contract and relax (Laura Mitchell method) to help the client feel a sense of relaxation, followed by Yoga Nidra witnessing practice.

Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client/group: Discussion about the Khleshas starting with self-ignorance and delusion to help the client reconcile how she’s feeling about herself, including self-judgement.