• 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.

Email I sent to the client with homework

Below are reminders of what we discussed and a few resources I wanted to share.

1. Consider expanding the focus of your physical therapy exercises for your neck to include any of the following:

a) Alignment. What is happening in the rest of your body as you move? Can you create space and expansiveness and ease in the whole body as you move your neck?
b) Breath Integration. How is your breath when you are practicing the exercises? Where do you feel it in your body? Just watch it without trying to change anything.
c) Calm Mind. What are you thinking as you move? Can you release the narrative and be fully present in the experience of the moving body, with discernment but without judgment?

2. Breathing practice. Take time to breathe fully and deeply, allowing the whole torso to move with each breath. Notice how it changes the stress response and therefore the way pain signaling happens. Maybe consider full deep breaths to be rehab for the nervous system in the way your PT is rehab for the musculoskeletal system.
6 ways to use your mind to control pain - Harvard Health

3. Journaling practice. Expressive writing through journaling can be a powerful way to process stress, trauma, and different emotions. You can write a whole page or just a word, it doesn’t matter the length, it is a method of releasing negative thoughts, feelings, or experiences.
https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-health-benefits-of-journaling

4. Practice anytime the modified supine twist on the mat we did together. It calms down the nervous system and releases your neck As your cervical spine passively releases to gravity you stretch your front and back neck muscles (Swanson, A. (2019). Science of Yoga - Understand the anatomy and physiology to perfect your practice (1st ed., p. 171). DK.)

Instructions:
a. Lying on your back, bring your arms out to the sides with the palms facing down in a T position. Bend both knees.
b. Exhale drop both knees over to the left side of your body, twisting the whole spine. Look at the right fingertips.
c. Keep your shoulders flat on the floor, close your eyes, and relax into the posture. Let gravity pull the knee down, so you do not have to use any effort in this posture. You can use a bolster under your knees.
d. Breathe naturally and be aware of your breathing.
5. To release: inhale and roll the hips back to the floor, and exhale the legs back down to the floor.
6. Repeat on the other side.

You can try the full expression of the pose with one leg straight. Check here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezyMaQEaVaI

5. Practice progressive relaxation before sleep, as we did together. Contracting each part of your body and relaxing. Tensing the part when you inhale and release when you exhale. Observe the difference!

- Discuss the intake and assess her physical body with some asanas and breathing practices.
- Give some practices that release tension in her neck and arm (giving more space between the vertebrae to help release the pinched nerves) and strengthen the muscles around this region (the muscles can hold the vertebrae, preventing them from collapsing and pinch the nerves).
- For dry eyes, she will work the pranamaya e manomaya koshas with some relaxation to decrease the experience of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion from trying to manage symptoms.
1)Neck mobility: For the Cranio-cervical junction (atlantooccipital and atlas-axis joints):
Neck movement up/down; side to side; right/left; rotation; head moving forward/back with chin parallel to the floor (hands-on breastbone) head moving to the sides with chin parallel to the floor (concentrate on hands forward)
2) Shoulder girdle and shoulder joint mobility have a positive impact on the cervical spine: elevation, retraction, depression, protraction, and rotation of the shoulder with block.
3)Releasing the jaws: Let the jaws release down when exhaling (platysma muscle connects jaw and neck)
4)Sphinx: engaging muscles of the neck (splenius, upper trapezius, longus) and engaging while stretching the front neck (sternocleidomastoid) and pectoralis.
5)Supine twist: stretch muscles on the cervical spine Shoulder girdle (glenohumeral joint, sternoclavicular joint, acromioclavicular joint, scapula-thoracic joint). It’s a safer twist because in the sitting twists gravity compresses the spine disks.
- Abdominal Breathing: breath awareness and 3-part breath to begin sensing the breath and the body. This practice can help her relieve stress and anxiety.
- Progressive relaxation: to reconnect with her peaceful center releasing stress.
- Guided Meditation concentrating on the breath, with imagery (inhale and exhale a word that elevates her, like peace or calm, she had to choose.)

She was feeling much more relaxed after the session.

That was my first session for practicum and I liked it very much.
I am just now writing the first session because I misunderstood the "Client #1 report" as a "session". Sorry about the confusion.

- In the next session, we will talk more about dry eye syndrome, and I can suggest some lifestyle changes to relieve this problem, like using a humidifier in her bedroom, using wraparound sunglasses, avoiding environmental triggers, placing a warm compress over her eyes, giving your eyes a rest, have a computer screen below the eye level, use a warm mask for her eyes.
- 1. Talk about the week.
“Wherever you go, there you are.”
Changing inside is more effective than outside. Changing patterns of thinking.
Change your thoughts, change your life.
“I accept the challenges that come to me as opportunities to grow stronger and clearer about how best to use my energy and focus my attention.”
2. CENTERING
Observe breath, sensations
3. ASANAS
1) Warm-up – neck, shoulders, sun salutation.
2) BACK BEND: SPHINX
3) FORWARD BEND: PASHIMOTANASANA (BOLSTER)
4) LEGS UP THE WALL
5) SUPINE TWIST
6) PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION AND DEEP RELAXATION WITH IMAGERY
(SMTT manual p. 115)
7) BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA
8) MEDITATION
9) CLOSING