• 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.

Legs in the chair/Legs up the wall 1x/day at the end of the day for 15 minutes

Client will repeat: I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am the (Truth Absolute or some other True Self based phrase) as part of the start of his day and any time that he becomes aware of pain.

Practice pursed lip breathing 1x/day before morning meditation and as needed during pain/agitation

Continue regular meditation practice, at least one minute a day at the start of the day.

Check In
Centering- Guided Awareness Practice focused on sensing the emotions throughout parts of the body, labeling the emotions and then setting them aside.

Discussion of Tapas, Sutra 2:1 and acceptance of pain from the Niyamas. We also began a conversation about self-identification/egoism/asmita from Sutra 2.6.

Gentle Hatha Yoga with Adaptations:

Joint Freeing Series in chair with emphasis on proprioception
Crocodile pose without raising arms or legs, just with arms folded supporting the head.

Pursed lip breathing with visualization of letting go of the pain

Rolling OM Chanting for three rounds to help the client focus the mind and further relax the nervous system

Contract and release relaxation practice to create a more pronounced relaxation response

Cognitive defusion meditation focused on placing emotions on leaves and letting them float by.

I had to cancel our last session because of my fall and then the client had to reschedule their Wednesday session for this week to Saturday. This gave us more than 14 days between sessions. The client had surgery eight days before our 5/25 session for a perianal abscess and had to be hospitalized for that. He talked about how mad he was and that he had been crying a lot in the days leading up to our session. He said that being in the hospital unexpectedly was trigger for him and he felt trapped. He said that his foot is feeling better and he has a PT assessment on 5/28. His anger was palatable in the early part of our session, but shifted well with the discussion of tapas and asmita.

I have never seen this client so angry, to the point that his jaw was clenching as he was talking. It was a little disorienting at first because of the intensity but I shifted quickly into a centering practice, reassuring the client that we would continue to talk when we finished the guided awareness practice. I shifted the guided awareness practice and added a cognitive defusion practice as the meditation. I also replaced Yoga Nidra with a contract and release relaxation instead. I encouraged the client to lie down on the floor in prone during our session because of their pain. I had to modify the asana section of our session entirely because the client was not able to do many physical movements after the surgery.

Check In
Centering- Guided Awareness Practice
Discussion of Sutras 2.3 and 2.9 about abhinivesha, clinging to bodily life, to help the client let go of some of their strong identification with the body-mind and with pain that surfaces in both.

Gentle Hatha Yoga with Adaptations:

Joint Freeing Series in chair with emphasis on releasing pain/emotions
Sensing into the feet and hands while seated, with emphasis on proprioception in all parts
Toe distraction while seated in a chair
Seated pigeon pose
Knees bent towards chest while lying down, gentle rocking back and forth
Constructive rest

Rectangle breathing to help with the elongation of the exhale.

Rolling OM Chanting for three rounds to help the client focus the mind and further relax the nervous system

Contract and release with emphasis on feeling into the body and then letting that feeling go.

DBT Stop-based meditation to help the client interrogate emotions without increasing anxiety.