• 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.

Incorporate diaphragmatic breathing before or after 1-2 minutes of mantra repetition meditation at the beginning of each day.
Try Walking Meditation with mantra repetition a few times a week.
Incorporate knee straightening while seated in the chair,
Incorporate legs up the wall for up to 15 minutes at the end of the day to relieve tension and create a parasympathetic nervous system response.
Application of Locks and Keys to self: Practice this with self and we will discuss in our next session.

Check In
Centering
Discussion: Reviewed homework from journaling activity about Locks and Keys with emphasis on application to self, using MI to explore this topic and to think about expanding to Locks and Keys practices with others.
Gentle Hatha Yoga while seated:
Joint freeing series: Overall joint freeing series with emphasis on the breathing accompanying movements. I will encourage some tensing and releasing during this in the upper body, like the shoulder shrugs.
Sun salutations while seated
Knee straightening while seated in chair to help with core strengthening and strengthening the muscles around the knees.
Star and modified turtle to help release emotions and strengthen and stretch the upper back, shoulders, arms, hips, and legs.
Legs up the wall to reduce hip and low back pressure, to create a parasympathetic nervous system response, and to improve sleep.
Pranayama: I offered diaphragmatic breathing to help the clients feel relaxation. Emphasis was placed on sensing the breath in the body and on extending the exhalation in a relaxed way.
Yoga Nidra: Tensing and releasing w/awareness and witnessing
Meditation: We ended with mantra repetition where I instructed clients to identify a word or phrase that is comforting and repeat it, noticing when the mind wanders. I offered suggestions of mantras—Om, Peace, and Love as single word options. I offered “I am” in the front of those words as longer mantra options. We discussed and practiced walking meditation at the end of the session because the clients indicated they all like to walk for stress relief.

M was very quiet, but was present. I checked in with her between last session and this and she indicated that she wouldn’t be talking very much because she felt like crying all the time. She looked visibly sad and lethargic. I offered via email to meet with her separately and we are scheduled to do that next week. B shared a bit more before anyone joined the virtual group session that he had experienced kidney failure after a prior kidney infection. He said the kidney infection was caused by the fact that he had a catheter for a period of time and the hospital didn’t catch it in time. All of this stemmed from a golf cart accident which resulted in a sigmoid colon and small bowel injury from the blunt adnominal trauma. He was diagnosed with traumatic diverticulosis and a seromuscular rupture. He had a bowel resection with colostomy and then had a colostomy reversal a few months before he started yoga therapy with me. B self-reported since our last session that he’s been working on not putting pressure on himself. He said talking reduces stress. He says he extends a lot more grace with other people which we explored more in MI during this session.

Two clients didn’t show up for this session (A and S) and I knew that S would not show up but A didn’t let me know. The last session was A’s first session since she joined after the intake session, so that was disappointing, but I hope that she’ll rejoin for future sessions. I sent a follow up email to see if she was okay and she shared that she’d forgotten about the session. S had a headache and nausea and decided to skip the session to rest. I was glad to learn more about B’s condition and this surfaced because I asked while we waited for M to join. This gives me more information about his condition and how to help him balance his needs with that of the group. I utilized MI in the Locks and Keys discussion to help him and M think about how they extend more grace to other people than they do themselves, since both indicated that this was a problem for them. I look forward to supporting M individually, so that hopefully she will talk more in a future session. I think it would benefit her to have group support.

Check In
Centering
Discussion: Review homework from application activity about Locks and Keys with emphasis on self, using MI to explore this topic and discussion about how these can be applied to others. (Repeating some of this with the full group present for more robust discussion.)
Gentle Hatha Yoga while seated:
Joint freeing series: Overall joint freeing series with emphasis on the breathing accompanying movements. I will encourage some tensing and releasing during this in the upper body, like the shoulder shrugs.
Sun salutations while seated
Knee straightening while seated in chair to help with core strengthening and strengthening the muscles around the knees.
Star and modified turtle to help release emotions and strengthen and stretch the upper back, shoulders, arms, hips, and legs.
Legs up the wall to reduce hip and low back pressure, to create a parasympathetic nervous system response, and to improve sleep.
Pranayama: Pursed lip breathing. Emphasis on sensing the breath in the body as the breath moves and on extending the exhalation in a relaxed way.
Yoga Nidra: Tensing and releasing w/awareness and witnessing
Meditation: Mantra repetition mediation with emphasis on noticing when the mind wanders and using the mantra to return the focus.