• 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.

Increasing awareness of the body and loosening tension: Seated cat/cow at the end of the day before dinner. Incorporate neck stretches and shoulder shrugs from the Joint Freeing Series and observe what you’re feeling in the body.

Breathing practice: Humming bee breath for three rounds in the morning before or after meditation.

Pick a mantra for meditation. We discussed in our session to pick a word or phrase that is comforting to you. I offered “peace”, “love”, “light”, and “OM”. You can put the phrase “I am” before any of the first three words if you want to use a phrase, or you can use anything else that feels comforting. We’ll use this in our next session during our meditation practice together.

Check In
Centering: Guided Awareness with emphasis on proprioception into the feet and the palms of the hands.

Discussion: I offered the Four Noble Truths through the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali to share with the group lessons on suffering, including ways that they can reduce or resolve their own suffering.

Gentle Hatha Yoga with Adaptations:
Joint freeing series including shoulder shrugs with sighs on the exhalation/as shoulders drop
Eye movements, including Oculocardiac convergence visual therapy, to stimulate a relaxation response.
Seated Sun Salutations
Cat-cow pose in chair or on floor to stretch the neck, shoulders, and torso and to open the heart and throat.

Pranayama/Pranayamakosha:

Humming bee breath to stimulate the vagus nerve, facilitating a parasympathetic nervous system response.

Emotional & Mental/Manomayakosha:

Joy of Meditation as Nourishment to trigger a deeper parasympathetic response following Yoga Nidra practice to relieve tension in the body and mind. I will utilize proprioception and neuroception throughout our session to regulate the autonomic nervous system.

P, T, A, and CF reported that they had a stressful week leading up to our session. CO let me know he couldn’t make the session because of a work trip. P, T, and A reported that they incorporated the shoulder shrugs into their morning practice. P, T, CF and A indicated that they hadn't incorporated anything more than the Joy of Meditation as nourishment practice that I’d shared with them in our intake session. P, T, and A indicated that they had a phrase or word for meditation. All reported unchanged physical pain. All were displaying shallow breathing and tension in the body that relaxed after the eye convergence movements. All yawned on the second practice of the eye convergence when looking to the left.

I felt good about trying a new eye movement practice to activate the vagal nerve and was surprised to see how quickly the movement elicited a response. I was also glad that P and T asked to stay after so that I could assist them with some physical modifications and practices that might help the low back and hips.

Check In
Centering: Guided Awareness with emphasis on proprioception into the feet and the palms of the hands.

Discussion: I will discuss the concept of the Atman from the Living Gita and the Kleshas with Yoga Sutras 1.5-1.9 to help the clients gain awareness about how the mental modifications are impacting them.

Gentle Hatha Yoga with Adaptations:
Joint freeing series including shoulder shrugs with sighs on the exhalation/as shoulders drop as well as gentle spinal twist in the chair.
Eye movements, including Oculocardiac convergence visual therapy, to stimulate a relaxation response.
Seated Sun Salutations
Knees to chest on the floor for low back release

Breathing Practice:

Humming bee breath to stimulate the vagus nerve, facilitating a parasympathetic nervous system response.

Relaxation:

Yoga Nidra with tensing and releasing and witnessing practice.

Meditation:

Guided mantra repetition meditation with offering of options for mantra, single words and phrases for those without a mantra.