Welcome to Season 2

(ocean waves) Namaste. It's wonderful to be back for season two of Therapeutic Yoga here on YogaAnytime and to be with all of you again. It's such a joy and an honor to share these practices with you. Practices for healing your heart when you're in grief, practices for trauma, for anxiety, for when you've had a really stressful day or you're traversing through a difficult time in your life. These are practices that - some move energy and we're doing movements in gentle yoga but we always finish with some deep restorative poses where you can rest in the embrace of the earth and feel the gifts of this time on your mat.

It's such a gift we give to ourselves but especially when you're going through a difficult time or you're under a lot of stress, which is naturally a part of life, but sometimes we go through really difficult times it's so important to have good strategies for stress in place. Many of us have strategies, but they may not be healthy. You may reach for that drink or your cellphone or whatever instead of going in, feeling, letting emotional energy move, connecting with that anxiety where it's held or the trauma. So in this practice I invite you to turn towards that which is calling to you and in my experience in my own body and with people that I've worked with, is there will be a sort of, an expression from within that there's something needed. This is time on your mat when you can meet those areas with your breath, with compassion, with kindness, with presence for whatever is there and to bring that soothing to the nervous system.

Some of it will be self-soothing. I've brought in a lot of self-massage techniques, pressure point or acupressure, and just holding yourself at times. It's such a joy to share these practices which I've seen touch so many people's lives in a really positive way. I hope that you'll join me for the ocean breath where you can just take a few moments to reconnect with the deep breath. It's the long exhalation that we've found really turns off the stress response so you can work with that breathing anytime when you're talking to somebody, having a difficult moment, you can go into your breathing.

I'd also recommend when you gather your props to gather pillows and comfortable throw blankets and things that make you feel really comfortable and then also make sure, especially if you're dealing with any trauma or panic attacks, that you choose a safe place, you close the door, and you do those things in your practice that really feel right to you. Always honor the messages from your body, so take a break if you need to or don't do a pose if it's not feeling good or modify, choose a new pose. Lastly, I just want to recommend that you also feel free to play music because music in itself has such a positive effect on the brain and nervous system. Something that is healing for you, calming and relaxing. Also, aromatherapy, bringing that in can be really wonderful and scents like lavender, ylang ylang, rose, sandalwood are all very good for quieting stress and connecting us with the gifts of the earth.

It's a blessing and a joy and an honor to be with you. I look forward to meeting you on the mat in season two. Namaste.