Living Your Yoga With Dr Melissa West

Restorative Yoga We are going through a profound time of spiritual awakening. Even for those of us who have been on the spiritual path for many years, decades even, are being asked to awaken to new and deeper levels of trust, love and peace. Our souls are encouraging us to let go of old habitual ways of being where we hustled for our worth, listened to our inner critic, pushed to do more and be more, and were caught up in people-pleasing. To a certain extent we put our trust in our reactivity and our inner critic, This is a transitional time. It is one where the old ways have not fully let go even though we can see clearly to embrace trusting peace and calm. The intention in this class is to trust being peaceful, calm, warm, non-reactive, loving and kind towards ourselves more than we trust our reactivity, distress, stress, suffering, anxiety and depression. Can we trust the place of CALM within us and TRUST that that place of peacefulness is a WISE place to be. There is safety inside of us. As we gradually

10 Min Morning Yoga In this morning yoga class to align with spirit we will cultivate a greater integrity of our heart by slowing down the pace of our lives. By approaching our yoga practice in a more relaxed and gentle way we can be more in tune with our spirit. When we slow down we feel the flow with spirit and feel a deeper connection with our more inspired and heart centered selves. This short class invites you to connect with your femininity, fluidity and intuition as you move and draws on the teachings of Matt Kahn. This class includes alternate nostril breathing pranayama.

10 min Morning Yoga If you are experiencing perimenopausal, menopausal or postmenopausal mood swings you are not alone. Anger, frustration, irritation, anxiety, depression are common emotions that move through our bodies during the menopausal years. In this class, we will draw on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh to embrace our emotions with kindness and compassion. Rather than struggling against our emotions or trying to understand them logically, we will simply meet ourselves where we are and take good care of ourselves with this yoga class that will feel like a mindful hug.  Props Needed: Block 

Qigong Yoga Fusion This is a 10 min Women’s Morning Qigong Yoga Fusion to clear heat from your body. Heat that might cause perimenopause, menopause and postmenopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, migraine headaches and sleeplessness. We will tap the body to release anger, frustration, and irritation. There is also tapping to relieve depression. Focusing on relieving heart heat will support us in relieving anxiety and emotional overwhelm. There are no props needed for this practice, not even a yoga mat! Whatever goodness we have accumulated from our practice may we dedicate it towards the happiness and welfare of all.

Yoga Nidra for Winter Winter gives us pause to become aware of our own energy reserves and the way we conserve them. Yoga nidra allows us to drop into meditative rest to conserve our energy. This yoga nidra for winter will allow you to contemplate the blessings of rest and the gift that it is to be able to restore our energy reserves with practices like yoga nidra. In this yoga nidra we will embrace the quiet stillness that winter gives us, sending forth prayers of restoration for all those who need rest including yourself. For this practice all you need is a comfortable place to rest. Maybe a bolster or a pillow for under your knees if your low back bothers you when you lie on your back. A blanket to pull up over you can provide extra warmth and comfort. An eye pillow can align you with the darkness of the winter season. Let yourself be cozy. I want to acknowledge you for setting aside the time to tend to your energy reserves at this time. For this nourishing self care. What is the best time to do yoga n

15 min Qigong Yoga Flow for Winter This is a short qigong inspired yoga flow to bring energy to the kidney organs and water element this winter season. We will learn some fun “bear” inspired qigong movements and create a yoga fusion class that will build your energy reserves this winter. Is Qigong the same as Tai Chi? Qigong is a skillful way to cultivate and work with your energy. Tai Chi on the other hand is a martial art. What is Qigong good for? Qigong will lubricate your joints, improve your circulation, help you to improve your focus and your intentioned awareness, encourage optimal diaphragmatic breathing, lower your stress hormone cortisol, stimulates digestion, calms anxiety. Does Qigong really work? Qigong uses your own body weight in a series of standing postures that flow from one to the other. These flowing movements stimulate the acupuncture meridian lines and their organ systems to create healing in your body by moving blood and oxygen through your body. Because of the way you focus you

4 Yoga Poses Before Sleep I learned recently from one of my students that if physical therapy clients were given 5 or more exercises by their physical therapists there is no chance they will do them. However if physical therapists give their clients 4 exercises, not only will they do them, but they are much more likely to do them multiple times a day. This sparked an idea in me to prepare classes that were only 4 poses in length and see what they did not only in my motivation to prepare them as a teacher (it went through the roof by the way) and also your motivation to practice them as my students. I’m looking forward to seeing the results. Here are 4 yoga poses to do before sleep organized into a full hatha yoga class sequence Legs Up the Wall Child’s Pose Janu Sirsasana or Head Beyond Knee Pose Moon Channel Breathing Savasana

Yoga Nidra for Relaxation This yoga nidra for relaxation will guide you into inner peace and calm. A full body relaxation yoga nidra intended for relaxation, release and letting go. Yoga with Melissa offers some of the best yoga nidra on YouTube for relaxation. So if you are searching for yoga nidra for complete relaxation and stress relief, yoga nidra that will support you in relaxation and sleep, you are going to love this yoga nidra.  Yoga nidra guided meditation supports you in doing less. It teaches you how to stop doing more and start being. Through guided breathing and body awareness techniques you will be guided into progressively deeper states of deeper relaxation and non-doing. It is said that just 45 minutes of yoga nidra can be as restorative as 3 hours of sleep. You will step away from this yoga nidra deeply relaxed and restored. 

Pick A Card Yoga You loved my last pick a card yoga class and I loved creating it. Today I am creating a pick a card class with the Urban Crow Oracle and the Earthbound Oracle. Links to where you can purchase these decks are below. Same as before, there will be 3 piles each one represents a different yoga class. Tae a few moments to center yourself and focus on the three card piles. Choose the pile that you resonate with the most and then click on the time stamp in the description for your yoga class. These hatha yoga sequences are suitable for level 1 or level 2, beginner or intermediate level hatha yoga students. The first two classes are more hatha yoga in style and sequencing. The first class you will need a wall. The second class you will need a yoga strap. The second class is mostly standing postures.   Poem: Still Life by Kristin Lee from Collective Wisdom Magazine September 2020 edition  https://www.collectivewisdommagazine.com/   Within you for you by Justine Beck from Collective Wisdom Maga

CALM your NERVOUS SYSTEM This restorative yoga class to calm your nervous system will support your parasympathetic nervous system, in particular healthy ventral vagus and dorsal vagus activation of your nervous system so that you leave feeling “zenned out, ” meditative and contemplative.  Props Needed: Bolster, 2 blocks, blanket, yoga strap, eye pillow   Restorative Yoga Sequence Poses to Calm Your Nervous System  Restorative Cat Pose  Front Lying Twist with Bolster  Restorative Yoga for Your Eyes  Restorative Downward Facing Dog  Side Lying with Bolster  Supported Shoulderstand    Poem: Mary Oliver, The Swan  In our membership community we have a 5-class series for Ventral-Vagus Activation that will further support your nervous system in safety, connection, & resilience.  Link for members: https://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/ventral-vagus-activation/  Link to become a member: https://melissawest.com/membership-landing-page/   

Ease Gas & Bloating Here are 4 yin yoga poses for gas and bloating. These yoga exercises will pressurize the colon or large intestine. They will also lengthen the large intestine or colon to relax it so you can release the gas and bloating. This is a yin yoga class with long five minute holds.

yin yoga poses for lungs Yoga with Melissa 596. Join Melissa in another beautiful location on Vancouver Island to practice yin yoga to boost the immune system with these 4 yin yoga poses that will support you in boosting your immune system this autumn season. Immediately boost your immune system with simple yin yoga you can do for real people just like you. This is an easy 4 yin yoga pose sequence that you can follow along with senior yoga teacher Melissa West, Ph.D. while she demonstrates how to pull and pressurize the lung meridian in a way that will boost your immune system. Melissa’s calming demeanor, explanation of the poses and their uses, poems and quotes will provide you with a great overall experience. One of my students told me that if physical therapy clients were given 5 or more exercises by their physical therapists that there is no chance they will do them. However if physical therapists give their clients 4 exercises, not only will they do them, but they are much more likely to do them multip

Yoga Poses for Your Low Back One of my students told me that if physical therapy clients were given 5 or more exercises by their physical therapists that there is no chance they will do them. However if physical therapists give their clients 4 exercises, not only will they do them, but they are much more likely to do them multiple times a day. This sparked an idea in me to prepare classes that were only 4 poses in length and see what they did not only in my motivation to prepare them as a teacher (it went through the roof by the way) and also your motivation to practice them as my students. I’m looking forward to seeing the results. Here are 4 yin yoga poses for lower back pain relief. These yoga exercises will release back pain and help you to feel better. This is a yin yoga class with long five minute holds. Yin Yoga Sequence for Lower Back Pain Relief: Keyhole Child’s Pose Dragon Pose Half Happy Baby Pose

Yoga Nidra This 30 minute yoga nidra sleep meditation for deep rest. Yoga nidra powerfully heals and restores your body on a physical level giving you an opportunity for deep rest in reclined meditation. This yoga nidra is designed to give all parts of your body deep rest. All the organs and systems of your body from your ventral vagus nervous system, your heart, your lungs, your kidneys, your liver, your brain and rest and rebuild.  It is a deep rest meditation that will guide you for 30 minutes into a yoga nidra healing experience. Allow Melissa West to guide you on this healing yoga nidra journey into deep restorative sleep and into a deep rest frequency.  Yoga Nidra meditation is easy because it takes your brain into the same frequency when you are in deep sleep even though you are awake allowing for deep rest. Your body will naturally begin its process of rejuvenation and healing. Your vital, rested, and restored body is the first step towards releasing stress and finding inner peace. This guided yoga

Let Go In this yoga nidra for letting go, I will lead you in a guided meditation through the layers of your body into a calming sleep-like state. Your brain waves will let go of mental activity such as problem solving, thinking and decision making. Your brain waves will slow down to the deeply relaxed theta state associated with sleep while still maintaining a trace of awareness. This form of meditation will allow you to let go of physical tension and emotional stress by calming your nervous system. It may also improve the quality of your sleep, improve your mental focus, let go of resentment, control, anger and guilt. We will begin our yoga nidra practice with a beautiful letting go quote by Jeff Foster.  Readings from:  Jeff Foster, You Were Never Broken Poems to Save Your Life  Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3AMObmJ  Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3jNTyuY

Yin Yoga for Letting Go In this yin yoga practice for letting go I will provide you with yin yoga poses for letting go alongside yoga quotes for letting go. The quotes for letting go will support you in letting go of the past, letting go of fear, letting go of resentment, letting go of shame, letting go and moving on. While you are in your yin yoga poses for five minutes at a time I will read you beautiful, meaningful and moving quotes and poetry on letting go.    Yin Yoga Sequence for Letting Go Centering - 5 mins  Revolved Child’s Pose - 5 mins each side Reclined Cow’s Face Arms - 5 mins each side  Savasana - 5 mins    Readings from:  Jeff Foster, You Were Never Broken Poems to Save Your Life  Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/3AMObmJ  Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3jNTyuY    Daring to Take up Space by Danielle Koepke  Amazon.ca https://amzn.to/37XasSx  Amazon.com https://amzn.to/3iLVGUB

You Are Worthy In this meditative restorative yoga class for self worth we will allow beautiful quotes about self worth to wash over us as we deeply rest and let go into our restorative yoga poses for self worth. These self worth restorative yoga quotes will act as self worth affirmations in the context of a restorative yoga class. Consider this a self worth meditation in the setting of a deeply restful restorative yoga class. We will explore the meaning of self worth as we rest into a sequence of yoga poses for self worth and listen to the beautiful, poetic words of John O’Donohue and Danielle Koepke reminding us that we are worthy, no matter what.    Restorative Yoga Sequence for Self Worth    Supported Savasana - 5 mins  Restorative Frog - 5 mins  Supported Child’s Pose - 10 mins  Supported Pigeon Pose - 5 mins each side  Supported Reclined Twist - 5 mins each side  Gentle Reclined Twist - 5 mins each side  Supported Savasana - 5 mins    Readings:    John O’Donohue,  Anam Cara: A Book of Cel

Yoga Nidra We are not at our best when we are depleted. This yoga nidra is designed to revitalize your body from the inside out, breathing new life and energy into your being. Restoring your mental, emotional and spiritual landscape. Welcome to the power of being well-rested. This 30 minute yoga nidra is a guided meditation practice that will take you through a full body scan. You can find my full yoga nidra playlist on YouTube here: Yoga Nidra Playlist In this 30 Minute Yoga Nidra for rejuvenation, I will guide you through a body scan that will leave you feeling re-energized when you are depleted. Yoga Nidra is a form of meditation that helps with insomnia, anxiety, stress, adrenal fatigue, PTSD and so much more. Through this guided meditation I will lead you into a form of conscious sleep where you will be physically, mentally and emotionally relaxed and yet aware. You will move through your waking state, travel through the dreaming state and enter into a deep sleep state, all while remaining fully awa