In this practice, I'm inviting you to notice and/or engage with the "four parts" of your breathing: inhale, pause/transition, exhale, pause/transition.
Listen to "Four Part Breathing - RECAST Ep 13" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of moved to heal?
I introduce the "four parts" of breathing in two ways.
The first way is to notice what's already happening:
- there's an inhale
- then there's a moment of transition between inhale and exhale
- then there's an exhale
- and then another moment of transition between exhale and inhale
The second way is to engage with these four parts. Here are a few options:
- allowing fuller or longer inhales and exhales
- allowing more pause in the transition
- creating an even rhythm between inhale and exhale
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
What makes this trauma informed?
Choices, invitations, noticing, open-ended experiments. Read more about those here.
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps take a moment to check in: did you notice something that you want to remember or follow up on? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit garry clarke, found on unsplash
In this practice, I'm inviting you to engage with your breathing by directing your breath attention to four different areas of your torso. When put all together, these four areas comprise what I'm calling a 360 degree breath.
Listen to "Full Torso Breathing - RECAST Ep 12" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of moved to heal?
Breathing happens with and without our conscious input. For example, most of the time we can consciously take a "deep" or "full" breath when we desire. This is just one way of engaging with our breathing. This practice is about tapping into that conscious engagement.
The idea behind the 360 breath is to help guide your breathing to expand into areas its not used to going. I think of this as a follow up to bringing awareness to where your breathing *is* comfortable. If you're not sure about what is and isn't comfortable for you, I suggest you use this practice as a sort of "check in" --or start with the "observing your breathing" episode.
The 4 areas of 360 breathing
- belly / abdomen
- upper chest + back
- lower ribs / middle torso
- back (from waist to shoulders)
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
What makes this trauma informed?
Choices, invitations, noticing, open-ended experiments. Read more about those here.
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps take a moment to check in: did you notice something that you want to remember or follow up on? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit aziz acharki, found on unsplash
Old school
This week's episode is a recast from the earlier days of the podcast. I guide you through Hum Sa kriya technique with the additional use of a mantra, the sound 'gam' (my pronunciation sounds like I'm saying "gum" in my non-descript American English, and any ol' way you pronounce it is fine!). Enjoy!
Listen to "Ep 516 - Practicing Mantra in Meditation - Recast May 21 2018"
What’s in this episode of Everyday Meditation?
- Breathing practice: Alternate nostril breathing
- Meditation technique (awareness kriya): Hum Sa with Gam mantra
- A little re-grounding movement: Re-grounding series
As always, I encourage you to make yourself at home in this practice: substitute, modify, do as you need to feel safe and present, including taking breaks!
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps check in: did you notice something that you want to carry with you? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember!
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit vashishtha jogi, found on unsplash
When you're moving, there's lots to pay attention to -- what's going through your head, the moves you're doing, the sensations you feel -- which makes noticing your breathing just one of many things you can be aware of while moving. This week, I invite you to try choosing the breath.
Listen to "Observing Breathing While Moving - RECAST Ep 11" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of moved to heal?
I invite you to observe your breathing while moving. You can move through cat/cow or in any way you choose.
You can do this Moved to Heal practice while seated or on hands and knees (for cat/cow) or from any starting place you choose.
"Cat/cow" is a movement of the spine or trunk. Cat rounds the spine, cow arches/backbends the spine.
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
What makes this trauma informed?
Choices, invitations, noticing, open-ended experiments. Read more about those here.
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps take a moment to check in: did you notice something that you want to remember or follow up on? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit andrew buchanan, found on unsplash
What can you do with a mantra?
The word mantra means "mind tool" or something that "expands the mind". You can use it to focus the mind in meditation and in everyday life. By repeating a mantra, you can train your mind to stay focused on it... to the exclusion of other thinking. In meditation, the result can be a feeling of "expansion." In meditation and in life, reflection upon this "expansion" can yield a shift --or an expansion, if you will-- in your perspective. You might be more likely to observe your own thoughts, feelings, and emotions, which helps create just enough distance that you can act consciously rather than reactively.
Listen to "Ep 515 - An Everyday 'Mind Tool' - Recast Ep 147"
What’s in this episode of Everyday Meditation?
Here's a quick summary of what I discuss
- Choose a mantra to use in meditation based on your gut instinct. Pick one you like from the 7 options I offer.
- Use the same mantra throughout your day when you need to calm yourself down or reduce the effects of internal or external distractions.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit vita marija murenaite, found on unsplash
Tune in to your breathing
Observing breathing is simple in concept and can be a whole variety of things in practice, including simple, difficult, complicated, emotional, and more. Today I'm guiding you through a few approaches to explore when you're ready.
Listen to "Observing Breathing - RECAST Ep 10" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of moved to heal?
I invite you to observe your breathing in any way you choose, and offer 3 different options you can try. For each, I describe the option and then give you about a minute of quiet in which to practice.
3 breath observation options offered
- to notice the length of your inhale and exhale
- to notice the movement of your breathing
- to notice the sound of your breathing
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
What makes this trauma informed?
Choices, invitations, noticing, open-ended experiments. Read more about those here.
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps take a moment to check in: did you notice something that you want to remember or follow up on? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit dave hoefler, found on unsplash
Happy Summer!
July is a month of rest for me and so I'm taking a break from teaching classes and creating new podcast episodes. Of course, that doesn't mean you should stop moving! I will be re-casting some breathing practices throughout July and August and today I am sharing a bonus episode to launch you into summer: A one-hour yoga practice just like I would teach in my Sunday Mov/ed Yoga Flow classes. The class wraps up with a 10 minute rotation of awareness to encourage you to take that rest period! (But of course, you do you!)
I hope you'll be able to incorporate this and other Moved to Heal practices into your own summer rest and travels! xo
Listen to "bonus: mov/ed yoga flow class" on Spreaker.
What's in this "mov/ed group class" episode of Moved to Heal?
This episode is a little different. I'm sharing an example of my one-hour Mov/ed Flow Yoga online group yoga classes. You can listen in or try part or all of the practice, and if it suits your needs, I hope you'll consider joining us on Sunday mornings. You can sign up for the group class email here.
If you want to see the forms in this class, you can search by title in my library of yoga forms. Some may be missing, but the bulk should be there!
The sequence for this mov/ed flow yoga practice
Seated
- Breath awareness
- Seated spine movements
- Boat (core balance)
Hands and Knees
- Cat/cow
- Spine rotation
- Birddog (alternating limb balance)
Flow prep / moving towards standing
- Downdog
- Kneeling lunge, R/L
- Vinyasa: downdog → plank → lower to floor → cobra → release to floor → press to plank or hands and knees → downdog
- Walk forward and roll up to stand
Standing Flows + Balance
- Sun salute with twisting low lunge
- Sun salute with high lunge or warrior 1
- Sun salute with warrior 2 and half moon (balance)
- Karate Kid Twist (balance)
Return to the floor
- Seated step-over twist (ardha matseyendrasana)
- Reclining bridge
- Reclining ankle to knee stretch
- Rest / guided rotation of awareness
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
Is this practice trauma informed?
The way I teach the class is trauma-informed in that I always offer choices, invitations, noticing, and open-ended experiments (you can read more about those here). That said, this practice wasn't designed specifically for trauma survivors, and so the class structure is more akin to what you'd find in a vinyasa yoga class in a yoga studio.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit ernest brillo, found on unsplash
We all need comforting
Spending time being comfortable --being in comfort, in our comfort zone-- is a necessary part of moving forward in life. (So is time spent being challenged, but that's a topic for another time.) And there are many ways to return to comfort when you need to -- doing things you love, spending time with people who make you feel good, and adopting practices that help your nervous system move towards your "happy place," such as meditation and yoga 😉 More on that in the episode!
You can also ignore all that and just practice in the way that suits you best! Enjoy!
Listen to "Ep 514 - Comforting Self + Humming Mantras Meditation" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of Everyday Meditation?
- Welcome + getting situated, with a few thoughts on comforting self/Self
- A little lead-in movement: Seated side stretch
- Breathing practice: Long exhale
- Meditation technique (awareness kriya): Humming Mantra
- A little re-grounding movement: Kneeling lunge
As always, I encourage you to make yourself at home in this practice: substitute, modify, do as you need to feel safe and present, including taking breaks!
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps check in: did you notice something that you want to carry with you? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember!
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit peter de lucia, found on unsplash
Explore with courage
I suspect most of us are naturally curious. Sometimes curiosity feels good and exciting, and sometimes it raises questions and takes courage. You might notice your experience of being curious in movement leans more towards safe or scary, pleasant or unpleasant. And if the latter, more unpleasant or scary, perhaps look for the moments when you do feel safe and good in your curiosity (whether in movement or elsewhere in life), and let that be a guide to what's possible.
Listen to "curious: moving on breath, hands and knees forms"
What’s in the "curious" episode of moved to heal?
I offer hands and knees forms and invite you to practice movement in sync with your breathing. If you want to see any of the forms, you can search by title in my yoga forms library.
The forms + movements offered in this episode
- up cat / down cat (aka cat/cow)
- alternating birddog (hands and knees balance)
- hands and knees moving twist
- up cat / downdog
- up cat / child's
- reclining or seated rest
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
What makes this trauma informed?
Choices, invitations, noticing, open-ended experiments. Read more about those here.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit fabrice nerfin, found on unsplash
There's more than one way to be present
There are many places in life where we're asked to "be present" -- and it doesn't always mean the same thing. Allowing some variation in the ways you show up in any given moment might make "being present" feel more manageable. I share a few thoughts on that in the episode -- plus how it relates to this week's technique. Enjoy!
Listen to "Ep 513 - Being Present + a Color Visualization Meditation" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of Everyday Meditation?
- Welcome + getting situated, with a few thoughts on being present and what we can borrow from meditation
- A little lead-in movement: Seated cat / cow
- Breathing practice: Alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana)
- Meditation technique (awareness kriya): Color visualization
- A little re-grounding movement: Downdog or Child's form
As always, I encourage you to make yourself at home in this practice: substitute, modify, do as you need to feel safe and present, including taking breaks!
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps check in: did you notice something that you want to carry with you? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember!
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit vlad kutepov, found on unsplash
being brave by being patient
When it comes to movement, patience largely comes from being ok with what you're experiencing -- which means it doesn't feel like what I normally think of as "being patient," requiring oodles of discipline. Of course, sometimes to find that sense of being ok with what is, you have to move through discomfort, awkwardness, and doubt. And letting those move through you takes not only patience and discipline (or the knowledge that something good will come of an activity you may not feel like doing), but also courage.
Listen to "patience: still seated forms"
What’s in the "patience" episode of moved to heal?
I offer seated forms and invite you to practice stillness, knowing movement is always an option. If you want to see any of the forms, you can search by title in my yoga forms library.
The forms + movements offered in this episode
- seated forward fold
- seated side bend
- seated arm hug (eagle arms)
- seated twist,
- seated or reclining rest
While you listen to the episode, you can do or not do any of the practices, and in whatever manner or degree you choose.
What makes this trauma informed?
Choices, invitations, noticing, open-ended experiments. Read more about those here.
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit francois olwage, found on unsplash
It can start with the breath
It's fairly common knowledge that deep breathing is calming. Unfortunately, deep breathing as a practice that everyone knows well enough to call on every time it's needed is not yet standard. Which means it's always worth a friendly reminder that your breathing is a powerful avenue for shifting nervous system behavior. And with that shift comes an opening to changing your mood, how you feel, and how easily you can focus.
When you sit for meditation, allowing yourself the time to come to a place of breathing comfortably is so valuable! You can use this notion both before you start the episode or enter a class and to make yourself comfortable during the practice if a breathing technique or meditation practice sets you off balance in some way. More on that in the opening of the episode, with the basic take away being to embrace whatever you need to do to be comfortable in your breathing throughout!
Enjoy!
Listen to "Ep 512 - Breathe Comfortably + Sat Yam Bubble Meditation" on Spreaker.
What’s in this episode of Everyday Meditation?
- Welcome + getting situated, with a few thoughts on INSPO
- A little lead-in movement: Arm lift
- Breathing practice: Padadirsasana
- Meditation technique (awareness kriya): Sat Yam Bubble
- A little re-grounding movement: Cat / Cow
As always, I encourage you to make yourself at home in this practice: substitute, modify, do as you need to feel safe and present, including taking breaks!
Integration suggestion
After listening to the episode, perhaps check in: did you notice something that you want to carry with you? If yes, maybe jot it down in a notebook or record a voice memo to help you remember!
Be moving, be true, be you
photo credit rowan heuvel, found on unsplash