Tension is who you think you should be, relaxation is who you are.
Chinese proverb.
Hello and welcome to Yoga with Melissa 356.
This is a beginner yoga class.
This is yoga so you can feel better, move better and connect with your true nature.
This is real yoga for real people.
I have a different testimonial for you today.
I have something special for you.
One of our members, Jennifer Lee, has donated a membership.
Jennifer says, I wanted to share the gift of a membership.
This time of year has caused me to remember the season of transition of life
and I wanted to give somebody else the enjoyment of being a member in our community
to help them through their time of transition.
Namaste and much love Jennifer.
So here's what we're going to do.
Listen up.
We are going to offer this membership to somebody in need.
You have to apply for this membership by sending me an email to infoatmalissawest.com
with a subject membership gift.
In the body of the email, tell me how you feel the membership can help you
through your season of transition.
Let us know how long you've been doing the Yoga with Melissa classes,
what you've received from the classes and what you will bring to the community
as you transition from being a student of the Yoga with Melissa classes
into a member of our community.
Preference will be given to applicants with financial need.
The deadline is really soon.
It's Monday, November the 7th at midnight Pacific time.
This gives you only four days from the release of this video to get your applications in
and the earlier the better as it gives you more time to review your applications.
I will announce the new member in Yoga with Melissa 357.
So thank you to Jennifer for gifting the membership.
If any of our other members or students would like to gift a membership this holiday season
or any time you can contact Tim at adminatmalissawest.com
and Tim will let you know how you can do that.
I want to thank Squeeze Yoga Clothing for my clothes.
Today I'm wearing long brown leggings with a black vine on it
and I'm wearing a long sleeve bamboo top with the just B on it.
Thanks to Duskily for our props today.
You're really not going to need any props outside of a yoga mat.
Even if you don't have a yoga mat you can just do this practice on your floor at home.
I've laid out a folded blanket.
A folded blanket would be a good thing to have because if you're on hard rock like me
you want extra padding for your body and your knees.
A yoga strap may be useful if you have difficulty reaching things
but if you're new to yoga you may not have a yoga strap
so you could use a strap from your bathrobe would work just fine for that.
Because this may be your first yoga class
remember if you have any injuries or medical conditions to speak to your medical doctor
before participating in any kind of movement program like yoga
and ask your medical doctor what movements will make my medical conditions worse
and what movements will make my medical condition better.
And once you have that then you'll know how to take care of yourself in this yoga class.
So you may need to go do that before you do this class.
I'm going to give you a preview of what to expect in this class
so that you know if this is going to be a class that you can do
and just a word before we get started if you haven't already noticed
my style I tend to educate a lot, teach a lot
so there is a lot of talking in the class that I give you lots of modifications
and step-by-step instructions
so if that's not your style then probably this isn't the class for you.
Otherwise come on in and join me
I'm ready to teach you how to do yoga
in this beautiful location here in Michozen, BC and Witte's Lagoon
and I'm going to show you the whole class first
everything you can expect in the whole class so you know what to expect.
So we're going to start with a guided relaxation and centering
which will be done on your back
with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor
and then from there you're going to do knees to chest pose
I'm going to show you this all very quickly
we're going to be doing this very slowly step-by-step together
then we're going to do keyhole stretch
from there we're going to come over
and we're going to do cat pose
this is I think the most uneven surface I've ever been on
cat pose
then we're going to do lunge pose
after lunge pose we're going to do
gait pose
after gait pose we're going to
come up to standing
and we're going to do
side angle pose
after side angle pose
we're going to do wide-legged standing forward fold
then we're going to do
a small back bend
called sphinx pose
after sphinx pose
we're going to do a seated twist
and then a forward fold
and then you're going to lie down on your back
at the end for shavasana
so that is everything that we're going to be doing
you're going to start now lying on your back with your knees bent
your feet flat on the floor
and your hands on your belly
take a deep breath in through your nose
let it fall out of your mouth
so feel your body resting on the ground here
feel the support of the earth underneath you
feel your feet on the ground
feel your buttocks on the ground
feel your rib cage on the ground
feel your elbows on the ground
feel your shoulders on the ground
and feel your head on the ground
and each time you breathe out
feel the back of your body sink more deeply into the ground
so there's nothing to do here except to relax
and let go into the support of the earth underneath you
feel yourself surrendering
releasing
unraveling the tension in your body
feel yourself surrendering to the pull of gravity underneath you
scan your body for any tension
and let it soften
let your feet be soft
let your buttocks be soft
let your shoulders go
let the weight of your head be heavy on the ground
today's class is about relaxation
instead of bracing ourselves against gravity
and creating tension in our bodies
we are going to be focusing on letting go of tension
and surrendering to gravity
so begin to form an intention of what you would like to receive
from your yoga practice today
why are you here?
what do you want to receive from your yoga practice over the next hour?
1. Keep your left knee bent
2. Draw your right knee into your chest
3. Keep the pelvis heavy
4. Sink into the ground
5. Keep your left knee bent
6. Keep your right knee straight
7. Keep your right knee straight
8. Keep your right knee straight
9. Keep your pelvis heavy
10. Place your hands behind your right knee
and draw your right knee into the chest
and as you do this just check in to make sure the back of your pelvis stays heavy on the ground
your shoulders stay heavy on the ground
and let go of any effort and tension in doing this
here's a good spot where you might want to use your yoga strap
if it's too hard to reach here
use the yoga strap behind your knees if you can't reach
this would be a good option or the strap from your bathrobe
so in this position you're going to
let your shoulders be heavy
let the back of your pelvis continue to rest on the ground
let your head be heavy on the ground
let there be space between your teeth
let your tongue float in your mouth
and just let the yoga practice do its own thing
you don't have to effort in a yoga pose
you can just let the pose be
each time you breathe out you'll continue to sink into the pose
and this pose is really great for a few reasons
it's a great stretch for your low back
also it presses on your ascending colon
so you can feel some pressure on your lower belly here
on your right side and that just helps to aid in your digestion
so it helps to press the waist that's in your large intestine
your colon here along so that you can remove the waist
from your large intestine your colon
if you notice yourself efforting or trying too hard
just let that go let the tension go
check in the space between your eyebrows
notice if you've got some tension going on there
just soften, relax, let go
and then slowly release your right leg to the ground
pause there, notice the difference between your right and your left side
and then you'll slowly draw your left leg in towards your chest
you can use your yoga strap again if it's difficult to reach
hold on behind your knee to protect your knee if you have any knee issues
keep your low back sinking and resting into the ground
let your shoulders be heavy on the ground
feel the pressure of your left leg on your descending colon now
feel the release that's happening through your low back
and keep breathing each time you breathe out
feeling the sinking and dropping surrendering to gravity here
and instead of trying to effort in the pose
just allow the pose to do you
so see if you can be in the pose rather than do the pose
letting go more and more doing less and less
feeling your muscles soften
feeling your bones soften
letting your eyes sink back in your head
feeling your brain drop back
allowing your organs to soften
and then slowly release your left leg down
pause here
feel the effect on the left side of your body now
and then you're going to cross your right ankle over the top of your left thigh
and see if even as you're moving if you can do the movements between the poses
with as little effort as possible
opening your right knee out to the side
and then slowly draw your left leg in towards your chest
you're going to stop at that point when you start to feel something happening
in the outside of your right thigh and into your right glutes
you're going to reach your right hand through the space between your right leg
and you're going to hold on on the back of your left leg
and you want to do that without creating tension in your shoulders
let the back of your pelvis stay resting into the ground
let your shoulders stay resting in the ground
let the back of your neck belong
space between your teeth, eyes dropping back
sinking in your head
and if you can't reach here again you can use your yoga strap
to help you reach
and if that helps you keep your shoulders resting on the ground
then that's a good idea here as well
your left leg is fully bent
relax your shoulders
let the back of your pelvis be heavy on the ground
and then slowly lower the side down
uncross your leg, pause here for a moment
feel the difference between your right and your left buttocks
and then cross your left ankle over the top of your right thigh
and slowly bring your right leg in towards your torso
you can reach your left arm through, hold on behind your knee
especially if you have any knee issues, fully bend your right knee
draw your leg in just until you feel something happening
in the outside of your left thigh and into your left buttocks
keep your shoulders heavy on the ground
relax the whole back of your body on the ground
feel your buttocks on the ground
the backs of your ribs
the backs of your shoulders
the back of your head
space between your teeth
and then float in your mouth
and then slowly lower down
and we're going to roll to your side
and make your way up onto all fours
on all fours we're going to do cat pose
so you'll place your hands underneath your shoulders
your knees underneath your hips
if you have any wrist issues
you come up onto your fists
or down onto your forearms
whatever works better for you and your body
and in this pose
you're going to really feel your shins
and the tops of your feet on the ground
connect there without really efforting that
but just feeling that connection with the ground there
and then you're going to exhale round up through your back
and inhale arch through your back
and let this movement be really fluid
like you're moving through warm water
breathe out round
breathe in arch
breathe out round
breathe in arch
breathe out round
and let your weight shift back towards your heels
breathe in arch
and let your weight shift forward towards your wrists
breathe out round and shift back
breathe in arch and shift forward
and feel the fluidity
the mobility of your spine
imagine you're moving through warm water
breathe in arch
okay for the next one we're going to do lunge pose
this is where the extra padding under your knees comes in handy
so you might want to take your folded blanket
put it underneath your knees
and you may want to use a chair here as well
for extra balance
walk your left leg forward
place your hands on either side of your foot
or you can place your hands on a chair
and you want to sink down heavy through your front left foot
through your back right shin
relax your shoulders
and breathe into the front of your right hip
so feel the opening in the front of your right hip
breathe in arch
relax your shoulders
breathe in arch
and through your front left foot
and then go ahead and shift back
and you're going to switch sides
so this time you'll walk your right leg through
and remember if balance is a challenge
you could put your hands on a chair in front of you
sink down through your front right foot
and your back left shin
relax your shoulders
space between your teeth, let your tongue
just float in your mouth
breathe into the front of your left hip
let go of any tension
in the shoulders
lengthen up through the back of your neck
and the back of your head
and then slowly come back
and you're going to turn sideways on your mat
you can actually stand on your
stand on your right leg
and take your left leg out to the side
we're going to just spend a few moments leveling out your pelvis
so your hip bones are level to the ground
both like a level to the ground
but also front and back
and then you're going to turn your toes
so they point forward
and you'll probably feel some pulling on your inner thigh there
and then you're going to inhale
take your arms straight up
and exhale side bend over your left leg
and if your hand lands on your knee joint
then you're just going to bend your arm here
so you want to feel an opening in your side body
here in your intercostal muscles
this will help your breathing
also you'll probably feel something happening
in your groin and your inner thigh here
and then relax your shoulders
relax your neck
breathe into your side body
sink down through your leg bone
feel your left foot on the ground
and then you're going to come upright again
and we're going to switch sides
so you just take your folded blanket
and put it over on the other side
so it's going to go under your left knee now
so you've got some extra cushioning underneath your left knee
take your right leg out to the side
and let's just level off your pelvis
to the ground
so your hip bones, your iliac crests are level to the ground
top to bottom
but also that you're level front to back
so that your right hip bone isn't rotated back
you'll probably want to bring it forward
drop your tailbone
if your pelvis is tilted forward too
so imagine your pelvis is a bowl
if you don't want to tilt water at the front
or at the back
as well
your pelvis is a three-dimensional object
so all those directions
top to bottom
side to side and front to back
and then
you'll probably feel some pulling
on the inside of your thigh
and then you'll inhale
take your arms straight up
exhale, side bend over your right leg
if your hand lands on your knees
you're going to bend it
and you're going to open up your side body on your left side
breathing into your side body
relax your shoulders
and then slowly come back upright
and from here you're in a great position
if you bend your right knee
to come right up to standing
and you can put your blanket off to the side now
until later
stand in the middle of your mat
and face the long edge of your mat
take your feet wide
turn your right toes out
bend your right leg
you're going to sink down through your right sit bone
take your right elbow to the top of your right leg
circle your left arm around and front
and we're coming to side angle pose on this side
relax your shoulder
feel the support of your body from your pelvis down
and let your upper body be soft
you're slowly going to come out of this position
turn your toes back to the long edge of your mat
and then you're going to roll your pelvis over your leg bones
until your spine comes perpendicular to the ground
let the crown of your head drop towards the ground
so that your spine can release to gravity
and you'll feel a pull on your spine
and all day long your spine is being pulled with gravity
and this way your spine is being tractioned
so your spine is being compressed with gravity all day long
and in this direction your spine is being tractioned
so that your spine is getting lengthened out
it should feel really good all the way through your neck
a seal just came on the rock up behind me there
do you see it Tim?
do you see that?
on this rock, see?
oh it's an otter, that's a very large otter
it's like, I can see it right into my legs
it's a...
back in the water
okay that otter is going back in the water now
but I don't think I've ever seen such a big otter before
okay now you're going to roll back up over your leg bones
and this time you're going to turn your left toes out
sink down through your left sit bone
lower your left elbow to your leg
and then circle your right arm around
so you're lengthening the whole right side of your body now
feel the stability of your legs
and then feel the softness of your upper body
relax your shoulders
space between your teeth
relax the space between your eyebrows
soften the skin on your scalp
and then you're slowly going to come up
turn your toes forward
breathe in here
without roll your pelvis over your leg bones again
feel the lengthening along the backs of your legs
so if you have sciatica or back problems
here you want to bend your knees when you do this
you don't want to do any straight leg forward folds
and then from here you're going to come down onto your belly
and lie on your belly
okay once you're on your belly
take your arms straight out in front of you
and just wiggle your hips from side to side
to release your low back
and then you're going to tuck your right toes under
lift your knee and lengthen out through your right heel
you'll find that'll create some more space in your low back
we'll do this on the other side as well
tuck your left toes under
lift your left knee and reach back through your left heel
you'll feel a lot of nice spaciousness in your low back now
and then you're going to walk your elbows back underneath you
until you come into a little back bend here
called Sphinx Pose
and in this pose I want you to relax
relax through your shoulders
you can move here actually
that won't hurt you
it will help you actually release tension in your shoulders
feels good
release tension in your shoulders, your neck
you can move your neck a bit too
it's actually very good for your vestibular system to move
and also just check in to make sure you're not tensing
and it will actually help you to feel
feel the structures of your skeleton
so feel your forearms, feel your elbows
feel your upper arm bones
what's that called maybe your humerus
the upper arm bone
tibia fibia humerus I think
so feel your arm bones
and let that structure be like a scaffolding that holds you
and then everything else can relax
you'll feel some pressure in your low back
that's what you want to feel
but you don't want to feel sharp shooting pain
and electric numbness
anything like that you want to come out of the pose
so let yourself be soft here
let yourself relax in this pose
breathe into your low back
also remember this is a back bend
not a neck bend
so you don't need to crank your head back
and compress your neck
just your chin will be level to the ground
and then you're slowly going to lower down here
and pause on your belly for a moment
breathe into your low back
okay from here
you're going to come up to seated
and I would recommend you get that
folded blanket you have again
place it at the top of your mat
because you're going to sit on the edge of it
so you've got a little bit of elevation
so that it's easier for your pelvis to tip forward
just make it easier for you to sit with your legs extended
your low back doesn't roll back
okay from here
you're going to bend your right leg
wrap your left arm around your right leg
and when you do this
you don't have to have a death grip on your right leg
so remember this is yoga free relaxation
and just let it be a nice light grip
and turn towards your right leg
if you find your belly is in the way
just lift and pull the flesh out of the way
and then turn towards your right leg
or you could also turn the opposite way
so there's lots of space for your belly
so do whatever works best for you
for your body today
I think I'm craving Mexican food
because I want to say if you have a burrito belly
we have Taco Fino here in Victoria
and they make these huge burritos
and then if you eat one of those burritos
you have a burrito belly
you're pregnant with a burrito afterwards
okay let's go to the other side
how about I give you some useful information
on the other side
well actually that was fairly useful
about how to twist for your belly
but I'll give you some other useful information
you're going to twist
you can move your belly out of the way
or come into the open twist too
so twists are fantastic for releasing tension
they release all the little muscles
that run along your spine
but also because your spine houses your central nervous system
twists are very calming for your central nervous system
and so they're very relaxing
so that's a great thing to include in your relaxation repertoire
if you want to relax
you can add some twists in
but again let the yoga do you
you don't have to do the yoga
be in a yoga pose the yoga will do you
and then come back to center
and we're going to do a forward fold here
so just open your left knee out to the side
that left knee is hanging way up in the air
and your leg is not supported by the ground
and put a cushion underneath here
so that you are supporting your joints
and if you have low back issues
then you're going to roll up another blanket
or put a cushion underneath
so your right leg is bent
so you're not doing a straight leg forward fold
that might be a good idea anyway
if you have really tight posterior chain
hamstrings, calf
and you're going to inhale here
exhale fold forward over your right leg
forward folds are very calming
relax your quad muscle here
so let go of any gripping there
and then slowly up
and let switch sides
so bend your right leg now
open your right leg out to the side
inhale here
exhale hinge forward
and again remember if you've got any low back issues
sciatica especially
bend your left knee
put something underneath your left knee
like a cushion or another rolled up blanket
before you do the forward fold here
and even if you have a tight posterior chain
like if you're tight in your calves and your hamstrings
and then maybe you want to do like I did
if you've got that gripping through your quads
gripping quads
you're just going to say hey quads
how about you can relax here
and also check in with that knee
and if it's hanging out mid-air
just put some support underneath that too
so that your joints are supported
so
and then you are going to lie down
on your backs
for Shavasana
so if you have any low back issues
you're going to make sure you take a rolled up blanket
and put that underneath your knees
so that your legs aren't completely flat
or you could lie like we did at the beginning with your knees
bent and your feet flat on the floor
this is the most important part of our class
the relaxation at the end
remember our quote at the beginning
tension is who you want to be
relaxation is who you are
so we take this time at the end of our class
to integrate
what we've done to allow us
to receive everything that's happened in our class
physically
mentally, emotionally, energetically
and
I also will read you a poem
to close out the class so you can stay resting back here
and I'm going to read you a poem
to close out our class
while you lie down, stay lying down in Shavasana
This poem is called Let It Go by Donna Faltz
Let go of the ways you thought life would unfold
the holding of plans or dreams
or expectations
Let it all go
Let it all go
Let it all go
Let it all go
Let it all go
Let it all go
Save your strength to swim with the tide
The choice to fight what is here before you
now will only result in struggle
fear
and desperate attempts to flee
from the very energy you long for
Let go
Let it all go
and flow with the grace that washes through your days
whether you received it gently
or with all your quills raised to defend against invaders
Take this on faith
The mind may never find the explanations that it seeks
but you will move forward nonetheless
Let it go
and the waves crest will carry you to unknown shores
beyond your wildest dreams or destinations
Let it all go
and find the place of rest and peace
and transformation
So gradually allow your breath to deepen
Can begin to wiggle your fingers and your toes
Bend your knees
Roll to your right side
Pause there for a moment
And then slowly make your way up to seated
Thank you so much for joining me for this beginner's class
You'll go with Melissa 356, Yoga for Relaxation
If you like today's class, please give it a thumbs up
We put out a free class every single Friday
So if you subscribe to our channel, then you will receive it in your feed
I would like to thank Diane, Maya, Sharon, Donna, Lois, Linda
Linda, it was so great meeting you this summer when you were in Victoria
And Jennifer, for your gift of membership
If you're receiving value from the Yoga with Melissa classes
you can click here below to leave a monetary donation
to give a monetary donation
You can also contribute of your time and influence to the direction of the next Yoga with Melissa
by answering the following question in the comments
If you are a beginner, what is the biggest challenge that you face?
What can I help you with in a beginner's yoga class?
Let me know, I usually do a beginner's class between series
So it'll probably be in a couple of months
But if you leave your comments and let me know, then it helps me to create the next beginner's class
Speaking of beginners, we have a 31-day beginner yoga challenge
If you go to MelissaWest.com and click on the triangle that says beginners, new to yoga
It actually says new to yoga, click here
Click on that triangle and it'll take you to a page
And it takes a while to load because there's a ton, there's 31 videos on it
But when it loads up at the top of the page, there's an opt-in form that you can put your email address in
And when you put your email address in, then it gives you the option of receiving the videos
We'll email them to you over the next 31 days so that you can start that challenge
And you can have those videos delivered to you one over the next 31 days
So that you can start that challenge
And so say you signed up for it on Monday, then Tuesday
You would get the first video, Wednesday you would get the second video
And we've chosen the order very specifically so that you can start right at the beginning
And go through in a way that teaches you yoga that's very doable
So that's a great thing
And I'll put the direct link in the show notes to this class as well
Also today we focused on relaxation
If you would like the ultimate in relaxation every single Monday
I take our members through a guided relaxation in our live classes at 9.30 a.m. Pacific
And 5.30 p.m. Pacific time every single Monday in our live classes in our membership community
So our members are having incredible experiences like profoundly deep spiritual experiences
And they're just letting go of so much tension and experiencing deep, deep relaxation
Letting go of so much stress and anxiety is amazing what they're getting from these classes
So if you're a member I'll put the direct link for that in today's show notes
And if you would like to become a member there's a link here below as well
So we'd love to have you as a member of our community where we give you value-added content
A community of like-minded people from all around the world
And where you receive ongoing support in deepening your yoga practice for myself
Our leadership team and our community through an online forum
Weekly live classes on Mondays, monthly meetups and retreats
So I'm sending you much love from beautiful British Columbia
May your joy be as deep as our Pacific Ocean
May you be as rooted as the trees in our forest
And may you be as strong as our mountains
Om Shanti Namaste
