Hello and welcome to this calm trauma-informed yoga.
My name is Doris.
I teach Hatha and Yin Yoga and all of it through a trauma-informed lens.
You might wonder what trauma-informed yoga exactly is.
And a brief summary would be that it's yoga that makes you feel safe,
Makes you feel grounded,
And that doesn't trigger you like trauma-uninformed yoga might due to certain positions or phrasings.
Today's practice will be on the ground entirely.
So you don't even need a yoga mat.
You could just be on a carpet or in the grass or anywhere that you feel safe,
But make sure you have a soft surface because lying on the floor might not be so comfortable.
You might need a cushion or maybe a roll blanket as a little knee support.
So maybe just have those handy just in case.
And whenever you're ready,
Join me here lying on the ground.
And just take a moment to arrive.
So that might mean that you fidget around a little bit,
Or perhaps you want to move the body.
Maybe you decide to be still immediately.
It's entirely up to you.
So just take a few moments to get settled,
Whatever that means for you.
And then find a position to maybe be a bit more still.
So that could be that you prop your head up on a little pillow.
You could just extend your legs out long,
But for some bodies,
They prefer to bring the knees together and the feet wider than the legs.
So bring the knees together and the feet wider than hip width distance apart and a bit away from the body so that the knees can rest effortless towards one another.
Or you could also have a roll blanket or yoga bolster underneath your knees.
That is also great for back support.
If you're comfortable with the physical touch,
Maybe place one hand on your belly and one on your heart,
Or just keep the arms alongside the body,
Palms facing up if that's comfortable or palms facing down if that's preferable to you.
You can choose to keep the eyes open or maybe close them.
Whatever again is preferable to you.
And also whatever makes you feel most safe.
Maybe it's to keep an eye on your surroundings or perhaps like to take away one of your senses to turn the gaze more inward.
And now let's focus on the breath.
So notice how your breath enters the body and how your breath leaves the body again.
Let's just stay with the breath.
Stay here just for a little bit.
Noticing that wave like notion of the breath.
Maybe you can sense movement within the body.
Just observing,
Exploring and being present in the moment.
And as you breathe here,
I invite you to bring the awareness into the body.
And as you breathe out,
I invite you to bring the awareness into the body.
So just take a moment to notice how you're feeling.
Maybe scanning the body from head to toe.
To neutrally observe,
Is there any tension somewhere?
Is there maybe a body part that I can just sense a bit more than others?
Is there a way that you can lie here more comfortably?
And then returning to the breath.
As you gift yourself three last rounds of breath in and out of the body.
And then let's connect a little bit to our physical body once more.
So if you have your legs extended,
I invite you to bring the feet onto the mat.
Knees face towards the sky,
The ceiling.
And the soles of the feet are in contact with the ground.
And then let's travel into that right foot.
Can you sense the connection to the ground?
And then how does it feel when you push the soles of the feet further into the ground,
Starting to tense that right leg ever so slightly?
Maybe the whole leg starts to engage.
Maybe the glute starts to engage.
Maybe even the right cheek lifts off the ground.
Just noticing what's going on in the body.
Keep holding that just for a moment.
And then release that tension,
Your strength.
And notice how the right leg feels in comparison to the left side.
And then let's travel to the other side,
Bringing the awareness towards the left foot.
Pushing the sole of the foot further into the ground,
Engaging the whole leg.
And just observing what's happening in the body.
See how the body is connected from the sole of the foot,
Maybe all the way to the crown of the head.
And then release it.
And just take a moment to listen to your body.
And then allowing the arms to be by your side.
Palms facing down.
Bringing the feet about hip-width distance apart and the heels a little in towards the body.
And now let's take that movement a little further.
As you,
On your inhale,
Press both feet into the ground,
Engage those legs.
And maybe your sit bones,
Maybe the lower back,
Lift off the ground as you really engage those glutes to protect your lower back.
And then exhale,
Lower it down.
So we're working towards a version of a shoulder bridge.
Inhale,
Lift it all up as far as you choose today,
And maybe your sit bones stay on the ground.
And exhale,
Lower.
So move with your breath at your own pace.
There's no rush.
There's no right timing,
There's no specific look that we're trying to achieve.
It's all about how it feels within the body.
Feeling your strength,
Feeling your power.
So let's take that for a final breath in and out.
Take a moment to tune into the body.
And let's then drop the knees together,
Walk the feet a bit further apart and away from you so that the knees can come to the ground.
If you choose,
You can place the hands once again on your body,
And like windshield wipers,
Let both legs drop to the right and to the left.
So it's very common that one sit bone lifts off the ground as you move towards the other side,
That's perfectly fine.
So we keep those legs apart.
A little massage for the feet.
A little massage for your lower back,
For your glutes as well.
Maybe stay on one side,
Just let both legs drop over to either right or left.
Maybe engage those legs once again,
Just working those muscles.
Final breath in and out.
And then move it over to the other side.
Option to once again engage those legs.
And then return to centre.
Knees together.
Allow the lower back to really rest on the ground.
And then I invite you to hug those knees into the chest.
So you give yourself a little squeeze.
Maybe holding onto your shins or maybe even interlacing the hands around your shins,
Maybe rocking side to side.
So moving just a little left and right.
This very rhythmic movement can be incredibly soothing for the nervous system.
So just give yourself a bit of time to not only hug your body and show yourself some love,
But to also soothe your nervous system.
Eventually dropping your feet back down,
Finding a comfortable position like in the beginning.
Maybe extending the legs,
Maybe knees together.
Making sure that the shoulders and the head is free.
And then dropping your head to one side and then really slowly through centre to the other side.
Really slowly through centre to the other side.
Massaging the back of the head.
Keeping this nice and slow.
Perhaps the hands return to the body as you simultaneously observe the breath.
Coming back to centre.
Tuning into your breath as you just lie here for a few rounds of breath in stillness.
And just notice how that feels for you.
And then maybe holding onto opposite elbows or opposite shoulder with your hands as you give yourself a little hug.
Maybe the corners of your lips move upright.
And just take a moment to notice how you're feeling in this very moment.
Expressing gratitude for taking this time to practice.
And it might not be on a predominantly physical level,
But that doesn't mean that we didn't shift something in the body,
That we didn't regulate our nervous system.
Which is what trauma-informed yoga is really all about.
Whenever you're ready,
I invite you to open your eyes if they're closed.
And let's just look around the room,
Notice what you're seeing.
And then I leave it up to you to find your way out of the practice.
Maybe you'd like to stay lying down for a little longer.
You can try one of my guided relaxations or another pranayama,
Another meditation,
It's up to you.
I really appreciate it if you let me know how the practice was for you.
And I hope that you can take it with you into the rest of your day.
Hope to see you very,
Very soon.
Take care and bye bye.
