Living your Yoga with Dr Melissa West

Our yoga nidra practice opens our neuroception to be grounded in the present moment, to be more regulated, calm and spacious. By gently moving our awareness around our body, we anchor in the present moment and create a sense of calm and presence. In this calming Vagus Nerve Yoga Nidra practice, we invite deep relaxation. As I guide your awareness through your body, I invite a profound sense of stillness to envelop you. Breath awareness and practice will regulate your vagus nerve. With each breath, we nurture connection to the present moment, fostering a sanctuary of peace within ourselves. Through this practice, we cultivate a harmonious balance between body, mind, and spirit, tapping into the healing power of the vagus nerve to restore inner calm.

Yoga to Let Go Into Love | Yoga with Melissa 689  Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/   💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership  This yoga class is about being connected to the presence of love in moving meditation. When we take this time each day to be in the presence of love, we will feel the expansiveness of unconditional love in our lives. It is not a doing, but a letting go and softening that allows us to connect into the expansiveness, vibrance and radiance of our hearts. When we align with the unconditional love that already exists in our hearts we can let go of the striving to try to be better people. This yoga class allows us to slow down and make space for the love that is always and already present in our hearts. It is a devotional practice to love itself.  The gentle standing yoga postures in this class will align you and your body so that your aura is attuned to the essence of love for your own healing and for all those you connect with in all directions and kind. This loving healing is gentle, grounding, warm, expansive, soft love and love that is always safe.  Additionally we will tend to anything that is in the way that is blocking us from connecting to the love in our heart. Anything that is keeping us from serving from our hearts and allowing us to be connected to the frequency of love throughout our day.  Join us in this gentle yoga flow as we trust and follow the currents of love inside to lead others with the heart, this including ourselves and our own internal guidance. It is an honour to practice with all of you spiritual healers, teachers and guides.  Props Needed: None - this entire class is done standing  Poem: For a New Beginning - John O’Donohue

In this Yin Yang Yoga for your liver and gallbladder we balance the dynamic bursts of yang wood element energy with soothing yin. In this session, we blend the gentle, introspective practice of yin yoga with the fluid movements of hatha flow qigong, all centered around the theme of connecting with your vision/intention/aspiration in a balanced way. In spring, your liver and gallbladder organs are the most dominant organs and so it is a great time to focus on planting your seeds of intention. In our culture we love to focus on outward actions of doing, however in this class, I will encourage you to cultivate more inward qualities of being. In this class, we'll focus on the liver and gallbladder meridians, exploring how emotions like anger, frustration, and irritation can be signs of disconnection from our true vision. The liver loves movement, free flow, and moving towards what we love. Through gentle poses and flowing sequences, we'll invite ease and fluidity into our bodies, embodying the qualities of water - flowing around obstacles with simplicity and harmony. This class brings balance between yin and yang, movement and stillness, action and contemplation. Discover how embodying these qualities can bring greater harmony, joy, and fulfillment into your life. Let's flow, breathe, and yoga together towards balance and wholeness. Props Needed - Blanket Poem Spring by Mary Oliver

🌙Middle-of-the-Night Sleep Support 🌙 Waking up in the middle of the night is completely normal, but it is also completely normal for your mind to be racing and worrying and then it can be really hard to fall back asleep. 🌌This yoga nidra guided meditation is meant to be a gentle guide to ease you back to sleep when you wake up in the middle of the night. Through gentle breathing and intentional relaxation, I will support you in letting go of concerns about sleep duration and trust in your body’s natural ability to receive deep sleep and restoration. 🌌 Think of this guided meditation like a gentle companion in the middle of the night to guide you back to sweet sleep whenever sleep is elusive. You can fall back asleep peacefully knowing that you are supported. The best thing about this meditation is that it finishes in silence so that when you fall back asleep, I won’t wake you up again. 🌠

In this gentle and nurturing class, we'll explore the profound benefits of Yin Yoga while using the support of the wall to deepen our practice. 🧘‍♀️ This class combines the best of upper body, chest opening and shoulder releasing yin yoga along with hip opening yin yoga with the wall. We will begin by releasing your chest and shoulders with your heart meridian and the lung meridian. These yin yoga poses will improve your posture and breathing mechanics and also release your upper back, neck and shoulder tension. 💫 We will move into some legs up the wall and deep hip releases that will relieve low back pain as well as calm and soothe your nervous system. 💫 🌸 Wallflower Yin Yoga Sequence 🌸 ❤️ Heart Melting Pose 🐦Broken Wing Pose Legs Up the Wall 🔑Keyhole ❤️Heart Melting Pose 🐦Broken Wing Pose Legs Up the Wall 📖 Poem: Poem: Insight by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

🧘 Dive into the healing practice of vagus nerve restorative yoga 🌿 Find peace amidst the chaos of overstimulation by embracing slow, still movements that ground you in your body. 🌟 In a world constantly pushing for hustle and achievement, restorative yoga offers a sanctuary to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and embrace rest and digest mode. 💆‍♀️ Moving slowly is an intentional practice, especially in a culture that values speed and constant advancement. 🐢 In restorative yoga, we quiet our minds by being still in our bodies, nurturing our well-being with compassion and gentleness. 🌸Yoga is powerful medicine, but it works slowly. When we regulate our nervous systems, life becomes more spacious, allowing us to connect deeply with our hearts and express our truth authentically. 💖 As we slow down and care for ourselves, we model this possibility for others, creating environments of safety and resonance for collective healing. 🌿 By taking time for these gentle poses, you're not just nurturing yourself but also shifting the frequency of your community towards co-regulation. 🌱 By embracing softness and kindness, we inspire others to live from their hearts as well, fostering a frequency of trust and co-regulation. 🕊️🙏 Vagus Nerve Reset - Basic Exercise  Restorative Twist  Diaphragmatic Breathing Restorative Side Bend  Restorative Locust - with blanket on diaphragm  Restorative Child’s  Savasana  Poem: On a Day When Stillness Seems Possible  by Rosemerry Whatola Trommer

You guys LOVED the first 45 minute Daily Hatha Yoga Routine 12 Poses You Should Do Daily | Yoga with Melissa 479 It has over 46K views, so I made a second one 12 Poses You Should Do Every Day in 30 minutes - Wrist Free YWM 639 and it has over 7K views. I hear from so many of you that you put these 2 classes into your regular rotation. So, I decided to create yet another version of daily hatha yoga poses that you should do everyday. The way I think about yoga has changed a a little bit over the years, and this class reflects that thinking. It includes more mobility practices for your joints. It focuses on strengthening your body. It focuses on connecting you with your spirit. It has a focus on pranayama and regulating your nervous system. However, I still care about making sure you are rested and that your spine moves in all directions, it is just that I understand better about how to move your body so that you are not in pain and so that your nervous system stays regulated. So here is my gift to you, an updated, 12 poses you should do every day! Props Needed: Block, Wall, Yoga Strap 12 Poses You Should Do Every Day Sequence: 1. Centering with Nervous System Regulation 2. Abdominal Strengthening 3. Cat Pose 4. 90/90s 5. Lunge Pose 6. Standing Twist 7. Standing Side Bend 8. Shoulder Flossing 9. Shoulder Clocks 10. Cobra 11. Malasana 12. Savasana or Legs up the Wall Poem: One Big Perspective by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

You Deserve Rest! This 30 minute yoga nidra sleep meditation is for deep rest. Yoga nidra powerfully heals and restores your body on a physical level giving you an opportunity for deep rest in a 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, and your brain 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 nidra meditation will take you to brainwave states where your entire body and mind will have a chance for deep rest and rejuvenation.

Yoga nidra is a guided meditation where you lie down and are led through a calming experience that is a mix of a nap and reclined meditation. It is a way for your body and mind to take a break that feels super relaxing. 😴💤🌙😌 During yoga nidra you focus on your breath and sensations in your body. This helps your brain take a break from constant external stimuli and find joy in simpler quieter moments. It is like giving your brain a little rest. It will help you enjoy the smaller and more peaceful things around you.  Yoga nidra creates a deep restorative state that triggers the brain to release neurotransmitters including dopamine. Studies show that Yoga Nidra techniques increase the endogenous release of dopamine in the system by up to 65%. Dopamine helps us to feel pleasure, feel rewarded and helps us to maintain focus. It is an antidote to depression and amplifies your motivation and positive outlook on the world.  When your body releases its own dopamine, it heightens your body’s ability to manage the impulse to act on unhelpful habits and addictions. Things like constant digital stimulation from social media.  Through the sense withdrawal of yoga nidra, you are giving your brain a chance to recalibrate and restore sensitivity to more subtle and natural sources of pleasure.

This calming vagus nerve restorative yoga 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. Calming Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga Sequence Vagus Nerve Reset Restorative Twist Eye Yoga Restorative Down Dog Diaphragmatic Breathing Psoas Release Mudra for Emotional Balance Props Needed: Bolster, 2 Blocks, meditation cushion or chair

Surrendered Heart Hatha Flow is an all-levels hatha yoga class, suitable for beginners, dedicated to cultivating love, healing, and opening your heart through the practice of bhakti yoga. In this session, we'll embark on a soulful exploration, focusing on yoga for heart opening, heart healing, with mobility for your shoulders and hips. The fusion of asanas such as Supported Fish Pose, Dancer Pose, and Standing Twist will create a beautiful flow that encourages the awakening of your heart chakra. Bhakti yoga, the path of devotion, will be woven throughout the class, making it accessible for beginners while offering an enriching experience for seasoned practitioners. Together, we'll explore the profound impact of bhakti yoga through a heartfelt flow that includes elements of surrender, self-compassion, and devotion. Our practice will delve into shoulder mobility and hip mobility, enhancing your range of motion and bringing fluidity to your movements. The incorporation of Tejas Mudra, a gesture representing the inner fire of transformation, will add depth to your journey, fostering a sense of surrender and connection. This yoga class is a sacred space for healing and heart opening. We will allow our practice to be a celebration of bhakti, of love that unfolds when we surrender to the wisdom of our hearts through yoga. Props Needed: Yoga Blocks Surrendered Heart Hatha Flow - Sequence Supported Fish Pose Shoulder Mobility Hip Mobility Spinal Mobility & Hip Strength Half Bow Locust Cat Boat Down Dog Standing Twist Dancer Tejas Mudra Poem: Self-Compassion by James Crews

This yin yoga class is a beginner’s guide to fully body stretching. But actually in yin yoga, stretching is not the goal. We're not trying to stretch our tissues; we're trying to give them a gentle stress. This stress helps our body make important changes at a small level, keeping our joints and tissues healthy. Most types of yoga focus on our muscles. But in Yin Yoga we go deeper into our body to affect the ligaments, joints, and deep fascial networks. In Yin Yoga, we do things slowly. We sit or lie down on the floor and hold poses for a longer time, like 2 to 8 minutes. In this beginner’s guide to full body stretching, we will do 6 yin yoga poses, taking short breaks between them. This helps stress the connective tissues in our body. Now, let's talk about stress and stretch. Stress is like the pull or push we put on our body parts, and stretch is how much they get longer because of that pull or push. But here's the thing: just because we stress something doesn't always mean it will stretch. Ligaments, especially, can be stressed in Yin Yoga, but they are not as stretchy as muscles. So, we're not trying to make them stretch; we're trying to give them a little challenge to stay healthy. Gentle Yin: A Beginner's Guide to Full Body Stretching Sequence: Supported Fish Bananasana Butterfly Deer Dragon Half Dragonfly Reclined Twist Poem: Hold Out Your Hand by Julia Fehrenbacher Props Needed: 2 Blocks

🌌✨ Winter Night Sky Yoga Nidra, is a guided meditation where we'll immerse ourselves in the beauty of the stars, the moon, and the quiet of winter. To circulate your awareness through your body, we will illuminate each part of your body like stars lighting up the night sky. Poetry from Mary Oliver and John O’Donohue will inspire our winter journey.  As we approach the end of 2023, this yoga nidra is a reflective pause. We will illuminate our body with bija mantras, or seed sounds like soft snow falling from the winter night sky.  This will be the last Yoga with Melissa and last yoga nidra of 2023. It is the perfect way to say goodbye to 2023 and plant the seeds of intention of 2024, enveloped in the beauty of the winter night sky.  🌙❄️ #YogaNidra #YearEndReflections

Order my Book 📙👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Inspired by the wisdom of nature, this restorative yoga class embraces the stillness and darkness of winter season. This restorative yoga class will create a warm and cozy sanctuary for you to burrow into a den of relaxation. Just like animals hibernating in burrows, we'll draw from the cocooning qualities of winter, preserving warmth and promoting internal contemplation. In winter, yin energy is most dominant. The kidneys and bladder meridians are the key organs of water element season. Resting and conserving your energy during this season will support your overall vitality. When we attune to the short days and long nights, we can make adjustments to our practice. This is a reflective and introspective practice that aligns with the stillness of winter. You will emerge from this Winter Cocoon of Comfort Restorative Yoga class feeling replenished, grounded, and ready to welcome the approaching seasons with a revitalized sense of energy. Props Needed: 2 blankets, wall, bolster Poem: Snow Day by Billy Collins 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿 🍃 💚 🌿

Order my Book 📙👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership This Yin Yoga class designed for Winter Rejuvenation is practiced entirely at the wall. As we descend into winter and water element season this practice focuses on the kidney and bladder meridians. This yin yoga class focuses on winter rejuvenation by encouraging introspection and replenishment. We delve into the essence of the winter season, exploring its connection to the water element and the organs associated with this time - the kidneys and bladder. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of jing, emphasizes the importance of preserving our life force. This class explores several ways of focusing on smart energy use to nurture our well-being. Yin yoga is one of the best practices we can offer our bodies in winter to replenish our kidneys (our internal batteries). Legs Up the Wall Yin Yoga Winter Rejuvenation Yin Yoga Sequence Legs up the Wall Keyhole Broken Wing Dangling Dragon Squat Legs up the Wall Props Needed: Wall, Blanket Reading: ― John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings

Hatha Yoga to Cultivate Gratitude | Yoga Sutra 2.30 Ahimsa | YWM 675 Order my Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/ 💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership This full body hatha yoga class is focused on cultivating gratitude through the practice of ahimsa as outlined in Yoga Sutra 2.30 translated by Nischala Joy Devi in The Secret Power of Yoga. In this 60 minute full body hatha yoga class for yoga, we delve into gratitude through the lens of reverence, love and compassion for all beings. We explore the depths of our True Nature as we embrace the principle of Ahimsa. This allows us to embrace a sense of interconnection with all living beings. Through this full body hatha yoga class we uncover our innate capacity for reverence that resides within each one of us allowing us to connect with the spiritual vitality present in every living being. The yoga postures in this class focus on heart opening to heighten your sensitivity to the spirit that flows through all life forms. Together, we will rediscover the beauty of the present moment and reawaken our natural state of reverence. 2.30 Yama, reflection of our true nature is experienced through: Ahimsa: reverence, love, compassion for all 2.35 Embracing reverence and love for all (ahimsa) we experience oneness Hatha Yoga to Cultivate Gratitude | Yoga Sutra 2.30 Ahimsa Sequence Supported Fish Pose Bridge Reclined Twist Side Bend Cobra Half Bow Cat Pose Gate Pose Downdog Tadasana Dancer Wide Legged Standing Forward Fold Seated Twist Supported Fish Pose Poem: Lost by David Wagoner Props Needed: Bolster

Attune to Autumn Energy Restorative Yoga | YWM 674  Order my Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/  💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership  There is a dissonance between the overactive demands of our external world and the inner peace of our True Nature. In this restorative class, we slow down, allowing our awareness to settle within the present moment, reconnecting with the boundless and limitless energy that resides within us. As nature transitions into a period of internal alchemy, we align our practice with the rhythms of the season, embracing the call for inner reflection and replenishment. Acknowledging the perpetual overactivity of our lives, our restorative yoga practice offers us the significance of dynamic stillness. Here, in this peaceful state of awareness, we allow our energy to renew and replenish, preparing ourselves for the nurturing hibernation of the upcoming winter. Join us in this restorative yoga practice as we gather our energy and embrace the seasonal rhythms of autumn. Gathering Energy in Autumn Seasons Restorative Yoga Sequence  Legs Up the Wall  Restorative Locust  Restorative Child’s  Restorative Shoulder Stand Savasana  Poem: Fall Song by Mary Oliver  Props Needed: Wall, 2 blocks, bolster, eye pillow, blanket

This Yin Yoga practice is designed to release your painful and aching neck and shoulder tension. In one hour yin yoga class, we'll focus on gentle yin yoga stretches and poses that target the connective tissues responsible for neck and shoulder pain. Several of the yin yoga poses are chosen to open up the chest and shoulders. Opening your chest, helps in improving shoulder mechanics and reducing strain on the neck and shoulders caused by muscular imbalances. I have also sequences in yin yoga poses that strengthen the scapular stabilizers, including the Serratus Anterior and Lower Trapezius. This will aid in stabilizing the shoulder blades and promoting better posture. Yin yoga poses will stretch the shoulders, upper back, and between the shoulder blades. We will also focus on gentle decompression of the neck and upper back which can also alleviate neck pain and discomfort. Throughout the practice, we will to focus on your breath and the principles of yin. I will encourage you to use props like blocks, chairs, and bolsters for extra support and comfort. Listen to your body and make adjustments as needed to ensure a supported and beneficial practice. By the end of this Yin Yoga session, you'll experience increased flexibility, improved posture, and a sense of release from neck and shoulder pain. Yin Yoga to Release Painful, Aching Neck & Shoulders Sequence: Supported Fish Sphinx Child’s Pose Broken Wing Pose Heart Melting Pose Thread the Needle Reverse Prayer Supported Fish Pose Props Needed: 2 blocks Poem: On a Day When Stillness Seems Possible by Rosemerry Whatola Trommer

This is an Empowered Beginner Yin Yoga class for full-body vitality! In this Yin Yoga class for beiginners, we will explore the transformative power of yin to create bring balanc to the deeper connective tissues of your body. Yin yoga targets the yin tissues of the body, such as ligaments, bones, and joints. Unlike yang styles that focus on warming and stretching the muscles, yin yoga applies gentle pressure for extended periods, stimulating the deep connective tissues to grow stronger and more flexible. In this yin yoga class, we will gently pressurize the tissues to strengthen your ligaments nad joints to increase your mobility as you age. Additionally we will begin to explore some of the organs and meridians of yin yoga to empower your vitality. Overall we are focusing on connecting with yin qualities of yielding and allowing in a world of constant activity and achievement. I will introduce you to the four principles of yin: finding an appropriate edge, softening, and being still, allowing the tissues to be gently stressed and nurtured. This yin yoga class is designed especially for beginners with 3 minute holds. Modifications and Alternatives will be given. Empowered Beginner Yin Yoga: Full Body Stretch for Vitality Sequence Butterfly Sphinx Seal Child’s Pose Figure Four Happy Baby Dragonfly Half Shoelace Savasana Props Needed: 2 blocks, bolster, yoga strap, folded blanket Poem: Yin by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

This Yoga Nidra meditation for immune support will offer you profound healing and rejuvenation. Deep rest is the cornerstone of physical, mental, and emotional well-being, allowing your body to heal at its core. During this meditation, you will nurture your parasympathetic nervous system, lymphatic system, thymus, tonsils and spleen, enabling them to carry out their natural immune functions. This guided practice is especially beneficial during times of illness, discomfort, or emotional exhaustion, unlocking your body's innate healing potential. Within this Yoga Nidra meditation, you will breathe and body scan through your cells, tissues, and organs, promoting the flow of vital energy along your body's pathways. By opening your awareness to various areas within, you'll activate your body's intrinsic healing power. This enhanced flow of energy empowers your body's innate capacity for healing, offering profound support for your immune system.