The Toes Have It

Ankles, Hamstrings, Hip Flexors, Knees, Lower Body, Pain Care Yoga, Podcast, Somatic Education, Yin & Somatics | 0 comments

Yin & Somatics

The Toes Have It

This practice is all about the lower body. But we will work with the feet, ankles, knees, thighs and hips with an unorthodox somatic lens, the toes. You will be delighted to discover how influential these appendages are in your poses and movements and your knees and ankles will thank you for the attention.

This practice is geared especially to my listeners with foot, ankle and knee pain, but anyone with a lower body will enjoy this unique practice.

Props Needed: Blanket, bolster or pillow, yoga strap

Somatic Meditation for Heartfelt Good Wishes

10 Minute Class, Compassion, Meditation, Pain Care Yoga, Podcast | 0 comments

Guided Somatic Meditation for Heartfelt Good Wishes

A quick guided somatic meditation to help you to learn how to comfort yourself. I have loosely based this meditation on the teachings of Kristen Neff. She tells us that we and we alone are the most capable of comforting ourselves. In this practice you will offer yourself warmth and comfort. This is a valuable skill that can help us to manage stress.

Neck Pain Relief

30 Minute Class, Audio, Jaw, Low Intensity, Neck, Pain Care Yoga, Podcast, Shoulder, Somatic Education, Yin & Somatics | 0 comments

Yin & Somatics

Neck Pain Relief

The human neck is a tricky place. It’s a complex experience of musculoskeletal, nervous and vascular tissue. But also bound to thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Any of these components of the neck can contribute to issues here.

For this pod practice I have created a somatic lesson to address this complexity. We will lean mostly in to somatics here with just a couple of Yin poses for gentle tension of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM). This is a very simple practice that you could even do in your bed. All you need is something to rest/slide your head on.

Yin & Yoga Philosophy: Acceptance

Hips, Pain Care Yoga, Podcast, Yin & Yoga Philosophy, Yin Yoga | 0 comments

Yin & Yoga Philosophy

Acceptance

While you marinate in juicy poses targeting the hips, we will explore a the duality of resistance and acceptance. You will have an opportunity to discover how these qualities manifest themselves in your tissues, in your poses and indeed in your entire experience of self.

We will not dogmatically attempt to annihilate resistance, rather, I will teach you how to view this struggle with compassion and show you a way to be with your suffering as taught in Classical Yoga philosophy.

This is a very powerful practice and it feels great too.

Props needed: Bolster, blanket and a sandbag or two if you have them. (if not it’s totally fine!

Thoracic Expression

Low Intensity, Pain Care Yoga, Podcast, Somatic Education, Thoracic Spine, Upper Body, Yin & Somatics | 0 comments

Yin & Somatics

Thoracic Expression

The upper back is an area that can be a big source of tension and even pain. We also have a fair amount of cultural baggage around the appropriate way to hold our upper back. Even in the Yoga world, we tend to favor a stiff and straight upper back above other shapes. But the upper back is capable of so much more, and I believe we suffer when we get locked in to a specific posture or expression.

In this practice, we explore the capacity of the upper back to generate movements, sensations and even emotions. We will use a somatic lesson adapted from Feldenkrais Method® supported by familiar Yin Poses. Your upper back and neck will really benefit from this practice.

Relieve Joint Stiffness and Pain

20 Minute Class, Low Intensity, Pain Care Yoga, Yin & Somatics | 0 comments

Yin & Somatics

Relieve Joint Stiffness and Pain

It’s a familiar story but it breaks my heart every time. For people with chronic pain, just getting out of bed in the morning can be a real challenge. Though some joint stiffness in the morning is totally normal, debilitating pain that makes you dread getting up is not normal.

There are so many reasons that pain may be worse in the morning, and we can’t cover them all here, but we will address one reason here. I envision you doing this practice in your bed! Just roll over and hit play.

Any Questions About this Episode?

Just pop them into the comments section below!