Living your Yoga with Dr Melissa West Dr. Melissa West

Morning Yoga Qigong Fusion



In July I will support our members in sympathetic joy with our monthly calendars, daily yoga connection, and live yin class on sympathetic joy. We have something super special coming up in August so be sure to subscribe.



This qigong yoga fusion flow will begin with cultivating the energy with a heart massage and getting the energy flowing through the heart and small intestine meridians.



From there we will move into warrior one pose to do prayer wings to warm up our spine and open our hearts to joy even further.



We will cleanse and release stagnant energy with arm swings in chair pose and come into tadasana to circle the radiant joy with a joy facial. Stepping back into warrior one, we will part the clouds to clear the way for radiant joy.



In Goddess Victory Squat we will circulate joy with cloud hands to calm our mind and clear our emotions. The lotus flow will continue to circulate the joy through our bodies and radiate joy out into the world. Big Bear Circulates the moon together with chair pose, allows us to circulate the joy that we have cultivated in the class.



We will finish our class by gathering and storing our radiant joy for our day.

Yin Yoga





This 30 min yin yoga will open your heart and pressurize the tissues of your heart meridian to create the conditions for compassion and self compassion to naturally arise within you. This 30 minute yin yoga class will focus on your upper body, fire element and is great for your posture as well.



We all innately embody compassion. We have been taught to take refuge in our minds, and to not embody the heart space of the body. What is most fundamental in our lives is love. Compassion is when we meet some internal or external suffering. With compassion, there will be a felt sense of tenderness in our bodies.



In yin yoga we are not trying to get somewhere or get over anything. We are interested in allowing the felt sensation of gentle pressure of the qi in our bodies to be our compassionate guide through our class.



Yin Yoga Sequence



* Fish Pose

* Half Heart Melting Pose

* Broken Wing Pose

* Fish Pose



Props Needed: 2 blocks

Non Sleep Deep Rest for Beginners



In this non sleep deep rest I will gently guide you through a body scan to help you relax, reduce stress and fall asleep more easily.



Non-sleep deep rest, or yoga nidra, is the kind of rest you get when your body is in a relaxed state, but your mind is still awake. NSDR involves slowing down your brain wave frequency, similar to what happens during sleep, only that in this case you're awake.



Non sleep deep rest is a very easy guided meditation that you do lying down. It will take you into deep non-REM delta wave sleep while you are completely awake and aware. It is deep awareness, stillness, rest and relaxation that you can do at any time of day or night. Think of it like a relaxing body scan.



Non sleep deep rest is recommended by Stanford neuroscientist and researcher Dr. Andrew Huberman. According to Dr. Huberman, non sleep deep rest can put the body in a restorative state, similar to sleep. I feel grateful to have been listening to Dr. Huberman’s podcast for several years and to have heard him lecture here at University of Victoria here in Victoria BC.

10 min Morning Qigong



This beginner qigong yoga fusion flow will combine some of the best yoga and qigong from a standing position. No props are needed, not even a yoga mat. The sequence will begin with knocking on the door of life to generate the vitality and life force energy that you need for your practice. You will follow with some purging qigong exercises to release sympathetic activation and negative qi so that you can move pure qi through your body during your morning practice to set you up for your day. From there we will follow up with several movements that will release your shoulders and your neck combining qigong movements in your upper body, with yoga shapes in your lower body. We will round out our qigong morning routine with a soothing yin massage and drawing down the heavens so that you can gather in whatever energy you need for the day.



Morning Qigong Yoga Flow for Beginners Sequence:



KNOCKING ON THE DOOR OF LIFE



SHAKING LIKE A TREE



DROPPING THE POST



ROOSTER SPREADS ITS WINGS in WARRIOR ONE



COMPETING DRAGONS in WARRIOR TWO



WHITE CRANE SPREADS ITS WINGS from TADASANA



YIN MASSAGE



DRAWING DOWN THE HEAVENS

10 min Morning Mudra Flow



This moving mudra series along with guided meditation and affirmations for your day will support you in self trust, trusting your inner guidance, finding freedom, harmony, balance, connecting with your inner truth, centering and grounding in your radiance light.



Props Needed: Meditation Cushion or Chair for Sitting



Mudras in the Series:



Vajrapradama Mudra

Hridaya Mudra

Garuda Mudra

Matsya Mudra

Samputa Mudra

Trimurta Mudra

Prithivi Mudra

Surya Mudra

Bhu Muda

Vagus Nerve Restorative Yoga



The pathway of the vagus nerve runs from the brainstem through the neck, throat, lungs, heart and digestive system. This restorative yoga class for the vagus nerve will focus on regulating your vagus nerve so that you can move through your days with more safety, connection, and ease.



When your vagus nerve is regulated you will be able to go with the flow, feel safely embodied, connected with yourself, people, pets, spirit and nature. You will feel at home in your environment and in harmony with your spirit. The common irritations of the day will not bother you and life will feel more manageable.



In this restorative yoga class for your ventral vagus nerve, we will focus on regulating your vagus nerve through the use of supportive props like a blanket, bolster, eye pillow, and blocks.



Restorative Yoga Sequence for Your Vagus Nerve



Vagus Nerve Reset



Myofascial Release for Diaphragm



Psoas Release over Bolster



Supported Fish Pose



Supported Twist



Savasana



Poem:

From Blossoms

BY LI-YOUNG LEE