Yoga with Melissa

Dr. Melissa West
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Every Friday morning Dr. Melissa West releases a one hour free yoga class for you to enjoy. She is a yoga instructor who helps people to surrender to peace in their lives by connecting to the vital energy within their body through breath, cultivating optimal functional movement by harnessing the power of gravity and increase overall mobility by creating more suppleness in the spine.

  1. 2d ago ·  Video

    Yoga Nidra Quiet Your Mind & Rest Your Body | Yoga with Melissa 764

    Yoga Nidra Quiet Your Mind & Rest Your Body | Yoga with Melissa 764 🌙 If your body is tired but your mind keeps going… this Yoga Nidra is for you. This practice is an invitation into quiet. You are already whole and complete. You have the inner resource of quiet and rest within you.  In this Yoga Nidra we explore: ✨ quieting mental noise ✨ resting the nervous system ✨ sensing opposites ✨ receiving support ✨ allowing the breath to soften naturally If you practiced today, I’d love to hear: What shifted for you during the practice? 💛 And if you want more support for deep rest, sleep, nervous system regulation, and restoration… Inside my membership community there are over 100 downloadable Yoga Nidra recordings you can listen to anytime in your earbuds 🌙 ✨ Join us here: https://melissawest.com/membership

    29 min

  2. 2d ago ·  Video

    Standing Vagus Nerve Reset: 12 Poses for Daily Regulation

    12 Daily Standing Yoga Poses for Vagus Nerve Regulation & Morning Calm Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership Reset your nervous system and find instant morning calm with this daily standing Hatha yoga routine. In today’s prop-free outdoor class, we’ll move through 12 essential standing yoga poses designed for Vagus nerve regulation and somatic release.  This is a yoga mat free and wrist free yoga class.  If you’ve been looking for a somatic yoga flow to soothe anxiety or a daily standing routine for longevity, this Qigong-inspired fusion is for you. We focus on gentle, rhythmic movements that follow the natural rhythm of the day, making it perfect for practicing in your garden, a park, or even during a travel break. In this video, you will experience: Vagus Nerve Reset: Specific standing movements to transition from "fight or flight" to "rest and digest." Prop-Free Mobility: A full-body Hatha flow that is entirely wrist-free and no-mat friendly. 12 Essential Poses: An updated look at the daily poses you’ve told me have become a cornerstone of your practice. Somatic Grounding: Techniques to help you feel centered and connected to nature. This practice is ideal for those who prefer standing yoga or have limited mobility. Whether you are a beginner or a long-time practitioner of Hatha yoga, these movements will help you maintain balance and vitality every single day. Resources mentioned in this video: My Original 12 Poses Routine: https://youtu.be/5R1CG84aRkI?si=smjXJfVZrWz6ndp9  More Nervous System Support: https://youtu.be/tvceg8unRPQ?si=amM7NBZHKPTqe3ET  Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership

    21 min

  3. Apr 24 ·  Video

    Yoga Nidra for High Functioning Anxiety & Burnout Recovery |YWM 762

    Yoga Nidra for High Functioning Anxiety and Burnout Recovery YWM 762 Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership Do you feel "tired but wired"? Like you’re constantly "holding it all together" while your nervous system is screaming for a break? If you identify with high-functioning anxiety or feel on the edge of burnout, your body doesn't just need a nap, it needs a neurological reset. In this Yoga Nidra session (also known as NSDR or Non-Sleep Deep Rest), we move beyond simple relaxation into deep nervous system regulation. In this 30-minute practice, we will: Reset your Vagus Nerve: Transition from "fight or flight" into the restorative "rest and digest" state. Release the "Armour": Gently soften the physical tension in your jaw, shoulders, and eyes that high-functioning anxiety leaves behind. Practice NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest): Use science-backed protocols to replenish your cognitive energy and reduce cortisol levels. Your body is allowed to soften. It is safe to let go of the effort. Whether you use this as a midday "Nidra nap" to save your day or as a deep evening recovery session, this practice is your safe space to land. ✨ Ready to go deeper into Nervous System Regulation? ✨ If you are looking for long-term resilience, I have two comprehensive, month-long programs inside our Membership Community specifically designed to heal your nervous system and recover from burnout. Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership

    30 min

  4. Apr 19 ·  Video

    Why Your Neck & Shoulders Stay Tight (Even When You Stretch) | Yin Yoga

    Stop Stretching Your Shoulders Like This | Yin Yoga for Real Relief Feel Incomplete & Curious? 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership If your neck and shoulders keep tightening even though you stretch, do yoga, and try to relax… you’re not alone. For years I’ve taught yin yoga classes focused on deeper stretching and long holds, and I found in my own body those same strategies were actually creating more tension and even triggering migraines. In this class, we use a simple yin yoga shape to slow things down and notice how tension is being created in your body. You’ll explore small changes in how you use your shoulders, arms, and head so the tension in your neck and shoulders can reorganize. The result is not just temporary relief, but a different way of moving that reduces how much tension builds up throughout your day. If this felt different, this is the somatic movement education approach we return to inside my membership, where you learn how to build this into your everyday movement: 👉 https://melissawest.com/membership

    50 min

  5. Apr 3 ·  Video

    30 Min Gentle Yoga for Strength Without Exhaustion | YWM 760

    Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/  💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership  If strength training leaves you sore, depleted, or needing days to recover, this class is for you. You can build strength without burning out. You can get stronger. You can build strength without burning out. In this 30 minute gentle yoga class, we work with strength in a way your body can actually take in and respond to. You will move in a way that stays within your energy envelope, so you are building strength without triggering tension, over-effort, or flare ups. This class is for you if: strength workouts leave you exhausted or needing long recovery your body tightens when you try to build strength you are managing fatigue, pain, or low capacity you want to feel stronger in a way that supports your nervous system What you may notice after this class: your body feels stronger, but not depleted stronger joints with more integrity less gripping in your neck, shoulders, and jaw a gradual building of energy rather than crashing This is a different way of approaching strength. I love teaching my students to build capacity over time, instead of pushing through the messages of your body. If you want more support with this approach, including somatic movement education and myofascial release, you can join me inside the membership here: https://www.melissawest.com/membership   Poem: Almost Effortless by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

    50 min

  6. Mar 21 ·  Video

    Full Body Yin Deep Tissue Release for Pain & Tension YWM 759

    Full Body Yin Deep Tissue Release for Pain & Tension YWM 759 Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/  💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership Tension and pain in your body often builds slowly. Hours at the computer. Tight hips from sitting. Neck and shoulder tension that creeps up into headaches. A jaw that never lets go. Over time your body starts to feel stiff, compressed, and tired. This Full Body Yin Yoga Deep Tissue Release for Pain & Tension practice gives your body the time and space it needs to soften those patterns. In this class we stay in poses longer so the deeper connective tissues of the body can respond. We allow your body to gradually release holding in the hips, spine, shoulders, and feet. As the muscles relax, the deeper tissues begin to rehydrate and regain resilience. You may notice: less tension in the neck and shoulders • more space in the hips and spine • relief from chronic tightness patterns • a calmer nervous system • your body feeling more open and supported This is a slow, grounding practice that helps unwind the accumulated effort we carry through the day. If this class helps your body feel better, inside our membership we go deeper with myofascial release and somatic movement education. These practices help you get to the root of the tension patterns so they do not keep returning. 💕 Join the membership here: https://www.melissawest.com/membership For members: Myofascial Release Classes https://www.members.melissawest.com/connective-tissue-practices-2/ Somatic Movement Education Classes https://www.members.melissawest.com/courses/somatics/ You can also find my Yin Yoga book here: https://melissawest.com/book/ Thank you for practicing with me.

    59 min

  7. Mar 13 ·  Video

    Yin Yoga for Stress, Headaches & PMS | Spring Liver & Gallbladder Meridian Practice | YWM 758

    Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/  💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership  Spring invites energy in the body to rise and move again after the quiet stillness of winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, this upward movement is governed by the Wood element and the Liver and Gallbladder meridians. When this energy flows smoothly we experience clarity, creativity, and inspired action. When it becomes constrained, it can show up as stress, headaches, irritability, migraines, neck tension, or PMS. This Spring Yin Yoga practice for the Liver and Gallbladder meridians gently opens the inner legs, hips, and side body where these pathways run. As you settle into longer held poses, the nervous system begins to downshift and space is created for qi to circulate more freely. Many students notice that pressure in the head softens, emotional tension settles, and the body feels lighter and more spacious. This class was taken directly from my book Five Element Yin Yoga and offers a seasonal practice designed to help you move with the natural rhythms of spring rather than pushing against them. You will experience: Release of tension along the side body and inner legs • Reduced pressure in the head, neck, and shoulders • Support for hormonal balance during spring • A calmer, more spacious nervous system • A sense of clarity and forward movement When we practice in harmony with the season, the rising energy of spring becomes supportive rather than overwhelming. Props Needed: Yoga Strap, blanket, bolster, Poem: Instructions on Not Giving Up - Ada Limón Continue the Practice This class is part of a complete 6 week Wood Element Yin Yoga course inside my membership where we explore the Liver and Gallbladder meridians in depth. 🌿 Wood Element Yin Yoga Course: https://www.members.melissawest.com/wood-element-course/ 💕 Join Our Membership Community: http://bit.ly/ywmmembership   My Book: This practice comes directly from my book. Get Five Element Yin Yoga here 🙏 https://melissawest.com/book/

    48 min

  8. Mar 6 ·  Video

    Calming Vagus Nerve Yoga Nidra for Tired & Wired Nervous System | YWM 757

    Calming Vagus Nerve Yoga Nidra for Tired & Wired Nervous System | YWM 757 Get my Yin Yoga Book 🙏👉https://melissawest.com/book/  💕Join Our Membership Community 💕http://bit.ly/ywmmembership If you feel exhausted but unable to settle… If your body is tired but your mind is still scanning… If you feel wired, tense, or overstimulated… This Yoga Nidra is designed to help your nervous system to downshift into regulation. This yoga nidra practice supports: Improved vagal tone • Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system • Relief from stress and anxiety • Enhanced mind-body awareness • Deeper rest and recovery • Reduced hypervigilance • Greater ease falling asleep • A more regulated nervous system baseline Through this yoga nidra you will train your nervous system to settle. Even a small shift matters. With repetition, this practice strengthens your capacity to move from wired and braced to steady and supported. Practice regularly to help your body learn how to return to regulation more quickly and with less effort. If you’d like deeper, progressive nervous system training, join us inside the membership community: https://melissawest.com/membership

    37 min
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4.4
out of 5
106 Ratings

About

Every Friday morning Dr. Melissa West releases a one hour free yoga class for you to enjoy. She is a yoga instructor who helps people to surrender to peace in their lives by connecting to the vital energy within their body through breath, cultivating optimal functional movement by harnessing the power of gravity and increase overall mobility by creating more suppleness in the spine.

Information

  • Creator
    Dr. Melissa West
  • Years Active
    2009 - 2026
  • Episodes
    101
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dr Melissa West
  • Show Website
    Yoga with Melissa

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