Yoga for Anxiety Relief, Restorative Video Series

Transcription

Welcome. I'm so glad you're here. We'll be moving through a series of poses today to help with your anxiety. Scott is here with two towels, so if you have those available at home, please grab them, and then I will be utilizing a yoga block.

Before we get started, we're going to do a breath exercise called box breathing. So maybe bringing one hand to the belly, one hand to the heart here, just to connect with your breath. So, we'll inhale for four. So one, two, three, four. Hold at the top. Four, three, two, one. Exhale for one, two, three, four. Hold empty for four, three, two, one. Inhale, one, two, three, four. Hold, four, three, two, one. Exhale for four, three, two, one. Hold. One, two, three, four. Exhale for four, three, two, one.

So that breath just brings us into the space together, and we'll move through our first pose here. So coming through a tabletop, so wrists underneath the shoulders, knees underneath the hips will come through a cat cow. So on an inhale, the belly drops, the tailbone tilts up toward the ceiling, and the gaze goes up. And then exhale will round through that spine, tucking the tail, tucking the chin here on an inhale, coming back through that cow pose and exhale for that cat. Good. We'll do one more here. Inhale coming through that cow pose. And then exhale really round through that spine, tuck that chin into the chest. Good.

And then coming back through a neutral spine. We'll just come onto our bottoms here. We're moving into a restorative bridge. So I've got my block, Scott's got his two towels. And so we'll come to lie on the ground here. And the soles of the feet are on the mat and their hip distance here. And then you'll press under the tops of the feet and bring whatever prop you have underneath your sacrum here. So if it's too high, you're going to feel that in the lower back. And we also don't want it too low to be on the tailbone. So just underneath the pelvis here. And then all you'll do is just relax into this pose. Maybe you practice that box breathing, but just finding that breath. Maybe you walk the shoulders a little bit under you here just to really get a nice opening in the chest. Three more breaths here. Last inhale here. And exhale.

Now you'll press into the tops of the feet and just remove the prop from underneath you. Maybe you hug the knees in toward the chest. And just take a little rock side to side. And then when you're ready, you'll roll off to one side, because we're moving to a standing position here. So just gently, however you get yourself up coming to stand.

So we'll move to a tree pose here. And so Scott will show the modified version. So we'll put weight into the left foot here. And then just bringing the sole of the right foot onto the inner of the left leg, the inside of the left leg, right? So Scott's showing a kickstand here. And then I'll bring my foot to my calf. Now we don't want it on the knee because that's a joint. We don't want to push it out here. So, just placing it on the calf. Or maybe you can even get it up to the inner thigh, but wherever you are, making sure you're not dumping into this standing leg. So really pressing that hip in. And then maybe you bring the hands to heart center, Whoop. And then if you have a chair at home, maybe you can balance yourself here. But just taking a few more moments here and then finding a focal point on the ground is helpful. Something that's not moving to really focus in on here.

So we'll take an inhale here and then exhale. We'll place that right foot down. Maybe you shake the legs out, and then we'll take it on the other side. So again, placing weight in that right foot here, Scott will model the kickstand, and then I'll bring mine up to my calf. But remember, please don't put any weight against that knee. Again, you can bring the hands to heart center. Maybe you have something to grab onto. Or maybe you even bring the hands to the hips here. But just finding your balance and finding your breath, and finding your focus.

And if you fall out of it, that's okay. You can immediately come right back in to whatever level you need. So inhale here, and exhale. Maybe you shake the legs out. Thank you for being here. I hope that this has helped give some calming vibes today. I can't wait to see you again.