Between spring cleaning, gardening, weather that begs you to be active outdoors, and hunching over a calculator and pencil (or computer) finishing up taxes, we tend to overuse our necks and back this time of year. So I put together this class to help alleviate some of the pain you may be experiencing. And even if you are lucky enough to be pain free, this is a great sequence to relieve stress and tension. Remember to keep the collarbones moving away from each other, opening the chest.
During our pranayam practice (supported fish on a blanket - sounds like a new brunch food), I recommended using a breath meditation from Thich Nhat Hanh to bring us into present moment awareness. He is a Zen master, poet, and artist with several books (several available at local libraries)- beautiful prose and accessible meditation instructions. Here it is:
Inhale: "Breathing in, I calm my body."
Exhale: "Breathing out, I smile."
During savasana, I also shared a breath from Thich Nhat Hanh to use as an awareness "guide":
Inhale: "Dwelling in the present moment,
Exhale: "I know this is a wonderful moment."
Exhale: "I know this is a wonderful moment."
Tonight's class quote: "The wealth of a soul is measured by how much it can feel; its poverty by how little." - William R. Alger
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