Restorative Bliss 2.28.08

10 peeps- all restorative regulars

roberto came to class early with a complaint of pain right between the shoulder blades. he mentioned that it was from leaning over his drafting table at his day job. he felt tight in his shoulders and a expressed tightness in the side waist and across the mid-back. i designed this class for him.

guided breathing meditation:
one of my favorite guided meditations that i use at the beginning of each class is inspired from my Therapeutic and Restorative teacher's manual, written and taught by Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal. It goes something like this:

*bring your attention to your abdomen, rib cage, and chest.
*allow those areas to soften and relax.
*as those areas soften and relax, bring your awareness to your breath.
*observe the sensations of the breath- the rhythm, the space that the breath creates.
*without making any effort, allow the mind to rest on the breath.
*as the mind rests on the breath, begin to tune into the quality of the inhalation, and the long, slow, deep sensation of the exhalation.
*emphasis the exhalation- the expression of letting go, releasing what is no longer serving you. surrendering a bit more into the stillness of the shape.

i like to PAUSE between each *
i find that it is effective to begin with a guided meditation on the breath, and then allow the class to organically take shape, leaving space for silence, reflection, and pause. silence can be more profound than anything else.

i also read this very clear and concise excerpt from Stephen Levine's book, Gradual Awakening:

"The body holds the mind, just and the mind contains the body.
Deep feelings of loss and pain are recorded in the tissues of the body as well as in the mind. In deep quietude, the mind can free the body of its holding, just as in deep grounding and surrender the body can unlock and deepest secrets of the mind..."

here is tonight's' sequence:

supported reclining pose:
bolster lengthwise under torso, one blanket folded to support head,
two blankets stacked and rolled under knees.

bound angle forward fold (soles of feet together knees wide):
bolster in front supporting chest, rest head on blanket and/or bolster.
rolled blankets under knees- allows in the femur bones to relax in the hip socket.

supported bridge pose:
sit on top of bolster. bring edge of the bolster right below the scapula (shoulder blades) allow the shoulders to melt onto the earth. have folded blankets or bolster underneath the legs. use a strap around the thighs to encourage external rotation and relaxation. this pose is a powerful heart and chest opener.

supported childs pose with bolster

transition on to all fours- stretch back of knees, lengthen legs one at a time.

side-lying stretch pose with bolster. use blanket under head(both sides).

savasana
sit
namaste