🌊🦀Ocean Yoga: 🐳Healing in Nature Series

 

🏝️🐠Hey friends! Today was our last week of our Healing in Nature Yoga Series!! It has been such a blast these last 4 weeks with all of you, traveling to different landscapes for our healing! Last week we visited the rivers!! It's almost kayak season!! We need the water temp to go up just a little higher! Kayaking is one of my favorite outdoor activities from spring to fall! My dear friend Pam and I just float for 3 hours down the White River nearby, so I drew a ton of inspiration from our river driftings, and all the animals we say hi to along the way, and the relaxation we are immersed in! Whether we are hiking alongside rivers, or kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, or tubing, there is so much healing that can be felt when in the river! We escape the chaos of city life, hopefully far from cars and pollution, so we can sigh a breath of relief. We can float for hours, relaxing the body and mind from work life, busy family life, and reduce our stress, shifting out of our overactive nervous system state. We see an increase in our oxygenated blood cells, surrounded by the trees that flank the river, those glorious giants who filter toxins from our air, providing cleaner oxygen to breathe into our lungs. Serotonin levels are boosted when we float, as we reconnect to nature, to the fish in the waters below, to the heron staring at us from the bank, to the turtles sunning on fallen tree limbs, and to the bald eagle flying overhead, guiding us down the river! We find this balance, this yin and yang energy, from floating to the occasional paddling to ride over a rocky waterfall. We allow all the heaviness we are carrying to melt off of our shoulders into the river to be taken downstream, far far away, no longer needed for us to carry! We connect to the sensory experience of the river, to the vibrant green of the trees, the blue of the river, the sound of bird song, maybe the hoot of an owl, the aroma of our surroundings, the warmth of the sunshine against our skin, and the occassional droplet of water that jumps onto our arms and legs. We delight in this lightness, this freedom, we wash our soul clean!

 

 

🦈This week we traveled to the Oceans!! We saved the warmest for last, and perfect timing, because many of us were just at the beach spending our Spring Breaks in the sun and ocean! We travel to the ocean and beaches for a plethora of healing benefits! Our stress levels quickly dissipate, and we're immersed in a complete sensory experience to lower the heart rate and blood pressure, from the sight of water, sunlight, palm trees, and bright colorful flowers, to hearing the ocean waves rush in and out, the sound of seagulls and a boat's horn, to the smell of florals & lemons, and coconut, the taste of salt in the mouth, and the feel of sand beneath our feet, and warmth  & humidity against the skin! Our mood is enhanced, our immunity improves, our respiration feels more expansive. Our muscles and joints find relief from pain, in the bouncy of the water. Magnesium in the water also hydrates, and reduces inflammation in the joints and in the skin! The sand exfoliates, and the salt in the water is antibacterial. Humidity permeates the skin, leaving it refreshed and dewy! We delight in the connection to nature, away from city life, away from the stress of work and our jobs, and we smile and laugh when we see creatures along the beach, in the ocean, and in the sky, a spotting of a whale's fluke, dolphin's fin, a cute little sea turtle or crab, and a pelican perched on a wooden post as we enjoy a delicious meal on the pier!

 

☀️We began on our bellies, our mats were our beach towels, and the warmth in the room felt just like the sun tanning our backs! Our left cheek met our beach towel, and the hands grounded overhead or lengthened long by our hips, palms to the sky. We allowed the head and shoulders to become heavy, each vertebrae of the spine melting toward the sand beneath our towel, the arms and legs softened. We drew in a deep inhale into the nose from the toes up into the belly, expanding, taking up space, long slow exhale through the mouth. Another deep inhale in through the nose, up into the belly, into the chest, filling the ribs and lungs, long slow exhale through the mouth. Final deep inhale in through the nose, from the toes all the way up into the belly, into the chest, all the way up into the crown, our longest, slowest exhale yet out through the mouth, from the crown to the toes. We inhaled as the chin floated through center, and the right cheek met our mat, and we settled back into the earth beneath us. We became present in the body and the space we're in, and allowed all of our past events to melt back to the earth, transformed into something new, something for our greater good. We sent our fears and worries and stressors out into the ocean, to be carried further and further away from us in the waves, no longer needed to carry, as we become cleansed, healing in action. We anchored to the peace found in this stillness. Our Ujayi breath followed, even lengths of inhale and exhale through the nose, grounding, stabilizing breath.

 

 

🦭We inhaled the chin through center, made a pillow with our hands, forehead to our pillow, and found pelvic rocks slowly to the right and left, gently awakening the spine. We inhaled the hands under the shoulders, fingers spread wide like starfish, forehead grounded, inhale we lift into our Low Sea Snake, exhale we melt down. Inhale we walk the fingers out beyond our mat, feeling the sand and seashells, elbows to the sky, we inhale the gaze and chest opening through center, exhale the left ear taps the mat, inhale through center, exhale the right ear taps, 2 more times, and then grounding the forehead, hands reaching back by the hips. Hands wander out a little from the hips, palms to the sky, feet together, heels meet, toes reach out, inhale we lift into our Whale, our feet are the fluke, exhale we melt down. Inhale we float into our Whale, 2 more times, and on the third, a bind behind the back, we lift into our Shark, the bind the dorsal fin! Exhale we melt, coming into the forearms, toes to the edges of the mat, into our Seal pose, we drip the chin, pelvic rocks left to right. Inhale we lift the gaze through center, exhale the gaze to the right, through center, and to the left, through center, we melt back into our Child's pose, feeling the rebound in the low back. We walk the hands to the right, hips draw back and to the left, through center, hands walk to the left, hips draw back and to the right, through center, bend into the elbows, palms together, they drip overhead, thumbs drape down the back of the neck. 

 

 

🌊We rolled forward, into our comfortable seat or half lotus pose. We anchored the sit bones, lengthened each vertebrae toward the next in line, crown to the sky. We formed our Jala  Mudra, thumbs and pinkies meet, middle 3 fingers extend forward, our water mudra, connecting to the water element, cleansing, renewing energy as we wash the soul clean. The hands lifted overhead, and met in our Anjali mudra, prayer hands. We rubbed them to create some heat, some healing energy, remembering that our hands are tools for healing, and cupped the hands to the eyes, sending healing energy to the soul. Hands floated to the crown, sending healing energy to the mind, calming the chatter. The mind can become stuck in the past, ruminating over things that have been, or travel too far forward into the future with worry, but the body is always present, so here we connect and stay present. One hand floated to the forehead, and the other to the base of the skull, gentle pressure into our vagus nerve, serving as a nervous system reset button, finally bringing the hands to the heart sending gratitude to the heart and lungs, for the work they do every moment of every day, for us.

 

 

🐳We inhaled the hands overhead, and to the right for a twist, peeling the right shoulder back to open the chest 5% more, opening our Anahata chakra, heart chakra, sending compassion, understanding, love out into the world. We arched the right hand to the sky and toward the opposite knee to open the side body, and then brought it to the left knee, crossing the arms, arching the back and dripping the chin. We honored the other side, and then came through center, planted the fingers behind us, opened the chest, arching the spine into a backbend. Still in our backbend, we unraveled the legs so soles of the feet met, inching the toes forward into a diamond, and on the exhale, we walked the hands under the calves, melting forward, into our Sea Turtle pose! We unraveled the legs and brought them together into our Boat pose, hands to the heart, inhale we float, exhale we twist to the right, through center, twisting to the left, through center, to the right and left, and hugged the knees in, rocking forward and back along the spine to meet in our Table Top. 

 

🦀Our cat cow flow followed as we warmed up the spine, adding in organic movement, hips swaying side to side, or rolling forward and back into Childs pose waving back and forward into our table top. We moved to our breath, our own pace, making our cat cow our own. We came into our neutral table top, inhaled as the right hand reached for the sky, exhale thred right hand under the left arm, grounding the right temple and shoulder, left hand walks forward, and left leg reaches out toward the left side of our mat, Rolling Crab! Left hand came in toward the face, right hand unraveled to the sky, as we came into our Supported Side Plank, onto the left knee, right foot to the back of our mat, right hand to the sky. We inhaled floating off the  left hand, right hand to the right leg, left hand overhead, exhale cartwheeling the hands to the top of our mat, left hand grounds, right hand overhead, floating up and over one more time, fluid movement just like an anemone in the coral reef! Wave to Nemo and his dad! We came through center, through a round of cat cow, and honored the left side!

 

 

🐬In our downward dog, we created plank waves, floating into our plank, exhaling up into our Downward dog, 3 times, and pranam knees chest chin, into a low cobra, and up into our downward dog. We floated to the top of our mats into a forward fold, hanging heavy, and began to root to rise, we slowly lifted up, one vertebrae at a time, the head the last to come through, into our Tadasana, our mountain pose. We felt the grounding energy from the sand pull at the soles of our feet from the toes to the arches to the heels, anchoring us. This energy circled around the legs, to the pelvis, the hips, around each vertebrae of the spine to the shoulders as they melt down from the ears. The crown reaching for the heavens, we are stable, rooted, and anchored. We inhaled hands overhead, right hand to the left wrist, bending to the right, through center, side bend to the left. We came through center and to exhaled forward into a swan dive melted into a forward fold. We planted the hands and moved through a vinyasa flow, pranam knees chest chin into a low cobra, or a chaturanga flow to upward dog, or skipped the flow completely, stepping into downward dog. Always your choice!

 

 

🐙Our Ocean Flow began in Tadasana, and floated into Sidebends with fingers interlaced, palms up to the sky as we melted to the right and the left, exhaling through a swan dive into a fold, to move through a Sun Salutation A. We met again in Tadasana, and sunk deep into our Chair, palms to the heart. We twisted to the right, elbow hooks the knee, into our Pelican pose! We look just like one perched on a wooden post, its wings opened up! We came through center, twisted to the left, through center, to the right one more time. The right leg floated toward the glutes, one-legged Pelican, and stepped the right foot back to open up into Warrior 2, shoulders relaxed, deep bend into the left knee. The right hand circled forward and up to meet the left, Warrior I, hips forward, inhale we cactus the arms, exhale the arms reach out to the sides and forward, we lean forward, inhale we lift cactus arms, like we're pulling water in toward us, exhale the arms out and forward, letting the water release, 2 more times, creating these waves forward and back, and on the third inhale, we float and pivot toward the back of our mat, Warrior 2, deep bend into the right knee , shoulders relax down, gaze over the right fingers. Inhale we exalt, exhale Side Angle, right elbow to right knee, left hand overhead, inhale we lift, Sky Archer, straightening the right leg, right elbow bends, cradling the head, gaze up to the right elbow, left hand binds up behind the back, reaching for right fingers, Octopus arms! We let this go and float forward into the right foot, right hand, Half Moon, peeling open through the chest, left hand to the sky, we honor the Moon and her connection to the water, pulling the tides in and out. Left hand grounds, we inhale floating up, left knee into the chest, we rise up into our Pilar pose, strong in the right foot, left knee lifted, the hands rise up overhead, the left foot wraps around the right leg, arms wrap around each other, left over right. This has never looked like an Eagle to me, hahaha! Today, it's our Octopus, tentacles wrapped all around one another, inhale we lift, exhale we crunch in, 3 times. We let this go with a Standing Splits, left toes to the sky, exhale curtsy tap 3 times, left knee into the chest, flat back, Sandpiper, those cute little birds that run into the waves to find seashells to eat, and run back out before they are soaked! Maybe the hands float to the heart, balancing Sandpiper! Left foot steps back, left hand down inside right foot, right hand high, Twisted Lunge, inhale we reach up, exhale right hand threads under the left arm, 2 more times, walking the hands into our WideLeg fold. Heels turn in, we rise up slowly, and extend out into our Starfish, exhale into our Goddess pose, deep bend into the knees. We create Goddess ocean waves, bending the upper body toward the right, right hand reaching for left thigh, left hand overhead, through center, opposite side, back and forth we flow! We come through center and float to the top of our mat, into the left foot, Half Moon, right leg floats, right hand high. Right hand comes down, right knee into the chest, Sandpiper, floating the hands to the heart, and the right foot steps down to meet the left, forward fold, today we dangle like a Jellyfish! We move through a flow, meet in Tadasana, and honor the left side!

 

 

🪼Our Somatic practice gives us tools to regulate our nervous system, to stimulate the vagus nerve that begins at the base of the brain and runs throughout the body touching every organ system! We agitated emotions stuck in the body, to help them release, and to serve as a reset button. I usually alternate between these tools each week! We began in our Tadasana, brought the right hand to the left upper side of the chest, and extended the left arm forward, palm facing the sky. With a deep inhale, we kept the hips forward, as the left arm slowly traveled out to the left side, gaze following, to the back, paused at the back with the gaze over our left shoulder, and on the exhale slowly brought the arm back toward the top of our mat. We repeated this two more times, inhaled as the arms reached overhead, palms gathered at the heart. We brought the left arm to the right upper side of the chest, extended the right arm forward, palm facing up, and with the inhale slowly traveled the right arm out to the side as the gaze followed, to the back, and paused opening the chest. With the exhale we brought the right arm slowly back to the top of our mat, and repeated 2 more times!  We rubbed the palms together to create some healing heat, and we brought the fingertips to the crown, massaging the fingertips all over the crown and behind the ears, even the base of the skull. We moved into the temples, massaging circles here, we dripped the fingers to the jaw, the hinge where we open and close the jaw, the perfect release for jaw clenchers like myself, and maybe you too. We pulled down on the ear lobes, pulled the middle of the ears out to the sides, up to the top of the ears pulling toward the sky. With one hand to the base of the skull, pressing into the vagus nerve, the other hand brought the index and middle fingers to the hairline at the forehead and began rolling the fingers down the forehead, between the eyebrows, down the bridge of the nose to the tip, repeating 3 times, and switching out the hands. We brought our fingertips to the base of the skull, pressing into our vagus nerve, and melted the fingertips toward the ears, along the jawline, and down the front of the neck to the collarbone. We repeated this 2 more times, releasing tightness in the throat. We tapped into the collarbone, with slow rythmic taps, all fingers in unison, into one of our acupressure points in the body. We brought this tapping to the sternum, center of the chest. We slowly tapped here, either with the fingertips or Bilateral Butterfly taps using cupped hands over one another on the chest, activating both hemispheres of the brain, continuing as we inhaled, paused to bring the hands to the heart, stacked on top of one another, and as we exhaled we audibly hummed into our bee breath🐝! If you hold tension here in the chest, this is a nice release! Humming is a somatic release, also good for respiratory infection season to break things up in the lungs, and humming has shown to reduce anxiety better than sleep! We crossed the arms at the chest, and squeezed into opposite shoulders, down to the biceps and triceps, and into the forearms. We brought the hands to the shoulders again for a squeeze, and swiped the hands down the arms, chest, abdomen, low back, and legs, making sure anything still tethered to the body is fully released. We released everything from last year, last month, yesterday, that we need to let go of, swipe it away, let yourself be freed of it, so we don't carry this heaviness any longer! Allow it to melt down your back! Let it drift into the breeze, into the water, no longer needed in this moment!

 

 

🐋We came into stillness, then swayed right and left, and found stillness again, noticing the effects: we can feel cool, heat, or tingling sensations, even a spontaneous yawn! All signs of a regulated nervous system. We removed anything stuck, anything harmful & toxic still attached to the body! We stimulated the vagus nerve, the super highway of information from the brain to the body! We sent messages to the brain that the body is not under threat, it does not have to exist in a continuous active state (fight /flight/freeze mode). We helped our body to experience a larger capacity to sit in discomfort, and not immediately reach for unhealthy soothers, or run from it. We welcome space for triggers to be felt and moved through. We have the ability to help our nervous system shift fluidly between states when each are needed, the sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems! Both are useful and 100% needed, but we do not want to become stuck in one state for too long. These practices are so useful off the mat as we encounter stress or triggers in our daily lives! We find balance! We find freedom!