Exhaustion isn’t just a lack of sleep; it’s an energy imbalance. Yoga helps restore that flow, unlocking vitality from the inside out.
Read moreAnxiety Doesn’t Have to Own You
If racing thoughts keep you up at night, yoga can be your anchor. I’ll show you practical flows that calm your nervous system and ground your energy—even if you only have 10 minutes. Harmony within begins with your breath, and allowing the breath to move you through the posture. Click here and breathe with me →
Freedom to trust.
Anchor
The foundation of any posture is your anchor into practice. We first anchor into the space with awareness, then an intention is set. When the mind wanders, we gently bring awareness back to the intention. This rewires your mind to virtue, the unwavering truth within, rather than the habitual reels that typically play through the mind when you are doing something challenging.
Calm Nervous System
Our waking state reflects through our sleep state. The way we approach the world during the day continues into our sleep state. Infinite thoughts of love, compassion, equanimity, and joy in the waking state reflect in our sleep state. Our worldview during the day is also our worldview when we sleep. Calm the nervous system during the day, and the nervous system calms in sleep. This is not woo-woo, this is Science, The Law of Cause and Effect.
Ground Your Energy.
I want you to think of the nervous system as guitar strings, and you are the guitar. When you experience something that moves your subtle energy body (the guitar strings), it’s like moving the strings on the guitar; each string plays off of the previous string. The thought picture we see when the strings move form the bones in our body. We connect to infinite love, compassion, equanimity, and joy to take both our power back and our sleep.
Today, I invite you to observe the earth beneath your feet, notice how you are effortlessly supported by the earth. You do not have to do anything.
Yoga Isn’t Just for the Flexible
Think you’re “too tight” or “too stressed” for yoga? That’s exactly why you need it. Yoga isn’t about twisting into shapes—it’s about untangling your mind and reconnecting with your body. I’ll guide you through simple flows designed for real bodies and busy lives.
For example, the ego often insists on straight legs in a forward fold. But forcing straight legs can strain the lower back and stress the vertebral connections over time. Instead, we practice humility—or Nati in Sanskrit, meaning “no me.” It’s not about perfection; it’s about honoring your body and letting go of ego-driven movement.
Your Back Pain Isn’t Just Physical…
If you’re sitting all day, scrolling at night, and waking up stiff, your body is screaming for change. But the fix isn’t just about stretching—it’s about reconnecting with yourself. Discover yoga flows that restore not just your spine but your sanity. Practice some of the core fundamentals of heart yoga here.
What to Expect in this Video
Heart Strike: “May all sentient beings be happy and have the means to that happiness.” With this wish, interlace fingers and strike forward with vigor, and then back to your own heart.
Bound Angle A & B: Soles of the feet touch, focus on the spine. Out-breath lengthens and in-breath expands to relax joints and limbs.
Spine
Made up of 33 vertebrae grouped into cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccygeal regions. The natural spinal curves act as shock absorbers, distributing forces equanimously through time.
Sacred Space
Forward and back bending (aka flexion and extension) are essential movements for reaching and lifting. Twisting is crucial for functional movement and sports. While side bending helps maintain core balance. The pelvic floor supports the base of the spine while deep core muscles continue the succession throughout the spine. As the spine grows up, the bones become hollow. With these elements in place, the spine is set up for success - sturdy at the base, and with mobility to move, breathe, and speak at the top.
The Mind
Stay aware of the whole spine throughout your yoga practice. Stay present and notice when the mind wanders away from full-spine awareness. The spine is the control center of the rest of your body. Observe your relationship to these movements, take notes, and notice patterns. The body is made of the thoughts we think, and the spine is the central conducting channel to communicate through the nervous system to the rest of our body.
Too Stressed to Even Meditate?
You’re not alone. Modern life keeps us in constant fight-or-flight mode, making even sitting still feel impossible. But what if you could find stillness without forcing it? At YOGAwCHRIS, we teach yoga that meets you where you are—no pretzel poses, just real relief for real stress.
In this episode, we start from the ground up, focusing on the hips, neck, and shoulders. Your going to want a block for this beginner-friendly sequence.
BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP
Root.
The earth is our sensory connection to develop an energetic connection that, over time, cultivates the way you walk, stand, and even sit. When we are consciously rooted in posture, our mind can expand properly. Note the Fibonacci sequence, a pattern that gradually unfolds, consistently, and in alignment. Each sequence builds upon the previous one, curating your unique expression on the mat. Your connection with truth channels to the rest of your life.
Rise.
Once we are rooted, we can rise through our outermost expression - lengthening the inner winds of the body and allowing for homeostasis within. And it feels good. Now we want to be mindful of the body as a whole when expanding. The whole body is engaged and alive in equanimity.
Observe.
Now we drop into the science and seat of the observer. Observe how your body responds to certain postures. Are you focusing on your outbreath, then on your inbreath? Are you aware of all parts of your body in equanimity? Is your breath balanced on the in and out? Is it appropriate to connect to Ujjayi (Ocean Breath)?
Ujjayi breath engages essential core muscles and can neutralize the frustrating emotions that accompany certain postures.
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