Sample
Practices
The first audio practices I posted on this site were named for two things I was missing in April 2020: Happy Hour and Tapas.
Happy Hour Yoga
All happy hour audio yoga classes are 60 minutes. Most include yoga poses (asana) breathing practices (pranayama) and meditation. The ingredients are mixed together in different ways. April happy hour sessions (described below) were named after, and loosely inspired, by some of the amazing cocktails at Werkstatt, one of the many wonderful restaurants in my community that is struggling at this time. (You’ll hear about other favorite local businesses in the coming months.)
Of course, these practices are totally safe for those who don’t drink and can be enjoyed at any time of the day or night!
The Turner
Knob Creek bourbon, Pineau des Charentes, Lemon Iced Tea, O.J., orange bitters w/ a twist.
Inspired by the recipe above, This practice focuses on standing poses and lots of different twists. Twists feel great to me right now. By the way, twists don’t de-toxify you. Do you want to know why? You aren’t toxic. Bitter perhaps. But not toxic.
Hedy Lamarr
Bourbon, creme de cassis, simple syrup & lemon juice
Inspired by the recipe above, which was created in honor of a brilliant and beautiful woman, this practice honors the wisdom and beauty of trees and uses the actions in vrksana (tree pose) as a touchstone for exploring opening the hips in relationship to deep central stability. Another cool thing about this practice is that Maggie does not interrupt it, not even once.
Tapas (shorter yoga practices)
These are shorter practices (ranging from 5 to 40 minutes). Some are meditations and some are active yoga practices. Just like Tapas, the Spanish style snacks, they are designed to fit particular cravings, such as deeper breathing, releasing hips, or cultivating mindfulness.
Oh, and don’t forget, Tapas, is also one of the Niyamas, the second limb of yoga’s 8-limb path which guides us in our personal conduct in relation to ourselves. Tapas refers to a quality of fiery determination that can be found in response to a physical challenge or to the effort of maintaining consistent and compassionate attention as you witness your body and mind just as they are.
Breathing and Back Care (36 min)
This practice stays low to the ground and incorporates a lot of what I do when my lower back is feeling a little tender and I want to cultivate inner strength.
Gentle yet thorough (27 min)
To start or end your day. Move through all the spatial planes, open your back, ground and stabilize your energy.
Hips please (37 min)
The most requested physical practice element gets some love. Explore the full range of motion in your hip joints and explore ways to bring a sense of balanced joint space and support.
Meditations
Beginners ultra-guided mindfulness meditation (12 min)
This practice guides you through the principles and techniques of Mindfulness of the breath.
Body scan (27 min)
This practice is done lying down so find a good spot for yourself before getting started. Based on a technique developed in MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) this meditation cultivates deep concentration and body-based awareness.
Mountain pose meditation (5 min)
In this mini-practice I talk you through a standing meditation. Explore standing with awareness at any moment in your day.