Stress/Anxiety › Gabriella Espinosa
These practices have been specifically created and sequenced for watching online on Movement for Modern Life to reduce stress and anxiety you may feel in your life.
Within our anti-stress and anxiety series, we have a range of practices which include:
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31:02Yoga for Menopause Anger: Fierce Power
Anger and rage are common during menopause. This may surprise to you and those around you. We've been taught to believe that anger is a negative emotion that shouldn't be expressed so we bottle it up until it explodes or mask it and this can cause us internal conflict. In this menopause yoga class we learn to work with anger as a positive force for healing, empowerment and healthy communication. Using the power of breath, sound, somatic enquiry and movement we will give space to our anger and allow it to be felt, moved, and released. The class will take place seated and standing, the first part of the class takes place entirely seated. You can also lie down for this part. The second part has us adopt yoga poses accessible to most bodies. Transform your anger into fierce power!
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37:48Gentle stretching to cool and unwind
This gentle, all-levels hatha yoga class works with forward bends and pranayama (breath work) to cool the body and calm the busy mind. A perfect class to take as a middle of the day work-break, if the day is feeling overwhelming, or to gently calm at the end of the day. Gentle stretching is a wonderful way to destress and enhance feelings of safety in the body. Stretching triggers a host of physiological reactions including increased blood flow and oxygen to the muscles, hydrating surrounding connective tissue, releasing feel good chemicals such as endorphins and activating the parasympathetic nervous system - the rest and digest mode. Props needed: yoga mat, chair, blanket
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21:05Vagus Nerve Practices for Anxiety Relief
Anxiety is nervous system’s way of keeping us safe and out of danger. Due to the hormonal fluctuations in peri-menopause and menopause, women often begin to experience anxiety for the first time impacting the ability to cope with everyday life. This class is mostly seated and also includes a restorative yoga pose. The class encourages us to lean into our anxiety from a place of curiosity and compassion to listen and learn how and why it’s trying to protect us. The first part of the class is seated, and we use touch based somatic exercises to soothe our nervous system. In the second part of the class we simply lie on our backs with legs over a chair or sofa, to down regulate your nervous system and shift into a sense of feeling at ease and safe in your body. Props needed: Chair, yoga mat and blanket.
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56:19Love Your Body: Affirmations, Breath and Flow
Connect to your body, gain more confidence with your body. In this class we work with the power of affirmations, breathwork and a gentle slow flow vinyasa yoga to learn to appreciate all the amazing things our bodies can do. Our bodies go through a lot of change during our lives and especially during menopause - so much so that you feel your body has let us down or betrayed. Yoga teaches us that our bodies are “sukrta” or well-made just the way they are. You might need a Journal, pen, yoga mat and bolster/cushion
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10:00Journaling: Rewrite your Menopause Story
It can be helpful to write down your menopause experience, in order to consciously re-write your menopause story. This is a journalling exercise in which you're guided through a series of journaling prompts to reimagine and rewrite your menopause story. Journaling freely and expressively in this way has the added benefit of being a wonderful relaxation tool, and a soothing way to deal with the stressors of daily life. Get curious - what are some of the narratives about menopause that you have internalised and how are they shaping your menopause experience? Journaling helps bring clarity to our experiences by writing down your thoughts and feelings, essentially decluttering your mind, breaking them down into pieces that are easier for you to process emotionally. In this class, Props needed: Yoga mat, journal and pen
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38:02Yoga to Rest & Digest: The Vagus Nerve
This yoga class uses simple practices to resource and reset the nervous system using breath, sound, gentle movement and massage to stimulate the vagus nerve and encourage deep relaxation. Either follow the class in full or learn the practices which resonate with you to be done in your own time. The vagus nerve acts as a “super information highway” communicating between the brain and our body’s systems regulating our mood, digestion, heart rate and hormones. The vagus nerve balances our nervous system by switching on our parasympathetic 'rest and digest' mode and influences how we connect and feel safe with others. You will need a bolster, blanket, tennis ball and/or soft pilates ball. Gabriella uses a Yoga Tune Up Coregeous Ball.
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34:53Yoga for Restful Sleep
This peaceful, calming yoga class for sleep relaxes both body the mind with restorative yoga postures to ease tension. Try this class before bed to invite a restful state before drifting off peacefully into a deep sleep. Research has highlighted how important sleep is for cognitive health and longevity; it helps our body repair and heal, our nervous system to recharge and our mind to reset by letting go of the day’s concerns. You will need a bolster, eye pillow and a blanket.
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06:53Shake It Out
Shaking is a wonderful way of liberating stuck energy, stress or tension. This all levels shaking class is great if you just want to bring in a bit of a state change. It’s a quick tool to get into your body, and it’s easy, super accessible and very efficient. Shaking is perfect if you've limited space; you don't need a yoga mat, and can be done in exactly the way your body is able to move, so perfect for limited mobility or seniors, or if you just want to free up and 'stuck' energy. So go ahead, have a good shake!
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22:41Restorative Yoga for Gut Health: Find Calm
Taking a moment in our busy lives to find calm and be present with ourselves is so important for overall health and wellbeing. In this calming and restorative class Gabriella guides us through a self-massage and breath practice to help relax the abdominal area and deepen our ability to listen to our bodies. Props: one bolster, two blankets and one block
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12:46Meditation: Befriending your Whole Self
In this short meditation class, be guided through an embodied enquiry of the layers of your body (physical, mental, emotional, energetic, spiritual) as a way of tuning into, welcoming and befriending your body. When we take time to listen and connect to our body we make room to welcome the full spectrum of our human experience – from the comfortable to the not so comfortable. Befriending the body in this way widens the circle of compassion and acceptance of this moment allowing you to tap into the inherent wisdom that resides within. This is a really useful short practice to connect to yourself at the start of your day, before any yoga class and when you are experiencing feelings of anxiety, stress or overwhelm.
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08:04Three Yoga Poses to Support Digestion
It might not be easy to find time to move our bodies or practice a yoga flow in our busy lives, but it is important to aid our bodies and help support our digestive system throughout the day. In this quick yoga class, Gabriella will guide you through her top three poses which can help support our digestive systems along with a diaphragmatic breath technique to help create calm. These will only take a few minutes and can all be done at your desk!
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22:19Gentle Yoga for Gut Health: Aid Digestion
This gentle yoga class begins with slow moving twists, side stretches and poses all designed to gently help support your digestive system. The class finishes with a seated practice to encourage strong posture and uses breath awareness to support digestive balance. Props: one chair, one pillow or bolster.
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47:48Open to Your Heart’s Desire
This heart-centred gentle yoga class is designed to help you connect to your heart's desire, to your inner wisdom and to feel more love for oneself and one another. It includes opening to self love through embodied enquiry, gentle stretching and movement, finishing with yin postures and a guided visualisation to connect deeply to your heart’s desire and its expression in the world.
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16:16Gentle Yoga for Emotional Release
Life's journey can bring up a range of emotions from anger, rage, grief, loss and frustration. This gentle yoga class is an opportunity to move with your feelings; allowing them to arise, shift and release through somatic movement, gentle yoga postures and breath work. Welcome the full spectrum of your human experience. You will need a blanket.
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56:16Cooling & Calming Practice
This cooling and calming yoga class and breath practice soothes the nervous system and deeply relaxes the mind and body, suitable for anyone feeling overwhelm or the need to calm. But this class especially is a great menopause yoga class, providing relief to hot flushes, night sweats, irritability and sleeplessness. In addition to supported forward folds, gentle inversions and restorative poses, there is slow deep breathing and cooling pranayama practices. This sequence is recommended for anyone feeling overwhelmed or stressed, or anyone experiencing menopausal symptoms, especially if you are experiencing excessive heat in the body and to mitigate the effects of hot flushes, night sweats and irritability. A soothing practice to do in the evening before bed. You will need a chair, a bolster, two blankets and an eye pillow.
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