It’s that time again—time to achieve rest, recuperation, and better breathing with another body scan practice. Only this exercise is meant to be performed while in a side bend as it can be a lovely place to settle through the body.
I’ll be helping you set an intention or wish for this practice while also directing you through several different yoga nidra techniques for the purposes of rest, recuperation, and better breathing. So if you’re looking for some much-needed relaxation, tune in.
All you need to do is grab a yoga mat, a couple pillows, or even a blanket, and I’ll walk you through, step-by-step, the instructions of this side bend body scan. And, if you benefited from this practice, be sure to explore previous episodes to find similar meditations.
Ready to learn to listen to your body? Email [email protected] for a customized learning path.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
What You'll Learn from this Episode:
Featured on the Show:
Full Episode Transcript:
Male Announcer: You’re listening to From Pain to Possibility with Susi Hately. You will hear Susi’s best ideas on how to reduce or even eradicate your pain and learn how to listen to your body when it whispers so you don’t have to hear it scream. And now here’s your host, Susi Hately.
Welcome and welcome back. This is a practice of breath awareness, body awareness, and in a position of side bending. Side bending can be a really lovely place to settle through the body and all that we need is a blanket or a small bolster, maybe something underneath the head. So we’ll set up being on the blanket rolled up and placed about midway on your rib cage.
So if you’re on a bolster or something higher, your shoulder can easily, easily rest on the floor. And then placing a pillow or another bolster under your head. And if it’s a smaller roll like a blanket or even a yoga mat, it’s comfortably placed midway on the rib cage, and again maybe with a blanket or a small pillow under your head. The idea here is to be comfortable with an opportunity for easy breathing.
And if you find that you aren’t comfortable, then come onto your back or come onto your front or come into a position that is more comfortable. Coming into the breath practice will still be useful for you. And if you’re wondering about being on one side or switching to the other, I’ll give you an instruction or a cue as to when I’m going to direct the practice to the other side.
And having said that, you can always move over to the other side or come off and lie on your back or front or in another position at any point in the practice.
So move yourself into your setup now, lying over either a small bolster or a rolled mat or a rolled towel or blanket in a comfortable way that’s supportive underneath your head as well. You might even find that placing a pillow or a blanket between the legs can be really helpful.
Sometimes how that top leg angles down, that angling can sometimes create or contribute to some strain or some tension in through the hips or your pelvis or your back. And so placing another bolster or a pillow between the legs can be really helpful and really supportive.
So when you’re in a position that’s comfortable, then take a moment and simply and easily breathe, noticing what you are feeling and notice if there’s anything you can do to make yourself a little bit more comfortable, 5%, 10% more comfortable. And it may be like placing a bolster behind you or in front of you or resting your arms on a pillow. And then when you are ready, settle into your breathing, taking an inhale in and an exhale out.
And consider as you’re in this space, what an intention or a wish for this practice might be. Just consider it as one statement or a one sentence as if it’s already occurred. I am, I have, I’ve done. It’s so fascinating setting intentions and then settling into these yoga nidra type techniques of rest, recuperation, of better breathing and how that settles into a different place within ourself and how that can shift clarity and connection and attraction.
So saying to yourself that sentence, that statement. And again, tuning into your breath, the inhale coming in and the exhale going out. Noticing lying over the prop, just what this feels like with the prop underneath you. Feeling it against the ribs. Feeling your head against the support. And connecting to how your breath feels, bottom side of the ribs that are connecting to the prop and the ribs that are more facing the ceiling.
And which way is it easier to breathe? Is it easier to breathe the ribs connecting to the prop or the ribs facing the ceiling? And then bring your attention to where your breath is easiest and feel the breath moving toward that side of the rib cage. No forcing, just easy. Connecting your awareness and recognizing what is there. What sensation is present?
And as you’re breathing into the side of your rib cage, allow your attention to move to your pelvis and your thighs, your knees, your shins, your feet, all the way to the toes. So you’re connecting to the breath wherever it’s easy, as well as noticing pelvis to tips of toes. Feeling the breath and feeling pelvis to tips of toes at once.
Take another five more breaths now and when you finish the fifth breath, slowly begin to move off of your prop and lie onto your back. And as you’re moving and then when you’re on your back, notice what it is that you feel. Notice the sensation that’s present. Notice the connection to the floor, to your pelvis and your legs all the way down to your toes.
And then move to your other side, setting yourself up gently, prop at the middle of your rib cage. And this side might feel a little different than the other side and you might need different support under your head or between the legs or in front of you or behind you. You might even need a blanket over top of you or off of you.
So just notice what this side feels like and is asking for. And when you are ready, connect with the breath again, noticing where the breath feels easy in your rib cage. Does it feel easier with the ribs connecting to your prop or does it feel easier with the ribs toward the sky? Playing with the lateral movement of your rib cage, focusing on where it’s easy.
And then begin to connect to your pelvis again and your upper leg, knee, lower leg, foot and toes. Pelvis through the legs, down to the toes, and feeling the movement of your breath in your rib cage. Feeling pelvis, legs and toes and the breath in the rib cage all at once.
Easy inhale, easy exhale. Taking another five breaths here. And when you finish your fifth breath, gently and with awareness, rolling yourself off of your prop and laying flat on your back and noticing what you are now feeling.
What are the sensations that are now present? How does your breath feel? How does your rib cage feel? What do you feel between your rib cage and your pelvis? Pelvis down to your legs and into your feet. Rib cage up into the shoulders, neck and head. What can you now perceive?
Bring your attention now to your intention that you stated at the beginning of the practice. And as you say it to yourself again, notice how it resonates in your body now, in the state that is your body now. What’s new? What’s different? What’s the same?
And you can be here for now as long as you want. You may also find that you are inspired to move into other yoga poses or going for a walk or taking this new state into the next activity into your day. Whenever or however you move next, take a moment, a few breaths to allow for the transition to take you into the rest of your day. Have a great time exploring and we’ll see you next time.
If this episode has resonated and you’re looking to deepen this idea of getting your body back on board, of listening deeply to your symptoms, of listening to the whispers so you don’t have to hear the screams, and you’re looking for one to one support or professional training, then reach out to us at [email protected] where we can customize your learning path. That’s [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Welcome and welcome back. This is a practice of breath awareness, body awareness, and in a position of side bending. Side bending can be a really lovely place to settle through the body and all that we need is a blanket or a small bolster, maybe something underneath the head. So we’ll set up being on the blanket rolled up and placed about midway on your rib cage.
So if you’re on a bolster or something higher, your shoulder can easily, easily rest on the floor. And then placing a pillow or another bolster under your head. And if it’s a smaller roll like a blanket or even a yoga mat, it’s comfortably placed midway on the rib cage, and again maybe with a blanket or a small pillow under your head. The idea here is to be comfortable with an opportunity for easy breathing.
And if you find that you aren’t comfortable, then come onto your back or come onto your front or come into a position that is more comfortable. Coming into the breath practice will still be useful for you. And if you’re wondering about being on one side or switching to the other, I’ll give you an instruction or a cue as to when I’m going to direct the practice to the other side.
And having said that, you can always move over to the other side or come off and lie on your back or front or in another position at any point in the practice.
So move yourself into your setup now, lying over either a small bolster or a rolled mat or a rolled towel or blanket in a comfortable way that’s supportive underneath your head as well. You might even find that placing a pillow or a blanket between the legs can be really helpful.
Sometimes how that top leg angles down, that angling can sometimes create or contribute to some strain or some tension in through the hips or your pelvis or your back. And so placing another bolster or a pillow between the legs can be really helpful and really supportive.
So when you’re in a position that’s comfortable, then take a moment and simply and easily breathe, noticing what you are feeling and notice if there’s anything you can do to make yourself a little bit more comfortable, 5%, 10% more comfortable. And it may be like placing a bolster behind you or in front of you or resting your arms on a pillow. And then when you are ready, settle into your breathing, taking an inhale in and an exhale out.
And consider as you’re in this space, what an intention or a wish for this practice might be. Just consider it as one statement or a one sentence as if it’s already occurred. I am, I have, I’ve done. It’s so fascinating setting intentions and then settling into these yoga nidra type techniques of rest, recuperation, of better breathing and how that settles into a different place within ourself and how that can shift clarity and connection and attraction.
So saying to yourself that sentence, that statement. And again, tuning into your breath, the inhale coming in and the exhale going out. Noticing lying over the prop, just what this feels like with the prop underneath you. Feeling it against the ribs. Feeling your head against the support. And connecting to how your breath feels, bottom side of the ribs that are connecting to the prop and the ribs that are more facing the ceiling.
And which way is it easier to breathe? Is it easier to breathe the ribs connecting to the prop or the ribs facing the ceiling? And then bring your attention to where your breath is easiest and feel the breath moving toward that side of the rib cage. No forcing, just easy. Connecting your awareness and recognizing what is there. What sensation is present?
And as you’re breathing into the side of your rib cage, allow your attention to move to your pelvis and your thighs, your knees, your shins, your feet, all the way to the toes. So you’re connecting to the breath wherever it’s easy, as well as noticing pelvis to tips of toes. Feeling the breath and feeling pelvis to tips of toes at once.
Take another five more breaths now and when you finish the fifth breath, slowly begin to move off of your prop and lie onto your back. And as you’re moving and then when you’re on your back, notice what it is that you feel. Notice the sensation that’s present. Notice the connection to the floor, to your pelvis and your legs all the way down to your toes.
And then move to your other side, setting yourself up gently, prop at the middle of your rib cage. And this side might feel a little different than the other side and you might need different support under your head or between the legs or in front of you or behind you. You might even need a blanket over top of you or off of you.
So just notice what this side feels like and is asking for. And when you are ready, connect with the breath again, noticing where the breath feels easy in your rib cage. Does it feel easier with the ribs connecting to your prop or does it feel easier with the ribs toward the sky? Playing with the lateral movement of your rib cage, focusing on where it’s easy.
And then begin to connect to your pelvis again and your upper leg, knee, lower leg, foot and toes. Pelvis through the legs, down to the toes, and feeling the movement of your breath in your rib cage. Feeling pelvis, legs and toes and the breath in the rib cage all at once.
Easy inhale, easy exhale. Taking another five breaths here. And when you finish your fifth breath, gently and with awareness, rolling yourself off of your prop and laying flat on your back and noticing what you are now feeling.
What are the sensations that are now present? How does your breath feel? How does your rib cage feel? What do you feel between your rib cage and your pelvis? Pelvis down to your legs and into your feet. Rib cage up into the shoulders, neck and head. What can you now perceive?
Bring your attention now to your intention that you stated at the beginning of the practice. And as you say it to yourself again, notice how it resonates in your body now, in the state that is your body now. What’s new? What’s different? What’s the same?
And you can be here for now as long as you want. You may also find that you are inspired to move into other yoga poses or going for a walk or taking this new state into the next activity into your day. Whenever or however you move next, take a moment, a few breaths to allow for the transition to take you into the rest of your day. Have a great time exploring and we’ll see you next time.
If this episode has resonated and you’re looking to deepen this idea of getting your body back on board, of listening deeply to your symptoms, of listening to the whispers so you don’t have to hear the screams, and you’re looking for one to one support or professional training, then reach out to us at [email protected] where we can customize your learning path. That’s [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you.