10 Minute Yoga Practice to Release Your Neck & Shoulders

Where do you carry your stress?

If you're like most people, you accumulate a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders. And with more Zoom calls and time behind a desk, this tension can accumulate to a point that can leave you feeling stuck.

Luckily, something as simple as this 10 minute Yoga warmup sequence can help you open your neck and shoulders — and shift your mood.

We often think making a change in the body or mind takes time that we simply don't have.

But the reality is that doing a simple practice for just 5-10 min daily is all it takes to make a difference.

It's the little steps you take towards your self-care that lead to the biggest transformations.

Once you've practiced, let me know in the comments below how this short sequence left you feeling.

Want to learn more practices like this? Join the waitlist for the From Surviving to Thriving online course and be the first to know the details as soon as enrollment opens for a very limited time on March 16th.

Yin Yoga Integration to Slow Down

If you've been striving but not getting the results you want in any aspect of your life, it's more than likely that your overactive, or Yang, qualities are inhibiting your Yin, or your ability to receive.

And if the world feels overstimulating and you just can't seem to find a sense of calm, this Yin Yoga practice is for you.

In this Yin Yoga practice, I'll guide you through a short Yin Yoga sequence to help release the Kidney, Liver and Bladder meridians.

According to Chinese Medicine, tension along the Bladder Sinew Meridian can lead to an overactive nervous system that can inhibit rest, relaxation, sleep, and digestion.

Through gentle, long held seated Yin Yoga postures that focus on releasing the Yang channels along the sides and back of your body, you'll begin to relax your nervous system, slow down internally and feel a greater sense of calm and ease.

Through this Yin Yoga Integration class, you’ll learn how less effort and a more clear intention can allow more of what you want in your life.

Your life has purpose and meaning.

Sometimes doing less will help you find what that is.

P.S. Doing a lot? You'll also want to read this to learn why it's important to let go in order to receive.

Trust the process: Yoga Integration to Strengthen Your Kidneys & Calm Your Heart

My father has a sense of faith unlike anyone I’ve ever met. Though he's not at all religious, he's really embodies what it means to be spiritual.

I’ve learned over time that my father's Water type personality makes it easier for him to trust the process as he navigates the ups and downs of life.

According to Chinese Medicine, Water energy is associated with the Kidneys, which hold your essential energy, or Jing, your life purpose and the important virtues of trust and faith.

Faith and trust provide you with the perspective to let go of control and allow the process to unfold, but also have the willpower to know when to take action.

When the Kidneys are compromised through stress and overwork, not only can adrenal exhaustion (aka feeling wired & tired) result, but your faith and willpower can also be compromised. Strengthening your Kidneys and the Water energy is also important to temper the Fire of the Heart to calm your anxiety and help you regain a sense of hope.

In this Yoga Integration practice, you’ll learn Yoga & Qi Gong exercises to help strengthen your Kidney energy so you can trust the process and stay motivated, even in the most uncertain times.

Yin Yoga Integration to Reduce Worry

In times of uncertainty, it's easy to worry about what's next.

Unlike its cousin anxiety, which arises out of fear of not knowing what will happen, worry is more creative.

Worry is the fear that something bad is going to happen and that by thinking ahead you can somehow protect yourself from future pain.

Worry often arises when there's an accumulation of the pathogenic factor known as dampness according to Chinese Medicine. Dampness can accumulate through a poor diet as well as through excessive thinking and overstimulation — all of which may (legitimately) be more familiar to you lately.

Dampness weakens the function of your Spleen and Stomach, the primary organs of digestion that need extra support during times of change and uncertainty. When these organs are compromised you can experience weight gain, poor digestion, overthinking, worry, and even obsession.

And while saying "don't worry" to someone who's worried is probably the worst thing you can do, there are some tools that can help balance this pattern.

In this Yoga Integration practice, you’ll learn tools and practices that’ll help you transform your worry & overwhelm to optimism & ease.

Yin Yoga Integration to Help You Breathe Deeply

Did you know that one of the most essential things you can do to shift from surviving to thriving is to remember to take deep breaths? 

Studies have shown that regular deep breathing can alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve heart function, mood and memory. 

The deeper you breathe, the more calm your nervous system, the better your digestion and the more present you can be to deal with all of life's challenges.

But what if it feels too hard to take a deep breath?

According to Chinese Medicine, the Lungs have an important relationship with the Liver. If your Liver is too toxic or you're under a lot of stress, your Liver can insult your Lungs, resulting in chest tightness, diaphragmatic constriction and shortness of breath. 

In this Yoga Integration practice, you'll learn exercises to help you relax your Liver Qi and open your Lungs so you can let go of stress and anxiety, and finally breathe deeply.

Yin Yoga Integration for Balance

The only constant in life is change, and today the whole world is experiencing radical change. Perhaps now more than ever, we share a common need to find balance as we navigate and adjust to a new normal.

Whether these adjustments come easily or you're finding them difficult to make, cultivating balance in times of change is essential for your health.

In this Yoga practice you’ll learn simple, practical tools and exercises to help you balance physically, emotionally and mentally so you can adjust to the changes and create a greater sense of flow in every aspect of your life.

Yin Yoga Integration to Quell Fear & Cultivate Inner Peace

Fear can be paralyzing. 

 But if you're able to properly transform your fear, you can channel that energy to create positive change in the world, and cultivate inner peace. 

 According to Chinese Medicine Fear is the emotion associated with the imbalanced state of your Kidney system, which includes the adrenal glands.

 In this Yoga Integration practice, you'll learn tools that'll help you build your Kidney energy to quell your fear and cultivate inner peace.

Yin Yoga Integration to Open Your Heart

Simply thinking about "self-love" can be triggering, especially amidst the social climate and dis-ease that we’re all experiencing. But here’s what’s important—if you don’t cultivate self-love, what will you have to give to others? To fill your cup till it runs over, you must open your heart and I’m going to show you how to do just that.

This Yoga Integration practice will support you to open your heart to greater possibilities, while reducing physical and emotional tension, including anxiety, to help break you out of feeling stuck and depleted. 

With an open heart, you’ll be more available to give and receive love, and be the change you want to see in this world.

Yin Yoga Integration to Transform Your Sadness & Rekindle Joy

Change is challenging. Perhaps more difficult than adjusting to a new normal is experiencing the grief that comes with letting go of old habits, beliefs and lifestyles. Inherent in times of change is the feeling of sadness that arises through the process of (and resistance to) letting go.

The full spectrum of human emotion is beautiful — as long as we have tools to navigate our experiences.

In this Yoga Integration practice, you’ll learn why sadness is such an important emotion, and what you can do to transform your blues and rekindle innate joy. 

You'll learn simple exercises that'll help you open your lungs, regulate your digestive system and free your heart so you can lift your spirits once again.

Yoga Integration to Unwind Your Nervous System

If you're feeling drained, you’re certainly NOT alone.

This simple Yoga Integration practice will help you unwind and let go of the tension that may be keeping you stuck in fight of flight mode.

The only way to fully rest and relax is to release what's keeping you bound physically and emotionally, and this short, gentle Yoga practice will help you do just that.