Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Nice.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: Sounds good to me.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, I feel like we could all use it and welcome. Taryn
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, who's this again?
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: Stella.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Stella so good to see you, Stella. Oh, my gosh!
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: It's like, I know I it's always good to see me, and it's good for me to get treats.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hey, Taryn? Good to see you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Looks like you're in a beautiful place.
Taryn (she/they): Yeah, I'm I'm just outside on a university campus that I work on.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Lovely.
Taryn (she/they): Taking my lunch, break.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Nice. Oh, I love this. Okay, great. We're gonna do just a little bit of like grounding. And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, a space to kind of nourish and support our nervous systems. I feel like there's so much happening.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm curious if there's a theme that's arising for either of you like in the Yamas, or just any theme right now.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: That's interesting.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: I think so. I'm not sure I have distilled it quite down yet. But one of my longtime students got back in touch with me, and wanted to start studying the limbs of Yoga and the Yamas and Niyamas. So we actually talked about Ahimsa on Monday. So
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: That was really timely given everything that's going on in the world. And then also her great grandbaby 1st great Grandbaby is coming into the world in the next week or so. So. We were talking about self care, you know, amidst all of that as well. So.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, that's big. I'm I love that. That's so nice. When students come back and are like, I want to go deeper on yoga philosophy.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Taryn, how about for you.
Taryn (she/they): Well, right now I'm studying estea
Taryn (she/they): And so that's been, that's been really good.
Taryn (she/they): I was just listening to your dharma talk on it just a bit ago. So just been thinking about enoughness and.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah. Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Such a good reminder, you know. It's funny. I've been going back through
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): through all of the dharma talks and the practices and doing them myself. And so I'm on Brahmacharya, and that's been the one that I've been like most
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you know, just recently connecting to. So I love that Brahmacharya, and welcome, Juliana. I know you're here to support us. Thank you. Is there anything that's been alive for you lately, Juliana? You're welcome to share in the chatter out loud if you would like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And we were just talking about Yogic principles, but also could be just any other themes
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and no worries. If you can't share.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): let's see, I'm just pulling up my notes for today.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): okay.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so we'll take a little time to drop in.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'll invite the bell.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then I'll guide us in a practice. And this practice, really the sole intention of it is to nourish your nervous system, because there's just so much happening like in the world in our own lives. And so I thought I was feeling into today, like the pilgrimage
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is within, you know, like the pilgrimage. The journey is back home to ourselves. And so, whatever you can do that's like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just a little more ease like you don't have to be. You don't have to do anything for anyone. You don't have to look a certain way for me, or for, you know, like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's it's whatever brings you most back home to yourself.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that might mean lying down. That might mean taking a nap for our whole time together. That might mean doing some movements and some visualization. So take care of yourself, and it can change as we're exploring.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So I'll invite the bell
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): breathing in.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): aware of your in-breath
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and breathing out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): aware of your out breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhaling
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and exhaling.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): we'll gently drop our heads
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): over to one side, one ear towards one shoulder.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that shoulder down towards the earth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and inhaling back up through center other ear to other shoulder.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And we'll move like this, and you can make a few choices. You can just kind of go side to side with your breath, or, if it feels better, tilt your face down and rock your head over to one side, inhaling
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and exhaling.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): moving with your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Rocking
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is so calming and soothing to our nervous system, so imagining almost like that. There's a gentle hand
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): rocking your head, so you don't definitely don't need to take the biggest
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretch or anything that you've ever taken. But maybe, like just 2 inches over in one direction and 2 inches in the other.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then rolling around
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): back
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so taking a full circle, if it feels supportive to you in one direction, with your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): head circling around on your neck.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe one more this way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then going the other direction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): talking to you, John.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): relaxing your eyes and their eye sockets
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): softening your cheeks.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe even making some sounds on your exhale
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): welcoming
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Justine as you come in. You know anyone
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): who's joining us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We're practicing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to nourish and support our nervous systems. Maybe one more circle this way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll start to rock our bodies now a little bit left to right. Might kind of look like a sway, or feel like a sway, shifting your weight to one hip and then the other. If you're seated one foot and then the other, if you're standing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and again, really subtle, like letting this be almost a micro movement.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and see if you can
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): slow it down
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to the rhythm of your breath.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): These can be soft.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I love that some folks are
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): feeling that connection
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in nature of all life moving around us. And so
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I, just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): feeling that subtlety of movement. You know that rocking, and if it feels good to you, you can now begin to rock forwards and backwards.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sometimes, when I'm rocking like this I almost feel like I'm feeling the turning of the earth as it circles around the sun.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we remember all of the movement, the movement in us all of our bodily functions. It's like miracles that are happening in every moment.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Our breath, our heartbeat
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): synapse is firing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): blood, pumping, oxygenation happening.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then all of the movement outside of us, I mean, is it really outside? But stars and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): matter and space? It's like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): what is stillness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): What does that even mean amidst all of this movement?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then what even is the movement
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in this great container
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of stillness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of oneness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then inhaling, expanding your arms, any amount up and away from the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretching.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and bring your arms down if you would like rotating your wrists around
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in one direction
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): connecting to estea.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm grasping.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): remembrance of we always already have
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): enough.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We have what we need.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and sometimes there might be little tweaks, right little movements, kind of like the movement in the stillness.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): If you'd like to rotate the other way, rotating your wrist the other way, and you can keep the movement in your hands, or, if you'd like, begin to move through your elbows, your shoulders.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then, when you feel ready.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): clasping your hands around yourself in that gesture, I feel like this is such an Astea gesture of like, oh, I got you like you've got. You've got what you need, and I've got you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And paying attention to which elbow is on the top, and your arms can stay right there, or, if you'd like sliding your hands down and coming into Eagle Arms, with whichever the top hand is
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): many options here your arms can just be twisted, hands can be touching, and then lift your elbows up away from the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): If it feels good to you, maybe a gentle circle, with your elbows
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretching through the back of your heart.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then circling the other way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale arms, rise, expanding away.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): releasing, maybe, if it feels good, sending your hands back behind you and wiggling a little bit, wiggling, your head, wiggling your body.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale, exhale. Let everything just kind of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): clock down. We'll do that a few more times. Inhale, maybe lifting your shoulders up towards your ears, exhale release.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): exhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and stretching our arms out once more any amount away from you, or up towards the sky.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): rotating your arms, hands, and arms the other way. If that feels good or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): same direction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): mine crack a little, you might hear pretty much every time I roll them, just being with what is noticing the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the movement, the impermanence of embodying being embodied.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then, when you're ready
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): expanding and then stretching, now bringing the other arm on top.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And if you don't remember. Yeah, I think I did the same arm. So it's like the unusual way. It's kind of the not intuitive way
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): giving yourself a big hug.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): softening your shoulders away from your ears. You can even use your hands to give yourself a little massage.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe one hand or top hand or the other. The other hand.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I have to unlock my
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): opposed to do that on the other side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): deep breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): full breath out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and if it feels supportive you can stay right here, maybe lifting your elbows up, or you can kind of slide your hands down your elbows, bring your hands up to find eagle arms.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, this side might be really different than the other side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or it might be.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): might be a little more space there, just noticing and circling around
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): interaction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and the other
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale, releasing the hands, lifting up and stretching back.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And if you'd like, you can move your hands toward one another to clasp them or into a reverse Anjali mudra behind you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Mine don't really. They don't really touch much, just the tips of my fingers. So any option back there is great. If you're outside, and you want to like grasp a tree, or you're somewhere where you can grasp a chair. That's really nice, too, just stretching your heart open, maybe tilting your chin up towards the sky, if it feels good.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then exhale, releasing your hands, tilting your face down towards the earth
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when we're coming into Diwali a time that is the celebration and festival of lights.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that's the light within
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the light
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in all of us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and also the light that connects all of us
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): one more time inhaling, gazing up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or just turning your face up. Eyes can be closed.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then exhale, bringing everything down towards the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and remembering that the absence of light, right struck struggle, suffering, literal darkness, or not knowing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is part of the light. It actually helps define the light, so it's not separate, either.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): You can stay right here if you'd like. Take your hands, make a little hammock with them, and bring them to the back of your head.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): helping you get a little traction as you forward, fold
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): deep breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): full breath out, releasing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): dropping your head a little bit further.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and imagining that you contraction your head back towards your hands. So you're kind of like resisting your hands
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then exhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): actually release your head. We'll do that 2 more times. Inhale. Resist your hands with your head.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): so it's a subtle internal motion. Exhale release.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): then once more
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale and resist.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): exhale release
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): can slide your hands down your neck, giving yourself a little massage.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then bring your head up to neutral, and we'll try that on either side. There's something really powerful about bringing that resistance in so exhaling, and 2 options here, one, you can make the same little hammock, and just turn your head over a little bit to one side, like, turn your face as you're gazing down over to one side, or you can really go for the side stretch and place your opposite hand on the opposite side of the head.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and exhale pulling, stretching through the side of your neck, and then resist
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): imagining that you can push against your hand with your head, and then exhale, stretch again.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale, resist.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): exhale, release.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale, resist.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and release.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and this time we'll let our hands go down, just checking out how it feels in your head and neck.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Exhale, dropping your head down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then tilting your face to the other direction.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): kind of like a 3 quarter, turn or quarter, turn
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or option to take the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): top hand, reach it over, and stretch through the side of your neck.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale, exhale, releasing into the stretch
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on your next inhale, resisting just a little bit with your head pushing against your hand.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's very subtle.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Exhale release.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Inhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): resisting against your hand or hands with the back or side of your head.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then release
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): one more time. Inhale resisting.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then release.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Inhale gently, maybe even using your hands to lift your head back up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): sliding your hands down, massaging your jaw.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): massaging your neck.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So we're spending a good amount of time up here on the head and the neck and the face today, because sometimes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when our nervous systems are
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a little bit jittery or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): dangled, it can be really easy to build tension up here, and so we're going to move into the head and face and then do a little bit with our ears.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So to begin, I'll invite you to rub your hands, generating some heat and some energy and light, and then place your hands over your eyes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): looking into the base palms of your hands, and it should be quite dark. Your eyes can be closed, or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): if they're open, there's probably not much light
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): getting in.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): This allows our occipital nerve to relax.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you might feel it
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the back of your throat
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): behind your eyes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the lower part of your head
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): releasing your hands as you're ready and cupping your thumb and corner finger around your eyebrows, massaging just a little bit around your eyebrows. Amazing!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Let me think about light, and taking in light.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): massaging your eyebrows, kind of rolling
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the skin between your fingers.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): How much our eyes do for us
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in terms of taking in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): refracting light.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then releasing your hands down, maybe rotating on the temples. Just a little bit.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm coming to your ears, and let's take a moment. So our arms have been up now for a while and just release our hands down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Let your arms kind of reset.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Then we'll start on one side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Don't think I'm gonna mirror you just because I wanna be able to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): be in it and say it
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): accurately. So, lifting your right hand up to grab your right ear
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): for you. It might be your left, but you don't have to mirror you can. You can do whichever side
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And lifting, just gently lifting your ear up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then releasing. So it's kind of like a pull and then release, but not hurting yourself or anything. Just a firm
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): pull softening your jaw
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): nice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And now, as you do this, you're gonna hold your ear up. So, keeping a firm grip.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): look up towards the sky, not all the way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and exhale back down towards the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you might notice yourself getting sleepy or wanting to yawn.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): It's very welcome.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): One more.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then taking your fingers and just kind of massaging down your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): your.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): If it feels good and you want to try it, you can grab the lobe of your ear, pull down and do the same thing gazing up.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We can just be resting for a moment here and down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe opening and closing your jaw.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and once more up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Let your arm rest for a moment.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then same side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when your finger and thumb pull the top of your ear.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): lifting up and pulling and dropping your head over, so your ear is going in the same direction, elbow kind of goes down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then other side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and this might feel like an interesting stretch, or almost like you're
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and pouring water out of your ear.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): soften your jaw.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe even opening and closing it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and welcome. If you're just joining us, we're doing some practices to soothe our nervous system.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): One more here
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then release
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretching your arm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe just checking in with how you feel. It's easier to hear
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on that one side, or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a little bit of cat cow in your spine.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): coming back to neutral, and we'll
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): play with this on the other side. So bringing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): your other hand up to grasp the top
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of your ear between your finger and thumb. Not super hard, you know, just like a nice supportive
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): pressure
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and lifting up and then releasing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): You don't have to do a dramatic release like I am. I'm just showing you that I'm lifting up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then releasing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): inhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): exhale.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): now holding the ear firmly and not letting go. We're gonna lift up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and gaze up towards the top of the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): room and then back down towards the earth.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): not forcing it not going too far.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just enough that you get a little
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): movement and a little bit of traction
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): from the hold that you have on your ear.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And here we're working, not only
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on all of the small muscles in the face side of the face, the jaw, the ear.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But on
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the 5th Chakra
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): particularly
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the one that connects us to surrender
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): estea.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): letting go
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): one more.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then my ear is getting a little sore, so maybe giving it a little massage and letting your arm rest down for a moment.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): lifting up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): once more. When you're ready. Sometimes I like to just kind of fold my ear
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and clasping your the top of your ear again.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and this time inhaling.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): chopping
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the side of your head towards the same side, and then the opposite side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): softening your jaw as you move.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then releasing, if you'd like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): grasping the bottom, the earlobe and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): just checking out. If any of those movements feel good
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): looking up and down
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): side to side.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Sometimes we have different areas of our ears that get
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): tight
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then releasing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): take a moment to recalibrate.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): maybe doing a little bit of cat and cow in your chair, standing, or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): on your mat.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Do one more just, gentle self massage.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Pranama, and then a little bit of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): gentle relaxation.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So now, coming to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a neutral position, checking that you're
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): spine is long, and you can take your hands kind of like the live long and prosper. So pointer and middle finger ring and pinky, and you're just going to take your hands on either side, and just give yourself a little massage, and you can do one side at a time or both sides at the same time.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): So all of this area that you just worked
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): stretched out. Now you're giving it some care, giving it some love.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And this might mean little circles on parts of your jaw
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): might mean rubbing up and down on either side of your ears.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): working with
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our organs
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): expression.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and also and you can. Now, if you'd like to try this. Cross your arms.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's rubbing down on your neck. So all of the sight of the 5th Chakra, the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): energy center of speaking our truth, but also listening, deeply, surrendering, connecting to the divine.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And then, when you're ready, releasing that.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's placing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): 2 fingers on your 3rd eye just very lightly
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and gently rotating in a circle.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): releasing.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We'll do Bramari Pranayama, and to do this you can do it with no mudra, or, if you would like
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): opportunity to try Shan Mukhi Mudra, where you take your hands
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and your pointer finger goes by your eyebrows, your middle finger closes your eyes.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): your ring
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): by the side of your mouth, and your pinky underneath
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): like on your chin, and then your thumbs
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): plug your ears, and it really allows the sound of the Bramari, the humming of bees to reverberate in your head.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And so for Bramari, I'll just
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): explain, and then we'll practice for about 10 rounds. Inhale through your nose and exhale with your mouth closed through your nose. Let the sound hum in the back of your throat so kind of like a humming sound.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll practice together. You can do the Madro or not. It's up to you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Inhale
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and exhale, humming like the sound of bees.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): hmm.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Gently releasing the
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): pranayama, and then Mudra.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): finding a shape to relax, to be seated, standing, lying down.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): We'll take some time in silence to integrate the benefits of this practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'll guide you back with my voice when it's time.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Take breath in
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): full breath, out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): gently shifting, maybe rocking.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): checking in with your body.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): your mind, your heart, your soul.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and bringing your hands together, imagining, perhaps, that you're holding a candle.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): know that you have
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a light
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in your palms.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): You can offer that light
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to the world, to nature, to the universe.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): sending it out.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then knowing that everything that you give away comes back to you, bringing your palms back together.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and bringing that light into your heart, holding it close.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): feeling it fill you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and then once more giving it away
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): with gratitude for the light within and the light all around
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Gentle Bow.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and we'll keep the focus kind of inwards
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): coming out to your journal or to the chat, or just to reflecting.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): how
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): how is it with you? How did this practice
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): land or resonate?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Then, if you'd like to connect to
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Este?
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oops
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): to journal a little bit, honestia on generosity.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): non grasping.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): or
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): ahemsa
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and self-care, and care for self and the whole
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): at this time it's a beautiful time to reflect on
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): any kind of Yoga philosophy, so we'll take
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a few minutes. I'll see if I can play some
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): music, and then we'll share
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): if we would like.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): he
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): please let me feed.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and I
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): from lazander
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the center.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): A
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is open
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): no way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Love love!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, man.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): no! A
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): oh, love love.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Please let me feel
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my Santa
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the center of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): a
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): please let me feel.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): from my center
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): the center of
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): E
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): me feel
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): feels
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my center.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Take the center.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): E.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Please let me feel
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): my Santa's
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): in the center of me.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): E
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): is all
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): no way.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, love, love!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, man.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): no!
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Oh, love love.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): taking just a minute to finish up
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): reflections, whatever you're writing
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): coming back to the group.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Love to hear if anyone would like to share
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): what's alive for you? Or if anything moved or shifted, or there were any Ahas
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): from the practice
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): you can share in the chat or outbound.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Let me just share the playlist. This playlist I made up a long time ago, just like a meditative
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): playlist that has.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): and that
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it's all about it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Hi, Polly.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: I actually had a question, because I've always loved Brahmari Pramayama
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: and the original method I learned it in was very regimented, like we had to do. You know, Ujjay, in a certain breakdown in a certain order, and then we had to do Voloma and a certain breakdown in a certain order. And then finally, maybe we could get to primary. And I guess I was just wondering, is it okay to just teach it.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Great question.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm curious in that framework.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): If there was like explicit or specific reasons why they kind of warmed you up that way, because the reason I'll give you, I think.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): when I've learned it. I've learned it in a structured way, and I've also learned it just taught
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): without any, you know, formal structure or preparation, because it's a soothing pranayama. If we were moving into like breath of fire, sometimes I do more more warming up, but it does. I think it depends so much on the intention. So did they teach you. There was a specific reason or intention for it.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: I mean they always use safety as the excuse. But the more I reflect on the whole experience, it was really just all a bunch of control mechanisms. I'm not really sure that there was an actual safety issue. Especially given that.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: I feel like it's so much more accessible in in how soothing it is,
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: than to have to wait to master all these other parts and pieces of pronounce so.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah from. I think
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I never want to like counter any schools
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): teaching, right? So I think, like there could be a clear reason for them. But if they didn't give you a clear reason. I know all the teachers I've had.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): They're like the more soothing Pranayama, the ones that help nurture our nervous system. They're okay to do without preparation, right? Like we did warm up our vocal cords and all the areas around.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): But something like Bramari, you know, we're just kind of down regulating. So it's it's all right to practice. And also in some contexts you can just hum. People don't feel comfortable doing a prana. So if you think of it like that, we're just like, you know, like I could imagine humming along to that beautiful chorus song, and you get some of the same benefits, although, of course, it's not the same as doing the full, the full prana.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): it is also I will say, just to kind of support your opening, to take it, to take it and teach it. It's in some of the protocols for long, covid recovery.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Provide pranama, and they don't do
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): any other pranayama before it, except I think I might do Durga Pranayama, but it's not required but they do do some neck and shoulder stretching before Bramari, but it's being used all over.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: Yeah. Cause this wasn't like, you know, warm up for this, this specific practice. It was like we had to go jump through all the hoops and learn all of the other pranayamas, and teach them all before we could teach this one. It was like a really regimented order, and that's why I was like, I feel like I could just jump ahead and.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I think you can jump.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: We can warm up for sure in an individual practice. And then, yeah, and that's really good to know about it being included. And long covid that actually makes a lot of sense.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, because a lot of the thing with with long covid is like the tension and the tightness that comes here. And then also, like oxygenation, right? Improving kind of the flow of oxygen, and opening, like all the muscles and the pathways
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): through the neck and into the brain, so it can help with brain fog. It can help with so many things that we have for various reasons. Just, I know it's being used in long Covid protocols.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): yeah, yeah, thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Anyone else.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And I know for some folks, maybe you're just like, Oh, I'm very relaxed now, inviting us to. If you want, drop a word or something you're going to take with you, and wishing each of you so much light, so many blessings from the light, the light of Yogic wisdom, the light that's within that's within each of us.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): And thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): presence. Thank you for your practice.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I'm really grateful to be to be here with you and just looking to see if I have any updates. Yes,
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): 2, 3 30 is sexy. No, I think we're fine.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): our second
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): second office hours will be on the 13.th So that's perfect.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Yeah, I'm so grateful to be
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): here for all the gentleness, holding space, sending you all lots of care you can unmute if you'd like, and say goodbye, and I'll see you soon.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: Bye. Thank you.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): Thank you. Bye.
Bonnie@YogaConnexus: Justine cute haircut.
Susanna Barkataki (she/her): I am.