Practices

Ventral Vagal Rolling - General Practice and Cancer Support

For shock, anxiety and a longing for ground

This practice takes us to the floor. It is a courteous and curious knock on the door of the ventral vagal nervous system. Noticeable, breathable, slow, lateral, bringing more weight to the body while stimulating nourishing fluid circulation, whilst introducing do-able novel movements. In short, a bottom-up approach to gently and respectfully shifting patterns and finding ease.

7 Short Practices - General Practice

Welcome to 7 Short Practices. The intention of these practices is to help you create space at home for a gentle, embodied practice of yoga. It will, I think, allow you the opportunity to slow down, give you space to listen and respond to your body and have you feeling more healthy and whole in the process. The idea is simply to keep the appointment with yourself for half an hour, to be un-hurried in your practice and to notice the pleasure of breath and movement, moment by moment.

All the practices are different. They are light suggestions for you to play with, and some moving postures to deepen into, if you desire. There may well be instructions you decide to ignore, wanting instead to follow something inspired from within. I'm guessing your body would love that.

Each 30-minute practice is a whole practice in itself. Once you get moving and listening, they may lead you to continue far beyond the 30 minutes, on your own. You could select a practice to balance some other activities you enjoy (a run, a swim, a good long walk) or simply choose a random practice each time you bring out your yoga mat. On a difficult day, the relaxation at the end of the practice may be all the nourishment you need.

Ultimately I hope that the offerings lead you to yourself, to a sense of peace and wholeness. That is home, after all, and the source of your continued and ever present embodied wisdom.

The 7 Short Practices have been a heart-ful collaboration with my son, Jared, who was both the composer and the sound engineer as well as my motivational companion. This album couldn’t and wouldn’t have been made without him. Joelle offered her easeful assistance with her lovely drawings. My son, Kieran, provided web design and support in his usual jocular manner. Son Noah provided perspective, as always. Jane gave me the idea and Leslie made it all look beautiful. Thanks to the oodles of friends and students, who generously lend me their body-sourced wisdom every day. As always, my gratitude for Jamie, my constant love.

May all beings be at peace,

Anne.