Where can we soften? With Lauren Maxwell — EP58

Candice Wu 0:00

Where can we soften? And how do we invite our bones to change? In this episode, Lauren Maxwell and I explore finding pleasure, how to change the shape of your spine, where we can soften to support and know ourselves and the human task of learning to feel safe in your own truth.

Candice Wu 0:18

Lauren teaches people how to uncover the south and chaotic times and to heal their spine.

Candice Wu 0:27

Hello, and welcome. You’re listening to the Embody Podcast. A show about remembering and embodying your true nature, inner wisdom, embodied healing, and self-love.

Candice Wu 0:40

My name is Candice Wu, and I’m a holistic healing facilitator, intuitive coach, and artist sharing my personal journey of vulnerability, offering meditations, and guided healing support, and having co-creative conversations with healers and wellness practitioners from all over the world.

Candice Wu 1:01

Some of you have already heard about the dream class that I have on Skillshare. It’s a class on how to unfold and awaken your dream life so that you can harness the power of your dreams, take the wisdom of your dreams, and bring that into your life. And so this class is about how to record your dreams, harvest your dreams, or remember them and create intentions for your dreams that you can begin to collaborate with your dream world.

Candice Wu 1:45

It’s a class that is free until the end of January. So that means you can view the class for free right now. I would love to invite you to see that class and to take that into your life. And to also take a look at the future classes that I will have, that will invite you to explore your dreams through embodied and natural ways, and to feel into the meaning of your dreams. And bring that energy into the wholeness of your being and your daily life.

Candice Wu 1:59

So look out for those classes. And you can find this class at CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1. And if you do decide to sign up for a premium Skillshare membership, you can do so at the link as well and get two free months for free or some other special offer from this link that I’m offering at CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1. And that premium membership will allow you to access the future classes that are within the premium membership. That also includes other teachers and other skills that are being taught. All sorts of things like yoga, photography, arts, really interesting things. So feel free to check that out. And I would appreciate your support and checking out the class and giving me your feedback and joining in. So again, it’s CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1.

Candice Wu 2:55

Welcome back, everyone. It’s wonderful to have you here today. I’m thrilled to have Lauren as a guest here. I want to just give you a quick update by now. I’ve been in Ireland a couple of weeks, and I am getting adjusted quite well to the cold, to the mud, to working with horses. Last week I shared an alive now episode where I talked very candidly about what are the challenges that I’m experiencing and what I’m learning, what I’m going through, as far as living on a farm, being with four horses and learning natural horsemanship. All the things that I’ve never done ever in my life, and it has not been easy. So you can check that episode out at CandiceWu.com/horselifeireland.

Candice Wu 3:46

But for today let’s jump into talking with Lauren here on this subject of where can we soften on all of the wonderful topics that she brings. She has a zine called How to Uncover Self in Chaotic times, and very simple and basic practices that everyone can get on board with. I love how she talks with such a gentleness around herself and reminds herself where she can soften and be compassionate to herself.

Candice Wu 4:18

She is a creative human being who specializes in writing, storytelling, and her daily practice, and also is a Yoga for alignment back care and scoliosis teacher who believes in the transformational power of healing work. In her personal yoga practice, she was able to eliminate her back pain and change the shape of her spine. And what she found was she was laughing and creating more. And so now she’s honored to help others do the same thing.

Candice Wu 4:46

That’s really lovely to see how Lauren creates a soft open space for others to gently and lovingly come back to self. So she offers yoga ritual and intuitive coaching that is meant to empower others to navigate their life challenges in a way that honors their truth. And she loves helping others choose a softer paradigm for success to claim their creative channel in the world and step into a more loving relationship with themselves. So without further ado, here is Lauren.

Candice Wu 5:21

Today is a lovely day to have learned Maxwell on the show. Lauren is a creative human. She’s a storyteller. She’s a yoga teacher, she does yoga for alignment, back care and scoliosis. And she has this wonderful zine on How to Uncover Self in Chaotic times. And today over here, in Germany, where I am, it’s kind of gray, it’s very slow, it’s after the holidays. And Lauren, as I understand it, it’s raining over there. It’s the perfect weather to tune into the feeling of softening, which is one of the energies that you bring to the world. Welcome, Lauren.

Candice Wu 6:05

Thank you so much, Candace is such a pleasure to be here. Thank you for having me, it’s an absolute pleasure to have you. And I would love for you to just share a little bit about yourself, what you offer to the world, what interests you and who you are.

Lauren Maxwell 6:19

Thank you, I really appreciate your intro. And you know, the ability that we all have to step into these multifaceted identities because so often, you know, we end up kind of sticking with one label or another. But I’ve been exploring, you know how I am, a writer and a creative, and a student, and a teacher, and an intuitive coach. And I focus on back here I specialized in scoliosis, herniation, spondylitis, general back pain, and other things. And all my work centers on the idea of uncovering self and learning to nurture the truths that are there, whether that’s in a physical practice, or a spiritual or a creative practice. So the idea is to find and create together soft open space to really feel comfortable and doing that.

Candice Wu 7:14

That’s beautiful. I love the feeling of tuning into softness. And I’m so curious, when you first learned about that, or brought that into your life? What was that like for you?

Lauren Maxwell 7:29

Yeah, you know, it’s been a really interesting journey, and something that I think everyone might be able to relate to, in some way. Because the idea of softening can have to do with the physical body, or the emotional and energetic body. And often, in my experience, those things are very intertwined.

Lauren Maxwell 7:46

So for example, when I began my own path, in the back care world. I was living with a lot of back pain and had sort of a hardened, almost protective shell that I had developed with my own back and my own tissues. And as I began to work on that, I thought I was working on other things in a different plane, you know, inner work, work with personal development, and struggle and healing. And then eventually, it became clear that those are all related, and you know, everything is actually connected. And so the ability to soften energetically, physically, really had to do with thinking a lot about boundaries and protection, which enabled me to learn how to step into my truth with confidence and express that and be that in the world, without this sort of fear element and this need to self protect and hold. And so I think that the idea of softening can be really powerful, especially, you know, in a society that doesn’t necessarily encourage that.

Candice Wu 8:55

Absolutely. And when I think about what you’re doing with working with the back and the spine, and alignment, it makes complete sense, that kind of softening, that centering and healing also connects right up with the alignment of self, alignment of who you are, and truth. Is that how are you seeing that work for yourself and for your students?

Lauren Maxwell 9:22

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think in terms of the back, we can literally carry a lot there. And so for example, with me, I was also working at the same time with the chakra system. And over time, with the guidance of one of my teachers who was doing a really beautiful series on the chakra system, her name is Caitlin Heppell, she’s in New York City, I discovered that, you know, some issues I thought had to do with the heart chakra, were actually maybe money for a chakra, the solar plexus, and that is the center of self-protection.

Lauren Maxwell 9:58

And you know, we often find that we’re gripping there and I was finding at times that sometimes I couldn’t catch my breath, you know, the diaphragm was literally a bit tense and tightened up. And as I learned to soften into that, and release, because you know, it’s maybe working with healthier boundaries, or thinking about that in a different way, I was able to soften the breath, soften the solar plexus, learn to be in my body, and therefore in the world, in a different way. And that really did support my emotional work and healing as well.

Candice Wu 10:33

Beautiful. For a person who is learning to soften in that way. How do you describe that? How do you do it?

Lauren Maxwell 10:42

Yeah. Wow, this is such an intriguing question to me, you know, because I’ve thought a lot about pleasure. And the idea of allowing ourselves to live with the themes of pleasure rather than guilt and shame, for example. And I think that pleasure offers so many keys to our own healing, you know, if we stop and are willing to listen, there can often be signals or allies waiting for us there within a pleasurable experience.

Lauren Maxwell 11:17

And, you know, in the book, Emergent Strategy, which I’m reading right now, Adrienne Maree Brown. And I recommend this book to everyone it’s so great, calls herself a pleasure activist, and she talks about and this really resonated with me and the thinking and work that I’ve done around pleasure in my own life.

Lauren Maxwell 11:35

She talks about how pleasure encourages stepping into evolution and expansiveness and growth and confidence, you know, in its own way, whereas we’re living through a lens of shame and guilt, we’re probably acting from a place of constriction and limiting ourselves, and that same lens of fear that I mentioned earlier.

Lauren Maxwell 12:00

So, you know, I’ve really thought a lot about, when you find something pleasurable, you know, how can we listen to what it’s telling us, and also, I think, corresponds with what we mentioned earlier about how our society doesn’t necessarily encourage softening or pleasure, instead, we’re taught, that, you know, success corresponds with blood, sweat, and tears, and we have to, you know, grab the bootstraps and pull ourselves up. And there’s certainly something to be said, for you know, working through difficult times, and finding achievement anyway. But there’s also another approach that is within us and available to us, and is stereotypically, often thought of as more feminine in nature, and it’s more collaborative and more community based and more cyclical. And, to me, that does correspond with the ideas both of softening and of pressure.

Candice Wu 12:55

There’s so much in that with what you just said. I’m just taking it all in.

Lauren Maxwell 13:02

Yeah.

Candice Wu 13:03

Let the stuff get into me. I think, pleasure, it’s in my early years of healing work, I and yoga, and being in my body, I just had no idea how to feel pleasure, really. And I think that I had just conditioned myself to harden and to protect, and to survive. And I did that very well with all this tension in my body, and by the time I got to my healing work, it was like, okay, let’s feel through all this stuff. And I kind of like plowed through it. So it wasn’t in such a soft way. And then when pleasure came into the mix, it was like, oh, there’s a different way to do this all.

Lauren Maxwell 13:56

Oh, I love that. Yeah, wow, it’s so interesting, the way that we will approach our healing and unfolding work with that same, you know, achievement mindset, success mindset, milestone mindset, that we’ve been so programmed to buy into. And the writer and tarot reader, Sarah Gottesdiener, who did the many moons workbook has also influenced my thinking on this by talking about how, you know, healing is not linear, and progress was not linear. And that also ties back into these spiraling and cyclical patterns that we were talking about earlier, that are everywhere in the natural world, and that I think we have the ability to allow ourselves if we, you know, stop and listen and consider different patterns that we might start to adopt.

Candice Wu 14:45

Yeah, and to think of cyclical and moving in and out, and just how things can weave in and come loop back in sometimes or jump back to a different place to try to control all of that, is a complete hardening and, like, so much tension.

Lauren Maxwell 15:09

Yeah.

Candice Wu 15:10

So you have, one of the things you share in your biography is that you change the shape of your spine and you had back pain. Can you tell us about that?

Lauren Maxwell 15:21

Sure. So I thought that my spine was just built a certain way, and that I needed, the one that I was going to have to live with pain, and just kind of accept that. And it was really an illuminating and beautiful experience to meet a teacher at yoga union in New York City, who took one look at me and said, hey, we need to fix that shoulder. That’s probably why you’re having hand pain. Listen, do this practice and then you’ll probably start to feel better.

Lauren Maxwell 16:08

So I was sort of tied to my old thinking around yoga and the practice I’ve been doing for years. And I thought, oh, well, if I slow down and approach this differently, I might lose strength, I might lose flexibility. And she said, Lauren, but what if you can do something better for yourself on a deeper level. And I thought, okay, that’s interesting. So I tried it. And sure enough, my hand pain and back pain disappeared within about two weeks. And you know, I had tried physical therapy, chiropractic. And it’s not to say that those things aren’t valid, because they are, but it’s to say that looking at my spine in a very personalized and therapeutic way was transformative. And my mind was blown.

Lauren Maxwell 16:30

And I had been sort of drawn to studying yoga for a little while, but I thought, no program felt quite right to me. I felt like I was searching for something that offered a different kind of depth, and I wasn’t sure what that might be, or specialty. And then all of a sudden, it was like, oh, this is it. So I had some asymmetries in my spine, a bit of curvature and then most importantly, I had my upper spine, there’s a natural rounding in the upper spine that everyone should have. But mine was accelerating into hyperkyphosis, which is a bit more rounding than should be there.

Lauren Maxwell 17:07

And this, you would know, what I was talking about with a visual, the shoulders begin to round, the chest begins to collapse, the head begins to come forward off the spine. And this is really can be a form of heart protection, this can be just a simple issue with posture, for example, I’m very tall and also very relational and you know, my moon is in Cancer, I love connecting with other people. So I find myself often getting down on their level trying to get my eyes in the same position as theirs. And then, of course, all of our technology and devices makes it really hard to stand up.

Lauren Maxwell 17:45

And sometimes you have, for example, my joints there but hypermobile so that makes it easy to be slouchy. So anyway, I ended up doing this practice and what we do in the back care style of yoga, is take a lot of time to linked in and traction the spine. And then we also strengthen the postural muscles, so that the body can support the structure of the spine and learn how to sometimes stand in a different way.

Lauren Maxwell 18:19

So sure enough, after about nine months, I was seeing a chiropractor who takes X-rays regularly and we took my X-rays, and you know, my spine had changed. And it was just amazing that the hyperkyphosis was totally gone. And you know, I did grow. So I was getting a bit taller. So I knew that that had happened. And I also knew in my yoga practice, that things had shifted.

Lauren Maxwell 18:42

And so it was, you know, again, a reminder to myself, to try not to be results-oriented with this amazing X-ray. But also it is a wonderful validation to see, you know, the time that you’ve put in has been meaningful and has counted for something really important. And so it’s like, always that reminder and this is something I often share with my students, when they say like, talking about scoliosis, for example, well have the curves reduced, how many degrees, what are the numbers.

Lauren Maxwell 19:16

And I totally understand that because that’s where I started, because you want to live without pain, and you want to know that change is possible. And then the thing is, okay, the X-rays are great, but the true gift is living without pain is being comfortable in your own body, which when you’re at ease with your own back, your own shoulders, your own spine, then I think you can be more at ease and the world around you. And that also corresponds with living your truth and accepting it and presenting it as it is.

Candice Wu 19:48

What I’m also hearing from what you’re saying is that sometimes when we want something, it can lead us in the right place. Sometimes it doesn’t, but it can sometimes lead us, you know, to the right path. But then if we stay in that sort of militant path of getting to what we want, like the degrees of the back changing, or whatever, it can at some point limit us from what deeper healing there is, what deeper ease there is, and there is some letting go of, of that whole way of being.

Lauren Maxwell 20:27

Hmm. Yeah, I think that is a beautiful point. And it reminds me of what we were talking about in terms of like, the healing work being cyclical, and cyclical versus militant, if we were to call it that, you know, it’s like, sometimes you address something, and you really feel significant progress. And this could be in your back, or this could be in your emotional life, for your family life, for your own development. And you think, oh, wow, I’m just so proud of myself, I made some progress there. And then, you know, four months later, it might kind of reappear, and you’re like, but wait a second, I thought I dealt with this. And it’s a beautiful practice to learn to say, well, I’m just spiraling through the same thing again.

Lauren Maxwell 21:17

And it might not be as powerful or as controlling as it was the first time around, because I have worked with it. And I have grown, but recognizing again that it’s not a linear path that we’re on, but we will touch these things again and again.

Lauren Maxwell 21:31

And I’ve thought about this in terms of like, the sort of, like, deep, you know, painful struggles that we might go through, but also simply in terms of like, our relationship with our cell phone, for example, you know, like, this is something that we’re all very involved with. And it’s still like, I’ve had times where I felt like, oh, you know, I’m doing great. I’ve put some boundaries in place about what I want the dynamic to be between myself and my devices, you know, and this feels wonderful. I’ve felt like, my brain feels free and expansive, and then all of a sudden, a few months later, it’s like, oh, I think I’m spending too much time on my phone again. And it’s, you’re like, I thought I dealt with this. But yeah, no, it’s the cycle. And you know, we have an opportunity to revisit and reframe and it never has to be the same.

Candice Wu 22:19

Yes, I hear you. I definitely have that experience. You know, just yesterday, I was like, wow, this feeling of grief and fear is coming up and it’s so familiar, but actually, when I went and revisited it and took it to adapt, and a seriousness, like stayed with myself, it actually was a different kind of grief, like just another facet to the diamond.

Candice Wu 22:48

It wasn’t the same exact feeling. And it was coming from a different angle, it was touching in on some parts of my family system that probably experienced this kind of grief. Or actually probably didn’t experience it, but it was left behind for someone else to. But yeah, that cyclical nature, I find that even though it’s such a familiar feeling, if you go a little deeper, if I go a little deeper, I find that it’s something slightly different or a new part of it.

Candice Wu 23:21

So I’m so curious, what is the practice that you did for two weeks that helps everything shift?

Lauren Maxwell 23:31

Yes. So this was, you know, yoga for back care. And it is a very intentional way of looking at the spine and how to address it with yoga postures and breath work. And there are a few principles that I like to think about when working with people that worked in my own body. And you know, first, it’s important to decompress existing muscle patterns that might be pain-inducing.

Lauren Maxwell 24:06

And then it is also important to lengthen the spine like we were talking about, create space for new patterns to be formed. And then yes, form those healthier patterns, strengthen the postural muscles, or teach under working areas of the back, that need to work more or, but you know, all of these things.

Lauren Maxwell 24:27

And then also, there’s an integration component. And these are things that I’m so grateful to my teacher, Allison West in New York City. And also the kind of matriarch of Yoga for Scoliosis, out of the Ayengar System by Elise Browning Miller. They each have themes and principles that they work with. And then it’s interesting, because I think the different teachers in this system, all experience it in their body in different ways, and then you know, unique things to offer students.

Candice Wu 24:55

Beautiful. Sounds amazing. And it’s like this shaping and molding of the back and body.

Lauren Maxwell 25:02

Right, right. It is. And that has been fascinating for me to think about over the past couple of years, because I have a beloved, you know, body worker who, yes, supports the physical structure, but also works with energetic and emotional release, because like we were saying that those things are tied together. And I had a sort of some issues with a shoulder and she’s working on my right collarbone. And I said to her, are you moving my bone right now? And she said, Yeah, why not? You know, bones are alive and well. And they can be, we can work with them, we can negotiate with them. So that’s something you know, I talked about a lot with my own students.

Lauren Maxwell 25:42

And the bones are always regenerating new cells, so in that simple way of thinking about it, like, yes, why can’t you invite the bone into a new position?

Candice Wu 25:57

Yeah, I love it. Yeah, yeah. Well, it’s like talking to your body. It’s communicating and having this relationship and inviting it to step into something different.

Candice Wu 26:11

Yes.

Candice Wu 26:11

I love it. It’s true. And I love the listening component to because I think it goes back to the personal work, the work of uncovering self and the softening. There’s a lot of listening involved, you know, and on a healing journey, in general, it’s like, okay, am I listening to what my back is trying to tell me? Or am I listening to what that tight? solar plexus, the tight money for a chakra is telling me? You know, what’s, what’s there? What can I offer to that situation? What is that situation telling me and just with pain in general, you know, kind of like stopping to listen and say, well, what is the message here? And can I take some steps to offer compassion to that scenario, offer healing to that scenario?

Lauren Maxwell 26:58

Yeah, it gets such adept to how we can relate to ourselves and heal and feel more at ease in our bodies, like a whole slew of steps before we might need to take medicine, when we might do that in combination, or in compliment to but there’s just so much more. And I think we can often just like feel a pain and release a very past way of being for me, I’d feel pain and be like, oh, gosh, what’s wrong with me? Maybe I need to go the doctor, or what do I need to take to make this better, but there’s, it’s about that listening, as one line of, you know, connection with the pain or with the experience?

Candice Wu 27:50

Absolutely. And I think when you are willing to listen and offer that kind of combination of dedication and compassion, to your own body, your own spirit, really miraculous things can happen. And I do think that there’s absolutely a time and a place for Western medicine. And at the same time, it is very healthy and wise to say, what else can I be doing?

Candice Wu 28:19

For example, with back care issues? Often in the Western medical world, the thought is, well wait and see what happens and or do we need pills and surgery? And so in my mind, if there’s something that can be done in terms of simple decompression for pain relief, or breath work, then why not explore it?

Lauren Maxwell 28:40

Yeah, especially when we can tune in and support ourselves with it. Just right then and there.

Candice Wu 28:48

Right. It’s always available.

Lauren Maxwell 28:51

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 28:52

So what kinds of miraculous or maybe even surprising things have you uncovered? For yourself, like about self? About yourself?

Lauren Maxwell 29:05

That’s a good question. You know, one interesting piece has been opening the creative channel more freely. And I do think that creative channel and spiritual channel are very closely intertwined. And this is something that I had sort of experienced over the past year, and then recently picked up the book, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. And you know, it turns out, she’s been writing this exact same thing for 25 years, or something like that, maybe even longer. And so that’s so beautiful too, because it brings to mind that, you know, this is a universal truth and how cool that I kind of stumbled into it. But other people are experiencing it too.

Lauren Maxwell 29:49

And so the creative channel, a spiritual channel idea has been just like, yeah, there are so many ways to tap into the truth that is there within all of us. And sometimes it’s creative, you know, I like to do free writing in the morning, which in the artist’s way is referred to as morning pages. And it’s just kind of like, at least maybe three pages or so of unstructured, free-flowing writing. And I find that that’s where my ideas really shine through. Whereas, if I were to try to do this later in the day, after I’ve been tied into technology, and devices, and work, and expectations, and meetings, it’s a different experience. Writing is a very different feeling. So I love to be very intentional about that, not looking at a screen for a while until I’ve had that chance to touch in, do some writing. And then I find that that sets up my day differently.

Candice Wu 30:50

Yeah, just having that time to go inward and express freely before everything else happens in your day. Sounds really precious.

Lauren Maxwell 31:01

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, there are some days where the right thing might be to take a walk in the morning or to have a yoga practice in the morning. I tend to be a little bit quieter and more reserved in the morning and save physical things through later in the day. You know.

Candice Wu 31:21

Yeah, I’m not a stereotypically morning person. So the writing works well.

Lauren Maxwell 31:25

That’s good.

Lauren Maxwell 31:26

But I think that taking time for in whatever way works for you to connect with self in the morning, before you engage with the rest of the world is a powerful tool. And finding your right balance with things, what really works for you if you’re a morning or not person.

Candice Wu 31:46

Right, right. And, you know, I think tapping into your own truth in that way, often can help you present the best of yourself to the world, when it’s time to do that. So, you know, whether it’s in partnership, or in a job, or whatever it might be.

Lauren Maxwell 32:04

Yeah.

Candice Wu 32:05

So I’m curious, where are you on your journey and what challenges or struggles do you face nowadays?

Lauren Maxwell 32:16

Yeah, well, you know, one thing that has been a theme in my life for the past few years, is the idea of place, and this has become a challenge, because I’ve been moving around a lot, and kind of working between three different cities. And also, without knowing exactly what city I might end up in next.

Lauren Maxwell 32:39

So dealing with some unknowns, dealing with some moving and so, you know, the practice through me there is how can I look at this as an opportunity and a gift, rather than just focusing on the challenges and the struggles. Because the challenge side of it is kind of felt like, while my foundations are kind of like experiencing some upheaval, it can be harder to feel grounded, and really tap into the work that I want to be doing, the writing I want to be doing and that kind of thing.

Lauren Maxwell 33:09

But you know, the gift of it is place can teach us so much. It was a trip to Utah in 2016, that astounding, you know, National Parks there, that really kind of started shifting my brain and ended up you know, changing my career changing my lifestyle. Because in Utah, I saw amazing colors and just expansive sky and clear night skies, incredible views of the moon and stars. And I came back from that trip feeling kind of depressed, like, well, I’m going back to working on a computer every day feels a little bit limiting.

Lauren Maxwell 33:49

And I then thought.

Candice Wu 33:51

Yeah.

Lauren Maxwell 33:53

Yeah. You know, and everyone talks about, you know, post-vacation blues. So that’s nothing you need to me, but I started thinking, well, how can I experience that sort of mental freedom? Almost creative freedom, spiritual freedom, just like my brain feels expansive? How can I feel that in my every day, why do I need to save that for vacation, you know? And baby steps there lead from one thing to another. So yeah, that theme of places just still coming back.

Lauren Maxwell 34:23

For example, right now I’m working with one city where I live for a few years. I feel very comfortable, very known, have very dear friends, a very kind of safe haven home that I’ve created. And then a newer city where I don’t know anyone, but it’s a creative and exciting place and the new city is Nashville.

Lauren Maxwell 34:44

And you know, it’s like, the gift of that is kind of being able to express the latest evolutions of yourself to people and being seen in that way without being seen for like, who you’ve been for the past seven years or whatever, you know, and both are beautiful, right? It’s like there’s the gift of being known and appreciated and having your evolution witnessed by others. Sometimes they don’t understand and sometimes they do, and that’s fine. But there’s also a gift and just being able to present yourself as who you’ve become.

Candice Wu 35:19

Yeah, it’s so present in the moment, who you are right now.

Lauren Maxwell 35:25

Right.

Candice Wu 35:25

And no one questions it or is puzzled by it. You know, they just accept what it is.

Lauren Maxwell 35:31

There’s nothing to compare it to pass you wise.

Candice Wu 35:32

Right.

Lauren Maxwell 35:39

Yeah.

Candice Wu 35:40

Oh, interesting. Yeah, I think I didn’t know that about you that you were moving around so much. I think we actually have a lot in common with that, as you said to me before we started recording here.

Lauren Maxwell 35:54

Yeah, it’s really interesting to go from place to place. And I think the interesting thing for me is feeling at home in myself, regardless of what’s around me. And moving around has been able to give me that opportunity to practice that, like that my home is my body.

Candice Wu 36:16

I love that. Yeah. And I love what you’re saying about the evolution. The evolution of you being presented in this one moment or what’s evolved in you. And I think traveling, moving around from place to place really can bring that forward, for me as well.

Lauren Maxwell 36:39

Absolutely. And you know, there’s a lot of inspiration and changing place, and our observation of our surroundings, you know. Again, if we’re willing to listen. And so, about being at home in your body, I’ve really felt that too and had to ask myself, yeah, what makes me feel grounded no matter which space I’m in? And how can I, you know, I deal with in my, like, astrological makeup and my dosha, a lot of fire and air in a little water. So it’s like, Earth is the piece that I need to always be remembering to include, you know what I mean, so that.

Candice Wu 37:18

Yeah.

Lauren Maxwell 37:19

Grounding practices, whether it’s breath work, or opening the pelvic floor, or even just working with, you know, I love things like black obsidian and hematite. These kinds of things that can help center us back into ourselves and draw energy back in and make us feel protected and centered.

Candice Wu 37:39

Hmm, beautiful. Yeah, I think that’s such an important question. Like, what can make you feel grounded? And what really makes you feel like you? And getting in touch with the truth of you is a lot of your practice is in mind, too.

Lauren Maxwell 37:54

Yeah.

Candice Wu 37:55

Definitely.

Lauren Maxwell 37:56

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 37:56

So you have this beautiful zine: “How to Uncover Self in Chaotic times”. Am I saying the title correctly?

Lauren Maxwell 37:57

Absolutely. Yes.

Candice Wu 38:06

Yeah. Yes. And I love to the part about, I’m just going to quote you here, in you’re talking about shifting from “We have to suffer to succeed to well-being and pleasure, reframing and rejecting the patriarchal capitalist society. So when we choose to operate from this different paradigm, we issue a way of life that was formed on the backs of slaves, and the incarceration and abuse and marginalization of entire groups of people.” I was just astounded by reading that because it just completely resonated. It’s like we’re completely shifting to that softness, to that connection, and listening, collaboration and respect. That shifts what I guess can bring something different. And well, let me just ask you, what does that mean for you? I’m curious, how you feel into that.

Lauren Maxwell 39:12

Yeah, I think there’s so much there and really appreciate you, you know, taking the time to read and share that. And for me, as a white cisgender woman, it’s been, you know, really important to think about my own participation, you know, in racist society, in patriarchal society.

Lauren Maxwell 39:37

And there are some thinkers who have influenced me in this regard. Layla Saad online is one of them. Rachel Cargo, and they talk, they’ve talked a lot about dismantling our participation in racism in, you know, the white patriarchy. And a lot of times, you know, I feel like, it’s not my place to speak on these things, but rather to listen and to really consider how I’m benefiting from the systems. And then, given my intrinsic privilege, what opportunities do I have to, if any, to shine a light on marginalized voices, to use my privilege in a way that can help to tear down systems that I don’t necessarily agree with.

Lauren Maxwell 40:26

And that has really led to a lot of thinking about how, you know, our actions, really, when we can tie our actions to our belief system and to our values. So in behaviors, start to meet our values, that’s when you know, we can begin to change our own life, our own way of being in the world, and that can start to have a ripple effect on those closest to us and our communities. And that just starts to go outward and expand. And, you know, we’re responsible, first and foremost, for our own actions.

Lauren Maxwell 41:02

And so that’s why it’s really important to think about, okay, are these systems benefiting me? And what can I do about it? And I think that place where actions meet values is where meaningful change starts to happen.

Candice Wu 41:14

Hmm, that’s beautiful. I really like the feel of that going inward. That taking care of self and revealing self, feeling into wholeness and well-being for oneself to create the backbone of that shift versus there’s absolute beauty and all sorts of social justice and activism that’s out there, and people supporting one another. There’s just so much there that’s really helping change things. And I think that having this as the primary backbone to each individual, and then stepping into the world with whatever else can be offered is just so essential.

Lauren Maxwell 42:04

Absolutely. And I think it also relates to, you know, each of us being called to do the work within ourselves. And this applies to activism and to healing work, like, it’s so easy to talk about, you know, the issues that we see in the world. But until we really pause and look at our own lives and our own, the way that we’re acting and behaving. Is it relating to our deepest values? Or is it relating to what we think society has, expects of us or requires for success, so-called success? Or is it just kind of been programmed into us? And we haven’t stopped to think about it. So how can we stop to think about those things, take personal responsibility for our actions, and then seek collaboration and community in that?

Lauren Maxwell 42:53

And that’s another thing that I’ve really been working on is, how can I, you know, feel that sense of community around these beliefs and this work?

Candice Wu 43:02

Yeah, it’s one thing to do to it on the inside, which I’m very good at, like, I can work with my own inner world and heal so much. And I think that has a very collective unconscious connection. But then it’s also very supportive to find that community that you’re speaking of.

Lauren Maxwell 43:27

Yeah, I think so too. And that’s part of the process of learning to feel safe with your own truth. And those things are, you know, first, you learn, okay, maybe how do I work with energetic boundaries? How do I work with boundaries in the day-to-day? Then you might make a little progress and you might begin to say, you know, am I surrounding myself with the people who support me in this truth and who support the things and feelings that I want to be experiencing each day and those values that I want to live by.

Candice Wu 44:06

I’m just thinking back to when we began this conversation, and you talked about your back holding, and protecting, and being a bit of armor around the heart, and holding so much. And it’s interesting to bring that back to this part of the conversation about protection and boundaries. Because it’s like, creating new kinds of boundaries and protection that are on the outside, but also support this ease and well-being in your body. Because it’s like a replacement for the armor, the tension of armor that constricts the body, but rather, opens now.

Lauren Maxwell 44:58

Absolutely, I love that. And it reminds me of another point that I recently saw in Emergent Strategy by Adrienne Maree Brown, and she talks a lot about how these collaborative behaviors are mirrored in nature and how powerful that is. And so it’s like the oak tree, you know, can withstand crazy flooding, when the house is next to it are being ripped off their foundations, because the oak tree has not driven down into this singular, individualistic root system. But instead, it’s reached out to all the oak trees around it and has sort of intertwined its roots. And they have found so much strength together in that community. And I think that’s true.

Lauren Maxwell 45:42

But again, it always begins with self. And all right, how can I give myself permission to be true, be soft, be who I am, you know, if there’s pain blocking it, how can I listen to the pain and move through it? And then maybe once you get comfortable with that truth, you can start to sense who, around you, fosters and cultivates that? You know what I mean?

Candice Wu 46:11

Absolutely. It can be so powerful to do that. I remember one of the times where I was just really feeling alone, in my own healing work and discovery of self and where I was growing into. And I realized I had this belief that I had to do it all by myself, and to open that up and realize that there are other people out there that would want to talk about this stuff, too. It was an incredible feeling. And then I started creating a women’s circle. We met every couple of weeks, and it was just so beautiful. So I can completely connect with what you’re saying.

Lauren Maxwell 46:52

That sounds wonderful. And my next question was going to be how did you find that feeling? And I love the idea of a women’s circle. And I think that, yeah, these people are out there, you know?

Candice Wu 47:04

Yeah, I think many people are craving that kind of connection, where it is a safe place and has some kind of boundary around it that supports that free connection and authenticity.

Lauren Maxwell 47:19

Absolutely. Yeah. And it’s almost like, liberating in a way to know that you’re stepping into a circle or class or something like that, where depth of thought, depth of conversation is encouraged. Whereas in your everyday exchange, sometimes it can feel like, okay, not quite sure who’s into that. I mean, sometimes, you know, automatically, but I can be nice to just step into a space and know, this is encouraged here, just sharing, evolving together, supporting one another.

Candice Wu 47:52

And being able to be vulnerable in that way. It’s so precious as well.

Lauren Maxwell 47:58

Absolutely. Yeah.

Candice Wu 48:00

So let’s switch gears, Lauren. Would you like to play little lightning round?

Lauren Maxwell 48:04

I would love to.

Candice Wu 48:06

Okay, I have some fun questions for you. Let’s see. Let’s start with this one. What curious dream have you had lately?

Lauren Maxwell 48:14

Oh, my goodness. I’ve had so many because I’ve been kind of trying to learn to work with dreams, you know. But let’s see this is perhaps, oh my gosh, yes. Okay, I just remembered too, so now I know which one I’m going to go with.

Lauren Maxwell 48:30

I dreamed that I was in space. And I was on a mission to go save someone, like, on another planet. And I was with two friends. And this was the incredible part, the door opened and I could see the moon, and another planet, and earth. It was so close to me. It was like, I could reach out and touch it. You know, there were none of the normal space issues were there. I had no trouble breathing and I didn’t float away. So we were just able to open the door, experience space, and it was incredibly like, mystical and alluring.

Candice Wu 49:06

Wow, I can hear the amount of excitement, inspiration, and its empowerment in your voice.

Lauren Maxwell 49:14

Yeah.

Candice Wu 49:14

Thinking about this dream.

Lauren Maxwell 49:16

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 49:16

Oh, that one sounds really fun to dive into and embody.

Lauren Maxwell 49:23

Yeah.

Candice Wu 49:25

Cool.

Lauren Maxwell 49:26

I don’t know if the second one is interesting to you or not. But you know.

Candice Wu 49:29

Do you want to share it?

Lauren Maxwell 49:30

Why not? I had a funny dream that Connie Britton was, I ran into her and she just like, automatically became this, I don’t know, sort of maternal figure. She was hugging me. She was putting these beautiful clothes on me, beautiful hat. And I’ve always appreciated Connie Britton. So I thought that was amusing.

Candice Wu 49:54

Sounds fun. It sounds really fun.

Lauren Maxwell 49:56

Right.

Candice Wu 49:56

Right.

Lauren Maxwell 49:57

It’s like maternal energy, like, okay, how are we working with that? You know, these kinds of things?

Candice Wu 50:03

Oh, wow, that sounds really fun. Oh, okay.

Candice Wu 50:08

What is one daily ritual that you have?

Lauren Maxwell 50:14

Well, I have a few and I don’t necessarily get to them every single day. And I think, you know, we’ve made it clear that my yoga practice is very important to me. And I mentioned walking in nature. That’s really important to me when the weather allows, moving my body, getting the brain and blood flowing. But another thing I’ve really been finding value in this year is tarot cards. And I’ve been studying on my own and often pull cards to explore questions that I have, or upcoming events or transitions. And I find a lot of value in the archetypes and the symbols. And see it, kind of, as a mirror into my own wisdom.

Candice Wu 50:55

Awesome. Okay, um, what do you have doubts about?

Lauren Maxwell 51:02

Doubts that pop up from time to time about my own, you know, worthiness, enoughness? So being accepted by certain groups just how I see myself, you know. If I see myself as a creative or an artist, or writer. Do other people see me that way? And then I always have to kind of circle back and remind myself, well, it doesn’t matter. And you know, part of this whole process, for many of us, is releasing the need for external validation and external indicators of success. That’s one of those things that cycles back for me and I have to continually remind myself of my own sovereignty, my own, again, sense of truth. And that is what it is, regardless of who recognizes it.

Candice Wu 51:49

I love that. Absolutely. Yeah, I resonate with that, too. And it’s an interesting thing to want to fit into a group, like that you identify with in some way. And if we’re truly ourselves, we wouldn’t exactly fit into the way that the group is.

Lauren Maxwell 52:07

Absolutely. In the way that it is, because we’re adding something uniquely ours.

Candice Wu 52:14

Yeah, yes, it’s so true. And oftentimes, I think that ties back into the idea of a label, and we don’t fit cleanly within these categories and these labels. And sometimes, rather than trying to kind of smush these various facets of ourselves into one, why not just let it be what it is, and it might not feel totally comfortable in terms of what that label has made you think, should feel comfortable, you know?

Lauren Maxwell 52:43

Absolutely.

Candice Wu 52:44

Okay. The last question is, what job would you be horrible at?

Lauren Maxwell 52:49

Oh, that’s a good question. I think I would be horrible as a flight attendant, because takeoff and landing, especially if there’s turbulence can be a time when I have to deal with my own anxiety. I don’t need to be dealing with, you know, hundred other people’s anxiety as well.

Candice Wu 53:12

You might scare a few people.

Lauren Maxwell 53:14

Yeah, exactly. I mean, you know, I love teaching breath work, but I’m not sure that’s the place.

Lauren Maxwell 53:24

Like it’s being in a plane, it brings so much air, right, as you said, you’re already like…

Candice Wu 53:31

So true.

Lauren Maxwell 53:31

…air quality Vata, right?

Candice Wu 53:33

Yes.

Lauren Maxwell 53:33

Adding so much more air quality, the quality and sense of air to the body. So you don’t need more than that, more than what’s on the ground sounds like.

Candice Wu 53:45

Yes, that is so true. I’ve never thought of it that way. But makes sense.

Lauren Maxwell 53:50

Of course, it does.

Candice Wu 53:52

Well, thank you so much, Lauren. I’ve learned so much about you and about the type of yoga that you do, as well as I just feel inspired by this conversation of pleasure and softness, and community.

Lauren Maxwell 54:09

Thank you so much.

Candice Wu 54:09

Is there anything else? Oh, you’re welcome. Is there anything else you want to share today?

Lauren Maxwell 54:15

I don’t think so. I just really appreciate being here with you and the space that you hold for these conversations. And so thank you for that. And thank you to all of your listeners.

Candice Wu 54:25

And I want to give you just a little space to invite you to share your offer for our audience for all the listeners today.

Lauren Maxwell 54:34

Yes, I am so excited about that. And would love to offer a handful of free half-hour consultations for anyone who might want to explore themes of uncovering self. For anyone who might be living and dealing with back pain. And then also a discount on the first private session booked. So if you reach out to me via my website, email me and mentioned the Embody Podcast. We can schedule that together.

Candice Wu 55:05

That sounds like a wonderful opportunity. And do you work? It sounds like you work online as well. In different places?

Lauren Maxwell 55:13

I do. Yeah. With back care, we can talk about practical things like sitting and sleeping and how you might be able to support your own spine. And I can also share yoga practice of course without the hands-on component through online meetings.

Candice Wu 55:32

Great. So where can people find you as well as your zine?

Lauren Maxwell 55:38

Thank you. Yeah, so find me at softopen.space online and then over on Instagram at Lauren_only and Lauren.yoga. I would love to chat with you there, feel free to send a message and email. Whatever feels right.

Candice Wu 55:57

Thank you so much, Lauren, you are a beautiful gift to the world. And I can just tell that whoever comes in contact with you through this work or just in life is going to be touched by the softness that you do bring and the compassion that you’re bringing. Thank you.

Lauren Maxwell 56:17

Thank you so much, Candice. That means a lot to me. And I appreciate the chance to be here with you and the way you make us all feel seen and valued.

Candice Wu 56:30

Thank you. Okay, until next time.

Lauren Maxwell 56:33

Okay, take care.

Candice Wu 56:36

So great to have Lauren on the show today, I already feel that soft open space and that softness infusing into my being. It’s something that I come to from time to time, that gentleness, put that word soft, is so just right for me right now, to see myself with softness, to soften into what I’m feeling right now to just let the guard down a little bit and let things be easy, even through the hardship, even through stuff that doesn’t feel so easy.

Candice Wu 57:12

I hope you enjoyed this episode. And if you resonated with Lauren, check out her website at softopen.space and maybe take advantage of that 30-minute consultation for free and the offering of a first full session with a discount after that.

Candice Wu 57:32

You can also check out her taster, which is going to be a Pranayama. A breathwork practice from yoga that can support you in feeling into your alignment and what’s here now for you.

Candice Wu 57:47

Thank you so much for joining us today. And I invite you to check out that dream class that I spoke about earlier at CandiceWu.com/dreamclass1. And if you want to continue to be notified of other classes or received the self-love notes that I have for you every other week as well as the podcasts that go out, you can join the Embody Community at CandiceWu.com/embody.

Candice Wu 58:13

Also, if you’re interested you can join the Facebook Embody community where there are 5 to 10-minute videos from wherever I am in the world, just offering some self love tip or a healing meditation or experience from family constellations, somatic experiencing, or another bodywork practice that can support you and feeling like yourself, and moving through the daily stuff, as well as the trauma or whatever else is cluttering up your feeling of being yourself. And that’s the Embody community on Facebook.

Candice Wu 58:46

Well, I want to leave you with one more thing today. And as many of you know that Mary Oliver died just a couple of weeks ago. And I’ve been sitting with this poem that she wrote for quite a bit of time now since she passed away. And it’s called I Did Think, let’s go about this slowly. It’s from her elegy to her partner. And here it is.

Candice Wu 59:05

“I did think. Let’s go about this slowly. This is important. This should take some really deep thought. We should take small, thoughtful steps. But bless us, we didn’t.”

Candice Wu 59:34

So hope you take that with you as you go today. And give yourself that sort of forgiveness and compassion when you don’t do things the way you intend or the way that you feel you want to. Thanks again for joining me and Lauren today, and I look forward to seeing you next week on the Embody Podcast.

Introduction

Hello, welcome back. This episode is with my special guest, Lauren Maxwell, who is a back pain for yoga specialist and a coach. Lauren has a full podcast conversation with me at CandiceWu.com/laurenmaxwell.

So, check that out to find more about Lauren, and this practice here is a guided practice that includes mudra, which is gestures with the hands, as well as a few poses and movement to guide to into a breathwork practice, which is Viloma I, the pranayama that is from the tradition of yoga.

I love how Lauren talks about feeling safe and centered here, and knowing that you’re breathing, being conscious of your breath, as well as the mudra that she’s using that as the gesture of inner secret, protection from limiting beliefs and releasing beliefs, as well as how she explores with you how to expand the inner landscape of the mind.

Expand the Inner Landscape of the Mind

So, grab a yoga mat or find a space where you can do a little bit of movement with your body, grab a blanket, because you’ll need that for the practice, and enjoy.

Begin with Lauren Maxwell

Hello, and welcome. My name is Lauren and I’m so glad to be here with you today and honored to share a breathwork practice for centering and protection.

In the classical yoga text, the yoga sutras from Sri Patanjali, we learned that the point of all yoga, all its many components, is simply to still the fluctuations of the mind. We all know that the world today, especially does not lend itself to quieting the mind, there’s a lot of noise and a lot of chaos, and pranayama or breathwork is a beautiful way to find tranquility.

Working with the breath is a subtle and powerful approach to soothing the nervous system and shifting reality of the body, whether it’s the physical body, the subtle organic body or the emotions because we breathe all day, every day.

It’s easy to forget what a magical way this can be, to explore a sense of feeling safe and protected, and centered and grounded. So, that’s what I hope you experience after breathing today.

In Yoga: A Gem for Women by Geeta Iyengar, she talks about this beautifully. She says, “Just as the moon is not reflected clearly in the turbid waters of a river, so, also the soul is not properly reflected in an oscillating mind. A clear mind alone reflects the soul. For self-realization, the fluctuations of the mind have to be removed.”

Breathwork is one way to work with mind and body to help find that quiet calmness. The breath is known to clear toxins released move stored emotion, balance the subtle body or the energetic body, even help change the body structure and to shift consciousness.

I’ve experienced all of these things to be really true and powerful in my own life, so, I’m super happy to be able to share them here today.

Also, in Yoga: A Gem for Women, Geeta Iyengar says that pranayama studies the pulse, makes the body supple and the complexion radiant. The sutras also say simply that pranayama brings up your mind. So, pranayama, I think, has a bit of a mystery and confusion surrounding it sometimes. So, I just wanted to give you a very clear introduction to what pranayama is.

“Prana” means air or breath or vital life force, which is a really nice and simple way to summarize that, and “Ayama” means expansion of length, breadth or volume. When we join those two words together, we understand that pranayama means directing or controlling the breath or put another way, directing life energy through conscious breathing. So, it’s kind of gathering the magical life force of the universe and then using it intentionally within the body to produce the desired result.

There are many different forms and styles of pranayama, the one that we’re going to be exploring today is called Viloma I. Some of the breathing practices within pranayama are quite advanced and really should be explored with the help of an experienced teacher, but the Viloma I is one that is quite accessible and powerful that we can explore here together, today.

Viloma means against the grain and Viloma I is interrupted inhalation. So, we’ll be working with interrupting the inhalation very intentionally, and I’m going to talk you through everything. Ideally, in pranayama practice, we would prepare the body and mind, and nervous system together to really optimize the experience.

So, we’re harnessing vital life force and we want to make the most of it, right? Well, hopefully someday we can explore that in person together and for today, we’re going to be doing a few things to lightly open the ribcage and activate the energetic channels of the body so that the prana can flow more freely.

I have provided some images over on my Instagram, which is lauren.yoga to support your practice today, you’re welcome to reference that or simply to move through it as it feels best to you. There’s a blanket setup that I do recommend using, if at all possible, you can use any blankets or towels that you have at home, as long as they’re folded as firmly and neatly as possible.

Folding the blankets carefully is important because it enables the body to release fully into the support without any distractions. The point of this blanket setup is to open the ribcage and open the chest and support the entirety of the torso and the spine so that you can access the breadth and the depth of the lungs without any strain.

This careful preparation allows the pranayama to bring its fullest benefits to the body, the mind, and the nervous system. When working with the breath, it’s important to avoid any signs of stress or strain. The work is very delicate and uplifting, and not meant to be anxiety-provoking. So, if at any point, you find yourself experiencing stress, simply return to normal breathing.

That might be exactly what your body is asking for, today. We work with breath retention for many reasons, and it’s nice to think of it almost as a percolator. So, when we retain the breath, we hold this beautiful life force energy of the universe inside of us for a moment to let it work its magic and percolate and then we release.

If you experience any anxiety when you try it, just take a nice exhalation instead and try retention another day. This practice is completely yours, so, please feel empowered to ease into it and care for your own needs in a way that invites tranquility and peace for the nervous system rather than excitement.

Now, I want to invite you to pause the recording and prepare your blanket setup if you haven’t done so yet.

Now that the blankets are ready, sit down on the blankets and cross the shins in the middle of each shin. The feet will rest underneath the knees and you’ll find yourself in sukhasana or easy pose. The hands can rest on the thighs and take a look and see if the knees are up above the hip socket. You want the knees to be in line with the hip socket or below. If they’re above the hip sockets, no worries, simply take the head blanket off of your setup or find another tower blanket nearby. Fold it and place it underneath your hips. You want to add enough height so that the knees are in line with the hip socket or below.

The point of this is so that we can work with a long neutral spine. If the knees are above the hip socket, the lower spine is rounding. We already round our spine a lot in everyday life with technology or slouching while using our devices or sitting at a desk or in the car. So, we are choosing to work with along the spine here partly because it does open the energetic channels so that prana will flow more freely in our breathwork practice.

Now, that you found your seat, close the eyes, soften the skin of the eyes and soften the skin of the face. Begin to watch the breath. Be a witness to your own inhalation and exhalation. You may find that it begins to soften or deepen or expand. We’re going to work with a mudra today. A mudra is a gesture or a seal. Mudra translates to bringing forth enchantment or pleasure, which is a beautiful thing to work with.

The hands and fingers contained so much energetic content, that measure can be a powerful way to call forth certain things into our life or into our body or into our mind. Today, we’re going to work with Gupta Mudra, the gesture of the inner secret. Gupta Mudra provides protection from our limiting beliefs. It’s helpful for exploring and releasing limiting beliefs that keep us from experiencing the safety of our true inner being. It reduces stress and supports the function of the immune system. It helps to relax the shoulders, neck, face, and head, which can be helpful for neck pain and TMJ. Most of all, Gupta Mudra enhances a sense of centering and safety which is what I hope that might offer you today.

To begin, interlace the fingers loosely with the fingers pointing towards the chest. Interlace them so that the right thumb is on top. I recommend doing the interlacing towards the middle knuckle or slightly above depending on the size and shape of your hands and fingers. Now, bring the base of the hands gently together and if the hands or fingers feel too restricted or tight here, simply take the base of the hands apart and bring the interfacing of the fingers closer to the fingertips. Then bring the base of the hands together. Cross the right thumb over the left thumb, and bring the hands gently down in front of the abdomen.

Close the eyes now. Return to watching the breath. Now, soften the shoulders. Soften the neck. Soften the elbows away from the sides of the torso so that you find some buoyancy in the side chest and in the armpits. Allow the mudra, the gesture to be wide and soft. Sense the earth underneath both sit bones. From the support of the earth, reach up through the crown of the head lengthening the spine. Soften the shoulder blades back and down onto the back, nestling them towards the back of the ribcage. Keep the buoyancy in the sides of the chest as you widen the very edges of the shoulders. Now, maintain that width as you soften the neck, soften the eyes and soften the skin of the face.

Gupta Mudra, as limiting beliefs are released, I rest in the sanctuary of my true inner being. Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out. I know that I am breathing out. Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out. I know that I am breathing out

If you’d like, repeat these phrases with me internally as you continue to breathe softly and expansively.

Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Release the measure and open the eyes. Now we’re going to do a bit of movement to open the channels of the body and prepare for an optimized breathing practice. Stand and take tadasana, mountain pose. To tadasana, parallel the feet and stand with the feet at hips with the parts so that the outer ankles are underneath the outer hips.

Stand tall reach through the crown of the head. Widen the collarbones, widen the sternum. Soften the grip on the diaphragm. Soften the corners of the eyes and the corners of the mouth, and continue to breathe. Now, take both arms and reach overhead, Urdhva Hastasana with the reach of the arms we lengthen the spine and open the side of the body. We lift the sides of the chest which helps prepare us to access the lungs and pranayama. If you notice that as you’re lifting the arms, your ribcage is kind of shutting out in the front or popping out so that you can put the biceps next to your ears. Simply move the arms a little bit wider and forward in front of the ears. If the ribcage is popping forward, don’t grip it back into place. Simply soften it towards neutral so the spine can be in a soft, neutral position.

Working with a neutral spine, again is meant to prepare through pranayama, allow the nervous system to be quiet. If the rib cage is popping forward, then the kidney band is being pressed inward and that’s right where the adrenals are and can be very exciting for the nervous system. So, return to the reach of the hands even if they’re slightly in front of the body, and use that reach as you inhale to lengthen the spine upwards.

Sense the earth underneath the soles of the feet, and from there, lengthen up through the crown of the head and then through the fingertips. Take your left wrist in your right hand and pull the left wrist over towards the right and a side bent. Keep the feet sensing the earth underneath them, and open the left side of the rib cage, in a side bent. Continue to breathe. Breathe into the left side body and as you inhale, find spaciousness, as you exhale, side bend a little further.

Now, return to reaching the arms up, lengthen the spine and then take the right wrist in the left hand and pull the right wrist over towards the left, opening the right side of the body. From the planted feet, inhale spaciousness into the right side of the ribcage.

Exhale, side bend more towards the left. Inhale, find spaciousness and expand. Exhale, side bend more towards the left. Bind expansiveness and side bend towards the left. Now reach the hands up towards the sky once more, keeping the spine neutral and the ribcage and the kidney band quiet.

Now, if you’re in a place that allows it I would love for you to take an Adho Mukha Shvanasana downward facing dog. This pose is invigorating and is a great way to prepare the body for the rest of pranayama.

As you take downward-facing dog, focus on keeping a neutral spine as much as possible. This might mean bending the knees to take the hamstrings out of the equation. So, while you’re on the floor, use the strength of the arms and the shoulders to press the hips away from the hands. Press press press, bending the knees if you need to, and the focus is pressing the hips up and away rather than pressing the heels towards the floor. So, focus on the lift and pushing the hips as far away from the hands as possible. Soften the base of the skull here, soften and lengthen the diaphragm and push the hips away. If you’re ready to try straightening the legs here, lift the skin of the size up and back as you press the hips away from the hands. Continue to breathe. Smooth out the breath as much as possible, especially as the work becomes sensational.

After you’ve taken 10 breaths and Adho Mukha Shvanasana, place the knees on the floor and come up. Next, you’ll take a seat on the blankets and move into baddha konasana or cobblers pose. Bring the soles of the feet together and let the knees go wide. Place the hands on the lower shin directly above the ankles and use the grip of the hands to pull the chest through the upper arms. Lengthen through the crown of the head and keep the spine long and neutral even here. Soften the breath, soften the diaphragm and as the needs move away from one another, you may find that the torso can go forward.

For our purposes, we’re going to keep the spine long. So, if the spine begins to round and flex forward so that you can reach the floor, simply lengthen it again even if it means not going down as far as you’re used to. Lengthen through the crown of the head and then turn at the pelvis over the thighs and the spine simply moves along with the pelvis. Take 10 breaths here. Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Breathing in: I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out: I know that I am breathing out.

Next, you’re going to take a spinal twist and then move into our breathing practice. Sit on the narrow edge of the blankets and place both feet towards the left side of the body and place only the right sit bone on the corner of the blanket, both knees are facing forward and with both feet to the left side, cross the left foot over the arch of the right foot and sit tall. This is Bharadvaja’s, a seated twist, and all you’ll do is lengthen up through the crown of the head finding a neutral spine again, and then turn towards the right. The left hand will rest palm facing outwards with the back of the hand against the right thigh. From there, you’ll inhale, lengthen up and exhale, twist towards the right.

Place the right hand behind you as you twist with the elbow out and the armpit again buoyant, the fingertips can be delicately cut on the floor. Inhale, lengthen. Exhale, twist.

Now, come out of the twist and prepare to go to the other side. To twist towards the left, you will put the feet on the right side of the blanket. Put the left sit bone on the edge corner of the blanket, and with both knees facing forward, the right foot can rest gently on top of the left arch. Inhale, lengthen through the crown of the head. Exhale, twist towards the left. Place the outside of the right hand on the left thigh and widen the chest, soften the diaphragm. Inhale, lengthen, and exhale, twist. The left hand is cupped delicately behind you on the blanket if possible, or wherever feels most comfortable and you’ll use the buoyancy of your elbow and the side of your left chest to invite the spine to turn further and continue to breathe.

Now, we’re going to move into our pranayama practice for Viloma I. So, to begin, you will recline on the blankets with the pelvis on the floor. Go ahead and position yourself so that you’re sitting in front of the narrow edge of the blankets. Once you’re there, you will lie back. This is called Shavasana, and once you lie back on the blankets, place the leg straight out in front of you with the feet together and the feet lightly flexed. Now, pick up the head in your hands and glance down to put yourself in an aligned position. So, look at your feet and make sure that the heels, the pubic bone, the sternum, and the chin are all in one straight line.

Lift the pelvis very slightly and lengthen the tailbone away from the lower back. Adjust yourself if you need to, and once you found that line, gently place the head back on the blanket. As you do so, delicately stretched the back of the neck so the base of the skull moves is away from the top of the shoulders. This lengthens the vagus nerve, which is associated with the parasympathetic nervous system and enables the body to rest and restore.

Before you release the feet, place the arms beside you on the floor with the palms facing up. Gently press the forearms down into the floor to nestle the shoulder blades back onto the back. So, as you press, you lift the chest ever so slightly and invite the shoulder blades to go back where they belong, and then release the arms into the floor, soften the chest, and allow the feet to fall outwards from the midline into a soft and open position.

If for any reason you feel uncomfortable here, adjust your setup find comfort, add length, add height. If your chin feels like it’s up above your forehead and you can actually touch both to check, add another blanket or towel underneath your head so that the forehead is slightly above the chin. Once you found a comfortable reclined position, close the eyes and rest, we’re going to move into a breathing practice. So, here just begin to watch the breath, allow it to soften again.

You’ve prepared the body, you’ve invited the nervous system to consider a different way of being. You’ve let the body know we’re going do something here today. We’re going to explore safety, protection, and release.

To prepare, take a full and soft inhalation, and exhale completely. Inhale fully and pause. Exhale completely, pause. Inhale delicately, pause. Exhale fully, pause.

Now, return to unconditioned breathing. Hear the breath is soft. The breath is breathing you. As a reminder, if at any point during this breathwork you feel anxiety or stress, simply return to this place of soft normal breathing.

To prepare, take a full and soft inhalation and exhale delicately. Inhale completely. Pause. Exhale fully and softly. Pause. Inhale softly. Pause. Exhale completely.

And now, returned to unconditioned breathing. Soften the skin of the eyelids from the center of each eye to the corner. As you breathe, keep the eyes soft, the forehead soft and the jaw soft.

I’m going to talk you through a few rounds of Viloma I interrupted inhalation. To prepare, take a full and soft inhalation, pause at the top.

Exhale delicately and fully. Into the back bottom ribs, inhale one third. Pause. Into the sides of the chest, Inhale one third. Pause. Into the top chest, inhale one third. Pause. Take a tiny sip of air in, and exhale completely and gently.

Take a few rounds of unconditioned breathing, as limiting beliefs I released, I rest in the sanctuary of my true inner being.

For another round, take a full and soft inhalation and pause. Exhale gently into the back bottom ribs. Inhale one third. Pause. Sides of the chest, one third. Into the top chest, one third. Pause. Take a tiny sip of air in, and exhale fully and delicately.

Take a few rounds of I’m conditioned breathing. Breathing in: I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out: I know that I am breathing out. Breathing in: I know that I am breathing in. Breathing out: I know that I am breathing out.

Now, take a full and soft inhalation for Viloma I. Pause. Exhale completely. Into the back bottom ribs, Inhale one third. Pause. The size of the chest, one third. Pause. Into the upper top chest. Inhale one third. Pause. Take a little sip of air in, and exhale delicately.

Now, return to unconditioned breathing.

Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe. Breathing in: I know that I am centered. Breathing out: I know that I am safe.

For another round, inhale completely and gently. Pause. Exhale delicately. Into the back bottom ribs. Inhale one third. Pause. Into the sides of the chest one third. Pause. Into the top chest one third. Pause. Take a tiny sip of air in, and exhale softly.

Return to unconditioned breathing. With each breath, expand the inner landscape of the mind.

I’m going to leave you here and invite you to accept the support of the earth beneath you. Relish the feeling of centering and protection and enter softly back into your day whenever you’re ready.

Thank you so much for being here today. Before I leave, I want to take a moment to thank my teachers, Allison West and Caitlin Hippo, who have both influenced my approach to breathwork and also to Geeta S. Iyengar for her book Yoga: A Gym for Women, Anodea Judith four Wheels of Life, and Thich Nhat Hanh for his meditations. All of those people influenced this practice and I’m grateful for their work.

Thanks so much and have a beautiful day.