By Sarah Khan

About This Session:

A gentle, powerful conversation on how the spine and breath regulate your nervous system and your power The spine as the central energy channel: how breath and movement restore more than posture The real reason your lower back holds tension and how somatic movement brings ease Restorative poses that unlock safety and rest when you’re in overdrive One somatic pattern interrupt to shift from hypervigilance to grounded presence

Hi, I'm Sarah, founder of Dana Sara Yoga.
And I guide women, especially those who are high achieving, high functioning and often holding it
all together, back to a place of ease, stillness and embodied calm.
So today I want to share with you a truth that I've learned both professionally and personally, that
rest is not a reward, it is a rewiring tool.
And when we access it intentionally through breath, movement and stillness, we can shift our
entire energy system.
So it is not about doing yoga the right way or squeezing in another thing onto your to do list.
This is about coming home to yourself through your body, your breath and your spine, which is
your central energy channel.
And I'm going to guide you through a practice and we'll explore three poses, four part breathing,
Cat, cow, which is spinal waves and legs over the chair.
So before we get started, if you would gather a few props that are going to support you.
A few blankets or bolster for sitting and lying down, or an extra blanket to stay cozy and warm, a
pillow for your head to rest and something to cover your eyes like an eye pillow or a soft scarf is
perfect.
So let's get started.
We're going to begin with the breath, which is the fastest way to your nervous system.
And we're going to do four part breathing because it is more than just a breathing exercise.
Breathing is about balancing your nervous system.
It's about creating space between action and reaction and you're restoring access to your power.
Let's get started with our four part breathing.
Come to a nice comfortable seat.
Now you can sit or you can lie down for our four part breathing.
And it's four part breathing because we're going to inhale for the count of four.
We're going to hold for the count of four.
We're going to exhale for the count of four.
And once you exhale, then it's empty for a count of four.
Let's get started. We'll go through a few rounds together and then you can do some rounds on your
own.
Let's take a deep inhalation and if you have glasses on, let's remove the glasses.
Your hands are comfortable at your thighs.
You close your eyes and inhale and exhale.
And so closing the eyes, relaxing the shoulders just to get ourselves in a nice comfortable position,
drop the chin, just do a gentle inhalation and exhalation.
And on the next exhalation, please enjoy a nice slow breath in for 1, 2, 3, 4.
Hold the breath.
4, 3, 2, 1, exhale.
4, 3, 2, one.
And empty.
4, 3, 2, One, inhale.
1, 2, 3, 4 dot Hold.
4, 3, 2,1, exhale.
4, 3rd, 2.
One. Empty.
4, 3, 2, ONE.
Inhale. 4, 3, 2,. One.
Hold.
1, 2, 3, four.
Exhale. 4, 3, two, one.
Empty.
4, 3, 4, 2, 1.
And now see if you can gently inhale.
Hold, exhale, hold, inhale, hold, exhale.
And you are welcome to increase those inhalations to six count, eight count.
The thing is to have the counts, even inhaling, holding, exhaling, holding few more rounds on your
own into four part breathing.
And four part breathing can be a practice that you do.
Maybe you're going to five rounds, 10 rounds, maybe you set a timer for two minutes, three
minutes.
And now at the end of the next exhalation, come to just normal breathing, normal inhalation and
exhalation.
Hands on the thighs, your eyes are still closed.
Take an inhalation and exhale and open the eyes and just check in with yourself.
How does that feel?
And now we're going to move into our next pose.
And that is cat gal spinal waves.
Let's get started.
Now we're going to move into spinal waves.
And this movement lets you move gently into this spinal wave into the cat cow.
And this movement does more than just open the spine.
It unwinds stored up tension in your body and in your lower back, in your pelvis and your
abdominal area.
It resets the vagus nerve, which is supporting your emotional regulation and digestive flow.
And it's also a somatic pattern interrupt.
And that means it's shifting you from overdrive into a grounded awareness.
Now, this is the practice I return to over and over.
I do it every morning and especially when I'm feeling tired, tight, or a little anxious.
And let's get started with our cat cow spinal waves.
Now for our cat cow, we're going to come onto all fours.
And our feet and legs are nice hip distance apart.
Our palms are on the mat in front of us or on the floor, wherever is comfortable for you.
And you can also access on a chair.
Spinal waves. Sit comfortably on the chair and move in and out.
We're coming onto all fours.
We're going to be looking straight down.
Some normal inhalations and exhalations, normal breathing.
And now on your first inhalation, when you exhale, bring your belly to your navel and exhale.
Belly in and pelvis down.
And you're exhaling.
Now inhale, bring the heart forward and externally rotate.
Your heart's coming forward and you're externally rotating your pelvis.
Then you exhale down, engage the Abdominals, inhale up.
Think of this like a wave.
You're exhaling and inhaling and exhaling and inhaling.
And make this movement gentle.
Your spine is opening.
You can reach back, you can come forward, move to the side and around.
Just explore the pose of moving the pelvis up and exhale back.
Cow and cat exhale and just allow the breath to take you soft, wherever it wants to go.
And when you complete, come to a neutral position, take a few inhalations and exhalations and
bring yourself back to sitting.
And so cat, cow, spinal waves.
You can do 10 rounds, 15 rounds.
Set the timer for 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and enjoy the spinal waves.
And now we're going to move into our legs over a chair.
Let's get started.
Gather a pillow for your head, a blanket to lie on top of, and a blanket to cover.
And don't forget, maybe you want that eye pillow.
Why I love legs over the chair.
This pose supports circulation, regulation of the adrenaline, fatigue, and brings your body into its
parasympathetic rest and digest state.
This pose tells your body you're safe, you can soften, and you don't have to carry it all.
Let's get started.
You can see I have a pillow for my head.
I'm lying down on a blanket, so it's a little bit cozier.
And I have a blanket set up that I'm going to cover myself with.
Come down, the legs are going to be in front of you, and you're going to bring yourself down and
slide your legs right over the chair.
Now you can place your legs right over the couch as well.
Make sure you grab on to your blanket for covering and keep it on the side.
So you swing your legs over.
Your legs come down.
Your head on your pillow and your legs are in a little bit of an angle.
And your back is nice and comfortable on the floor.
And you have something to cover.
Remove your glasses, your palms face up.
And you close your eyes.
And now you take some nice, gentle, cleansing breaths.
Soft inhalation and exhalations.
You can place your hands at your side, or if it feels more comfortable, on your belly.
And you can wrap yourself with your blanket nice and cozy.
You allow the breath to come to a natural, normal pattern.
Soften the eyes and allow yourself to look inward.
This is my inward journey.
And you can do these legs over the chair at the end of the day, at the beginning of the day, in
between.
It's wonderful for when you're traveling, taking the pressure off after hours of either sitting, when
you deeply just Allow the thoughts to come and go.
Bring your awareness to your facial muscles and release and relax.
The throat, the shoulders, chest, the belly, the arms, the spine allow everything to soften.
The pelvis softens.
The legs are supported, and the feet and the toes.
And with each deep inhalation, you go deeper into your relaxation.
And as you're looking inward, notice how the breath finds its way.
You can think of the breath like a wave.
And when you feel satisfied, come to stillness and silence.
Enjoy. Legs over the chair for 5, 10, 15 minutes, whatever is comfortable for you.
Set the timer and enjoy.
And when you're ready to come out of the pose, bring your feet right on to the top of the chair
seat.
Hands on the belly.
Take a moment. As you re enter, roll over to whichever side is comfortable and stay for a moment.
When you're ready, use your hands to bring yourself up to sitting.
Now take a moment here to check in.
How does your breath feel now?
What shifted in your body or your mind?
And is there more space now?
These practices are not about fixing you.
They're about reconnecting you with your body, your energy, and your truth.
Try this sequence once a day for five days.
And if it feels good, try it for another five days.
This is how you start to rewire your energy with small sacred rituals that meet you where you are.
And the best part of this sequence is that you can break it down in any way that feels right for you.
Each pose stands on its own.
If you're feeling spinal waves, slide right in and enjoy the movement and your breath.
Your body will let you know when it is time to end.
I hope these practices support you as you continue to reclaim your energy.
One breath, one moment at a time.
So to learn more about my offerings and ways to work together, visit my
website@www.donnaserayoga.com.
and I thank you for being here with me today.
Namaste and Shanti. Peace.
Peace, Peace.
Thank you.