Breathing Meditation
Ojai Breath - A Yogi form of breathing
Use when you need to relax or to bring yourself back into your body and aware of your breathing. For sitting, standing or lying down.
Sitting feet flat on the floor or in crossed legged position. Drawing a straight line from sacrum up through the crown of the head. Lifting up through the breast bone and letting the shoulders fall away from the ears.
Standing connecting with the earth through the feet, engaging in the thigh muscles lifting up through the breast bone and letting the shoulders fall away from the ears.
Lying down arms at your side, feet flat with knees up or extending your legs whatever feels comfortable for your back.
Inhale in through the nose all the way down to the bottom of the belly, let the belly rise and exhale out through parted lips a HA sound, by constricting through the throat while the belly falls. Take in as many breaths as you need to move to relaxation.
Taking Inventory of the Body
Featured in both of Melissa Stone's CDs
This is a checking in with your self, use when you are trying to relax the whole body or one part of the body.
Start with Breathing Meditation and become relaxed.
Take inventory in your body, find where you are holding stress tension or negativity and send the breath there.
With each inhale surround the stress or tension and using the exhale release it.
Adding in some visualization, see the breath as white light.... your energy or chi, sending it to each stress or tension spot, surrounding the stress or tension and exhale it out feeling and seeing it leave the body.
Start from the crown and slowly move down the body until you feel the body move to total relaxation.
Sleep Meditation
Featured in Melissa's Mystic Meditations for daily life CD
Use when you are having trouble falling asleep.
Start with Breathing Meditation and become relaxed.
Take inventory in your body until you move to total relaxation.
Start to draw your upside down V
Close the eyes and use your eye lids as your movie screen.
As you inhale draw a line up and as you exhale let that line fall down
Repeat this process over and over again until you fall asleep.
Remember if you have a hard time clearing your mind. Just let the thoughts move in and out like clouds, do not take judgment or action on them.
If you find yourself thinking as soon as you realize it move back to the breath.
Letting Go of Stress
Featured in both of Melissa Stone's CDs
Use when you are having trouble letting go of stress, a situation or person.
Start with Breathing Meditation and become relaxed.
Take inventory in your body until you move to total relaxation.
Create a symbol of your stress, situation or person.
See it in your minds eye, see a cord attaching it to you like a balloon.
Inhale see it, exhale cut the cord and release it.
See the stress floating away and feel the body relaxing.
If it is something you need to pick back up later, like work.
Then tie the balloon to a tree on the way home from work and pick it back up the next day.
Success, Abundance & Vision Board Workshop
June 21, 2008, 10AM - 12PM
www.balancestudio.org
About Melissa A. Stone
Melissa Stone runs Balance Studio, a successful full service Holistic Spa and Fitness Studio in the Santa Cruz Mountains. She has produced two DVDs and one CD and currently co - hosts a radio talk show. Melissa is frequently quoted and has several articles published on the subject of holistic health. Her focus and intention is that of helping others find balance in their lives, using tools including fitness, body/energy-work, meditation and nutrition.
She knows what it feels like to be overweight, depressed and lacking in self esteem. After suffering for years she took matters into her own hands. Finding a Yoga and Pilates practice was just the beginning of a life long journey towards wellness. She is a graduate from Cypress Health Institute Santa Cruz, CA along with completing many other classes in massage, polarity and fitness. Gaining the knowledge of a whole holistic practice that includes exercise, body/energy-work, and meditation. Re-shaping her own body and her life using these tools. She decided to give back and pass on this knowledge to help others. Opening Balance Studio Spa in 2003, she left her 20 year long career working in the corporate setting.
