Living Your Yoga With Dr Melissa West

Your hips don't need another passive stretch. They need context, strength, and internal rotation. If you are dealing with a deep glute ache, front-of-hip pinching, or a lower back that takes over every time you move, traditional "hip opening" classes might actually be making your problem worse. Roll out your mat for this full-length functional flow to experience what the yoga industry gets wrong about your hips and discover the exact strength habits that actually bring lasting relief. In this full-length functional yoga class, we challenge the mainstream narrative of passive flexibility. Instead of collapsing into floor stretches that cause your nervous system to grip and lock down, we focus on active ranges of motion, deep hip flexor strength, and the missing link in most yoga practices: internal rotation. By building stability and giving the joint capsule neurological safety, you can finally find true, lasting freedom in your movement. What you will need for this practice: Two yoga blocks If you enjoy

Autumn Yin Yoga and Somatic Release for Deep Grounding and Anxiety Relief Is your mind stuck on a non-stop loop, rehearsing future conversations or obsessively trying to predict outcomes just to feel safe? When anxiety takes over, it doesn’t just stay in your head. It locks down your physical body. You might find yourself breathing shallowly into your chest or experiencing total brain fog. Maybe you spent the entire day staring intensely at screens, leaving your eyes strained, your posture rigid, and your energy completely disconnected from your lower body. If you try to go into long yin holds when you're this spun up, turning down the external noise can actually make the internal anxiety feel even louder. Instead of forcing yourself to "calm down" this class creates a somatic bridge. In this 60-minute Yin Yoga class for Anxiety and Grounding, we are doing things differently. Instead of forcing your body into deep, mechanical stretches or fighting a racing mind, we will use gentle, brain-reorganizing and n

Are you tired of holding everything together, but finding it hard to let go? As autumn routines fill the calendar and the days grow shorter, you may find yourself wanting more rest while still planning, managing, and holding everything together. Unfinished tasks and conversations might be following you into your quiet times, preventing rest. Even when you lie down, your mind may keep working. This 30-minute yoga nidra for letting go offers a place to set some of that down. Through guided body awareness, breathing, and autumn imagery, you’ll have time to soften physical holding, make room around a busy mind, and rest with some questions still unanswered. You don’t have to know how to let go before you begin. You’re welcome here with your thoughts, your feelings, and whatever remains unfinished. In this practice, I’ll guide you through:

Gentle Beginner Somatic Pilates for Core Stability | Single Leg Circles | YWM 774 Explore core stability without strain in this gentle beginner Somatic Pilates class. Through somatics you will mobilize your pelvis, hip joints, ribs and breath before building toward the beginner Pilates Single Leg Circle. This class will help you: Discover core support Improve awareness and mobility in the hip joints Reduce unnecessary effort in the neck, jaw and ribs Explore Single Leg Circles with more comfort and ease

Gentle Lung Opening Qigong Yoga Flow for Autumn Draw in the pure qi of the heavens and let each exhale release what is complete in this Gentle Lung Opening Qigong Yoga Flow for Autumn. Inspired by autumn light shining through the leaves like cathedral windows, this practice invites you to experience each inhale as inspiration. Each breath is an opportunity to receive fresh, nourishing qi. Each exhale offers space to soften, release, and let go. This gentle qigong yoga flow for the lungs includes breathing from the heels, Cloud Hands, Circling Sparrows, Crane Qigong, White Healing Mist, and flowing yoga movements for the spine and rib cage. Together, these practices encourage whole-body breathing, create more space around the chest and lungs, and connect your breath with the support of the earth beneath you. Drawing on the wisdom of the Metal element, this autumn qigong yoga flow supports strong lungs and better breathing while honouring the seasonal movement of receiving and releasing. Let the breath move

Feeling scattered, overwhelmed, or like your nervous system is on high alert? Are you feeling ungrounded or dysregulated, like it is impossible to find a sense of safety within your own body? YMaybe you feel "tired and wired" or you have a racing mind, or a persistent sense of anxiety that makes it hard to be present.  This somatic meditation will welcome all of you, including the parts that feel anxious and dysregulated In this guided somatic meditation (YWM 772), we focus on: Connecting with Support: Realizing that you don’t have to carry it all alone. We explore the support that is already present beneath you and around you. Grounding through Presence: Moving from your "thinking" brain into your "feeling" body to find stability. Emotional Regulation: inviting your nervous system to move from a state of high alert into a state of reassurance and ease. The Power of the Pause: Cultivating the confidence to stop, notice, and simply exist in the present moment without judgment. If you are navigatin

Are you feeling stiff and tight? Many of us have achy hips, tight hamstrings, and a feeling of being overwhelmed. When your nervous system is on high alert, it’s hard to find your center. In this Hatha yoga class, we use the story of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, to help you move through the physical and emotional blocks holding you back. Through deep hamstring stretches, hip openers, and the stabilizing challenge of Half Moon pose, you will: Release Chronic Tension: Ease the physical "grip" in your hips and legs that contributes to lower back pain. Regulate Your Nervous System: Shift from a state of burnout or shock into a grounded, calm presence. Cultivate Inner Stability: Use balancing poses to build the inner resources needed to handle life’s obstacles with ease. This practice will help you feel more centered, focused, and ready for your day. In this video: Ganesha storytelling for overcoming life’s hurdles Deep hamstring and hip opening sequence Step-by-step guidance into Half Moon (Ard

When lower back pain makes it difficult to sit, stand, walk or even lie down comfortably, it can feel as though there is no safe way to move. Maybe the pain returns every morning, flares “out of nowhere,” or has left you carefully monitoring every bend and twist. Perhaps you have tried stretching, strengthening, physiotherapy or chiropractic care and still feel at your wit’s end. This gentle 35-minute yoga practice offers a simple place to begin, with easy-to-follow movements to help ease tension, mobilize your spine and hips, and help your body feel less guarded. At the end, I will guide you through a short somatic experiment that may reveal how much effort you are using to protect your back and what else might be possible. ✨ The real gold is inside my Inner Radiance Membership, where we move beyond temporary relief and explore how to rebuild comfort, movement choice and confidence. In Lower Back Pain Relief | Somatic Movement Education, our new 60-minute class, you will discover how to move so your lower

If you are feeling overwhelmed by chronic stress, physical tension, or just "tired and wired" you are not alone. Especially in the summer heat, heatwaves, and hot weather most of the world has been experiencing this summer. When your nervous system is stuck in a state of high alert, it can manifest as persistent anxiety, chronic pain, and a mind that won't shut off. This somatic meditation is designed to find safety in your body, helping you move from a state of survival into deep, restorative rest. By the end of this class, you’ll experience a sense of inner calm, reduced physical discomfort, and a more regulated vagus nerve, leaving you feeling grounded and resilient for your daily life. Take Your Practice Deeper: Join Our Membership Community If you are ready to move beyond daily regulation and create lasting change, I invite you to join our Yoga with Melissa membership community. When you join, you’ll gain immediate access to our comprehensive two-month nervous system reset: Month 1: Settle Your Nervou

30 min Somatic Pilates for BEGINNERS: Build Core Strength with Ease | YWM 768 Link to Become a Member https://melissawest.com/membership Experience a 30-minute Somatic Pilates class designed specifically for beginners who want to build core strength without the traditional "burn" or unnecessary tension. In this class, we move away from high-intensity precision and instead focus on ease, coordination, and relational movement. Many traditional Pilates classes focus on isolating muscles, which can often lead to aching shoulders and neck strain. Through my somatic lens, I’ll show you how to distribute effort throughout your entire body, allowing your core to strengthen naturally as part of a whole-body symphony. In this 30-minute somatic pilates session, you will: Learn to move with ease rather than force. Widen participation across your body to reduce muscle over-recruitment. Improve coordination and find your natural alignment. Build sustainable core strength that feels good in your body. Whether

This Yoga Nidra is designed to help you meet exhaustion with loving acceptance. By shifting your nervous system out of activation and into a parasympathetic "rest and digest" state, you allow your body to prioritize recovery over vigilance. Studies suggest that just 1 hour of Yoga Nidra can provide physiological rejuvenation comparable to multiple hours of conventional sleep. This practice gently leads you through alpha and theta brainwave states, mimicking the deep, restorative repair processes of sleep. In this session, you will: Shift from "doing" to "being." Release the grip of exhaustion through gentle, easy attention. Support your nervous system’s natural recovery. Experience deep rest that refreshes your energy. This is a practice of total permission. Over the next 30 minutes, you have nothing to do and nowhere to be. Whether you stay awake or drop into sleep, you are exactly where you need to be. All parts of you, including your exhaustion, are welcome here.

Standing Vagus Nerve Rest | Gentle Yoga Flow for CALM | 30 mins| YWM 766 Check out my two month long programs on calming your nervous system https://melissawest.com/membership Feeling overwhelmed, over-stimulated, or just need a vagus nerve reset? This 30-minute standing gentle yoga flow is designed specifically for Vagus Nerve regulation and nervous system support. Most vagus nerve exercises look like the same few techniques repeated over and over. In this standing yoga practice, we'll explore lesser-known nervous system resets that combine movement, breath, vision, sound, and sensory awareness to help you feel calmer, more grounded, and more connected to your body. When stress, anxiety, and overwhelm leave you feeling disconnected from yourself, your nervous system needs a reset. In this standing yoga practice, we'll explore creative movement, breath, sound, eye yoga, and awareness practices designed to help you shift out of survival mode and reconnect with a greater sense of ease, presence, and regula

Qigong Yoga Flow for Summer Insomnia: Release Heat & Anxiety to Sleep Deeply |YWM 765 In this nourishing Qigong yoga fusion, we focus on the Fire element to help you release the accumulated heat and restless energy that often lead to summer insomnia. When the Fire element is out of balance during these long, hot days, it can manifest as a "tired but wired" feeling, racing thoughts, and a literal physical heat that makes deep rest feel impossible. This class is specifically designed to soothe the Heart protector and calm the nervous system through gentle, cooling movements and rhythmic breathwork, allowing you to transition from the active "Yang" energy of the season into a restorative "Yin" state for the night ahead. We will move through a series of yoga flows and traditional Qigong clearing exercises to vent excess heat and dissolve the anxiety that keeps you awake. By focusing on the meridian lines associated with the heart meridian, this practice helps ground your energy and quiet the mind, making it th

Yoga Nidra Quiet Your Mind & Rest Your Body | Yoga with Melissa 764

12 Daily Standing Yoga Poses for Vagus Nerve Regulation & Morning Calm Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here:

Yoga Nidra for High Functioning Anxiety and Burnout Recovery YWM 762 Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here:

Stop Stretching Your Shoulders Like This | Yin Yoga for Real Relief Feel Incomplete & Curious?

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Full Body Yin Deep Tissue Release for Pain & Tension YWM 759 Get my Yin Yoga Book

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