Need a short meditation to relax to at the end of class

Darbla

Darbla

New member
I'm looking for a short meditation to read aloud at the end of class. In a class I used to take, the instructor would have us relax in corpse pose on our yoga mats, and read a short relaxation meditation. So I'd like to present something like that to the group I'm working out with now. Any suggestions? Are examples of something that specific posted on the web anywhere that I can get ideas from and maybe even compose one? Thanks!
 
shiradotnet

shiradotnet

Well-known member
Are you looking for something yoga-related or something belly dance related? At first I thought you meant something belly dance related, but then you went on to describe what had occurred in your yoga class, so I'm a little confused.
 
PracticalDancer

PracticalDancer

New member
Shira, I have actually seen a yoga cool down used in a belly dance class with great success. It was in a 2 day workshop with Suzanna Del Vecchio. Both days she had us lie in corpse pose while she said the meditation. I was really surprised, and even a little uncomfortable at first. (I HATE lying on a dirty old floor!) But, the results were wonderful! By merely having us focus on relaxing and breathing I was able to cool down much better than I could have with stretches alone. At the end I felt very relaxed and energized -- which was startling considering how demanding the workshop was for me. (I was still working on endurance at that point.) So, I recommend this as a cool down method.

Darbla, having said all of that, I have not yet found a recorded version of such a cool down. Perhaps Suzanna has one on one of her videos? Let me look around and see what I can find . . .

Regards,

Anala
 
Darbla

Darbla

New member
shiradotnet said:
Are you looking for something yoga-related or something belly dance related? At first I thought you meant something belly dance related, but then you went on to describe what had occurred in your yoga class, so I'm a little confused.
Click to expand...
A bellydance class, but meditations like that are used very much more than just in yoga. I attended a reiki class that did the same thing.

If I could've actually heard what the instructor then was saying well enough to understand it, I would probably remember enough of that one to use as an example to compose my own. ;) But my hearing sucks so bad, I probably ought to start looking at hearing aids (ugh...). I don't even need recorded ones; written ones will do. Thanks for looking, Anala!
 
Marya

Marya

Member
Darbla said:
A bellydance class, but meditations like that are used very much more than just in yoga. I attended a reiki class that did the same thing.

If I could've actually heard what the instructor then was saying well enough to understand it, I would probably remember enough of that one to use as an example to compose my own. ;) But my hearing sucks so bad, I probably ought to start looking at hearing aids (ugh...). I don't even need recorded ones; written ones will do. Thanks for looking, Anala!
Click to expand...

One of my favorite yoga end of class meditations was the image of floating in a beautiful mountain lake. the instructor would just suggest this with words and then give us a few minutes in silence. I live very close to Mountains so this image was easy to conjure up. A Caveat. Mountain lakes are cold and I have a vivid imagination so while I loved the image I also felt the cold water. A nice tropical ocean image might work.

Marya
 
PracticalDancer

PracticalDancer

New member
After a quick search, this was all I could find: Yoga Breathing & Relaxation: Yoga Cool Down Exercises | eHow.com

not much, but it's a start. You may find a yoga DVD that has what you are looking for. My one caveat is that I would treat it like somebody else's choreography and state to you students where you learned the technique.

Hope this helps -- I am still searching for one I can use at home.

Regards,

Anala

(now, I have *got* to sign off and get back to work!)
 
shiradotnet

shiradotnet

Well-known member
How about Khalil Gibran's piece titled "The Soul of a Dancer" from The Wanderer?


Once there came to the court of the Prince of Birkasha a dancer with her musicians. And she was admitted to the court, and she danced before the prince to the music of the lute and the flute and the zither.

She danced the dance of flames, and the dance of swords and spears; she danced the dance of stars and the dance of space. And then she danced the dance of flowers in the wind.

After this she stood before the throne of the prince and bowed her body before him. And the prince bade her to come nearer, and he said unto her, "Beautiful woman, daughter of grace and delight, whence comes your art? And how is it that you command all the elements in your rhythms and your rhymes?

And the dancer bowed again before the prince, and she answered, "Mighty and gracious Majesty, I know not the answer to your questionings. Only this I know: The philosopher's soul dwells in his head, the poet's soul is in his heart; the singer's soul lingers about his throat, but the soul of the dancer abides in all her body."
 
Samira bint Aya

Samira bint Aya

New member
Dear Darbla,
I have the Plum Village meditations by the Zen master Tich Nhat Hanh. There is one for “loving the body” to increase mindfulness of the body, and a more general “conscious breathing” meditation for increased awareness of the breath.

I love them both and find them very calming and inspirational. I can mail them to you if you like.

Otherwise, you might want to check the website of the monastery at
Plum Village - Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh

they have a “Music and Poerty” section, you might find guided meditations there…
 
alosha

alosha

New member
i found a great guided meditation on itunes. there are others i downloaded but haven't tried them yet. and they're free!


go on itunes and search podcasts for 'guided relaxation garden'
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top