Here’s the sequence we practiced at our last yoga therapy group:
Opening Grounding (5 minutes)
Seated or reclined with one hand on belly, one on heart
Invite slow diaphragmatic breathing
Bring awareness to the space between navel and ribcage
Visualization: a warm golden light igniting like a small flame
Emotional check-in: “What feels heavy here? What feels strong?”
Optional affirmation:
I am enough.
I have the right to take up space.
Therapeutic purpose: establishes safety while orienting attention to inner authority.
2. Breathwork (8 minutes)
Option A: Kapalabhati (gentle)
30–60 seconds on / rest / repeat 3 rounds
(Modify for anxiety or trauma with softer belly pulses)
Option B: Seated Cat–Cow with breath
Inhale = expand chest
Exhale = draw navel inward
Option C: Belly breathing with resistance
Light pressure from hands on abdomen during exhale
Purpose: stimulates digestive fire and improves interoceptive awareness.
3. Warming & Core Activation (15 minutes)
Flow Sequence (slow and steady)
Seated torso circles
Tabletop core work (bird dog or knee-to-nose)
Half Sun Salutation (knees down option)
Chair Pose → Fold → Rise (repeat 3–5 rounds)
Strength-Building Postures
Warrior II
Crescent Lunge
Twisted Lunge
Boat Pose (or one-leg version)
Plank → Child’s Pose
Offer choice-based language and frequent rest cues.
Purpose: empowers one to feel agency and capability through safe exertion.
4. Empowerment Postures (15 minutes)
Hold poses longer with affirmation choices:
Warrior I: I stand strong.
Chair Pose: I can hold discomfort and grow.
Side plank (or modified): I take up space.
Dolphin / Forearm Plank: I build from within.
Invite optional arm-positioning as power symbols (fists, arms overhead, hands on hips).
Therapeutic framing: Strength as choice, not force.
5. Cooling + Emotional Digestion (10 minutes)
Gentle abdominal release poses:
Seated forward fold
Supine twist
Reclined knee-to-chest
Supported bridge (block or bolster)
Optional self-touch cue:
Hands over solar plexus to stimulate safety + embodied awareness.
Purpose: supports integration and “emotional digestion.”
6. Guided Visualization + Savasana (7 minutes)
Visualization prompt:
“Imagine a steady flame in your belly—warm, bright, unwavering. Not burning… glowing.”
Invite reflection:
What are you ready to release?
What feels newly possible?
End with silence or soft music.
7. Closing Reflection (5 minutes)
Group or journaling prompts:
“One way I will assert myself this week is…”
“What drains my energy? What fuels it?”
“What does healthy power feel like in my body?”
final mantra:
🟡 “I act with courage and clarity.”