Online Classes with Laura

Each class is available as an .mp3 file that can be played on the computer or on an mp3 player.

Windows User: Right-Click on the link to download.
Mac Users: Option-Click on the link to download.

YOGA

5-Minute Stretch Series: Yoga at your desk. Who doesn’t need it? This series is for those of you sitting at your computer who just need a quick break.

20-Minute Yoga Series: Let Laura guide you through a yoga session. Each is around 20 minutes not including Savasana. Follow the session with a Savasana selection.

Energizing Series: Use this session when you need some energy.
Calming Series: This series will help you relax,
even when you begin agitated. The class
begins with standing poses so you can
expel some of the pent up energy before calming down.

Savasana Series: Finally, an opportunity to have Laura guide you through a Savasana in comfort of your own home. (Now you can finally just stay there and sleep if you choose to do so!) Laura will guide you through an entire Savasana including the bell ringing so you needn’t pay attention to the time. You can just completely relax. (Isn’t there a couple of meditations that I have that I mentioned are useful as Savasanas? Add them here.)

“Aligning in Savasana” – Learn how to physically align
the body symmetrically in Savasana. This Savasana is
taken from Richard Rosen’s book, Pranayama and guides
you through setting up your Savasana to make it the most
symmetrical you can. The directions are followed by a 5 minute Savasana.
20-Minute Traditional: Let Laura guide you through a brief relaxation to
release into your Savasana. Then, enjoy the 10 minutes
of silence, knowing the bells will bring you out of the relaxation.
(Please excuse the background noise. Use it as an opportunity to deepen your focus.)
"Lure of the Breath" (8 minutes) -
This reading is from "The Breathing Book" by Donna Farhi. It is a
very calming breathing exercise and can be used for
general relaxation sitting at your desk or as a guided Savasana.

MEDITATION

VARIOUS MEDITATION TECHNIQUES: Let Laura guide you through various meditation techniques. Some come from books and others from her experience. Some of these are appropriate for Savasana as well.

“Inhale-Exhale” (10 minutes) – A popular meditation
from Thich Nhat Hanh, this gentle meditation session
will guide you through listening to your breath.
The total quiet meditation time is 8 minutes.
Moving Beyond Your Thoughts: Use this meditation to help you move
beyond the distracting thoughts that keep your
mind from fully relaxing. Use this meditation to begin to bring
your awareness to your Witness, the part of you that exists beyond the distracting thoughts.
Entering the Heart: (2 1/2 minutes) This meditation is taken from a lovely book called: "The
Heart of Meditation: Pathways to a Deeper Experience"
by Swami Durgananda. It can be used as a guided
meditation or a guided Savasana.
Meditations to Release Your Klesas (13 minutes): This session is to help you open yourself up whenever you find yourself blocking Universal Energy from flowing through you. Whenever we are feeling attached to something, either because we really don’t want it in our life or we really do want it, or we are feeling fear, or we are over-identifying with our ego, or we are judging ourselves or another, we block the flow of energy through our bodies. This meditation is to help you free yourself from the block to again allow the flow to be free both in and out of your body. This session was recorded in front of a live class.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION SERIES
These meditations are taken from the book Beginning Mindfulness: Learning the Way of Awareness by Andrew Weiss. The book consists of a 10-week course for learning about mindfulness meditation. Laura is recording the meditations from this series each month. Enjoy moving more deeply into a mindfulness practice. She highly recommends the book for learning more about mindfulness.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week One (7 minutes): This meditation has you focus on your breath, counting each one. The recording is 7 minutes with the meditation portion being 5 minutes. Laura rings the ting-sha bells each minute to bring your attention back to the meditation.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week Two (12 minutes): This meditation begins with counting each breath, just like Week One. Then we will focus on the turn of the breath, the moment when you change from an inhale to an exhale and then an exhale to an inhale. Laura rings the ting-sha bells each minute to bring your attention back to the meditation.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week Three (10 minutes): This meditation is similar to Week Two. We begin with counting the breath and then turn to noticing the change in the breath. In this week’s meditation, though, you will decide when to change your focus. You will use the counting to quiet yourself and then become aware of the change in your breath when you feel quiet enough. You will also pay attention to thoughts that come up, naming the feeling attached to it. Laura rings the ting-sha bells each minute to bring your attention back to the meditation.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week Four (13 minutes): In this session we begin with counting the breath. Then we will turn to feeling the space in the body the breath creates. Feeling it first in our belly and then our arms and legs. Then we will notice that with this spaciousness, we begin to feel sounds within us rather than letting our attention be drawn out of us toward the sound. Laura rings the ting-sha bells each minute to bring your attention back to the meditation.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week Five (11 minutes): In this session we begin with being aware of the breath. We will then develop our mindfulness around our body, sending compassion from the head to the toes.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week Six (11 minutes): In this session we begin with being aware of the breath. We will then bring our mindfulness work to our emotions. Feeling our emotions, experiencing them fully and still being grounding and mindful of our bodies. Laura rings the ting-sha beels each minute to bring your attention back to the meditation. This meditation was recorded in front of a live class.

Mindfulness Sessions: Week Seven (11 minutes): The focus of this session is becoming aware of our process of thinking. We will begin with the awareness of our breath and Laura will offer mindfulness foci throughout the meditation. Laura rings the ting-sha beels each minute to bring your attention back to the meditation. This meditation was recorded in front of a live class.

You Are an Ocean of Space (10 minutes): For this meditation, you will first focus on your breath and connecting with it. Then you will envision yourself as open and spacious, moving beyond the outlines of your body. A very relaxing and empowering meditation. This meditation is taken from Swami Durgananda’s book The Heart of Meditation. It was recorded in front of a live class.

The Light of Consciousness (10 minutes): For this meditation, you will first focus on your breath and connecting with it. Then I will guide you into noticing the light of consciousness that is behind all that you think and do. This meditation is taken from Swami Durgananda’s book The Heart of Meditation. It was recorded in front of a live class.

BREATHING / PRANAYAMA

Pranayama/Breathing Series: Use these breathing techniques to help you more deeply relax and unwind. They are all simple and can be done by anyone.

Pranayama sessions inspired by Richard Rosen’s book: The Yoga of Breath.

The Stop-and-Wait Breath (22 minutes) This session is the first of control the breath. We will work on extending the pause after the inhalation and the pause after the exhalation. The session is followed by a 5-minutes Savasana.

Space and Texture (22 minutes) This session will help yourelax and learn more about your breath. We begin by counting the length of the inhale and exhale, then we notice where we feel each aspect of the breath in the body, and finally we pay attention to the pause just before the inhale and then the exhale. The session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Breathing the Body (21 minutes): This session is a deeply relaxing breath,meant to open your entire body to your breath. You will feelareas of your body relax so they can soften and accept the breath. This session was recorded in front of a live class. It includes a 5-minute Savasana.

Feeling Space in the Body: Part I (21 minutes): This session will help you ground more deeply in your body, helping you relax and find your natural breath. We will feel the space in the body the breath creates and then use that space to gently extend our exhalation. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Feeling Space in the Body: Part II (19 minutes): This session will help you ground more deeply in your body, helping you relax and find your natural breath. We will feel the space in the body the breath creates and then use that space to gently extend our exhalation. We will then gently hold the breath after the exhalation. This recording was done in front of a live class. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Extend exhale and inhale: Part (22 minutes): In this session we begin controlling the breath. The session begins with feeling the space in the body, then you will first expand the exhale, feeling the space after the exhale, and then you will expand the inhale. This recording was done in front of a live class. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Finding Your Witness: In this exercise, we begin with finding our essential/natural breath. Then we move to an exercise in finding your witness, the part of you that exists beyond the distracting thoughts.

Holding the Inhale with Viloma Breath: Use this breath to help you extend the exhale even more.

Spot Breathing (23 minutes): This session will help you ground more deeply in your body. It will also include directed, controlled breathing. We will begin by finding space in the breath and body. We will then direct the breath to various parts of our torso. This recording was done in front of a live class. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Spot Breathing: Part II (24 minutes): This session will help you ground more deeply in your body. It will also include directed, controlled breathing. We will begin by finding space in the breath and body. We will then direct the breath to various parts of our torso. This recording was done in front of a live class. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Hold the Pause with Exhale and Inhale: Part (22 minutes): In this session we use gentle breath control techniques. The session begins with feeling the space in the body, then you will first expand the exhale, then feel the space after the exhale, and then consciously expand that space. We then repeat the series for the inhalation. This recording was done in front of a live class. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Extend the Exhale and then Pause (23 minutes): In this session we use gentle breath control techniques. The session begins with feeling the space in the body, then you will first expand the exhale and feel the pause at the end. Then we will pause in the middle of the exhale. This recording was done in front of a live class. This session is followed by a 5-minute Savasana.

Check back next month for the next session.

Each class is available as an .mp3 file that can be played on the computer or on an mp3 player.