- 9 hours ago
A Vinyasa Yoga and Journaling Session with Freedom at the Mat founder Olivia Scott.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Hello Essence family and thank you again for joining us for yet another wellness check here
00:05on Wellness Wednesday. I'm Jasmine Grant, Associate Lifestyle Editor here at Essence and
00:11I'm so thrilled to be here because I'm going to be talking to somebody really cool who I've
00:16admired for a long time and I think that you all will love about yoga and journaling and all things
00:22self-care. Coincidentally, September is National Self-Care Awareness Month and it's also National
00:29Yoga Month. So we are here with Olivia Scott, yogi and founder of Freedom at the Mat. She's going to
00:36be walking us through a 30-minute vinyasa yoga session followed by a very intimate journaling
00:43session and so if you haven't already, take a few minutes to go and grab really these three quick
00:49things. One, a journal to write in. Two, a pen and three, a towel or yoga mat if you have one at home.
00:57We really want this to be interactive and fun and we want to celebrate the gift of movement. If you
01:04can get up, if you can stretch, if you can move, don't take that for granted. Take 30 minutes out
01:09of your day today to give gratitude to your body by healing and doing something for you. So without
01:17further ado, please help me welcome Olivia Scott, founder of Freedom at the Mat.
01:21Hi, Jasmine. Hello. Hello. Namaste. Namaste. How you doing? I am well. How are you? I am blessed. I am
01:33always blessed. Thank you so much. I love that. Well, thank you and welcome to Wellness Check Wednesday.
01:40You know, I, as you know, am such a huge fan of your practice. I love Freedom at the Mat and what it
01:46stands for. But before we get into all that good stuff, I want to talk to you about your journey
01:52with yoga. Talk to us about how you came into yoga and why it became a saving grace for you. What do
01:59you love about it? And when did you get started? So it's a very interesting journey. So I started my
02:07very first yoga class was 1996 in Chicago, right? So I took a class at the Harold Washington College,
02:15community college, just to try it out. I was young. I wanted to see what it was about. And I hated it.
02:21I fell asleep to the point where they literally like turned the light on and woke me up. I was
02:27snoring at the end of the class. And I was like, I don't, I'm good on yoga. I don't need to ever do
02:32it again for the rest of my life. I'm good. Right. I was really active, really physical, whatever. So
02:36life happened, right? Moved on career. And then 2014, I moved to Jersey. My gym decides they're not
02:49going to offer cycling, which is what I always did at 10 AM on Saturday mornings. They want to offer
02:54yoga instead. And I was like, let me, and I literally walked down, like, let me see what they
03:02don't want to, whatever. Right. And I walked into the class and yeah, I was really hesitant to voice
03:07it back. Wasn't really feeling it. Cause my thought of what yoga was, was not a good thing. It was only
03:12because my class wasn't right. So the class was incredible. My teacher was Marianna, Marianne Bethan.
03:22And she was a little Brazilian woman who was a Christian woman. And offered in that particular
03:27class, it's like heart opener. And I literally wanted to cry in her class. It gave me such a
03:35release in the class. And I went to her afterwards and I was just like, what is this? Because this is
03:42not what I thought it was. And she says, well, she introduced herself to me and I said, okay. So I began
03:48following her and then I followed her at her own studio. And then she encouraged me. She said, you
03:53know, you should, you should get your training. And I was like, no, I'm good. She's like, no,
03:56you're good. So went to India, did the training, did the training in New York, Sonic, you know,
04:01Sonic yoga, we call it Sonic yoga. And that was the beginning of it. Right. And then as I continued
04:08going deeper and deeper into it, that's when I went to the Asheville yoga festival around 2016.
04:14And I encountered Rusty Wells, who is an incredible bhakti yoga teacher. Incredible. He's out of
04:23Birmingham, but originally was out of San Francisco. And he is a bhakti yoga guy. So he does a bhakti flow.
04:31Bhakti is where it's reverent to God in your actual practice. I was on a mat in his class. And he does
04:39these very complicated sequences, very complicated poses, but he asks you to really think when you're
04:44in them and I was going through a relationship issue and I'll never forget it. I was in like
04:49a warrior two and he was making us hold it. And he said, if you're thinking about leaving that
04:55relationship, why don't you stay a little longer? What do you think? And I was like, whoa. So I was
05:04like, you know what? I'm leaving the situation at the mat today. Today. And when I got back from the
05:13Asheville yoga festival, I stayed up all night and I wrote a PowerPoint. It just came because
05:20of freedom. I'm going to leave this. I'm going to get freedom at the mat today. I'm leaving it here.
05:24Yes.
05:24I got back, wrote this presentation, sent it to my dear friend Demetrius. And she said,
05:28you should send it to the church. We'd want to FCBC in New York. And 15 minutes later,
05:33they responded and said, yes, yes, please. We would like for you to teach this. We created
05:38around offering a platform of yoga and wellness to women, giving them a refuge at their dream
05:46center in New York. So I incubated it for about two, three years in Harlem at the dream center.
05:53And I had students that would just come. I wasn't offering it full time because I was still working,
05:58still doing all my business stuff, but people kept coming. And I found that the woman really
06:03found it to be a refuge. So that is how freedom at the mat came to be. And that is how I got into
06:09my yoga. It wasn't something that Jasmine, I went willingly because even there were times
06:15when I wasn't really like, I was so focused on doing other things, right? I have a business,
06:22I have a life. I'm also a teacher. Like I have other things I do, but God would always say,
06:28hey, it's not going anywhere. Yeah. This is your assignment. You got to do this. So
06:34thank you. It's that you had at that mat. It really seems like the universe just kind of pushed
06:47you into your calling, which is so beautiful. And now here you are kind of like this yoga expert
06:54who is like launched her own wellness company and doing such incredible things for black women
07:00specifically. I would love to talk to you and get a little bit of knowledge about the different types
07:06of yoga, because like you said, your first foray into yoga, you thought it was kind of like,
07:12oh, we're just laying here and going to sleep. Not my thing. But then you were able to experience a
07:16different type of yoga and it kind of opened up this whole new understanding of the practice. So
07:21can you kind of educate us on the different types of yoga and what each type really does for you?
07:29Well, let me tell you. So there are so many types. And so I'm going to tell you the ones I know of.
07:35You have Ashtanga, you have Bikram, you have Kemetic yoga, which is one that I'm really learning now
07:41that has an Egyptian base. You have Kundalini, you have Hatha, you have Vinyasa, you know,
07:49and the list goes on and on. They all have, and Bhakti, again, Bhakti, I'm really more of a Bhakti
07:54Vinyasa teacher. Vinyasa, which is the one that I'm certified in, it really does, it's a specific
07:59intelligence order of sequences. And it really connects you mind, body, and spirit. And it's very
08:05physical. If you look at Bikram, Bikram is really, it's the hot 26. You may know about Bikram,
08:11the 26 sequences. And my dear friend Ajax is a studio in New Orleans, and I love her for what she does.
08:16So that particular one is really all about the toxins, and it's all about the release,
08:22but it's also very physical too. And I think what I really want to get into, right, beyond like the
08:27particular ones is like the fact that, and we talked about this a little bit before, that you've
08:32got these eight limbs of yoga, right? And this is what I think I'm challenged by. And what drives me,
08:41right, for a long time, when I was seeking information on yoga, it did feel inaccessible
08:47to me, right? I'm a solid girl, you know what I mean? And I'm going on Instagram, and I'm seeing
08:54girls, you know, do headstands and do all weird, proportionous things with their body. And that's
09:01amazing, but I'm not sure that's accessible to the majority of women. And when you think about what
09:07the majority of women really need, like what you really need to do with your life. I believe that
09:13the eight limbs of yoga, you know, which are founded in the yamas, the niyamas, which are
09:20restraints and observances, right? You get into the pranayama, the breathing. The asana is only limb
09:29three. There are eight limbs. There's only, and asana is only the third limb. And we focus so much
09:35here on that. We also get into pranayama, which is meditation. But, you know, I invite in our
09:41practice for us to really spend time working on the niyamas, right, which is self-observance,
09:49it's discipline, it's self-study. It's really getting a lot deeper into yourself and really
09:57practicing and connecting that with your body as well. Yeah. I love that you mentioned these things
10:02because I think a lot of times if you're unfamiliar with yoga, you think it's about stretching.
10:08You see people in these really complicated poses, like you said, the handstand and putting their
10:13legs behind their head. And you might think I'm not flexible enough to do that. I don't really want
10:18to try it, but it has a lot of spiritual and mental benefits, like you mentioned. And I'm really
10:25excited that we get to experience that today. And before we dive into that practice, I want to give
10:31you also the opportunity to talk about Freedom at the Mat and what you're offering and talk to
10:37people who might be interested in taking classes with you, what they can expect.
10:43You're so kind. Thank you very much, Jasmine. So, you know, Freedom at the Mat, our mission is for
10:50women who need a moment. So it really is designed around supporting women living their best, most
10:56freest, and full lives. So we offer specific content on our YouTube channel, which is YouTube
11:02slash Freedom at the Mat, as well as Instagram, Freedom at the Mat. It's affirmations, it's
11:08intentions, it's thoughtfulness, right? Thoughtfulness around what we'll do today, mindfulness, as well
11:13as journaling, as well as yoga asana. And I'm always clear to say yoga asana because of what I just
11:18said. The yoga asana is just one piece of this, right? So we make sure that we offer all of those
11:23things with our goals, right? Of always making sure that we help women with five principles that
11:29we espouse. Number one, it's around self-awareness, Jasmine. We have to help our women become more
11:37self-aware. And once they become self-aware, once we become self-aware, then we can shift into our
11:44purposes. Once we define our purposes, then we'll just be self-accepting. Like whatever it is, once I'm
11:51clear about who I am and I'm able to define my purpose, then I shift into my self-acceptance.
11:58And then after that, and only after that, I think, can I cast a vision for my life, right? So I think
12:03about Miles Monroe that talks about, you know, your vision directs your decisions. Yes. So once you can
12:11have a vision for your life, you're clear about where you want to live, where you want to go, should
12:16you engage in that or not. And then after that, then you can live on purpose and intentionally.
12:22So we're all about intentional living and everything that we create. It really does come from a divine
12:29source. Some days I wake up, Freedom in the Kitchen is a brand new series we launch on Thursdays with
12:34various people who know nutrition much better than I do. And I'm always about, you know, giving reverence to
12:40other people, Jasmine, because there's so many other beautiful people out there that have come
12:47before me. And I just want to pause. You got Faith Hunter, you have Chelsea Jackson, you have Ajax,
12:52you've got Hoya Webb, right? You've got these people that have been killing the game for much longer that
12:57have inspired me. And so I'm always wanting to invite other people so that we collectively can support
13:04our wellness for women and for other people as well. Like guys, it's cool. I'm cool. I've had
13:09clap guys and children. I also have taught some children and some men. I'm not discriminatory,
13:14but I feel like as a woman and having some women who were not well in my life, my mother and my sister
13:21and having a personal story with women who were not well, that for me, that's my calling is to make
13:27sure that I'm here as a vessel for God, you know? And the other day, I'll tell you this one thing.
13:34The other day, I got a message from a woman I did not know on Instagram. And she says,
13:39I just want you to know that your page is divine. I know what it does to create content,
13:46but I just, and I was like, lady, thank you. You know, some days it just comes and I just have
13:52to stop and I'm doing, and there's nothing that I would rather do than what I'm doing with Freedom
13:56at the Map. So that is what we do. Check us out on YouTube and also on Instagram. Thank you so much,
14:02Jasmine. Of course. So I am going to let you take the reins and guide us. But before I do,
14:09please everyone grab a journal, a pen and a towel or yoga mat so you can follow along. And please
14:15don't be shy. Drop some questions for Olivia that you may have about yoga, freedom at the mat or
14:21anything, you know, that we've discussed in the comments. I'll be sure to ask her once we return
14:26back from our practice, feeling Zen and feeling calm and refreshed. And without further ado,
14:32I'll hand it over to you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Jasmine. I'll see you in a moment.
14:39All right, everybody. Welcome to a mini session of Freedom at the Mat. I invite you right now to not
14:48watch to really participate. You may be at work right now. The kids may be running around. Just
14:54take literally 15 to 20 minutes for yourself right now. This is for women who need a moment and any men
15:00who are watching too. So I invite you right now to come to an easy pose. Easy pose is just cross-leg
15:07Indian style. Just find a good seat. I'm on a comfy meditation pillow. So any pillow that gives you some
15:14cushioning. Spine erect. Drop your shoulders. There should be no stress in your body.
15:24Palms on your knees. Open to the universe to receive all that it has for you. Gently close your eyes.
15:36Inhale. One to one ratio. Inhale and exhale.
15:44Inhale. Inhale. And exhale.
15:50Once more. Inhale.
15:54And exhale.
15:57I want you to keep your eyes closed. Keep your palms facing up.
16:04Today we're going to talk about
16:06the universe self-organizing for
16:10you. For your best.
16:12So get ready to receive and be nurtured
16:16by the divine. Whatever
16:18creator you serve.
16:21May God be with you.
16:23May you leave something at the mat today.
16:25May you leave this session a little
16:27lighter than when you entered.
16:30Before my reading, I'd like for us
16:31to make sure that we are prepared
16:33to receive by doing
16:35some four, seven, eight breathing.
16:37Four cycles.
16:38We inhale for four, hold for seven, and release for eight.
16:43Again, I'm hoping you guys are doing this with me.
16:46So eyes closed.
16:48Inhale for one, two, three, four.
16:52Hold for seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
16:57And release.
16:58Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
17:04Intentionally design this breathing technique to slow down your breathing.
17:09Whatever you've done to make time for this particular session, I am grateful to you.
17:15I'm grateful you made time for yourself.
17:17So let's use the rest of the time well.
17:20Three more cycles.
17:21Inhale for one, two, three, four.
17:24Hold seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
17:29And release eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
17:36Twice more.
17:37Inhale.
17:38One, two, three, four.
17:41Hold for seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
17:46And release eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
17:51last one. Inhale. One, two, three, four. Hold. Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Release.
18:02Make a good. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. You may turn your palms down if you would
18:11like as I read from Marianne Williamson's A Year of Miracles, Day Eight. The universe knows how
18:21to organize itself. Today I stand back and let it come to me. And I'll tell you guys before I do the
18:30short reading, this is important to me because as a strong woman, which I know I'm speaking to many
18:37other strong women right now, we often are used to going to get what we want and going to create
18:46circumstances. But what happens when we actually just do the work and trust that all that is supposed
18:55to come will come? Divine organization is inherent in all things. The larger plan is not mine to know
19:08and not mine to create. It is simply mine to follow. As a cell contains a natural intelligence by which it
19:18fosters the healthy functioning of the body, I too have natural intelligence that fosters the perfect
19:27unfolding of my life. My natural intelligence, beauties, is love. As long as I cleave to that
19:37and that only, all things good, all things true, and all things peaceful will find their way to me.
19:51And so as we shift for a moment into mindfulness and journaling, I want you to think of something that
20:02you've been trying to make happen, something you've been trying to create, something that you want to
20:09manifest. I want you right now to just imagine what it would be like to receive the full knowledge that
20:20it already exists, that it's on its way. How does that feel in your body? Maybe it's a new relationship,
20:29maybe it's a different relationship, perhaps it's a job, perhaps it's a new home, perhaps it's a child,
20:36perhaps it's a move, perhaps it's going back to school, something that you've been preparing for
20:41that just has not been coming. Think on that as I read our prayer. Dear Creator, we cannot use our fingers to
20:54create a design out of a pile of iron shavings. We can only do that by using a magnet. That magnet is the love
21:05within us, attracting naturally the most positive events for ourselves and those around us. Today,
21:16we will not walk ahead of love. Rather, we will trust that as we rest content within our hearts,
21:30the universe will automatically find a way to lift us up and bring us peace.
21:37So with that in mind, if your journals are nearby, I want you to write literally for just
21:45one minute because we're short on time today doing a mini session. Go ahead and write that thing down.
21:53Today is 9 16. If you need the date for your journal entry, I'm going to write mine down because I'm
22:00working on something right now and I need to let it go and trust that it's going to come
22:08when the divine order of the universe says it's time to come. And I'll stop talking for a moment,
22:14give you 30 seconds. Continue to breathe.
22:18Draw yourself to a close. Feel free to come back to your journal entry.
22:37And sisters, I'll meet you on the mat. We have a short practice today, about 10 minutes.
22:42So if you're not on your mat already, meet me in bound angle pose. Bring the soles of your feet
22:52together. Opening your hips, opening your groin, hands lying easily on your ankle. Again, I hope y'all
23:04are on the mat with me, not just looking. This is not a demonstration. We're doing this together.
23:09Inhale and exhale.
23:18Don't worry if your knees are up here. It's all right. In time, as you continue practicing yoga
23:26and other stretching, pilates, et cetera, you will find that you get more opening in your hips. No
23:32judgment. At the mat, freedom at the mat, there is no judgment, no competition,
23:37no negative self-talk. Set your intention for today's class. Open your eyes if they're not
23:46already open and release your left leg. Bring the right sole of the foot on the inside of your left
23:54thigh. Inhale, arms up. Unhunt your shoulders. Internally rotate your hands. Pinkies internally
24:01rotate. Biceps frame your ear and turn your torso to your left. And release. Release. And release.
24:12However far you come down, sisters and brothers, it's acceptable. No negative self-talk. And release.
24:21Allow that left forearm to stay on the outside of your left calf. Open up. Right side body.
24:33Look towards the ceiling or the sky, in my case. Reaching through that right hand.
24:40And then slowly turn your neck if it's accessible to you. Find your gaze against your thumb and slowly
24:52release that right hand down to meet the left leg. Bow, giving reverence one last time. This beautiful leg
25:02allows you to do everything you do every day. Crawling back up to your midline and switch. Soles the feet
25:12together for one second. Release the right leg long. Left sole of the foot on the inside of your right thigh.
25:21Continue to inhale and inhale. Exhale, arms up. Turn your torso to your right. And release.
25:35Howling your belly a little bit as you come down. Release. Bow your head.
25:44And allow that right hand to stay on the outside of your right calf. Open up the left side body.
25:59Everything we do is designed to give us freedom, not cause us pain. We have a little bit of pain,
26:04a little bit of pain in yoga for knowledge. And release. Left hand comes back to meet the right.
26:12Bow. Give reverence to this right leg that allows you to do everything it does. Feel the sensations
26:20of your fingertips around your right leg. Crawl the hands back to your midline. Bring both feet in front of
26:27you. Make sure you're sitting on your sit bone, which is the bottom of your tailbone. Inhale, arms up.
26:35Unhunch the shoulders always. Don't want to put too much stress on the neck.
26:39Reach up from your ribcage. Hollow your belly. Reach forward, reach forward, reach forward,
26:47reach forward, and release. Hands forward wherever they may. They might be at your knees today. They
26:53might be at your chance. Wherever they are is okay. Bow your head. Giving gratitude for this moment.
27:02Breathe. And slowly come up. Bend your knees. Then come to a wide knee child's pose. So your knees are on the edges of your mat.
27:21And then crawl your body between your legs. Forehead on the mat. I'm only up. So I think you guys can hear me.
27:33Draw your butt a little closer to your heels. Feel that full extension as your fingertips reach towards the top of the mat.
27:43Nice stretch at the back. Remind yourself of your intention.
27:51And crawl the hands back. Bring your knees together.
27:56Hands in tabletop, my friends. So if you're having any issues with your knees,
28:04please protect your knees by putting a towel, extra cushioning, underneath your knees if you need that.
28:12Okay? So proper alignment. Make sure that you have your shoulder directly over your wrist and your knees are right beneath your hips.
28:21All five fingers of both hands facing forward. Toes are flat on the mat.
28:27Kickstand that left leg behind you. Extend the right leg long. The right foot is parallel to the back of the mat.
28:35Next, make sure we check our form before we go up. We've got alignment from our shoulder to our wrist.
28:42Pressing. Make sure you've got your stability. If you need to, tuck the left toes so that you can have stability.
28:49You've got your stability. Now let's go. Arms up.
28:56Breathe. Breathe.
29:02Envision what it feels like just to receive or change. What would that be like?
29:11And here, once you have your stability, if you would like, go ahead and bring that right leg up.
29:19Stretching and tightening through the glutes. Hold. Really open through your shoulders.
29:26Hold. Bend that knee if you would like to. Once you're stable, go ahead if you can.
29:33It is not necessary. This is for those much more advanced, maybe.
29:37And release the right leg. Hold it. Hold it. Push through your left hand.
29:44Reach through your right hand. And release.
29:47You've got this. You've got this.
29:52Extend that right leg back. Make sure you have your alignment. Right wrist under your shoulder.
29:59Tuck your right toes. Extend that left leg. And open.
30:04Tuck your right toes.
30:11While you're here, while you go ahead and lift that left leg.
30:17Pushing through your right leg.
30:20Pushing your right leg.
30:22Flexing that left leg.
30:23that left foot. Breathe, breathe, breathe and bend the knee joint, hand behind you, catching
30:39at the ankle, opening up that left hip flexor, left front body, still making sure you're
30:49pushing through that right hand, that front elbow crease is straight, you are not building
30:54at the elbow, and release. Left hand down, coming up into down dog, your first down dog of the
31:07day. Stay in your down dog if you're ever concerned about the length of your down dog. Simply come
31:16forward into your plank, and then lift from your tailbone, lift on your tippy toes, and
31:23then push back, push those heels back, and that is the length of your down dog. You stand
31:28down dog for one moment. I see some messages here. I want to make sure I'm good on time.
31:33Okay, good. I'm good on time. Beautiful. Still in down dog, go ahead and lift that right leg
31:40up, high as you can, and bend at the knee joint. Dropping that left heel, opening the right hip
31:54joint. Go ahead and do some circles to open that hip joint, open it, and reverse. And release
32:02that right leg down, same thing opposite side. Left leg up, bend at the knee joint, bring the
32:13right heel down, and let's circle. Opening it up, and come back to down dog. Here's where
32:21we're going. We're going to go from down dog into plank, into cobra. So let's come forward into
32:31our plank. Let's hold it for a moment. Hold. Now when you're holding your plank, push through
32:39your heels, retract your shoulder blades down your back, and extend your crown forward. Hold, hold.
32:50Now drop those knees, untuck your toes. Extend your crown forward, bend those elbows, keep those elbows
32:57right by your side, bring your whole body down, and with your hands by your breastplate. Toes
33:07are flat in the mat, knees are lifted. Press up into cobra. Little bit of a back bend. One
33:15of the things that we should always remember, you know, yoga's about flexibility. Spine is a
33:20big part of that. So we just did an extension with the down dog of our spine forward. Now
33:27we're doing a back bend. Just counteracting. And come up. Back in the down dog. Walk to the
33:42front of the mat. Hold forward. Really have your abdomen against your thighs. Fold it forward. And
33:54release. Allow your body to hang heavy here. And pressing through the feet. Inhale circle sweep,
34:06arms up. Overhead. Halfway through. And release. Inhale arms up. And release.
34:22Open the right palm. Bring the left palm down. Reach out. Who should you call today actually?
34:30Reach that right hand over. Have you a friend? You should call if you were reaching out to
34:35somebody. And right palm down. Left palm up. Reaching up and over. That's important when
34:43you're in this posture. Keeping your hips square and towards the front. Hips aren't doing all
34:48crazy things. Your feet are standing rooted in the ground. Once more. Right palm up. Left palm
34:54down. Reach forward. And one last time. Arms to a T. A couple of circles. Forward. And backwards.
35:11Arms up overhead. Knees together. Thighs together. Feet can be a little bit apart. And push your
35:19tush back into chair pose. Abdomen comes closer towards your thighs. Reach forward. Unhunch those
35:25shoulders. Reach forward. Feel it in your thighs. In your quads. Hold. Hold. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.
35:35Breathe. Reach forward. And release. And bend your knees. Hands are tented. We're going to low
35:44joe or shikari. We're about to go. But you're not. We're going to drop that right knee. Untuck the toes.
35:59Inhale. Arms up. And release. Inhale. Arms up. Arms to a T. Extend. Open that shoulder girdle. Open. Open. Open. Open.
36:12And turn to your right. Making sure you have tall rib cage. Strong back. Strong arms. Inhale. Back to center.
36:27And to your left. Inhale. Arms overhead. Hold. With your hands down. Frame the front foot.
36:41Tuck the back toes. Tuck the back toes. Turn the right heel down. Inhale. Arms overhead.
36:50And toward your one. That front knee is bent. Inhale your arms behind you. You may be able
36:58to bring them together or from a clasp. And then rotate to your right. Right? Looking ahead
37:08of you. Close your eyes for one moment as you inhale your arms over your head into a prayer
37:17pose. Prayer pose comes to your heart. Hold. Hold. Giving gratitude for what already exists. Bend on your
37:31knees. Hold forward. And crawl to your left. Left leg back to down dog. One more sequence.
37:43Repeat. And then we'll be complete. We're going to do the same thing on the opposite side.
37:47Let's come forward again. To our plank. Hold. Push through your heels. Retract those shoulders.
37:54If you need to drop the knees. It's totally fine. Whatever you need to do. I love a good plank.
38:01Drop your knees. Untuck the toes. Crown forward. Elbows bent. Come down. And tops of the toes are
38:13on the mat. Knees are lifted. Press your hands into the mat. Come back for a slight back bend. And then
38:20release. Push back. Walk to the front of the mat. Inhale. Arms overhead. You got this one. A little
38:28faster this time. Inhale. Arms up. Overhead. Release. Arms up. More chair pose. Bend at your knees.
38:38Hold forward. And left leg back. Drop the left knee. Inhale. Arms overhead. Release them once. Once
38:52more up. And release them to a T. And let's go. And release to the left. You got this. Make sure
39:00we're strong in our abdominals. Chest open. Chest strong. Arms long. Hold. Hold. And release
39:10to the right. Arms overhead. Frame that front foot. Talk your back toe. Turn on your left heel.
39:22One thing in warrior one, and I'll give you a quick teaching moment. You want to make sure
39:26that your front heel and your back heel are in one line. If I had a cran on, if I had a
39:30drew, I had a cran on. Between the front and the back heel, simply in one line. Inhale,
39:35pushing through that front knee. Arms overhead. And push. Open to your left. Arms open.
39:55By your side. Inhale, arms lifted. Eyes closed. Prayer pose. One more time. Remind yourself
40:07of your intention for the rest of your day. Continue to get in the mindset of receipt. Always
40:20creating. Always pushing. I know I'm personally working on the art of receiving. Inhale, arms
40:25up. And turn back. Arms frame with front foot. Hold here. Push back into down dog. Come to your
40:38knees. Join me at the mat. Butt against your heels. Right arm across your chest. Left arm across
40:50your chest. Heart should be racing, which is a beautiful thing. And in this moment, this is
41:00the freedom mudra. In this moment, trust that you are covered. Trust that you are loved. You
41:12are safe. Comfort yourself. If no one else is there to comfort you, I invite you to comfort yourself.
41:26Set your intention. Remind yourself of what you want to do a little differently. If there's
41:31anything you want to leave at the mat today that you have not left at the mat, I invite
41:35you to do so now. Come on down on your tush. Lie back. When you lie back, I want you to bring
41:48that right knee close to your chest really quickly. And extend. Bring your left knee close
41:55to your chest. And then lie back. Wait a very quick one minute. Shavasana. It's the middle
42:01of the day. You can go on and on, but I'm not going to do that to y'all. Not in the middle
42:05of the day. So lie back. I invite you to allow for your feet to lie open. And then the palms to lie
42:16open as well. Just relax. Before you go back into the wild wild world of work, taking care
42:29of family. Think of one thing you may want to re-envision for your life. 30 more seconds.
42:45Slowly but surely, I'd like for you to turn over to your right side body. Knees. Bring them
43:01close to your chest. In the fetal position. Extend the right arm long underneath your right
43:08ear. Left arm hangs wherever it does on top of your thigh or falls before you. And before
43:16you press up, before our affirmation at the end of class, I invite you right now to imagine
43:26imagine the one thing that you want so much. Imagine how it feels to trust that it's already
43:39here. How does that feel? Does it feel light? Are you at ease? If you release any sense of
43:48worry? How does that feel? And with that feeling in your heart and hopefully a spot of delight
44:01on your face, I ask you to press your left hand gently into the mat. Roll up with your eyes
44:09close to a seated position. As I share our affirmation for today. Which is, as I do my part, I trust
44:28that the universe will bring all that is intended to me. Once again, as I do my part, I trust
44:43that the universe will bring what is intended to me. Namaste. Thank you all for joining.
44:55Namaste.
44:59Thank you so much for that, Olivia. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that this
45:08was very much needed. And it just brought such a calming energy and a light to our day. Thank
45:16you so much for that. This was incredible. And I can really tell that you're walking in your
45:21gift because that was amazing. And it just, it really proves that movement is so necessary.
45:29A little bit of movement goes a long way. I mean, that was just like 20 minutes, you know,
45:34could have gone on. I'm not going to be rude here. Just do it for 49 minutes. But yeah,
45:39yeah. And it's, it's a connection as we talked about. It's a, it's all of it.
45:46Yes. Yes. And I love the, the intention of moving and accepting that our desires, you know,
45:53we have to think of them as if they're already ours. Why is it so important, do you think,
45:58to think that way and to move with that intention?
46:01Because I have chosen to believe, and I always say that I've chosen to believe that the universe
46:07is conspiring for my happiness and for my joy, right? And for me to be the best, most productive
46:14person based on the skills and the gifts God has given to me. So if I believe that, then I have to
46:20trust that when he says go, whoever your, whoever your creator is, you got to go. And I believe
46:27it's just important because if not, you spend a lot of energy blocking and you spend a lot of energy
46:33doubting, you look a lot of, you spend a lot of energy looking to the left or the right.
46:37What did she be doing? What was she doing? No, no, no, no. Let's start here. Let's start here.
46:42Okay. Who are you? What are you supposed to be doing? And once you're clear,
46:49it doesn't even all that energy that you spend, you know, on fussing with other people or like all
46:57that energy, like, it's just, it's like, what are we, what are you doing? Like what's happening?
47:01Let it flow. And I can tell you, you know, my personal testimony of having moved several
47:08times, but the most recent one, when I said, you know what, I've got to go out of New York.
47:12I was in New York for 19 years and my spirit, those last three years, I didn't want to go out
47:18with my friends. I don't want to leave my apartment. My spirit was at unrest. I couldn't create.
47:23And I said, I got to go. I got to go. I got to go. And so I had to lean into that.
47:30Yeah. And trust. And for three years, I didn't know where it was. Was it Denver? Was it Chicago?
47:35You know, was it back to Memphis, which is where I'm from? Shout out. Not no one.
47:39Um, you know, but I had to like, you know, really think about what, what's, and I sat in it,
47:47I sat in it and I didn't resist it. If I resisted it, I wouldn't be at peace. So I think it's important
47:56for us always to, I mean, this is, again, this is what I've chosen to believe Jasmine.
48:01I found in my life and I know it to be true, as they say in church, that, um, when I align
48:08my will with God's will, it just, it, there's no stopping.
48:15Yes. Yeah. Things fall beautifully into place. Um, I had seen some really, uh, powerful,
48:25um, comments from our viewers and I want to get a chance to go over those. Uh, I thought
48:30this one was really great. Um, Nana asked, how do you find freedom in these triggering
48:36times from the pandemic to the black lives matter movement? How do we effectively free
48:41ourselves from the chaos of today? So I think this, thank you very much, Nana. Bye. Thank you.
48:49I believe that you have to come back to your internal divine and whatever that practice is,
48:58you know, I'm a big fan of turning the phone and D and D goes and do not disturb a lot.
49:05Oh, that's my favorite. Yeah. There's a, uh, taking the social media diet.
49:10Right. And then walking along our journeys and saying, okay, spend the time with ourselves.
49:19It really comes back to that very first one of our principles, the self-awareness, because
49:26I think the chaos, it's so much happening around us and people have so many different energies
49:30that they are operating in the world with. Right. So if you're a protester, me and my girlfriend,
49:35I need to talk about this a lot, like we're not protesters. Right. But I can offer freedom
49:40at the math class to the protesters. Right. So if you're clear about. Right.
49:45Answering her question directly to me, all I can say is the internal divine spending that time with yourself,
49:51turning the phones off, turning the emails off, turning the Instagram off. You know, I'm really not even on the ground very much.
49:58Do a lot of posting through later. I got to put that out there. You know what I'm saying? Don't be mad.
50:03I don't respond because I just can't all that energy. That's right. I can't let that affect me.
50:09Absolutely. I am so pro taking social media diets because I think that that's just, it's a lot of information,
50:17a process, and it kind of blocks you from tuning into you. So I agree with that advice. I think that's key.
50:23And the last thing I would add real quick is to the extent that you are comfortable creating a relationship with a higher power.
50:33Because if you believe, and this is again what I believe, if you believe that this is all it is,
50:40that mere mortals is all it is to this plane, it makes it very difficult to make sense of things.
50:47You know, all the senseless deaths, you know, and I, you know, I acknowledge all the time.
50:53My mother passed when I was 26. My sister died last year. And when those deaths happened, I was relatively at ease
51:00because I understood that God had a specific appointed time for our beginnings and our ends.
51:07And just like Olivia and Jasmine are on the earth plane at the exact same time.
51:12This has been appointed and anointed, you know, and so I have to trust that.
51:17And when God says his time is up, you know, and I think all the deaths that the chat with me,
51:22look at all the deaths that have happened recently. It has inspired me even more to do things with my life.
51:27Yes. Right. Because I don't know when my time is up. None of us know when our time is up.
51:32So I just believe in the universe having its own organizational system and I just flow and operate in it.
51:39Yes. That is such a enlightened way of being and knowing.
51:45And I really love that that perspective.
51:48You know, of course, with this session, people want to know what are the times for the Freedom at the Mat experience?
51:56Where can people find you and what days are your classes held?
52:00Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much, Jay.
52:03So. YouTube 24-7, we post our information, our intention affirmations of the week drop on Sundays, intentions drop throughout the week.
52:14Our classes drop on Saturdays and then we offer a live class on Sunday morning that is at 9 a.m. Eastern.
52:24So, you know, if you want to do it on your own, fantastic.
52:29We have a range of vinyasa, katha and comedic classes and just thoughts.
52:34If you don't want to get on the mat, we have what we call thoughts where all you can do is just log on and be like, I just want to read and write today.
52:43OK, we did the whole four agreement series. All that's there.
52:46But then on Sunday mornings, if you're like, you know what, I really want to have a teacher have access to in this covid pandemic that can show me how to get my leg up higher.
52:55How can I come up from that down dog all the way through the low launch?
52:58How do I do that that I'm available on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. via Zoom?
53:02Just sign up on the website freedom at the math dot com slash classes.
53:05Beautiful. Well, you will definitely see me there.
53:08You know, I'm a huge fan and I love this practice.
53:11Thank you so much for sharing your time and your energy with us today.
53:15Olivia for Wellness Check Wednesday.
53:17Please don't forget to check out Olivia Scott's freedom at the map platform at freedom at the mat dot com.
53:23And also she's can be found on social media, Facebook, Instagram, all of the things.
53:29So thank you so much, Olivia.
53:31We cannot wait to have you back and we will be looking out for the wonderful things that you will be doing with this platform.
53:38And before you go, I have to give a very special thanks to you and to Charlie for this very special invitation.
53:48It meant so much to my heart for so many reasons.
53:51But I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
53:53I'm humbled. I'm grateful. And the entire family.
53:56So thank you all. Namaste to everyone. May God be with you.
54:00Thank you. It is our pleasure. Have a great day, everybody.
54:03Bye. Bye.
54:05Bye.
54:07Bye.
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