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00:30We are so glad you're here.
00:45Welcome to the Essence Wellness House at War with COVID-19 and Healthcare Inequities Edition, presented by Walmart and powered by AARP.
00:53We have an incredible all-day lineup of community leaders, wellness gurus, experts, and medical professionals all here to help you survive and thrive during this difficult time.
01:04My name is Nancy Redd. I'll be here all day as your host, helping you guide through these amazing panels and conversations.
01:11And I'll also be reminding you that many of our amazing guests have downloadables right there underneath their videos.
01:18You'll see a purple link where you have takeaways that you can go back after this event and use them in your own lives.
01:25Because the Essence Wellness House isn't just about today.
01:29It's about a lifetime of wellness in many facets, whether it is physical, mental, spiritual, or financial.
01:37We're getting today started off with the perfect event with Dr. Chelsea Jackson-Roberts.
01:42She is giving us a morning meditation, a tremendous blessing, because she uses yoga and meditation as a way to remove social barriers, just like the ones that's ravishing our community because of COVID-19.
01:55So without further ado, I present to you Global Ambassador for Lululemon, Dr. Chelsea Jackson-Roberts.
02:12We'll see you next time.
02:42We'll see you next time.
03:12Hello, good morning, good day, wherever you are in the world joining us.
03:20I am Dr. Chelsea Jackson-Roberts, and this is our morning meditation.
03:25I'm super excited to share this meditation with you today because meditation is a great way for us to reset and recharge our nervous system.
03:35When I think about the ways in which we experience this world and how we accumulate all of the things that impact us and our bodies, our minds, and our hearts, meditation, yoga, anything that is going to get the energy moving through so that it doesn't stay stuck is a great way to reset.
03:59And so this morning, I invite you to join me for our morning meditation.
04:04So what you're going to do is set up your space so that you're comfortable.
04:08I'm going to give you about a minute here to set up your space.
04:12And so I have a pillow, I have a pillow, I have a blanket if I need.
04:17So if there's anything that you can improvise and use around the room in your immediate space, go for it now.
04:23Meditation is never meant to be uncomfortable, to endure any pain or discomfort.
04:30You can find moments where you want to escape the meditation because you think that it's getting too hard or you can't do it.
04:38But please, just allow yourself to come back to the breath and I'll be with you every step of the way.
04:44All right.
04:44So hopefully you're getting your space set up and don't worry about it if you don't have pillows and blankets and everything else.
04:52All right.
04:53I just want you to make sure that you are comfortable.
04:56So we're going to move a little bit first so that we can open ourselves to receive the meditation.
05:03All right.
05:03So come sitting on to the earth or even on to a chair with the legs crossed.
05:09And if you're sitting in a chair, you can bring both feet on to the earth, just connecting with the earth.
05:15And together, let's take in a deep inhale, drawing the shoulders up toward the ears.
05:20Inhale and then exhale the shoulders back around and down.
05:24Do that two more times on your own.
05:26Deep inhale.
05:27Get long through the spine.
05:30Breathe in and then exhale.
05:32Roll the shoulders back around and down.
05:33Last one.
05:34Slow motion.
05:35Make this the best and biggest one.
05:37Inhale.
05:38Reach the shoulders up and then exhale the shoulders, sliding the shoulder blades down the back.
05:44All right.
05:44And then from here, we're just going to bring the hands together right at the heart center, a prayer position that we're going to come back to during our meditation.
05:54But first, you're going to interlace the fingers.
05:56So interlace the fingers and then press the heels with the hands forward.
06:00All right.
06:01Now draw the shoulders back into the arms.
06:04So if you've disconnected and reached out so far, I want you to draw the shoulders up back around just as we did just a second ago.
06:13All right.
06:13Pressing the heels with the hands forward and then inhale, reach up and then exhale, creating a trident right here.
06:21Inhale, reach the arms up and then exhale.
06:24Hands come right back to the heart.
06:27Inhale, reach the arms up.
06:29Exhale, trident.
06:31All right.
06:32Inhale, reach up.
06:34Exhale, hands to the heart.
06:36Two more times on your own.
06:38Inhale.
06:46Last one.
06:47Inhale, reach up.
06:51And now inhale, reach the arms up.
06:54And now you're just going to turn to either side.
06:57And you're going to bring the hand down onto the knee.
06:59And then the opposite hand behind you, moving into a spinal twist.
07:04So taking a deep inhale.
07:07And then exhale, just gently twisting, wringing out the spine.
07:10So I want you to imagine a sponge being filled with a liquid.
07:15And that is our spine, right?
07:17The sponge.
07:17And we're bringing that sponge out in opposite directions and letting go of any stress, anything that we've accumulated in the nervous system.
07:29And this is also a great way to detox or detoxify the body as well.
07:35So taking a deep inhale, return the arms back to center.
07:39And then you're going to go to the other side.
07:42So depending on which way you've turned, you're going to place the opposite hand onto the knee as you turn, looking over.
07:51And you can even look over the shoulder, inhaling.
07:54And again, this can be done seated in the chair and looking over the shoulder.
08:03And then inhale, returning the arms back to center, hands come back to the heart.
08:07Bring the hands onto your knees now.
08:09You're going to inhale, draw the chest forward.
08:12And then exhale, round the spine and tuck the chin into the throat.
08:16So spinal flexes, inhale, heart open.
08:20And then exhale, round the spine, tuck the chin into the throat.
08:23Do that two more times on your own.
08:25Inhale, you open.
08:27This is a great way to start the day, y'all.
08:29Exhale, roll the spine back.
08:32Inhale, come forward.
08:34And then exhale, roll the spine back.
08:37So a great way to ignite the fire within, draw the chest all the way forward.
08:42You're going to lean over to either knee and then make a full circle around.
08:47So body rolls, chest comes forward as you inhale, and then exhale, you round the spine.
08:54Inhale, the chest comes forward, and then exhale, round the spine.
08:59So you can even close your eyes here, beginning to attune yourself to your body, because that's
09:05exactly what we do during meditation.
09:07We allow ourselves to trust the breath.
09:10Go ahead and switch directions, if you haven't already, making circles in the opposite direction.
09:17And we allow ourselves to really arrive to the present moment.
09:23We carry so much with us from our past, even what we've inherited from our ancestors, right?
09:30The stress that we accumulate just from the system that we encounter daily.
09:35And so for me, yoga is a great way to counter or to respond to all of those factors that want to take me away from who I am, the essence of who I am.
09:47Bring the body back to center.
09:49Take in a deep inhale, draw the palms right to the heart center.
09:53And breathe in here.
09:56And exhale fully.
09:57Now, go ahead and place the hands onto the knees, extend the legs out, and just start to make some circles with the ankles.
10:07The great thing about our meditation is that it can go with us wherever we are, right?
10:12So these are also things that you can do wherever you are, especially if you are in stressful situations.
10:20Right now, a lot of us are in the home.
10:22Go ahead and switch the direction of the circle.
10:24So I'm doing my wrists here to show what your ankles are doing.
10:27Feel free to join in with the wrists as well, just getting into the joints.
10:31So just noticing how that impacts us.
10:34We are experiencing a moment in time that no one in this lifetime has experienced of a global pandemic, right?
10:41And so when you take that into consideration and acknowledge that, we know that our body can remember the things that even if we're not conscious that we're being impacted by it, our body remembers.
10:53And so yoga, meditation, breath work is a great way to move that energy through so that it doesn't get stuck within the body.
11:01And so now we're going to move into our meditation.
11:05All right?
11:06So wherever you are, this is the importance of setting up your space.
11:10You can cross your legs in again, or you can be seated in the chair.
11:14Now, I'm sitting on a blanket so that I can allow my low back to be supported.
11:20Otherwise, I may start to fold forward.
11:23And we want in our meditation for the heart, for the spine to be long and open so that we can receive whatever it is that we're bringing in.
11:32The other thing about meditation is you make this for you.
11:36I love yoga because it is certainly an interfaith practice or whatever it is that you want to bring into your consciousness, whatever it is that you connect with, whether it is religion or whether it is faith or whether it is nature.
11:52I invite you to connect to that in this moment now.
11:55And what's so beautiful is that folks from around the world, the country, wherever you are, we are connecting with the breath, but also celebrating our unique individual selves.
12:07So without further ado, let's get into this meditation.
12:10So either sitting on stacked blankets or you can come onto your spine and you can even place a blanket underneath the knees.
12:20So go ahead and set up your space now and we'll get started.
12:26All right.
12:26So taking a deep inhale, draw your shoulders up towards your ears and exhale them back around and down.
12:33Do that again, deep inhale and exhale back around and down.
12:43Shoulders slide down the back.
12:46And last time, deepest inhale, just as we did this morning.
12:51And shoulders come up, back around and down.
12:55And I invite you to close your eyes.
12:59If it feels uncomfortable for you to close your eyes, you can certainly keep them open about a quarter of the way and shift the gaze onto the earth.
13:08If you're lying down on your spine, feel free to cover the eyes with a scarf or a towel or a gentle cloth.
13:17What we're going to do now is really scan the body to notice where we're arriving, right?
13:24Some of us are waking up super early this morning.
13:27Some may have not gone to sleep yet.
13:30So depending on where you are, I want you to do a body scan of how you're feeling in this moment.
13:36So go ahead and close your eyes, taking a deep inhale.
13:42And exhale the breath out through the mouth, sighing it out.
13:49Do that again, deep inhale.
13:51And sigh it out.
14:00And just beginning to notice the breath, how it moves in and out of the body.
14:10Noticing the spaces that the breath may not move freely.
14:21Bring your awareness to the joints, whether it's the shoulders or the hips or the knees.
14:39Just noticing how the body feels in this moment.
14:47Taking a deep inhale.
14:52Sigh it out.
14:53Exhale it out.
14:54Noticing what parts of the body feel at ease or feel at peace.
15:13And noticing what is in a deep longing for connection, for a hug, for community.
15:34Allow yourself to be honest with how your body feels in this moment.
15:44Acknowledging the transition, the changes.
15:55Acknowledging and honoring that part of us.
16:01That may be in a deep loss.
16:03Of the way that life was before it began to change.
16:14But then also find that part of you that holds on to hope.
16:32Even the memories of connection of our loved ones.
16:36And just giving ourselves permission to acknowledge the gravity.
16:48The task of what we are now holding.
16:53Our families.
16:55Our children.
16:57Our parents.
16:57Our grandparents.
16:59Our neighbors.
17:04Really allow yourself.
17:06To be honest with how that has or has not impacted you in this moment.
17:14Taking a deep inhale.
17:19And let that go here.
17:27And now bring the awareness back to the breath.
17:30Inhaling through the nose.
17:31And let that sigh out through the mouth.
17:42So this is an audible sigh.
17:44Really allowing our body to embody what it feels like to let go.
17:49So let's do that again.
17:51Taking a deep inhale through the nose.
17:53Audible sigh out through the mouth.
18:05Softening the shoulders.
18:07The throat.
18:09The jawline.
18:11The brow.
18:11Notice where the body is holding tension in this moment.
18:24And if you feel those spaces that are holding on.
18:31And we're going to do an exercise to escort that tension out.
18:42So bring your awareness to the right side of your body.
18:45Whether you're lying on the earth.
18:49Or sitting upright.
18:50We're going to take in a deep inhale when I cue you.
18:55And on that inhale.
18:56You're going to tighten everything on the right side.
19:01All right.
19:01So I'm talking fist.
19:03Shoulder up to the ear.
19:05Squeezing the right side of the face.
19:07Doing all that you can to create tension.
19:10All right.
19:10Let's go.
19:11Taking a deep inhale.
19:13Start to squeeze the shoulder up.
19:15It may feel silly.
19:16But you're creating tension.
19:18If you're on the earth.
19:19Squeeze the glutes.
19:21Squeeze.
19:21Or point the toes.
19:23And then exhale.
19:24Let it go.
19:25You can let that audible sigh go.
19:28All right.
19:28Left side.
19:30Deep inhale.
19:31Squeeze.
19:32Squeeze.
19:32Squeeze.
19:33Squeeze your nose in like a plane.
19:36Shrug the shoulder up.
19:37Squeeze the hips.
19:39Squeeze the fist.
19:40And then exhale.
19:41Let it go.
19:43Now we're going to do the entire body.
19:45Inhale.
19:46Inhale.
19:47Inhale.
19:48Squeeze.
19:48Create tension.
19:50Create it.
19:50Inhale.
19:53And exhale.
19:55Let it go.
19:57And then return to the breath.
20:05Allowing the body to return to the state.
20:13of welcoming in whatever it is that we need to receive in this moment.
20:25So now allow the softening to happen.
20:32Perhaps bringing in a thought of a person or an animal.
20:41or an action that when you think of this thing or this person, it is easy for you to soften.
20:53For me, I think of the young women of yoga literature in our camp at Spelman College.
21:06who use the practice of yoga to be change agents in this world, who use the practice of yoga to be change agents in this world, who do you think of that allows you to soften?
21:27And now listen to your breath, notice how it moves in and out of the body, and just begin to count backwards, starting with the number five.
21:54Each time you inhale, and then exhale, that's a new number on the countdown.
22:06And now you're even allowing yourself to get lost in that countdown.
22:18Bring your awareness to the soles of your feet.
22:30And on your next inhale, imagining energy moving through the soles of your feet, connecting you with the earth, with your ancestors, with those who have walked this earth before us.
22:45Allow that to travel through the body.
22:48And then once that energy reaches the top of the head, you're going to exhale and return it right back down through the body to the soles of the feet.
23:03Do that again.
23:04Do that again.
23:05Inhale, connecting, and always softening.
23:10And then exhaling, returning that energy right back down to the soles of the feet.
23:23So imagine, continue to breathe.
23:31Imagining yourself clearing the path with the breath.
23:38Perhaps waves of water or wind, whether it's cooling or warm.
23:53Imagining that energy moving up and down the body right now.
24:03Give yourself permission to be healed.
24:10You have been holding so much.
24:17Moving through these days, these weeks, these months, through uncertainty.
24:29And all the while, taking care of the household, taking care of the responsibilities that come with your job or your work.
24:54And perhaps even coming to terms with a tremendous loss.
24:59Give yourself permission to be healed.
25:05If not by this earth, then by your faith.
25:11Whether it's within you or outside of you.
25:16Or both and.
25:19Imagine that each time you breathe in, you are connecting with this community that is attuned to this practice right now in this moment.
25:32And as you exhale, imagining your breath moving beyond your physical body, beyond the safety of your home.
25:42And moving into communities, into families, into households, into spaces that are experiencing a tremendous amount of pain.
25:59Of loss.
26:00Of loss.
26:01Of change.
26:02Of loss.
26:03Of change.
26:04And also remembering.
26:09Remembering.
26:16That one thing is true and that is that you have this breath right now.
26:20What are you going to do with it?
26:33And you're going to do with it.
26:34When I'm not.
26:35I'm going to do with it.
26:36Leaving in the silence.
26:38The stillness.
26:40Answering to the call of folks who are in need.
26:43Answering to the calls of folks who are in need and working hard to show up in ways that
27:06we are presenting to be strong.
27:11But it's in this moment I give you permission to let whatever it is that you've been holding
27:16to let it go.
27:21As my teacher, Tracy Stanley, reminds me, you cannot teach what you do not practice.
27:38How can we teach our children and our loved ones to take care of themselves if we do not
27:48practice that for ourselves?
27:55Bring your awareness back to your physical body.
28:03And in meditation, we use something called a mantra.
28:10And that's simply a statement or a word or words that are repeated.
28:15And in this moment, I invite a collective mantra of thank you.
28:28Each time you breathe in, allowing yourself to whisper thank you.
28:39Thank you for seeing yourself worthy of this practice, this moment of pause, of release,
28:45of trusting the earth to hold you, of trusting whatever it is, that container that continues
28:52your steps each day, especially in uncertainty.
29:04Bring your awareness to your heart.
29:11And on your next inhale, we're going to hold the breath with a thought of resilience.
29:19Together, take in your deepest inhale, inhale, inhale, inhale.
29:27Hold the breath.
29:28Hold it there right at the heart center.
29:30Feel it build.
29:31That is your resilience.
29:33Now strong exhale out through the top of the head, imagining that energy covering the shoulders,
29:39the arms, the body.
29:41And that is how you will walk from this day forward, giving thanks and resting in resilience.
29:51When you're ready, begin to bring your body out of this moment of meditation by gently opening
30:00the eyes.
30:02You can stretch your arms overhead, either on the earth or seated, and then exhale, bring
30:10the hands right to the heart center.
30:12Together, let's take in a deep inhale and exhale here.
30:18Thank you for joining me.
30:21Thank you for attending our Essence Wellness House Virtual Summit.
30:25I am Chelsea, loves yoga, and I hope to connect with you soon.
30:30May peace be with you.
30:40Bye.
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