Towards the beginning of the pandemic, I was relieved and grateful to find free yoga classes on YouTube. Yoga With Adriene is a channel full of loving and kindness. Its empowering tag line is “Find What Feels Good.” Adriene sprinkles her teaching with casual humor, wisdom, and a healthy dose of humility. This channel is delightfully in line with Cuddle Sanctuary’s own compassionate message.

It occurred to me that I would be more inclined to do my yoga if others were counting on me. So I started meeting my friend, Mark, and my Uncle Arthur regularly in the mornings to practice together via Zoom. It worked! We’re entering into our fourth month of daily practice.

One day last month, I was minding my own business doing yoga with my little group. We were following one of the many 30-day programs that Adriene has presented. This one was Yoga Camp, Day 22. On this day, she departed from her more typical postures towards the end and encouraged us to give ourselves a shoulder and neck massage. It was so unexpected and lovely. I knew that I wanted to share it here with you.

This 17-minute practice includes a thought-provoking affirmation, some yoga poses, and then the soothing, self-touch at the end. I hope it brings you to a nice state of balance and wholeness. (Maybe you’ll want to try more!)