Yoga with Melissa

I’ve been observing a common theme with my students lately: we are collectively tired, but our nervous systems are too 'wired' to truly rest. 🌙

I know that my energy only flourishes when I’ve had deep, restorative sleep. This whole past month I have been supporting our members in unhooking from the effort of rest, it's a practice.

I’ve gathered the most effective 'sleep sorcery' from my years of practice, combining Yoga, Ayurveda, self-massage, and pranayama and woven them into a 7-day journey for you.


I’d love to send you one video a day to help you sleep better at night.


✨ Link: Sign up for 7 Days to Better Sleep here melissawest.com/sleep/

11 hours ago | [YT] | 9

Yoga with Melissa

I’ve been imagining a new kind of long-form restorative yoga companion practice for our community.

2 hours of deeply supported restorative yoga.

Minimal cues...
But reading a passage from a contemplative, spiritual text...
then long stretches of silence to simply rest with it.

This wouldn’t be a dharma talk or teaching. More like being immersed in the feeling and atmosphere of the words while your body is given space to notice what unfolds inside you.

I would love to know which text you would most like to rest with. ✨

1 day ago | [YT] | 12

Yoga with Melissa

One thing I’ve noticed over the years as a yoga teacher is that yoga has trends just like fashion.

When I first started teaching, depression was the focus. Then anxiety became the dominant conversation. Over the last 5 years or so, nervous system regulation has become a huge focus. Sleep and rest have also moved strongly into the wellness space.

Lately, I’ve noticed something new emerging: grief.

Grief classes.
Grief circles.
Grief retreats.
Grief-informed yoga and nervous system work.

And I’ve been reflecting on why.

Part of me wonders if nervous system work opened the door to it. Once people began recognizing exhaustion, burnout, shutdown, overstimulation, and the pressure of constantly holding everything together… perhaps underneath that, many people discovered grief.

Not only grief from death.

But grief from change.
From uncertainty.
From chronic stress.
From aging.
From illness.
From relationships changing.
From realizing how long they’ve been surviving.

I also think the pandemic left many people carrying forms of grief that were never fully acknowledged or metabolized.

Yoga often reflects the emotional atmosphere of the culture around it.

People come to yoga carrying the questions of the time:
How do I cope?
How do I rest?
How do I calm down?
How do I stay connected to myself through change?

I don’t know exactly where this trend will go next, but I find it interesting to witness how the collective emotional conversation keeps evolving through wellness spaces.

Have you noticed this too?

2 days ago | [YT] | 46

Yoga with Melissa

I'm planning some new Vagus Nerve sessions for you. To make them most effective, I'd love to respond to where you are right now. How does your nervous system feel today? ✨

3 days ago | [YT] | 18

Yoga with Melissa

#throwbackthursday #tbt

I've been on YouTube so long (17 years!) that I'm feeling nostalgic for this practice.

Today I wanted to throw it back to the practice that started it all here in Yoga with Melissa 1 https://youtu.be/HwB0Xa07dTA?si=XtTOv...

This class explores something that has been consistent throughout my entire teaching journey: your relationship with your body.

This is a longer class before short classes became the preferred length on YouTube.

I used to teach more energizing practices from hatha and kundalini styles of yoga. Now I feel I lean into energy cultivation through qigong more.

If you're looking for a practice to cultivate a more compassionate and mindful relationship with your body, this is it!

Let me know in the comments if you practice the class and what you receive from the practice if you give it a go!

6 days ago | [YT] | 31

Yoga with Melissa

It’s spring and it is beautiful outside. I know many of you love taking your yoga practice outdoors at this time of year, so let’s do it.

My new class on YouTube is a gentle standing vagus nerve reset practice for when you feel wired, scattered, or disconnected from your life.

https://youtu.be/ljfuUpp3rQQ?si=H75hY...

This is a prop free, wrist free class that is done standing to help help you feel more grounded, clear, and connected in surprisingly little time.


There is one part near the end of this practice that feels like standing savasana and recovery in motion. I have been loving that.


If you have been wanting a way to regulate that feels accessible enough to actually do daily, I made this for you.


And if you’re ready to go deeper, inside the membership my flagship nervous system programs help you build capacity over time, not just find relief in the moment.
In May we begin exploring Restful Dorsal, deep rest and energy conservation while staying connected enough to come back easily. I am very excited to share this month with members.

Join the Yoga with Melissa Membership Community here: 👉 melissawest.com/membership
Try the new class here and let me know how you feel after:

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 61

Yoga with Melissa

I’ve been reading your beautiful comments about the 'magic' of our recent somatic and Yoga Nidra sessions. It’s clear that so many of us are looking for a 'soft place to land' that still helps us feel strong and integrated. 🕊️✨

I want to create more of what you need most right now. Which of these somatic focus areas would be the biggest 'medicine' for your body this month?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 14

Yoga with Melissa

I was so touched by your stories of using Yoga Nidra to survive long work days, parenting, and high stress.

Many of you said you needed the 'permission slip' to just let go and sleep. 🕊️

www.youtube.com/shorts/IE_CT8...

I’m curious: what is the main reason you come to your mat for Yoga Nidra right now?"

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 13

Yoga with Melissa

How do you usually feel after a "strength" workout?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 8

Yoga with Melissa

“I’m doing fine, I’m just a little tired."


How many times have you said that this week while feeling completely "wired" inside? ✋ High-functioning anxiety often looks like "having it all together" on the outside while your nervous system is stuck in survival mode on the inside.


My newest class is an update of one of our my most popular yoga nidra practices, updated for 2026 with deep NSDR (Non-Sleep Deep Rest) protocols specifically for High Functioning Anxiety and Burnout Recovery.


📺 Watch the new class here: https://youtu.be/doSUGjyNNVg


Question for you: When you’re stressed, do you tend to "push through" or do you find it easy to give yourself permission to stop? Let’s chat in the comments! 👇


P.S. For those ready for a full nervous system reset, our month-long recovery programs are now live in the membership: melissawest.com/membership

1 month ago | [YT] | 34