Hello and welcome to another Movement Microdose.
We're going to begin on our hands and knees.
In this short practice,
We're going to be working on.
.
.
Calming down the nervous system,
Relaxing.
Our energies and preparing ourselves for a restful night's sleep.
So we're just going to begin with a few rounds of cacao.
Just allowing them to be soft.
As we move.
With a natural rhythm,
Natural pace of our breath.
Allowing the energies to sink and soften.
Starting to bring our attention inwards.
You might like to start thinking about.
.
.
Increasing the length of your exhale.
This might also naturally start to lengthen the inhale.
But an invitation really to focus on the exhale in this practice.
Exhale as a way of releasing and letting go.
Any energy from the day.
That isn't serving you right now.
Taking one more here.
And when you finish that last exhale.
Come down to find Balasana,
Child's pose.
He might like to take wide-legged.
Version here with toes together,
If that's available to you,
Calming down.
Allowing your forehead to rest on the floor.
Maybe a cushion.
Just take whatever variation of child's pose is accessible and comfortable to you right now.
Just taking a couple of moments here just to breathe.
Just to focus on.
Our inhales and our exhales.
We start to calm and slow the breath down.
We start to activate.
Our parasympathetic nervous system.
I'll rest and digest.
Start to walk your fingertips out to one side.
Finding a stretch in the side body.
Reaching out through the fingertips and pressing away through the hips.
Again,
Breathing deeply.
Long exhales.
Walking your fingertips over the other side.
Again,
Reaching away and pressing back through the hips,
Feeling heavy through the legs,
Heavy through the hips.
Allowing the body to soften down.
When you're ready,
Come back up again,
Coming back to all fours.
Still keeping in mind that.
.
.
Slow,
Smooth,
Mindful breath.
We're going to thread the needle.
An invitation here to.
.
.
Come straight into a kind of static pose.
Really resting and allowing.
The weight to sink through the shoulder.
Or if you feel like you need to ease your way in.
Just take a few dynamic stretches,
Kind of softly.
Slowly finding your way there.
Sometimes before bed I'm not quite ready to go into.
Long.
Static hold so I like to just add a bit of dynamic movement in there just to allow my body to ease its way in.
It also allows my nervous system to feel.
Supported.
Just taking a few soft,
Slow breaths.
When you're ready,
We'll switch sides.
So again,
Choosing the movement that's right for you,
Whether that's straight in.
To a passive hold or just finding your way there.
Easily.
Keeping the movements of the body soft and smooth,
Allowing.
The energies of the body to flow freely.
To flow freely.
And then when you're ready.
Coming to find a moment of stillness here just to breathe.
To breathe and allow the body to sink.
And settle into the ground.
When you're ready coming back up We're going to come and find our way onto our backs for reclined pigeon.
If you prefer to take kind of a regular pigeon,
Please feel free to do so.
But as this is a nighttime.
Practice.
I often like to get onto my.
.
.
Back as quickly as possible.
So bringing your right ankle over the top of your left thigh.
Start to draw your left leg in.
Again,
An option or an invitation to just take some gentle movements here just to ease your way in.
Ease the stretch into that right hip.
If you've had a long,
Busy stressful day.
Some dynamic kind of gentle movements can actually be really soothing.
To the nervous system.
Just showing it that you.
Not expecting,
You know,
Immediate switch on of.
.
.
Relaxation that you are.
In it together and supporting each other.
To rest and release.
And if it feels good.
You can take up kind of passive.
More static hold here.
Maybe directing the breath into your hips.
And we'll switch sides.
Left ankle over right thigh,
Drawing that leg in.
Again,
Taking some gentle movements.
If that feels good,
Otherwise coming straight into a static hold.
Focusing on those long exhales.
Mindful breathing,
Mindful breath.
Coming to find stillness if that serves you in this stretch.
Minerally releasing.
Feet to the floor.
Just taking a couple of.
.
.
Windscreen wipers.
With the legs.
Bringing some movement into the hips.
Feeling the weight of your body sink down into the ground.
Allow your legs to come together onto one side of the body and we'll take a twist.
Again,
Option to make this dynamic.
Gently opening up and closing the arms with the breath.
Exhale,
Bringing the palms together.
And inhale as you open up.
Or if you feel ready or called to,
You can just stay here with your arms open,
Finding that stillness.
Breathing into the twist.
Allowing your body to settle even more with each.
Deep exhale.
Allowing anything that you want to release.
Just flow through you into the ground.
Slowly start to switch sides.
Again choosing.
Whether to take a dynamic version.
Or to come straight into or hold.
You're taking a dynamic version.
Just allowing your head to rock smoothly side to side.
Until you're ready to find stillness.
Just noticing any muscles or errors the body that you could release,
Let go of.
And when you're ready,
Just slowly rock back onto your back.
Soles of your feet wide,
Knees in together.
Place your arms by your side,
On your belly,
Wherever feels comfortable.
And just a couple of moments here.
Just to recalibrate.
To soften,
To sink.
To release.
You're welcome to stay here.
Move yourself into Shavasana.
Fall asleep.
For those of you that would like to come up.
Please do so.
Slowly,
Easefully.
And we'll close that short practice together.
Thank you for practicing with me.
Have a beautiful restful sleep.
