Hey,
It's Ash from The Philosophy.
I'm going to lead today's practice and gentle movement around a body check-in.
Today we'll focus on being in your body,
Giving yourself the space,
The time,
And the permission to check in with how you feel.
I think that the body is this incredible entity that we get to experience our life in.
It's our vessel,
It's our home.
Our bodies serve as a metaphor for how we are living.
And often if we listen to our bodies,
They can provide great insight.
However,
Most of us don't listen to our bodies.
We tend to over-stimulate them,
Over-exercise,
Over-work them,
We tend to distract them and numb in our body.
And if you're anything like me,
Oftentimes we give more power to our mind than to our body.
So today we will make time to check in and to listen.
So I invite you to lie down for today's practice on your back.
Make yourself comfortable.
Close your eyes if that feels okay or find a point to just gaze at softly up above you.
And take up space.
Remind yourself that your body is allowed to take up space.
When we listen to our body today,
Just remind yourself that listening is about being present.
It's not necessarily about being completely quiet or completely still.
As you find yourself here lying on your back,
Start to find your natural rhythm of breath.
You do not need to change your breath at all.
You do not need to force it or control it.
Notice in this moment how you are breathing.
To begin,
Start to check into and tap into what you notice around you,
In the space around you.
What do you hear?
Do you notice any subtle smells in the space?
Do you notice the temperature of the room?
Do you notice anything about what is around you?
Continue just to become present to the space that you are in,
The physical space,
The room that you find yourself in right now.
As you continue to breathe,
Now start to notice your body in relation to the space around you.
Can you feel the ground beneath your back?
Perhaps there's a hard surface or a soft surface.
Can you notice the sensation of the clothes that are on your body making contact with your skin?
Maybe even noticing if there is a breeze or anything that touches the surface of your skin.
Start to now find a little bit of movement by taking your hands,
Your palms,
And just placing them to the outside of your body,
Your legs.
You want to be able to feel here the outline of your body.
Now the next time you inhale,
Start to slide and draw your fingertips along the side of your legs,
The side of your torso,
Up along even to the side of your face,
Your cheeks,
Even running your own fingertips through your hair as you reach the arms up.
Think morning stretch.
And as you exhale,
Use your fingertips again to explore your body by sliding the fingertips down.
Can you do this four more times?
So inhaling,
Sliding fingertips along the outside of the body,
The torso,
The face,
The hair,
Reaching up.
And as you exhale,
Sliding those fingertips back down.
Three more times,
Move slowly.
And last time,
Eventually settling the arms back by your side and continuing your natural rhythm of breath in and out.
Now start to place the hands onto your body.
You can rest them on the stomach,
The chest,
Or even just onto your thighs.
Now start to move inward into the feelings that exist inside of your body.
What are you experiencing internally?
Where do you feel your breath moving?
Where do you feel your breath getting stuck?
How are you feeling internally from an energy perspective?
How are you feeling emotionally?
Is there a feeling that is coming up for you?
Reminding yourself again that listening to your body is about being present.
Just allow yourself to be present to what it is that you feel in this moment.
All feelings are valid.
So explore whatever it is that is coming up for you without judgment,
With softness.
And stay here as long as you need,
Giving your body,
Yourself,
The space,
The time,
The permission to continue to check in with how you feel.
Have a beautiful rest of your day.
Thank you.
