Namaste.
The premise of today's practice is that you are also here in your practice to enjoy it,
To investigate what it's like to pair a practice of self-inquiry with the idea of joy,
Levity,
And fun.
So to begin in today's practice,
We take a non-traditional stance,
Finding a place in the space that you're in where you can stand comfortably and the space in front of your body is clear of objects.
As you bring yourself into this space,
You can lift your arms overhead to see if the space above your head is also clear of objects.
As you lower your arms down in front of you,
They'll be able to move freely without bumping up against any objects.
With the space around you relatively clear,
You stand firmly in your feet.
You can experiment with bringing your feet directly under your hip bones,
Then lifting your toes so that you feel an anchoring through the soles of your feet down into the earth.
Fix your toes again and feel the full broadness of your feet on the ground.
There's a natural breath flowing through you as you stand.
Perhaps there's even a natural sway to your body as it finds equilibrium.
Spread out energy through your feet and soften your knees.
This will help to maintain an unlocked position in your knees.
When you're ready,
Take an inhale and let your arms rise above your head as far as they'll comfortably go.
Imagine the sensation of your fingers being suspended by puppet strings drawn up to the sky.
In this way,
Your shoulders stay slightly heavy,
But your fingers are light.
And you're breathing,
Feeling the idea of suspension being held in a moment before release,
Arms overhead,
Feet grounded and steady on the earth,
And knees softly bent.
Take a full breath in,
And on your exhale,
Cut the strings and let the arms collapse.
We'll do this a few times,
Inhaling,
Arms overhead,
Suspending for a moment,
Exhaling through your mouth and letting the arms release and hang by your sides.
Once more,
Inhaling,
Arms overhead.
Exhale through your mouth and release the arms by your sides.
This is preparation for a stronger feeling of levity in the body.
So in the next few rounds of breath that we practice,
You have the option to add on,
Bowing forward with your whole body as you release your arms from the sky.
On the inhale,
You'll lift your arms overhead.
On your exhale,
You'll fold forward from the waist and let the arms swing.
Inhale,
Rolling back up to standing.
As your arms reach overhead,
Your knees are softly bent.
And then on your exhale,
Folding forward at your waist,
Arms swinging past you,
Bowing over your legs.
Inhale lifting up.
Exhale letting go.
Do this three more times for yourself,
Feeling the energy of suspension as you inhale and release as you exhale.
If the description of the movement doesn't make much sense,
Go with your intuition.
What would it feel like to be suspended in space?
And then to release that effort entirely,
Dropping the effort of holding yourself upright and allowing your weight to move closer to Earth.
Trust that the simple feeling of suspension followed by release is in its own way the perfect movement for you today.
Now return to a simple standing posture.
Connect your feet once more to the ground.
And know that energy is drawing up through your legs as you anchor through the feet.
It's swirling around your abdomen,
Chest.
It's freeing tension in your neck and shoulders.
Repeat easily with these words from Mary Oliver.
Why I wake early.
Hello sun in my face.
Hello you who make the morning and spread it over the fields and into the faces of the tulips and the nodding morning glories and into the windows of even the miserable and the crotchety.
Best preacher there ever was.
Dear star that just happens to be where you are in the universe to keep us from ever darkness.
To ease us with warm touching,
To hold us in the great hands of light.
Good morning.
Good morning,
Good morning.
Watch now how I start the day in happiness and kindness.
Good morning.
Good morning.
