Movement For People Who'd Rather Not - 1. The Couch Squat

Welcome to Movement for People Who’d Rather Not - where we interrupt stillness, not your life.

This is the place to start - the most important episode in the series - introducing Jac’s movement philosophy: movements that barely count as exercise… but somehow work, in a space you already love, and your anchor move; the humble couch squat.

Part guided movement, part chit-chat, Jac invites you into a wee bit of movement… so when you sit back down again, the couch feels even better.

Stay for a round, or just take the move with you.
Either way… it counts.

Warning: This episode may cause unexpected confidence, improved circulation, and a suspiciously alive backside.

Transcript

Hi everyone. Welcome to Movement For People Who'd Rather Not. I'm Jack. This is my dear sweet friend Jasper and we are here to help you interrupt stillness, Not your life. So today I'd like to share my absolute favourite, Favourite anchor move. It's a foundational move that I just keep coming back to again and again and it's one I can guarantee the couch fully supports. So no need to change your clothes. What you are wearing is absolutely perfect. No need to get in the car and drive somewhere. Changing, Driving, All obstacles to movement. Let's do away with that idea and let's just make sure we're in a space that we absolutely love because there's a power in that. There's a magic to it that we're going to talk a little bit more about later. Alright, So just if you are somewhere between the couch and the coffee table, You are in the right place. If you can keep an eye on your favourite show, You are set up for success. And this is how these sessions work. So I'm going to share with you a move or a series of moves. Today it's just one. And then you can stay or you can go. So if you stay, We'll go through the move again together. We'll do, Well, We'll do a few together. 10! We'll do 10. Jasper, Was that you? Who was that? Who said that? 10. Look, I do like 10. There's no shoulds or have tos here. But 10 is a lovely number when it comes to interrupting stillness. It's got a little bit of joie de vivre to it. Helps you get the most out of the move. Yeah, So we'll have a little chat and we'll do those moves together. Or you can go. So you can take the move, The moves, And take them with you. And then sprinkle them into your relaxation time as much or as little as you like. Listening to the wisdom of your body as to how much or how little you do. I'm a strong believer that the body is a brain. The body is a brain. And it will always, Always tell us when we are stuck and we need to move. Whether that's emotionally stuck, The body lets us know, Or physically stuck on the couch, As infused with the couch. Alrighty, So let's do it. Let's. Why have I gone so serious? Now just to note on position, You can see that I'm on the edge of the couch, But I'm not right, Right on the edge. That would be dangerous because I could fall and land on my coccyx. Who would do a silly thing like that? Surely not me. Or don't be too far back. You could get caught in the couch. Your rear end could get caught in there and you might not come out for quite some time. Who would have known it's such a dangerous place to be? Somewhere that you absolutely adore and let go in. It doesn't quite make sense. Always good to be safe. So, Sitting on the couch, Let's say moderately, Moderately. And just for joint safety, Just to keep the joints nice and safe, Always good to be extra safe. Knees in line with shoulders, Feet underneath the knees, Politely stacked, One might say. All right, And then I'm going to show you the gold standard default version, And then I'll show you the hardcore version after that. Always good to have choices. All right, So let's just, To begin with, Let's just stand up. Oh, Clickety-click went the knee. Did you hear it? How are yours? Just a little bit of a hinge saying hello. So, Guess what? We're halfway there. All right, And then just, You know, Let's just sit back down again, All the way to the couch, Nice and comfy. That was it. That was the move. That was a couch squat, Otherwise known as a sit to stand as good a squat as any. If you are going to interrupt stillness, This is the move for you. It is absolute gold. Why? Well, Just incidentally, Just incidentally, This is the biggest muscle group in your body, So it's the biggest engine of your body, So it kickstarts the metabolism, It gets circulation flowing, Heart, Brain health, Absolute gold. If you're going to interrupt stillness, This is magic, And the one that, Yeah, Just the one that I would recommend having as your default and then branching out from this one, Which is why we're sharing this as the first episode, Jasper and I. All right, So that was the default version. Now, We have the hardcore version, So I'm just going to stand up for this one, And it's the bum tap version, So we're just going to tap our bum to the couch instead of sinking fully into it, But sometimes couch is a bit too far down, So if that's the case for you, Grab a pillow, Here's one I didn't prepare earlier, Grab a pillow, Pop it behind you, And I like to go into a prayer position, Pray that I'll get back up, And then we just tap the bum to the pillow or the couch, And that is done, The hardcore version. So, You might just throw in a few, Two or three hardcore versions in amongst your 10 standard couch squats, Or you might, You know, You might be feeling really wild, And do them all like that, Just depends on your mood and your feeling, Or you might just do all sinking down into the couch and getting back up. Yeah, Your body will let you know. If we listen, The body speaks, And we hear it, All righty, Where are we? Oh, Yes, So, Oh, One more thing on safety. Now, If you do have joints that are a little bit like mine, That creak sometimes, Or that squeak like a rusty gate in a horror film, Or you're just a bit unsure, You know, You can just lie back, And you could do a few soccer ball kicks, Just to warm up your joints, You know, Ankles, Knees, Hips, All important to consider. These are the ankle circles, Look at them go. I'd love to do a close-up on that, But I'm not allowed to on this program. We've got to keep it all one seamless take, Which is fair enough, But geez, It would have been good with these boots, Right close up on the furry boots. Okay, And then you could stand up, If you're feeling extra, Extra supersonic, You could do some hula hoops. Look at this, And by the time you've done your warm-up, You're probably so exhausted, You need to sit back down again, And keep watching your show. Do your couch squats later, That's always an option. Anyway, You have the warm-up now, If you need it. All right, Excuse me, It's stay or go time. If you are going, I loved that you were here. Thank you for joining me. Enjoy integrating this move into your relaxation time, Into a space you love, And for those of you who are staying, That is what we're going to chat about next, And then we're going to do the moves. We're going to do the couch squats, 10 of them together. All righty, So the chat, The little chat. Look, I just wanted to let you know that I used to be a personal trainer. For 10 years, I was a personal trainer, And I just, I didn't, Dare I say it, Yes, I'll say it, I don't like gyms. I used to work in one, Don't like them, No, Don't make me go in one. I loved being a personal trainer, But no, The space, Cold, Sterile, Bright lights, Lots of people, Not for me. And then, Oh goodness gracious me, What about those, Hard for me to say these words, Home studio. Oh, It's hard to say, Home studio, Just as worse, Just as bad, Don't like the home studio. Out on the deck, No thank you, I'd rather not. In a garage, Oh my goodness, Take me for a long walk off a short pier. So what do I do? What does someone like me do? Who loves to walk, But, And loves to, You know, Do some other types of moves that are good for my health and well-being, But doesn't like going into those spaces. So look, I don't understand how it took me this long to realise it. I've probably been doing this for almost five years now, But, So I'm 52 almost, Probably took me till I was about 47 to have the epiphany. I thought, Well, Why don't I introduce, Let's start with the couch squats, In a space that I already love, In a peaceful, Luxurious space where I let go and I feel peace and relax and just love. And this is it, The lounge room. I love absorbing myself in the velvet foam, Immersing myself in a great storyline. And so I tried it, And it was absolutely magic, And I never looked back, Because what happened, I was a bit unsure, You know, That doing so might cast a shadow on this space or taint it, But it's not what happened. It's absolutely amazing. There's the moves, I introduced moves that are good for my health and well-being, And here's the power and the magic of this space. Here it comes, And it opened up its arms, And they embraced, And they just seamlessly integrated. And as they say, The rest is history. And that is why I'm sharing these videos with you, In the hope that you may integrate some moves into your life that are good for your health and well-being, And that in a space that you love, And that it feels good and right for you. Yeah. All righty, Shall we do it? Shall we do the 10 couch squats? I think we should. Let's stand up. You don't have to follow along with me, But you can if you want to. All right, Keep each other company. Let's do it. So I'm just going to sink down for the first one, Fully into it. Oh, What a lovely thing. Oh, There's that hinge saying hello again. I'm going to do a bumped up version for this one. Two. Now, Don't panic. That's just legs that we can feel. I'm going to do bumped up again and put my hands out for this one. This just helps slow it down a little bit and get the most out of the move. It's also a great one to throw in if you're ever sleepwalking. Is that three? I can't count. I'm a personal trainer. That's a prerequisite. I think that's three. I'm going to sink fully into this one. Four. Oh, It's a lovely thing. Nice and comfy. I'm going to bumped up it again. A little bit of a high five on the couch. Five. That's great. I think I'm going to bumped up it again. Yeah, I'm feeling, My knees are feeling cautiously optimistic. Five. Fantastic. Sinking all the way down into number six. Now, Your body in the background may be composing an email entitled, What's going on? That's okay. That was six, I think. Bumped up version. Seven. I'm actually starting to feel a little bit more awake. Bumped up again. Eight. You can push off your knees if you need to. Do it any way you like. Sit all the way back and then back up. That's eight. Now, Science would tell us that that feeling of awakeness is endorphins. I prefer to think of it as pom poms. I think they've got that wrong. Was that eight or nine? Look, If I've got it wrong, Just blame me and reluctantly, Joyously join in. Think of it as a bonus. I think that was nine. And here we go. Sinking down all the way into this one. Now, If you are feeling slightly more awake yourself, You may have some pom pom activity happening inside you too, Because we just did 10 couch squats. Well done. That was amazing. Those moves counted for your health and well-being. Absolutely brilliant. So, If you are looking to interrupt stillness in the future, You know where to find me. I will be adding more episodes, More moves, And building a repertoire as we go along. I love that you are here. I hope to see you next time. Until then, Sending love. Bye for now. Bye.