Hi,
I'm Mary Ellen.
Welcome to Present in Motion.
We're going to do a yielding practice today.
So we're going to start out on the floor.
If you're standing or seated,
Just find your way gently onto the floor,
Onto your back.
And we're going to start with our legs long.
Your arms can rest comfortably by your side.
A yielding practice feels like what it feels like to be present.
It's a felt sense of belonging.
We're going to move slow.
And moving slowly is more difficult than moving quickly because it forces you to feel,
Pause,
Adapt,
And then just keep moving with awareness.
So get comfortable on the floor.
Wiggle around a little bit if necessary.
Maybe you need a pillow underneath your knees.
Just do whatever it takes to feel as comfortable as you can in this moment.
Notice your weight in contact with the floor.
Your eyes are open.
Notice your heels in contact with the floor.
Moving up your leg.
The weight of your calves.
And then into the pelvic region.
And then moving up your spine,
Your whole back.
Perhaps you can feel your shoulder blades.
Perhaps they're feeling a little bit heavier.
Moving down your arms.
And then moving up your spine.
Perhaps they're feeling a little bit heavier.
Moving down your arms into your hands.
Notice the fingertips on the right side.
Can you feel any tingling,
Any sensation?
And then bring your awareness to your left hand.
Does it feel different,
The same?
Can you relax your hands a little bit more?
And now bring your awareness into your neck and then into your skull.
Your eyes are still open.
You're just noticing now what's around you.
This is your outer awareness.
Just rest your eyes on an object and then move to another object.
And then to another.
Perhaps you're seeing color.
Then texture,
Light.
Perhaps you're listening to something in the background.
Just notice.
Feel all surfaces of your body that are in contact with the floor.
Perhaps your body feels a little heavier now.
Now bring your awareness to your left hand.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Move into your inner awareness.
Your mind's eye.
You're going to start to move your head gently.
Just a small movement to the right.
Pausing and then coming back to center.
And then rolling your head towards the left.
Just a small movement and back to center.
And just gently,
Slowly rolling back and forth.
You're not commanding the body.
You're listening to the body.
Notice there's a rolling point of contact with the floor and with your skull as it moves back and forth.
And you're emptying the head.
Back and forth,
Opening up gently,
Slowly.
Back and forth,
Opening up gently,
Slowly.
Now you can pause that movement,
Come back to the center.
You're in stillness.
Let that experience sink deeply in.
Where's your breath?
Notice your breath now.
You've just been breathing naturally.
Now become aware of the breath.
Your inhale and then your exhale.
Place the palms of your hand on your chest.
Your fingers are pointing towards each other,
But they're not touching.
Feel your breath as it comes in your body and then out of your body.
Inhaling,
Expanding,
Exhaling.
Just relaxing your fingers back towards each other.
Your body's breathing you now.
Inhaling,
Expanding,
And exhale.
Just relax.
Inhaling and exhaling.
Are you inhaling through your nose?
Can you feel the air in your nostrils?
Does it feel cool,
Perhaps?
And your exhale.
Are you exhaling out your mouth or through your nose?
It's a choice.
Now you can pause that movement.
Perhaps place one hand on your belly and just follow your natural breath.
Remembering the floor is your partner.
If you have an urge to move spontaneously,
Let it happen.
This is called a pendiculation and it's your body's intelligence telling you how it wants to move.
Listen.
Listen deeply.
Now you can start to roll your heels on the floor.
Back and forth.
Gently,
Slowly.
Maybe your head's following.
So now you have an interplay of rolling,
Breathing,
And pausing.
Notice thoughts,
Images,
Vibrations as they come up.
And then just go back to this felt sense.
Now settle back into stillness.
Notice your state of being.
Perhaps you feel a little more connected to yourself,
To your environment.
What's shifted?
Just notice.
Don't try to change it.
And then we're going to end this class now.
It's just a short yielding class.
And when you come up to a seated position or back to standing,
Move with as much awareness as you can.
Thank you for coming and practicing with me.
