Welcome to the mindful movement practice.
This ten minute practice will be doing standing and it can be adjusted and adapted to be done sitting down as well if you prefer.
So if you're choosing to do it sitting down today,
Then just adapting the instructions as needed for your body in this moment.
Also important to listen to the body if you're hurt or if the body needs a movement to be done in a different way,
Feel free to adapt it.
What's important is the type of attention that you're paying to the physical sensations in the body,
Not how you're doing the movement itself.
With that said,
We can begin.
Standing just in a neutral position with the hips about hip distance apart.
And perhaps to get a bit of a better sense of the physical sensations Let's direct the attention down into the feet,
So noticing the sensations in the feet.
Perhaps at the beginning rocking forward and back.
Slightly,
So perhaps noticing the pressure in the balls of the feet and the toes.
And the heels as you go back.
Perhaps rocking side to side with the hips.
Noticing perhaps pressure.
Inside and outside.
Inside and outside the feet and coming back to a neutral standing position.
And for the next movement,
Feel free to.
.
.
Do as big or as small as the body is asking for.
So we'll be doing a bit of rotation with the spine.
Movement coming from the hips and arms are just following along.
So the movement doesn't come from the arms,
It's really the hips.
Moving the spine,
Which moves the shoulders,
Which moves the arms.
You may choose to do this very small.
If the body needs it or if you're doing it late in the evening,
So go ahead.
You don't increase the blood flow too much.
Or if you're doing it in the morning.
And wish to be a little bit more vigorous in the movement,
You might wish to have the arms come up higher,
So doing the movement faster out of the hips.
Noticing perhaps the sensation of air moving against the hands and the arms as you do it.
Perhaps temperature in the body,
If the heart's pumping a little bit.
Noticing that change in body temperature.
And then slowly coming back just to a neutral position and allowing the arms to hang out by the sides.
And noticing the body checking in with the body in this moment.
What physical sensations are present?
Now bringing one arm slowly up overhead.
Again,
Adapting this as needed for the shoulders and the arms.
And if the neck is feeling alright today,
You may choose to look out past the hand.
And you may even wish to reach out of the shoulder,
So stretching that shoulder up a little bit more towards the ceiling.
Continued attention on the body as the arm slowly comes down.
And perhaps noticing.
The left and the right side.
Maybe there's a difference in the side.
Maybe not.
Seeing what's present for you.
And they'll slowly bring the other arm up.
So tension is on the body as the arm moves.
Again,
Whether you're doing the adapted version or not,
It's about the quality of attention on the body.
Noticing moment by moment the physical sensations that are here.
So again,
If the neck allows,
Perhaps looking up over the hand and if not.
.
.
Just looking at normally.
In a way that is suitable for that.
Optionally you may wish to reach out of that shoulder towards the ceiling.
If that's the case,
Noticing what physical sensations change or differ as you do that extra little stretch.
And then slowly bringing.
The arm back down.
Noticing the physical sensations as the arm moves.
Now doing a bit of movement in the shoulders,
Bringing the shoulders forward.
Back and down.
Forward.
Up back and down and so this movement comes out of the shoulders the arms once again are just hanging along for the ride You may even wish to.
.
.
Synchronize a little bit the breath with the movement.
So inhale as the shoulders come up and back,
Exhale as the shoulders go down and forward.
And then reversing the movement,
So going back and up first,
And then forward and down.
Noticing sensations in the body as the movement is happening.
And finishing one final rotation.
Allowing the arms to just hang.
Once again,
Here noticing the physical sensations.
When the body is in stillness.
Maybe there are some,
Maybe there are none.
Maybe it's in the same place when one place in the body is speaking more loudly to you,
Or maybe where in the body you notice the sensations changes moment by moment.
See what's true for you.
Doing a little bit of the neck now,
So bringing.
One ear down to a shoulder and doing a semi-circle in the front.
Once you're at the other shoulder,
Bring the head back up and doing the same direction once more.
And once you're back up and neutral,
Pausing for a moment,
And then doing the other direction.
Moving perhaps a little bit slower than he might normally.
Moving slower allows you to notice some of the finer details.
Of the sensations in the body as you move.
And finishing one final rotation allowing the head to come back up.
And doing what?
You may know as a chair pose,
So bringing the arms out in front.
And then bending the knees slowly to lower down.
Again,
This isn't about how far you lower down or how high you raise the arms.
It's more about.
What attention!
Happening in the body.
How are you noticing the sensations moment by moment?
What do you do when the attention wanders?
Bringing it back.
Once more to the sensations in the body.
Springing.
Coming back up once more,
Arms come down.
Noticing the body,
Perhaps the heart beating.
And we'll be doing this a second time.
So arms come up.
And bring the hips down.
To a level that's appropriate for you.
And perhaps noticing in the body if there's any.
.
.
Reaction,
The body or the mind.
To learning that we are doing a second time.
Perhaps it was woohoo,
Or perhaps it was,
Oh no,
Not the second time.
Becoming aware of what's happening in the body and the mind as you do the practice.
Slowly coming up now and arms come down standing still noticing What's present for you?
In this moment.
And the physical sensations.
A little bit of balancing just to finish off.
So doing.
.
.
What you might know as a tree pose.
So you could place the heel just against the inside of the opposite.
Turn the knee out a little bit or you might place the foot inside.
The calf muscle.
If you're someone who practices yoga separately from this,
Try not to strive to do the pose in a certain way.
Again,
This isn't about how high you put your leg,
But how you pay attention to the body.
So you may lift the foot completely as you balance one leg or keep the other toes on the ground to help.
And bringing the knee forward and down.
Doing the other side.
So turning.
The knee out a little bit,
Finding a level of height that's appropriate for the foot.
You may keep the hands down or you may choose to bring the hands up in front of you.
That's completely optional.
Bringing the knee forward and down.
Taking a few moments to notice the sensations in the body in this moment.
Noticing perhaps some of the effects of the practice.
Of the movement of the attention.
What's present right now.
And seeing if you can carry some of this type of awareness.
As you continue.
With your day.
