Welcome to today's practice.
This is a combination of some movement,
Some shaking,
Followed by stillness,
And I think you're going to enjoy this one.
It's going to take about 12 minutes,
I'm going to invite you to be in a place where you can move freely,
And we're going to be using the body to shake up any stagnant energy.
We're also going to be using the breath,
Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth,
Big full breaths as we move.
And after the movement practice,
We're going to come to stillness,
And appreciate the stillness connecting to our center.
We're going to begin by standing with your feet shoulder width apart,
Your knees slightly bent,
Allow your arms to hang loosely by your sides,
Relaxing the shoulders down and away from your ears.
I'm going to invite you to close the eyes,
And begin to gently shake your body,
Starting with your hands and your arms,
And gradually letting the movement spread to your shoulders,
Your chest,
And your torso,
And as you shake your body,
Look to charge the body with your breath,
Breathing in through the nose,
Out through the mouth,
In,
Out through the mouth,
In,
Allowing your legs and your feet to get involved too,
Shaking off any tension or stress that may have settled within you.
As you shake,
Imagine that you're letting go of anything that no longer serves you,
So letting go of thoughts,
Or emotions,
Or sensations that have been weighing you down.
And as you shake,
And you breathe deeply,
Feel the energy that moves through your body,
Dislodging stagnant energy,
Creating space for fresh,
Vibrant energy to flow again.
Trust your body,
And the way it wants to move,
So maybe you want to shake more vigorously,
Or slow it down.
Allow yourself to find the rhythm that works for you,
Staying with that breath.
Now gradually beginning to slow the shaking down,
Allowing your movements to become smaller and slower,
Allowing your movements to become smaller and slower,
And eventually working toward a gentle stop,
And from here,
Standing still for a moment,
Staying connected to your breath,
And feeling any sensations in the body,
Maybe feeling some vibration through the body,
And I invite you to keep the eyes closed,
And keep the attention inward,
And having released that tension,
And maybe restored a bit more of a natural flow of energy without blockage in the body,
I just invite you to gently sway side to side,
Or back to the front,
Or in circles,
Whatever feels natural for you,
And as you move,
Bringing your awareness to different parts of the body,
You know,
Noticing your feet connecting with the ground,
Noticing the subtle movements of your ankles and your knees,
The way your hips and spine support your movement,
Allowing your arms to move freely,
Maybe swinging or swaying or stretching out to the sides,
And allowing your head and your neck to be soft with your jaw relaxed.
Now continuing to explore movements,
Tuning into whatever your body needs in this moment,
Could be a stretch or a bend or a twist,
Maybe even a dance,
Whatever feels nourishing or expressive for you,
And as you move,
Staying connected with your breath,
Inhaling through the nose,
Exhaling through the mouth,
And allow each breath to guide your movement,
So creating a dance between your breath and the body,
Now gradually allowing those movements to become smaller and slower,
Smaller and slower,
Eventually again coming to a stop,
Coming back to a place of stillness,
And I'm going to invite you to find a comfortable position,
Either standing as you are,
Or seated or lying down,
And again keeping the eyes closed if that feels comfortable,
Inviting you to take a deep breath in,
And to exhale slowly,
Allow your body to come to complete stillness,
Maybe noticing the echoes of your movement,
Still vibrating through your body,
But also noticing the deep sense of calm that begins to settle in,
Bring your awareness to your breath and notice the rise and fall of your chest and tummy with each inhale and exhale,
Allowing your breath to become your anchor,
Grounding you in this moment of stillness,
If your mind wanders,
Just gently bringing it back to your breath,
The sensations in your body,
The stillness within,
Knowing that this stillness is always within you,
Always there is this place of peace and calm,
You can return to whenever you need,
And as we come toward the end of this short practice,
I invite you to begin to gently bring some movement into your body,
Maybe wiggling your fingers or toes,
Maybe having a stretch or twist,
Taking a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Letting go with the sigh,
Releasing any remaining tension,
And when you feel ready,
Opening your eyes,
Taking a moment to notice how you feel,
And I invite you to carry this sense of calmness and presence,
If it's there for you,
Into the rest of your day.
I hope you've enjoyed today's practice,
Appreciate you being here with me,
And I hope to practice with you again soon.
