Mindful Whole Body Movement & Breath: Side Body Opening

Release the frequently neglected and stressed side body with these whole-body movements and breath. The side body is tight and “sticky” so often that sometimes we don’t even realize it. Use this movement and breath practice to soften and unwind the side body from your ankles and legs, through your spine, and along your arms and neck. Making more space in the side body allows for easier, more graceful movement and fuller, more nourishing breath. Use this simple series of spacious movements.

Transcript

Hey friend,

It's Susan.

Welcome to Mindful Whole Body Movement and Breath,

Side Body Opening.

This practice targets the often neglected side body.

From the sides of your legs and torso to the sides of your arms and neck,

This part of the body is ignored so much that we usually don't realize how tight and sticky it is.

Think of the side body as a spinnaker,

A special and beautiful sail on a sailboat.

A spinnaker is often stowed away tight in a sail bag and overlooked,

But when a tailwind blows,

The spinnaker unfurls and fills in a colorful wash of lightness and air,

Propelling the boat forward with power and ease.

The same is true for the side body.

When we give it attention and let it fully expand,

It allows for easier,

More graceful movement and deeper,

More nourishing breath.

This practice can be done on the floor with a mat,

Blanket or towel to give your body and knees some padding.

Anywhere you can lie down comfortably with your legs and arms long works just great.

I recommend nose breathing for this practice.

The body relaxes when we breathe both in and out through the nose.

And if you're congested or that doesn't feel right to you,

Breathe in any way that feels good.

We'll start on our backs,

Move to our seats,

Then on to hands and knees and end in standing.

If you like,

You can do the first part of the practice on a bed and then move to standing on the floor.

Ready to let your side body unfurl?

Let's begin.

Find your way to a comfortable lying down position with your arms and legs long.

Pause and feel your body as a whole and notice any sensations.

It's common not to have much awareness in the side body,

So just see what you feel there.

Begin by stretching your body long.

Let your arms reach and stretch on the floor overhead and reach your toes away from your fingers.

Take a deep breath in and get long.

Exhale and relax everything.

Do that again,

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in and lengthen your whole self.

Long slow breath out and relax.

Then do the same on just your right side.

Inhale and reach your right hand and right foot away from each other on the floor.

Exhale relax and let it go.

Inhale stretch your left hand and left foot away from each other.

Exhale and release.

Do that one more time on each side.

Inhale lengthen right.

Exhale and release.

Inhale lengthen left.

Exhale and release.

Now curve your body into the shape of a crescent moon on the floor,

Bending toward the left.

Hands over toward the left,

Arms overhead on the floor,

Also reaching left.

You can stay here or cross your right ankle over the left.

Breathe into your right outer thigh and ribs like a sail opening in the wind.

Relax your jaw and breathe.

Now bring both arms and legs back to center and rock your body a little side to side to reset.

Then make a crescent moon on the floor,

Bending to the right.

Arms overhead on the floor toward the right,

Legs over to the right.

Stay there or cross your left ankle over your right ankle.

Take some long,

Slow,

Easy breaths into your left ribs and outer left thigh.

Let it all expand like a spinnaker.

Reach and breathe and make space on your left side.

Now come back to center,

Rock your body a little side to side and reset.

Gently roll to one side now and sit up in any way that allows your spine to be long.

You could sit with legs crossed or legs out in a V with the knees straight or bent,

Any way that feels good.

If you find that your spine rounds,

Sit on a cushion or a folded blanket as high as you need or you can sit in a chair.

Then take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in and lift your arms overhead with shoulders relaxed.

Drop your right fingertips to the floor on the right,

Extend your left arm by your ear and tip your body to the right.

Notice your left sits bone and keep it anchored to the floor.

Take a breath here.

Many of us hold the breath during side body openings so just keep coming back to long,

Slow,

Deep breaths in and out of your nose.

Then drop your left arm across your body and let it rest on your right thigh or knee in a rotation.

Press your sits bones down and lift the crown of your head up and rotate your spine looking over your right shoulder.

Pause and breathe.

Come back to center first with your eyes,

Then your shoulders,

Then your spine.

Take a breath and pause.

Then do the same on the other side.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath in and lift your arms overhead with your shoulders relaxed down.

Drop your left fingertips to the floor on the left and extend your right arm up by your right ear and tip your body to the left.

Keep your right sits bone anchored to the floor to gently open the space at your waist.

Take a breath here.

Long,

Slow,

Deep,

Even breath in and out of your nose.

Then rotate by dropping your right arm across your body and let it rest on your left thigh or knee.

Press both of your sits bones down.

Drop your chin slightly so the back of your neck is long.

Lift your crown up and rotate your spine looking over your left shoulder.

Breathe and notice the sensation of the twist.

Come back to center with your eyes first,

Then your shoulders,

Then your spine.

Take a breath and pause.

Now gently move from your seat into all fours or tabletop position.

Wrists under shoulders,

Knees under hips,

Toes untucked.

If you're like me,

Your knees might appreciate some extra padding under them by doubling up your mat or your towel.

In tabletop,

Begin in neutral with your crown and tail reaching away from each other.

Lift your eyes and your tail slowly and let your belly drop down.

Take your time.

There's no rush.

Then lift your belly button up to your spine and drop your head and tail.

Do this a couple of times.

Then come back to neutral with a long spine and do some big,

Slow,

Side-to-side body wags.

Imagine you have a huge long dinosaur tail that you're sweeping back and forth behind you.

Let your right shoulder come close to your right hip and look back at your tail.

Then let your left shoulder get close to your left hip.

Look back at your hip as you wag your tail and whole spine side-to-side.

Come back to center and pause.

Breathe.

Now press your right foot back behind you,

Straightening your leg and leaving your toes on the floor.

If you like,

Push a little with your hands and make some length in your lower leg.

Then inhale and lift your right leg up and cross it behind you to the left.

Look to the left and see your right foot now on the floor on the left side.

Take a couple of big,

Deep breaths into your right ribs and outer leg.

If you like,

You can move your hands on the floor a little to the left and pull back gently to let the sail of your right ribs ease open even more.

Inhale and move your right foot back to all fours.

Pause and then swing your right leg right,

Putting your right foot flat on the floor on the right in line with your left knee.

Lift your torso so you're standing on your left knee and right whole foot.

Lift your left arm over your left ear and curve your body to the right.

You might rest your hand on your waist or thigh or shin,

But do avoid resting on the knee to protect the joint.

Pause here and breathe into your whole left side.

Slowly come back to all fours.

Move a little bit,

Breathe,

Reset.

And let's do this on the other side.

Press your left foot back this time behind you,

Straightening your leg and leaving your left toes on the floor.

You can push a little with your hands and lengthen your lower leg if that feels good.

Then lift your left leg up and cross it behind you to the right.

Look to the right and see your left foot now on the floor behind you on the right side.

Take a couple of big breaths into your whole left side.

If it feels good,

You can move your hands on the floor a little to the right and gently pull back to let your right side ease open.

Our two sides are often very different,

So just notice what feels good without pushing or straining.

Inhale and move your left leg back to all fours and exhale long.

Inhale and swing your left leg around and put your left foot flat on the floor on the left,

Right in line with your right knee.

Then lift your torso gently again so you're standing on your right knee and left whole foot.

This time lift your right arm to your right ear and curve your body to the left.

Breathe a lot into your whole right side.

Again you can rest your left hand on your waist,

On your thigh,

On your shin,

But not on your knee.

Pause here and breathe,

Breathe,

Breathe into your right side.

Now inhale gently and come back to tabletop.

Move your spine around a little and reset.

Now tuck your toes under and push yourself onto your feet and gently,

Gently straighten your legs and lift your hips,

Letting your torso and head hang down.

Feel free to let your knees bend generously,

Supporting your upper body.

You can rest your hands or elbows on your thighs if that feels good or let your fingertips rest on the floor or take your elbows in opposite hands.

Whatever feels good without any strain,

Gently hang and sway.

Rock a little forward and back,

Twist a little side to side.

Reach in any way that feels like an easy release of your spine and side body.

Whatever you choose,

Stay loose and easy.

Imagine your spine and side bodies pouring down.

Now bend your knees a lot.

Tuck your tail under,

Drop your chin and slowly,

Slowly roll up to standing.

Take as much time as you need.

There is no rush.

If you feel dizzy at all,

Slow down and breathe or sit or lie down.

In your own time,

Come to standing with your feet in a stable stance.

And notice how your body feels now.

Notice your whole self.

Take a long,

Slow,

Deep breath into the spinnaker sails of your side body.

As you move into whatever is next for you today,

See if you can give some attention to your sides as you sit,

Walk,

Move and breathe.

Thank you for practicing with me.

My name is Susan.

I love connecting with you so please leave a comment or a message on my teacher page.

Until then,

Breathe deep.

Shine bright and show up.

Reviews

Hello beautiful 🌼☀️🌼☀️🌼Thank you so much for the wonderful movements and sweet sailing lesson 🗺️🦋🌈I’m feeling so sunny and spacey 🗺️have a blessed day 🕉️Namaste

Great morning wake up movements!