This is track 2,
Version 2.
Starting to let go.
Our only objective is to find what our bodies like doing,
To become more and more aware,
And to use imagination where awareness hasn't quite developed.
Experiencing the pull of gravity and its connection with the breath,
Bringing the spine to life,
Awakening the core while relaxing the outer body,
Undoing the grip of dominant muscles,
To invite other muscles to come into play,
Giving better articulation to the joints and deeper,
More subtle control.
It's about finding a wholeness of movement involving the body as an intelligent and harmonious whole.
None of these words by Sophie Hoare have real meaning for us until they are felt,
Even just for a fleeting moment.
Then we are given a sense of freedom which takes us out of ourselves and which is natural,
Profoundly relaxing and therapeutic.
So,
Lying on your back with knees up and feet resting on the ground,
Become more and more aware,
More and more conscious of your points of contact with the ground.
Start to let go.
Let go of the big surface muscles that we use most of the time.
We have about 700 muscles altogether,
And generally we use only 70.
If we can learn to release these,
We develop a network of core muscles which give us resilience.
Let go of thoughts and feelings.
Let go of thoughts and feelings.
Draw attention to your breathing,
Not to change it,
But to notice how fast or slow it is,
How deep or shallow it is.
Notice the arches of your feet,
One to the big toe,
One to the little toe,
And one across the base of the toes.
These arches give us a foundation for our walking and breathing.
Let go of the big toe,
One to the little toe,
And one across the base of the toes.
These arches give us a foundation for our walking and standing.
Become aware of,
Or imagine,
Your spine.
If your hands are by your sides,
Palms up,
Notice your shoulder blades flat on the ground.
Become aware of,
Or imagine,
The space between them,
And also imagine space across the front of your body,
Maybe across your collarbones.
Feel that there is more and more contact with the ground as you lie there and let go.
Feel that your spine is lengthening as it loses the curves in the lumbar area and the reflection in the neck vertebrae.
Draw your attention to your hands now.
Let them feel light.
Let your arms feel empty.
Let your hands gently rise from the ground towards the ceiling,
Taking with them the wrists,
The elbows,
And leaving the shoulders behind.
All the way to the top of your head,
Taking with them the wrists,
The elbows,
And leaving the shoulders behind.
All the big muscles that usually try to stop the shoulder dislocating are released down.
It's as if the bones are moving through a sleeve of muscle.
The body likes small circular movements,
Not big,
Jerky ones.
The more vertical they get,
The more aligned the bones are,
The less work the big surface muscles have to do.
You feel that you are not holding them up.
They are just there,
Natural,
As if the hands have been flung off the surface of the earth as it spins in space,
And the only thing anchoring them back is their weight acting through the shoulders to the centre of the earth.
You feel an ease and alignment,
Which is the ideal in every yoga position,
As if you could stay there for a long time.
But you know there is no point once you stop feeling muscles release.
Now bring your attention to your right foot.
Let it feel light.
Let the right leg feel empty.
Allow the right knee to travel back towards your head,
So your back is protected.
Then let the foot rise towards the ceiling,
Taking with it the ankle and the knee,
But leaving the hips behind.
Feel that the hamstrings can release,
Allowing the knee to straighten more and more.
The big muscles around the hip,
Which strive to stop it dislocating,
Can be released,
Bringing more space into the hip joint.
Feel the fluidity there,
Just like in the shoulders.
You can imagine that the leg can eventually feel as easy as the arm.
The more vertical it gets,
The more aligned the bones are.
The less work the muscles have to do,
The less they try to hold and tense or shake.
But if these things happen,
Once you realize there is no more release possible,
There is no point in trying to hold the position any longer.
In all yoga poses,
It's often better to come out of the pose at this point,
And maybe go back into it.
So often,
Less is more.
Bring the right leg down,
With the knee up and foot on the ground.
Consider how different it feels from the left.
Then allow the left foot to become light,
The left leg empty,
The left knee travels back towards the head,
And the foot floats towards the ceiling.
Allow the leg to become straighter as you release muscles behind the knee and around the hips.
Once again,
The bones are moving through a sleeve of muscle.
This time,
With the left foot still in the air,
Allow the right knee to come back again,
And the right foot to go up as well.
Notice how your back accommodates itself to having two feet in the air.
For many people,
It's easier than one.
Place one big toe on top of the other,
And allow this point of contact to give you a purchase point,
To release one leg down and encourage the other leg up.
Then change over.
Any point of contact,
Whether with yourself,
The ground,
The wall,
Or another person,
Gives you a place from which you can release muscles.
When there is no more release to be had,
Give all four limbs a shake,
And gently bring them all down to the ground.
And consider how you feel.
