Standing within touching distance of a wall,
Ready for walking around the room anti-clockwise.
Nature is a dance for your body.
You know it better than anyone.
You are deliberately releasing big surface muscles so that you can find space and better articulation at the joints.
As you do more,
You increase awareness of what your body is like.
Attention,
Not intention,
And imagination fills the gaps while your awareness is developing.
As you walk very,
Very slowly,
Encourage a lightness in the shoulders and awareness of the spine.
Then you risk letting your eyes look forwards.
The back of your head feels wide between the ears.
The neck is long.
The lower jaw is relaxed.
Your shoulders feel wide apart with as much distance as possible between them and the ears.
Your arms release away from the shoulders and are not clutched in towards them.
They don't stop at the shoulders.
Their weight is carried by the spine.
They are like wings.
Your hands are alive but not rigid.
Be aware of where you are holding tension and release it.
Notice your breathing.
Your front ribs are quiet and the in-breath is felt mainly across the lower back ribs.
The back of the waist lengthens with the movement of the stomach coming back to the spine as you exhale.
Be aware if your breath is catching anywhere.
Your pelvis and lower back are as wide and quiet as possible,
Again following the movement of the exhalation.
Lift the knees and rotate the legs to release away from the hips like footballers do and notice whether your feet feel active or tense.
Experiment.
Maybe keep your back heel in contact with the ground longer than usual.
Maybe lift your knees higher than usual.
Notice if there is any resulting tension in your shoulders or neck and deliberately release it.
Stay conscious of the way you are breathing and of where you are looking.
Walking within touching distance of a wall,
If it's possible,
Gives you confidence so that any feeling of imbalance may be quickly dispelled just by touching it.
You can maybe stop with one knee up and put your arms around it or if this isn't possible for you,
Stop with all your weight on one foot and the toes of the other one touching the ground for confidence.
And then do the same with the other leg.
And then carry on walking around.
Where there is a clear wall space,
Stop and make a gentle forward bend to make contact with the wall.
From there you can release through your wrists,
Out through your elbows,
Through the shoulders and going back to the spine.
Remain aware of space across the front and back of the body.
Release from the back of the lungs,
Down the spine,
Through the hips,
Past very open knees to heels and toes.
Be aware of any tension at the base of the spine and move your pelvis to release it.
Notice any tendency to lock the knees and keep open the space behind them.
Feel very well supported by your hands on the wall and your feet on the ground.
As you breathe,
You may find that your back lengthens and loses some of its curves.
You may find that the legs become straighter,
More vertical,
At right angles to your back at the hips.
Notice the shape and remember the feeling of support.
You can get the same feeling in downward facing dog during sun salutations.
Feel that the skeleton can carry all your weight.
You're not using any big surface muscles except perhaps at your neck.
If you feel comfortable,
You can keep your hands on the wall and take one or two tiny steps forward until your head gently comes into contact with the wall.
There is a feeling of doing headstand on the wall and you can explore different points of contact on your skull.
You may find that any tension you may have had in your neck goes with the contact.
If you're still feeling comfortable,
You can take a few more steps and bring the tops of your shoulders into contact with your wall,
Allowing your head to slide down.
You can take your hands off the wall now.
If at any time you feel uncomfortable,
Take a few steps back,
Bend your knees and stand up slowly.
If you're still comfortable,
Extend your arms and explore the flexibility in your shoulders,
Taking them above you,
To the sides and below you,
Maintaining the contact with the wall all the time.
This is a shoulder stand on the wall and there is an opportunity to explore what angle between your neck and your upper body is comfortable for you,
So that when you do it on the ground with the weight of your body,
You do not take any risks with your neck.
But you can still explore the flexibility in your shoulders,
Even if you're giving your back some contact with your hands.
Finally,
Take a few steps back,
Bend your knees and stand up slowly.
Breathe gently into dasana and consider how you feel,
What you've learnt about your body and if you like,
Carry on walking slowly back to your mat.
